I have been working on a series of Bible lessons entitled: "The Process Of Salvation" In the first lesson we looked at the question: "Why Do We Need To Be Saved?" The Apostle Paul answers this question by showing us a picture of the condition of an unsaved person.
It is a picture of death, disobedience, depravity, and doom.
In the second lesson we look at another question: "How can we be saved?"
In our text the Apostle Paul shares with us two things that are vital to our salvation.
It is a picture of death, disobedience, depravity, and doom.
In the second lesson we look at another question: "How can we be saved?"
In our text the Apostle Paul shares with us two things that are vital to our salvation.
1. "For By Grace You Have Been Saved" (Ephesians 2:8a)
There isn't a thing that we can do to obtain our salvation. It is a gift from God. We may think that our good deeds will accomplish it. But good deeds are not enough. Paul says, "Not of good works, lest anyone should boast"(v.9) No matter how involved we are in being good, and doing good, it will never be enough. We are all sinners (Romans 3:23) who have a sin debt, that needed to be paid. And that's what Jesus did on the cross of Calvary. He did, what we couldn't do. Jesus was the instrument of God's grace on our behalf.
There isn't a thing that we can do to obtain our salvation. It is a gift from God. We may think that our good deeds will accomplish it. But good deeds are not enough. Paul says, "Not of good works, lest anyone should boast"(v.9) No matter how involved we are in being good, and doing good, it will never be enough. We are all sinners (Romans 3:23) who have a sin debt, that needed to be paid. And that's what Jesus did on the cross of Calvary. He did, what we couldn't do. Jesus was the instrument of God's grace on our behalf.
The second thing that is vital to our salvation is..
2. "For By Grace You Have Been Saved, Through Faith."(Ephesians 2:8b)
The gift of God's Son as the sufficient sacrifice for our sin debt, is God's part in the process of salvation. To make it complete, we must reach out in faith, and accept the gift of God's Son, as our Savior. Trusting that His sacrifice is true, and sufficient, to cover our sins, and carry us all the way to our eternal home. The Apostle Paul said to the Christians at Philippi that we are to "Work out our own salvation with fear and trembling." (Philippians 2:12)
I look at faith as a response to the grace of God. And there are steps in our response to accepting God's gift to us. that we will look at in the next lesson.
2. "For By Grace You Have Been Saved, Through Faith."(Ephesians 2:8b)
The gift of God's Son as the sufficient sacrifice for our sin debt, is God's part in the process of salvation. To make it complete, we must reach out in faith, and accept the gift of God's Son, as our Savior. Trusting that His sacrifice is true, and sufficient, to cover our sins, and carry us all the way to our eternal home. The Apostle Paul said to the Christians at Philippi that we are to "Work out our own salvation with fear and trembling." (Philippians 2:12)
I look at faith as a response to the grace of God. And there are steps in our response to accepting God's gift to us. that we will look at in the next lesson.
The process of our salvation is a cooperative effort on both God's part, and ours. But how wonderful it is to know, that God's gift of His Son, is the demonstration of His extreme love for us. I ask, where would we be without it? GP
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