Ephesians 2:8
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves;
it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves;
it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
I am remembering something my mentor taught me (through friendly conversation) about salvation and the entrance to heaven. She said something that really took me aback. She said; “It’s not what you do that gets you into heaven, it’s whether or not you believe in Jesus as your savior,” I cannot fully express my joy and release that occurred as I studied this. I had become so focused on doctrine (the church) that I had lost sight of God’s grace expressed through the sacrifice of Jesus. The older I get, the deeper this truth goes into my heart. In another discussion later, I returned the favor, surprising her with: “Faith doesn’t save you. (Insert gasp here) Baptism doesn’t save you. (Another gasp) Check the verse – we are saved by grace. Without faith, we would never come to the cross in the first place, and outside of God there is no salvation. Ephesians 2:8 reveals that it is He who has saved us, given freely as a gift to those who believe. Ephesians 2:9 states very clearly that it is “not of works, lest any man should boast.”
God knows that, given the chance, we would take credit for our own salvation – even though we do not give the gift, but receive it. He has shown us time and time again that He alone is able to save anyone. Make no mistake; I am not diminishing in any way the importance of faith and obedience. Faith is important, not only for the reason stated above but also for the fact that “without faith, it is impossible to please Him. He that comes to God must believe that He exists is and He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6).
What it all boils down to is this: God alone can reconcile us to Himself. Only He is powerful enough, merciful enough, and filled with enough divine grace to forgive us – and it is only the blood of Jesus that can wash away all our sins. There is one thing we must remember:
God saves us, we are the saved.
Never confuse the two.
Never confuse the two.