““For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, [9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.]”
Questions:
1) Remember where and when you first heard this verse;
2) How does that verse work in your life today?

When & Where

As a young man, before the Alpha course was around, I attended a ten week study led by our church pastor. It was designed for people who wanted to refresh their understanding of Christian belief, and also for those who were new to the faith, and we had some of both. This verse appeared in the section on the Holy Spirit, and it was one of many verses which gave new and deeper understanding at the time.

Following on from that study, I began to read extensively, both complete readings of the bible, and comparing the focus and doctrines of different denominations. And some time later I became a regular at the Evangelical Library housed in the Bible Society Building in Rundle Mall, which gave me access to a wealth of books which I could not afford from the many Christian bookshops in the city at that time. And this verse became a key verse in my understanding, it gives new and deeper meaning each time I read it.

As a sideline, another unforgettable aspect of that first reading was the young couple with pre-school children who hosted the study. She was very practical, caring and hospitable, as level-headed and sensible as anyone can be. So, in our reflections at the end of the course, I was struck by her answer to the question of “Do you believe in Heaven?”, when she shared what the medical profession called her Near-Death experience, which was actual death for several minutes. The staff in hospital were silenced when she told them what they had been doing, things she could not have seen from where her dead body was lying. She had not wanted to leave the wonderful presence of Jesus in heaven.

In my life now

I have known guys who had an expensive education from a prestige “Christian” college, claim that Christianity is “just about doing good, the same as all religions.” And I have heard other people say I just need more faith, and that I should try harder. And some people of advanced years refuse to change course because they believe nothing they could do would make right all the wrong turnings they have chosen, so they try to justify their wrong course.

But what is unique about God’s word to us is that He reveals nothing we can do can ever even begin to make us right with Him, it is entirely and “Only By His Grace”, through Jesus.

This leads to three things:

1. Humility

There is nothing I do or say of any value which is not a gift from God. I can see his presence each day in turning my life from a self-focussed one of decay into a life where he renews and equips me to serve him and his people and his creation.

2. It’s Never Too Late

Because it doesn’t depend in any way on what we do, that offers perfect hope to the one who is slowly dying on a hospital bed and cannot hope to achieve anything. For God has already won the victory, and his Holy Spirit is ready to give even the faith in Jesus that is the path to restore us to Himself.

3. Nothing is impossible

As God provides everything we need to follow Him, even our faith, then we never need to focus on our own limitations and shortcomings, we simply need to look to where God is leading us. As Philippians 4:13 promises, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

My natural skills are in destruction, in tearing down things and people, and rejecting sound ideas, and my human pride would make me think I am very good at doing that. But I have found that when I seek to know and follow the path God presents in my life, he equips me to do his will in ways I am not naturally capable. I think one key to being able to see his path is always giving Him the glory for what he has done, if we take personal pride in that then we tend to look to our own path and our own limitations.

The word “inspired” is relevant here. We usually hear it properly used to describe the way people of old recorded God’s word, or misused by people about their personal passion or hobby horse. But when we truly look to God alone and his guidance, then through his Spirit He breathes into us the life and all we need to do his will.

Praise be to God for all he has done, and is doing in my life, and especially for his gift of faith!