Monday, April 7th

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Joshua 5-6, Psalm 69, John 1

Today's scripture focus is Ephesians 2:8-10

Ephesians 2:8-10

English Standard Version (ESV)

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Accompanying David Legge sermon: Amazing Grace
Accompanying Mark Driscoll sermon: I am Saved
Accompanying John MacArthur sermon: Coming Alive in Christ

This was one of the 40 verses I had to memorize for my Teen Mission trip, and one of my favourites!

Our salvation is only possible because of God's grace towards us - giving us something we don't deserve.

Our salvation is only possible through faith in Christ Jesus.  It's not faith that saves you, it's faith in Jesus that saves you.  We live by faith every single day.  We pop open a can of Pepsi and drink it, having faith that it's actually Pepsi inside.  We sit on a plane having faith that the pilot in the cockpit is sober and skilled at flying planes.  Living by faith is basic to human nature.  And God uses that ability to live by faith to draw us to Him.  To believe Him.  To believe in Him.

Even that faith is a gift from God.  We don't muster up enough faith on our own, He stirs it up in us.  So that we can't boast.

Saving faith does not come from works - so that we can't boast.

He gets the glory - ALL the glory.  He has done it all.

The RESULT of saving faith is good works.  When God saves us He wants to see good works because it manifests His power for His glory.  He has the power to save, and He empowers us to do good works.

We are God's masterpiece - He is shaping and moulding us to become like Christ.  And like all masterpieces, we are a work in progress.  Positionally we are holy and perfect.  But in practice, we're still working on it.  Rather, God is working on it.

Genuine Christians produce good works.  We're not saved by works, we're saved to do good works.  The order makes all the difference.

But it's all God.

Even the good works we do as genuine Christians, we do because God prepared them in advance for us to do.

To Him alone be the glory.


Tomorrow's scripture focus: Ephesians 2:11-18

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Joshua 7-8, Psalm 70, John 2