Ephesians 2:1-10 And
you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once
walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the
power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of
disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of
our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children
of wrath, like the rest of mankind.4 But God, being rich in
mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when
we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by
grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated
us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the
coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness
toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through
faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not
a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are
his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God
prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Salvation refers to the freedom gained when God rescues
someone from slavery to sin and makes that person part of His family. This
deliverance is accomplished only through His Son Jesus, who died in our place
so we might be reconciled to the Father (Col. 1:22). This statement often
evokes questions:
What if I try to live
morally right, working hard at my job and being good to my family—won’t God
accept me? Such questions assume that the Lord saves us on the basis
of the way we live. But Romans 3:10 says, “There is none righteous, not
even one.” In God’s sight, even our virtuous acts are like dirty rags (Isa.
64:6). Holy God will not have dealings with unrighteous people except through
the Savior, Jesus Christ.
Won’t the Lord accept
us because of His goodness? God is loving and good, but He is also
just. He won’t overlook sin, no matter how small we think it is. Pride makes us
reject the idea that we need forgiveness or cleansing from sin.
If we serve in our
church or help the poor in God’s name, aren’t we part of His family? Good
works do not solve our sin problem or reconcile us to God. Only Jesus does (Rom.
5:1). Good works are an important result of salvation, as opposed to
a basis for it.
Salvation is a work of God’s grace, not the product of man’s
effort. When we respond to the Spirit’s prompting, believe in Jesus, and are
born again as God’s children (John 3:3), we can be assured of our place in
heaven. How sure are you?
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