Have you ever taken credit for some work that you didn’t do? Perhaps at school you brought in a parent’s or siblings artwork for an art assignment, knowing their work was much better than yours. The piece won a prize, which you claimed as your own, but you knew you hadn’t done anything to deserve it. Or you turned in a paper your friend had written, and you knew the work wasn’t yours. Maybe at work you were assigned a partner by your boss, and the two of you were to finish a project. They did all the work, but you took all the praise, and never mentioned your co-worker at all. It is bad enough in school or work, but how about if we try to take the credit for something that Jesus did? Let’s look into our Scripture to see if this is something that we’re trying to do.
Our Scripture today comes from St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church, and it contains some verses that make it clear exactly who is responsible for our salvation. Is it something we do? Is it something that God does? Is it a mixture of the two? Let’s see what God’s Word tells us? Paul, here, makes it unmistakably clear that it is through God’s grace that we are saved, not through anything that we do (vs. 8-9). So many people think that they are saved because of things that they do. However, the Bible tells us it is not through our works.
If you were to take a random sampling of people in your neighborhood, and asked them if they thought they were going to heaven, and on what basis, many would probably answer yes, they felt they were going to heaven because they did this or that throughout their life. They go to church, they give to various charities, they volunteer here or there, that they are basically a good person. Our Scripture today makes it very clear that salvation is not through anything that we do. It is not even partially merited through our works. It is solely through God’s grace, and we cannot claim any of the credit.
We are saved and become a Christian through God’s unmerited grace, not as the result of any effort, ability, or act of service on our part. Man cannot merit salvation, irrespective of what he does. We cannot boast about our own ability and strength. We can only boast in the Cross of Calvary.
Salvation is a gift from God. When given a gift, we do not pay the person. It is a gift. Salvation is a gift. We do not have to work for it, nor can we work for it. If I paid for it by my works, then it is not a gift, it is something that I earned, like a salary. Though you may thank your boss when he hands you your paycheck because you are a polite person, he is not doing you a favor. You earned that paycheck. You worked for it, it is not a gift. However, you cannot work for your salvation. It is a gift.
Another thing to note about a gift is that it does the person absolutely no good unless they accept the gift. I may give you a gift, setting it on the table for you, but if you don’t accept it and use it, it has done you no good. Jesus died for everyone, but not everyone is saved, not everyone will go to heaven because they never accepted Jesus as their personal Savior. The gift was given, but it was not accepted. To those, it will do them no good, which they will sadly find out on Judgment Day.
So are good works not important? Why bother doing good things if God takes no notice? God does take notice. As Paul stated, we are His (God’s) workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works (vs. 10). Good works cannot produce salvation, but they are the subsequent and resultant God-empowered fruits and evidence of our salvation. God’s intention is that our salvation will result in good works and acts of service. Since our salvation is a gift from God, it cannot be of ourselves. Good works are the end result of salvation, and never the cause. We are God's workmanship, His work of art, His masterpiece.
Have you received this gift that God has for you? Remember, nothing that you can do will ever earn you a place in heaven. The Lord Jesus died upon the cross to pay the penalty for your sins. Accept Him as your personal Savior, and receive His gift of salvation today.
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