“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 NJKV)
Take a second and make a mental note of what you did to be saved. Okay. Keep that thought in your mind. Now make a mental note of all you are doing to keep your salvation. Do you have the list?
I hope thinking that through didn’t cause you to run for paper and pencil to jot notes down so you wouldn’t forget what’s on your list. There is only one way to get saved. By accepting the grace of God.
We humans are awfully egocentric. We keep trying to make the Christian walk about us instead of Jesus. We come up with sets of rules that insure our salvation. Or we have a pet theology that guarantees we’ll make it into an eternity with Jesus.
There are Christians who doubt another’s salvation if that person doesn’t belong to their particular brand of Christianity. I’ve even heard people’s salvation put into question because of how they dress, worship, or run their family. Or, we think “doing” Christianity helps us get brownie points with God. Have devotions. Help in the nursery. Bake for potluck. Volunteer at a soup kitchen.
This mindset keeps us in a cycle of pride and guilt. Pride when we “do” Christianity well. Guilt when we blow it. Desiring righteous living and doing acts of service should be a natural outgrowth of our love for God. But they don’t make us holy. They don’t put us on a list in heaven of the“good” people.
Remember who impressed Jesus? Not the ones doing righteous acts, but the man who smote his chest and said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”
Scripture is clear. We are saved by the merciful act of redemption by our Loving God. He sent His beloved Son to earth and allowed Him to die to purchase us for Himself.
That is grace.
How are you saved?
As the old saying goes, “By grace.Through faith. Plus nothing.”
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About 3 years ago I dropped into a black hole – four months of absolute terror. I wanted to end my life, but somehow [Holy Spirit], I reached out to a friend who took me to hospital. I had three visits [hospital] in four months – I actually thought I was in hell. I imagine I was going through some sort of metamorphosis [mental, physical & spiritual]. I had been seeing a therapist [1994] on a regular basis, up until this point in time. I actually thought I would be locked away – but the hospital staff was very supportive [I had no control over my process]. I was released from hospital 16th September 1994, but my fear, pain & shame had only subsided a little. I remember this particular morning waking up [home] & my process would start up again [fear, pain, & shame]. No one could help me, not even my therapist [I was terrified]. I asked Jesus Christ to have mercy on me & forgive me my sins. Slowly, all my fear has dissipated & I believe Jesus delivered me from my “psychological prison.” I am a practicing Catholic & the Holy Spirit is my friend & strength; every day since then has been a joy & blessing. I deserve to go to hell for the life I have led, but Jesus through His sacrifice on the cross, delivered me from my inequities. John 3: 8, John 15: 26, are verses I can relate to, organically. He’s a real person who is with me all the time. I have so much joy & peace in my life, today, after a childhood spent in orphanages [England & Australia]. God LOVES me so much. Fear, pain, & shame, are no longer my constant companions. I just wanted to share my experience with you [Luke 8: 16 – 17].
Peace Be With You
Micky
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