DAY 341 Read Acts 28; Ephesians 1 through 3.
Today's reading: The book of Acts ends with Paul under house arrest in Rome. The rest of his story we have to piece out from his own writings and from tradition. We are reasonably certain that the Epistle to the Ephesians was written during these two years in Rome.
Memory gem: "By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8, 9).
Thought for today:
When sin first entered the world, God's grace was already there. It declared that if the sinner would accept the death of Christ instead of his own death--to which he had been condemned by his transgression of God's law--then the sinner might go free. Christ's life was guaranteed to the sinner in Eden, and men were saved on that guarantee, even though Christ did not die upon the cross for four thousand years. They looked forward by faith to the Redeemer who was to come. We look back to the cross for salvation and celebrate the Lord's Supper to show our faith in the Redeemer who did come.
We know that the grace of God was extended to men before the cross, because we read in Genesis 6:8 that "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." And Titus 2:11 says, "The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men." So God's grace is worldwide and extends to all the ages of time.
Not one person will enter heaven who has not been saved by grace. Salvation cannot be earned. It comes only as a gift of God through faith. People were not saved in the old dispensation by keeping the law and in the new dispensation by grace. In every dispensation and at all times, people have been saved by grace--and grace alone.
If men before the cross could have been saved by their own efforts, then they could do something that no one can do now. In that case, in heaven they could be telling of their own power to earn salvation, while all the redeemed since the cross would be praising Christ as the one who had given them eternal life. In such a situation heaven would be divided. But, thank God, it will not be so. There will be no divided heaven. Everyone who gets there will be ascribing praise to Christ for His gift of eternal life.
Today's reading: The book of Acts ends with Paul under house arrest in Rome. The rest of his story we have to piece out from his own writings and from tradition. We are reasonably certain that the Epistle to the Ephesians was written during these two years in Rome.
Memory gem: "By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8, 9).
Thought for today:
When sin first entered the world, God's grace was already there. It declared that if the sinner would accept the death of Christ instead of his own death--to which he had been condemned by his transgression of God's law--then the sinner might go free. Christ's life was guaranteed to the sinner in Eden, and men were saved on that guarantee, even though Christ did not die upon the cross for four thousand years. They looked forward by faith to the Redeemer who was to come. We look back to the cross for salvation and celebrate the Lord's Supper to show our faith in the Redeemer who did come.
We know that the grace of God was extended to men before the cross, because we read in Genesis 6:8 that "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." And Titus 2:11 says, "The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men." So God's grace is worldwide and extends to all the ages of time.
Not one person will enter heaven who has not been saved by grace. Salvation cannot be earned. It comes only as a gift of God through faith. People were not saved in the old dispensation by keeping the law and in the new dispensation by grace. In every dispensation and at all times, people have been saved by grace--and grace alone.
If men before the cross could have been saved by their own efforts, then they could do something that no one can do now. In that case, in heaven they could be telling of their own power to earn salvation, while all the redeemed since the cross would be praising Christ as the one who had given them eternal life. In such a situation heaven would be divided. But, thank God, it will not be so. There will be no divided heaven. Everyone who gets there will be ascribing praise to Christ for His gift of eternal life.
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