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| “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” |
| —Ephesians 2:8-9 |
Years ago I heard a sermon illustration that went something like this:
A man faltered on the sidewalk in midtown Manhattan and fell to the ground. People gathered around him. One bystander went to the nearby pay phone and dialed for help. Soon sirens sounded in the distance and an ambulance arrived. The attendants tried to revive the man, but he had died.
At the moment of his death, the man awoke, as if he had somehow fallen asleep. Looking around he saw the most beautiful gates he had ever seen. High at the top of the gate were the words “Whosoever Will May Come.” He pushed against the gate, but it was locked. He looked around to see if he could either find a key or locate someone to help him unlock the gate.
After he searched, he found a small sign mounted on the right side of the gate. The sign read “Enter by grace through faith.” He shook his head, puzzled as to what the sign meant.
He thought about all the good things he had done in his life and tried to weigh those good things against the bad things he had done. On balance, he felt quite confident that his good deeds outweighed the bad. So, he pushed on the gate again.
As he pushed, he noticed the sign glowed for an instant. He pushed again and again the sign glowed briefly. Every time he pushed on the gate the sign glowed for an instant.
Finally, quite frustrated, he sat down in front of the gate and wondered what he was missing. What did he need to do to open the gates of heaven?
“You see,” the preacher concluded the illustration, “the man made the same mistake that countless people make. He thought his good deeds would get him into heaven. What he failed to realize was that the entrance fee to heaven had already been paid by Jesus on the cross. There was nothing he could do to gain entry through those beautiful gates.
“And, dear friends, there is nothing you can do to enter those gates when you pass from this life to the next. Jesus paid it all. He and He alone is the One who enables us to push on through those gates. It is by God’s grace, through faith in His Son, Jesus, that we come into His Presence for all eternity.”
The Apostle Paul stated this truth so clearly in Ephesians 2:8-9:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.
Our entrance into the Kingdom of God—the Kingdom to come in eternity and the Kingdom of God here and now on earth—is by grace through faith in Jesus. The more we understand this, the more we can stop trying to do good and allow the Holy Spirit to teach us how to be good.
As we begin another day, let’s ask God to keep this fact ever in the forefront of our minds and hearts. He has chosen us to belong to Himself. He has made provision for our salvation through the death and resurrection of His Son. He has given us the Holy Spirit to lead us into holiness, as we follow the pathway He has opened before us.
It’s really not all that complicated. But, for people who want to be “kings in their own kingdom” it’s hard to accept the fact that no good works will get us into heaven. It is by grace alone through faith alone. And, when we really grasp this important truth, we will come to realize what really good news this is.
