Main Idea: Doing good deeds is not enough for salvation.
Key Verse: “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us…” (Titus 3:5 NKJV).
Illustration: Recently I visited the nation of Burma and saw a Buddhist temple. In front of a pagoda, I saw a woman with a birdcage. Several hundred birds were flapping inside. A husband and wife came and bought a bird then set it free. There is a Buddhist belief that doing a good deed will wipe out a previous bad deed. The problem is that no matter how many good deeds one does, one can never wash away the stain of sin. Only Christ can do that.
