Article by: Kenneth J. Ester
Saved By Grace, Through Faith
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB)
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Let's really break down what this verse says...
1) We are saved by grace.
2) We are saved through faith.
3) Salvation is not because of anything we do, but it is a gift of God.
4) Salvation is not a result of works, so nobody will boast.
For by grace you have been saved
We are saved by grace. What is the definition of grace? It is goodwill. Kindness. So we are saved by the goodwill and kindness of God. This is not the cause of our salvation but it is the reason for it. Why we are saved. Because God is kind.
through faith;
We are saved through faith. This is the cause. This is the action of how we are saved. Through faith. Believing!
and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
It is not because of anything we intentionally do ourselves. It is a gift from God. If we had to do anything for it, it would no longer be a gift, but it would be a reward. But it doesn't say it is a reward. It says it is a gift. So it must be freely given.
not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Salvation is not a result of works, so we cannot boast. A work is basically anything that is intentionally done. Salvation cannot be a result of anything we intentionally do because it would no longer be a gift. It would be a reward. If we were saved by anything we intentionally do, we would then be able to boast that we saved ourselves. That Jesus dying on the cross was not enough and we had to finish the job by saving ourselves. But since it is not a result of works, and it is a gift, we have no way of boasting that we saved ourselves. Our salvation is truly a gift from God.
The biggest reason people believe that we are saved by works, is because they are taught that the sins we commit will send us to hell. If sin sends us to hell, then by default, our good works must save us right? It seems logical until you realize it is not correct.
Did you know there is not a single verse in the Bible that says the sins a believer commits will send them to hell? Not one! In fact it actually says just the opposite...
John 3:18 (KJV)
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
This scripture is clearly saying that if you believe in the name of the only Son of God, you will not even be judged. If you do not believe, you are already judged. Not because you sinned, but because you did not believe! Basically it is saying that if you believe in Jesus, you will be saved. If you don't, you will not be saved. There is no mention of works! How negligent would Jesus be to tell us the rules of salvation and completely fail to mention works if they are necessary for salvation?
There are actually 19 primary scriptures that clearly tell us it is speaking of salvation and tells us how we are saved. In all 18 verses the Word of God mentions believing in Jesus. Not one of those does it mention works of any kind. Not once does it say "if you refrain from sin". "Wow!" How negligent would the Lord have to be to talk about salvation so often and always fail to mention a key component of salvation? Unless those actually are not key components!
There is not one scripture that plainly says that someone who sins will go to hell. Not one that says we are saved by works. There are very few that are interpreted to say as much but they never clearly say it. So what is the right thing to do? Believe a couple of verses that are merely interpreted to mean we are saved by works, or that sin sends us to hell, while completely ignoring the many scriptures that say we are saved by believing and never mention anything else, or believe what the Word of God says clearly? The Bible is clear that we are saved by believing in Jesus. To add anything extra to it that the Bible never actually does, would be wrong!
You can read all 19 verses here.... Primary Salvation Scriptures.
Every one of these scriptures are primary scriptures. A primary scripture is what I refer to a scripture that is written so plainly that there is only one logical interpretation. It can only mean what it plainly says. In all 19 of these, they say we are saved by believing. Not one of them mentions any other means by which we are saved. And there are no primary verses stating we are saved by works or by refraining from sin.
Ask yourself these questions....
1) If we must refrain from sin or do good works to be saved, does that mean Jesus' sacrifice was not enough to do that job? That we need to finish it?
2) If we are saved by works, how many works save us? Why doesn't the Bible clarify that?
3) If we are saved by refraining from sin, how much sin is too much? Just one sin? So a good pastor who gives his entire life over to God can commit one minor sin and have a stroke before asking God to forgive him and he will go to hell? Meanwhile a mass murderer and child rapist who does nothing but evil his entire life can turn to Christ and then have a heart attack and go to heaven? Does that seem fair?
4) If Jesus died so we can be forgiven for sins but we must ask forgiveness of them, then why did God forgive sins in the old testament? What then was the reason for Jesus to sacrifice Himself in such a horrible way? Just so we can receive forgiveness without killing animals?
