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 (KJV)
So many thoughts cross my mind when I read these scriptures. Things like “there’s no such thing as a free lunch,” or “you never get something for nothing,” and even “you are no more a Christian because you sit in a church, than you are a cow because you stand in a barn.”
Over the years I have seen person after person come into the church and give all they physically have, but never find the true gift, the relationship with God. I think that we have been “programmed” by the American culture to believe that if we work hard and “give it all we’ve got” we’ll get whatever we want. Some have succeeded, many have failed. But that “programming” does not apply to God’s culture and the plan He has set out for us.
The New Testament makes it very clear that no matter what we have done, said or caused, we have hope through Jesus for an eternal life in Heavenly places (Romans 4:7). Through repentance and the forgiveness of sins, God wipes our slates clean and we become white and pure as snow (Isaiah 1:18). We can’t work enough hours to receive that gift. We can’t feed enough hungry people or clean enough church carpets or share the gospel in enough countries to receive that gift. We can’t spend enough time in prayer or hours in the scriptures, memorizing – memorizing – memorizing, to earn that gift. It isn’t possible. The gift is free. The gift is from God Himself, His “grace” card (1 Corinthians 1:4). The gift of salvation is simply received through believing faith (Romans 3:22 & 25). Faith! No more, no less.
So, in God’s culture, there is a “free lunch,” eating daily of God’s Word (Matthew 4:4) and feeding the spirit that is growing inside. In God’s culture, there is “something for nothing, there is grace, and through that grace there is faith, and through that faith there is eternal life in Heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3).
As far as the last quote, that’s a true comment, but with the love and acceptance and example of the saints, people who come seeking will find the true faith they desire. Everyone starts coming to church as a non-Christian, but finds their way to the free gift of salvation, pre-paid by the Son. Once we realize it took the blood of a perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 10:14) to bring us that gift, a life freely given on Calvary (1 Corinthians 2:12), how could we even consider boasting.
We are saved by grace through our faith in Christ. Simple. Easy. Priceless.
* A Journey Through Ephesians – Chapter 2, Part 4
Written by Linda J. Humes
11-28-2014
Linda J. Humes 