- 1. Salvation by faith

Sweet tasting food is more pleasurable than a bitter meal. In a vision, the prophet Ezekiel eat it was in my mouth as sweet as honey God's Word and fo u nd that ' ' (Eze 3:3). Twice in the first eight verses of Ephesians 2, we find what could accurately be described as the sweetest 'by grace you have been saved'. words ever written. These words are simple, profound, unfathomable and life-changing for all who receive them into their heart and mind. everything for nothing for those who As you may well know, g race has been described as ' don't deserve anything ' . It is 'unmerited favour' from God. When you work a full day and receive a fair day's pay - that's a wage. When you compete in a competition and are rewarded for your performance - that's a prize. When you are recognized for your long service or high achievements - that's an award. But if you are a person who is incapable of earning a wage, unable to win a prize and undeserving of any reward, yet you receive a gift, then that is grace. The bleak words of Ephesians 2:1-3 make clear that in our naturally spiritually dead state, we are powerless to earn, win or deserve anything good from God. We are utterly helpless apart from the unmerited favour of God. We have no spiritual currency with which to buy or contribute towards are salvation; it is 100% a gift. Grace is free to the recipient, but costly to the giver. God's grace cost Him estrangement from His own Son. God's grace cost Him the pain of seeing beloved Son suffer. God's grace cost Him the life of His Son. Grace is a difficult, perhaps impossible, concept to understand It has been said that ' ' (Charles C. Ryrie). It's not easy to believe someone who offers grace. The natural human response is 'where's the catch?', 'where's the hidden cost to me?', 'It can't be that simple!'. It is not easy to believe someone who says that he will do something spectacularly and lastingly good for us that we do not deserve. Grace does not sit well with our natural human condition. We are all so very familiar with systems of merit 'Do this and you will be rewarded. Fail to do this and you will be punished' . Knowledge of the Old Testament covenant curses and blessings in Scripture can fuel a merit- based understanding of salvation if taken in isolation from the 'rest of the story' about Jesus Christ who perfectly fulfils the Law of God on behalf of others. 'For by grace you have been saved ' . Paul writes in verse 8 Notice carefully through faith the word 'through' . Faith is the or by which a person is made right with instrument means God. The theological term for 'being made right with God' is ' justification '. However, just as a violin does not produce music by itself, but rather it is the by which the skilled means violinist conveys a beautiful sound, so, faith itself does not make a person right with God, but rather is the by which God justly brings law-breakers like you and me into great means favour with Himself; so much that we become His children by adoption - as Paul described at the start of this letter (Eph 1:5). Now this is not just , any belief, but only personal, heartfelt faith in Jesus Christ as any faith crucified Saviour and Risen Lord (Rom 4:23-25; 10:8-13). This is clearly revealed in many