Read Ephesians 2:4-9 in your personal Bible or at the link provided.
Review
1. What attributes of God do you see in these verses?
2. How have we been saved?
3. Who gets the credit for our salvation?
Reflect
So far this week, we’ve looked at the claims, person, and evidence of Jesus. Today’s verses show us the path of Jesus. Most world religions offer a way to God. The mentality is to do enough, pray enough, and make sure the good outweighs the bad. But Christianity says something fundamentally different. Where religion is man’s effort to get to God, Christianity is God’s effort to get to man.
Just like it says in Ephesians, God sent His Son, Jesus, to earth as a human. He died in our place to free us from the prison of our sins. He rose again so we can have a future home with Him in heaven. None of this was because of our effort. It was a gift from God.
The path of Jesus is like no other path to God. It’s not a “hope to get there” path; it’s an “already arrived at your destination” path. It’s a path full of mercy, love, grace, and kindness. Jesus stamped our arrival when He died on the cross. All we have to do is accept the gift.
Respond
• What’s your reaction to the gift described in today’s verses? Does it line up with the path you’ve thought you needed to take to get to God?
• If you’re a follower of Jesus, have you allowed other things to creep in as “methods of salvation,” such as trying to do enough to earn it? If you haven’t taken a step to follow Jesus, could today be your day? (Tell us at tpcc.org/Jesus so we can come alongside you.)
• What can you do today to accept the gift of God’s mercy and grace?
Pray through these questions, and write down what God is prompting you to do next. Share with a friend, and take a step to apply it.
Want to go deeper? Visit the Traders Point app or this link to see our recommended resources for this week’s topic. If you want to catch Sunday’s message again, you can find it here.