Bible readings: Ephesians 2:4-10, John 3:14-21
Over the years I have had a lot of conversations with people about faith, life and God. Some have been with people who follow Jesus with all their hearts and I have been inspired by their faith and stories. They have uplifted me. Others have been with people who had a vague belief that maybe there is a God out there somewhere, but He is far off and distant or He is a harsh judge with a big stick waiting for us to mess up.
As I have reflected on these conversations and our Bible readings from today I have come up with three thoughts that I want to share.
1. We are truly saved by Grace
In our first reading from Ephesians chapter 2 we see that we are saved by grace through faith. This means we are saved by God’s mercy because of our faith in Jesus.
In our natural state our sin separated us from God. Paul tells us that we used to follow the ways of the world and lived to gratify the desires of the flesh. But God in His great mercy came up with a way for us to be right with Himself. Jesus paid the price for our sin by dying on the cross for us. God graciously provided a way for us to have our sin forgiven in Christ and come in to right relationship with Him.
As our reading says, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT). In His love the Father tells us we are saved by grace and we are welcome home.
2. We need to believe in Jesus as our Saviour
In our second reading we see that God says we have eternal life if we believe in Jesus. God did His part by sending His Son Jesus to die on the cross for us. Our part is to believe in Him, and trust Him as Lord and Saviour.
In John 3:16 the Bible says, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” Faith and trust in Jesus Christ means eternal life.
Many people think this is too simple – just believe in Jesus. They think they need to work for their salvation, follow strict rules or do some sort of penance. But believe me, purchasing our salvation was not simple for Jesus. He gave up everything. He was whipped and beaten. Mocked by those who watched on. He even gave up His own life. We just have to believe in Him and what He has done for us. The Bible tells us that this faith and belief brings eternal life.
3. Jesus came to save us, not judge us harshly
Another point from our second reading is Jesus came in to the world to save us, not judge us (John 3:17-18). To those who think God is a harsh God, who lives at a distance and judges us harshly, just need to look to Jesus. They need look afresh and see what He has done for us.
Jesus is God in person. Immanuel, God with us. In His love He died, so we can live. If God wanted our lives to be judged harshly, He could have done nothing and waited until the end of time to judge us all. But instead Jesus came to rescue us. God intervened in our situation. Luke 19:10 reminds us why Jesus came when it says, “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”
Jesus could not stand the thought of us not spending eternity with Him, so He left the glories of heaven to meet us where we are at. He did not come to hit us with a big stick, but to wrap His arms around us in love.
Closing reflection
The great message of the Bible is God’s incredible love for us and His desire to be in relationships with us all. He moved heaven and earth to make this happen.
Jesus came to earth, lived to show us what God is like, then stretched His arms out and was nailed on that cross. The nails pierced His hands and feet, but His love held Him there. Church, God’s grace can be summed up in the letters of the word G.R.A.C.E. – God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus.
Let us pray.