What happens if you add something to the gospel of grace?
Adding anything to the gospel of grace, no matter how small, turns it into a works religion. Salvation is faith plus nothing; once works are attached, it is no longer grace, and a person must come to God by faith alone.
Les teaches that Paul has been almost screaming since Romans began that salvation is faith plus nothing, or it is no salvation at all. If a person attaches anything, even something very small, to the gospel of grace, it becomes a works religion. Christianity today is inundated with works religion in various subtle forms. He illustrates with a lady who, under stress during the Vietnam War, was drawn subtly into New Age phenomena, but the Lord opened her eyes. All such systems are based on works, and when it is works it cannot be grace. Whether Jew or Gentile, if it is works, it is not grace; we must come God's way by faith alone.