“For by grace you have been saved
through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God.”—Ephesians 2:8
Pride causes many people to resist
the truth of justification by faith
in the grace of God. Such was the case
with the lawyer who asked Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life. “And
behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying ‘Teacher, what shall I
do to inherit eternal life?’ So he [Jesus] answered and said, ‘You shall love
the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your
strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ And He said
to him, ‘You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.’ But he, wanting
to justify himself, said to Jesus, ‘And
who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:25-29 emphasis added). The lawyer loved himself and the public
recognition his holy acts brought him.
He was not willing to love God first and other people ahead of
himself. His question was an attempt to
shun responsibility for his self-centeredness.
He was seeking to be justified
in the sight of God through his actions.
He knew he had not loved everyone as he loved himself, so he tried to interpret
the Scripture (Leviticus 19:18) in a way that would apply to his actions, not
to his heart. He wanted to define “neighbor”
as close friends whom he had treated well.
Self-justification always
produces excuses, while repentance and faith toward God produces surrender and
obedience.
The basis of our salvation is grace—that
is God’s underserved, unmerited favor toward us as expressed in providing
redemption through Jesus Christ. God
loved us so much that He gave His Son so that we would have everlasting
life. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John
3:16). The way God saves us is
through faith. Through faith we accept
His free gift of salvation, which was provided by His grace. We are saved “by grace…through faith” (Ephesians 2:8) not by grace alone. Faith grants us admission to God’s grace. Without faith and grace, God’s promise of
eternal life would not be possible. His
promise of eternal life is changeless. God’s promise can never be invalidated and is
the basis for victoriously living.
Prayer—Father
I thank You that Your promise to me will never change. My faith in You and Your promise is the basis
for victory in my life, in Jesus Name. Amen.
