Posted by Granted Faith to Believe
By the sovereign grace of God, we have received the gift of faith. By that same sovereign grace, we have been enabled to exercise this faith. We have been enabled by God — and by the grace of God alone — to believe in his Son as our Saviour; and, by God’s grace, we have done so freely and willingly. We have been enabled by God’s mercy to trust wholeheartedly in the redemption secured for us in Christ Jesus our Lord. (John 6:44,65)
“All our hope on God is founded.” What, then, do we have that we have not received as a gift? And if it is a gift, why do we boast as though it had not been freely bestowed? (1 Cor. 4:7)
Saved unto Holiness of life
For it is by grace you have been saved… (Eph. 2:8a NIV)
Let us be ever mindful of the sovereign grace and unmerited mercy of God who chose us for himself. (Eph. 1:4-6) Let us give to him all the glory for the abundance of his great salvation. Let us remember that we have been saved unto holiness of life, and that we have been saved for a purpose. We are God’s workmanship — created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God has prepared for us in advance.
God has formed us spiritually anew. By his grace, we have been raised to newness of life. We have been made alive unto God by the power of the Holy Spirit. How, then, can we grieve the Holy Spirit of God by not living consistently with the faith we profess — that faith which we have in the Son of God who loved us and gave himself for us? Let us show the depth of our commitment to Christ by the extent of our love to God, to our fellow believers, and to our neighbours.
For it is by grace you have been saved…
Not of merit; not of works; not of any good in us, but by grace. By the totally undeserved mercy of a holy God we have been saved — and by grace we stand.
[More to follow]
EPH0208.DOC / HBA04 (6) / D2 pt.3 / 1982-2011 Gordon Lyons
Gordon Lyons 