What does it mean that salvation is by grace through faith?

Response

Salvation through grace by faith is fundamental to the Christian faith. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). This declaration consists of three key elements—salvation, grace, and faith—and they hold equal significance. Together, these three form a foundational belief of Christianity.

Salvation is described as “the act of being delivered, redeemed, or rescued.” The Bible explains that, following Adam and Eve’s fall in the Garden of Eden, every individual is born with inherited sin from Adam: “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned” «Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: », (Romans 5:12). Sin is the cause of death for all of us. It separates us from God and condemns each person to eternal separation from Him in hell. What each individual requires is deliverance from this destiny. In essence, we need salvation from sin and its consequences.

How do we attain deliverance from sin? Many religions throughout history have preached that salvation comes through good deeds. Others suggest that expressing contrition (acknowledging our wrongdoing) and leading a virtuous life are the means to make amends for our sins. Regret for sin is undoubtedly important and essential, but it alone cannot rescue us from sin. We might feel remorse for our sins, also crucial and vital, and commit to never sin again, but good intentions alone do not bring about salvation. As the saying goes, the path to hell is paved with good intentions. We might engage in charitable acts, but even a single sin renders us aSinner in practice, and we are already sinners by nature. No matter how well-intentioned or “good” we may be, the fact is that we simply do not have the power or the goodness to overcome the sin nature we have inherited from Adam. We need something more powerful, and this is where grace comes in.

The grace of God is His undeserved favor bestowed on those He has called to salvation through His love (Ephesians 2:4-5). It is His grace that saves us from sin. We are “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” «being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: », (Romans 3:24). Being justified, we are vindicated and determined to be sinless in the eyes of God. Our sin no longer separates us from Him and no longer sentences us to hell. Grace is not earned by any effort on our part; otherwise, it could not be called grace. Grace is free. If our good works earned salvation, then God would be obligated to pay us our due. But no one can earn heaven, and God’s blessings are not His obligation; they flow from His goodness and love. No matter how diligently we pursue works to earn God’s favor, we will fail. Our sin trips us up every time. “By the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight” «Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. », (Romans 3:20, NKJV).

The means God has chosen to bestow His grace upon us is through faith. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” «Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. », (Hebrews 11:1). Salva

Salvation is obtained through faith in God’s Son, Jesus Christ, in what He has done—specifically, His death on the cross and His resurrection. However, faith is not something we generate on our own. Faith, along with grace, is a gift from God. “For by grace you are saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves: it is the gift of God,” (Ephesians 2:8). He grants us saving faith and saving grace to redeem us from sin and its consequences. Therefore, God saves us by His grace through the faith He provides. Both grace and faith are gifts. “Salvation belongs to the LORD,” «Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: Thy blessing is upon thy people. », (Psalm 3:8, ESV).

Through grace, we receive the faith that allows us to believe that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross and offer the salvation we cannot attain on our own. Jesus, as God in flesh, is the “author and perfecter of our faith,” «looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. », (Hebrews 12:2). Just as an author creates a book from scratch, Jesus Christ wrote the story of our redemption from start to finish. “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves” (Ephesians 1:4-6). The Lord died for our sins, rose for our justification, and forgives those who accept His forgiveness, completely and without cost.

Accept His gift of grace in Christ—and that acceptance comes through faith. This is the essence of salvation by grace through faith.