Print off this week's "More to Explore" sheet and use it all week!
Today’s story comes from the book of Ephesians. Ephesians is in the New Testament and is a letter Paul wrote to believers living in a place called Ephesus. In this letter, Paul shows the believers who they are because of their faith in Jesus.
In the Old Testament, people looked forward to the coming of Christ. They knew God planned to send a Savior to save the world from sin. The Old Testament book of Isaiah talks about the coming Savior, Jesus and how He would pay for the world’s sin. Read Isaiah 53:4-6.
What does verse 5 say healed us (believers)?
Have you made a personal decision to accept Jesus’s gift of salvation?
The Bible is very clear on this. All you have to do is believe. Acts 16:31 says: “… Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved. …” Believe Jesus died and rose again to pay the penalty for the sins you committed. Accept Him as your Savior. Know that only He can forgive your sins. It’s not about what we can do; it’s about what Jesus already did.
None of us do! Ephesians 2:9 points out that salvation is NOT available based on how good we are because people may try to brag about their goodness. Salvation is available by grace through faith in Jesus alone. Only He could pay the penalty for our sins. None of us deserve His grace, but His grace is available to anyone who chooses to believe.
Make a list of all the good things you’ve done today. Now make a list of anything bad you’ve done in the last week. Even by doing just one bad thing in your entire life, you aren’t good enough to make it to heaven. Thankfully, God had grace on us and sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins. It’s because of that grace we can be saved by simply accepting Jesus as our Savior!
Take a moment and read Ephesians 2:1-10. Count how many times grace is mentioned. What did you learn about God’s grace while reading these verses?
