When anyone adds to the cross work of Jesus Christ on Calvary they are saying it was not a perfect, finished sacrifice or it was not sufficient to save repenting sinners completely and forever. They are rejecting the perfect sacrifice, which the perfect High Priest offered to a perfect God who demands perfection. They are doing good works, receiving sacraments or performing religious rituals, in an attempt to satisfy divine justice. In doing these things they are insulting the Lord Jesus Christ. The reason salvation is offered as a gift of God's grace is because the work of redemption is DONE and there is nothing else to DO. God's grace, which must be mutually exclusive of human works or merit, is the only way God saves sinners. Anyone who thinks their salvation is obtained by what Christ has DONE plus what they must DO, needs to repent and come to the cross with empty hands of faith, bringing nothing but their sins. Paul wrote, "I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose" (Gal. 2:21) . "If it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace" (Rom. 11:6).
Proclaiming the Gospel