Many people believe that being “good” is enough to earn a place in heaven. Doing kind acts, helping others, and living a moral life are all valuable — but the Bible clearly teaches that good works alone cannot save us.
Salvation is not something we achieve; it’s something we receive through faith in Jesus Christ.
Good works matter, but they are the result of salvation, not the reason for it. The following 35 Bible verses about good works not getting you to heaven will help you understand God’s truth about grace, faith, and salvation.
Salvation by Grace Through Faith
1. Ephesians 2:8–9
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.
Explanation: Salvation is completely a gift from God. We cannot earn it through our actions, so there’s no room for pride — only gratitude.
2. Titus 3:5
He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
Explanation: God’s mercy, not our goodness, is what saves us. Salvation comes through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, not human effort.
3. Romans 3:28
For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.
Explanation: Paul makes it clear — justification, or being made right with God, happens by faith alone, not by obeying religious rules.
4. Galatians 2:16
Know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.
Explanation: Obeying laws or traditions can’t make us righteous. Only faith in Christ gives us true justification before God.
5. Romans 4:5
However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.
Explanation: Even the ungodly can be saved when they trust God. Faith, not effort, makes us righteous in His sight.
The Limits of Human Righteousness
6. Isaiah 64:6
All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.
Explanation: Even our best deeds fall short of God’s holiness. We need His grace, not our own goodness, to be saved.
7. Romans 3:23
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Explanation: Every human being fails to meet God’s perfect standard. That’s why salvation must come through grace, not human effort.
8. Psalm 14:3
All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
Explanation: No one can claim to be truly good apart from God. Our natural condition reveals our need for His saving power.
9. Romans 10:3
Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.
Explanation: Trying to create our own form of righteousness leads us away from God. True righteousness comes only through submission to Him.
10. Ecclesiastes 7:20
Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.
Explanation: No one lives a perfectly sinless life. That’s why grace is essential for salvation.
Faith in Jesus Is the Way to Heaven
11. John 14:6
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Explanation: Jesus Himself is the only path to heaven. Good works cannot open the door that only He can.
12. Acts 4:12
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.
Explanation: Jesus is the exclusive source of salvation. No amount of good deeds can replace His saving name.
13. John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Explanation: Eternal life is given to those who believe, not those who earn it. Faith in Christ brings salvation.
14. Romans 5:1
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Explanation: Faith in Jesus restores our relationship with God. Peace comes through belief, not by works.
15. Galatians 3:11
Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.”
Explanation: Living by faith, not law-keeping, is the foundation of righteousness before God.
The Role of Good Works After Salvation
16. James 2:17
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
Explanation: Good works don’t save us, but true faith naturally produces them. Works are evidence, not the cause, of salvation.
17. Matthew 5:16
Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Explanation: Our good works should point others to God, not to ourselves. They are acts of gratitude, not self-promotion.
18. Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Explanation: Good works are part of God’s plan after salvation. They are the fruit of being saved, not the root of salvation.
19. Philippians 2:13
For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
Explanation: God empowers believers to do good. Every righteous act flows from His strength, not our own.
20. 2 Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
Explanation: God provides the means and motivation for good works. They’re a reflection of His generosity, not a ticket to heaven.
The Danger of Trusting in Works
21. Matthew 7:21–23
Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Explanation: Jesus warns that outward deeds and words don’t guarantee salvation. Only those who truly know Him will enter heaven.
22. Luke 18:10–14
Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
Explanation: The Pharisee trusted in his works; the tax collector humbly sought mercy. Jesus said the humble man was justified, not the self-righteous one.
23. Matthew 23:28
In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
Explanation: Outward good works can hide inward sin. God values genuine faith and humility over appearances.
24. Romans 9:31–32
But the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works.
Explanation: Relying on works instead of faith leads to failure. Salvation comes only through believing, not striving.
25. Galatians 5:4
You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.
Explanation: Trying to earn salvation through rules distances us from Christ. Grace and works cannot coexist as the basis of salvation.
Grace Is the Only Way
26. 2 Timothy 1:9
He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.
Explanation: Salvation is rooted in God’s purpose and grace, not in human achievement.
27. Romans 11:6
And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.
Explanation: Grace and works are opposites. If we could earn salvation, grace would lose its meaning.
28. John 6:29
Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
Explanation: The only “work” God requires is faith in Jesus. Belief, not deeds, brings eternal life.
29. Hebrews 10:10
And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Explanation: Jesus’ sacrifice alone makes us holy. No human effort can add to His finished work.
30. Colossians 2:13–14
He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.
Explanation: Our sins are forgiven by Christ’s cross, not by our own merit. His death paid the full price.
Eternal Life Through Christ Alone
31. 1 John 5:11–12
And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
Explanation: Eternal life comes only through Jesus. Without Him, good deeds are powerless to save.
32. Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Explanation: Salvation is a gift, not a wage. We can’t earn it because it’s freely given through Christ.
33. John 10:28
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.
Explanation: Eternal life is something Jesus gives, not something we achieve. His grace secures our salvation forever.
34. Philippians 3:9
And be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ.
Explanation: Paul rejected his own righteousness and trusted fully in Christ’s. True righteousness is received, not earned.
35. Revelation 22:17
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.
Explanation: Salvation is freely offered to all. Heaven is a gift of grace, not a reward for works.
Final Thoughts
These 35 Bible verses about good works not getting you to heaven make it clear that salvation is by grace through faith alone.
Our good deeds matter — but they flow from salvation, not toward it. Jesus did everything needed for us to be saved; our role is to believe, receive, and live in gratitude.