Reply To: Christian Character Discussion Board 1

[Pchris]

Ephesians 2: 8-9 says ” For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves ; it is a gift of God , not of works , lest anyone should boast .
The popular notion is that God accepts good people and rejects the unqualified people. Most people usually operate under the idea that God accepts or rejects people based on some level of religious performance or goodness .
The whole book of Ephesians rejects this premise , and Ephesians 2:8-9 specifically refutes it. God has chosen to save sinners, not based on their goodness but on His kindness.
He does this to demonstrate His grace , that is to say His undeserved favour.
Grace is a gift given freely based on the kind intentions of the giver to a recipient who has no claim to it. If we are saved by grace, this means that it is not because we are good or deserving, rather it is because God is good and gracious. Also, we are saved “through faith “. In order to be saved , there is a necessary human response to God’s grace. The response is not trying to be “good enough” to be saved , but it is simply trusting ( faith) in God to save on the basis of Christ’s goodness.
It is important to state that faith is not a good work in itself that God rewards, faith is simply casting our unworthy selves on the mercy of our kind , merciful and gracious God.
The whole plan and process of salvation comes from God as a gift, not from ourselves as the reward of the works or good things we have done . The result of the process is “so that no one can boast” . This should be a sobering thought for every believer that we are what we are or attained a certain height in life not because we earned it but by the grace of God .
The statement ” Good works that stem out of a relationship with Christ Jesus are witnesses for Jesus” shows that we are not saved by doing good works , but we are saved for the purpose of doing good works.
If we go further to look at Ephesians 2:10 (Nkjv) ” For we are His workmanship , created in Christ Jesus for good works , which God prepared before hand that we should walk in them ” . We see that good works are a vital part of the Christian life because doing good is one of the reasons God saves us. God has things for us to do here on earth but the sequence is all important. Good works are not the cause of salvation but the purpose of it. God saves us so that we can go into the world , doing good works in His name and this brings Him more glory.
Matthew 5:16 ” Let your light so shine before men , that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven.