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.”
God’s grace is an undeserved gift
John 3:16 expresses the gift God in His grace has given to us: “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”
God Gave – This is a demonstration of His love and grace, He has given us a gift we do not deserve - Romans 5:17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.
God has provided us with a gift we could never earn or deserve. This gift of salvation is for our benefit and is paid for with the blood of Christ. In his death on the cross at Calvary, Jesus has paid our sin debt in full. He suffered, bled and died so that we might receive the gift of salvation and eternal life.
God’s grace provided righteousness for sinners.
The grace of God provides us with righteousness.
Righteousness is what allows the Holy Spirit to dwell in us. Righteousness is a gift of God’s grace. Romans 5:8 God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Remember Romans 3:22 tells us, We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
Saved by Grace through Faith and born-again
God’s grace is so amazing. Salvation is ours when we believe in Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. When we are saved we are “born again” – In John 3:1-3 There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.” Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
In Luke 23:39-43 the thief on the cross received salvation by grace through faith. One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!” But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
The thief asked with a sincere heart for the grace of God. The thief believed Jesus could save Him. He was saved by grace through faith.
The Gospel is good news because it offers salvation that is free. In some ways, the gospel can sound too good to be true. The gospel of God’s grace may sound too generous, too merciful, or even too simple to be true. But the Gospel is truth, it is not fake news.
John Newton called it “Amazing grace” and amazing it is. The gift of salvation and eternal life is given freely to all who will receive it through Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:24 God, in His grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.
The Biblical term for being made right in the sight of God is Justification – Being justified means we are declared not guilty before the judgement seat of God.
Justified “just-as-if-I’d-never-sinned”.
Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, you and I can be forgiven of our sins, we are made right with God, as a gift of His of grace.
The Greek word translated as grace is charis. Grace is the undeserved, unmerited favour of God. It is the love of God freely expressed to people who deserve punishment not love. Yet, God is love, that is His nature, and grace flows out of His nature. God’s grace is His love and favour freely given to all who believe in Jesus.
Why do we need God’s Grace & Favour?
Because of sin – we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:20-23, When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
God's judgment teaches us about His perfection; He is so holy that no sinner can stand in His presence. Yet God in the generosity of His grace and mercy has provided the way to forgive and redeem us.
Jesus warned the people in Matthew 12:36–37 And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.”
Every person, of every faith or religion, will stand before God on judgement day. Only those who have accepted Jesus as Lord will be saved. Those who have not trusted in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins will be condemned to spend eternity away from God.
Human judgment is often superficial, God’s judgment is eternally significant. God judges our hearts.
I have said before, that I think the most frightening part of the Bible is Jesus warning in Matthew 7:13-14, 21-23 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”
“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’”
It is only real faith in Jesus Christ that saves.
Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord?
Are you prepared for the final judgment of God?
Being a Christian is not based on anything except placing faith in Jesus and accepting Him as your Saviour and Lord. If a person believes this, then they are a Christian, and nobody can take that away from them.
If a person accepts Jesus as their Savior and Lord, then they are a true Christian. It doesn't matter if that person attends a Pentecostal Church, a Baptist Church, a Methodist Church, or an Anglican Church.
In other words, it doesn't matter what denomination a person is a part of, but rather if they have placed faith in Christ. Placing faith in Jesus is the only way a person is a Christian.
John 1:12 to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God.
And John 3:18 affirms - There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.
The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:1-2 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.
This is because being a Christian is not based on anything except placing faith in Jesus and accepting Him as your Saviour and Lord. If a person believes this, then they are a Christian, and nobody can take that away from them.
Anyone who places their faith in Christ as Lord and Saviour is forgiven and eternally saved.
I will close with the words of Acts 4:12, “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
