Grace Through Faith, Not Works

February 12, 2021
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Ephesians 2:8-9

The Grace of God can be defined as the Goodness of God given to undeserved man through the Holy Spirit.  Everything we receive from God is given to us by Jesus Christ because of what He did for us at the Cross of Calvary.  The Grace of God can only be given to us based upon the principle of faith and not by our own works and our own goodness.  There is nothing we can do within ourselves to earn, or merit the Grace of God.

We are reminded throughout the New Testament of the weakness of our own works and how we cannot prove our way into Heaven by the goodness of the things we do.  Works are secondary to our faith built on the good that has been done for us. Our faith in Christ allows us to receive the never-ending flow of Grace to live victoriously in Him.

The Holy Spirit leads us and guides us into the good works that Jesus Christ needs us to perform for His Glory.  Works through the Holy Spirit are a result of our Salvation.  Our works are never the cause of our Salvation.  Proper faith will produce proper works bringing about the Glory of God through us.  Everything we do for the Lord is done for the Lord and not for the praises of men.  The Apostle Paul proclaims in Galatians 6:14, “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  We are to boast about what He has done and not what we do!

The Cross of Jesus Christ strikes at the very heart of all spiritual pride and self-righteousness.  Few Glory in the Cross because it puts self-effort in its proper place.  As a Child of God, we are a new creature, full of the Holy Spirit helping us to receive the never-ending flow of Grace that God gives us through Christ.  In God’s time, our faith in Christ and the Cross will not go unrewarded, but will bring forth exactly that which is promised by the Lord.

We will not be judged by our successes or failures, but by our trust, obedience, and faithfulness to Christ and His Word.  The Bible does not teach sinless perfection.  We will fail Christ from time to time.  The Grace of God, however, will pick us up, heal our wounds, and turn our failures into blessings.  Only Jesus can transform our shortcomings into successes if we will believe in our Great Shepherd.

We may fail, but the Cross Never Fails!

Jared Gibson

Media

Latest Devotionals

Jared Gibson
August 26, 2022
Jared Gibson
August 5, 2022
Jared Gibson
July 29, 2022