Salvation by works, according to the Apostle Paul, is a stumbling block.
"Wherefore? Because they sought it not through faith, but through the works of the law. Because they tripped over the stumbling stone." (Romans 9:32)
"Enter through the small gate; because wide is the gate and broad is the path that goes to destruction, and many enter by it," Jesus remarked. (Matthew 7:13)
Because of Adam and Eve's transgressions, there is a schism between God and man, making it impossible for humans to gain admittance into Heaven through works (performing enough good actions) or seeking to live a good and flawless life.
"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall definitely die," God told Adam and Eve. (See Genesis 2:17)
Adam and Eve did not obey, and their sin sentenced all of humanity to both spiritual and physical death.
However, in His infinite love for man, God provided a means to salvation for those who would accept His plan by sending His only Son, Jesus, to die in our place. Jesus, the Son of God, took all of humanity's sins onto Himself, allowing anybody who believes in Him to be freed from the death penalty.
The only death that a Christian will endure is bodily death, which will be defeated someday. Unless and until the unsaved accept God's Plan of Salvation, they will face both a "physical death" and a "spiritual death" in Hell, eternally separated from God. There is only one solution, and that is to believe in Jesus and what He did on the cross.
According to the Apostle Peter, "there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (See Acts 4:12)
Your salvation is a personal relationship between you and God, and no one else can achieve it for you. You cannot get anything from God unless you have been born again. Ascertain your salvation!
Following God's plan is the only way to be born again and achieve eternal life. "That if thou shalt confess with thy lips the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved," Paul says. For man believes in righteousness with his heart, and confesses salvation with his mouth." (Romans 10:9–10)
Make certain that you have been saved by embracing God's plan, and then study His Word to learn what He wants you to accomplish as well as what He forbids.
God's design does not include works-based salvation. Good actions are a manifestation of our faith, obedience, and the overflow of God's love, but they will not get us to Heaven.
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