“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2. By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
I want to pick up on one word in this text, and that is “grace.” This is God’s unmerited favor, meaning that we get from God what we do not deserve. Question: Why do we need God’s grace in order to be saved? The first answer is because of the nature of God. God is completely holy. This is illustrated by Moses at the “burning bush” in Exodus. When Moses turned aside to see the burning bush, he was warned: “And (God) said, Draw near, put off your shoes from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” ( Exodus 3:5) God is too holy to be approached in His heavenly presence. The second answer is because of the nature of people. Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Because of our sins we cannot stand in the presence of Holy God. When God visited His people in the Old Testament temple in the “Holy of Holies,” no one could approach that part of the temple where God came among His people but the High Priest, and that only on the Day of Atonement when the people’s sins were atoned. The third answer is that people could only be saved by an act of God on our behalf. In the Old Testament, the blood of animals was shed to atone for Israel’s sins. But when God acted in His full grace for, not only Israel, but for the whole world, His Son came and was sacrificed on the cross so that we could be saved by faith in Him. Ephesians 1:8-9 gives us the gist of how sinful people can be saved: “For by grace have you been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” We are not saved by our own volition, but we are saved by the act of God’s Son shedding His blood on the cross, and by putting our faith in Him through the confession of sin and repentance from sin. The fourth answer is that when we are saved by faith, then we work for the Lord’s kingdom as witnesses and in any way that He would use us. We are not saved by works, but we are saved to work. Ephesians 2:10 continues the narrative on our works after we are saved: “For we are His (God’s) workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.” All of us have sinned, and all of us need God’s grace by faith in Christ to be saved. Bro. Joe
1 Comment
Linda Brooks
8/1/2016 08:54:40 pm
PRAISE GOD for SAVING me !!!
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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