Our scripture this morning is 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.
Paul writes that we are “saved by grace through faith”. God loves us and is willing to forgive us when we recognize our sin, give it up to Him and do the work He has for us. The FaithLife Study Bible puts it this way: “While the Bible’s theme of “faith” can be understood in a variety of ways, it can be summarized as active trust and belief displayed through obedience.”
What we must remember is that this is not of our doing – no human thought, word or action can save us. We get it backwards when we think we can earn our way into eternity. We receive God’s gift of grace by faith, good works are our response to being saved, our thankful reaction to God’s eternal love for us.
God created us for a purpose and gave us the gifts we need to accomplish His plan. Paul reminds us we are “God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” God made us in His image to love Him and one another, and to prepare for the coming of His kingdom.
Gracious God, in Your mercy You sent Jesus to love and save and free us. Bless us to go in Your name that all the world may know Your love. Amen.
