According to the Bible, we are saved by grace through faith alone, believing the gospel of Christ's finished work, with nothing added.
Scripture says, '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' (Ephesians 2:8-9). The Bible identifies the saving gospel as the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Les Feldick emphasizes that salvation is 'faith plus nothing' and that adding any human work cancels the work of the cross.
Ephesians 2:8-9 — These verses directly answer the question by stating salvation is by grace through faith and not of works.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 — These verses define the gospel message that must be believed in order to be saved.
Ephesians 1:13 — This verse shows the order of salvation: hearing the word of truth, trusting, and being sealed with the Holy Spirit.
The Bible states that salvation is not a human achievement: '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' (Ephesians 2:8-9). The message by which people are saved is identified in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4: Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. Scripture also emphasizes that God is 'the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus' (Romans 3:26), and that after trusting the gospel of salvation, the believer is 'sealed with that holy Spirit of promise' (Ephesians 1:13).
Les Feldick points to a specific order in Ephesians 1:13: a person must first hear the word of truth and then believe, which is why he says a person cannot be saved as an infant. He defines the gospel for the age of grace as 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 — Christ crucified, buried, and risen — and notes that John 3:16 by itself is not the gospel. Salvation is 'faith plus nothing' for salvation. Any attempt to add baptism, church membership, good works, or any fleshly action as part of salvation cancels the work of the cross. Les compares believers to Israel at the Red Sea: helpless and unable to do anything, while God does everything. After a person believes, God justifies, imputes righteousness, and seals the believer with the Holy Spirit; Les says we know this by faith because the Book says so, not by feelings.
Scripture presents believing as the single required response. Ephesians 1:13 shows the order: hearing the word of truth, the gospel, and then trusting. Les Feldick emphasizes that salvation is not something another person can do for you, and that an infant cannot be saved because this order requires hearing and believing. Everything needed is accomplished by God: Paul says we are dead in trespasses and sins but God makes us alive, and salvation is the gift of God. Les sums it up as 'faith plus nothing.'
Les Feldick points to 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 as the passage that defines the gospel: Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day. He stresses that this complete message is the gospel by which we are saved, and that John 3:16 by itself is not the gospel. This message is the finished work of the cross; everything we need was accomplished there.
No. Les lists repentance, baptism, church membership, and good works as things people often add to salvation, but says they are not part of the saving message — they are results or rewards of salvation, not the means. Scripture says, 'Not of works' (Ephesians 2:9). Les warns that when anyone does something as part of salvation, they cancel the work of the cross and are 'lost as lost can be.'
God does everything: He justifies the sinner who believes (Romans 3:26), imputes righteousness to the believer, and seals the believer with the Holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13). Les says you will not feel or see these things, but you can know they happened because the Book says so. He also says this is only the beginning — believers are God's workmanship, created for good works.
The Order: Hear the Word, Then Believe
Les teaches from Ephesians 1:13 that a person first hears the word of truth and then trusts; consequently an infant cannot be saved by this order.
Adding Works Cancels the Cross
Les warns that doing anything as part of salvation, such as church membership or baptism, cancels the work of the cross and leaves a person lost.
Faith Plus Nothing for Salvation
Les explains that salvation is by believing, which is faith plus nothing — God justifies the sinner who believes in Jesus.
The Gospel: 1 Corinthians 15:1-4
Les identifies the gospel as the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, and says John 3:16 by itself is not the gospel.
Salvation Is Not for Those Who Clean Up Their Act
Les teaches that God justifies the ungodly who does not work for salvation, and that cleaning up one's life first is not how a person gets right with God.
Grace Through Faith, Not of Works
Les emphasizes that we are saved by grace through faith, that there is nothing we can do, and that salvation is the gift of God, not of works.
Works Are Not in Salvation
Les lists repentance, baptism, church membership, and good works as things not in the salvation message; attaching works makes salvation worthless.
Righteousness Imputed by Believing the Gospel
Les teaches that God imputes His righteousness to the believer as a result of believing the gospel — nothing else.
Ephesians 2:8: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
This is the core biblical answer: salvation is a gift received through faith, not earned.
Ephesians 2:9: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
The verse excludes all human effort as a basis for salvation.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4: For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
This is the gospel message that saves, as Les identifies in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.
Ephesians 1:13: In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
This verse shows that hearing the gospel and believing come first, and sealing with the Holy Spirit follows.
Romans 3:26: To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
This verse says God justifies the person who believes in Jesus.
Yes. Les Feldick says salvation is 'faith plus nothing' and that this is for salvation, not the Christian life or works. Scripture says we are saved by grace through faith, not of works.
The gospel that saves is 1 Corinthians 15:1-4: Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day. Les says John 3:16 by itself is not the gospel.
No. Les teaches that baptism and church membership are not part of salvation and are instead results or rewards. Doing them as part of salvation cancels the work of the cross.
According to Les, no, because the order in Ephesians 1:13 requires hearing the word of truth and then believing. An infant cannot meet that order.
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