DEVOTIONAL
February 23 - 28
Letters of Paul: Saved by Grace
Monday, February 23
Romans 5:1-5
“This grace in which we now stand”
Paul claims that, as Christians, we have continuing access to grace. Grace not only saves, it
remains with us. Grace reminds us that God intervenes on behalf of his rebellious creation out of
his own free will and without any obligation, and in Christ the grace of God brings us salvation.
But what we sometimes forget, and what Paul reminds us of in these verses, is that grace is a part
of the entire Christian experience. We not only get into relationship with God by grace; we live
out that relationship day-by-day by grace.
The “daily bread” that sustains us comes from God, who in his grace cares for us. Whatever
good we accomplish for the Lord is because God graciously works through us. We “stand in
grace;” each one of us lives out our life, in all its dimensions, within the grace of God. The famous
hymn “Amazing Grace” puts it well. Yes, God’s amazing grace has “saved a wretch like me.” But
that same amazing grace undergirds all my life: “’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, And
grace will lead me home.”
I live in a constant state of grace, Father, because your love cares for me every day. Amen.
Tuesday, February 24
Romans 5:6-11
“God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”
Should there be doubt in the troubled Christian’s mind about the love of God, there is one
reminder of God’s love which stands supreme: Christ died for us. The love of God is shown in
sharp contrast to human love by the reminder that humanity is reticent to lay down its life even for
good causes and law-abiding people, but God’s Son accepted the death of the cross for those
who are totally unworthy.
Paul uses strong words to describe those whom God loves and for whom Christ died; we are
“without strength,” “ungodly,” and “sinners.” We lack the power to live as we ought even though
we may have the power to live as we wish because our standards are so low. We lack the
attitude of reverence and holy awe which a correct understanding of God’s person requires and
demands, and we lack the capability to hit the mark or achieve the divine expectation. This pitiful
description would hardly move humanity to love such failures, but God’s love is demonstrated in
the supreme sacrifice of the Son for such people.
In spite of my sin, Lord, you love me and gave your life for me. Amen.
Wednesday, February 25
Ephesians 2:1-7
“God made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in our sins”
Paul minces no words: “You were dead in your sins.” Our fate beyond death is completely
dependent upon how we stand before God and what God chooses to do with us. Sin cuts us off
from God, the source of life; thus we are dead. In sin we are controlled by Satan, and our
salvation depends upon being rescued from his control. In sin we follow the way of this world,
and we need to be enabled to follow a new way. We are headed for an encounter with God’s
anger against sin, and we are BIG trouble! But, God himself offers us an amazing possibility: to
be made alive in Christ.
Sin equals death, and God’s answer to death is resurrection. That resurrection is a present
reality. Christians are those who have already been “made alive.” The resurrection after death
to eternal life is the heritage of those who have been already made alive through Christ in their
earthly existence. This is offered by the grace of God which is his unmerited favor. We can do
nothing to earn grace; all we can do is to accept it by faith.
Father, you offer me grace, even when I am dead in sin, and I receive it by faith. Amen.
DEVOTIONAL
February 23 - 28
Letters of Paul: Saved by Grace
Thursday, February 26
Ephesians 2:8-13
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith”
Faith cannot be limited to mental assent or to believing certain ideas. Faith is relational,
describing reliance on a reliable God. Faith is a covenant word, expressing the commitment and
trust that binds two parties together. Throughout Scripture, God by his grace makes promises and
commit himself to his people. They in turn are to trust those promises and live in light of them.
God shows himself faithful and people are to respond in faithfulness. To say “I have faith” does
not so much say anything about oneself; rather it says, “God is a trustworthy God.”
People who believe are bound to God and live in response to him. Paul’s frequent use of
phrases such as “with Christ” and “in Christ” show his conviction that faith joins them to Jesus Christ
so strongly that they are in him and that what is true of him is true of them. Christ’s past is their
past, and he determines their present and future. Faith has an adhesive quality to it; it binds the
believer to the one who is believed. Salvation does not come from believing ideas or an
emotional decision, but from being bound to Christ.
Jesus Christ, God’s grace has saved me and it is by faith that I am bound to you. Amen.
Friday, February 27
Ephesians 2:14-18
“Christ himself is our peace”
When Paul declares that Christ is our peace, he may have been calling to mind Isaiah 57:19,
“Peace, peace, to the far and to the near, says the Lord,” in which the words “near” and “far”
refer to Jews who were near to God and Gentiles who were far from him. Now, a Gentile is
brought near to God through Jesus Christ. The peace offered in Isaiah’s prophecy is now a
reality – no longer an abstract idea, but a person; not a state of mind, but a state of being, an
actual fact. God has created something new. Christ died for both Jew and Gentile, bringing
them both into union with himself, and thereby into union with one another.
Before Christ, all kinds of division existed in humanity – race and religion, class and sex.
These belong to the old order, to the old humanity which must pass away with the reality of Christ
in our lives. Smoldering embers of the old way may come alive and flame up even in the lives of
Christians. But they are dying embers and will be completely smothered by the Spirit as the new
creation that each of us is in Christ begins to mature.
You, Jesus, have brought peace to me and God, and to me and my neighbor. Amen.
Saturday, February 28
Ephesians 2:19-22
“We who believe are carefully joined together”
The content and imagery of these verses revolves around the unity of the church under the
Lordship of Christ. It was possible, in theory, for a Gentile to become a naturalized member of
the Jewish state by adopting the Jewish religion. Yet, in practice, he was never received as a full
child of Abraham. Now, in Christ, the Gentiles are full citizens of God’s Kingdom, along with the
Jews. Then Paul’s metaphor changes from citizenship to family. The church is the family of God,
and the Gentiles have been brought into the intimacy of the family circle.
From citizenship and family, Paul now moves to building and temple. The building, which is the
people of God, is built on the foundation of prophets and apostles, and Christ is the chief
cornerstone, the binding stone that gives strength and unity to the entire structure. But, the
building is incomplete. Every time a person trusts Christ for salvation, a new stone is added and
the building continues to grow. Paul calls this building a holy temple. The Jews believed that the
temple was the earthly dwelling place of God. Now, God is present in us, his people.
Heavenly Father, your dwelling place is with us and we are your people. Amen.