For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

                                                                                                            Ephesians 2:8-9 

Perhaps today’s passage is one of the most concise references on the grace of God and salvation. It’s a simplistic yet profound statement of how and why we, as sinners, can find redemption in the name of Jesus. The passage can be divided into four major points.

(1) Salvation Is By God’s Grace

If there is one thing that we need to biblically understand about the grace of God, it is that God’s grace is greater than the deception of the enemy and the sin of mankind. Consider the following:

The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more…

                                                                                                Romans 5:20 

This verse is worth your time and attention and should be visited and revisited in order for believers to firmly grasp the extent of the grace of God. The word “abounded” is literally “super abounded” meaning that the grace described is far surpassingly greater than anything else. And what else is mentioned in the passage? The demands of the Law, our sin, and our transgressions are being compared to the grace of God. When God, by His grace, sent Jesus into the world, He was reacting to the fall of man (Genesis 3) and the sin of humanity. Instead of righteously judging mankind for our transgressions, He sent Jesus to pardon them. Everyone who now believes (places their trust in Jesus) is no longer condemned. The grace super abounds the transgression. To abound means to abound beyond measure, to abound exceedingly, to overflow, and to enjoy abundantly. When God acts, He doesn’t act in some anemic fashion, He responds beyond measure, exceedingly, and abundantly. To suggest otherwise would be to admit that the deception of the enemy and the fall of man was more consequential than the remedy of the cross. Scripture would claim otherwise.

(2) Salvation Is Through Faith

It is simply not enough for someone to hear or know about the gospel. There must be a response to the gospel. Consider the following: 

Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.

                                                                                                                   Hebrews 4:1-2 

In this passage, the writer is comparing our response to the gospel with that of the Israelites in the Old Testament. God had led Israel to the threshold of the Promised Land only to see the faith of the people shrink back. The result, forty years of wandering so that God could give the inheritance to the next generation willing to trust God for His provision (see Numbers 13-14). The point is this: hearing the gospel doesn’t equal salvation, we must respond to it by faith. Jesus clearly defines the difference between someone who is saved and someone who is not (John 3:18). The issue is not whether God is willing to forgive us, He is! The issue is whether we are willing to trust Him completely for our salvation or whether we choose to trust something else, which brings us to the next point.

(3) Salvation Is A Gift From God

The greatest gift ever given to mankind is Jesus. He is the One who was and is and is to come. Everything culminates in the giving of Jesus (Romans 10:4). Even the way we keep track of time was altered by the birth of Christ. Despite efforts to shut out the reality that years are marked from the birth of Christ, the numerical value described in each year is an indication that something remarkable happened some two thousand years ago. Consider the following:

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

                                                                                                               Romans 6:23 

God sets before us life and death. For those who realize that their sin is rightly punishable by physical and spiritual death (eternal separation from God), the gospel is a free gift for everyone who will believe. But for those who reject the gospel to either pursue another philosophy or religion, that rejection of this gift will result in condemnation.

(4) Salvation Is Not A Result Of Works

Two extreme beliefs can arise out of the truth that salvation is not by works and scripture deals with them both. One is the idea that salvation by works gives us the freedom to now go and live as we please, frivolously living to please ourselves. When writing about our freedom in Christ, Paul was quick to include that we should not use our freedom as a means for pursuing our own pleasures and desires (Galatians 5:13). The other extreme is that Jesus began the work of salvation on the cross but it is up to us to live holy lives in order to prove, display, and/or maintain our salvation. Scripture deals with this as well. Consider the following:

And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

                                                                                                               Galatians 5:3-4 

Those who seek salvation through Jesus and works have effectively nullified the cross, being severed from Christ and having fallen from grace. We are reminded that if we are seeking to be justified by the Law, we must be diligent to keep all of it (which none of us can do, Galatians 3:10).

I believe that both extremes are incorrect and misguided but out of the two, I believe that the latter is the most dangerous. The reason is that those who are truly saved have the Holy Spirit living inside of them, guiding, convicting, and instructing them. In other words, I don’t believe that an authentic believer in Jesus Christ will continue to pursue the world constantly, consistently, or comfortably. I have never heard a sermon encouraging the church to “live it up” and to reject the fruit that should come from a changed life. On the other hand, I believe that the message of grace and works is readily available and is preached and taught in many settings. For this reason, I believe that the latter extreme is more dangerous than the former.