Last week, when looking at the glorious subject of God's grace, we turned to the book of Romans for clarification of 'grace only' (with the implication of once saved always saved). We learned though God's grace is a gift we can never deserve which forgives our sins, we cannot assume it is then OK to continue in sin.
This time we will look at a different text regarding the same subject. The great book of Ephesians deals with the subject of God's grace, and it should help us clear up any misconceptions accompanying God's grace.
Ephesians 2:8,9 reads "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."
This is one of my favorite passages in the New Testament. In a nutshell, Paul is telling us exactly how we are saved, and it is through nothing but God's grace saving us. And I want to say again that this is the only way we can be saved. BUT, does that mean we do not have a say or involvement in our salvation? There is a HUGE denominational misunderstanding about the text above. Some find "not as a result of works" and "not of yourselves" as His grace exempts Christians from obedience.
The same groups who believe this misunderstanding fail to read the next verse, Ephesians 2:10. It reads "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."
Now I am sure nobody with an open mind can miss that. Just after saying we have been saved by His grace, Paul tells us that we are created for good works. Is Paul contradicting himself, or is he saying what common sense dictates: Christians have an involvement in their own salvation.
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