Easy Grace?

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. Ephesians2:8,9NIV

...if you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. Romans10:9,10NIV

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. 1John1:8-10NIV

We know that grace is the free and unmerited gift from God which secures our salvation. We equally know that there is nothing we can do to earn that salvation. Our “good works are as filthy rags” it says in Isaiah 64:6. So, our salvation is both free and we can’t earn it. In fact we can’t even put a deposit on it to help out. Yet that same free gift to us, cost the Son of God dear. The cost was His life on the cross, but then we also know that He rose from the grave, defeating death forever, and for us His followers. What great Grace!

Ok, I hear you say, you are saying things we already know. True, but I fear we are falling into a trap which is so easy to do as regular church goers. I fear we may become guilty of accepting this amazing free gift of God’s grace, and then….that’s it. Nothing. No change. No difference in our life or lifestyle. We certainly don’t try to earn our salvation, but neither do we expect, or even allow, God to do a work of change in our lives. So we are effectively no different after salvation than we were before. Is that what our Saviour wants from us? Nothing? I think not.

Our verses talk about confessing our sins, and professing our salvation. You can’t confess or profess if you are still unchanged and holding on to the old ways. Our salvation is then on a ‘shoogly peg’ to use an old Scottish phrase. In fact, our salvation is really in doubt. Make certain you confess and profess, and only then is salvation sure and the heart pure. Any and all good works from this point on are given from a heart of love. Not trying to earn salvation, but because of the certainty of our salvation. Amen and Amen.