For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. — EPHESIANS 2:8–9
Faith must be granted to us. If a person is not given faith, there is no hope for him. He will never understand his sin or God’s righteousness. He will never comprehend who Jesus is, nor appreciate what He did. He will never trust Jesus for his salvation. No one is able to receive and understand the biblical Jesus without God’s sovereign work (Mark 4:10–12).
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A recent edition of a Czech Baptist magazine reflects and reveals the crisis and root problem that exists in the Christian community here. It states that we do not have to believe in God’s grace to be saved, just in Jesus himself. This is presented as maximum common ground for all Czech churches within this denomination. No further truths are needed or are to be imposed.
Today we are meditating on a sola of the Reformation, sola gratia—grace alone. The amazing truth in this text about God’s grace stresses the initiative of God in our salvation. He is the one who must change our hearts and give us the ability to believe and have saving faith. We are dead in our sins (Eph. 2:1–3), unable to meet God’s standard and His will for our lives. In reality, we want nothing to do with God and we do not seek Him, nor believe in Him (Rom. 3:11). By nature, we hate Him and we face His wrath (Rom. 1:18).
Faith must be granted to us. If a person is not given faith, there is no hope for him. He will never understand his sin or God’s righteousness. He will never comprehend who Jesus is, nor appreciate what He did. He will never trust Jesus for his salvation. No one is able to receive and understand the biblical Jesus without God’s sovereign work (Mark 4:10–12).
Praise God we have been given this faith. He is the one who seeks us, regenerates us from our dead condition (Eph. 2:4–5), and gives us saving faith.