Are You Saved?
"For by grace you have been saved through faith,
and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
not of works, lest anyone should boast."
Ephesians 2: 8-9
A story is told of a religious leader who was
waiting to board a train to begin a journey.
A simple man approached the religious leader and asked him,
“Sir, are you saved?” The leader replied, “Yes, I am.” The simple
man then asked, “When were you saved?” The leader replied,
“I was saved in A.D. 33 when Jesus Christ died on the cross for
my sins.”
How would you respond to the leader’s answer in light of Ephesians
2:8-9? He was certainly right in saying that his salvation had nothing
to do with him, happening so long ago. He meant that he was saved
by grace, which is true.
But he didn’t mention anything about “through faith.” He didn’t indicate
that he had responded to God’s grace personally—by placing his faith
in Christ who died for him on the cross. Yes, we're saved by the grace
of God, to which we respond through faith.
When were you saved? How were you saved?
The biblical answer is in Ephesians 2:8-9: the
grace of God by the gift of faith.
"Christian doctrine is grace, and
Christian conduct is gratitude."
J. I. Packer