Grace for the Person Who Thinks They Must Earn God’s Love
Maybe you know the feeling of quietly keeping score. If I pray enough, serve enough, improve enough, or stop struggling, maybe God will finally be pleased with me.
Paul writes, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith” (Ephesians 2:8, NIV, excerpt)
Read it in context
Read the surrounding passage in the NIV.
Ephesians 2 begins with our need for rescue. Paul describes God making us alive with Christ while we were dead in sin. His great love and mercy come first.
Salvation is a gift. We receive it through faith in Jesus. In verse 10, Paul shows where good works belong: God creates us anew in Christ for a life of faithful love. Obedience grows from the grace we have received.
Put down the scorecard
If you have failed, bring it into the light and repent. If you have done good work, thank God for the grace that enabled it. You can turn toward the Savior who welcomes repentant people.
You are invited to stop presenting your record and trust the finished work of Jesus. Grace humbles us because we cannot boast. Grace also frees us to love and obey without trying to purchase what God gives.
A prayer
Father, thank You for the gift of salvation through Jesus. Help me stop trying to earn what only grace can give. Let obedience grow from gratitude, love, and faith. Amen.
Read next: Salvation as Foundation, Fruit as Evidence
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God's grace is a gift you could never earn.
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