It’s Not Earned; It’s A Gift
Reverend J. Loren Russell
Ephesians 2:8-10 (NKJV)
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Salvation has been described as God rescuing people from sin, spiritual death, and eternal judgment, while restoring them to a right relationship with Himself through Jesus Christ. Then comes the proverbial question, “Can you earn salvation?” Paul, writing to the church of Ephesus says emphatically, “No!”
If anyone could earn their salvation, then it would not be a rescue effort but something anyone could do for themselves. It would be like a drowning person saving themselves, or someone caught in a fire rescuing themselves. They could boast about it and hold themselves up as being better than everyone else who drowned or were consumed in the fire.
I am very grateful that salvation is not something that can be earned, and that we cannot do for ourselves. It points to our need for God. I could only imagine the arrogance and sense of entitlement the saints of God would have if they could be saved because they had a specific gift or ability. Paul’s intention in this epistle is to make it clear that you don’t “do” your way into the kingdom. Work does not earn us a place in the Lord’s Kingdom. We are welcomed into the Kingdom because we receive the gift of salvation.
The process is very simple; the moment a sincere confession of Christ as Lord and Master of [your] life, and a belief in [your] heart that Jesus was raised from the dead, salvation takes place. You are, at that moment, a recipient of the gift of salvation. All your sins are caste into a sea of forgetfulness, and [you] are saved.
Because salvation rescues people from sin, spiritual death, and eternal judgment, theologian Ravi Zacharias observed, “Jesus does not offer to make bad people good, but to make dead people alive.”
The Kingdom of God belongs to those who understand that they cannot earn, but are ready, willing, and able to receive the free gift of salvation.
Be Blessed!
Rev. J. Loren Russell is an associate minister at Goodwill Baptist Church and is the clergy officiant of the Evangelical Church of God, all in the Bronx, President/CEO of The JL Company for Church Financial & Strategic Consulting (718-328-8096), and hosts “Matters of
Faith – The Radio Show” on Monday nights from 8:00 – 10:00 PM on Facebook Live. Be sure to Friend “Matters of Faith” on YouTube and email us at mattersoffaith.mof@gmail.com.
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