By the grace of God. we have been saved and have been made a new creation in Christ. God’s grace is the amazing gift that changes us from a lost condition to being saved. It is also God’s grace that enables believers to produce good works for Christ. In this role in our new life we have been given the purpose to serve God.
—Ephesians 2:10 NKJV “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
Grace of God: Declared Righteous
As a new creation in Christ we now have the wonderful privilege to serve God. This can only be done by those who have been declared righteous by the grace of God through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Everything that is of value in us comes from God.
—Romans 3:24 NKJV “being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,”
Once saved believers have the pleasure of serving a Holy God. While we walk this earth our goal should be to act as Christ’s ambassador bringing the light of His saving grace to the lost and building up our fellow believers. We can only accomplish this by the grace of God.
All-Sufficient Grace
By God’s all-sufficient grace the believer is given the resources they need to lead a successful Christian life. One component of this is the indwelling Holy Spirit that provides us with encouragement, strength, and guidance.
As believers we have a responsibility to feed ourselves with the Word of God so we can be effective tools in God’s hand.
—2 Corinthians 9:8 NKJV “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”
Paul: God’s Tool
One who labored without ceasing and was very fruitful in his ministry was the Apostle Paul. He was not successful because of his strengths but was able to serve God effectively only because of the grace of God. He has set himself up as a pattern for believers to follow. Though we may not be able to match the works of Paul we are fueled by the same grace of God.
—1 Corinthians 15:10 NKJV “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”
Now that we are members of the body of Christ we are fellow labors with Christ. The will of God is for believers to walk in good works. The love that God showered upon us should be a deep motivation for the believer to serve God.
For it is by God’s grace we have been transformed from a sinner into a saint allowing us to produce good works for God. It is well to remember that all of the good we produce for God is made possible because of the grace of God.
God is the Source
We have obtained eternal salvation, the free gift of God. It is only because of this free gift that we are able to serve Him. In us we have nothing good but for what God has graciously provided. It is God that enable us to produce good works in His name.
It is important to remember that we should never hold our our Christian standing over others, brag about how good of a Christian we are, or boast about our accomplishments. There is no room for us to take credit, as It is not by our merit but by God’s that we can be productive.
By God working through us, His Spirit encourages us and provides us with the strength we need to produce good works. We are totally reliant solely on God’s power. This fact should keep our pride in check.
—Philippians 2:13 NKJV “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”