Question 26: How Are We Saved?

Read: Romans 3:21-24
Listen: Romans 3

Question: How are we saved?

Answer: We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not by our own works.

But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. Romans 3:21-22

Paul declares the revolutionary truth that salvation comes apart from human effort or law-keeping. The righteousness God requires cannot be earned through good deeds, religious activities or moral behavior. Instead, God provides his righteousness as a gift to all who believe in Jesus Christ. This righteousness is given “freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). Grace means receiving a blessing you don’t deserve. Jesus became “the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2), doing what sinful people could never do.

Faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior is the only way to receive Jesus’s sacrifice and have our sins forgiven. We are unable to earn salvation. We receive eternal salvation only as we place our complete trust in Jesus. True faith results in more than just believing truths about Jesus. True faith leads us to act on what we believe and trust him completely with our lives. We must commit our lives to him by turning from our sin and humbly turning toward God, receiving his forgiveness and following him. When we truly trust Christ, we move from perishing to eternal life, justified freely by God’s grace.

TODAY: Examine your understanding of salvation. Are you trusting in your good works or Christ’s payment for your sins? If you rely on anything other than Jesus for salvation, turn to him in faith today. If you already trust Christ, thank God for his grace and consider how knowledge of God’s grace might encourage someone struggling with guilt or trying to earn God’s favor. Learn more about salvation by grace through faith in our We Believe document HERE.