Grace
Saved by Grace Alone
"For by grace ye are saved" (Eph. 2:5,8). If a person is saved, he is saved in only one way: by the marvelous, matchless grace of God!
What does this mean? What is GRACE? Grace is God’s unmerited favor, His undeserved kindness. Grace is God’s approval, God’s acceptance, God’s favor towards the sinner because of Jesus Christ. None of it is deserved. None of it is earned. The sinner does not merit it and cannot merit it. God has graciously and freely poured out His love and kindness toward the sinner who believes on His Son.
The Bible gives its own definition of God’s grace. In Ephesians chapter 2 Paul discusses salvation by grace alone. He defines God’s grace as "His kindness toward us [the undeserving ones described in Eph. 2:1-3] through Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:7). In Titus chapter 3 Paul writes that a person is saved purely by the mercy and grace of God (see verses 5 and 8, "not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to His mercy He saved us . . . justified by His grace"). In Titus 3:4 the grace of God is defined as "the kindness and love of God, our Saviour, toward man [even the undeserving man described in verse 3, "foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts, etc."].
Grace has nothing to do with wages. A wage is something that a person works for and earns. Grace is something a person receives that he does not deserve and that he cannot and did not earn. A wage is payment for work done. Grace is something freely given based upon the work done by Another, even the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace has nothing to do with debt. Debt is something that is owed. Debt has to do with work and earnings. If a person works for someone, then that person owes him something. He needs to pay the worker for the work done. Grace is something freely given. God does not owe anyone salvation. If God were to give us what we have earned and what He owes us, it would be eternal death (Rom. 6:23a).Grace has nothing to do with receiving a reward. A reward is something that is given in return for good or evil done. Salvation is not a reward which God gives to a person in return for the good that the person has done. Salvation is by grace, based only upon the Person and work of Jesus Christ. It is based upon what He has done, not upon what the sinner has done. If God were to reward us for how we have lived, the reward would be eternal punishment. We deserve nothing less than hell.
Grace focuses upon all that God gives to the sinner which the sinner does not deserve [such as eternal life, forgiveness of sins, peace with God, etc.]. Mercy focuses upon all that God does not give to the miserable sinner which he does deserve [such as God’s wrath, punishment, eternal death, hell, etc.]. God is gracious to the believing sinner in freely giving to Him the gift of Christ and all that comes with the gift of His Son (Romans 8:32), all of which he does not deserve. God is merciful to the believing sinner in that He has withheld His judgment and wrath upon him, all of which the sinner justly deserves.