Ephesians 2:8 AMP
For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God;
As I read the verse above, I struggle to see anywhere that personal effort and labour counts towards the dispensation of grace that has been made available to me. The verse starts with the declaration that it is by grace that I have been saved from the judgment that I actually deserved due to sin. It is important to consider what grace is: 'the spontaneous, unmerited gift of God's divine favour in the salvation of sinners, and His influence operating in individuals for their regeneration and sanctification'. It is not based on merit, influence, connection or ability, but simply on the gift of God, given solely by His pleasure, so that all of us could approach His throne and obtain salvation from sin, leading to the new birth and sanctification. If there is any gift that is purportedly from God, but which does not demand turning away from sin, that gift is not from God. If there is anything I hold today, which does not remind me of the need to ensure that my life is free from sin, and daily dependent on the supply of God's grace that has brought salvation to me, that I have to be careful about such things.
The gift of salvation is the foundation to all that I will ever hope to be, have or become. As I did not earn it by works in the first place, there is nothing of my own labour that I can do to sustain or keep it. I must first get it by faith, and then sustain it by a daily walk of faith also. It was grace that drew me to Christ and it is grace that will keep me in Christ. Good works will follow, and these are critical to the manifestation of the grace I have received, but I must get the order right. I cannot focus on what I want to achieve for God, and then ignore that which is the foundation of acceptable service by God. If the vessel and the channel is NOT holy and dedicated to God, God may still flow and touch other people through the vessel, but the vessel is in danger of just being used, with no eternal benefits to enjoy. I do not want to be a vessel that is just used and dumped. I want the grace of God to be manifest in and through me, so that men can see the benefit of grace, and be drawn to the visible evidence of God's power, mercy and compassion. God waits for all of us; eternity lies at the end of whatever decision I make. God's time of favour is here.
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