Salvation: Christ Alone

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. ~ Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV

I didn't do it. You didn't do it. We simply cannot do it. There is no saving ourselves because, in fact, we are exactly who it is we need saving from. There is a fallen nature and we all exhibit it. We do have a very real enemy in the Devil; but I have found that so often his chief means of destruction is to entice us with our own willful self-destruction.

God graciously intervenes in the self-destruction process. The entire Bible is a written record of that continued intervention process. Jesus Christ is the sole means by which God intervenes in our destruction. In an unsurpassable act of grace God became one of us—He became Jesus, Immanuel, God with us. It was, and is, grace that opened the way to reconciliation to God, and salvation from our self-imposed damnation. This happens when we place our faith in God's work on our behalf, not on our work to reach God.

Jesus Christ alone saves us. God's grace made incarnate, is Jesus. Faith alone connects us to Him. Christ alone is the intermediary between our death, hell, sin, the eternal grave, and life everlasting given only by grace from God.

We can't work it off, work up to it, or work it out on our own. We can't run to an alternate path, cash in Karma, call in a divine favor, or ascend to a place of Nirvana. There is a real Heaven, and a real Hell, and the only path to God lies through Jesus Christ.

We live in a time when that statement is offensive, but that makes it no less true. Christ alone is the path to God. His words are better than mine always, so I'll wrap it up with an excerpt from John's Gospel...

Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6 ESV)

More in this series.

Grace Alone Faith Alone Christ Alone

Salvation: Faith Alone

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. ~ Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV

Faith is a powerful thing. It is a miraculous thing. It is the hopeful belief in something that is beyond us for good or for ill.

Many people in the Bible demonstrated faith. You know people in your own life that no doubt demonstrate faith in something, even if it is something not altogether worthy of being a recipient of their faith. God is always a worthy recipient of our faith.

It is a simple acknowledgement placing your faith in God. It means developing a hopeful belief that He will, can, and has provided an alternative to your sinful nature. It is this faith at work in us that, when combined by the extended grace of God, ushers us into salvation.

Some would teach that you can only be saved by showing some outward sign, perhaps baptism, or the demonstration of some spiritual gift. It is my belief, and the clear point of this passage in Ephesians 2, that the only condition for salvation is faith. Simply put, you must acknowledge and want God alone as the source, recipient, and channel for your belief.

Faith is a many-faceted thing. It creates a mountain of possibilities in our lives, but its principle purpose is straight forward. Faith is the Holy Spirit working in our heart, mind, soul, and strength in a way that empowers us to trust in God beyond our own means. Grace alone from God received by Faith alone. That is salvation at work in us.

More in this series. Grace Alone Christ Alone

Salvation: Grace Alone

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. ~ Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV

Grace is a gift of God. It is THE gift. By its very nature you cannot earn, pay, deserve, or trade for it. It is a gift. Grace is a miraculous blessing bestowed upon fallen man by a loving God. It is our undeserved rescue. Grace is God's good and generous gift to me. It is His good and generous gift to you. You can't fit it in a box, wrap it up in pretty paper, and tuck it under a tree to be opened on the day of your choosing.

Because of my sin I deserve death, eternal death, and separation from God. That's what I have earned. Because of grace I am given eternal life and wonderfully adopted into the family of God. Grace is the loving, willful, attribute of God which inexplicably overrides my incessant desire to sit on my life's throne. Grace is the lasting longing extension of God's loving goodwill to humanity. Grace is the invisible element which holds the stars to their course and keeps the laws of physics in check. Grace is the shadow of a whisper of joy at each unrealized potential devastation. It is the heartfelt loving embrace of Abba Father holding us back from the precipice of our own inclination toward destruction.

Grace alone, by grace alone, To reach the Father's heart, May be my prayer, this quiet hour, And find God's favor there.

More in this series. Faith Alone Christ Alone

10 Things the Church Must Not Forget

Life usually doesn’t fit into nice neat little lists, but that doesn’t keep me from trying. Welcome to my Tuesday 10, where I try to fit the messiness of life into a list of ten. This week's Ten was written by lovely wife Jamie. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

1. When everything is going well, pray and praise! Don't wait for the downtimes. People are watching you in the good times to see who gets the glory.

2. You can not tell other people their convictions. You must pray God convicts them through His Spirit.

3. If you can't love them while they are in the church there is no way you can love them outside it.

4. Christians have been Supernaturally sustained and provided for in historical periods, under terrible government, in wicked countries, and endured persecution that is far worse than anything you are probably dealing with.

5. Yes if God brings you to it he will bring you through it, but you must be fully armored for the spiritual warfare. Eph 6:13

6. There is no biblical commandment to hoard. The command continuously is to give and go.

7. When you have done everything stand firm. Eph 6:13 Firm. Not back on your heels in fear. Not on your toes trying to do too much.

8. The biggest lie Satan convinces people of is that they simply don't have the time for Christ. Christian and non-Christian.

9. To covet someone else's blessing is to tell God, He doesn't know what's best.

10. The heartbeat of Christ can be summed in three words: Love, Give, and Go. [He LEFT heaven cause He LOVED you and GAVE everything].