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Today’s topic sparked a small storm on Facebook: I wrote quite a few comments there, and in response I got 40–50 posts, mainly attacking me. It’s about a sentence that I intentionally phrased provocatively: „Salvation is by grace, but grace must be earned.” More precisely: in order to receive grace, one must fulfill certain conditions. I explained that if grace were „completely free” in the sense that you don’t have to do anything, accept anything, or hold to anything – then everyone would be saved. And we know that not everyone will be. Since Christ died for everyone, and Scripture says God wants everyone to be saved, theoretically that’s how it should be. And yet it won’t be. So where is the problem? In that salvation is by grace – I’ll quote verses in a moment – but not everyone will receive that grace. The question is: what must one do to receive it? Some answer: „Nothing. God gives it to whomever He wants.” But that’s not the whole truth. I hope that after reading this article, this will be clearer. Let’s start with passages that seem to confirm the thesis that deeds don’t matter, only grace or faith does.

Ephesians 2:8-10. Let’s look carefully at this sequence of verses: „For by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this does not come from yourselves, but it is a gift from God. Not from works, so that no one may boast. For we are His handiwork, created in the Anointed Yeshu for useful labor, which God prepared beforehand so that we may walk in it.”

It’s true in the sense that none of us is capable of giving God anything that would buy us back from the bondage of sin, which brings the due penalty of death. We cannot buy ourselves back. But it is also not quite true that salvation „costs nothing.” For another reason: our Lord Yeshu Christ paid for our salvation with his life and suffering. So it cannot be said that salvation is „absolutely free” – it is free for us because He paid the price. Christ, as the Savior, received the privilege of granting us salvation, and He – acting according to the will of the Father – sets the conditions that we must fulfill to benefit from grace. The Father calls, the Son does not reject those whom the Father draws, and at the same time it is through the Son that the Father acts. Notice also that in Ephesians it speaks of „grace through faith.” So the first „door” is faith in Christ. One could say: we „pay” with faith. No faith – no access to the grace of salvation. The verse that supposedly excludes works also shows that faith is a condition. And faith without works – as we will soon see – in practice does not exist.

Romans 3:24-25. „Justified freely by His grace through the redemption in the Anointed Yeshu. Whom God put forward as a propitiation through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness by passing over previously committed sins in the patience of God.”

„Freely” – meaning we do not pay, because Christ paid. To claim that it cost no one anything would be untrue: it cost Him everything.

Romans 4:4-13. „To a worker, wages are not counted as grace, but as what is due; To the one not working but believing in the One who justifies the ungodly, faith is counted as righteousness. Just as David says that the blessing is for a person when God counts righteousness apart from works, saying: Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; Blessed is the one to whom the Lord will not count sin. Is then this blessing only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. When was it counted to him? When he was circumcised or when he was uncircumcised? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness of the faith he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without circumcision, so that righteousness might be counted to them too; And that he might be the father of circumcision, not only for those who are of the circumcision, but also for those, who walk in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham, which was before circumcision. For it was not through the law that the promise came to Abraham or his descendants, that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness of faith.”

We can see clearly that the discussion is about works understood as deeds of the Mosaic Law. Abraham did not know the Law—neither the Sabbath nor the regulations existed then—yet he received justification. The entire biblical argument of „not by works” concerns the works of the Law, by which salvation cannot be achieved. Today we would say: the old covenant is no longer in force, we have been redeemed from it. In the new covenant, the terms are set by Christ. So, it is not about „keeping the Mosaic Law, Sabbath, and other regulations, and you will be saved.” On the contrary: Abraham’s example shows that justification came before and outside the Law. Nevertheless—and I will show this in a moment—works are important in the sense that they are the inseparable fruit and evidence of authentic faith. Abraham’s own justification had its path of obedience; I will remind you of this again at the end.

Titus 3:4-11. „But when the kindness and love of God our Savior toward humanity appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, Whom he poured out on us abundantly through Yeshu Christ, our Savior, That having been justified by his grace, we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying; and I want you to affirm these things, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. But avoid foolish questions, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the Law; for they are unprofitable and vain. Reject a divisive person [heretic] after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a one is perverted and sins, being self-condemned.”

So we see two pillars: on one side, mercy and grace; on the other—a call to active goodness. Verses 9-11 admonish „to avoid foolish questions, genealogies, disputes and quarrels about the Law, for they are unprofitable; and to reject a person who causes divisions, after the first and second admonition.” What does this mean in the context of grace? That someone who persistently sows division does not remain in the order that grace establishes in the community. As Paul writes, „such a person is perverted and sins, self-condemned.” There is no leniency here under the banner „grace covers everything, so it doesn’t matter what I do.” Paul leaves no room for doubt: he calls for order and responsibility.

