https://odb.org/2024/07/22/instruments-for-good
Ephesians 2:4, 5, 8 to 10:
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
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.
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
The above teaching by Paul in Ephesians 2 encapsulates a very basic foundation of our faith, and that is, our salvation is by the love and grace of God. We are saved through our faith in Jesus Christ, who died for our sins. We are not saved by our works, so no man may boast of his achievements that qualified him to be saved. We are, after all, sinners at core and require the redemption by the Lamb of God to be unblemished before God.
However, having been saved by grace and justified by our faith in Christ, we are then to do good works, which God had prepared in advance for us. Thus, our salvation is not just for us to have a place in heaven and life eternal but also for God to use us for His plans and purposes while on earth. Salvation is not just about the afterlife, but it is very much about the present, too. In fact, what we do now on earth has a bearing of where we will eventually be in the new heaven and new earth. It is inconceivable that after having been saved, we instead do evil works, causing destruction or loss of life. That is why it is impossible for any man to gain salvation by killing others as salvation is never by our works, and any scheme motivated by evil intention is doomed to eternal damnation.
The message this morning is simple. Do not take our salvation for granted. James taught before that faith without works is dead. Our faith and salvation must be supported by our service to God and humanity. Do a good deed every day. Serve and love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. Never cease to persevere on in our walk of faith.
Have a good week ahead, everyone! Let’s do good works for our Lord, Jesus Christ who, by the grace and love of God, died for our sins and through His sacrifice on the cross justified us our salvation before God!
Ronnie's Thoughts 