Especially verse 8+9
4"But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."
This scripture is understood by many as we are saved by faith alone and works are not necessary for salvation.
But is that what is really being taught here?
Are we supposed to work? Yes see verse 10
What Paul is saying is you are not saved because you worked to earn it. It is by the grace of God you are saved.
However, isn't verse 10 just as much part of our salvation as the rest of the scripture.
10 "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."
The truth is that Jesus death reconciles us with God and after we are reconciled God gives us His Spirit and by having His Spirit in us we can overcome sin. Not by our rightoeusness but His in us. We are are His(Gods) creation created in Christ Jesus for good works.
See Romans 8:1-4
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Notice verse 4 "that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."
Matt. 22:34 "But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"
37 Jesus said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 40 these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."
Brought to you by Thecityoftruth.com