Christ Did Not Die for a Halfway Gospel
Christ did not suffer the agony of the cross so we could add our effort to His sacrifice. He did not pour out His blood just to make us co-redeemers. He did not say, “It is finished,” so we could try to finish what He supposedly left undone.
Yet that is exactly what many are doing when they add works, rituals, law-keeping, or sacraments to the gospel. They are preaching a halfway gospel. One that starts with grace but demands human effort to complete. One that bows to pride instead of surrendering to Christ.
But hear this clearly. There is no gray area between works-based salvation and grace-based salvation. None.
Any dependence on works—adherence to the law, undergoing rituals, performing sacraments, or doing good deeds—is a rejection of grace. That may be hard to accept, but it is the clear teaching of Scripture. It is not a matter of interpretation or nuance. If works contribute in any sense to your salvation, then your salvation is no longer “by grace.”
Paul makes this absolutely clear in Romans 11:6:
“But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.”
You cannot blend the two. Grace and works are oil and water. They do not mix. Try to add even one drop of works to grace, and you contaminate the entire gospel.
The Gospel of Grace Cannot Be Compromised
Paul was so serious about this that he pronounced a curse on anyone who distorted the gospel.
“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.”
Galatians 1:8
A gospel that includes works is not a gospel at all. It is a lie, and it leads people to destruction.
The Galatians fell into this trap. They began in grace but were seduced into trying to finish with works. Paul rebuked them sharply:
“Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”
Galatians 3:3
The answer is no. You are not saved by grace only to finish the job with law. You are saved by grace from beginning to end. There is no point in the process where you get to contribute to your justification. Not with your morality. Not with your church attendance. Not with your good deeds. Not with your baptism. Not with your tithes. Not with your communion. Not with anything.
You Cannot Earn a Gift
Salvation is not a reward. It is not a prize for the religious. It is not a paycheck for the disciplined. It is a gift for the undeserving.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Ephesians 2:8-9
If you had to earn it, it would not be a gift. If you could earn it, Christ would not have had to die. And if you are trying to earn it now, you are trusting in yourself and not in Him.
Paul puts it bluntly in Galatians 5:4:
“You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.”
You cannot ride the fence. It is either all grace or all law. There is no middle ground. There is no gray area.
Our Righteousness Is Worthless
One of the biggest lies the enemy tells people is that they are good enough. That God must be pleased with them because they try hard or do good things or live better than most. But Scripture slaughters that illusion.
“We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.”
Isaiah 64:6
Even our best attempts at righteousness are filthy before a holy God. He does not grade on a curve. He demands perfection. That is why we need Jesus. Not to supplement our goodness, but to replace it with His perfect righteousness.
Jesus Did It All
At the cross, Jesus took every sin. Every failure. Every debt. He paid it all in full. He bore the wrath we deserved. He satisfied the justice of God. He finished the work.
“When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished,’ and He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”
John 19:30
Finished means finished. It does not mean “begun.” It does not mean “mostly done.” It means there is nothing left for you to add. Christ's death is sufficient. His blood is enough. To try to add to it is not only foolish—it is blasphemous.
What About Good Works?
Good works matter. But they are the result of salvation, not the requirement for it. We are not saved by good works. We are saved for good works.
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:10
Good works are the evidence that we have been transformed. They are the fruit, not the root. Anyone who reverses that order has abandoned the gospel.
God Will Not Share His Glory
To trust in works is to rob God of His glory. He alone deserves the credit for salvation. He alone does the saving. You bring nothing but your sin. He brings everything else.
“I am the Lord; that is My name; My glory I give to no other.”
Isaiah 42:8
If your gospel lets you boast, it is not the gospel. If it lets you take credit, it is not from God. If it elevates you instead of humbling you, it is a lie.
Choose One: Grace or Works
You cannot have both. You must choose. Either you throw yourself entirely on the mercy of God through Jesus Christ, or you rely on your own righteousness and stand condemned. There is no middle. There is no blend. There is no gray.
Salvation is either by grace or it isn’t.
Christ did not die for a halfway gospel.