Ephesians 2:8-9 English Standard Version

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Here Paul gives us a gentle reminder that our salvation is by grace. This is correction of a long time practice in religious attitudes of the day. Righteousness was to come to those who obeyed the law but since no one could obey the law, all failed. They were left with religious rituals that only relieved their guilt for a short time.

Here we are on this side of the Cross and our guilt has been permanently dealt with by faith in Christ and His sacrifice. That does not address the larger issue of wrong attitudes. Corrections to our attitudes still has to be addressed.

What have we gained if we swap old life attitudes with new life attitudes that do not align themselves with the Word of God? Those new attitudes will need to be corrected. As an example allow me to address just one that has been seen over and over again within the fellowship of the saints.

“I’m good to go.”

This is true. From an eternal struggle with right standing before God, it has been dealt with completely. Come judgment day we get to stay with God and never be separated ever again. That ignores those things which we need to address in the here and now. We still live this side of eternity, in time. We cannot just accept that God’s grace is going to correct all of our attitudes without careful consideration of what God is asking of us in this present time.

Time must be spent in God’s Word to correct any attitudes that do not allow us to align our thoughts with the mind of Christ.

Titus 1:9a English Standard Version (ESV) He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine….

1 Peter 1:3-9 English Standard Version

Born Again to a Living Hope

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷ so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, ⁹ obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Living by faith is a daily occurrence for us and such a part of our personal experience with Christ that we might forget just how precious our faith is in this relationship. While reading these passages we might fixate on issues that are important to us as individuals for various reasons. Some need hope and grasp hope as an inner strength that we might not feel we possess. Others latch onto inheritance as a thing to be achieved, worked for, and a motivational tool. Others need to feel the words “being guarded” because they feel they are under attack. We might even warm up to the phrase “kept in heaven” because it indicates it cannot be taken from you.

Faith however is how we obtain the outcome that is promised. How precious is that?