You see, most Christians don't realize that God forgave sins in the Old Testament, but all you need to do is search "Atonement" in your Bible app. You will find many scriptures where God demands people to sacrifice animals and make blood sacrifices for atonement of their sins. Now admittedly, atonement is not the same thing as forgiveness. Atonement is the actions one takes to right a wrong in hopes of being forgiven. Which leads me to question 5.
5) Why would God demand people to slaughter innocent animals for atonement of their sins, if He had no intentions of forgiving them?
Forgiveness of Sin in Salvation
If sins we commit will send us to hell and we must do good works to be saved, then there are all of these questions that cannot be answered clearly. Those beliefs cause a lot of confusion. And its all because man wants to interpret a few scriptures to mean something they never actually say.
Let's look at Salvation in a way that makes sense.
Paul says that in our sinful state, we cannot even please God. We cannot choose to serve God. (Romans 8:8)
God says that man cannot see His face and survive. Exodus 33:20
The reason for this is because sin cannot exist in God's presence when He is in His full glory. And when Adam and Eve sinned, it corrupted their souls with sin. Their souls became stained with sin. Because of that, every person who was ever born from the seed of man was born with a souls stained with sin and could not go to heaven in that condition. For in heaven, God resides in His full glory and it would destroy our sin stained souls.
When Jesus died, it was not only so we can be forgiven for sin without the need to sacrifice animals, but it was so He could be the one sacrifice that was so pure and holy that it could wash our souls clean from the stain of sin. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 is often given as a verse to prove sin cannot enter heaven, but it is misinterpreted to do so. They always ignore the key to the scripture that is found in verse 11. If you read from the start of the chapter, you learn that Paul was writing to other believers who were fighting amongst themselves and taking each other to court. He told them that the courts are ruled by the world and not to judge over the believers. That the believers should take their problems to the church for judgment. They are not the sinners who will not inherit the kingdom of God. Verse 11 he tells them that they used to be those sinners, but they are no longer. They have been washed clean.
So Jesus died not only for the forgiveness of our sins, but so our souls can be washed clean. After He died, God then offered salvation as a free gift to anyone who would accept it. But salvation is the washing of our souls. It is a spiritual gift. How can one truly accept a spiritual gift of salvation if they don't even believe it is real?
The Lord came to us and took on flesh and lived as a man. He knew already that He would be tortured and crucified and killed but he chose to do it anyway because it was the only way we could ever be saved. He sacrificed Himself to save us. Jesus, also being God in the flesh, was so pure and holy, that it was a sacrifice that was worthy not only of forgiving our sins as any animal sacrifice could do, but of washing the stain of sin from our souls. Now God offers that salvation, the forgiveness of our sins as well as the washing of our souls, as a free gift to anyone who will accept it. They accept it by believing with all their heart that it is real. That Jesus is the Son of God. That Jesus died on the cross for our salvation and God raised Him from the dead. That is why the scripture says "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
Now you might be hanging up on the sentence where I say He died for the forgiveness of our sins, and He did, but that in no way means we need to ask forgiveness to be saved.
Sin has multiple implications on our lives. There is the fact that sin cannot enter heaven and then there is the fact that sin will separate us from God in our personal relationship with Him. When Jesus died on the cross, it was for the forgiveness of those sins so they will no longer send us to hell. When we sin, God will automatically forgive us our sins so that we will still be saved. However, there is still a problem with the sins we commit causing a rift in our relationship with God.
Every relationship needs forgiveness for the mistakes we make. If there is no forgiveness, the relationship will cease to grow. It will slowly die. That is why, even though God has already forgiven us for our sins, that we need to still ask forgiveness. Because even though He is a forgiving God and will keep us washed clean so we can be saved, if we do not ask forgiveness, there is still that rift in our relationship with Him. He is still upset over that sin. He will not let that sin get in the way of his love for us, but He is still upset with it. When we ask Him to forgive us, He cleans the slate and that allows our relationship with God to continue to grow.
With this understanding of salvation, we realize that the sins we commit will not send us to hell. We are not saved by anything we do. Salvation is strictly a free gift from God and all we need to do is accept it. But it is a spiritual gift so in order to accept it, we have to believe it is real. The sins we commit will not send us to hell, but they will separate us from God in our relationship with Him. So we still need to ask forgiveness, but if we don't, it will not send us to hell. Now every scripture will fit and there is no question that cannot be answered.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Let's really break down what this verse says...
