Are You Trying to Earn What God Only Gives by Grace

You can spend a lifetime trying to be “good enough” and still miss the one thing the gospel actually offers: mercy for people who can’t earn it. We open Ephesians 2:1–10 and let it speak with full force, starting with the diagnosis we don’t like to hear: we were spiritually dead. Not needy for a tune-up. Not waiting on better habits. Dead, and unable to fix ourselves. 

From there, we trace God’s mercy and motive. Salvation isn’t triggered by our potential or our performance. God loves because he is love, and Scripture says Christ dies for us while we are still sinners. That leads to one of the most freeing truths in Christian theology: salvation is a resurrection. God makes us alive with Christ, joins us to Christ, and seats us with Christ. If that sounds too strong, notice the tense in Paul’s words. What God accomplishes is not temporary or probationary. It is finished work that produces real assurance of salvation. 

Then we slow down over the famous summary: by grace alone through faith alone. Grace is undeserved favor, faith is trust, and even that faith is not a trophy we show off. Salvation is the gift of God, which means pride has nowhere to stand. Finally, we put good works in their rightful place: we are not saved by good works, but saved for good works, as God’s workmanship with a life shaped by purpose. 

Listen, share this with someone who feels stuck in striving, and subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next. After you listen, what’s harder for you to believe: that grace is truly free, or that it really changes you?

Transcript

Mission And Message Setup

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Foundation of Dr. Timothy Madd. Our mission is to help you build your life on the unshakable foundation of God's word. Rooted in Scripture, anchored in the grace of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Today on Foundations of Truth, we continue our series, God Saves Sinners from the Book of Disney. Here now is Dr. Timothy Madd.

Mercy For The Undeserving

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God delights in showing mercy to those who do not deserve it. And if in some little inkling of a way this morning you sit here and you think, I deserved mercy, then you don't understand salvation. You don't understand grace. Jesus said it this way: He said, I did not come to call the righteous to repentance, but sinners. And if you're sitting in here this morning, you think I'm good, I'm good enough. I'm righteous. Then you ain't got no mercy. God delights in showing mercy to those who know they do not deserve it. Titus chapter 3, verse 5 echoes this truth. The Bible says, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us. What else do

God’s Love Before We Changed

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we see? We also see God's motive here. His great love. The second half of verse 4 says, Because of his great love with which he loved us. Why did God save us? Not because we're lovable. Not because we're lovable, but because he is love. And his love is not a response to our goodness. It's rooted in his character. And the Bible says in verse 5, God loved us even when we were dead in sins. That's what verse 5 says. He set his affection on us while we were still rebels against him. Romans chapter 5, verse 8, one of my favorite verses in all of the New Testament, says it plainly. It says, but God demonstrates his own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Never get over that. Never get over that. You were at your worst. And God loved you with his best. And the love that saved you wasn't based on your performance, it was based on his purpose.

Made Alive With Christ

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And then we see God's action. He made us alive with Christ. Look at verse 5. Even when we were dead in trespasses, he made us alive together with Christ. By grace, you have been saved. This is what we doctrinally call regeneration. It's the giving of new life. Salvation is not self-improvement, it's a resurrection. What God did for Christ physically at the tomb, he does for us spiritually in salvation. He brings the dead to life. Notice the Apostle Paul's use here of with Christ and together in these few verses. Verse 5, you've been made alive together with Christ. Verse 6, raised us up together. Verse 6, made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. This is union with Christ. Union with Christ. What happened to Jesus? Happened to us spiritually. When he rose, we rose. When he was exalted, we were included. One of the most exciting things is salvation is not just forgiveness. We make it often just about that. Salvation is not just forgiveness, it's new identity, new position, a new power, new hope.

