John 6:63
It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
2 Timothy 3:16
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
Ephesians 2:8-9
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
The Bible is the Word of God and is very clear on God’s perfect plan for the eternal salvation of every individual who will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. It is so simple, that some people miss it entirely! In the previous Scripture, we see that God gives us His description of salvation and how you and I can be a partaker of His divine gift.
By Grace
We are all, by our nature, sinners. There is absolutely nothing any of us can do that would be good enough to impress a perfect God, much less to earn a place with Him in Heaven. So, what God did for us is He made salvation His gift to us. That’s right! God, who we have offended with our sins, is willing to forgive sinners and give them the gift of salvation. Nobody made Him do that for us…that’s why it is called grace.
Through Faith
Believing what God has offered is indeed incredible! Why would He do that for us? How could He love us that much? Why would He allow His own Son, Jesus, to die in our place so that we could be forgiven and receive the gift of Eternal life?
However, that is what the Bible says that God did for each and every one of us. Now all we have to do is to turn to God in Faith, believing that His Son, Jesus, is indeed the sufficient payment for our sins. We can receive Him into our life and be granted forgiveness and eternal salvation. It sounds unbelievable, but by faith, it is believable!
Not of yourselves
While we may feel the obligation to try to do better or do enough good to outweigh all our sins, God is not interested. Nope, He is not one bit interested in you trying to fix what sin has broken. There is no way in any lifetime that you or I could ever undo the tangled-up mess of sin that has afflicted and affected us all. We must be saved by the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone can save us and change our lives forever.
It is the Gift of God
Again, God wants us to be sure to know that He is offering us the greatest gift of all time … salvation! The Bible makes it very clear that God extended this gift in our direction through the offering of His Son, Jesus, on the cross of Calvary. His death, burial and resurrection satisfied the sin-debt we all owed, and God now reaches out to every one of us with the free gift of salvation.
Not of works
One more time … you can’t do or be good enough to earn God’s love and favor. God already loves you and wants to change your life. He is not going to let you stay in your sins and transgressions. Instead, He promises to change you from the inside out. Your life will be changed by the power of our Risen Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. Your life can go on to live for Him and help turn others to Christ for their chance to be saved.
