Eph. 2:8a

8a For it is by grace you have been saved.

It is no wonder that Paul insists on telling us, again and again, that we are saved by grace. Here he states it once again. For him, that is the bedrock of all his understanding of God’s salvation and it describes the way Paul, the evangelist and apostle, reaches out to others – it represents, or in fact is, his all embracing approach to life. God knows we have nothing to contribute to our salvation. In fact if we think that we can help to gain salvation by good works or good breeding or good culture, we are heading for frustration. Our salvation in Christ is either free or it is not obtainable.

If there is a recurring phrase in all of Paul’s writings, this it, “Saved by grace.” This is the truth for all people, everywhere, who seek to know God’s love.

It is also the basis of all genuine life-changing fellowship – each person enters the Kingdom stripped of all privilege, just sinners with real sin who will perish unless Jesus saves them. If I can remember this fact I can have fellowship in some depth with all other sinners who have come to have peace with God through the merits of the shed blood of Jesus Christ.