Amos: Salvation Is All Of Grace And None Of Works

Natural man invents his own gods and invents religions (typified here by Bethel and Gilgal) which glorify man’s works as meritorious. All of those religions are false; God exposes and smashes them all. The works of natural man are meaningless to God. Only perfect righteousness is acceptable to God. The only man who ever walked perfectly righteous on this earth is Jesus Christ. The only way to be saved from God’s wrath is by the imputed righteousness of Christ. Christ offers this to everyone; he commits to save everyone who seeks him. Natural man refuses to seek Christ, refuses to bow to him. Only those elected by God before time began are enabled to seek Christ. Salvation is only by the free sovereign gift of Grace in Jesus Christ. God will not accept any of man’s offerings and he will not accept any of man’s works. He will not accept any mixture of Grace and Works. Salvation is by Grace exclusively.

Amos 5:4-5 For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live: But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought.

Amos 5:21-22 I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.

By Ray Bennetts