We believe, teach, and confess that the article of justification is the article of faith upon which the church stands or falls. This teaching of justification by grace, through faith alone in Christ alone, found in Scripture alone is the teaching that salvation is a free gift from God because God refuses that it be given as a reward or because we have somehow earned it. Salvation is a gift which is given to us by God. God does not give us eternal life or salvation because we earned it, cleaned up our lives and are now flying straight, or because we are better today than we were yesterday – in short, we are saved not because of anything in us, but because it is a free gift of God’s divine, unmerited favor (Ephesians 2:8-9), earned for us only by Christ.