Grace and Salvation

For by grace are ye saved through faith: and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8 & 9.

GRACE is God’s help and unmerited favor. It is all of God. Salvation is too expensive for us to purchase (the wages of sin is death), and too far out of our reach for us to obtain by any efforts of our own or by any means other than Jesus Christ Himself (Acts 4:12).

The word SAVED simply means to be delivered from God’s wrath or judgment.  Saved is used over and over in Scripture.  It is a good sound biblical word.

FAITH (according to WE Vine) is a firm persuasion or conviction based upon hearing.  Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17).  Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).

It has been said that faith is the gang plank used to board the ship of grace.  Misplaced faith can be used to board the wrong ship. Saving faith depends upon Christ alone as one’s only hope of salvation.

Salvation is a GIFT.  It is a gift undeserved.  It cannot be earned or paid for.  It is a gift made available to us only by God’s grace.  It is free; but it came at great expense, which God paid Himself (John 3:16).

WORKS are activities or deeds done by religious people to obtain merit in order to receive salvation. We are not saved by works. We are not even saved by righteous works (Titus 3:5).  To be saved by our works, we would have to become sinless or perfect which is impossible for sinful man.

In order to be saved by grace through faith in Christ, we must cease from our works and rely only upon the merit of Christ.  We must rest in Him.  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His (Hebrews 4:10).

The Sabbath is the believer’s rest in what God has already done. Christ declared from the cross; It is finished!  Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath because He finished the work of salvation!  Mark 2:27 says that the Sabbath was made for man.  Jesus says; Come unto me and I will give you rest.  Believers no longer observe the Sabbath day, but they are to observe the Sabbath rest.

And he (Abraham) believed (trusted, rested) in the Lord: and He (God) counted it to him for righteousness (Genesis 15:6).

Note: See Romans 10:1-4, 9-13.

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