Part 2: Faith Receives Grace

The Bridge Between God and Us

In Part 1, we learned what faith is. Now we discover how faith serves as the bridge that connects us to God’s grace.

Not by Works

Ephesians 2:8-9

“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.”

NKJV

Grace is what saves us. Faith is how we receive it.

Think of it this way:

Grace = God’s gift extended
Faith = Our hand receiving the gift

Notice — even faith itself is “not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” We cannot boast about anything. Everything comes from Him.

Why does this matter? Because if we could earn salvation, we might say, “Look what I did!” But since it’s all God’s gift, we can only say, “Look what God did!”

Remember from our Grace series — we all have sinned and are justified freely by His grace. We cannot earn it.

Created for Good Works

But here’s the key. The very next verse:

Ephesians 2:10

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

NKJV

Wait — if we’re not saved by works, why talk about works?

Here’s the answer: We are not saved BY works, but we are saved FOR works.

Simple:

Salvation BY works = impossible
Salvation FOR works = God’s plan

Works don’t produce salvation. Salvation produces works.

God prepared good works for us even before we were saved. He has a purpose for your life. You were saved by grace through faith so you can walk in the works He prepared.

Faith Must Believe

To receive God’s grace, faith must believe God exists and that He rewards those who seek Him. Without this faith, we cannot access His grace.

John 20:29

“Jesus said to him, ‘Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’”

NKJV

We are blessed when we believe without seeing. This is faith based on God’s Word. When we believe and seek God, He meets us with His grace.

Living by Faith Every Day

Faith isn’t just for salvation day. It’s for every day.

The old life ended at the cross. Now Christ lives in us. Everything we do is by faith in Jesus — who loved us personally and gave Himself for us specifically.

Faith Connects Us to Everything

Through faith, we receive:

Salvation
Daily strength
Answered prayer
God’s presence
Everything we need

Faith is the hand that reaches out. Faith is the key that unlocks God’s storehouse.

When we pray — we pray in faith. When we face trials — we stand in faith. When we need wisdom — we ask in faith. When we serve others — we serve by faith.

The Beautiful Cycle

Here’s how it works:

God offers grace (unmerited favor)
Faith receives grace (the gift)
Grace produces works (the fruit)
Works show faith is real (the evidence)

It all starts with God’s grace. Faith receives it. And genuine faith will produce works. We’ll explore this in Part 3.

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the gift of faith through which we receive Your amazing grace. We confess that we cannot boast in anything. Both the grace and the faith come from You.

Lord, help us understand that we are not saved by works. We could never earn Your grace. But thank You that we are saved for works — You have a purpose for each of us. You prepared good works before we were even born. Help us to walk in those works.

Father, we want to live by faith every single day. Not just trusting You for salvation, but for everything — our daily needs, our challenges, our relationships, our future.

Thank You that Jesus loved us personally and gave Himself for us. Help us to live in that love every day. Teach us to use faith as the key that unlocks Your grace.

Remove any pride from our hearts. Everything we have comes from You.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.