"For 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 may boast". (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Salvation isn't as complicated as it's made out to be. It's the very simplest math. There is only one saving operation and only one object of that operation.
It's common to express the salvation equation incorrectly though:
A decision for Christ (or other works called good) + Christ = my salvation. When a 'decision for Christ' is one of the operations, salvation results from a partnership between Christ and the decision maker.
The Biblical equation is actually and factually simpler: Christ = my salvation.
Or, if preferred, my salvation = Christ.
One operator, one object.
Faith activates belief and results in a decision to love and serve God in Christ for so great a salvation. But faith is a gift that depends on the will of God, not on human decision making or works called good. Just in case anyone wants to boast, that is.
"…of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you may not eat, for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die" (Genesis 2:17). This was God's Word to Adam and Eve, and to us. For another very simple math problem, try counting the number of humans that have not died as a result of that Word. Impossible math though, would be to count the redeemed.
