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NASB | Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace [God's remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; |
Subject: Make the Message Clear and Plain! |
Bible Note: Make the Message Clear and Plain! "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works lest any should boast" (Eph 2:8) "For by grace" The grace of God is difficult to understand from human perspective. What would he see in me to be willing to provide a way whereby I could be made fit for his presence? Yet by his grace or unmerited favor motivated by his love "he spared not his Son" to the death of the cross. "are ye saved" or "we are saved" Present tense. We are saved not by works of our own, not by some church or religion, but we are saved "through faith" in the work which Christ accomplished and finished on the cross. Faith must have an object and that object is Christ. When a lost sinner is convicted of his/her lost condition by the Spirit of God we realize our helplessness. In our helplessness,God by his grace reveals to us that Christ is the only Savior. When this truth shines into our dark heart we rest by faith on the work of Christ and we are saved. "That not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." Our Lord Jesus Christ paid the debt in full thereby making it possible for God to offer us a free gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23) Those of us who have been saved for many years still confess that what we have been brought into in Christ remains "not of yourselves" and that all we have and are,flow from his love. "Not of Works!" What does this mean? It simply means there is nothing that an unbeliever can do, no matter how good it may seem, can merit favor with God. The gift he wants to give us is free. To try and pay the Giver for a gift is an insult to Christ. "Lest any should boast" If humans were able to somehow attain favor with God through works, there would have been no need for a Savior. Paul could write these wonderous words "...God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,..." Gal. 6:14 "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." (2 Cor. 5:17) "Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift!" Robert |