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SAVED BY GRACE, NOT BY WORKS

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9 RVR1960).

All of us have reached a stage in our lives where we must work to achieve something. We work to earn money, we study to obtain a university degree, or we pursue someone to enter into a relationship. In short, there are many things we do to obtain something specific.

In the Christian life, it is different. It is important to give a good testimony through our actions. The Word of God is clear when it says that we will be known by our fruits (cf. Matthew 7:20), indicating that what we do is important and necessary to show people that Jesus lives in us. We believe that everything we do well is necessary to be saved, and that is true, but it is not enough. It may seem a bit ironic; to do everything for others to be saved, and to see that it is not enough to save ourselves.

So, can someone who believes in Jesus Christ be saved without the need to do good works? James declares that faith without works is dead. This implies that, although works are not enough, they have an essential part in the matter.

In relation to all this, the book of Revelation declares that we must fear God and give Him glory (cf. Revelation 14:7). Globally, it has been understood that the verb "fear" means to be afraid of someone, but does it mean the same when we refer to fearing God? Clearly not. Fearing God means having great respect and admiration for His name. When we respect and admire someone, we do what they command us to do. It's the same with God. We must do what He commands us to do because we respect and admire Him.

An essential part of Christianity is knowing that we are saved by what God does, not by what we do.

Today, I invite you to share the following prayer on your social media: Father, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with you, and that I am saved by grace.

- Richard Paredes.