Relying on God Alone

2 Timothy 1:9-10

“For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was His plan from before the beginning of time—to show us His grace through Christ Jesus. And now He has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior.”

Human beings throughout history have wanted to believe that they can somehow warrant God’s favor, exerting some effort to affect their own salvation. The truth is that every human being born since Adam’s fall (except for Jesus Christ) has been born spiritually dead, separated from the Life Gods intended for us all. The Apostle Paul makes it very clear that that is the case as he quotes Psalms 5, 10, 14,36, 53, 140 and Isaiah 59 in his letter to the church at Rome.

Romans 3: 10-18 “As the Scriptures say, ‘No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God.  All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one. Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies. Snake venom drips from their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. They rush to commit murder. Destruction and misery always follow them. They don’t know where to find peace. They have no fear of God at all.’”

The eternal truth is that salvation is ONLY of the Lord. He is the Initiator and all we can do is to accept that fact. He gives us ears to hear of His saving grace and eyes to see the finished work of redemption He has completed in and through the life, death, Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ. We are the responders, believing, receiving, and saying, “Thank you, Lord!”

The wonder is that God has made a people from those who were not His people. We are delivered from the kingdom of darkness, united to the Resurrection of Life of Jesus Christ. God in His love has called us to live a holy life, the only life that is whole. That life lived out is holy because the Holy Spirit lives the Life of Jesus in every believer transforming every aspect of life over time. It is not because anyone has ever or ever will deserve it, God has demonstrated His great love and grace to everyone who will believe. That is what makes the salvation of God such Good News! It is not what we could ever do, it is what God has already done for us.