SHOWING THEM WE ARE BELIEVERS

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:8-10

       Grace is favor from God that is undeserved and it is by our faith that we receive salvation from past sins.  We had nothing to do with this great exchange.  God provided a way for us to leave our old life and begin a new one.  He gave us a second chance.  When we operate outside of God’s grace we operate out of ignorance.  We take what we have been taught and apply it to our lives with lukewarm or even icy cold results.  When the Lord woos us to Himself by the Holy Spirit our response is accomplished by faith that rises up within us to grasp the opportunity.  Nothing we could have ever done in this life would have brought us into a right relationship with Almighty God.  It was all God’s doing.  We could do good works until we died and it would all come to nothing without God’s forgiveness applied to your life. 

       Unregenerate man does things to gain some sort of advantage or to receive personal praise.  A believer does things as an outcropping of his newfound faith and gives all the glory to the Lord.  Only faith is acceptable to God, not works alone.  Man has a strong tendency to boast regarding his accomplishments and God shares praise with no one.  Therefore, the unregenerate man is on the wrong track going to the wrong destination.  It is the man who allows his faith to grow exponentially as he draws nearer to God that begins to take on the characteristics of the Lord.  And that is the point, is it not?  To become more like Christ each day in our thoughts, words, actions and reactions? 

       We are to conform to God’s character, shunning our old thoughts and ways of doing things.  With the help of God’s Holy Spirit who is within us, we can achieve anything God desires us to.  To just be a Christian in name alone is a waste of a life.  Frankly, if we truly wish to please our Lord, than we shouldn’t have to tell people we’re Christians, they should see it in our lives.  Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Recourse:  The Reformation Study Bible.