Part Four of Nine: Salvation by Grace

The second essential doctrine in which we, as Christians, must believe in to be within the pale of orthodoxy is salvation by grace. Many today who profess to be Christian do not believe in the doctrine of salvation by grace. Since Christ walked the face of the Earth, there have been people who have had trouble with salvation by grace when works weren’t involved. The Pharisees of Christ’s day were no different. Christ threatened the security, prestige, and income of the Pharisees and they hated Him because He made them look bad to the people and to Rome.

However, the Bible says that Jesus Christ delivered us from the curse of the Law [1]. Christ did not observe the traditions of the Law. Salvation by grace [2] was only one of the many objections they held with Christ. Therefore, if we are to emulate Jesus Christ [3] and confess our Christianity, then Salvation by grace and the deity of Christ [4] are two doctrines to which we must adhere. Because:

v8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
v9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. [Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV]

v4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. [Galatians 5:4 KJV]

v20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. [Romans 3:20 KJV]

Bottom line is we need the undeserving, unearned, and unmerited grace of God. I need His grace. I AM NOT too proud to admit that. I cannot fathom a world without the grace of God to guide my day. I fail Him daily but thank God for His forgiveness. Thank God for His redemption and salvation. Thank you God for the love you have for me.

To be in unity of the Christian faith, we must number one, believe that Christ is God and that He came in the flesh, and two, we must believe that we are saved by grace and not that of works so we can’t boast whereas God gets all the glory. God will not share His glory with anyone [5]. However, as we imitate Christ, we can share in His reflective glory [6].

Tomorrow, we will cover the third essential doctrine of the Christian faith, which is the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. You can base the whole of Christianity on the resurrection of Jesus Christ, for if Christ be not risen, we are all still in our sins. It’s not an exhaustive study but only basics to bring to our attention as a reminder only of what is important and what is not, especially in the days that lie ahead. Remember that the Bible calls us to unity [7].
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[1] Galatians 3:13
[2] Ephesians 2:8, 9
[3] 1 Corinthians 11:1; Ephesians 5:1; 1 Peter 2:21; 1 John 2:6 and many more.
[4] John 1:1, 14
[5] Isaiah 42:8
[6] 2 Corinthians 3:18
[7] 1 Corinthians 1:10; Ephesians 4:1-6; John 17:21; Psalm 133:1, and many more.