The Gospel of The Lord Jesus Christ
Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
“you have been saved”: This is a phrase that is often repeated but what does it mean? From what do you need saving? You need to be saved from the consequences of our sin. If you have ever committed any sin, either by your deeds, words, or thoughts you stand guilty before the just, holy, and righteous Creator. It doesn’t matter how many “good deeds” you do; you already stand condemned before God destined for hell. So, you need to be saved from hell, God’s holy wrath for your sin. – Ephesians 2:3; Romans 3:10-18; 6:23; John 3:36; James 2:10; Revelation 20:15
Since you need saving from the wrath of God because of your sin, how does God save you? Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Son of God, God who became man, fully God and fully man. Jesus was born of the virgin Mary without any sin. He lived a perfect sinless life. Never once did he sin in his deeds, words, or thoughts. He obeyed the law of God perfectly. Jesus is the only possible mediator between you and God because he fully represents you as a human and he fully represent God. Jesus did not have any sins for which he needed to be punished for, so he could take on the punishment for the sins of others, and because he is God and has the righteousness of God, he is able to provide the righteousness we need to be saved from our sins and be restored to a right relationship with God. You can be saved because of the work of Jesus on your behalf! Jesus lived the life you never could and died the death you should. He did all this in your place, so that you could know God’s forgiveness and grace! – 1 Corinthians 15; 2 Corinthians 5:21; John 1:1, 1:14; 1 Timothy 2:5; Philippians 3:1-11
“For by grace you have been saved”: The birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus was the plan of God, initiated by God. As a sinner already condemned there is nothing you can give God to avoid the punishment of your sin. Despite being in a position where you have nothing to offer God, God showed you grace by providing an offer for you! God could have sent every sinner to hell, which is what we all deserve, but instead he decided to show grace to some. Every person who lives is faced with one of two options: Justice or Grace! When someone goes to heaven they do so based on God’s grace. If someone goes to hell, they do so based on justice since they are law breakers. It is the grace of God that allows for us to be saved. Not our own works, intelligence, or goodness. – Ephesians 1:4; John 3:36; Isaiah 64:6; Exodus 34:7; Matthew 7:13-14
“For by grace you have been saved through faith”: The only way you can be saved from the wrath of God by the grace of God is by having faith in God. What does this mean exactly? It doesn’t just mean believing God exists, even the demons do that. It means having faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ ALONE! Faith is another way of saying trust! Having faith means trusting Jesus is who he says he is, that he did what he said he would do and that his life, death, and resurrection is enough for salvation. Trust in Jesus Christ is the ONLY way you can escape the wrath of God for your sins and be reconciled to God. Putting your faith in Jesus means that you consciously trust in him and him alone and that you live for him and him alone! Placing your faith in Jesus means that you repent of your sins, in other words, ask God’s forgiveness for your sins and turn away from your sins to pursue Christ. – Romans 3-5; Galatians 2:15-21; James 2:18-26; 1 Corinthians 15; Acts 2:38
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast”: Nothing we can do can make God overlook our disgusting sin. Our sin demands justice. It is because of Jesus that justice has been accomplished. He stepped in and paid off a debt that we could not pay and gave us a righteousness that we could not obtain. The one who trusts in Christ is in a right standing with God. We are saved from God, by God, for God! – John 3:16; Colossians 1:9-20; Romans 6:23