Saved By Grace, Changed By Grace - Repentance, Faith, And The Life That Follows Series

Saved by Grace, Changed by Grace - Repentance, Faith, and the Life that Follows

Introduction – The Most Important Question You Will Ever Answer

There are many important questions in life.

What career will I choose?

Who will I marry?

Where will I live?

But none compare to this one:

“How can a sinful person be made right with a holy God?”

That question sits at the very heart of the Christian faith. It is not theoretical. It is personal. It is eternal.

Our doctrinal statement says:

“We believe in the necessity for salvation of repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ by which the sinner is pardoned and accepted as righteous in God’s sight. This justification is imputed by the grace of God because of the atoning work of Christ, is received by faith alone and is evidenced by the Fruit of the Spirit and a holy life.”

In other words, salvation is not self-improvement.

It is not religious effort.

It is not cultural Christianity.

It is a gracious act of God, accomplished by Christ, received by faith, and evidenced by a transformed life.

Tonight, we are not merely talking about how to be saved —

we are talking about what it means to follow Jesus as a disciple who has truly been saved.

Romans 3:23–24 (NLT): “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet 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.”

Paul writes to a Roman church divided by ethnicity, background, and self-righteousness. In Romans 1–3, he dismantles every illusion of moral superiority.

“Everyone has sinned” — Greek hamartano — to miss the mark.

“Fall short” — hysterountai — continually lacking.

No exceptions. No loopholes.

Yet the thunder of judgment is followed by the music of grace:

“Freely makes us right” — dikaioo — declared righteous, not made righteous by effort.

This justification is by grace, not merit.

It is through Christ Jesus, not religious performance.

Salvation begins with God’s initiative, not man’s effort.

Tim Keller: “The gospel is this: we are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.”

That is Romans in one sentence. Until we grasp both truths — our sin and His grace — we cannot truly follow Jesus.

I. Repentance Towards God – Turning from Sin to the Living God

Acts 20:21 (NLT): “I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike—the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus.”

Repent — Greek metanoia

Not merely regret, but a change of mind that leads to a change of direction.

Repentance is not self-hatred; it is truth-telling before God.

Repentance is God-ward before it is behaviour-focused.

We are not merely turning from bad habits —

we are turning back to the God we have offended.

Illustration – The Prodigal Son

The prodigal did not rehearse excuses.

He said, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.”

Repentance begins when excuses end.

Discipleship Application

In a culture that celebrates personal truth, disciples of Jesus practise biblical repentance:

Naming sin honestly

Forsaking it intentionally

Returning to God humbly

R.T. Kendall: “Repentance is not something we do in order to qualify for grace; it is the evidence that grace is already at work.”

Repentance is not the price of salvation — it is the posture of the saved.

II. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ – Trusting the Finished Work of Christ (continued)

Ephesians 2:8–9 (NLT): “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.”

Paul makes three profound declarations here:

Salvation is by grace (charis).

This is unmerited favour—God’s own gift, initiated and completed in Christ.

Grace is not simply forgiveness; it is the power to transform a life.

Salvation comes through faith (pistis).

Faith is not mere intellectual agreement.

It is personal trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, resting entirely on His atoning work.

Salvation is not by works.

Human effort cannot earn God’s favour.

This shatters any illusion that morality or religious activity can save.

Faith, therefore, is entrusting your life to Christ, believing He has fully paid the penalty for sin, and that His resurrection secures eternal life.

John 3:16 (NLT): “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”