IT IS BY GRACE THAT WE ARE SAVED NOT BY WORKS

Proclamation:

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, in a letter to the believers in the church at Ephesus.  Paul began this second chapter by telling them that they were lost in sin, following the ways of the world, until they were saved by the grace of God. (Ephesians 2:1-6)  He told them that they were saved by grace through faith.  Their salvation was a gift from God, and it had nothing to do with their work or anything that they did.  He went on to tell them that they were once separated far from Christ, but now they have been brought near to Christ by the blood that He shed. (Ephesians 2:12-13)  Now they are no longer foreigners, they are fellow citizens with God’s chosen people and members of His family. (Ephesians 2:19-20)

Applications:

Our salvation is based solely upon our belief in Jesus, The Christ.  We did nothing to earn it.  It is a gift from God by His grace.  The favor of God’s grace is bestowed upon us and it is unmerited and undeserved.  We were created in Christ as believers to do good works, to give God glory, but the good works is not what saves us.  The Lord God has prepared us to do good work and “… He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)  So let us keep on working for The Lord while we can, because one day we will make the transition from labor to reward.  On that day we will be absent from the body and present with The Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:6-8)