Seated With Christ And Secure

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And then we see God's power. He raised and seated us with Christ, verse 6. And raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, verse 6. I want you to notice something here. The Apostle Paul is using the past tense here. He's using the past tense here. That's because in God's eyes, this has already been accomplished. You may be sitting in here this morning and you may feel weak, spiritually speaking, but you are already seated with Christ in victory. You're already seated with Christ in victory. You know what that means? That means your salvation is not temporary. It's not probationary, it is accomplished. You are secure in Christ because you are joined to Him. You're joined to Him. Because if salvation began with God and was accomplished by God and is secured by God, then the glory goes to God, not to us. Not to us. What do we see next? Well, we see God's purpose. And it's to display the riches of his grace. Look what the Bible says. Verse 7. That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Why did God save us? To display his grace forever. You thought it was all about you, didn't you? You thought he didn't want heaven without you. To display his grace forever. If you are saved, you are a trophy of grace. In eternity, saints and angels will look at you and not say, wow, what a great person. No. But they'll say, Glory, what a gracious God. Look at who he saved this time. And he will spend, God will spend all of eternity showcasing his kindness to us in Christ. You know what that means? That means we'll never outgrow the gospel. We'll never get over grace. For all eternity, we will be stunned, shocked by the mercy that reached us. We'll be stunned by it. And again, this applies to everybody. Everybody. If you're a mature believer, this is your daily anchor. Your position in Christ, listen to me very carefully. Your position in Christ is not based on your feelings, but on God's finished work. And so rejoice that you are seated with Christ, secure, accepted, and loved. If you're a new believer, relatively new, you have a new life. You have a new identity. And praise God, you have a new future. You are not who you were. And so don't let the enemy or the world tell you otherwise. God made you alive and he did it because he loves you. And if you're an unbeliever and not saved, God is rich in mercy. He's not waiting for you to clean yourself up because you can't. You can't. If you'll turn to him, he'll make you alive in Christ. What else do we see? Well, as we come toward the last part of this, we need to embrace, not only do we need to know our need for salvation, not only do we need to see what God's work has been in our salvation, but we need to embrace the purpose of salvation. We need to embrace the purpose of salvation. The Apostle Paul has just taken us from spiritual death to life in Christ.

Grace Alone In Ephesians 2

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And now, in verses 8 through 10, he sums up the entire biblical doctrine of salvation in one of the clearest, most quoted, most beautiful gospel summaries in the Bible. Read it with me. Look at it. Follow along as I read. For by grace, verse 8, 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. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. This is the gospel in three verses. So let's walk through them phrase by phrase. First of all, we see salvation is by grace alone. Salvation is by grace alone. I'm going to say it one more time. You need to get it. Salvation is by grace alone. For by grace you have been saved. The word grace means undeserved favor and kindness. Undeserved favor and kindness. It's not earned, it's not repayable. God's grace, his grace means God does for us what we could never do for ourselves. Listen, follower of Jesus, the Apostle Paul, I want you to see this too. The Apostle Paul doesn't say we are being saved, although, in a sense, that's a reality, biblically speaking. But he doesn't say that here. He doesn't say you are being saved, and he certainly doesn't say we might be saved. He says we have been saved. We have been saved. It's a completed act. This is something that God has done. Grace is the cause, salvation is the result. Theologian J.I. Packers put it well. He said, grace means God moving heaven and earth to save sinners who could not lift a finger to save themselves.

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The message you're hearing today is one the world desperately needs. Because apart from Christ, there is no hope for the human heart.

Ministry Support And Giving

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And that's why foundations of truth exist. To clearly proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ through faithful biblical teaching. This ministry is entirely listener-supported. Your financial partnership helps make these daily broadcasts possible. And if God is using this program in your life, would you stand with us today? You can help us financially online anytime and give a gift at firm-foundations.org. That's firm-foundations.org. Now back to more of today's message on God Saves Sinners. Here's Dr. Timothy Mann.

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What else do we notice?

