Life Preservers, You can't grab'em if your already dead

Salvation is a funny thing. It is something many want, so they try to go out and get it. You just can’t go to Salvation-Mart and pick up some salvation. Satan uses the lie of salvation by works to keep you from it. It would be like yea it’s in Salvation-Mart somewhere just go on in and look for it, trust me it’s there. So many believe the lie, go in and die while looking for it. I know that’s a little extreme but in reality many do think that by doing good things, by being a good person that is what’s required to get into Heaven, again a lie. Still others who think they are smarter yet, think that just by saying a prayer, walking forward at a church service that by doing, that they are now Christian, yet another lie. All of these things are no more correct than going to your local Salvation-Mart. As was mentioned yesterday sin kills us and we are dead in our sins. The best way I have heard to explain this goes something like this.

There are those who think that salvation is like we are drowning in the ocean, Christ throws us a life preserver and all we have to do is reach out and grab it and Christ will save us, yet another lie. We like to think we have a part in our salvation but we do not. The truth is more like this. In sin we are dead, D.E.A.D. dead we have drowned and are nothing but a decaying corpse. If Christ were to throw us a life preserver there is no way we could reach out and grab it because we are dead. We are so dead that He has to reach down pull us out of the water and not just bring us back to life but give us new life. This is grace and there is no I in grace. That’s what makes it grace. If you are a Christian you are an example of His incredible grace. So be that example God intended you to be.

 Ephesians 2: 4-9

⁴ But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, ⁵ that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) ⁶ For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. ⁷ So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.n⁸ God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. ⁹ Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.