For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. [Eph. 2:8-9]

A man was trying to share the gospel with a maker of fine wood furniture. The man just could not see how he could be saved without doing something to finish or complete his salvation.  The Christian picked up a plane and went over to a table with a beautiful finish on it … and acted as though he was going to run the plane over the top of the table. The fellow shouted, “Stop! What are you doing!?  You’ll ruin the finish!”

The Christian then told him that just as his trying to add some additional wood-working strokes to this fellows table would ruin it because it was finished, so he would ruin the work of Christ if he tried to add anything to it. As Jesus died on the cross He said, “It is finished!”  There is nothing for us to do but believe and trust Jesus as our Savior.

Nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified [Gal. 2:16].

Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved ... [Acts16:31].

Pastor Jim