"God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love which He loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not of your own doing; it is a gift from God - not the result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:4-9)
Into the depth of our predicament the word is spoken from on high: "By grace you have been saved!" To be saved does not just mean to be a little encouraged, a little comforted, a little relieved. It means to be pulled out like a log from a burning fire. You have been saved! We are not told: you may be saved sometimes, or a little bit. No, you have been saved, totally and for all times. You? Yes, we! Not just any other people, more pious and better than we are, no, we, each one of us.- Karl Barth
No comments:
Post a Comment