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. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV)
Have you ever felt exhausted from trying to do “the right things” that would please God, and hopefully earn His favor?
Living like that was the story of my life for a long time. I was weighed down with the belief that I had to do everything exactly right. A part of me knew that I was Saved, but the realization of my weakness, imperfection, and guilt consumed me. There was a little voice inside my head that kept telling me that if I didn’t live up to God’s expectations, then I was at risk of losing my Salvation. This was an area where I needed God’s healing.
I had read the Law, also known as the Torah or the Pentateuch. That is the first five books of the Old Testament; Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. These books contain the laws and instructions that were passed on from God to the Israelites through Moses. In my heart, I knew that living up to these standards was going to be difficult – impossible actually.
Thankfully, God brought healing to me through His Word. It started with today’s Scripture from Ephesians. Yes, good works are important so that we can show Jesus and His love to this world, but my Salvation is not dependent on them. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus won victory over sin and death for all of humanity. He has forgiven me, and through His shed blood, He paid the price for my sins. He is the One who freely gives me eternal life.
Romans 6:23 (NIV) says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:14 (NIV) says, “For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.”
In time, I came to understand that I didn’t need to earn my Salvation, but that it is a gift that God freely gives to me through His Son, Jesus. Then, I wondered about the importance of the Law or “rules” given to us in those first five books of the Old Testament. I wondered…“Are they really important?” “What purpose do they really serve?”
Then, I came to understand the answer to my questions through Romans 7:7 (NIV). That Scripture says, “What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”
Our Salvation doesn’t come through observing the instructions given in theLaw, but it is useful in teaching us how to honor God in our behaviour. Following those instructions in our daily lives will help point others to Christ as we model lives surrendered to Him.
Jesus Christ was the One and only sacrifice that was needed for our eternal freedom. Through Him, we can live in peace as those who have been Saved, and set free by His grace alone.
My prayer is, “Thank You, Father, for giving me the gift of eternal life through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Please help me to understand that I could never earn my Salvation, but that I don’t need to – as it is a gift that you freely give to me. Please forgive me for my sins, come into my life and make me a new creation, as only You can. In Jesus’ Name, AMEN.”
