SALVATION BY GRACE AND FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by (grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

EPHESIANS 2:4-9 KJV

Because God knows that it is impossible for his creations to achieve salvation on their own; by his great mercy freely grants salvation through grace to all who believe in his Son Jesus Christ.

The Bible teaches us that the person receives salvation only through grace and faith in Jesus Christ and not by human works, much less through any religious institution.

In Genesis we see that Cain wanted to approach God through a vegetable offering without any atoning sacrifice, but his sacrifice was rejected because he had to approach through an atoning sacrifice, as Abel did, because that sacrifice represented the sacrifice of Jesus.

Then in the rest of the Old Testament it is shown that one cannot deserve something before God through works, in Isaiah 64:6 we read that even "our righteousnesses" are as filthy rags before God; later in the New Testament this truth is reaffirmed in Titus 3: 4-6 and 2 Timothy 1: 9-10, which indicate that God saved us "not by works of justice that we had done, but by his mercy".

More recently, history records that the Reformation movement expanded when the Lord opened Martin Luther's mind to understand that salvation is received by faith. When referring to history we must remember that for many centuries the world was under the deception of religious superstition, which in turn was rooted in the hearts of people due to ignorance.

1. FOR ALL HAVE SINNED, ROMANS 3:23

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Rom. 3:23 KJV)

Every human being by nature chooses sin, since the Bible indicates that the thoughts of the human heart are always towards evil (Gen. 6:5). When a person becomes aware of good and evil, he chooses evil and commits sin, and by committing sin he suffers spiritual death and consequently is destitute, move away and deprived of the glory of God.

The lack of morals, principles and values of today's society is the clear example of the tendency and choice of the human being's heart for what is bad.

2. FOR THE WAGES OS SIN IS DEATH, ROMANS 6:23

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom. 6:23 KJV)

The payment that the human being receives as a result of choosing sin is death. Death, in addition to being a spiritual power, is a state that affects the spirit, soul and body of the person, let's see some aspects related to it:

A. The death of the spirit

The spirit dies as a result of the transgression that the person commits. That was the death that affected Adam (Gen. 2:17).

B. The death of the soul

The practice of transgression becomes sin.

James 1:14 to 15 indicates that lust, which dwells in the soul of each person, attracts and seduces him to sin, and sin being consummated gives birth to death.

C. The death of the body

The practice of sin becomes iniquity, among others, and iniquity entail to death and destruction of the body.

The death of the body is what people generally cry and lament about, but without Jesus Christ, death had already reached their spirit and soul.

It is in hell and later in the lake of fire where all those who did not receive the salvation offered by the Lord will suffer eternal punishment in the second death (Rev. 21:8).

3. THE NEED FOR SALVATION, 1 TIMOTHY 1:15

This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. (1 Tim. 1:15 KJV)

Since the human being commits transgressions, sins, and iniquities, he is separated from God and spiritually dead, so in order not to suffer eternal punishment, he needs to receive salvation (1 Tim. 1:15).

For this reason, God loved the world in such a way that knowing that the human being by himself cannot reach, obtain or buy salvation, he sent his Son Jesus Christ so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have life. eternal (John 3:15-16).

4. THERE IS ONLY SALVATION THROUGH JESUS CHRIST, JOHN 14:6

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6 KJV)

Jesus Christ clearly indicated that He is "the way" to reach the Father; it is not a way to reach the Father rather it is the only way that the Father has given to receive salvation and approach Him because he also indicated "no man cometh unto the Father, but by me".

In the New Testament we find many verses that show that salvation is only obtained through Jesus Christ (Acts. 11:1-15; 16:31; Rom. 10:9-13; 1 Thess. 5:9-10; 1 Tim. 1:15; 2 Tim. 2:3-6)

5. HOW DO WE RECEIVE SALVATION? EPHESIANS 2:8-9

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Eph. 2:8-9 KJV).

Let's look at some teachings related to how we receive salvation:

A. Not of works, lest any man should boast, Ephesians 2:8-9

We have reached the point where the Bible establishes that is impossible through works can be obtained salvation, as Isaiah indicates, works, in order to claim to deserve salvation, are like filthy rags before God.

When it is intended to receive salvation through works, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is despised, making it insufficient and vain; it is telling God the Father "the sacrifice of your Son Jesus Christ is not enough to save me" or saying "I do not need the sacrifice of your Son Jesus Christ to be saved, my works are better and sufficient for it"; For this reason, the greatest sin that human beings can commit is to despise the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

B. By grace, through faith; Ephesians 2:4-8

Since the human being by himself cannot obtain salvation because he is a sinner and deserves punishment and death, God provides grace, so that through it we can all receive salvation.

No one deserves salvation, but by grace we receive it.

Since God's grace enables us to receive salvation, we must have faith in Jesus Christ, in his atoning sacrifice, and his resurrection to be saved (Heb. 11:1). This is demonstrated in a large number of verses, which teach that at the moment of receiving salvation one can receive peace, miracles and healings that produce praise to God in people (Matt. 9:20-22; Mark 5:25-34; 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43; 2 Thess. 2:13-14; 2 Tim. 3:14-15; James 5:14-15; 1 Pet. 1:3-5, 6-9).

In Hebrews 11:7 we see that God established throughout the ages that salvation can only be received by faith, for example Noah by faith built the ark for the salvation of his family; in this sense the ark represents Jesus Christ through whom we obtain salvation.

As no human being by himself deserves salvation, God for his mercy provided us with his grace so that we may receive it through faith in Jesus Christ, in his atoning sacrifices and his resurrection from the dead.