For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

Ephesians 2:8-10, 18-19

Dear Reader: This is a passage which is most freeing to the mind of one who lives a life trying to do their best to earn a place in heaven – something that cannot be done. Read each sentence slowly, and understand its meaning.

First, before doing so, remember and contemplate that the words of Scripture penned in the Bible and preserved throughout the ages is the Word of God, spoken for us, the people of God.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. By believing that Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient for the atonement of your sins, all sin: past, present, and future, you are saved from the wrath of God for all eternity. Welcome to the family! You are blessed by God, as a recipient of his Grace. If you put your faith in the work of Christ instead of your constantly rebellious and failing nature trying to earn your way in you now have an eternal Father and will share a place in His kingdom.

And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God. By our nature, since the fall of Adam, we are sinful and do not seek after the things of God. (Read Romans 1 and 3 for more on this.) We live our own lives, thinking of our temporal world and not the eternal. God gives us our faith: the only reason we seek God and seek to do His will is because he gave us our faith to begin with.

Not a result of works, so that no one may boast. God is God and He will get all the glory. God will share his Glory with no one. Answer this question: If God ordains someone to do something, do you think they can say no? Does a little human being have the power to say no to a command of an omnipotent God? Likewise, if God says “no”, do you think anyone can muscle their way against Him? Both answers are obviously no. For this reason, God gets the glory for giving you your faith and enabling you to come to Him: so that no one may boast. God chose you… you did not choose God. You cannot brag “I chose to follow God” when it was God who gave you your faith. Likewise, if you in your still sinful nature want to rebel and turn against God, that’s not going to happen. Once in His grip, He’ll never let go.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, Number 1: God made us for His glory, and no one else’s. He also created us (us believers, that is) with faith in His Son that we would do good works. Mind the parallel here: our faith enables us to do good works… we were already saved through our faith. We do not do good works in order to earn our way into heaven, dear reader… we do good works in response to the gratitude and love we show to God for calling us to be His own.

…which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Nothing is outside of the scope of God’s vision and work. Everything that happens, he has ordained to happen. Not a hair of your head goes unnumbered and not a cry of one of his children goes unheard. God prepared our lives and our good works before the dawn of time that we should walk in them and be His children, worshiping Him, and glorifying him for eternity.

For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. This is the most shocking statement for many: With our faith in Christ, there is no go-between necessary: no intermediary. There are no priests, bishops, or apostles standing between us and the foot of His throne. Just as a child can crawl into the lap of their father and gain his love, comfort, and attention, so we too have access to the lap of our eternal Father. No man stands between us and God.

Will you confess Christ as your savior, redeemer, and mediator? Well then… Welcome to the Family!

He told me to tell you that.

In His lap…

-Anthony