Worship for Today: Salvation by grace!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in John 1:12,

 

"To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."

 

Over the years many have worked hard to be good enough to get into heaven. Sensing the sin in their lives, they have sought to establish a right standing with God by living a life "good enough" to earn their place at the table of God. The people of Israel are an example of this. Paul speaks of it in Romans 9 and 10.

 

In Romans 10:1-2 we read, "Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge." The Israelites kept many laws in their efforts to not sin and establish their righteousness before God. Paul goes on to say, "Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own..." This they did through their oral laws and traditions handed down that had their origin in the law Moses had given them.

 

But the gospel declares our right standing with God is only available through Jesus Christ, embracing him in faith. Paul goes on to say in the Romans 10 passage, "Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes." Conforming our lives in an ethical manner will never earn us a place at God's table. Receiving a place at his table is a wonderful gift that we receive as a result of us embracing him in faith. This is why we say salvation is by God's grace. "if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace." Romans 11:6.

 

I find this to be a marvelous expression of God's loving, kind and merciful heart: he offers us a place in his family by simply embracing him in faith, trusting him!

 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com