THE GRACE OF GOD
When we were dead in sins, [God) hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved). Ephesians 2:5
If you you are saved, how were your saved? Why were your saved? Was it I because you were more spiritually sensitive, morally disciplined, or personally worthy than your unsaved neighbour?
Paul reminds us here that it was God who gave life to (quickened) us, when we were still spiritually dead in our sins. It was not we who loved God, but God who first loved us. It was not we who reached out for God, but God who reached out for us. It was not we who took hold of God, but God who took hold of us.
But why did He do it? What was His motivation for saving us when we were still enemies of Him and of His Son? Paul also gives us that answer: by grace you are saved.
Not by works, not by wisdom, not by worth — by grace you are saved. The very use of the word “grace" tells us that the motivation for salvation was not in us, but in God Himself. Grace is “unmerited favour”.
Not only did we not deserve salvation, we did deserve hell because of our sins. But God dealt graciously with us, reached out to us, gave life to our dead souls, and saved us from the powerful prison of sin. The question, then, for us is not “What can I do to deserve salvation?” but rather “What response does this free and gracious salvation deserve?"
Prayer: Thank you Father for your grace and mercy that has brought me such great blessings.
Scriptural Reading: Ephesians 2:1-10
