“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
– Ephesians 2:8-9
Life in this world ends, but the soul is eternal. Jesus said:
“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?”
– Mark 8:36
We are saved and gain eternal life only through Jesus. But salvation is not achieved by our works or because we deserve it, by thinking we are good. Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus.
But what is grace? Grace is a favour, a gift that we receive without deserving it. Grace does not depend on human effort because Jesus did everything for us when He died on the cross to forgive our sins. All of God’s grace is revealed in the wonderful person of the Lord Jesus. The Bible tells us how God’s grace reached a man named Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10).
Zacchaeus was the chief of the tax collectors. The Jews did not like tax collectors because they collected taxes and most of them got rich by overcharging. They saw Zacchaeus as a sinful man who did things that did not please God. If people did not like Zacchaeus, how would Jesus like him? Well, Jesus loves everyone, and so He loved Zacchaeus just like everyone else. Zacchaeus really wanted to see Jesus. It is a good thing when someone wants to get closer to Jesus. But there was a crowd that prevented him. Zacchaeus thought quickly:
“I am short and will not be able to see Jesus because the crowd will not let me! I know! I will climb a tree, and from up there I will be able to see Jesus!”
So, Zacchaeus ran ahead, climbed a tree, and waited for Jesus to pass by. What a surprise he had when, suddenly, Jesus stopped under the tree and called him by name. Zacchaeus’ heart beat fast!
“How did He see me up here and know my name?”
Zacchaeus did not know that Jesus is God and knows everything. He knows each of us. He knows our names. He knows our thoughts and what we are doing. He knows when we are sad, when we need help. Therefore, we should always go to Jesus because He loves us! Jesus said further:
“Today I must stay at your house.”
At that moment, the crowd began to speak ill of Zacchaeus. They talked about his sins and did not like that Jesus had entered the house of a sinful person. The crowd always interferes. It represents everything that wants to prevent us from reaching Jesus. But Jesus did not care about the crowd. He entered Zacchaeus’ house, and the Holy Spirit began to work in his heart. Zacchaeus confessed his sin and faults, and Jesus listened to him with love. Can you imagine? Jesus did not accuse Zacchaeus or point out his sins. Jesus saw that Zacchaeus wanted Him to dwell in his heart and was willing to obey Him. He saw the sincerity of that man and said:
“Today salvation has come to this house.”
The moment Zacchaeus allowed Jesus into his life, the filth and sin left, and the joy of salvation, peace, and certainty of eternity entered his heart. Jesus said to everyone:
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Did you see? Salvation is by grace. Zacchaeus did not deserve it, but God saw the sincerity of his heart, and therefore, he was reached by God’s grace. He believed in Jesus as his only Saviour, and Jesus made His home in his heart. What joy! So, today, we learned that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
– Ephesians 2:8-9