Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
• Introduction
• Jesus paid the full penalty for our sin
• Receiving Jesus and calling on His name saves you
• Saved by Grace through Faith
• Can being a good person save you?
• Our righteousness can only be found in the Lord Jesus Christ
Salvation is a free gift and it is by God's Grace through Faith alone that we are saved by believing that Jesus died for our sins. His sacrifice was a substitution for us (He suffered God's wrath on our behalf). Even though we are all sinners, anyone that puts their trust and faith in the Lord Jesus will be counted as righteous before God. His blood redeems us. If you believe in your heart that He died upon the cross as an atonement for your sin; that He was buried; and on the third day God raised Him to life again, you will be forgiven! This results in you being born again and becoming a member of the body of Christ {the Church}. The Holy Spirit will indwell you and will lead and guide you until the day of redemption.
His sacrifice was a substitution for us {bearing God's full wrath on our behalf} so that we wouldn't have to suffer an eternity in hell. Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:14, 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24; Hebrews 9:28, 10:12; 1 John 2:2
The Lord Jesus died for ALL our sins (past, present and future)..
Colossians 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross..
2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: 15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
Hebrews 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God..
See also 1 John 2:2
Christ paid the penalty for sin and redeemed us from the curse of the law. Deuteronomy 27:26; John 19:30; Galatians 3:13; Hebrews 10:14-18
There is no remission of sins without the shedding of blood (Leviticus 17:1-11; Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 9:22). Jesus' sacrifice was the PERFECT atonement for sin and believers have been reconciled back to God (His blood redeems us):
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Ephesians 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace..
Colossians 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. 21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
See also Acts 20:28; Romans 5:9-18; Ephesians 1:13-14, 2:13-14; Colossians 1:14; 1 Peter 1:18-19, 3:18; Revelation 1:5
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
See also Acts 3:19, 13:39
Even though we are all sinners, anyone that puts their trust and faith in the Lord Jesus will be counted as righteous before God. If you believe in your heart that He died on the cross as an atonement for your sin; that He was buried; and on the third day God raised Him to life again, you will be forgiven. This is the good news {the Gospel}.
1 Corinthians 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures..
This results in you being born again and becoming a member of the body of Christ {the Church}. John 3:3-6; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 4:1-16; 1 Peter 1:19-23
The Holy Spirit will indwell you (Romans 8:11; 1 John 2:27) and will lead and guide you until the day of redemption. Romans 15:16; 1 Corinthians 2:12-13, 6:11; Ephesians 1:7, 1:13-14; Philippians 1:6
God's plan of Salvation is simple.. The Righteous shall Live by Faith. Salvation is the free gift of God to all who believe on His son, Jesus Christ:
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
See also Romans 4:5, 5:15-18; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 John 5:10-13
A person is saved by Grace through Faith in believing that Jesus Christ died for our sins:
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
For by grace {Through God's mercy} are ye saved {given eternal life} through faith {BELIEF that salvation is ONLY FOUND THROUGH JESUS CHRIST because He alone is righteous, yet He took it upon Himself (as God, in flesh) to bare our sins, and by doing so He paid the FULL penalty for all our sins (past, present and future). His death and resurrection is proof of this payment}; and that not of yourselves {we are not righteous, we cannot save ourselves}: it is the gift of God {salvation is free}: Not of works {i.e. trying to follow the law in the hope that this will somehow lead to salvation. Being a good person won't save you - the law reveals sin, it does not justify}, lest any man should boast {The Lord is no respecter of persons, we all fall short of the glory of God}.
See also Romans 3:21-26
Without faith it is impossible to please God..
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. Hebrews 12:2
We have peace with God through faith. Romans 5:1-11; Colossians 1:20
Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17
With the heart one believes, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation:
Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
It is important to understand that salvation is NOT of works. We cannot earn our way into Heaven by being a "Good" person or by following the law:
Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Acts 13:39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
See also Isaiah 64:6; Galatians 2:21; Ephesians 2:8-9
Furthermore, there is no one righteous in God's sight. This is because we have all broken His law's and have not lived life in accordance to His righteous standards (We are all unclean).
Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
No one will be justified by works of the law {a salvation attempt based on our good behaviour}. Acts 13:39; Romans 3:20, 4:1-5; Galatians 2:16, 3:21, 5:4 (Read Galatians 3:1-29)
God requires perfect obedience to His law. His word has made it clear that if we are guilty of breaking just one point of the law, then we are guilty of breaking ALL of the law (No matter how hard we try, we always fail to perfectly keep God's commandments).
James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
Galatians 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. 11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. 13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
The purpose of the law then is not to justify us, but rather to reveal our sinful nature {and our desperate need for a saviour}..
Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
See also Galatians 3:21-26
If you believe that you are saved by works {or even faith plus works} then you are not saved at all. Believers are not under the law, they are under grace..
Galatians 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
See also Romans 6:14, 11:5-6; Galatians 5:4; Ephesians 2:8-9
As we are all born with a sinful nature, by default the penalty is death, judgment and eternal separation from God. Therefore it is God alone who has the power to save us. John 1:12; Acts 13:48; Ephesians 2:8-9
By dying in our place, the sins of His people were judged and forgotten. Romans 3:23-26; Hebrews 8:12
His act of righteousness is eternal life to those who believe in Him:
Romans 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
1 Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit
Our righteousness can only be found in the Lord Jesus Christ who fulfilled the law completely.
Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
See also John 8:29; Galatians 4:4
All that BELIEVE are justified {made righteous in the sight of God}. Acts 13:38-39; Romans 3:22-24, 4:5; 2 Corinthians 4:13-15; Galatians 3:22
