One of the most comforting passages in the Bible is found in Ephesians 2.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)
⁸  For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹  not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

I like the definition of grace given by the Complete Word Study Dictionary.

“A favor done without expectation of return; the absolutely free expression of the loving kindness of God to men finding its only motive in the bounty and benevolence of the Giver; unearned and unmerited favor” (Complete Word Study Dictionary).

There is nothing that we did to deserve salvation.  This is primarily because sin was our fault, and we deserved to receive the consequences of it—death, both physical and spiritual.  Out of pure love, God spared not His Son so that we could escape the deadly results of our sins.   Someone has said, “Grace is God giving us what we do not deserve while withholding from us what we do deserve.”  We deserve death, but God, through His Son, gives life.

Some teach, because of this passage, that we are saved by grace alone, but that is not what Paul said.  He said that we are saved by grace through faith.  Grace is God’s part and faith is man’s part.  It is our responsibility to believe in Jesus.

John 8:24 (ESV)
²⁴  I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”

It is amazing to me that so many accept the Calvinistic teaching that says faith is something that God miraculously gives us.  Does John 8:24 sound like that to you, or does it sound like something man is responsible to do?  The truth is faith is something that we must have in response to God’s gracious actions.  Man must choose to believe in Jesus and accept His lordship or die in sin.

When Paul said that salvation is not of works, he was referring to a specific kind of works.  He was speaking of the meritorious works of the law.  What he was not speaking of is obedience.  Salvation is impossible without obeying God (Matthew 7:21).  The only kind of faith that saves is obedient faith.  Most view Paul as the champion of the doctrine of justification by faith.  This might well be true but listen to the kind of faith that Paul believed he was called to spread and defend.

Romans 1:5 (ESV)
⁵  Through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations,

Being saved by grace, that is, the unmerited favor of God, is a wonderful truth and full of comfort.  It means that we can be saved despite our shortcomings and sins, as long as we repent of them.  It means that we do not have to be perfect to make it to heaven.  But, what we must have is a faith that obeys.  That is not much to ask.  God is not requiring the impossible.  All He wants is an obedient faith, and His grace will handle the rest.  That is great news for all of us.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.