My, Devotion to Him #40
As I started to write the Spiritual Encouragement Series I have found that sometimes we as people get boastful in our spirituality. We are overly confident. Not that confidence is wrong but it’s not. Though, I had to notice that sometimes our mind is not in the right place when we are being confident.
VERSE PASSAGE: Ephesians 2:8-10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – NIV
“For it is by grace”
VERSE PASSAGE: Romans 3:24-25 “and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.” – NIV
We are saved by grace. It is by Gods grace that we can be saved. We have to realize this. God just didn’t say “well it looks like you’ve earned salivation so here it is”. We cannot be saved by earning it. It is given by grace. It’s a gift to us in which we did not earn. A gift in which we do not have to repay. A gift in which is freely given. However, at the bottom of this passage it says “to be received by faith”.
“you have been saved”
VERSE PASSAGE: Ephesians 2:4-5 “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” – NIV
“through faith”
VERSE PASSAGE: Romans 9:30-32 “What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone.” – NIV
“and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works”
VERSE PASSAGE: Romans 4:2-3 “If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” – NIV
VERSE PASSAGE: Titus 3:5-7 “he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” – NIV
“so that no one can boast”
VERSE PASSAGE: 1 Colossians 1:29-30 “so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.” – NIV
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus”
VERSE PASSAGE: Ephesians 4:24 “and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” – NIV
“to do good works”
VERSE PASSAGE: Titus 2:14 “who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” – NIV
So as we can see. We need to remain true to this. That we are saved by grace through faith. We are new creatures (people) in Him. And we are called to do good and we should be ever so eager to do good. We need to make sure that our minds are in the right place. We have not done anything nor could we do anything of ourself that would earn the right to be saved. It was a gift that was paid for in blood and given to the ones whom believe through faith.
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Copyright © 2017 by Jacob D. Olinger
Spirit Warrior Ministry 