For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. – Ephesians 2:8

If you’re a believer or know anything about the Christian faith, you’ve probably heard the term “saved by grace.” This is an incredibly important factor when it comes to the good news about Jesus, but I’ve learned that few people have a good grasp on the concept. If you want to further your knowledge on being saved by grace and strengthen your faith, follow along for an explanation of God’s redemption plan. 

What is Redemption?

The dictionary definition of redemption is “the action of regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for payment, or clearing a debt.” In terms of the Great I Am, redemption is the manner in which He saves us. 

Every person on earth is one of God’s creations, and their souls come with a price. The debt we owe and the only payment we can make for our inevitable sinful nature is eternal death. 

BUT GOD. 

He didn’t want us to have to die for our sins or be separated from His creation, so He sent Jesus into the world. Jesus lived a sinless life, making Him the perfect sacrificial lamb for the whole world. On that cross, Jesus who knew no sin, became sin in order to defeat the power of sin and death.

God’s incredible grace—His unmerited, unwavering favor of mankind—lead Him to come into the world, fully God and fully man, to pay our debt and take our place in death. Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection are sufficient in paying for our souls and redeeming us eternally!

Ephesians 2:8

As you read at the very top, Ephesians 2:8 tells us exactly how we’re saved and that our salvation is a gift. Many people will try to tell you that you have to do something besides believe, but that’s certainly not the case. Various other religions have very specific steps you MUST take in order to be ‘saved,’ but accepting your salvation through Jesus, which is the only way to heaven, doesn’t come with a to-do list. 

God’s redemption plan and salvation is by grace through faith BECAUSE it’s a gift. Think about it this way: when someone gives you a gift, you don’t have to do any works to receive it, and you wouldn’t try to pay them for it. In the same way, God’s favor, redemption, and salvation isn’t something you can work for. 

As a result, nobody can boast about their salvation because it’s not the outcome of anything they did; but rather, it’s solely based on what Jesus did on the cross for us. 

Works vs. Grace

I’ve heard many people say that James 2:14-26 directly contradicts Ephesians 2:8 because faith without works is dead. However, this passage is simply explaining that good works are a natural byproduct of true faith. In other words, good works don’t result in salvation; instead, being saved and having faith should result in good works. 

When you think of good works, images of feeding the poor, going on missions trips, giving money to charity, or dedicating yourself to serving at church probably pop in your head. Unfortunately, these common images of good works lead people to believe that acts like water baptism, studying the word every day religiously, praying specific prayers, or abiding by the Law of Moses aren’t also considered works. As a result, many people place their hope of salvation in their effort to follow religious practices or be a good person. 

I’m not at all saying that your faith in Jesus shouldn’t have an outward overflow (it definitely should!), but your salvation is a result of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ ALONE, not anything you can do yourself. In fact, this is something the Holy Spirit laid on my heart recently, which affirmed this truth for me:

If water or works could save, then why did Jesus have to die on the cross? 

Dismissing the Concept of Self

When you become a believer and put your trust in the sufficiency of the gospel, you receive the Holy Spirit that comforts you and guides you into all truth. An inward transformation begins in you—you become a temple for the Holy Spirit living inside of you! This is SO beautiful, and you’re no longer living and walking as your fleshly self. Rather, it’s the Holy Spirit that lives in you and through you. Because of this, true faith results in a public proclamation to follow Jesus (water baptism), good behavior, walking in the spirit, and becoming more like Jesus.

As a new believer, you’ll have the urge to turn away from your old habits and ways of thinking as the Holy Spirit convicts you and cleans up your act. This is where many people get it all wrong: they attribute these changes as something THEY wanted or something THEY did on their own righteousness. 

Dismiss this idea and concept of self! Everything we do after changing our mind and choosing to believe and trust in Jesus is ONLY a result of God’s grace and the Holy Spirit’s sanctification process; you can’t do any of this on your own accord. 

Understanding that the Lord saves you by grace can be challenging for some to grasp, as you may think you’ve done too much wrong for it to be that simple. But it is! Try to think about this explanation of God’s redemption plan with the mind of a child—it makes more sense. After reading this, you may be eager to learn how to deepen your relationship with God—start by spending quality time with Him by learning more about His character and talking to Him through prayer.