Saved
by Grace Through Faith
Scripture
Ephesians 2:1-10 ESV
“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the
prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of
disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh,
carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children
of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of
the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our
trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in
Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches
of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been
saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not
a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we
should walk in them.”
Observation
Grace is undeserved favor from God, and
Ephesians chapter 2 says that when we were dead in the trespasses and sins in
which we once walked, God “made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have
been saved.” All of us were children of wrath like the rest of mankind.
Therefore, salvation could not come from human merits, but from the grace of
God. When we are talking about grace, it is not a result of human works, but
the result of God’s love and mercy. However, faith is the means through which
we receive God’s grace. Now He shows “the immeasurable riches of his grace in
kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
Application
When a believer understands the amazing grace received
through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and such great love that moved God the
Father to send His own Son as the payment for our transgressions when we were
still living in them, “following the course of this world, following the prince
of the power of the air,” we have to ask ourselves: What can we do to let
everyone around us know about the grace of God?
It is important to understand that God “raised us up with
him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Then, when
we are “in Christ,” we have been transferred to the kingdom of God’s beloved
Son (Colossians 1:13), and we are called to represent Him as His ambassadors (2
Corinthians 5:20). Through us, God can show others the immeasurable riches of His
grace in kindness through the good works that He prepared beforehand for us to
walk in.
“We are saved by grace through faith, not by works, but we
are saved for good works, through which God’s grace can be manifested to
others.”
Prayer
Heavenly Father, let us understand the amazing grace
manifested through our Lord Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross when we were dead and
lost in our old ways. There is nothing we can do to earn this gift of
salvation; we can only receive it by faith. We pray that the works of Jesus
would be manifested through us, so that the people around us may see His love,
hear the Gospel, believe in Him, and receive the same grace and salvation that
You have given to us.
In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
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PASTOR JOHNY – JCRC LATIN
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