“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).

If God saves us only by His grace, then why does Christ call us to “sin no more?” (John 8:11).  After all, doesn’t our sin magnify God’s grace? (Romans 5:20).

These are just a few questions that we ask in light of God’s grace.  I don’t think that our questions are invalid, only that our understanding of God’s grace is invalid.  In his book “Radical,” David Platt gives us needed insight as to what God’s grace really means for us.

[The] gift of grace involves the gift of a new heart.  New desires.  New longings.  For the first time, we want God.  We see our need for him, and we love him.  We seek after him, and we find him, and we discover that he is indeed the great reward of our salvation.  We realize that we are saved not just to be forgiven of our sins or to be assured of our eternity in heaven, but we are saved to know God.  So we yearn for him.  We want him so much that we abandon everything else to experience him.  This is the only proper response to the revelation of God in the gospel (pp. 39).

This post should have only taken a couple minutes to read.  Perhaps you should take a few more minutes to let the Holy Spirit examine your heart.  Test yourself by asking this simple question, “Do I want Jesus, or do I want His gifts?” (salvation, no hell, no guilt, etc…)

Remember, Christ came to save the world.  Flee to Him.  He is our refuge, treasure, and hope.

“Delight yourself in the LORD,and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).