Saved By Faith Alone

The first important fact to understand as a new Christian is that salvation is by faith alone. Your salvation is not based on your own strength or abilities. Salvation has not been given to you because of your own good works. There was nothing you could do to save yourself. Salvation is a free gift! The Bible states:

 

“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.”

(Ephesians 2:8, NLT)

 

Imagine yourself falling off of a large ocean liner and plunging into the deep. Desperately thrashing about, you are weakening quickly and beginning to sink. Death is imminent. Sharks are circling, sensing their opportunity. You are without a life jacket, and there is no way to climb up the side of the vast ship. Only one thing can save you—the actions of somebody else.

Seeing your plight, the sea captain throws you a life preserver while grasping the other end of the attached rope. “Grab hold, and I will pull you in!” he cries. Gratefully, you seize the life preserver, and the captain hauls you up to safety. Our salvation happens exactly the same way! In fact, the Bible calls Jesus the “Captain” of our salvation. It further explains in Ephesians:

 

“It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.”

(Ephesians 2:1–6, The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language)

Before knowing Christ, we were all lost in the treacherous, deadly sea of sin. There was no way for us to rescue ourselves. But thankfully, a lifeline was thrown our way, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We grabbed hold of it by placing our faith in His death, burial, and resurrection. Now, as Christians, we have been rescued and placed in the safe ship of salvation by the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ! Romans says,

 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

(Romans 6:23, NRSV)

 Why not take a moment now and thank God for His gracious gift of salvation? Praise Him for delivering you out of sin and death into a new, abundant life. As you think about God’s goodness, ask yourself the following questions. I suggest you go beyond simply writing yes or no. Rather, try this approach: “Yes, because…” or “No, because….”

•   Have I put my complete trust in Jesus Christ?

•   Have I surrendered every area of my life to Him?     

•   Do I trust the Lord to help me work through every situation, good or bad?

 Let’s pray the following prayer together!

Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for saving me and bringing me into your glorious kingdom. I believe you are the “captain” of my salvation. Lord, you are in control. I give myself to you completely. I let go of any doubts or worries and trust you to help me take care of…[[NAME THE SITUATION(S)]] through the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for loving and accepting me despite my sins and leading me by your Holy Spirit daily. In Jesus’s name, Amen.