Salvation

Ephesians 2:8-9

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). The statement has three parts— salvation, grace, and faith—and they are equally important. The three together constitute a basic tenet of Christianity.

Salvation

The word salvation is defined as “the act of being delivered, redeemed, or rescued.” The Bible tells us that, since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, each person is born in sin inherited from Adam: “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). Sin is what causes all of us to die. Sin separates us from God, and sin destines each person to eternal separation from Him in hell. What each of us needs is to be delivered from that fate. In other words, we need salvation from sin and its penalty. Most religions throughout history have taught that salvation is achieved by good works. Others teach that acts of contrition (saying we are sorry) along with living a moral life is the way to atone for our sin. I believe sorrow over sin is certainly valuable and necessary, but that alone will not save us from sin. We may repent of our sins and determine to never sin again, but salvation is not the result of good intentions. The road to hell, as the saying goes, is paved with good intentions. We may fill our lives with good works, but even one sin makes us a sinner in practice, and we are already sinners by nature. No matter how well intentioned or “good” we may be, the fact is that we simply do not have the power or the goodness to overcome the sin nature we have inherited.  

Faith

Faith is the complete trust or confidence in someone or something. "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see"  (Hebrews 11:1).  When we put our trust in Jesus Christ and we believe He is the Son of God, we will have have eternal life.  "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).  Christ took on the penalty of our sin when He suffered and died on the cross.  He sacrificed His life so that all who place their faith in Him are forgiven of their sins.  He died for you and for me.  

Grace

Grace is the undeserved favor of a loving God freely given to sinful people who did nothing to earn it. It is mercy instead of judgment, loving-kindness instead of wrath. It is the positive activity of God our Creator toward us, Who, instead of giving us what we deserve, kindly gives us what we do not deserve and could never earn.  It is though Grace that we are forgiven of our sins.  No matter how hard we might try, we cannot earn our forgiveness through good works or through contrition.  Forgiveness of sin is a gift from God for all who place their faith in His Son Jesus Christ.  

Conclusion  

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9).  Simply place your faith in Christ, experience God's grace, and  secure your eternal salvation.  What are you waiting for?