Discover What the Bible Says about Salvation
Paul, in writing to the church in Ephesus, shares a succinct and essential truth about salvation. He tells them how to be saved, which reminds them how they were saved.
He writes “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV).
By Grace
Our salvation starts with God’s grace. Grace gives to us what we don’t deserve. We don’t deserve our right standing with Father God that came to us through Jesus when he died in our place for the wrong things we have done
As we explore how to be saved, it doesn’t start with us but with God and his grace.
Through Faith
The second related item is faith. This is our part. We must receive the grace that God offers to us through faith. We must believe.
It doesn’t make sense to most people. It seems too easy. So they pile more requirements upon it, as if making it hard will make it mean more.
Yet through faith we can receive God’s grace. This is how to be saved.
A Gift
Lest there be any doubt, salvation is a gift that God freely gives to us. It’s a no-strings-attached present from the Almighty. That’s what God’s grace does.
Not Works
We can’t earn our salvation anymore than we can earn a gift that’s already been freely offered to us.
Yet when many people consider how to be saved, they think there’s a list of requirements they must meet, that is, there are a set of prescribed steps they must go through to earn their salvation.
But we can’t work to become eligible to receive a present from God that he’s already given to us. All we need to do is open that gift.
How to be Saved: Follow Jesus
When we consider how to be saved, we must acknowledge that God’s gift of grace is something that we receive through faith. But how do we do that?
It’s simple. We make a U-turn with our lives and follow Jesus. That’s the essential message that Jesus tells people when they ask him how to be saved, how to have eternal life.
He simply says follow me (Matthew 9:9, John 1:43, John 8:12, John 10:27, and many more.
I follow Jesus. Do you?
[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Ephesians 1-3 and today’s post is on Ephesians 2:8-9.]
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.
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