#1398. Saved through faith alone (1/12/25)

Welcome to this Come to Jesus Daily Devotional (posted, at present, every weekday) as we continue our Ephesians series: Ephesians - To the praise, for the purpose, in the power of God. 

As we begin looking at Ephesians 2:8-10, Paul reminds us again of the foundation of our salvation: it is by grace through faith. This is one of the clearest and most important statements in the Bible about how we are saved. Today, we ask:

What does it mean to be saved by grace through faith, and how should we apply this in our lives to fight for the peace that God wants us to enjoy? 

To watch this devotional, select the link below:

1. For…

Notice how Paul begins with the word “For.” He is linking what he says here to the previous verses (2:4–7), where he taught that God’s eternal purpose in saving us is that :

Now, Paul grounds that hope in certainty: your salvation is not built on your efforts but on God’s grace. You and I - no matter our weaknesses, failures, or struggles - are safe in Christ. Our eternal future is secure, because we are saved ‘by grace through faith,’ not ‘by works through obedience.’

2. By grace through faith

Paul repeats what he said in 2:5: ‘…it is by grace you have been saved.’ Why the repetition? Because God knows how desperately we need this truth. It is one of the most important truths we can ever grasp. And He knows how prone we are to stray from it!

Most people - and most religions - believe that salvation comes through trying hard, living well, and hoping God (whoever He is) will weigh our good deeds against our bad. But this is an insecure and exhausting way to live. Even Christians often drift into thinking our acceptance with God rises and falls with our performance.

But the gospel calls us to the end of ourselves. Salvation is not earned; it is received. Faith means placing our trust not in what we do but in what Christ has done on the cross.

Through faith in Christ, a believer is counted as righteous in God’s sight - not one day in the future, but right now. Before we lift a finger to do anything, the verdict is already in: we are forgiven, accepted, and secure. The burden of sin has been removed!

3. Only those who have faith are saved!

It’s also important to stress that salvation comes only through faith in Christ. We live in a culture where many assume that all faiths (or even no faith at all) lead to God. But Paul is crystal clear: salvation is in Christ alone.

We are not saved by being ‘good people.’ We are not saved by baptism, religious rituals, or spiritual experiences. We are saved by trusting in the death and resurrection of Jesus for our sins.

That’s why Paul writes in chapter 1:

Response

How do you deal with your failures and feelings of failure? Do you fight the fight of faith by fixing your eyes on Christ and His cross?

Take encouragement today from this great promise in Romans 3:

Community Group Notes

1. Notices

It might be good to begin with notices. Please share from this week’s Church News.

Note:

• Please be thinking and praying about who you might want to invite to our upcoming carol service (7th December)

  
  

2. Icebreaker

How has God been speaking to you from His Word this week, and how has this helped you? 

3. Worship together

Let’s begin our time together by lifting our eyes and hearts to worship our great God. Perhaps you have readings and songs that you would like to use together. Let’s be open to the gifts that the Spirit wants to give in order to encourage one another.

4. Study and pray together

THIS WEEK IS SIV (SERVE INVEST AND INVITE) WEEK.

What is SIV? 

SIV stands for Serve, Invest, and Invite. This is our very simple strategy to help bring our community to Jesus. We believe that God has placed us in relationships and in specific locations to be 'salt and light.' and to ‘fish for people’.  We can effectively bring people to Jesus by 'Serving' them - demonstrating the love of Christ in practical ways; by 'Investing' in the people to whom we feel the Spirit is leading us; and by 'Inviting' them into our homes by showing hospitality and inviting them to church events, to Alpha, and ultimately, inviting them to come to Jesus through the gospel. 

Along with a brief reflection on Sunday’s text, let's spend this time sharing, thinking and praying about how God wants to work through us to help our communities to come to Jesus. 

This week, we continue in our series: Ephesians: to the praise, for the purpose, in the power of God. 

Our message on Sunday from Ephesians 2:8-10 was: We are God’s good work for His good works 

In these verses, we see that although we are in no way saved by our good works, we are re-created in Christ for God's good works; good character and works are the inevitable outcome of being united to Christ.

Please read Ephesians 2:8-10 and discuss:

• Personal Reflection – What did God speak to you about through Sunday’s message?

SIV (Serve, Invest, and Invite)

• How does God's promise of 'good works' affect our approach to evangelism?

• Why should understanding that salvation - including our faith - is the gift of God lead us to greater confidence in sharing the gospel?

• Share Stories – Have you had any recent opportunities to Serve, Invest in, or Invite someone toward Jesus? Let’s encourage one another by sharing testimonies of God at work through us.

• Practical Next Steps – Who is God putting on your heart to reach? Are there any ‘people of peace’ (*see note) in your life—those who are receptive to you and spiritual conversation?

Let’s pray together: 

• Let’s pray for one another based on our study, and bring before God any other needs or requests for prayer.

• Pray for one another's SIV opportunities and boldness in following the Spirit's promptings.

• Pray specifically for the ‘people of peace’ in our lives - asking God to open hearts and provide opportunities to speak life and truth.

• Pray for our upcoming carol service (7th) and those who may be planning to invite.