Faith Alone And The Gift

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We see that salvation is through faith alone. Salvation is by grace alone, and it's through faith alone. Through faith. Faith is the means by which grace is received. It is not a work, it's a trust. Faith says, I have nothing to offer. I receive what Christ has done for me. It is leaning completely, wholly on Jesus. Leaning completely on Jesus. I want to say it plainly so that there's no misunderstanding. We are not saved by our faith. We are not saved by our faith. We are saved by Christ and by God's grace. And faith is simply the empty hand that receives Him. Faith itself is not meriting reward. It doesn't earn grace. It just opens the door to receive it. That's why even our faith is a gift. As the Apostle Paul continues, we see salvation is a gift, not a reward. And that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. This really couldn't be any clearer. Salvation is not of yourselves. It is not of works. It is the gift of God. You know what that means? That means you can't earn it. It means you can't deserve it. It means you can't boast in it. You can't brag in it. I mean just a little bit. You know what happened? We'd brag. We'd have room to brag. We'd compare ourselves. We'd believe we contributed. But the gospel leaves no room for pride. No room for pride. The only proper response is worship. Gratitude. And living for his glory. As it has been said, we bring nothing to salvation except a sin that made it necessary. And this is the great offense of the gospel. It humbles us. It tells us we're helpless without Jesus. But it also blesses us because it tells us that we are so loved that God gave his son for us. And so here's the goal. Here's

Saved For Good Works

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the goal. Verse 10. Salvation really results in a new life of good works. Verse 10, for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. So the Bible right now shows us the purpose of salvation. And it's not just to get us out of hell. Although that's a pretty good side benefit, I would say. And it's not just to take us to heaven, although that's a wonderful glory and a wonderful future we have. The Bible makes it very clear the purpose of salvation is to make us new people who will live for God's glory. To make us new people who will live for God's glory. We are God's workmanship. We are his masterpiece. We are his poem. The Greek word here, we have translated his workmanship. The workmanship. Your life is God's work of art. Remade by grace. You are, it says, created in Christ Jesus. That's new, that's creation language. That's new creation language. Not just cleaned up, not just patched up, remade from the inside out. And I want you to notice the order here. We are not saved by good works. We're saved for good works. The works don't save you, but they show that you have been saved. They're the fruit, not the root. They're the evidence, not the cause. And here's the most beautiful part. God prepared these works in advance. God prepared these works beforehand. Before you were born, before you believed, God had already planned the good works that you would walk in. You know what that means? That means your life has eternal purpose. Your life has eternal purpose. Your salvation is not the end. It's the beginning of a life lived for the glory of God. And again, this applies to everyone. Mature believer? This passage is your safeguard against pride. Your safeguard against pride. Never outgrow grace. Please. Never outgrow grace. Because I believe the more you grow in Christ, the more deeply you'll understand how much you still depend on him every day. So let your life overflow with good works. Not to earn favor, but to reflect his. Listen, new believer, relatively new believer. You don't have to prove yourself. You don't have to prove yourself. Just walk in the grace that saved you. Your salvation is not fragile. It's a gift from God. Rest in that. And let your life show that grace through obedience. Listen,

Stop Striving And Believe

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unbeliever. Stop striving. Stop striving. Salvation is not about what you do, it's about what Christ has done. You can't earn your way to God, but you can receive the gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus. So turn from sin and trust in Him. And friend, if you're not in Christ, as the Bible uses that term, if you're not in Christ, today is the day of salvation. You may feel unworthy. You are. But so is everyone who has ever been saved. And that's why grace is so beautiful. You don't need to fix yourself up because you can't. You don't need to make a vow to do better. You need to throw yourself on the mercy of God. Christ lived the life you should have lived, and he died the death. You deserve to die while taking your judgment. And then he rose again to give you new life, eternal life. And he offers that life to you now. The question is, will you receive it? Will you stop trying to save yourself, repent, and simply trust in the Savior? Believe. Ask Jesus to save you now. Right now.

