Ephesians 2:8 (NKJV) For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
Although we are all sinners destined for hell, God showed His love for us by sending His only begotten Son, Jesus, to die for us on the cross of Calvary. Nonetheless, God gave mankind a choice to either spend eternity with Him or be apart from Him. The lake of fire was meant for the devil and his cohorts and never for mankind unless they wilfully chose to reject Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life. God has given us the ability to respond and be saved by accepting His grace, which is extended to every one of us. God’s heart is for none to perish but for all to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
There was a period of innocence when Adam and Eve were basking in the glory of God without the knowledge of good and evil, but both of them fell into sin when Satan tempted them to eat the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, which God had instructed them not to eat. Consequently, God had to educate mankind about sin, and as a result, the law was given during the Old Testament to teach them about His holiness. This law came through Moses, and it was a schoolmaster, showing mankind their inability to stand right before God based on their own strength. The law of the Old Testament condemns and gives no solution for standing right before God. Its purpose is to drive men to seek after the grace of God.
The gospel conveys to us that God’s grace is extended to all sinners. Grace is God’s unmerited favour, which means that there is nothing we have done or spoken that will make God love us more or love us less—God loves us unconditionally. God’s love for mankind moved Him to create a redemption plan to save those who call upon Him after hearing the gospel. For the believers, faith arose in their hearts when they heard the gospel; they responded to His love and were saved. By faith in the gospel, they believed. Faith is anchored in His Word.
Romans 10:17(NKJV) So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Grace came through Jesus Christ because He was the Lamb who took away the sins of the world. Jesus is the Son of God, blameless and sinless, but He was made sin for us when the sin of mankind was placed upon Him. God judged Him for our sins. He was made sin and took upon Himself all the curses of the law. We are redeemed from our sins because of the blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus has paid the price for us. We are now made righteous when we call upon the name of Jesus.
Sermon Series： Growing Our Faith In God (Part 1)
通过对耶稣的信心得救
以弗所书 2:8（新标点和合本） 你们得救是本乎恩，也因着信；这并不是出于自己，乃是 神所赐的；
尽管我们都是注定要下地狱的罪人，神却通过差遣祂唯一的儿子耶稣为我们死在加略山十字架上，向我们显明了祂的爱。尽管如此，神仍然给了人类一个选择，要么与祂共度永恒，要么与祂隔绝。火湖原本是为魔鬼和牠的同党预备的，绝非为人类，除非他们故意选择拒绝耶稣，拒绝祂作为道路、真理和生命。神赐给我们回应并接受祂恩典的能力，这恩典向我们每一个人延伸。神的心意是没有人灭亡，而是所有人都能得以认识耶稣基督，得着救恩。
亚当和夏娃曾有一段无罪的时期，他们在神的荣耀中享受安息，对善恶没有任何认识。然而，当撒但引诱他们吃下分别善恶树上的果子时，他们陷入了罪中，而神曾明确吩咐他们不可吃这果子。因此，神不得不开始教导人类认识罪的本质。旧约时期，神颁布了律法，通过摩西传递给人类。这律法如同一位师傅，揭示了人类凭自己的力量无法在神面前站立得住的事实。旧约的律法定人的罪，却不给出任何使人得以在神面前称义的解决方案。它的目的是引导人转向神的恩典，寻求祂的救赎。
福音传达给我们的是神的恩典延展给所有罪人。恩典是神无条件的恩宠，这意味着我们所做的或所说的任何事情都不会使神更加爱我们，也不会使神减少对我们的爱——神的爱是无条件的。神对人类的爱感动祂制定了一个救赎计划，拯救那些在听到福音后呼求祂名的人。对于信徒来说，当他们听到福音时，信心在他们心中产生；他们回应神的爱，并因此得救。通过信靠福音，他们相信了。信心根基于神的话语。
罗马书 10:17（新标点和合本）可见，信道是从听道来的，听道是从基督的话来的。
恩典通过耶稣基督临到了我们，因为祂是那位除去世人罪孽的羔羊。耶稣是神的儿子，毫无瑕疵、无罪，但当人类的罪被加在祂身上时，祂为我们成了罪。神因我们的罪审判了祂。祂成了罪，并亲自担当了律法的一切咒诅。我们因耶稣基督的宝血从罪中得赎。耶稣为我们付了代价。当我们呼求耶稣的名时，我们就被称为义。
讲章系列：在神里面让信心生发成长 （第一部份）
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