Salvation by Grace

Q: What does the Bible say about salvation by grace?

The Bible teaches that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not by our own works. The Bible clearly declares salvation as a gift from God, bestowed upon believers not due to any merit they possess, but solely through His grace. In Ephesians 2:8-9, it states, 'For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.' This emphasizes that we cannot earn our salvation; it is entirely a result of God's mercy and kindness through Christ. Thus, salvation is rooted in God's free grace, which transforms us from spiritual death to eternal life.

Q: How do we know that we are dead in sin by nature?

The Bible describes humanity as 'dead in trespasses and sins' (Ephesians 2:1), emphasizing our spiritual condition without God's intervention. Our natural state, according to Scripture, is one of spiritual death. Ephesians 2:1 describes us as being 'dead in trespasses and sins,' indicating that apart from God's grace, we are utterly incapable of saving ourselves. This death is rooted in original sin from Adam's transgression, as explained in Romans 5:12. The consequences of sin separate us from God, highlighting our total depravity and the necessity for divine intervention. Thus, Scripture illustrates that we are helpless and without hope unless acted upon by the grace of God.

Q: Why is grace important for Christians?

Grace is essential for Christians as it is the foundation of our salvation, teaching us to rely fully on God's mercy. Grace is fundamental to the Christian faith because it is through grace that we are saved from the penalty of sin. Ephesians 2:8 states that salvation is not of ourselves but is a gift from God. This grace reveals God's abundant mercy and love for sinners, emphasizing that salvation is unearned and purely based on God's initiative. Furthermore, grace motivates and empowers believers to live in a way that reflects God's character, fostering good works as a response to His love. Thus, grace shapes both our justification and sanctification, leading us to glorify God in all aspects of life.

Q: How does God quicken us in Christ?

God quickens us by uniting us with Christ, giving us spiritual life through His grace. The act of being 'quickened' refers to being made alive spiritually, and this is accomplished through our union with Christ. Ephesians 2:5 states, 'Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ.' This signifies that through Christ's redemptive work, we receive new life, transforming our nature and desires. Believers are regenerated by the Holy Spirit, who indwells them, signifying a complete overhaul of their spiritual condition. Regeneration reflects God's sovereign grace, initiating the process of sanctification and ensuring future glorification. Thus, being quickened in Christ is integral to the Christian experience, illustrating our new identity.

The title of the message this morning is Salvation, Salvation by Grace. Salvation by Grace. And in this passage, we read of maybe one of our favorite subjects in the Word of God. God's grace. God's grace in the salvation of sinners by his son. And there's just three points here in this passage of Scripture. I'm sure there's many more than that, but let's, for sake of time, let's look at three.

And the first one is this, what we were by nature. What we were by nature. Second, what God has done for us in Christ. what God has done for his people in Christ. And then third, our present and future blessings and glory. So let's look at this together. Ephesians two, verse one, and you, and you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sin. Here we see what we were by nature.

By nature, we're dead. We're helpless. We have no ability to do anything for ourselves. We can't take a breath. We can't take a step. We can't do anything. You see that? Dead. By nature, we are dead in sin. And if you look at verse 12, it says, at that time, at that time, you were without Christ. Verse, I'm sorry, without Christ. Being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenant of promise, having no hope and without God in this world.

Dead. But that doesn't take a lot of explanation, does it? We understand what that word means. And that's how we're described in scripture. Dead in trespasses and sins. Without God. Without Christ. Without the Spirit. Dead. Dead through original sin. Adam's transgression. dead through our own transgression.

In the book of Jeremiah, Jeremiah 13, 23, it says this, your iniquities, they have separated you. Your iniquities have separated between you and your God and your sins have hid his face from you. God's word declares that, listen, The carnal mind. What is the carnal mind? It is enmity with God.

