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Ephesians 2:8 |
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"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God--
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Ephesians 2:1 And you he made alive, when you were dead through the trespasses and sins
Ephesians 2:2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.
Ephesians 2:3 Among these we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of body and mind, and so we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
Ephesians 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us,
Ephesians 2:5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
Ephesians 2:6 and raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
Ephesians 2:7 that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God--
Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands--
Ephesians 2:12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ.
Ephesians 2:14 For he is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility,
Ephesians 2:15 by abolishing in his flesh the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,
Ephesians 2:16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby bringing the hostility to an end.
Ephesians 2:17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near;
Ephesians 2:18 for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
Ephesians 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
Ephesians 2:20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,
Ephesians 2:21 in whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord;
Ephesians 2:22 in whom you also are built into it for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
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Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God. |
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Only through Christ Jesus can wwe be saved not of works least any man should boast. Ephesians 2:9 Our good works will not get us into heaven. But by recieveing Jesus Christ into our heart and him alone can save us. |
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Gracias senor por ese regalo tan maravilloso !!! |
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Ephesians 2:9 goes on to say: "not because of works, lest any man should boast."
It is by God's grace (undeserved favor) that we are saved. I believe but for the grace of God, it could be me out there without hope, it could be me that is homeless, it could be me in Haiti, it could be me covered in rubble, it could be me robbed of my family, IT COULD BE ME.
I am thankful that there is a supreme Creator who has given me hope (a light in the darkness) and a purpose in my endeavors in this Life. I am thankful that he accepts me just as I am. I am thankful that the God above has given me an insight on tragedies outside of my own not-so-war-torn-world. I am also thankful for his opinion of me...an opinion that I pray will always carry far more weight than that of the opinions of others.
If there is such thing as a "conventional" Christian. I confess I am not one. In past years, I took a rocky path, made many unwise decisions, but thank you God for the things I've learned so far and thank you God for grace!
I ran across this other scripture today.....
2 Corinthians 5:17-19
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation."
How amazing is that? No matter what we've done in our lives...God is prepared to take us back. It is no accident that we are here. I believe we were known before conception by the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth and we were created for a purpose. No one on this Earth can determine my value but me...and no one can steal my purpose if I have faith. It was the God of Power, Goodness, Love, Hope, Peace, and Reconciliation who gave me grace and gave me that purpose. Thank you, God.
And thank you all for listening :)
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This is a verse that speaks volumes and something that many people forget. |
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dis s da promised of GOD dat if we believe in HIM and have faith in HIM we are saved by HIS GRACE and not by our own works,we should not be boast of whatever we do.how do we believe in HIM,if we do not know HIM?if we do not have a personal relationship on HIM?kelan nga b tayo huling umiyak sa LORD?Nasabi na b natin sa KANYA na 'LORD, I LOVE YOU!" or naipakita n b natin sa KANYA ang pagmamahal na KANYANG inaasam? o baka naman panay lang ang hingi natin sa KANYA ng ating mga pangangailangan,pero ni miinsan b nagbagay b tayo sa KANYA?no one knows wat will happen tomorrow,pano kung un na pala ang end natin?tlgang nasa huli ang pagsisisi,kaya ngayon p lang,kilalanin mo na SYA.magkaron ka na ng personal relationship sa KANYA.masarap ang feelings ng meron kang tinatawag na AMA,and let JESUS be KING of ur life.King as in HARI ng buhay mo,ung SYA ang masusunod sa buhay mo at hindi ang yung sarili.napakasarap mamuhay ng kasama SYA.And HE promised an eternal life for us..AMEN... |
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but God is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, |
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"What are the essentials of the Christian faith?"
Answer: The Bible itself reveals what is important and essential to the Christian faith. These essentials are: the deity of Christ, salvation by God’s grace and not by works, salvation through Jesus Christ alone, the resurrection of Christ, the Gospel, monotheism and the holy Trinity. These are the main “essentials” that we should understand and believe if we are followers of Jesus Christ. Let’s look at all of these in a little more detail.
The deity of Christ. Quite simply, Jesus is God. While Jesus never directly says, “I am God” in the Scriptures He makes it very clear to those around Him, especially the Pharisees and Sadducees, that He is God. John 10:30 says “I and the Father are one.” Jesus was claiming “deity” and, interestingly enough, He did not deny that He was God. Another example we find is located in John 20:28 when Thomas says, “My Lord and my God!” Again, Jesus does not correct Him by saying that He is not God. There are many other examples one can find in the Scriptures regarding Jesus’ rightful place in heaven.
