Jeremiah TiptonFounder in president of David Hernandez ministries

Some Christians Think Backwards

18 Oct 2025 · 1 min

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In this short sermon, the speaker challenges a common misunderstanding among many Christians who view good works as the basis for salvation. He argues that this view is reversed: according to the Apostle Paul, faith is the root that produces salvation, and salvation, in turn, produces good works as its fruit. The speaker emphasizes that believers do not perform good works to obtain or maintain salvation; rather, good works naturally flow from having been saved. He uses the metaphor of a tree—faith as the root, salvation as the trunk, and good works as the fruit—to illustrate the correct gospel order and to call listeners to recognize that salvation is a gift of faith, not a reward for works.

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Most Christians get this backwards. They think good works are the roots and salvation is the fruit. If I do enough good things, maybe I'll be saved. But Paul the Apostle says the opposite. The roots are faith. Faith produces salvation. Salvation produces fruit. Good works are not the roots of salvation. They are the fruit of salvation. You don't do good works to be saved. You don't do good works to keep being saved. You do good works because you are saved. Faith is the root. Salvation is the tree. Good works are the fruit. That's the gospel. Your salvation is not the result of your works. Your works are the result of your salvation.