This is a creative take on Ephesians 2:8, “For by Grace you have been Saved through Faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.”
I define GRACE as “God’s undeserved favor through which God shows His unconditional, unfailing love towards His people.” God’s Grace is evident through what He sent Jesus to do for us. God sent Jesus(His ONLY BEGOTTEN SON) to die on the cross for our sins while we were still sinners(Romans 5:8). God’s Grace is what saves our soul from the consequence of sin, death.
Our Salvation is a gift and not a result of our well doing on this earth. God’s Grace works well enough to allow us to be saved even though we continue to fall short of His Glory daily. And God’s Grace is sufficient enough for us to receive our Salvation and to continually be molded into the image of Christ Jesus all the days of our life and/or until Christ Returns(Philippians 1:6). It’s what Jesus died for, so that we can continue to grow in Grace through Him even though we don’t deserve it and are not worthy of it; but God saw it fit and counted us worthy anyway because He loves us with a love like no other.
And even our Faith(how we receive God’s Gracious Salvation) is a gift. Because “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the word of God.”(Romans 10:17) God even supplied us with His word about Jesus and people to teach it and preach it. He didn’t have to do it but He did because He knew we would need it to believe and receive His Salvation. That’s God’s Grace. God’s Grace Saves us, and Through our Faith is how we receive it; It’s all through God’s Gift of Grace, even our Faith.
Salvation - The Saving of the Soul
Jesus paid for our Salvation through what He did for us on the cross. JESUS SAVES OUR SOUL. All we have to do is receive it! So how do we receive it? Well the first step is Believing; One must first BELIEVE that God has raised Jesus from the dead and that Jesus is Lord. Then we have to make a confession: Life and Death is in the power of the tongue, so we must confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord as well(Romans 10:9). Think of this as an expression of your Faith. Then we are able to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit(Baptism of the Holy Spirit), who is our helper and who will give us the strength to walk in our Salvation and in the newness of life we have in Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the seal of our Faith(Ephesians 4:30) Baptism with water is a public declaration of Faith, and it represents you being washed away from your old life, and being raised into a newness of life in Jesus, through the same Spirit that was in Jesus(Acts 2:38;Acts 11:16). Which brings us into the next step, repentance; Repentance starts in the heart. We must make up in our hearts and in our minds that we will no longer abide in our old ways of living with its deceitful lusts and desires(Ephesians 4:22-24). We must CHOOSE to turn away from the sin and wickedness that we have been delivered from(Romans 6:12-14). It is also important to remember that, though somethings are required of us to receive our Salvation, it is still not according to any of the works on this earth that we do or have done. Neither can anything we do after we receive it change it or take it away from us(Romans 8:35-39). It is a gift from God, what we call His Grace. By God’s Grace we have been saved through Faith, and Faith is how we receive it. God’s Grace is the only reason our souls are able to be saved(Ephesians 2:8). There is nothing we did or anything we can do to earn our salvation(Ephesians 2:9). The only thing we have to do is receive it in our hearts, and receiving it starts with Believing in what God has done for us through Jesus.
Salvation - The saving of our soul through Jesus, Jesus Saves your Soul!
Whenever the enemy lies to you and causes you to negatively question yourself and/or your existence, take those thoughts captive and FIGHT BACK with your Sword, the WORD OF GOD!
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This shirt doesn’t only make a statement, but it’s also meaningful. I replaced the “t” with a cross in “Christian,” to represent the old rugged cross that Jesus died on for our sins, and to represent that as "Christians,” we are Christ’s; meaning we belong to Him. And because we are His, just as He was crucified on the cross for us, we ought to also crucify our flesh with its passions and desires as we are being made into His Holy image day by day through the Holy Spirit(Galatians 5:24-25).
As well as with the “t” in “Perfect,” to represent that Jesus was perfect for us. So, we don’t have to try to be or act like we are perfect; in fact, we cannot be and are not perfect ON OUR OWN. As human beings it is impossible to be perfect, but WITH GOD all things are possible. So, I thank God that THROUGH HIS SON JESUS, we are justified freely forever. Meaning we are able to be MADE PERFECT through Jesus. Christian’s may not be perfect in the eyes of human beings, but we are human beings who are PERFECTED and able to be seen as perfect in the eyes of God THROUGH what Jesus does for us(Hebrews 10:14). As long as we are here in the flesh, we are perfected by believing and following Him who was, is, and always will be perfect(Hebrews 10:14). So the Salvation of our soul is already ours as Christians(believers and followers of Christ Jesus), but Sanctification is a process….
Christians are not perfect humans, but we are saved from the consequences of our imperfections, and are perfected through God’s Grace and Love found in Jesus. Christians are not perfect, instead we are perfected through Jesus.