Ephesians 3:14. „And let our people also learn to maintain good works as needed, that they may not be unprofitable.”

Good works, then, are not the currency with which we buy salvation, but a testimony that grace is at work within us, and they make us useful to the Lord and to people. The lack of works makes one useless—and Scripture warns against barrenness. And here I want to make it very clear where the confusion comes from: the teaching that works have no meaning is deceptive. That’s how the adversary works: if they cannot turn everyone away from the Bible and Christ, they insert subtle distortions. One of them is the claim that a bare confession is enough—without obedience, without fruit, without life transformation. Another—and we will talk about this further—is the confusion around the name of the Son: people do not know the true name, and therefore do not fulfill the requirement of calling on the name of our Lord Yeshu in order to be saved. These are strong statements, but they come from a careful reading of Scripture and the distinction between works of the Law and the obedience of faith. In a moment, you will see this even more clearly when we compare other verses and see that faith does not exist without works, and grace does not abolish conditions, but rather proclaims them and enables us to fulfill them.

This is one of the „failures.” But there are others as well, which make people stop taking their sins seriously. And here—in my opinion—the Protestants did great harm to those, for those who seek God and desire salvation. For they have convinced many that once saved – always saved. In other words: if you received salvation ten years ago, then whatever you do today no longer matters. You sin? It doesn’t matter – you will still be saved. They don’t say this literally, they seem to quote other verses, but underneath that’s the signal they’re sending. Similarly – though differently – it happens among Catholics with confession. In practice, the impression is created: you are allowed to sin, as long as you confess, and you will be „clean” again. In the worst case, right before death, the priest will hear your confession, anoint you, and you’ll go to heaven. These are very harmful teachings. Protestants condemn this solution, but they have invented another which leads to similar indifference: a person stops worrying about sin, because „it will be forgiven anyway.” But it doesn’t work that way. We read, after all, that we are not to be useless – we are to excel in good deeds. Let’s look at the Gospel of Matthew. Let’s turn to a few of Christ’s teachings, which clearly show: although salvation is by grace, we will not be saved if there is no fruit in the form of good works. I organize it like this: salvation is by grace, but to receive grace, you have to fulfill certain conditions – in quotes „deserve it,” although it’s hard to really call it that. It’s rather the minimum, which must be met. Like with the law: it’s not about conquering Himalayan peaks or doing a thousand push-ups on one hand, but about not doing certain things, and doing others – with emphasis on avoiding evil.

Matthew 25:30. „And throw that worthless servant outside – into the darkness! There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

This one sentence blows apart the argument that deeds are unnecessary. Where is the grace? After all, this was His servant! Why didn’t he receive grace? We have to go back and see what he did – or what he did not do.

The whole context is very telling. In fact, already at the end of chapter 24 we have the parable of the faithful and wise servant. If he fulfills his duty, he will be rewarded. „But if that wicked servant says in his heart: ‘My master is delaying,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 24:48-51). And where is the grace? After all, this is Christ’s servant – he declared service, yet he did not receive forgiveness unconditionally. That’s the point: Yeshu says this so that there will be no complaints later. The servant who knew the master’s will and disregarded it will be punished. Do deeds matter, or not?

We return to chapter 25: the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. I will skip the details, and recall the ending.

Matthew 25:11-13. „Finally, the other virgins came too, saying: ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered: ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Therefore watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

Christ puts great emphasis on watching. Why? If „grace” supposedly guarantees everything, what’s the point of watching? Why is Yeshu so strict here? These virgins wanted to serve Him, but their foolishness and negligence took effect. It turns out one can believe in Christ, and yet – through one’s own thoughtlessness – not enter into life. Grace was within reach, but it was wasted.

Next we have the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30). Everyone received something to multiply. The one who received one talent didn’t squander it – he returned it intact. Did the Lord show him understanding? No. He heard: „You wicked and lazy servant… you should have deposited my money with the bankers… Take away his talent… And throw the worthless servant outside into the darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Where is the supposed guarantee? It’s clear: you were supposed to work for the Lord. Lack of fruit isn’t lack of reward, but punishment. That is why the teaching that deeds „do not matter” is so dangerous.

All the servants belonged to the Lord. Each received something. And each was held accountable for what they did. This is not a story about „deserved salvation,” but about responsibility for the gift. The one who buried the talent was not condemned for a „lack of faith” in a declaration, but for a bad decision: they did not embrace the will of the Lord. This precisely shows why deeds are important: they are a concrete response to grace, they are obedience. If God has assigned you a task—take it on. Being chosen does not mean „predestined regardless of response.” God truly takes our freedom seriously.

Right after that—the judgment of the nations, sheep and goats (Matthew 25:31-46). „He will separate them from one another… The sheep on the right, the goats on the left.” And the words that must be spoken.

