The Bible teaches people are saved by grace, through faith (Ephesians 2 v 8). In a previous post I wrote about grace, and specifically the erroneous idea that the Biblical Gospel was a Gospel of cheap grace. We saw that the opposite is actually true. I want to write now about faith, because some people think that the doctrine of justification by faith alone is too easy, but the reality is it's anything but easy!
It is simple to receive salvation, but it is not easy. It's not easy for a person to admit that they are a hell-deserving sinner - that's a big, bitter pill to swallow, but swallow it we must! Pride recoils from it and kicks against it, but faith bows to it and accepts the verdict - before an infinitely holy, absolutely righteous God, that's what I deserve (Romans 2 v 5). It is a humbling thing to become a Christian.
It's not easy to accept there's nothing I can do to save myself - there's no merit I can bring or money I can pay or ministry I can do that will ever lift me out of my danger or remove the barrier of my sin which separates me from God. It's so hard to concede that I'm helpless and need a Saviour. But that's the reality, and we need to take our hands off the whole matter, and look to Christ for salvation (Romans 5 v 6; Isaiah 45 v 22). Simple, but not so easy after all!
You can be saved where you are right now - it is that simple! The work has been done (John 19 v 30); the price has been paid (1Timothy 2 v 5-6); the sacrifice has been accepted (Hebrews 10 v 12), and the sinner who agrees with God about the seriousness of their sin, and trusts Christ to rescue them will never perish (John 3 v 16; Acts 20 v 21). It's so simple; it may well be the hardest thing you ever do!
