(kriss;2872)
No, grace alone does not save. Man seems determined to attach "alone" to grace, belief, and baptism. Man has participation in his salvation - from the beginning (accepting grace) to the end (continuing in grace, Acts 13: 43). Grace reigns through righteousness, man's humble obedience (Rom. 5:21).
Greetings,Let's dig for the hidden treasure (Matt. 13:44); perhaps the Good News is better than we think. To rightly discern the verses you quote dear believer, the context becomes clearer with the preceeding ones. Firstly, "For by grace you have been saved through faith" (Eph. 2:8). The verse does not say, "have been saved 'because' of your faith." Many make the mistake of thinking that repentance and faith is of such value as to atone for sin, but that can't be. Grace must be imparted, the atoning sacrifice must avail for man, before he can repent. "But with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption" (Heb. 9:12).While Jesus was walking the earth, He said, "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, ... For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost" (Matt. 18:10,11). During His ministry on earth, He also said, "And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world" (Jn 12:47). And at the cross he exclaimed, "It is finished" (Jn 19:30). Christ Jesus is already the "Savior of all men, especially of those who believe" (1 Tim. 4:10). And has tasted "death for everyone" (Heb. 2:9). Going back to Ephesians 2, examining the contextual layout. "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:4-6). There is no mention of the believers confession, repentance or faith. It is an act of God, apart from our own personal experience. The verses are referring to the "death and resurrection" of Christ." How do we know this? Because Paul took a great amount of his writings straight out of the Old Testament. In this case, from the book of Hosea. Hosea 6:1,2--"For He has torn, but He will heal us: He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us [make us alive]; On the third day He will raise us up [He will revive us], That we may live in His sight" Where were you when Christ died on the cross? In Christ! All humanity, past, present, and future were crucified "in Him." Objectively, we "sit together in the heavenly places 'in Christ Jesus.'" "And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist" (Col. 1:17). Hence, Jesus Christ first saves us, then calls us! How do we know this? According to the gospel, the power of God, "has saved us, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began" (2 Tim. 8,9). I'm not talking of Universalism; nor of Calvinism. Sadly, many will refuse the salvation already obtained for all. If any are to be saved at last, it will be because of God's intiatiative. And, if any will be lost at last, it will be because of man's initiative. It is easy to be saved and hard to be lost, IF, one comprehends the love of God's wonderful gospel. (See Eph. 3:14-20). No one will see Jesus for the first time and say, "I did my part" "I did my part." The gospel is God laying the glory of man in the dust. Oh, the poor suffering sinnner, who all their lifetime trying so desperately to live up to God's calling by trying "first" to do something. He already has done something for us! Will we believe? Many think this belief in an already established salvation will encourage people to go on sinning ad infinitum. However, there is one sin that cannot be forgiven, the deliberate, persistant resistance against the Holy Spirit (unbelief). When the Bible states: "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to ALL men, it goes on to say, "instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age" (Titus 2:11, 12). The covenant of grace has God more actively involved in our salvation, initiating the entire process, "from first to last this has been been the work of God," (2 Cor. 5:18, NEB). Legalists are fearful of lowering obedience, unmindful that only "love is the fulfilling of the law," and that all egocentric motivation produces either lukewarmness or eventual falling-away (Rom. 13:10; only "agape never fails," 1 Cor. 13:8). No can save "themselves" in any measure. If we could only get a grasp of our total depravity. "There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God" (Rom. 3:11). It is true, when we believe, we experience salvation, but even the faith in which we accept is the "faith OF Jesus" (Rev.14:12). Blessings in Christ,John S.
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