Ephesians 2:8-9
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 (NIV)
There are a lot of ways people think about and apply the words of this passage, but for me there is only one way. And it is really cut-and-dried. Let’s take a closer look.
We have been saved by grace, through faith. Grace is a gift from God. Plain and simple. We have done nothing to earn this gift except for believing in God and having faith. From God’s perspective, the concept of grace is quite basic. Grace is given, not earned. It is given freely to all who believe and not given based on how much we have done or on how much money or time we have contributed. Simply stated, it is not a result of our works.
For many of us, though, things stop right there. We believe and have faith in God. He saves us by grace. Works don’t count. There are no other requirements. Nothing else for us to do. There is no checklist. We are on the superhighway to Heaven and eternal life with God.
Plain and simple, right?
Not exactly.
We are missing what could be the most important part of the passage, which is actually stated in verse 10. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. We might ask why we were created to do good works if works don’t count. We might also infer that we are already checking all the boxes and don’t need to do more. We go to church and sit in the front row. We give. We participate in activities. Maybe teach Sunday School. Maybe serve in the community once a year. Maybe go on a mission trip. That should certainly put a big check in the “Good Works” box, right?
Again, not exactly.
By grace, through faith is not stand-alone. There is that pesky issue of expectations that we always seem to forget about. God has expectations of us. He expects us to follow His plan for serving Him and performing good works. He has given each of us unique talents that He expects us to utilize and apply in His service. Through the Holy Spirit, we receive guidance and direction in identifying opportunities to serve God. And Jesus taught us how to serve.
God’s gift of grace is a beautiful thing. All we need to do is believe and have faith. But as we do so, we can’t forget that God has expectations of us as well. Perform good works and serve God. That’s how you get on the superhighway. I hope to see you there!
Thanks be to God!
Questions for Reflection:
- How do you view God’s grace?
- Are you meeting God’s expectations?
- Think of examples of Good Works. How were you inspired or nudged to serve?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, please help us to look to you for the guidance, inspiration, love and hope that we seek. Help us as well to truly appreciate your gifts of love, grace and your Son Jesus. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
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