Matthew 25:44-46. „Lord, when did we see you hungry… and did not serve you? … To the extent you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me. And they will go to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Notice: the saved are not saved because they „saved themselves” through deeds, but because grace became truly available to them—and the entry ticket was obedience in love, a concrete act, serving Christ in their brothers and sisters. How does this reconcile with the slogan that faith alone is enough and deeds are „irrelevant”? It doesn’t. After all, we’re talking about people who recognize the Lord: „Lord, when…?” These are not pagan unbelievers, but those who were meant to serve the Lord. If they had seen Him „face to face,” they probably would have served with zeal. But Christ identifies with His body—the community. How we treat it is how we treat Him. That is why people who sow division wound the Body of Christ. Such people must be corrected and—if they stubbornly destroy unity—removed from the community so they do not harm others.

And how does this relate to the claim that deeds are unnecessary? They are necessary as the fruit of faith and as a condition for entering the reality of grace. If we know the truth, know Christ, but do not do good according to His will, we risk not only losing the chance of salvation—we face a severe judgment. Remember the words: „The servant who knew his master’s will and did not prepare himself or do according to his will will receive many stripes; but the one who did not know, yet did things worthy of punishment, will receive few”—proportionate to the light and responsibility. It is clear from this: the more we know and declare, the more our actions testify whether we truly belong to the Lord. Salvation is by grace—but one enters it by a path of obedience, vigilance, and active love, which confirm faith. Without this, only an empty slogan remains, not life in Christ.

How do we confirm this? Simply: with our own life. Through daily choices we show whether we accept Christ’s teaching or merely declare it. If our actions show that we do not take His words seriously, we put ourselves in a worse position than those who do not know His will at all. Yes, the Bible teaches that those „who did not know” will be punished more lightly; but those who knew the Lord’s will and did not do it will bear more severe responsibility. So where is there room for „easy,” „sugar-coated” salvation? Christ never promises an effortless path. On the contrary: whoever wants to be His disciple must expect hardships and persecution. Being a disciple of Yeshu is not a title, it is a path of obedience.

It is not possible to be a disciple of Christ and ignore His teachings. The basic ones—like mercy, helping those in need—are clear and vivid. But there are more. Scripture speaks of respect for authority: starting with the home and marriage, through the community of believers, and up to the state. This is an order given by God. It also mentions mutual duties in marriage: wives are to show respect to their husbands, and husbands are to love their wives and treat them without violence, with gentleness and understanding. It is written plainly that a husband who wrongs his wife may encounter obstacles in prayer. These are all biblical guidelines. And if someone neglects them, merely declaring faith in Christ changes nothing. We cannot interpret His words as we see fit, choosing only what is convenient. We must remain true to what He really taught.

In this context, it is no surprise that the popular teaching today of „grace without deeds” is often understood in a way that actually does harm: as if good deeds were unnecessary and obedience optional. And yet we need them very much, because through them faith becomes visible and real. Let’s look at Christ’s parable in the Gospel of Matthew 22. The king prepared a wedding feast for his son. First, the chosen were invited, but they disregarded the invitation. Then the king instructed his servants: go to the crossroads and invite everyone you meet. The servants brought in both bad and good, and the hall was filled with guests. This is an image of grace: an invitation generously extended to all, undeserved. And yet, when the king entered, he saw a man without a wedding garment and ordered him to be removed—and strictly at that: he was bound and cast into the darkness. The famous words were spoken: many are called, but few are chosen. What’s the conclusion? Grace invites everyone, but does not abolish requirements. The feast is a gift, but entry requires the proper „garment”—transformation and obedience.

This is also perfectly illustrated by a simple example from the theater. The city can give out free tickets—that’s grace. But it may also require proper attire and behavior. If someone shows up drunk, aggressive or poorly dressed, they won’t be let in, even though the ticket was free. It is similar with salvation: it is a gift, because the „cost” was borne by Someone Else. But this does not abolish God’s conditions for participation. And this is where many people get lost. Why? Because they confuse „gift” with „lack of requirements.” In discussions, people repeat like a mantra: „if grace, then without conditions.”And yet, biblical grace is above all mercy—remission of guilt, salvation of life—and always aims at the transformation of a person, not at circumventing it.

We know the parable of the king who forgave his servant a tremendous debt after being moved by his plea. That same servant then went out and refused to forgive a small debt owed to him by a fellow servant, throwing him into prison. The king, seeing this, revoked the pardon. Grace was neglected—and canceled. Yeshu adds a condition directly in the Lord’s Prayer: „forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.” That means: we truly accept God’s forgiveness only when we ourselves forgive. If grace were entirely unconditional, everyone would be saved. But not everyone is, because some people do not want to accept the conditions of grace: faith, forgiveness, obedience.