Salvation by grace. We are all sinners separated from God and deserving of eternal punishment for our sin. Jesus’ death on the cross paid for the sins of mankind, giving us access to heaven and an eternal relationship with God. God did not have to do this for us, but he loves us so much that He sacrificed His only son. This is grace and it is most definitely undeserved favor. Scripture tells us, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). There is nothing we can do to earn God’s favor or gain access to heaven apart from His grace.
Salvation through Jesus Christ alone. A truly provocative question to ask someone might be “Do all roads lead to God?” The truth is that all roads do lead to God. Eventually, we are all going to stand before God when we die no matter what faith we are. It is there that we will be judged for what we have or have not done while we were alive and whether Jesus Christ is Lord of our lives. For the majority of people this will be a terrible occasion as most will not know Him or be known by Him. For these people, hell will be the final destination. But God in His mercy has provided all of us the only means for salvation through His son, Jesus Christ. Acts 4:12 tells us that “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” This passage speaks of the name of Jesus and His saving power. Another example is found in the book of John. Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). No one gets into heaven except by faith in the saving work of the Lord Jesus Christ on their behalf.
The Resurrection of Christ. Perhaps no other event in the Bible, aside from Jesus’ appearance here on earth and subsequent death on the cross, is as significant to the Christian faith as that of the resurrection. Why is this event significant? The answer lies in the fact that Jesus died and then after three days came back to life and rose again to reappear to His followers in bodily form. Jesus had already demonstrated His ability to resurrect others such as His friend, Lazarus. But now God the Father had resurrected Him to display His awesome power and glory. This amazing fact is what separates the Christian faith from all others. All other religions are based on works or a powerless deity or person. The leaders of all other religions die and remain dead. The Christian faith is based on Christ crucified and resurrected to life. “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14). Lastly, to deny Christ’s bodily resurrection (John 2:19-21) is to deny that Jesus’ work here on earth was a satisfactory offering to God for the sins of mankind.
The gospel. In 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Paul spells out what the gospel is and how important it is to embrace it and share it with others. He reminds the Corinthians of the gospel he preached among them: “that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” This is the essence of the gospel. Paul also warns us to be wary of the many “false gospels” that are being offered to the unsuspecting: “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8-9). The pure gospel of Jesus Christ—His death on the cross for sinners and His resurrection to everlasting life—is central to the Christian faith.
Monotheism. Quite simply, there is only one God. Exodus 20:3 states very powerfully, “You shall have no other gods before me.” Monotheism is the belief that there is only one God to be worshipped and served. “‘You are my witnesses,’ declares the LORD, ‘and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me’” (Isaiah 43:10). Here we see that we are to “believe” and “understand” that God lives and is one. A Christian will know that there is only one God and His name is Yahweh. All other ‘gods’ are false and are no gods at all. “For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live” (1 Corinthians 8:5-6).
The Holy Trinity. While the concept of a “three-in-one God” is not represented by a single verse or passage, it is described frequently throughout Scripture. If we look at Matthew 28:19 we see the verse calling out the trinity: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” While this verse mentions all three Persons of the triune God, it does not call them the Trinity. So to understand the doctrine of the Holy Trinity we must look at the “totality” of Scripture and glean from it the very definition of it. In 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, we see how this comes together “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.” Again, we see all three being represented but not titled the Holy Trinity.
Finally, the essentials of Christianity would not be complete without the ingredient that binds everything together—faith. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). As Christians we live by this verse with the understanding that we believe in a God we cannot see. But we see His work in our lives and all around us in His creation. We do all of this through faith because we know that faith pleases God. “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
Recommended Resource: The Moody Handbook of Theology by Paul Enns. |
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Love that Stood and Bend, never Cease, ever Present ; HIS MARVELOUS GRACE |
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I absolutely love this verse! Have a Blessed Day everyone! |
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If not for GRACE what would we do... Thank you Lord for your Grace.... |
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This is one of my favorite verses. Verse 9 goes on to say "not of works, lest any man should boast" |
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This is a great reminder to me each day... |
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Ephesians 2:9 not because of works, lest any man should boast. |
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John 3:16. This is blessing enough for me! |
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There's never a time when I spend time with God in prayer , that I don't thank Him for His gift of salvation . I am so glad He chose to save me , because I would never make it to Heaven without Him . Truly , He is a God of love , mercy , and grace . |
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