Grace and salvation

Unmerited Grace: The Key to Salvation

Summary: We will focus on the concept of grace and its role in salvation. Grace is God's unmerited favor towards us, the key that unlocks the door to eternal life.

Application: I want to encourage Christians to rely on God's grace for our salvation, reminding us that it is not based on our own merits or good works. This message is meant to serve as a powerful message of hope for you who feel unworthy or inadequate, God's grace is more than sufficient to cover all your sins and mine.

Teaching: I want to emphasize that salvation is a free gift from God, given out of His great love and mercy. Faith is foundation in receiving this gift and living a life transformed by grace.

How this passage could point to Christ: The theme of grace and salvation points us to Jesus Christ, who is the embodiment of God's grace and the perfect sacrifice that makes salvation possible. Throughout the Bible, we see God's grace at work in the lives of His people, ultimately leading to the ultimate act of grace through Christ's death and resurrection.

Big Idea: Salvation is a gift of unmerited grace from God, demonstrating His love and mercy towards us. Our faith in Christ is the key that unlocks this gift, transforming our lives and giving us hope for eternity.

Recommended Study: To deepen your understanding of the concept of grace and salvation, consider studying key passages such as Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 3:23-24, and Titus 2:11-12 in depth using Logos resources. Explore the theological significance of grace in the New Testament and how it relates to the Old Testament teachings on redemption and atonement. Reflect on how the concept of grace can shape your own understanding of salvation and your relationship with God.

1. Gifted Not Earned

Ephesians 2:8–9

8. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

9. not of works, so that no one may boast.

Illustration:

Imagine being in a courtroom where you are found guilty of a crime and facing a hefty fine. Then, out of the blue, a stranger steps in and pays the fine on your behalf. You didn't deserve it, but it was an act of grace and mercy. In the same way, salvation is a gift paid for by Christ on our behalf, an act of grace and mercy we do not deserve.

Application:

Do you find yourself comparing your spiritual journey to others and feeling inadequate? Embrace the truth that salvation is a gift given freely to all who believe in Jesus. Let go of comparison and competition, and instead focus on growing in your relationship with Christ. Share the good news of God's gift of salvation with others, inviting them to experience the same grace and love that has transformed your life.

2. Universal Need, Divine Solution

Romans 3:23–24 (LSB)

23. for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

24. being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;

Parable of the Wedding Feast: Matt 22:1-14

Matthew 22:1–14 LSB

1 And Jesus answered and spoke to them again in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. 3 “And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been called to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. 4 “Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been called, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.”’ 5 “But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, 6 and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them. 7 “But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire. 8 “Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were called were not worthy. 9 ‘Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, call to the wedding feast.’ 10 “And those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests. 11 “But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, 12 and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. 13 “Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

3. Grace Teaches and Transforms

Sometimes you may struggle with feelings of guilt or unworthiness, despite receiving God's grace and salvation. When these feelings arise, remind yourself of the truth that God's grace is a gift freely given to you. Spend time in prayer, thanking God for His unending grace and reflecting on how His salvation has transformed your life.

Titus 2:11–12 LSB

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us that, denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age,

The transformative power of grace, which not only saves us but teaches us to live godly lives. discuss how living by grace involves a daily reliance on God and a rejection of worldly passions, thus highlighting the active aspect of God's grace in sanctification and its link to Christ's redeeming work.

Salvation is all God’s doing

Ro 5:6–8; Eph 1:7; 1 Ti 1:15–16

See also Ex 33:19; Tt 2:11; Ac 4:12; Re 7:10; 2 Th 2:16; Ac 20:24; 2 Co 6:2; Col 1:13–14; Ro 5:15–17; Heb 7:23–25

There is nothing human beings can do to save themselves

Titus 3:4–7 LSB

4 But when the kindness and affection of God our Savior appeared, 5 He saved us, not by works which we did in righteousness, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that having been justified by His grace, we would become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

See also Lk 18:9–14; Ro 11:5–6

Salvation is not by keeping God’s law

Galatians 5:4 LSB

4 You have been severed from Christ, you who are being justified by law; you have fallen from grace!

See also Ro 6:14; Ro 8:1–4; 1 Ti 1:9; Ga 2:21; Ro 5:20–21; Ga 3:17–18

Salvation must be accepted as a free gift by faith

Ephesians 2:4–9 LSB

4 But God, being rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not of works, so that no one may boast.

See also Heb 4:16; Ac 16:30–31; Ro 5:1–2; Ro 3:21–24; Ac 15:7–11; Ro 4:14–16