Why Do People Try To Work Their Way To Salvation

Romans 3:20, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

Why do people try to work their way to Heaven? I think it has to do with humans needing to see what they're believing in. I have had a few web visitors with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). I shared every book, sermon, video and resource I could think of with them, to help them. I exchanged over 300 e-mails with one man, trying to help him. But no matter what I sent him, he still persisted to ask me if he was saved. I kindly explained to him that I am not the Savior, and he needed to settle this matter between himself and the Word of God. I cannot save anybody, not even myself. I cannot confirm that someone is saved. I cannot give someone the assurance that they are saved by my own consent. I think his problem is that he lacks faith in God, and I let him know as kindly as possible. He wants something tangible. He wants another human being to assure him that he is saved, but I cannot do that. Faith is believing in what we cannot see. Moses had faith, seeing HIM WHO IS INVISIBLE! Hebrews 11:27, "By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible." 

Roman Catholics don't want to live by faith, so they follow a manmade religion instead, from the cradle to the casket. There are priests they can see and touch, and wafers placed on their tongues, and water baptism, and seven sacraments. Catholicism meets the needs of a heathen group of religious people, who desire to experience a physical religion that requires NO FAITH! If you sin, you go into a confessional booth, and the priest falsely claims to forgive your sins, and then you are told all is okay with God. No faith is needed, except faith in the Catholic priest. I tell you, Catholicism is a demonic prisonhouse of religion!!!

People (including those suffering from OCD) want something physical to cling to, rather than trust in the written Word of God. I believe that the King James Bible is the 100% verbally inspired Word of almighty God. Therefore, when I read the promise of God “to save them that believe” (e.g., 1st Corinthians 1:21), that's good enough for me! I think a lot of people lack faith that the Holy Bible is 100% word-for-word (verbally) inspired, and so they look to men instead to give them assurance. My salvation is based solely upon the written promises contained in God's Word in the inspired King James Bible. That's the best assurance there is, because I have God's promise set before me in black and white. 

I think a lot of people do works, because it gives them something they can see, and feel good about, but it is not faith. That's really what Lordship Salvation is all about—faith is not enough (according to them) to saved. They demand that a person's life change—that you pay the price, make full surrender, follow Jesus no matter what the cost, run the race, count the cost and live a lifestyle of repentance, et cetera. All of these things are manmade efforts to provide visible evidence of salvation, but this is not faith. In James 2:17-21 James said “shew me” your faith, and “I will shew thee” my faith by works. With men we are justified by works, because they cannot see our heart; but with God, who can see our heart, we are justified only by faith. In Romans, Paul speaks of the ROOT of the believer's faith (Romans 4:5-6); but James speaks of the FRUIT of the indwelling Holy Spirit that every believer should posses (Galatians 5:22-25). 

Lordship Salvation mandates a changed life for salvation in God's sight, which is works. So that is why I think humans tend to try to earn their way to Heaven, because it does not require faith. They can see their efforts. In Matthew 7:21-23 we read about some proponents of the Lordship Salvation damnable heresy. They said: “Lord, Lord, did we not do many wonderful works in thy name?” They did this, and they did that, all in Jesus' name; but they didn't believe on Christ apart from all else to be saved. Salvation requires FAITH and nothing more, or else you don't get God's grace. That is why I make such a big fuss all the time about those who add to the Gospel (such as the heresy of turning from sins to be saved), because they do not accept faith alone as being sufficient to save a person.