Working will not save me

C679 E1000 K679 T1000
1
Working will not save me;
Purest deeds that I can do,
Holiest thoughts and feelings too,
Cannot form my soul anew;
Working will not save me.
 
Jesus wept and died for me;
Jesus suffered on the tree;
Jesus waits to make me free,
  He alone can save me.
2
Weeping will not save me;
Though my face were bathed in tears,
That could not allay my fears,
Could not wash the sins of years;
Weeping will not save me.
3
Waiting will not save me;
Helpless, guilty, lost I lie,
In my ear is mercy’s cry;
If I wait I can but die:
Waiting will not save me.
4
Praying will not save me;
All the prayers that I could say
Could not wash my sins away,
All I owe could never pay:
Praying will not save me.
5
Faith in Christ will save me;
Let me trust Thy gracious Son,
Trust the work that He has done,
To His arms, Lord, help me run;
Faith in Christ will save me.
15

My friends, you must see that salvation is not of yourselves. You must realize from your heart that everything is of the Lord Jesus. Faith is not a virtue. Faith is just receiving. One of our gospel hymns says, "Working will not save me" and "Weeping will not save me" (#1000 in Hymns, published by Living Stream Ministry). The last stanza says, "Faith in Christ will save me." When I first saw this line, immediately I crossed it out and replaced it with "Jesus alone will save me." Faith is not a virtue. Faith is just to allow the Lord to save us. It is like a person who falls into the sea. When someone comes to save him by throwing him a net, he does not have to do anything. As long as he does not jump out of the net, he will be fine. Everything is done by the Lord Jesus. Hallelujah! I say again, never misunderstand James 2. Work in James 2 is not a question of being good or bad, but of having or not having faith.