Salvation by Grace through Faith: Ephesians 2:8-9
Salvation by grace through faith is a critical element of Christianity. The Bible teaches that salvation cannot be earned by any deeds or good works but is given as a gift to those who have faith in Christ. In other words, we can’t be saved by keeping the law or being good. We are saved only by trusting in what Christ has done for us. If you have trusted in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, thank God for His unending love and mercy toward you. If not, you can still trust Him today. Read on to learn more about how you can receive the free gift of eternal life through trusting in Jesus Christ alone as your Savior and Lord.
For it was only through this wonderful grace that we believed in him. Nothing we did could ever earn this salvation, for it was the gracious gift from God that brought us to Christ! So no one will ever be able to boast, for salvation is never a reward for good works or human striving.
Ephesians 2:8–9
The Importance of Being Saved by Grace Through Faith
Being saved means receiving the free gift of eternal life by trusting in Christ alone. Being saved is necessary because all humans have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory and standard. Sin has created a chasm between God and humans that we cannot cross by ourselves. Sin is also a debt we cannot pay off on our own; it is an eternal debt that must be paid off in the only way that is just and fair to God: by death. God’s justice demands that sin be punished and that punishment is death. But God loved the world so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place. This means that Christ took our punishment upon Himself, which was death. He bore our sins and gave us His righteousness.
Salvation Is by Grace through Faith
Christ’s death and resurrection are the only way we can be saved from our sins. We cannot save ourselves by keeping the law, being good, or doing other religious deeds. The Bible teaches that salvation is by grace through faith, meaning that God offers us His gift of salvation because of His grace (unmerited favor and love) toward us and because of our faith in what Christ has done for us. The Bible is clear that any deeds or good works cannot earn salvation. We are saved only by trusting in what Christ has done for us on the cross by dying in our place.
How to Be Saved by Grace through Faith
If you have trusted in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, thank God for His unending love and mercy toward you. If not, you can still trust Him today. To be saved by grace through faith, we must first understand who Jesus is and what He has done for us. Jesus is both God and man. In one person, He has two natures: a human nature and a divine nature. His divine nature is the exact nature of God the Father, and His human nature is what He became when He became a human being. The Bible tells us that God the Father is holy, perfect, and just. Because He is holy and perfect, He cannot have any sin or imperfection in His presence. Furthermore, God cannot lie or be deceived, and He cannot be influenced by anything outside of Himself.
Living as a Believer in Christ
Because God’s holiness demands that His standard of perfection and justice be satisfied, one of two things must happen for our salvation to occur. Either we must be perfect, without any sin, or someone else must die in our place as a substitute for what we deserve as punishment for our sins. When Jesus Christ died on the cross, He substituted Himself for us and took the punishment we deserve so that God’s justice and holiness could be satisfied. In other words, Jesus’ death paid the price for the sins of all who accept Him as their Lord and Savior. The gift of eternal life is given to all who trust in Christ alone as the one who saved them.
Summing it up: What does Grace through Faith mean to me today?
We have all sinned, falling short of God’s glory and standard. We must acknowledge this and see the need to be saved from our sins. God’s love and mercy toward us are offered through the gift of salvation. Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ. If you have not trusted in Christ, you can still do so today. By dying in your place, you can receive the free gift of eternal life by trusting in what Christ has done for you on the cross.
