v 8. God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
This was the message of the first Christians and it is really hard for some of us to grasp just how radical this idea was. For Jews – and indeed followers of every other religion – a good relationship with God (or the gods) depended entirely on doing the right things to please him (or her). Offer the right sacrifices, say enough prayers, give enough away to help the poor – these were the demands of the gods in return for protection, good crops, a healthy family and so on. So religion became a struggle to fulfil whatever demands the god, through the appropriate priests, might make. Religion became a tight-fitting and mighty uncomfortable straightjacket. (Sadly, there are those who view Christian faith in the same light – it is seen as a long list of commandments and obligations.)
Then along come Christians with a message of liberation and freedom. God’s nature as a Giver has lead him to do everything necessary for salvation from sin and a right relationship with Himself. The demand to get everything right in our lives before enjoying a relationship with God never has been God’s way of drawing us into union with Himself. The ‘Sin Problem’ that kept us away from God has been dealt with through Jesus’ death and resurrection. Faith in Jesus, believing in God’s promises of forgiveness through him, is the way to eternal life with Him. That is what Grace is about.
It is the free and undeserved gift of God that releases us from a life of slavish attempts at 100% obedience to a set of laws in order to try to win God’s favour. No wonder we can sing with such feeling the words ‘Amazing Grace.’
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