By Grace Are Ye Saved: A Sermon For The 4th Sunday In Lent

For By Grace Ye are Saved: A Sermon for the 4th Sunday in Lent

Ephesians 2:1–10 NKJV

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

We now come to the 4th Sunday in Lent, a season of reflection in which we assess where we stand with God. The word “standing” can be used as a legal term. In this sense, a person who petitions the court has to have standing before the court. For example, only attorneys who have standing with the Supreme Court can argue a case there. Another aspect of standing is that the case being brought there is one that the Supreme Court has constitutional jurisdiction over. There are cases which need to be presented to a state or local court instead.

The most important standing one can have is in the court of God, There are many defendants who are brought to court on one charge or another. They stand before the judge and jury,< In American law, these have the right to defend themselves, although it is highly recommended that the person hire an attorney who specializes in the type of case being brought before the court, whether it be criminal or civil, for instance. This attorney needs to be admitted to what is called the “bar” and be in good standing amongst his peers. This idea of representation is so important that the court itself is to provide a competent defense attorney for the defendant if one cannot afford one.

So when charges are brought before God in His court, could we hope to acquit ourselves of these charges? Is there anything we could offer as suitable proof for our innocence? Could we petition God to accept our good works to balance out the bad. Could we find a character witness to show the court that we are good people. these pleas might work in a worldly court. At least we might hope for a reduction of sentence if found guilty. Many think this works with God also. We can see a Pagan example of an Egyptian god who had scales in which one’s good works and bad works were put on opposite sides of the balance. So long as the good outweigh the bad, one is saved. But the gods of Egypt are the figments of man’s imagination. What does the Holy God revealed in Scripture say about this form of justification? We read the bad news in Romans 3:23:

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Also in Romans 3:9-17:

What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.

As it is written:

“There is none righteous, no, not one;

There is none who understands;

There is none who seeks after God.

They have all turned aside;

They have together become unprofitable;

There is none who does good, no, not one.”

“Their throat is an open tomb;

With their tongues they have practiced deceit”;

“The poison of asps is under their lips”;

“Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”

“Their feet are swift to shed blood;

Destruction and misery are in their ways;

And the way of peace they have not known.”

This is a stinging indictment against every one of us. We cannot justify our conduct before our God. Whether it be the law of conscience or the Law given to Moses, we stand condemned before God and without hope. We are as good as dead, only waiting for the sentence to be pronounced against us. This is bad news, indeed.

If we are to have any hope before the judgment seat of Christ, we are going to need help. In the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches, the intercession of the saints are invoked. These “good and holy people” did more than was necessary to save themselves and their extra works could be applied to another’s account, whose works fell far short, therefore saving them. But is this true? First of all, these saints may have been very good people who did many good works. Let us grant this. But even the saints sinned and fell short of the glory of God. These saints who are now with Jesus did not get there because of their good works. So how could they make any difference to our plight. For the Christian, these saints provided a good example of faith and conduct. It is good to remember them. However, we need something more. One would need one who was perfect and could stand before God in our behalf.