No place for performance – Tuesday, 03 April

“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 2:8-9 KJV

Salvation is only found by believing (faith) in Christ and what He has done for us (grace) (John 14:6).  You cannot be saved by works or personal holiness, it’s only by grace through faith. Grace is what sets true Christianity apart from every other religion in the world (including religious Christianity) which all seek to please and appease God through their efforts to do right and avoid evil. As Christians, we are not trying to accomplish salvation nor earn it as a reward, nor are we seeking to please or appease God through our actions. We’re simply receiving salvation (and acceptance from God) by believing in Christ and His sacrifice on our behalf. True Christians accept the truth that we’re saved by grace through faith, but sadly many

move on after being saved by grace to living by works because they wrongly think that now that they’re saved God is dealing with them harshly, in accordance with their performance expecting them to be perfect.

“8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”
Romans 5:8-10 NKJV

If God demonstrated His love toward us through Jesus’ sacrifice while we were sinners (enemies of God), much more shall we be saved from wrath now that we’ve been made right (justified

). I love how The Passion Translation puts it, “For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in my sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God.” God is not dealing with us according to our ability to live a holy life – He’s dealing with us in grace (treating us better than we deserve)! There is no place for performance in the Christian life because Jesus’ performance has effectively outshined any effort you could ever muster up. All you and I can do is trust in His grace.

“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him”
Colossians 2:6 KJV

We got saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9) and that’s how you live out your Christianity, too. The same way you receive Jesus for salvation (by grace through faith) is the same way you walk in Him. There is no place for works, effort, striving or performance in the Christian life. It’s all Jesus (grace) and all we do is receive (faith) what He is freely offering us. God’s blessing and all that salvation include could never be a reward to achieve, rather it is a gift to be received.