Your Testimony Is But God

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Well, we've walked through one of the clearest, most powerful passages on salvation in the Bible. Ephesians 2, 1 through 10 tells us the truth about who we were, what God has done, and who we are now in Christ. I want you to remember, I want you to remember the flow of the gospel message. We were dead in our sin. Not sick, not searching, but dead. But God, rich in mercy, because of his great love, made us alive with Christ. And by grace we have been saved. Through faith, not of works. And now we are his workmanship created for works that flow from a changed life. And those of you that get so wrapped up in this, I want you to hear me clearly hear my heart. This is not just theology. It's your testimony if you belong to Christ. It's your testimony. You were spiritually dead, but God. You were enslaved to sin, but God. You were under wrath, but God. And now, by grace, you are alive in Christ. You are seated with Him. You are secure. You are transformed. Praise His name. Praise His name for that. So don't miss the main point. Salvation is entirely God's doing. He initiates it, He accomplishes it, He applies it, and He gets the glory for it. On the tombstone of John Newton, the author of the classic song Amazing Grace, these words are inscribed. John Newton, once an infidel and a libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith that he had long labored to destroy. At the age of 82, Newton said, My memory is gone. But I remember two things that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior. That's Ephesians 2. That's the gospel. That's grace. Listen, if you are in Christ today, saved by grace through faith in Jesus. What ought to happen is you ought to walk out of here today in humble gratitude and holy confidence. That ought to be your position today. Humble gratitude and holy confidence. You didn't save yourself, and you don't keep yourself saved. It's all God's grace. And so I want to tell you this morning: let the memory of your spiritual death cause you to rejoice in the miracle of new life. And let that grace motivate you to walk in the good works that God has prepared for you. Serving others, sharing the gospel, living in obedience. Not to earn salvation, but to live out what God has done for you. But if you're not in Christ, if you're not saved, this passage is God's wake-up call to you. Oh, you might be physically alive. You might even be morally decent compared to what goes on today. But apart from the work of Christ in your life, you are spiritually dead. And you need much more than advice. You need much more than a self-help talk about self-improvement. You need far more than positive thinking. You need resurrection. You need resurrection. And the good news is that the God who raised Jesus from the dead still raises the dead today. And he can raise you to a new life. Right now. He can do it right now. So in your heart, come to him in faith. Believe in Jesus. Repent of your sin and trust in his grace. Trust in his grace. You don't need to climb a religious ladder. You need to be lifted up by mercy. The question is, will you receive the gift of salvation today?

Closing Resources And Next Steps

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You've been listening to Foundations of Truth, the Bible teaching ministry of Dr. Timothy Mann. We are a listener-supported radio program and podcast, and your donations help keep us on the air. You can give a gift today at firmfoundations.org. That's firm-foundations.org. And thank you so much for listening. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of God stands forever.

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Hey, this is Dr. Timothy Mann with Foundations of Truth. And if you listen to the program on the Word Orlando, 990 a.m. or 101.5 FM, I would love to hear from you. We're on at 10 a.m. Monday through Friday on the Word Orlando. If you're a listener, we'd like to know. So be sure and send me an email at Timothy Mann at Firm Foundations.org. That's Timothy Mann at Firm Foundations.org. I would sure love to hear from you. God bless. Before we close today, I want to tell you about a resource that I believe will be a genuine help to you. I've recently published my first book, Saved, Understanding God's Work in Us. In over 30 years of pastoral ministry, one of the questions I've encountered more than almost any other is this. How can I know that I am truly saved? If you want to understand salvation more deeply, stand on firmer ground in your faith, or be better equipped to share the gospel with someone you love, then this book was written for you. You can find it on Amazon, Barnes Noble, and Books a Million, and pretty much anywhere you buy books. Just search Saved, Understanding God's Work in Us by Dr. Timothy Mann. I pray it strengthens your faith. Thanks for being with us today. God bless you.