Faith or Grace?
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.”
Because our salvation and even our faith are gifts, we should respond with gratitude, praise, and joy. We are not saved merely for our own benefit but to serve Christ and build up the church.
The word Faith has so many meanings, it can mean faithfulness (Matthew 24:45). It can mean absolute trust, as shown by some of the people who came to Jesus for healing (Luke 7:2-10). It can mean confident hope (Hebrews 11:1). Or as James point out, it can even mean a barren belief that does not result in good deeds (James 2:14-26). What does Paul mean when he speaks of “saving faith”?
We must be very careful to understand faith as Paul uses the word because he ties faith so closely we salvation. It is not something we must do in order to earn salvation, if that were true, then faith would be just one more deed, and Paul clearly states that human deeds can never save us (Galatians 2:16). Instead, faith is a gift that God gives us because He is saving us (see today’s verse). It is God’s grace, not our faith that saves us, He gives us faith, a relationship with his Son that helps us become like him. Through the faith he gives us, he carries us from death into life (John 5:24).
When Jesus conquered death, He cancelled the charges against us and opened the way to the Father (Colossians 2:12-15). Because He is merciful, He offers us faith. How tragic if we turn faith into a deed and try to develop it on our own. We can never come to God through our own faith any more than the Old Testament people could come through their own sacrifices. Instead, we must accept his gracious offer with thanksgiving and allow him to plant the seed of faith within us.
Rayed Redemption Ministry
Euless, TX 76039
www.rayedredemption.org
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