January 18 | By Grace Alone

Series | The God Kind of Life

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

Lesson 18 | By Grace Alone

You cannot save yourself, only God's grace can save you.  Imagine going skydiving without a parachute and trying to use the air to stop your fall.  Grasping over and over again at the air would do nothing to stop your rapid descent.  The Bible says that all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory, Romans 3:23.  Your lying, lusting, out bursts of anger, selfish ambitions, pride, greed, bitterness, and jealousies have all caused you to suffer a great fall.

However, your fall is even more terrifying than that from an airplane because the ground will soon come for those who fall out of the sky, but your fall will be for eternity in a pit filled with fire. You will never stop falling and all the good works you have done to try to save yourself will be like dirty grave clothes wrapped around your body.  Your religious works and rituals will be like ropes made of sand giving you nothing to hold onto or strength to save you.  Plus, you will have no hope of help from those who have fallen before you because they too have nothing to stop their own horrifying descent. 

You will cry and scream for the fall to stop and the ground to come comfort your feet again, but none of your cries will be heard because you will fall alone.  Your only company will be the memories of your sin and they will torment you like undying worms crawling through your flesh. 

The last moment of your feet standing will be in a place where you didn’t belong, for the Maker of Heaven, your only hope, will have cast you to your fall with these parting words, “Depart from Me you worker of inequity.”          

What then is grace?  Jesus’ undeserved gift of salvation.  Grace is now your only hope of not falling into that pit you deserve to be cast into.  Therefore, it is by grace alone sinners are saved.  And this underserved gift and unmerited kindness comes only from Jesus.  Receive His grace, live in His grace, and be forever grateful that Jesus saved a “sinner like you.” 

Reflection | Reflect on the words to the ole' song “Amazing Grace.” 

Action | (1) Ask God to reveal the depths and power of His saving grace to you. (2) Spend time today thanking Jesus for His sacrifice that gives forgiveness to sinners by grace. (3) Lastly, never turn away from the grace of God.

One Year Reading Plan (Optional) | Genesis 37:1-38:30, Matthew 12:22-45, Psalm 16:1-11, &Proverbs 3:27-32. Click here to read online.