In this death, this enmity, you can trace it. Where did it start? It goes all the way back to the garden. All the way back. When Adam sinned in the garden, when Adam fell, we all fell in him. By one man. Who is that Adam? By one man, sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so that death passed upon all men. For all, who? All. No one's excluded there, is he? All have sinned.

Verse two of Ephesians two. Wherein in time past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. This sin and evil, it is the path that every one of us take. It's the path that every unbeliever walks in. It's that way which we read, there's a way that seems right to man. Everything about it, it seems right to man. But the end thereof are the ways of death. Our walk, it's a description of our tenor of life.

Back in the Old Testament, we read that Samuel, when he was old, he made his sons judges over Israel. Two sons. And this is how they were described. They didn't walk in his ways, but they turned aside to lucre and to bribes and they perverted judgment.

Scripture says here, in times past, in times past. You walked according to the course of this world. That was your walk. The course of this world. Sin was our daily employment. It was our daily enjoyment. It was our occupation. And then there's two things here we read.

According to the course and custom of this world, The manner of, listen, our manners, our way of life, it was the way of fallen flesh. And that's what determined our thoughts, our values, our conversation. Lord said this, he said, my thoughts, they're not your thoughts. Neither are my ways your ways.

We walked as unbelievers walk. We walked as carnal men walk. Not as spiritual, but carnal. That's what Paul wrote in Corinthians. He said, You are yet carnal, whereas there is among you envying. What is that way? That carnal. It's envying. It's strife. It's division. And he asked this question, Are you yet not carnal? That's the course. That's the custom of this world. And Paul also writes here, he said, you walked according to the prince of the power of the air.

Satan, the devil. Our Lord spoke to that religious crowd in John 8, 44, and he said this, he said, you, you're of your father, the devil. And the lust of your father, that is what you do. He was a murderer from the beginning. He abode not in the truth. For this reason, there is no truth in him. And when he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own, because he's the father of it. You walked, how? How did you walk? The course of the prince of the power of the air. Well, verse three, among whom also we all had We're not singling anybody out here, are we?

You all had your conversation in time past, in the lust of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. Our condition, our conduct, our state, that way in which we live, what was it? the lust of the flesh. What's that? That's this body, that's the desires of this flesh, it's fleshly appetite, it's corrupt desire, the lust of the flesh. And then he says here, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind.

The will and thoughts of our evil. Listen, not only is this flesh, corrupt, what you see, but everything about us, our affections, our understanding, our will, every last drop of us, from the sole of the foot to the top of the head. We sin because we will to sin, we desire to sin. We sin because of what we are, sinners. We walked in darkness. Why is that? Because we love darkness. By nature, we love darkness rather than light.

Turn to John chapter 5. Our Lord said this, He said, He said, this is condemnation. This is condemnation. Light has come into the world, and you loved darkness rather than light, because your deeds are evil. Go back to Ephesians 2, verse 3. What's the reason for all this? We were, by nature, the children of wrath. There's the root of it. There's the cause of it. The cause of our sin, our slavery from birth, from conception. We come forth from the womb, speaking lies.

I think about that often. There's lots of things we teach our children or we try to teach our children, but we don't have to teach them how to lie, do we? Anybody ever sit their little one down and say, this is how you lie? We don't have to, do we? They already know from birth, from the cradle. children of wrath, God's wrath. I'm glad this scripture doesn't stop here with just a description of what we were by nature. Look beginning with verse four. Here's the second point. I love this. What God has done for us in Christ, Look at verse four and five.

But God, but God who is rich in mercy for his great love, wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins and hath quickened us together by Christ, has quickened us together with Christ, by grace are ye saved. but God, who is rich in mercy. In Christ, God is a merciful God. Outside of Christ, he is a consuming fire. But in Christ, he's merciful. We read this, that his mercy it endureth forever. He's merciful, he's righteous, he's just. God's mercy is, listen, it's plenteous, it's free, it's infinite in Christ. His love and mercy to his chosen people in Christ is from everlasting, everlasting. not because of any merit that he saw in his people, but because of his mercy, his purpose and grace given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. Even when we were dead in trespasses and sin. Nothing desirable to be seen in the sinner. We're dead in trespasses and sin. You see that? And yet He quickened us. He gave us life. He gave us union. He gave us fellowship in His Son. When our Lord lived on this earth, we lived in him.

