This week, I want to consider five important points the Hebrews writer made in Hebrews 12:15-17.   Here is the passage. Hebrews 12:15-17 (ESV) 15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16 that […]

This week, we have been probing the great words of Paul in Ephesians 2:8.  We have seen that we are saved by grace rather than by meritorious works.  Our salvation is a gift from God and something that we should be thankful for every day.  As a result of how our salvation came to be, […]

Salvation is a gift given by God.  Paul teaches this clearly in Ephesians 2:8.  A gift is “something voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation” (Merriam-Webster’s 11th Collegiate Dictionary).  That is what God did for us.  He gave us the gift of salvation.  He did not do it for compensation, but out of […]

After pointing out that we are saved by grace through faith, Paul emphasizes that salvation is not of our own doing (Ephesians 2:8).  It is very important that we understand this, but what does Paul mean by it?  First, we need to understand what Paul is not teaching.  He is not teaching that there is […]

Paul teaches us that we have been saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8). However, we have a part in our salvation, not because God needed our help, but because He desired effort on our part.  Sure, God could save us without any action taken on our part at all, but that was not God’s will.  Paul […]

Paul wrote, “For by grace you have been saved…” (Ephesians 2:8).  Thank God for His grace.  Grace refers to God’s unmerited favor and emphasizes the unearned and undeserved nature of our salvation.  God saves man out of the goodness of His heart.  The Psalmist once said, “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for His is […]

We are looking this week at the “better things” we enjoy under the dispensation of Christ, especially when compared with the Mosaic Dispensation.  We have a better covenant, a better sacrifice, and a better High Priest; in fact, we have a better priesthood altogether.  This leads to a fourth thing that we have that is […]

The New Covenant that we are under in this dispensation is clearly superior to the Old Covenant, which the Israelites served under in the Old Testament.  It was not that the law contained in that covenant, that is, the Law of Moses, was bad.  It was, in fact, holy, righteous, and good (Romans 7:12).  It […]

Some think we are still under the old law, that is, the law of Moses.  Others think that someday the law of Moses is going to be reinstated by God.  The scriptures teach that the old law has been replaced by the law of Christ and that it will never again play a role in […]