There’s no shortage of Christian hymns referring back to Grace. We can start with the most famous “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.” Or, “Wonderful grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin.” Or, “Grace, Grace, God’s Grace, Grace that will pardon and cleanse within.” This ole’ Baptist kid could go on all day.
More importantly, one of the most popular Bible passages in all of Christianity is Ephesians 2:8-9. It reads “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” This is the foundation for Sola Gratia, Grace Alone. The saved or regenerated person’s ability to be reconciled to God is by a work of grace alone. It is through the vehicle of faith, as we learned with Sola Fide, but it is BY a work of grace. In other words, salvation’s work is entirely a work of God’s giving, there is nothing we can do to achieve it. The Bible says that grace is administered through faith, which is also empowered by God. In fact, at the end of those verses the word “gift” is the greek word “doron” and it is in the neuter form, meaning that it applies to both faith and grace. See, all of the elements of salvation are a work of God, not ourselves. In salvation, we are rescued from God’s wrath by God himself…by His grace. It is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that brings us to Christ and rescues us from the bondage of sin and ressurects our spiritual death to spiritual life. So, God does the heavy lifting…and how comforting that is.
Not only is our salvation a work of grace, but 2 Corinthians 9:8 tells us that the goal of grace is every good work. God’s gift of grace empowers our ability to live free from the entrapment of sin and continue on the believer’s journey of sanctification. Therefore, grace is not only the means by which we receive our salvation, it is the means by which we are continually lifted up to grow in righteousness, which produces good works in and through our lives.
Hopefully, throughout this Sola series, you are beginning to see how God’s Word reveals God’s truth. Jesus Christ is the only Savior, Faith is our saving vehicle, and Grace is God’s generous engine of salvation. In the next part of the series, we will explore how it all points to God’s glory alone.
