Nuggets from “An Urgent Call to a Serious Faith [1]” by Dave Hunt – Mercy vs. Works - 

Nothing could be clearer than God’s rejection of any human effort to buy salvation [2] or His favor. If man is to be accepted by God, it must be solely by God’s grace and provision, not by any human work. Man’s self-effort and self-righteousness are utterly rejected by God.

Yet in defiance we see man’s flagrant repudiation of God’s prohibition against self-effort and his arrogant attempt to build a tower that would enable him to climb by steps o his own making into heaven itself. At Babel we meet the first attempt at a world government united with a world religion. Church and state were one: “Go to, let us build us a city [government] whose top may reach unto heaven” (Genesis 11: 4). It was rebellion in the highest form,and will be realized again under Antichrist [3].

God’s instructions for worshiping Him were explicit. If the ground was too rocky to gather up a mound of earth for an altar, stones could be heaped together – but they could not be cut, fashioned, or polished with a tool. Nor could the altar be elevated (Exodus:20:24-26 [24] An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. [25] And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it. [26] Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.
See All... [4]). Not one step must be climbed to reach it. There must be no illusion that man could contribute anything by his own efforts to his salvation [2].

God himself is the only One who can save man, and salvation [2] can only be a gift of His grace. Such is the gospel consistently preached from Genesis to Revelation (Isaiah:43:11I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.
See All... [5]; 9:7; Matthew:1:21And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
See All... [6]; Romans:8:8So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
See All... [7]; Ephesians:2:8-9 [8] For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: [9] Not of works, lest any man should boast.
See All... [8]; Titus:3:5Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
See All... [9]; Romans:3:24Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
See All... [10]; 11:6).