It's funny when some "church folks" think good works can save a man. "As long as you go to Church, pay tithe, pray, be nice & serve; God will have mercy on you".

That's a BIG insult on the cross of Christ. Such a person doesn't know the gospel, preach it / value preaching at all

How is a man saved, according to the Bible?
John 3:16; belief in Jesus (as the one God gave up, to die for the sins of man).
John 3:36; belief in Jesus (the son of God).
Romans 1:16; belief in the gospel of Christ.
1Corinthians 1:21&23; belief in the preaching of Christ.

Belief

Belief in a specific message.

1 Corinthians 15:
3. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4. And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.

.Acts 10:1; There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band 2; A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.

He wasn't SAVED/hadn't BELIEVED the gospel!

.Acts 10:5; And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter:
6; ... he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do.

He did every religious thing right, but hadn't done the only one thing that saves a man... without believing the gospel no one is saved.

42; And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.

Believing the preaching of Christ is the deciding factor (John 3:16-18).

- he who believes is saved
- he who doesn't believe is condemned

Another One:

Acts 16:14; And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul

Before she heard Paul, she "worshipped God"/was devout

She wasn't saved, but worshipped God.

Brings to mind what Paul encountered in Athens. They worshipped an "unknown God"; Acts 17:23.

It's possible to worship God in ignorance/without the knowledge of the gospel (what He did in Christ, to reconcile man to Himself; 2Cor5:19

Another One:

Paul...

Philippians 3:5; Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 6; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

You can't have a better CV than this;
- circumcised on the 8th day according to the law
- a Pharisees/scholar of the law
- he even "fought" for God/persecuted the church thinking he was doing the Lord's work
- he was blameless before the law/he kept ALL

But one thing was needful

Jesus to Saul/Paul; on the way to Damascus.

Acts 9:6; And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do

... He needed to believe the Gospel of Christ!!!

Good works CANNOT save a man. Until a man believes the Gospel of Christ (that He died as the sacrifice for the sins of man & God raised Him up to justify man) he is NOT SAVED.

Rejecting the sacrifice of Jesus is rejecting salvation

You see why the preaching of Christ is vital?