Hey guys, this is going to be different than the other devotionals that were posted, we’re gonna be looking at my favorite bible verse and completely break it down. That verse is Ephesians 2:8:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.”

I. "FOR BY GRACE ARE YOU SAVED THROUGH FAITH." 

I do not deserve to be saved. I surely cannot save myself. Salvation comes to me through the grace of God, there is nothing that I have done to deserve it, and certainly nothing I can do to earn it. This is something that God has done for me, He has saved me.

The "through faith" is my part, just believing the promises of God concerning my salvation. That if I will confess with my mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead, God has promised that I would be saved.

I have been born again. You really had nothing to do with your first birth, and you have little to do with your second birth. John said, which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. I have a living hope and inheritance that is incorruptible and undefiled, and it doesn't fade away, and it is reserved in heaven for me.

We see an example of this in Colossians 1:13-14:

“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”

What does it mean to be saved? I am saved from being dead in trespasses and sins. I am saved from being controlled by the ways of the world that are being directed by Satan. 

I am saved from being a slave to the lusts of my flesh and mind. I am saved from my sinful nature that was destined for the wrath of God. I have been raised from that state of death in my sins to being alive in Christ.

II. "AND THAT NOT OF YOURSELVES."

Does the "That not of yourselves it is a gift of God" refer to the faith, or to the being saved?

Those who would hold to the absolute sovereignty of God to the exclusion of the responsibility of man would relate it to the faith. They assert that your faith, is not of yourself, it is faith that God has given to you to trust His promises, and if that faith was not given to you, you could never be saved. 

Hebrews 12:2 tells us that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith:

“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

The reason I picked this verse is because it has so much meaning and depth to it. It shows how much God has a unconditional love for each and every one of us. I just want to encourage you guys with this and let you know that God will always chase you down and love you no matter what life throws at you. God always has a plan and He always will. The biggest key is just being willing to listen and follow.