When he died, when the Lord Jesus Christ died, his people died in him. And when he arose and he ascended, we arose and we are seated with him. seated with him in the heavenlies. We're quickened with Christ in regeneration, the new birth. Listen, a sinner is dead spiritually, but is made alive in Christ. A new nature, a new heart, a new desire, a new nature. because Christ dwells in us and we dwell in him.

He's our life, he's the author of it. He's the cause of it, he's the source of life. Listen, scripture says this, that he is our life. In Colossians 3 it said, when Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. We have life. The believer has life.

How? By his grace. We just read that. For by grace are ye saved. It's the gift of his grace. All that we have is what he has done for us in his son. that He's done for us in Christ. He's quickened us. Quickened us. Gave us life. He saved us by His grace.

And then last, we see our present and future blessings in glory. Read on in Ephesians two with me. Look at verse six and seven. It says he hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

Something that just kind of jumped off the pages here is that these three words, he made us. He made us. So many times we read that in scripture. Back in Psalm 23, it said this, that he makes us lie down in green pastures. The Word of God declares this, that He made us righteous. He made us something that we could never be. He made us righteous. Scripture declares that He makes His people willing in the day of His power. David wrote in Psalm 100, he said, now ye know ye. Know ye that the Lord, he is God. It is he that hath made us.

He made us, not we ourselves. We're his people. We're the sheep of his pasture. You know, when we're made to do something, it's just kind of built in there. When we're made to do something, it's against our will. If we were willing, we would just do it on our own, right? He made us. Our Heavenly Father made us. And here we read, He made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. There's nothing there we would have done on our own, is there?

When our boys were young, there were a few times that they had disagreements. And it was a few. It was a few. But when that happened, we would make them sit down together in the same chair. They would sit there until they got over whatever it was that had created conflict between the two of them. I remember Abby would always say, she would always look at them and she'd say, you boys are brothers. You love each other.

There's no getting around that. You know, I'm confident they would have never went over and sat down in that chair on their own. They had to be made to do that, didn't they? What's our Lord done for us? We just read it to you. He made us sit together in heavenly places. Where He is. And by that, we're to love one another.

That doesn't come natural, does it? Scripture says this, that, listen, by this, by this one thing shall all men know that you're my disciples. What is that? What is that one thing? I tell you, it's not what we wear. It's not some special language that we talk to each other. It's not where we go and hang out together. How is it? How is it that men will know where he is? Our Lord said this, by this, By this shall all men know that you're my disciples if you have love one to another.

The love of God shed abroad in our hearts. Our present and future blessings in glory. He hath made us sit together in, listen, in this world, We have fellowship one with another. But not just in this world, in the world to come. Being spiritually resurrected from the dead, our sin separated us from God. And yet, we have spiritual life in Him. We have a living union with God in Christ.

The Lord Jesus Christ, our representative, our federal head, our great high priest, who is already, he has already entered in to the presence of heaven. And in him, we're loved, we're forgiven, we're made accepted, were made one with God in Him. Throughout all eternity, trophies, trophies of His amazing grace. Every one of His elect will forever praise the Lord for His mercy and kindness towards us through his son.

He found us. Where did he find us? Dead. Dead in trespasses and sin. Isn't that just a glorious, glorious thought? Remember when that man found that fella that had been robbed and left? How was he? Left for dead. He picked him up and he put him on his horse and he took him back and he cared for him. Every need, every need provided. He found us dead in trespasses and sin. And now we read, he hath made us sit together in heavenly places. Look at verse eight and nine quickly.

