Things aren’t always as they seem. For instance, your GPS predicts a 10-minute drive to your destination, but you turn a corner and find yourself stuck in miles of traffic. Or, on a dating app, you come across an incredibly attractive picture of someone you’d like to get to know. However, when you meet, reality sets in, and you realize that things aren’t always as they appear. 😁 The truth of that particular meme causes many of us to be “gun-shy” when it comes to navigating new information. This is especially true in spiritual matters. Consider the truth of Ephesians 2:8.
When the Bible declares, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God,” your initial reaction might be, “This is too good to be true, or where’s the catch?” However, don’t let the simplicity and counter-cultural message of the Scriptures deter you from considering this: Our relationship with God is secured by His grace through the power of faith. We often assume that anything truly valuable must be earned and not free. But the reality is that salvation was not free because it required Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross. Additionally, it cannot be earned because it is a gift.