Part 2

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life."

--Ephesians 2:8-10

"For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us)..."

--Romans 4:16

"And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness."

--Genesis 15:6

The Scriptures establish that humility and faith are inseparable to those walking the path of life in Christ. Humility is one of the conditions, or proofs of faith acceptable to God. That said, I want to attempt to cover the relationship of grace, faith, and works in a summarizing manner. The verses in Ephesians are often ignored by people today. This is saddening because we need to realize the fact that in these verses, the revelation of God's dealings with mankind and what He wills for us to do are made clear--basically, this is the desire of God's heart. The Apostle Paul is saying that God has snatched us from eternal death even though we are unworthy, has granted us the ability to rely on Him (faith), to live bearing the good works of our faith to God and that this be our continual way of living. The other side is that no person can do this by his or her own strength. This salvation; this way of life is only possible through the death and rising of Jesus. He is our life (Col 3:1-4) through faith that brings us into a deep relationship and unity with God. The Grace of God giving us faith and accessed by faith is revealed to humanity--this is the way, may we walk in it certainly by the favor of God!