By Grace Through Faith

Ephesians 2:7-10 “that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

We receive salvation by grace through faith. We didn’t earn Salvation through our own works; we heard the Gospel, we believed it, accepted it as true, and received the forgiveness of our sins through the finished work of Jesus. If Salvation, which is the most important thing we could ever receive, is by grace through faith, all of God’s promises are received the same way, by grace through faith.

Sin means to “miss the mark.” One of the greatest ways we miss the mark is when we trust in our own self-righteousness. Anything that we do outside of grace and faith is missing the mark.

We completely miss the point of grace when we trust and depend upon ourselves to earn God’s promises. All of God’s promises are gifts that are to be received by grace through faith.

Notice what the Holy Spirit, through Paul, says, “This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:2-3)

Human tendency is to default back into a works-based mentality because we haven’t come to know and understand the grace of God in truth. (Colossians 1:6) But as we continue to hear the Gospel of grace, we will begin to understand what His grace has done for us, in us, and through us.

If we look at the story of the man who was paralysed and had four friends that brought him to Jesus, the Bible says that Jesus saw their faith, and the first thing Jesus says is, “Son, be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven you.” (Matthew 9:1-8) This man received forgiveness simply because he trusted in the mercy of Jesus. Not only did he receive forgiveness, but that man was healed the same way, by grace through faith. He walked out of that house a forgiven, healed man, simply because he trusted in the grace and mercy of Jesus.

The struggle with sin and trying to deserve God’s promises is over when the revelation of grace lands in our hearts. We no longer have to “try harder” or “do better” or “be more holy”; instead, we believe that what God says about us is true, regardless of how we feel. We are a work of His grace, we are not a work of our own efforts!

I encourage you this week to ask the Holy Spirit to help you to see and understand the grace of God in truth. Your life will never be the same when you encounter the true nature of God’s grace!

Remember, we love you, and we are praying for you.

Blessings,

Chloe