Photo by Jon Tyson
By Mike Chaffin
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, Ephesians 2:8
This is the way it has always been. Ever since Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him as righteousness, the only way to God is through faith. Abraham didn’t have to work for God’s grace. God exercises grace when He shows us mercy instead of justice.
God also gave grace by gifting salvation. We cannot earn our way into heaven. Nothing we do makes us good enough. However, we are made for good works which we want and desire to do after we are saved. These earn rewards in Heaven but not entrance.
Faith in God is the only way. In fact, Jesus reiterated it in his teaching about faith when he said,
At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. Luke 10:21
Children have an inborn unwavering faith and trust in their parents. David, in a prophetic psalm wrote,
The Lord protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and he saved me. Psalm 116:6
Faith in God brings a multitude of benefits. Give God the glory.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for your grace and mercy. Your love knows no bounds. Thank you for loving me and saving me. Help me to live for you and do the works You have for me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
* There is a website that conducted a search for Bible verses. They compiled a list of the verses in order of the magnitude of hits they got in their search. Some of these verses qualify as ‘people’s favorites’, while others might be on the list because they are some of the most important and most teachable words of God.
