Ephesians 2:8 “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. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
I think that most would agree that dead people cannot save themselves. They do not have the resources to get out of the coffin, and outside of a Lazarus-like divine intervention, they are going under the dirt. Paul has painted the picture clearly that unbelievers are “dead in the their trespasses and sins.” (Ephesians 2:1)
To make things even worse, unbelievers are also totally under the influence of Satan. Outside of Christ, everyone has been duped by the one who, “…prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (I Peter 5:8) And then, on top of that, all come in to this world, “…by nature children of wrath.”
When these realities of spiritual separation begin to set in, the gospel becomes of utmost importance. We need to be revived! We need to be raised from the dead! We need to be removed from the satanic influence that is controlling our lives! We need to be removed from beneath the wrath of God. It is at this point that the Grace of God steps in!
Paul said in Ephesians 2:8 that, “…it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift from God.” Salvation from sin is a gracious gift from God, not something that we earn, merit, or deserve. You want to understand how it is that you were saved? Don’t look at yourself but look at God’s free grace that He has given you in Christ!
Your salvation is not something that you have attained by your doing, but instead, it was given to you by God “…by grace through faith!” Salvation is not something that you received through the work of your hands, but you were saved through the instrument of trust. You just trusted God. By His grace He enabled you to throw your hands up and say, ‘Lord God, there is nothing that I can do to save myself, please have mercy and save.’
Take time today to thank God that He has done for your what you could not do for yourself. Even though you were “dead in your trespasses and sins”, He has made you alive by grace through faith!