1) We are saved by grace.
2) We are saved through faith.
3) Salvation is not because of anything we do, but it is a gift of God.
4) Salvation is not a result of works, so nobody will boast.
For by grace you have been saved
We are saved by grace. What is the definition of grace? It is goodwill. Kindness. So we are saved by the goodwill and kindness of God. This is not the cause of our salvation but it is the reason for it. Why we are saved. Because God is kind.
through faith;
We are saved through faith. This is the cause. This is the action of how we are saved. Through faith. Believing!
and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
It is not because of anything we intentionally do ourselves. It is a gift from God. If we had to do anything for it, it would no longer be a gift, but it would be a reward. But it doesn't say it is a reward. It says it is a gift. So it must be freely given.
not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Salvation is not a result of works, so we cannot boast. A work is basically anything that is intentionally done. Salvation cannot be a result of anything we intentionally do because it would no longer be a gift. It would be a reward. If we were saved by anything we intentionally do, we would then be able to boast that we saved ourselves. That Jesus dying on the cross was not enough and we had to finish the job by saving ourselves. But since it is not a result of works, and it is a gift, we have no way of boasting that we saved ourselves. Our salvation is truly a gift from God.
The biggest reason people believe that we are saved by works, is because they are taught that the sins we commit will send us to hell. If sin sends us to hell, then by default, our good works must save us right? It seems logical until you realize it is not correct.
Did you know there is not a single verse in the Bible that says the sins a believer commits will send them to hell? Not one! In fact it actually says just the opposite...
John 3:18 (KJV)
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
This scripture is clearly saying that if you believe in the name of the only Son of God, you will not even be judged. If you do not believe, you are already judged. Not because you sinned, but because you did not believe! Basically it is saying that if you believe in Jesus, you will be saved. If you don't, you will not be saved. There is no mention of works! How negligent would Jesus be to tell us the rules of salvation and completely fail to mention works if they are necessary for salvation?
There are actually 19 primary scriptures that clearly tell us it is speaking of salvation and tells us how we are saved. In all 18 verses the Word of God mentions believing in Jesus. Not one of those does it mention works of any kind. Not once does it say "if you refrain from sin". "Wow!" How negligent would the Lord have to be to talk about salvation so often and always fail to mention a key component of salvation? Unless those actually are not key components!
There is not one scripture that plainly says that someone who sins will go to hell. Not one that says we are saved by works. There are very few that are interpreted to say as much but they never clearly say it. So what is the right thing to do? Believe a couple of verses that are merely interpreted to mean we are saved by works, or that sin sends us to hell, while completely ignoring the many scriptures that say we are saved by believing and never mention anything else, or believe what the Word of God says clearly? The Bible is clear that we are saved by believing in Jesus. To add anything extra to it that the Bible never actually does, would be wrong!
You can read all 19 verses here.... Primary Salvation Scriptures.
Every one of these scriptures are primary scriptures. A primary scripture is what I refer to a scripture that is written so plainly that there is only one logical interpretation. It can only mean what it plainly says. In all 19 of these, they say we are saved by believing. Not one of them mentions any other means by which we are saved. And there are no primary verses stating we are saved by works or by refraining from sin.
Ask yourself these questions....
1) If we must refrain from sin or do good works to be saved, does that mean Jesus' sacrifice was not enough to do that job? That we need to finish it?
2) If we are saved by works, how many works save us? Why doesn't the Bible clarify that?
3) If we are saved by refraining from sin, how much sin is too much? Just one sin? So a good pastor who gives his entire life over to God can commit one minor sin and have a stroke before asking God to forgive him and he will go to hell? Meanwhile a mass murderer and child rapist who does nothing but evil his entire life can turn to Christ and then have a heart attack and go to heaven? Does that seem fair?
4) If Jesus died so we can be forgiven for sins but we must ask forgiveness of them, then why did God forgive sins in the old testament? What then was the reason for Jesus to sacrifice Himself in such a horrible way? Just so we can receive forgiveness without killing animals?
