No, salvation is not something we work for; it is a free gift of God's grace received through faith.
Scripture says we are saved by grace through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works. Les Feldick repeatedly emphasizes that a gift cannot be earned or merited, and the moment works are added, it ceases to be a gift. He teaches that once saved, believers can work for reward, but they cannot work for salvation.
Ephesians 2:8-9 — This is the central passage Les cites: salvation is by grace through faith, a gift, and not of works.
Romans 4:4-5 — These verses show that working for something makes it a debt, not a gift, and that the one who does not work but believes has faith counted as righteousness.
The Bible directly addresses the question in Ephesians 2:8-9: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." This sets salvation in absolute contrast to human effort — it is a gift, and it is not of works. Paul also connects working with debt rather than grace. In Romans 4:4 he writes, "Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt." Then in the next verse he says, "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." The one who believes rather than works is the one who receives righteousness.
Les Feldick is emphatic: you work absolutely not at all for salvation. It is all of grace by faith plus nothing. He uses Ephesians 2:8-9 to show that salvation is a gift, and just as you do not pay for a gift, you do not work for it. As he puts it, as soon as you work to pay someone for giving you a gift, it is no longer a gift; it becomes payment. So salvation is something you cannot work for. He also carefully distinguishes working for salvation from working after salvation. Once a person has entered into the salvation experience, God expects that believer to work for reward, to enhance His work and bring honor and glory to His Name. But this is not earning salvation. Les applies this to everyone, including Jewish believers. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile; a Jew has to be saved the same way as a Gentile, and must drop all works religion of Judaism. He also lists some of the things people wrongly add to salvation: repentance, baptism, church membership, and good works. These do not save; they are salvation's result or reward.
Les Feldick teaches that most of Christendom has the idea that you work to attain salvation, but that is wrong. You work absolutely not at all for salvation; it is all of grace by faith plus nothing. But once you have entered into the salvation experience, God expects you to work for reward. The purpose of that work is to enhance His work, to enhance the Kingdom, and to bring honor and glory to His Name. As Les says, we are His worker bees — but we work for reward after salvation, never for salvation itself.
Les lists things people commonly trust in: sacrifices from the Jewish economy, and from our own present day, repentance, baptism, church membership, and good works. He says these are not in the gospel of grace; they do not save us. They are a part of salvation's reward or result, not its payment. As soon as works are attached to salvation, it becomes worthless.
No. Les emphasizes that there is no difference between Jew and Gentile. A Jew does not come in on a different level from a Gentile, and a Gentile does not come in on a lower level. They are all together unworthy and without hope. A Jew has to be saved the same way we are today — by grace through faith — and must drop all works religion of Judaism. If it is by grace, it is no more of works.
Why Adam's Sin Condemned You — Romans 5 Explained
So what has to happen? We'll have to have a new body, stands to reason. We're going to have a whole new body, fashioned after Christ's body, especially after the resurrection. That's our hope, that one day we'll have that glorious body that won't be contained by walls or ceilings or space.
Salvation Is the Gift of God
Les uses Ephesians 2:8 to show that salvation is by grace through faith and is the gift of God — a gift is not worked for or merited.
No Work for Salvation, Yes Work for Reward
Les says you work absolutely not at all for salvation; it is all of grace by faith plus nothing. After salvation, believers work for reward, not for salvation.
You Cannot Work for a Gift
Les explains that working to pay for a gift makes it payment, not a gift. Therefore salvation cannot be worked for; we can work after it, but not for it.
Works Put God in Debt
Les says the one who works receives a reward of debt, not grace, and those who try to merit favor are trying to put God in debt — something that can never happen.
Nothing Man Can Do
Les says salvation can be by nothing man can do; it was all accomplished by Christ's work on the cross, making God just to justify the believer.
Works Do Not Save
Les lists repentance, baptism, church membership, and good works as things people trust in, but these are not in the gospel of grace; they are salvation's result or reward, not its price.
Jews Must Drop Works Religion
Les applies the same truth to Jewish people: there is no difference between Jew and Gentile, and a Jew must be saved by grace and drop all works religion of Judaism.
Ephesians 2:8: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
This verse is the core evidence that salvation is a gift, not a wage earned by works.
Ephesians 2:9: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
This verse explicitly rules out human works as the basis for salvation.
Romans 4:4: Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
Paul shows that working makes the reward a debt, not an act of grace.
Romans 4:5: But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
The one who stops working and believes is the one who has faith counted as righteousness.
No. Les Feldick teaches that you work absolutely not at all for salvation; it is all of grace by faith plus nothing. Good works do not save, and as soon as works are attached to salvation it becomes worthless. Salvation is a gift.
Les says most of Christendom has the idea that you work to attain salvation. He lists repentance, baptism, church membership, and good works as things people trust in, but these are not in the Ephesians 2:8-9 gospel of grace. They are salvation's result or reward, not its payment.
No. Les emphasizes there is no difference between Jew and Gentile. A Jew must be saved by the same gospel of grace and must drop all works religion of Judaism. If it is by grace, it is no more of works.
Watch the Teaching: Why Adam's Sin Condemned You — Romans 5 Explained