Someone often brings up the example of the thief on the cross: „He did nothing, yet he was saved.” That’s an oversimplification. In a very difficult moment, this person showed faith, contrition, and courage. Acknowledging the innocence of Yeshu and his own guilt, he turned to Him with a request. He fulfilled what matters most: he repented in his heart and confessed faith with his lips. The other thief did not do this—and did not hear the promise. This shows that grace is a gift, but a person must accept it, even at the last moment, with a real turning toward Christ.

Someone else may say: „A president, when pardoning, does not demand payment.” True, but usually there is a procedure: a request, admission of guilt, recommendations. It is not a blind automaton that „wholesale” releases prisoners. God’s salvation is not mechanical either. God desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, but respects human will. Many do not want to change their lives, do not wish to call sin by its name, do not want to forgive. Then grace remains rejected.

It is also worth noting the contrast between the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9-14). The Pharisee lists his practices and compares himself to others; the tax collector beats his chest: „God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Yeshu states clearly: the tax collector went home justified, not the Pharisee. Why? Because God looks at the heart. Outward deeds may appear better in the Pharisee, yet pride spoils everything at the root. Humility opens the door to grace. That is why we can say: yes, we „pay” with humility—not in the sense of trading with God, but in the sense of responding to the truth about ourselves. God gives grace to the humble, but opposes the proud (James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5). This is a spiritual principle, not just a slogan.

Let’s return for a moment to James 5:20. „Whoever brings back a sinner from their erroneous way will save that person’s soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.” Here is a wonderful synthesis: grace saves, and love—concrete, active—takes part in the work of salvation. Not by calculation of merit, but by cooperation with God, who „desires all to be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4). Therefore, let us not judge hastily—judgment belongs to the Judge—but let us do good, correct errors with love, and resolve disputes without contempt. I agree: some Protestant communities have reduced the issue of works to an automatic „dynamic of faith”; some Catholics, on the other hand, have lapsed into formalism. Both need the fullness of the Gospel.

Let us move on to the Letter of James, chapter 2. There we read words that set all illusions straight: „You believe that God is one? You do well—the demons also believe, and tremble.” Knowledge and declaration alone do not save. James asks: „Do you want to understand, empty person, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see, faith worked together with his works, and by works faith was made complete.” (19-22). Similarly Rahab the prostitute—her faith proved real when she welcomed the messengers and protected them with action. James’s point is unambiguous: „A person is justified by works, and not by faith alone.” This is not a denial of grace, but a description of living faith that bears fruit.

All Christ’s parables go in this direction. About the sheep and the goats: the judgment is based on this, Did we feed the hungry, welcome strangers, visit the sick – „whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” About talents: the servants received one grace (gifts), but handled it differently; those who neglected it were not praised, but severely judged. In both images, it’s about people who nominally belonged to the Lord – and yet not all received the reward. Why? Because their deeds did not align with His will.

From this the conclusion for us is simple and at the same time demanding: Christ sets the conditions for participation in His kingdom. Our task is to know and fulfill them – not to „deserve” God’s love (because He loved us first), but to show Him true faith and faithfulness. Grace is not „against” deeds – grace gives rise to deeds. One cannot confess Christ with their mouth and deny Him with their actions. That’s why we need both faith and obedience: heart and path, conviction and practice, words and deeds. Lastly, it’s worth adding some words.

James 4:6 „God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

This is the key: humility, contrition, an open heart and readiness to obey. This path is blessed by grace. This is the way a disciple truly follows the Master.

God gives great grace to the humble, because – as we read – God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. This is not a minor detail, but one of the fundamental conditions: humility opens the heart to the gift, pride closes it. And no declaration of faith changes this – if someone persists in pride, the very formula „I believe” brings no fruit. Faith that gives rise to no humility turns into a theoretical view. And pride destroys it from within. That’s why modesty and humility are so important – we should all take this deeply to heart.

Finally – a few practical thoughts. First: it’s not about multiplying deeds, but about being faithful to what God sets before me today. Second: if I have wronged someone, make it right – as far as possible – with the harm done; grace does not abolish justice, but heals it. Third: do not compare yourself – ask whether you love and serve. Fourth: do not judge others hastily – leave judgment to the Judge; you build love. Fifth: cultivate humility – it is the soil where everything good grows. And remember: Christ first, always Christ – and with Him a new life, which is truly known by its fruits.

The full written version of the article is now available at https://yeshu.blog . There you will also find my videos and music — all created in the name of our Lord Yeshu.

Thanks for listening until the end. I would be extremely grateful for likes, shares and comments, because it helps grow the channel, which gives a chance to reach even more people.

If you receive the gift of faith in the name of our Lord Yeshu, take the next step and contact me to be immersed in the name of Yeshu. You can find contact details on our website or simply write on Messenger.

Glory to Yeshu!!!