Where Grace Meets Faith (March 5, 2024)

 ^“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)

As sinners who’ve been saved by the grace of God, Christians are called to minister to the needs of other people by faithfully engaging in acts of love, compassion, generosity, and humility. We are to use the resources, talents, and blessings that God has given each of us to positively impact the lives of family members, friends, neighbors, fellow workers, and everyone with whom we cross paths daily. Once lost in our sins and dead spiritually, we have been reborn as new creations in Christ to do good deeds that glorify God, passing forward His love for mankind by addressing human needs, the greatest of which is salvation. This ultimate human need that we cannot satisfy ourselves prompted Jesus to sacrificially bear our sins on the cross to redeem us.

“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)

As servants of Jesus Christ, we have indeed been created for good works that express God’s unconditional love for all of humanity. However, these selfless acts of service that benefit the less fortunate are strictly the result of our salvation, not the reason for it. We cannot serve to be saved; we are saved to serve! We receive God’s grace and are saved by faith in Christ alone, faith plus nothing, based on our belief that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and arose from the grave on the third day according to the Scriptures. Salvation cannot be earned; it is God’s gift to every believer. Salvation is found where God’s grace meets our faith! Good works then reflect the faith that allowed us to enter into God’s grace and be saved in the first place.

But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. (James 2:18)