Stop your striving. Ephesians 2.8-9

Stop your striving.  Ephesians 2.8-9

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves. 

It is the gift of God—

not by works, so that no one can boast.

Greetings! 

Striving vs. Receiving.  Doing vs. Done.  I memorized these verses as a very small girl, so I have always known they were key to Christianity—my part and God’s part.  (Hmmm… my part?)  But, saved?  Saved for what, or is it from what?  And, why do I need to be saved?

Set in context, Paul has just talked about our spiritual conditions, outside of Christ… but let us remind ourselves about relationship with God, before Jesus Christ became God incarnate.  At the time of creation, set before the two first parents was a monumental choice:  obey God, love him first, and be free forever, OR disobey in one thing, put self first, and be encumbered by sin forever.  As we know, the second choice was made,¹ separating man from God by a wide chasm of sin.  Until the Perfect Lamb became flesh, man made sacrifices to God to atone for sin—a pure, spotless lamb … ever since, man has been trying to cover, atone and recover from sin … enter Jesus.  [Without Jesus, man is still trying to cover and atone for sin, and fill an empty space within.]

Why do we need to be saved? To the western mind, the problem is one of relativism. I have had actual conversations like this:  ‘Saved from sin, is that what you are talking about?  Why, compared to most folks, I am hardly a sinner! I don’t cheat, kill or lie… well, hardly ever anyway; I am a good person—really I am.’  To which I say, ‘Ma’am, I am sure you are; maybe even compared to me, you are a better person.  But since we are looking at matters of sin, only One can judge those; an all-holy God can judge matters of the heart.  Now, compared to him … I ask you, Ma’am, are you a sinner?  Oh, and if it comes down to being a ‘good’ person—how good do you have to be?  I mean, what is the percentage…like, what if you are 68 percent good, and God would only accept 72 percent attempt at goodness?’ 

And so it goes.  But the fact is, God is eternally just, all holy, and a perfect being, therefore only perfection can be in his presence; no percentages of goodness are sufficient.  Our human condition brings us up short.  And so mankind tries.  Why?  Because we are keenly aware of our incompleteness.  Still, within ourselves, we know our attempts are rather lame.  I suppose religion helps, and through rituals and practices, offers us a role to play.  Hinduism and Buddhism recognize the problem is self, and through meditation attempts to eliminate selfish desires and ways, in an effort to become nothing.  But there is no assurance or real hope to be had.  Judaism and Islam are religions of law, with elaborate rituals and codes to uphold.² Pray five times a day.  Pack up and go to Mecca.  Sacrifice a lamb or a goat.  Wear a long beard.  Keep kosher.  In the end, there is only hope …  no loving relationship with God, and no assurance.  Leaves a longing within.

Christianity alone says that to enter God’s kingdom, perfection is required; being good is not good enough.  Like the Hindus and Buddhists, Christians recognize that the self must be extinguished, but admits powerlessness in making that happen.  Christianity also admits that humanity will not be able to perfectly uphold God’s laws or commands.  And so God …

God came to us.  We can stop our striving, and grapple with grace instead.  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves. 

It is the gift of God— salvation is not our gift … God is!

not by works, so that no one can boast.

God gave us himself.  Stop trying to be good enough …  S t r I v I n g.  Reach out and accept him.  What do you have to lose, Friend?  Believe in the complete work of Jesus Christ, and you will be saved … really… starting right now!  Saved from sin, into life eternal, knowing God’s presence and love forever.  You and I will never be given a greater gift than that.  So… our part?  Receive, and know peace in this life and the next.  His part?  To give his all.  It is an offer you cannot refuse. Amen.

^{1      Genesis 3.1-19.  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%203.1-19&ve...}

^{2     from What’s so Great About Christianity? Dinesh D’Souza, “Jesus among other Gods: the Uniqueness of Christianity}