Unwrapping Grace

Most popular Bible passages, #5:

Ephesians 2:8, the New Testament

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”

Most of us receive gifts from time to time on special occasions such as wedding anniversaries, birthdays, or at Christmas time. Often these gifts are covered in wrapping paper. And though wrapping paper is fairly easily torn away, until it is removed we will not fully understand or enjoy the gift we have been given.

Grace is a gift from God to each of us, but it is limited by our faith and obedience to God’s commandments. Christ’s grace has the power to raise us from the dead and to make us clean and pure. For this power to be active in our lives Jesus asks us to exercise faith in Him by doing our best to live the kind of life that He lived.

ToddChristofferson is one of Christ’s apostles today. He said, “‘We know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do’ (2 Ne 25:23). And we do not need to achieve some minimum level of capacity or goodness before God will help—divine aid can be ours every hour of every day, no matter where we are in the path of obedience. But I know that beyond desiring His help, we must exert ourselves, repent, and choose God for Him to be able to act in our lives … My plea is simply to take responsibility and go to work so that there is something for God to help us with” (Oct. 2014 General Conference).

Through the grace of Jesus Christ our sins and mistakes can be forgiven and forgotten. This gift of His grace He freely gives to any who will receive it. We receive grace by believing in Jesus Christ and repenting of our sins – by removing the wrapping paper.