This brief statement in Ephesians 2:8-9 is the message of the Gospel or the “Good News” in a nutshell! “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast”. Let’s examine this statement more closely.
If you been following along you have an idea of what faith and works are:
1. Faith is trusting in Jesus to keep His promises and living in a manner that is consistent with that trust or faith.
2. Works, in this verse, are those things that we do to try and earn or deserve God’s acceptance.
“For by Grace you have been saved”, now, what is this thing that we see in Ephesians called Grace? The Greek word for Grace is “Charis” and is most often defined as “unconditional gift”. We could spend a lifetime trying to figure out what this magnificent thing called God’s grace is. Grace is so awesome, unexpected and undeserved. God’s grace in the area of salvation is that if we put our faith in Jesus we are forgiven of all our sins and receive the guarantee that we will go to Heaven and spend eternity with Him. In other words, Heaven is actually a free gift to those whose faith is in Jesus! To truly understand God’s Grace, you must understand God’s love first.
In the New Testament, there are three important words that are translated from the Greek into the word “Love”.
- Storge: This is the type of love signifies the natural affection between family members.
- Phileo: This Greek word for love signifies, to be a friend to…fond of an individual or object; having affection for; a matter of sentiment or feeling.
- Agape: This Greek word for love appears most frequently in the New Testament. It is most often understood in the Bible as “unconditional love”, or a choice to love.
Agape love is a love that is the outcome of a moral principle, rather than a feeling of liking or affection. As a result, Agape love means to love the undeserving, despite disappointment and rejection. At no time, does it mean to love as a duty or a cold religious obligation.
Parents of children can appreciate this kind of Agape love. No matter what the children do, no matter how they may disappoint you or hurt you… you still love them and want the best for them. That is the kind of love God has for you. No matter what you have done, no matter what kind of person you have become… God sent Jesus just for you! Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.
God’s nature is Agape love, 1 John 4:8 tells us that, “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love”. This doesn’t mean that God is capable of love, it is more than that. He is the embodiment of Love! Everything He does is from the perspective and motivation of Agape love. God loves His creation even when the creation rejects Him. This kind of love is quite foreign to our life’s experience. Honestly, most of us have experienced a performance type of love. If we are “good” we experience love. If we are not “good: we are punished or rejected.
Ephesians 2 says, “It is the gift of God”, The word “gift” makes it undeserved and unearned. “Not of works” clearly means that it is not based on “how good you are”! For most of us, we are taught and go through life believing that if we are good we will be rewarded. While there is a practical and natural truth to this it does not apply to God’s view of us. John 3:16 clearly shows us what motivates God to give us wonderful gifts ”For God so loved or Agape the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”. You see, God gives out of love”.
So here are two things that are quite impossible to fully understand, God’s love and God’s grace. They are difficult to understand with our natural minds or intellect because they are spiritual principles. How then do we comprehend them, it must be by faith! When we accept by faith that God loves us, it then naturally follows that we can then accept that He wants to bless us.
Take these steps of faith today, see yourself, not as the world sees you, but see yourself as God sees you… you are loved by the Father, forgiven by Jesus, and accepted into the family of God by virtue of the Holy Spirit living in you.
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