Salvation by grace through faith is at the heart of the Gospel message. Nevertheless, it is a teaching which many Christians seem to forget. A subtle shifting away from the core of Christianity finds it place in the mind of a believer more often than one may think.
Christians have a tendency to try to perform, and as they do, they move away from the rest that is found in Christ. This does not mean that Christians should not perform good works. Faith that is not accompanied by works is said to be a dead faith by James. Jesus, John, and the apostles all preached a message of repentance, as well.
So what is being said when someone says, “I am saved by grace,” when there seem to be so many times in the Scriptures when the Christian is commanded to perform good works? Simply put, the good works of a man can never atone for his sin. He stands guilty before God because he has sinned against a holy and righteous Judge. No form of law-keeping could ever undo what has already been done.
However, there was an event that happened 2000 years ago that changed the course of history. Jesus shed His blood on the cross, and through His death, the Christian is given life. While the Christian still finds himself being tempted by sin, and even sometimes behaving in ways he should not, this is not the overall direction of his life. Rather, the Christian is steadily growing in conformity to Christ, but it is not this conformity to Christ that saves him.
Instead, when someone is truly saved, it is not his own doing. It is the work of God. However, when a person is saved, he is given a new heart. Since he is given a new heart, he then begins to walk with God.
It is like a dog. A dog is not a dog because it barks. Rather a dog barks because it is a dog. In the same way a Christian is not a Christian because he does good works. Rather, since he is a Christian, he then does good works.
Ephesians 2:1-11 explains the teaching of salvation by grace and its implications well.
In this portion of Scripture, Paul takes the reader through three different time periods. The first is an ongoing process (spiritual death), the second is a one-time act (the new birth/ salvation), and the third is an ongoing process (life in Christ). In doing this, Paul contrasts death and life, as well as points to the one monumental event wedged in the middle that changes everything.
Saved by grace from spiritual death
Ephesians 2:1-3 covers the state of death by using the following words scattered throughout: dead, trespasses, sins, course of this world, prince of the power of the air, children of disobedience, lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and the mind, children of wrath. It should be obvious that to be associated with these words in any way would be disastrous.
In the life of death, Satan is present. In the life of death, sin reigns. In the life of death, wrath is an impending doom. In the life of death, living for the world rather than living for God is the ongoing course of life.
Saved by grace through faith
One of the greatest words in all of Scripture follows this devastating claim that Paul is making concerning humanity: “but.” That’s right, “but.” “But” is used as a conjunction in the English language. It is placed between two thoughts and operates as a sign that informs the readers that what was said prior to the word “but” is being contrasted with that which comes afterword.
So what comes next after the horrible picture that was just painted by the Apostle Paul? Paul uses the following words to describe what changes everything. He says “but…”: God, rich in mercy, great love, he loved us even when we were dead in sins, quickened us [made alive], Christ, grace, saved, raised us up together [with Christ], made us sit together in the heavenly places with Christ Jesus, grace, kindness, by grace are ye saved, faith, gift of God, not of works. Paul used some scary words to describe the state of death. However, it is as though Paul wanted to highlight the greater element of life by using a greater abundance of descriptive words.
Paul makes it very clear that when someone is apart from Christ, he is in a state of death. This spiritual death resulted from the disobedience of Adam in the garden. In Adam, all have died. God told Adam not to eat of the fruit of the tree and warned him that if he did, he would die. When Adam partook of the fruit, his days were numbered and the grave was imminent. However, more importantly, spiritual death now plagued God’s creation.
Paul informs his readers that in this state, the only hope that a person has is God. God is the One who saves. Man lacks the ability to save himself. How could he? He is dead. God needs to intervene by His grace to draw the believer to Himself.
In this is grace, and in this, there is no room to boast. When God is responsible for the saving of sinners, He will receive the glory when it takes place. The Scripture says, “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” (Eph. 2:8).
It has been said before that theology leads to doxology. In other words, a proper understanding of God leads to praise. God desires your praise. God desires the recognition that He is the author and finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:2). God is glorified when His people come to Him and thank Him for the great gift of Christ and the salvation that is freely offered through the cross.
Saved by grace to perform good works
While much can be said about being saved by grace through faith, Paul does not end his teaching there. It is somewhat reminiscent of 2 Corinthians 5 when he speaks of the new birth and then leads his readers to the conclusion that they are ambassadors for God as a result.
Remember the teaching of the dog that was stated above? A dog barks because he is a dog. A dog is not a dog because he barks. Paul tells us that since a Christian has been brought from death to life, there is work to do. This work does not save them. Paul already made this very clear.
However, there is a way in which God has already prepared for each individual believer work that is to be done. It is like a faithful manager of a business who knows that in order to run operations well, tasks must be delegated. Not everyone is a good fit for each task. Rather, tasks are handed out according to the manager’s knowledge of the person. These tasks are planned out by the manager in advance and set in place for each person.
Application
God has work for you to do personally. Do not get caught up on what everyone else is doing. Do not think that the work that He has for you is unimportant. He has designed a precious work for each believer in Christ. Do not forget to praise Him as you work because of the wonderful and much greater work that He has done in Christ. God has worked for you; now it is time to work for God.
Final prayer
Father, I thank You for the love that You have shown me in Christ. You have brought me from death to life and are deserving of my praise. Thank You for not leaving me to myself but rather for sending Christ. I recognize that I do not deserve Your love, and I pray that You would help me not to take Your grace in vain. Teach me how to live for You more each day and to learn to appreciate the work that You have done. In Jesus’ name, Amen.