Ephesians 2:8-9 - "For you have received the gift of grace, through faith - and it is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, that no one can boast"
What do you picture with that phrase? What do you think about?
A famous song from the 1970's?
A very tall staircase rising from the earth?
It is a popular concept...
The idea of a specific path upwards to heaven. The idea of a route to paradise, our ultimate home for eternity with perfect bodies and perfect lives.
In fact, the concept of a specific path to heaven that is defined by our behaviors is so popular that most of the world's organized religions have adopted some form of it.
But there is one RADICAL difference for Christianity compared with every other organized religion.
You see, most of the world's religions adopt a philosophy that one has to work to earn a place in paradise after death. You have a long list of do's and dont's that count as credit towards your seat in heaven.
Unfortunately, Christianity is often misrepresented with a similar list of do's and dont's. As such, it can turn secular people away from the rich promises it holds.
And it can be confusing...
After all, the Old Testament is full of specific rules by which God's people were expected to abide. You have to understand that those rules were provided by God for the benefit of better understanding what righteousness really means. You see, before "the law" was given to Moses, people only had their gut instincts. For example, they knew something seemed wrong or bad about killing or stealing, but there wasn't any explicit rule.
The law was given to Moses to help us all better understand just how Holy God truly is and why we are cut off from such holiness.
But Jesus fulfilled the law completely.
Christ established a radically different order. Jesus did all the work for us - work we couldn't even accomplish if we wanted to - and simply asks us to accept Him as our Savior. Christians have a single "do" which is to accept Jesus as our Savior. That alone qualifies us for eternity with Him in heaven.
As we grow in Christian maturity, we start to serve others as a response to that gift. Not that we have to but that we want to. In the Church setting, it can be easy to think we are "doing good" in ways that qualify us for a seat in heaven.
This verse from Paul in his letter to the Ephesians is designed to hold us accountable to the gospel truth. Paul reminds us that God's grace is a gift - and nothing else. We receive this gift not by anything we have ever done or could ever do.
Paul even highlights God's motivation for designing grace as a gift - "...that no one can boast". You see, God knows our hearts. He knows man's innate ability and desire to elevate himself even to the point of earning a bigger or better stake in heaven through his own actions.
Apply This:
Memorize this verse and use it to remind yourself continually that Jesus' work is already done. Your acceptance of Jesus as your Savior is the only task you have because Jesus did all the work on your behalf. You have no more requirement to earn your salvation.
