A Free Gift

"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" (Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV).

Salvation is the gift of God’s grace.  Because of sin, man is separated from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).  "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).  On the cross, Jesus paid the price for our sin (1 Peter 1:18-19).  Through Christ, the gift of God’s grace, we may be saved from our sin.  That’s God’s gift to us.

We cannot earn our salvation.  It is “not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:9).  No man can ever do enough to earn his way to heaven.  It is only by God’s grace that we are saved.

We must accept God’s gift of salvation on His terms.  Note again the passage above:  “For by grace you have been saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8).  
As we search the Scriptures we find that the kind of faith that God is seeking from us  is an "active"  faith.  A splendid example of the kind of faith that God desires is found in Acts 2.  To those hearers who believed in Jesus and were convicted of their sin of crucifying the Son of God, Peter instructed them to put their faith into action:     “Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

What was their response?  “Then those who gladly received his word [faith]     were baptized [faith in action]; and that day about three thousand souls were added   to them” (Acts 2:41).  God saved by His grace those who responded to the saving message of Jesus Christ with an obedient faith.

God saves us by His grace when, in faith, we obey the conditions of acceptance.

Meeting the conditions of God’s salvation by grace does not make His gift any less a gift.  Faith, repentance and baptism are the necessary responses to what God has done for us in Christ.

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" (2 Corinthians 9:15).

Thanks be to God also for the opportunity to accept God’s gift of salvation on His terms.

Will YOU accept?

David A. Sargent, Minister 

Church of Christ at Creekwood 
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama  36695

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