Partnership Of God's Grace & Our Faith (Part 3)
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8 (NKJV)
1. Grace: God’s Initiative
Salvation begins long before we ever think about God. Scripture makes it clear that grace is God’s idea, God’s initiative, and God’s gift. Grace is God moving toward us when we could not move toward Him. It is His unearned, undeserved kindness poured out through the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Grace means:
God loved us while we were still sinners
God provided the sacrifice we could never provide
God opened the door we could never unlock
God offered a gift we could never afford
Grace is not God helping us save ourselves. Grace is God saving us because we cannot save ourselves.
2. Faith: Our Response
If grace is God’s hand reaching down, faith is our hand reaching up. Faith does not earn salvation; it simply receives it. Faith is the empty hand that accepts the full gift of God.
Faith means:
Trusting that Jesus’ death is enough
Relying on Christ instead of our own goodness
Surrendering our attempts to earn God’s approval
Resting in what Christ has already accomplished
Faith is not a work—it is a willingness to stop working and start trusting.
3. Salvation: Where Grace and Faith Meet
Paul says salvation is “by grace… through faith.”
These two elements work together, but not as equal partners.
Grace is the source
Faith is the channel
Christ is the substance
Grace provides the gift.
Faith receives the gift.
Christ is the gift.
We are not saved because our faith is strong, but because God’s grace is strong. Even the ability to believe is stirred by His Spirit. Salvation is God’s masterpiece, and faith is simply our “yes” to His invitation.
4. Living in the Partnership
This partnership doesn’t end at salvation—it continues throughout the Christian life.
Grace empowers
Faith responds
Grace supplies
Faith obeys
Grace sustains
Faith endures
Every step of spiritual growth is the same rhythm: God gives, and we trust.
The Bridge You Cannot Build
Imagine a deep canyon—miles wide, impossible to cross. On one side stands humanity, separated from God by sin. On the other side is God’s holiness. No matter how hard we try—good works, moral effort, religious activity—we cannot build a bridge long enough to reach Him.
One day, God Himself builds a perfect bridge across the canyon. That bridge is Jesus Christ—His life, His death, His resurrection. The bridge is complete, sturdy, and freely offered.
Now imagine someone standing at the edge of the canyon saying, “I believe the bridge is real. I believe it can hold me. I believe it leads to the other side.” But they never step onto it.
Faith is stepping onto the bridge.
Grace built the bridge.
Faith walks across it.
We are not saved because we build the bridge.
We are saved because we trust the One who already did.
Closing Reflection
Grace invites.
Faith responds.
Grace provides.
Faith receives.
Grace saves.
Faith trusts.
This is the beautiful partnership of salvation—God’s grace extended, and our faith accepting.
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