Creator, Father, King #295

By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

IN CHARLES DICKENS’S 1843 classic book, A Christmas Carol, the protagonist, Ebenezer Scrooge, receives a chilling visit one night from Jacob Marley, his dead business partner. When Marley’s ghost enters Scrooge’s bedroom to warn him of three more supernatural visitors that night, here’s what Scrooge sees:

The chain he drew was clasped about his middle. It was long, and wound about him like a tail; and it was made (for Scrooge observed it closely) of cash-boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds, and heavy purses wrought in steel. His body was transparent; so that Scrooge, observing him, and looking through his waistcoat, could see the two buttons on his coat behind.^a

In a spiritual sense, every human being resembles Jacob Marley’s character. We all started life, in essence, as the walking dead, tangled in chains of destructive sin and rebellion. Look at how the apostle Paul describes it in Ephesians 2:1: “Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.”

Without God, we were completely void of hope. After all, dead people can’t save themselves because, well, THEY’RE DEAD!

We needed outside intervention. That’s where God’s mercy and grace entered the picture.

What’s It Mean?

Take a few moments to read Ephesians 2:1-10, which beautifully illustrates the progression of salvation. As you do, pay attention to who initiates everything in the process. It’s God! He powerfully awakens spiritually dead hearts through his Spirit.

Christians are the beneficiaries of God’s marvelous mercy and grace. Mercy, simply defined, is not receiving the punishment that you deserve. Grace, meanwhile, is unmerited favor.

In Ephesians 2, Paul describes how God, who is “rich in mercy” (verse 4) “made us alive together with Christ” (verse 5, ESV) and that it is “by grace you have been saved through faith” (verse 8, ESV). Mercy and grace are both spiritual blessings that God lavishes upon all his children even though we didn’t deserve them in any way.

Salvation is a beautiful product of divine mercy and grace, initiated by a God who breathes life into those who were once dead. Praise the Lord!

Now What?

Memorize Ephesians 2:8-9. These verses are “must-haves” in the spiritual inventory of any believer.

Did You Know?

Because of God’s mercy and grace, there is no room for human boasting (verse 9). We are called to display faith in Jesus (in the salvation process, verse 8) and commit to good works (as a result of our salvation, verse 10).