Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)
For it is by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one can boast.
The work of grace is God’s work in us! It is not of our own doing; rather, it is a gift through the working of God in our hearts. He designed it this way so that no human may boast in their own works or merit for the salvation of their soul…. Perhaps. the greatest threat to Christian theology in our generation is the idea that we can somehow measure up, be a good person, and merit through our own piety the goal of eternal life. Scripture is very clear that this is not and can never be the case:
Psalm 53:2-3 (NIV)
God looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
Mark 10:17-18 (NIV)
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to Him and fell on his knees before Him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.”
Romans 3:22-24 (NIV)
Righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
If salvation and eternal life could be accomplished through human effort, then one could readily ask, “Why did God send His Son, Jesus, to save the world and atone for its sin; to redeem us from final death – which is the condemnation of all sin?
John 3:16-18 (NIV)
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
It is contrary to the mission and message of Christ Jesus to believe that you can do anything to achieve salvation or earn eternal life. God loved you before the creation of the world, and His love is everlasting. There is nothing that you have ever done or can ever do to gain or to maintain His love or favor. His love was never determined by you; rather, it is based upon Himself! Paul affirms: “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
His love is deeply relational and simply a gift to be received through His Beloved Son, Jesus! The only work that was ever required for our salvation was the work of atonement that Jesus accomplished through His death on the cross! Salvation is based on His work, and there is no other requirement! There is therefore, now, no condemnation for those who are IN Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1) Being IN Christ Jesus is not about your works; it is about believing in His finished work on the cross!
Dear reader, why is this important for us to understand? Because we live in a culture – within a world-view – that will deceive you and I into thinking that we can simply live “good” lives and be accepted into heaven. Indeed, it is my prayer that Christians will reject this false doctrine and believe the truth. “For the law (works) was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17) So, I ask you to consider what Jesus Himself taught in this regard:
John 6:27-29 (ESV)
Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on Him God the Father has set His seal.” Then they said to Him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”
This is the true message: Believe in the work of God … the One He sent … Jesus the Christ … and you will be saved. “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9) Yes, faith in our resurrected Lord Jesus is itself the work of grace; and this truth has been the message of God foretold through all of His Word….
A Final Thought:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:3-5)
Have a Blessed Day!
