Saved By Grace Through Faith Series

Saved by grace through faith.

As we continue in our series Gripped by Grace, today we are going to consider Ephesians 2:8-9 “God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT)

The Bible says people are saved by grace through faith. But what does that mean?

The short answer is that when people accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, they are saved from going to hell when they die.

To fully unpack the grace of God that provides people with the gift of salvation requires a much longer answer.

The truth that salvation is available to all who repent of their sins is misunderstood or ignored by many in the world today. Most people think they are not that bad when compared to the worst people who have ever lived. As the Apostle Paul writes in Romans 3:23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

Also in Romans 3, Paul refers to the words of Psalm 14:1-3 Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good! The LORD looks down from heaven on the entire human race; He looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God. But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one!

The problem is because of our sin we all fall short, none of us is good compared to God’s standard, none of us is wise compared to God’s wisdom, and many people spend their whole life either denying God exists or ignoring God, or expecting Him to behave like a vending machine – giving them what they want when they want it.

Yet God in His grace has given us the perfect solution to our problem of sin.

By His grace which we receive through faith, we can be ransomed, healed, restored and forgiven.

Salvation is God’s free gift to all who repent and trust in Jesus. When we turn to Jesus then God’s righteousness will work in us and through us.

Saying yes to Jesus, inviting Him to take control of our lives, and living as His disciple is how we demonstrate our faith in Christ.

We can only be saved by grace through faith, and we must also live by grace through faith.

What Is Salvation?

Salvation is a gracious gift of God to all who trust in Jesus. Salvation is more than a free ticket to heaven. Romans 5:10-11 tells us For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.

The salvation that Jesus secured with His death and resurrection restores our relationship with God. We are restored through the power of Christ’s love.

Jesus came so that we could be forgiven and live abundant life through Him. When we come to Christ, Jesus transforms us from the inside out.

Listen to 2 Peter 1:3-4, “By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the one who called us to Himself by means of his marvellous glory and excellence. And because of His glory and excellence, He has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share His divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”

The transformation Jesus brings will affect every area of our lives. Paul tells us in Romans 8:5-11 “Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to Him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.”