Living In Grace

What is Salvation??

Before I can answer what salvation is I must first define what we are being saved from: namely the wrath of God and the consequences of sin.  When Adam willfully and freely decided to disobey God and His commandments in Eden Sin entered the Creation and more specifically the human race.  The result of this action was the curse (Genesis 3 ) and subsequent death due to sin.  We are all sinners as we are  born in Adam ( Romans 5:12 ) and the wages of our sin is death ( Romans 6:23 ) and Hell  ( Matthew 10:28 ).  We are by nature dead in our sins and children of wrath:

Ephesians 2: 1And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,  2in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
3Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

The wrath of God is being stored up on the unrighteous ( Nahum 1:2, Ezekiel 25:14, Ps 76:10) and He will enact righteous judgment on all ( Psalm 103:6, Isaiah 5:16, Romans 2:5, Revelation 16:7 ).  The wrath of God abides on all unbelievers (John 3:36 ), those who refuse the truth ( Romans 1:18 ),and the disobedient (Ephesians 5:6 ).

How can a dead man save himself from this wrath?  How can one who is willfully estranged from God and has suppressed the truth in unrighteousness ever come to know the goodness and mercy of God?  That is where Grace comes in.


Salvation is the work of God in the unregenerate sinner whereby he is:

1.  Reborn.  Jesus told the religious scholar and Pharisee, Nicodemus,  that to see God he must be born again ( John 3:3 ).  Without being born again the natural man lacks any ability to come to or please God.  Remember we are dead in our sins and unable to make ourselves live again.

2.  Given Faith.  Ephesians 2:8  declares , " For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, " that even our faith that receives the grace of God is a gift.  It is this faith IN Christ Jesus that saves us (John 3:16,Luke 5:20, Acts 20:21)  and:

3. Justifies.  Repentance always accompanies true faith and allows forgiveness of sins (Matthew 3:8, Acts 5:31,  Acts 11:18, Acts 20:212 Corinthians 7:9, 2 Timothy 2:25).  Justification is by faith alone apart from works ( Romans 3:20-24, Romans 3:28Romans 5:1Galatians 2:16Galatians 5:4 ).

4: Sanctified.  There can be no change of heart ( Ezekiel 11:19 ) without a cleansing and a change of perspective.  It is God's will and part of his calling ( 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7 ) and accompanies faith ( 2 Thessalonians 2:13).  It is a both historical occurrence ( 1 Corinthians 6:11 ) and a continuing process in the life of the believer ( Galatians 5:242Corinthians 7:1 ) and is made possible by confessing to the living Christ (1 John 1:8-10 ).

We must hear the word of truth, confess our sins, and believe that Jesus is Lord ( Romans 10:9-17 ) for the Gospel is the Proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ.  The Good News is that sinners are saved by grace and that it is not dependent upon our working or earning it.

1 Corinthians 15:1-8 declares that the Gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  That is our hope and HE is what our faith is grounded upon.  Repent and believe and God will have His perfect work in your life.