June 04, 2026 | Be Connected
Saved by Grace
Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10(NIV)
1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Devotional
Ephesians 2:8-9 is one of the most clear statements of salvation that we have in scripture. We have been saved through our faith by the grace of God. It describes the change that occurs in our lives when we acknowledge our belief in Jesus Christ. And it was one of John Wesley’s favorite verses.
Grace is a hard concept for me to get my head around. We may have learned about grace in Sunday School by saying God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. But is it that simple? The United Methodist Book of Discipline defines it this way. “By Grace we mean the undeserved, unmerited, and loving action of God in human existence through the ever-present Holy Spirit.” (UMBOD, P102) Undeserved. Unmerited. It’s just that we’re not used to receiving something with absolutely no strings attached. That’s not how life works. But with God, life is different. God’s grace is free and unconditional.
And it originates with God. It’s God’s initiative, God’s action. We have been saved by grace, but it’s through faith in Jesus Christ. Through this faith, we receive unmerited grace and the gift of eternal life. And it’s undeserved. We’re not perfect and we fail daily. We’re told that “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10) and “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). But God offers us grace anyway.
Then Paul brings this idea of works into the conversation. He repeats the idea that works will not save us. Faith PLUS works will not save us. It’s only by grace that we are saved. No check list or scoreboard. If we were to add works as a means of gaining God’s grace, salvation is no longer granted by grace. And the death of Jesus was unnecessary. “And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace” (Romans 11:6). But God offers us grace and salvation and any works we do are a response to this grace, not a prerequisite.
I stray from God’s path daily and I know I don’t deserve this gift of grace, But God......
At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.......But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:3-7)
