Notice verse 6.
Even as David also described it, the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputed.
That word imputed or impute means to attribute, ascribe, to give.
God gives righteousness, don't miss it, without works.
Why?
Because salvation, very plainly, is not of works.
Salvation is not something that you get through works.
Go back to Ephesians 2, and keep your place in Romans, we're going to come back to it.
And let's just take some time and just break down these famous, well-known verses, Ephesians
2, 8 and 9.
Why is it that salvation is not of works?
And the answer is found in these verses.
I want you to notice the first phrase, Ephesians 2, 8, for by grace.
Salvation is not of works because salvation is by grace.
Now the word by means this, indicating the means or method by which something is achieved.
How is it that salvation is achieved?
What is the method, what is the means that God uses in order to save us?
Well, he tells us it's by grace.
The word grace means free.
It means unearned.
The theological term is unmerited, which means undeserved favor, or the unmerited favor
of God.
You say, how is it, what is the means or the method for salvation?
How can you and I be saved?
Well, we are saved by grace.
We are saved by the unmerited, undeserved, unearned favor, the free favor of God.
And here's what you need to understand.
Grace and works are at odds with each other.
You cannot have grace and works.
Go to Romans chapter number 11.
I asked you to keep your place in Romans, keep your place in Ephesians.
We're going to be going back and forth tonight, Romans chapter number 11.
See the people who want to add works to salvation, they always want to fight about faith and
works, faith and works.
Well, faith without works is dead.
Faith without works is dead.
But here's the problem.
The problem is that the Bible says that we're saved by grace.
And the Bible is clear that grace and works cannot, they are opposite of each other.
They're at enmity with each other.
You cannot have both at the same time.
And it's simply because of this.
Because grace, though we like to give it, and I don't think there's anything wrong with
using terminology like unmerited, undeserved, unearned favor of God, really when it comes
down to it, all of that means it's free.
And often when we're out soul winning, I'll give the example, I'll say to somebody, hey,
the Bible says here that salvation is by grace.
And what that means, I'll say, you know, here at your house, you may have, you probably
have a grace period.
Maybe your rent's due on the first or your payment is due on the first and they give
you till the fifth to pay that.
What do they call that?
A grace period.
It's free time.
They don't have to give you that time.
They just give it to you as free.
That's what the word grace means.
In fact, if you just see the word grace in regards to salvation, it means free.
What does the word works mean?
Work means you earned it.
It means you went to work for it.
Now notice what the Bible says in Romans 11 and verse six.
Romans chapter 11 and verse six, the Bible says this, and if by grace, this is what Paul
says.
He says, look, if salvation is free, right?
If it's unmerited, undeserved, unearned gift, he says, and if by grace, he says, then it
is no more of works.
He says, look, if it's free, you can't earn it.
Do you understand that?
Otherwise grace is no more grace.
He says, look, if it's free, you can't earn it.
Otherwise it's not free.
But if it be of works, he says, let's say that all the false religions are right and
you can earn it.
You do have to get baptized.
You do have to speak in tongues.
You do have to repent of your sins.
You do have to do whatever they decide you need to do.
He says, look, but if it be of works, if it's something you earn, then it is no more grace.
Otherwise work is no more work.
Look, here's what he's saying.
It's either free or it's not.
If it's free, then you can't earn it.
Otherwise free would not be free.
And if you earn it, then it can't be free.
Otherwise you're not really earning it.
So he says, look, salvation, you say, why do you guys believe that salvation is not
of works?
Well, here's why.
Because it's by grace.
And the word by means it's the means, the method in which salvation is achieved.
And the means and the method that salvation has achieved is grace, which is unmerited,
undeserved, unearned.