Steven A. Bush - February 7, 2021
God's Grace: Pardon Plus Power
Ephesians 2:8-10 says: "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (ESV) Grace is God's undeserved love, His unmerited favor, that comes with His enabling power. Mature saints know this: We never graduate from the Gospel. We aren't saved by grace without works and then transformed into His likeness by works without grace. The grace that saved us is the grace that sustains us. We are saved and sanctified--both--by the grace of God. Charles Spurgeon put it this way: "If He gives you the grace to make you believe, He will give you the grace to live a holy life afterward." Like the Apostle Paul declares in Philippians 1:6: "And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." (ESV)