By Grace You HAVE Been Saved

By Grace You HAVE Been Saved

      If you know Jesus, you are walking currently in the state of eternity. You do not have to wait until you die. It is a promise that has been made by an eternal God. That means, you currently walk in his grace and are currently in heaven with him. How? The promise God has made is irrevocable. He has promised eternal salvation to all who call on the name of Jesus. Because of the promise from a faithful God, you can take your salvation to the bank.

      If you have a promissory note from America for, say one million dollars; you can take that note to the bank, any bank, and borrow money against it. It is a note that has been faithful for hundreds of years. Even though it is possible that America might not honor the promise of payment, one could draw on that note because of the faith that the banks have in its backing authority, in this case, America. After all, America has the history of backing its promises.

      The note God has given us is much more powerful. He has never broken his promise. You can literally “bet your life” on his promise. His promise is that whoever has accepted Christ has eternal life. Ephesians 2:4-5 says, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved (Italics added).” Did you notice that the promise is written in the past tense? God made us alive; it is by grace you have been saved. These are promises that can be banked on today.

      In the same way, the promise of your success is guaranteed if you trust God to lead you. Have you noticed that the common denominator of the passages of Scripture in the Bible is success? It is not God’s desire that we fail.

      Some confuse persecution with failure. There are times in a person’s life he or she might be required to suffer for the Kingdom of Christ. This is obvious throughout the Word of God. However, God never declares persecution as a failure of the believer. Quite the contrary, he declares such times success for the glory of God. 

      Others confuse the fact that many believers are poor in this world; therefore, it is not God’s will that any should be rich. According to the Scriptures previously examined this is not the case. So how can this “paradox” be reconciled? It is reconciled in the fact that we must, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you (Matthew 6:33).” All of what things? The things it takes for you to have a successful life. The things God provides us “for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17) whether poor or rich.

      The problem is that as Americans we judge the impoverished of the world through the glasses of the American way of life. When in fact, what we assess as poor, the people of the country or culture themselves might perceive as rich.     

      Because of God’s grace, his promise is true. He gives the abundant life to those who know they have Jesus Christ. He gives the abundance through his promise and security that he walks with believers today. He has not changed; he is with us today and cares about the struggles we encounter.

      Strangely the struggles Christians encounter are due to the lack of trust in the promise. Jesus said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5).” Titus 3:3-5 says:

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit                 . . .”