You see, most Christians don't realize that God forgave sins in the Old Testament, but all you need to do is search "Atonement" in your Bible app. You will find many scriptures where God demands people to sacrifice animals and make blood sacrifices for atonement of their sins. Now admittedly, atonement is not the same thing as forgiveness. Atonement is the actions one takes to right a wrong in hopes of being forgiven. Which leads me to question 5.
5) Why would God demand people to slaughter innocent animals for atonement of their sins, if He had no intentions of forgiving them?
Forgiveness of Sin in Salvation
If sins we commit will send us to hell and we must do good works to be saved, then there are all of these questions that cannot be answered clearly. Those beliefs cause a lot of confusion. And its all because man wants to interpret a few scriptures to mean something they never actually say.
Let's look at Salvation in a way that makes sense.
Paul says that in our sinful state, we cannot even please God. We cannot choose to serve God. (Romans 8:8)
God says that man cannot see His face and survive. Exodus 33:20
The reason for this is because sin cannot exist in God's presence when He is in His full glory. And when Adam and Eve sinned, it corrupted their souls with sin. Their souls became stained with sin. Because of that, every person who was ever born from the seed of man was born with a souls stained with sin and could not go to heaven in that condition. For in heaven, God resides in His full glory and it would destroy our sin stained souls.
When Jesus died, it was not only so we can be forgiven for sin without the need to sacrifice animals, but it was so He could be the one sacrifice that was so pure and holy that it could wash our souls clean from the stain of sin. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 is often given as a verse to prove sin cannot enter heaven, but it is misinterpreted to do so. They always ignore the key to the scripture that is found in verse 11. If you read from the start of the chapter, you learn that Paul was writing to other believers who were fighting amongst themselves and taking each other to court. He told them that the courts are ruled by the world and not to judge over the believers. That the believers should take their problems to the church for judgment. They are not the sinners who will not inherit the kingdom of God. Verse 11 he tells them that they used to be those sinners, but they are no longer. They have been washed clean.
So Jesus died not only for the forgiveness of our sins, but so our souls can be washed clean. After He died, God then offered salvation as a free gift to anyone who would accept it. But salvation is the washing of our souls. It is a spiritual gift. How can one truly accept a spiritual gift of salvation if they don't even believe it is real?
The Lord came to us and took on flesh and lived as a man. He knew already that He would be tortured and crucified and killed but he chose to do it anyway because it was the only way we could ever be saved. He sacrificed Himself to save us. Jesus, also being God in the flesh, was so pure and holy, that it was a sacrifice that was worthy not only of forgiving our sins as any animal sacrifice could do, but of washing the stain of sin from our souls. Now God offers that salvation, the forgiveness of our sins as well as the washing of our souls, as a free gift to anyone who will accept it. They accept it by believing with all their heart that it is real. That Jesus is the Son of God. That Jesus died on the cross for our salvation and God raised Him from the dead. That is why the scripture says "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
Now you might be hanging up on the sentence where I say He died for the forgiveness of our sins, and He did, but that in no way means we need to ask forgiveness to be saved.
Sin has multiple implications on our lives. There is the fact that sin cannot enter heaven and then there is the fact that sin will separate us from God in our personal relationship with Him. When Jesus died on the cross, it was for the forgiveness of those sins so they will no longer send us to hell. When we sin, God will automatically forgive us our sins so that we will still be saved. However, there is still a problem with the sins we commit causing a rift in our relationship with God.
Every relationship needs forgiveness for the mistakes we make. If there is no forgiveness, the relationship will cease to grow. It will slowly die. That is why, even though God has already forgiven us for our sins, that we need to still ask forgiveness. Because even though He is a forgiving God and will keep us washed clean so we can be saved, if we do not ask forgiveness, there is still that rift in our relationship with Him. He is still upset over that sin. He will not let that sin get in the way of his love for us, but He is still upset with it. When we ask Him to forgive us, He cleans the slate and that allows our relationship with God to continue to grow.
With this understanding of salvation, we realize that the sins we commit will not send us to hell. We are not saved by anything we do. Salvation is strictly a free gift from God and all we need to do is accept it. But it is a spiritual gift so in order to accept it, we have to believe it is real. The sins we commit will not send us to hell, but they will separate us from God in our relationship with Him. So we still need to ask forgiveness, but if we don't, it will not send us to hell. Now every scripture will fit and there is no question that cannot be answered.