For by grace are you saved through faith. I get any credit for that? And that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Redeemed from death, redeemed from sin, to life and glory by the free grace of God, electing grace, redeeming grace, calling grace, Repentance, faith, sanctification, eternal glory, all of these, ours, by the free grace of our Lord.

For by grace are you saved through faith. Faith in Christ. Listen, that's the way, the means, the instruments by which we receive and enjoy salvation. Saving faith, and listen, men like to take credit for faith. We like to take credit for anything we can take credit for, don't we? Saving faith is not the product of man. We just read it. What is it? It is the gift, it's the gift of God. And we receive salvation by faith and God gets all the glory. Any work of righteousness done by us, listen, it is by the grace of God, not of works lest any man should boast. Spurgeon wrote this. He said, our business, brethren, is to hold up, it's to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ.

To what end did he die? If men could be saved by their own works, now listen, if men could be saved by their own works, why would the Lord Jesus Christ have hung on the cross? If our merit, if anything in us could open the way of salvation, why would God ordain such a death for his son? If we could be saved by our own merit, then why did he have to sweat great drops of blood? Why did his hands and feet have to be nailed to that cross? Why did he have to cry, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why all those things if we could be saved by ourselves. It's not so, is it? We cannot be saved by ourselves. We cannot be saved by our own effort. We come to Him. We rest in Him. We're shut up to this one thing.

Salvation is of the Lord. Saved by faith in him whom God has set forth to be a propitiation, a sin offering for our sin. Well, quickly look at verse 10, Ephesians 2, verse 10. We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Heard men say this, they said, if I believe like that, I could do anything I wanted to do. As if the grace of God would allow men to live sinfully and recklessly. We are his, listen to that, we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works. Darkness doesn't produce light. Filth doesn't produce purity. Hell doesn't bring forth heaven. Depravity does not produce grace.

If we're believers. If we are saved, if we are Christians, what are we? God's workmanship. His workmanship created in Christ Jesus. That word workmanship, some of the old writers translated this, a masterpiece, a masterpiece. God's elect are his masterpieces, his best work, his highest work, his signature work, the work in which he glorifies himself. Our new life is the creation of God in Christ Jesus. Do you ever just sit and admire the beauty of creation? Just to look up at a blue sky? Any portion of God's creation. It's beautiful, isn't it? It's perfect.

Do you realize he created all that out of Nothing. And just as he created the heavens and the earth out of nothing, he created us. He created his people out of nothing. Nothing in my hands I bring. Listen, we were without form and void. But God moved. The Spirit of God moved on us. Like those old dry dead bones we read back there in the Old Testament. They just lay there dead and dry until the Spirit of God breathes into them. Life. God moved upon us. We were darkness. God gave us light. We were dead, but God gave life.

A thing that has been made. Made. That which he hath made. We looked at that earlier, didn't we? He made us. It is he that made us and not we ourselves. We're his people, the sheep of his pasture. And he makes us lie down. We wouldn't do that otherwise, would we? Made us righteous, made us willing, when? In the day of his power. His workmanship, he's the potter. We're the clay. Potter makes two things that I read of. A vessel of honor, the other a vessel of dishonor.

His workmanship created in Christ Jesus in two good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. What we were by nature, what were we? Dead, dead in trespasses and sin. What God has done for us in Christ, What did he do? He quickened us, gave us life. Third, our present and future blessings and glory. What do we read here? His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, are two good works. All right. I pray the Lord would bless his word. Ready to come lead us in a closing hymn?

Salvation by Grace

What does the Bible say about salvation by grace?

How do we know that we are dead in sin by nature?

Why is grace important for Christians?

How does God quicken us in Christ?

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Salvation by Grace

What does the Bible say about salvation by grace?

How do we know that we are dead in sin by nature?

Why is grace important for Christians?

How does God quicken us in Christ?

Sermon Transcript

Comments

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