In finishing up our series on God’s grace, it’s important to remember that it is certainly God’s grace alone through which we are saved out of death in our sins – His saving grace, and His grace is sufficient for us to carry us through whatever we might encounter in this life – His sustaining grace. Along the way, God’s grace is perfecting us day-by-day into the very image of God’s Son Jesus – His sanctifying grace. Finally, throughout this life and our eternal life to come, God’s grace is and will forever be poured out in infinite measure upon His children who have believed on the Name and Gospel of Jesus for salvation – God’s securing grace.
Bible Book: Romans
Our salvation is a three-fold process. We are justified (our eternal life is secured) by God’s saving grace through Jesus’ death on the cross in our faith in His resurrection. This begins the second phase in which we are being perfected into the very image of our Savior Jesus through God’s sanctifying grace.
Proverbs offers us a series of simple comparisons that teach us fundamental truths about life. King Solomon, the wisest man ever known shares with us the difference between pursuing a life of wisdom and pursuing folly. Wisdom being, instruction, knowledge, and understanding while folly is the opposite.
Now that we understand the Christian life is not lived on a playground but is instead carried out on a battleground where attacks from the enemy are ever present, we can now begin investigating what it takes to defend ourselves. What does it take? The full armor of God! Paul, in Ephesians 6 informs us about the armor we GET to put on each day.
There are two areas of a believer’s life which show the world around them how serious they are about their relationship with Jesus. The first is the pursuit of personal holiness, followed by active participation in an authentic Jesus loving, Bible believing, Bible teaching, Bible practicing local church.
What do we mean when we refer to salvation, or to being saved? It means you have been rescued from the inevitable results of living in your sin. It means death is not permanent. It means, because of Jesus and His work on the cross of sacrifice, in the tomb of victory, and through the hope of a heavenly future, you do not have to go to hell.
The gospel is the best and most important news ever given to the world. It’s good news because it comes directly from the Creator. It’s good news because it tells us what Jesus Christ has done for us. It’s good news because it transforms those who put their trust in it. The gospel is the central message of the Bible.


