Saved by Grace

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. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

This verse literally implies that we are messed up. The only way we can get fixed up is when we have an encounter with Christ. In Ephesians Chapter Two, Paul lists multiple things. He describes what it means to be saved, what it means to be lost, what it means to be a child of God, and what it means not to be a child of God.

Do you realize that you haven't always been a Christian? If you think you have always been a Christian, then undoubtedly, you are not a Christian. You must have a conversion experience. Do you know why? Because we are all sinners! The Bible says in Romans, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

Let me ask you a question. If you took your good works and your bad works and weighed them, which one would tilt the scale? Yes, your bad works would undoubtedly outweigh your good works because that is our sinful nature. We are born with our backs toward God, and we run from Him. We want our way, not His way. Therefore, we must turn from our sin, repent, and place our full faith and trust in Jesus.  

The truth is, we are all sinners in desperate need of God's forgiveness. The only way that we can experience His forgiveness is to have an encounter with His grace. Have you had this kind of encounter? Has there been a specific moment in your life when you acknowledged you were a sinner, asked for God’s forgiveness, and accepted His free gift of grace and salvation? If not, I pray that today would be the day you make that decision. When you do, your life will never be the same!