1. Grace Needful for Salvation
World Scripture
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God—not because of works, lest any man should boast.
Ephesians 2.8
Abu Huraira reported God’s Messenger as saying, “There is none whose deeds alone would entitle him to get into Paradise.” Someone said, “God’s Messenger, not even you?” He replied, “Not even I, but that my Lord wraps me in mercy.”
Hadith of Muslim (Islam)
By assuming numerous garbs [of ascetics], learning, induced meditation, or stubborn practices, Has none attained Him. Says Nanak, By His grace alone does one attain to sainthood and enlightenment.
Adi Granth, Gauri Bavan Akkhari, M.5, (Sikhism)
The Self is not to be obtained by instruction, Nor by intellect, nor by much learning. He is to be obtained only by the one whom He chooses. To such a one the Self reveals His own person.
Mundaka Upanishad 3.2.3; Katha Upanishad 1.2.23 (Hinduism)
Even if you cry your heart out, hurt your eyes by constant weeping and even if you lead the life of an ascetic till the end of the world, all these untiring efforts of yours will not be able to make compensation for a tithe of His good will and kindness, for His bounties and munificence and for His mercy and charity in directing you towards the path of truth and religion.
Nahjul Balagha, Khutba 57 (Shiite Islam)
Now, if it had not been for the plan of redemption, which was laid from the foundation of the world, there could have been no resurrection of the dead.1
Book of Mormon, Alma 12.25 (Latter-day Saints)
Since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as an expiation by his blood, to be received by faith.
Romans 3.23-25
If, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
Romans 5.17
My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.
2 Corinthians 12.9
We who live in the world, still attached to karmas, can overcome the world by Thy grace alone.
Srimad Bhagavatam 11.2 (Hinduism)
All need grace, for even Abraham, for whose sake grace came plenteously into the world, himself needed grace.
Genesis Rabbah 60.2 (Judaism)
Through Thy power, O Lord, Make life renovated, real at Thy will.
Avesta, Yasna 34.15 (Zoroastrianism)
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
Almighty God is the God of love and the God of mercy. He is deeply concerned and grieved over the living death of His children. He knows that people are incapable of breaking their chains and getting rid of their sin by their own efforts. He knows that only one power can bring people to salvation— God Himself. And God, in His mercy, is determined to save this world.
(September 18, 1974)
Because God must, in the end, accomplish His Will2 on earth, He has preserved us although we were perishing.
(Way of God’s Will 1.3)
God is not the kind of God to just stand by while human beings live a fallen existence. He has worked until today to lay the foundation for re-creation through religion, in order to recreate the ideal world that He has purposed from the very beginning. This is God’s providence for salvation.
(May 10, 1981)
Our ancestors who were expelled from the Garden of Eden were the worst criminals in human history; they have no basis to be proud of themselves. However, because God still has a relationship of heart with them, He endures all ordeals while leading the providence of restoration from Adam, Noah, Moses and Jesus to the present day. Thinking of this grace of God, we should appeal to Him with gratitude for His mercy upon humanity throughout history, not merely for His mercy in the current moment.
(16:236, June 19, 1966)
We have nothing that would enable us to relate with the all-knowing and almighty Being. Born as fallen people, our eyes are defiled. Our five senses and all our emotions belong to the secular. We have nothing that would enable us to relate with God. By the principle of heavenly righteousness we have nothing. And yet, one path remains through which we can relate to God: by the principle of love.
(149:37, November 11, 1986)
Salvation fundamentally begins when we connect with God’s love. However, we became fallen human beings having nothing to do with God’s lineage. Atonement is required; this means nothing less than the removal of the original sin. However, since the original sin is carried in the lineage, we fallen human beings cannot resolve this problem on our own, no matter what we do. That is why we need the Messiah.
(35:159, October 13, 1970)
Not due to our own will do we exist, not due to our own selves do we enjoy the glory of life, and not due to our own efforts can we rejoice today in the presence of our Father, but due to the grace mercifully bestowed by our Father, who hast toiled through thousands of years of history.
(2:280, June 23, 1957)