A (Your Part) + B (God’s Part) = C (Eternal Life)
PART 5 / 12By Grace Are You Saved Through Faith
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Term B is God’s Grace
The word “grace” was translated from the Greek word “charis” meaning: grace, the state of kindness and favor towards someone, often with a focus on a benefit given; by extension, a gift, benefit, or credit. That’s grace! And the word “faith” is from the Greek Word “pistis” meaning: faith, belief, or trust, with an implication that ACTIONS based on that trust will follow; “the faith” often refers to the Christian system of belief and lifestyle.
So looking at our Salvation Equation (SE), can you see where grace and faith fit in? It’s really simple. Term “B” is God’s grace! God’s grace was bestowed upon us in the fact that He sent Jesus to die for us. The Messiah was a gift, a benefit, a credit. Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s grace (kindness and favor) shown toward all of us! Why? Because we can obtain eternal life through him. His righteous death is a worthy sacrifice to pay our death sentence. So what mercy, what love, what GRACE God showered down on us through Jesus. So simply put … Term B in the SE is the part where God’s grace comes into play. Here’s two verses proving this truth:
“In him we have redemption, or salvation, through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” (Ephesians 1:7)
“The grace of God, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, has abounded unto many” (Romans 5:15)
Term A is Our Faith
Alright, so what about “faith”? The Bible says for by grace are you saved THROUGH FAITH. How does faith fit into the SE? Friend, it’s Term “A”! Remember the Greek Word for “faith” implies ACTIONS (WORKS) will be done as a result of that faith. In other words, it’s an action-based faith. It’s the lifestyle of a REAL Christian. And what’s that? It’s love. It’s a person who lives by the 10LC. Keeping the 10LC is the proof of our faith in God, or Jesus. So faith is just Term A all over again, just expressed in a different way. And our faith will win us eternal life, for it’s OUR DUTY in the SE. So let me give you a few verses that confirm our faith only exists by our keeping of the 10LC.
“All that matters is faith, expressing itself through love” (Galatians 5:6)
“Faith without works (of love) is dead” (James 2:26)
It doesn’t get any simpler than that, right? It’s our works (deeds) of love that prove our faith in God. And the deeds of love are the 10LC. The Bible says, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (I John 4:8). So you see, if you say you “believe in God (who is love)” what you’re really saying is you “believe in love”. So if you believe in love, then you must live by the 10LC, or else you’re a liar.
So listen up, whenever you run across these phrases in the Bible … faith in Jesus, faith in Christ, faith in God, faith in his name, or believe in Jesus, believe in God, believe in him, whosoever believeth in him … all of these phrases mean the same thing — They describe a person who lives by the 10LC, for those actions (works) are the PROOF of one’s faith in God, or Jesus.
Friend, ALL of Jesus’ Teachings were based on “keeping the 10LC” when he was instructing us on how to live to obtain eternal life. So with that in mind, think about the SE as you listen to this verse:
“And being made perfect, Jesus became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him!” (Hebrews 5:9)
How about that? Do you see it? It’s Term A & B in the SE all wrapped up in one verse! If we OBEY the teachings of Jesus, which are the 10LC, we will obtain eternal life through his perfect death! Isn’t it amazing how the SE makes sense of all verses?
So to sum this all up, concerning Paul’s phrase “For by Grace are you saved THROUGH Faith”, just realize these words are expressing both terms in the SE. In fact, saying it this way will help you recognize this truth, “For by GOD’S Grace are you saved through YOUR Faith”. Got it? Your faith is Term A in the SE, and God’s grace is Term B. It’s that simple!
Warning!
And one last thing, please be aware there’s a WHOLE LOT of hyper grace doctrine out there today, trying to make you believe you don’t have to live right to go to heaven. But it’s ALL from the enemy, folks! Don’t buy it! It’s crap! It will kill you! God’s grace is only half the picture of salvation, it’s God’s part, as the SE clearly reveals. But you still have YOUR part to do — you must prove your faith in God by keeping the 10LC. Together, these two things, will obtain you eternal life!