We can become so familiar with a certain passage of scripture that we don't really know what it says. We don't pay attention to it anymore because it has become so common to us. Ephesians 2:8-9 has become one such passage for many believers.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
There are some profound truths revealed here, one of which is that we are saved by grace through faith.
The body of Christ is basically divided into two groups: Those who emphasize grace (what God does) and those who emphasize faith (what we do).
One group preaches that everything is totally up to God. They say, "Everything is determined by the sovereignty of God. It's whatever He chooses." The other group teaches, "No, you have to do this and that, and this and that."
Those who preach man's responsibility will normally say that those who teach that it's just all up to God are totally wrong. Those who preach that it's all up to God will teach against those who say man has some responsibility in the matter.
You might phrase this issue differently, but it all comes down to the question, "What do I do—what part is God's part, and what part is mine?"
God's Word clearly teaches a balance between grace and faith.
Even though the body of Christ typically divides into two camps—one emphasizing what God has to do, and the other emphasizing what we have to do—Ephesians 2:8-9 says that we are saved by grace through faith. We aren't saved by one or the other.
-Pastor Ron Lambright
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