SALVATION BY GRACE

It is God's desire that all men be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). God, as it is stated in 2 Peter 3:9, "...is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." It is evident therefore that God does not want anyone to be lost.

God, by His grace has provided the way by which we can be saved, "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men" (Titus 2:11). Paul declared, "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:24). In Ephesians 2:8, these words, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." It is impossible for anyone to be saved apart from the grace of God.

Because the Bible declares that we are saved by the grace of God, does that mean that our salvation is wholly by God's grace apart from any acts of obedience upon man's part? NO! Nowhere within the Word of God is it taught that salvation is by grace alone. The idea that we are saved "wholly by grace" is the Calvinistic idea of God's grace and stands in conflict with what the Bible teaches concerning the grace of God.

If salvation is by grace alone, then that must mean that man has no part whatsoever in his own salvation. But, salvation by grace does not exclude man having a part in his salvation. Peter in Acts 2:40 exhorts the people "save yourselves".

We must remember that salvation by grace does not exclude the necessity of obedience upon man's part. When we obey the commands of God in becoming a Christian, that does not nullify God's grace. Jesus emphasized the necessity of obedience in Matthew 7:21 when He said, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." We cannot be saved without obedience to God's Word. According to Acts 10:35, only those who "...feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him." In Hebrews 5:9 we learn that Jesus is "...the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him." To obtain salvation offered by God's grace means that we must believe (John 8:24); repent (Luke 13:3); confess Christ (Matthew 10:32-33) and be baptized (Mark 16:16).

Yes, salvation is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8-9). But just because salvation is a gift does not mean there are no conditions that must be met by man. Neither does it mean that it ceases to be a gift when we obey the conditions stated. We do not merit salvation but we must accept God's grace according to his conditions and not reject it (Acts 13:46).

-Jerry W. Joseph