Before we can see the grace needed to save, we must first see the depths of the human heart. Why must we be saved by grace alone? Why can’t we save ourselves or even have a part in our salvation? The biblical doctrine that Augustine taught, and which changed the Reformers, was that salvation is entirely the work of God. We are not merely sinners who need a little help. We are sinners who need to be rescued.
The weeks leading up to October 31 evoke within our American experience all manner of feelings, imagery, and traditions. For most, autumn is in the air as preparations are made for Halloween and celebrations of the harvest. In one way or another, these traditions leave their mark on our homes, neighborhoods, and storefronts as decorations change to match the season. While these things may mark the broader cultural landscape, there is another "harvest" whose memory also attends this season, one that often gets overlooked, even among many churches that are beneficiaries of its blessings.
Some of you grew up under a heavy burden of religious rules. And when you discovered God’s grace, you experienced tremendous relief: “I don’t have to earn His love.”
Grace means that God gives us what we could never earn: forgiveness, acceptance, and life with Him. Our sins are many, but God’s grace is greater. No part of our sinful past is beyond His forgiveness.
Another thought can quickly follow: “Then it doesn’t matter how I live.”
Brothers and Sisters, how many times do we simply feel like we are not saved. We know the gospel. We know that Jesus Christ died for sinners, was buried, and rose again. We may have walked with the Lord for many years, and yet there are mornings when we wake up and wonder, “Lord, am I really Yours?” Our prayers seem dry. God's Word does not seem as sweet as it once did. Sin weighs heavily upon our conscience. Perhaps a trial has beaten us down, temptation has worn us thin, or God simply seems distant.
The gospel of grace gives the believer incredible assurance and security. Christ did not merely make salvation possible. He actually accomplished salvation for His people. Those whom Christ justifies, He keeps. That grip of grace never lets go of the believer.
But once someone hears about strong assurance and eternal security, another fear immediately arises: “Well then, what keeps someone from just living however they want?”
What does it take for a sinner to stand righteous before a holy God? That question tormented a young Augustinian monk named Martin Luther. He understood that God was righteous. His problem was that he wasn’t. And no matter how hard he tried, he could not change that reality.