In the fifteenth century the motto of the Spanish Empire was ne plus ultra—no more beyond. With their vast empire, the Spanish kings and queens assumed there was no more to conquer. They believed their explorers had gone the ultimate distance, discovering everything that there was to be discovered. Then came Columbus. In 1492 he discovered a new world, and the old motto was outdated. The great explorer had discovered there was more beyond what they originally thought.

Some people’s lives become stagnant. They have stopped growing. They no longer stretch themselves and they live within the narrow circle of their thoughts. Their minds are closed to anything but their own opinions. We should consider Caleb and Joshua, who were motivated by the positive spirit of faith rather than the negative emotion of fear. They were awed with a God who was much, much bigger than their problems were. With this thought in mind we can be steadfast, and say,” oh this mighty God is more than I can imagine with my finite mind.”

I would like to express some thoughts regarding our salvation provided by Jesus on Calvary’s cross. Followers of Jesus believe that there is no other book like the Bible, written by men, inspired by God, and preserved during the centuries. We have today the most important love letter from a loving Father who longs for His children to come back home. For this reason Jesus came in to this darkened world to give His life as a ransom for those faithful people who acknowledge Jesus as their personal and individual Savior. Is not this amazing news?

From Genesis 3 to Revelation 20 the Bible pictures a great conflict between the rebellious forces of evil and the kingdom of God. That conflict is demonstrated from the very beginning, when the serpent (Satan) tempted humans to sin against God, and God promised restoration through a Saviour, who will destroy Satan and sin. The conflict continues all throughout the Bible. Genesis 1 and 2 present to us a picture of God’s perfectly created world. That is why God proclaimed it to be “very good” Genesis 1:31

We can sum up the above statement with these words: God created everything beautiful and perfect but Adam and Eve disobeyed their Creator and brought misery, sin and death. In spite of this God did not forsake them in their condition, but rather provided a way out to restore and bridge the abyss that resulted from sin. The question is, how would God do it? How would He remain a loving Father, and be just, at the same time. Is there any relationship between love and justice? Most of the Christians today believe they are saved, no matter what condition their lives are in or regardless of their obedience to God. Just believe and that is all that is required. Is this true? Can we expect salvation in sin?

In Ephesians 2:8 we read:  “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” Being saved by grace is a wonderful thing, is it not? It is a gift from God. If we were to look up the word “grace” in the dictionary we would find many definitions. One definition that I especially like is, “the freely given, unmerited favour and love of God.” There are others also that I like, “mercy; pardon.” From these definitions, we can see that grace is unmerited favour from God to man. We cannot earn grace, mercy or pardon; it is a free gift. Praise God for that! For this reason in the very next verse, it says that we would boast if we could work our way to heaven, “Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:9. God’s servant Ellen G. White gives us some clues about faith and grace.

“Many hold faith as an opinion. Saving faith is a transaction, by which those who receive Christ join themselves in covenant relation with God. A living faith means an increase of vigor, a confiding trust, by which, through the grace of Christ, the soul becomes a conquering power.” –The Ministry of Healing, p. 62 (emphasis mine)

“It is our own character and experience that determine our influence upon others. In order to convince others of the power of Christ’s grace, we must know its power in our own hearts and lives. The gospel we present for the saving of souls must be the gospel by which our own souls are saved. Only through a living faith in Christ as a personal Saviour is it possible to make our influence felt in a skeptical world.” –The Ministry of Healing, p. 469(emphasis mine)

Now that we have looked at grace, let us look into this word, “works”. What is works? Will anyone ever be saved by works? Can we work our way to heaven by works?  I do not for one minute believe that we will be saved by our works or can work our way to heaven. According to the Bible, we will be judged by our works. “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” Revelation 20:12. So, we cannot work our way to heaven by our good works, but we must have good works. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16. Jesus goes further by saying, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48

The Bible tells us that God is love but He is also just. “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” Psalm 85:10. “Christ on the cross was the medium whereby mercy and truth met together, and righteousness and peace kissed each other.” –The General Conference Bulletin, April 1, 1899

According to the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy the love of God manifested in the Christian life begins when the believer realizes how he or she has been loved. Access to God does not originate by our human efforts but it is the initiative of God. God made the first advance step. When Adam and Eve sinned they hid themselves but God came looking for them and said, “Where are you?” So, Christ teaches us that salvation does not come through our seeking after God but through God seeking after us. “We do not repent in order that God may love us, but He reveals to us His love in order that we may repent.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 189. In other words, we do not keep the Law of God in order to be saved, but because we are saved we keep His commandments.

I remember the first time I discovered Jesus’ love for me and what He has done in my behalf. My heart melted by His love. I said, “How could it be? How can a sinner like me receive such love? I don’t deserve it.” The beloved disciple said, “We love Him, because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19. Salvation comes by God’s grace and grace alone when someone repents of his or her sin. We cannot repent of ourselves unless Christ gives us the gift of repentance. God knows our hearts; He reads our minds, and if we allow Him to work in us He will gladly give us the gift of repentance. Do you want this gift?

It is the work of the devil to deceive people into thinking of God as a God of justice only. The enemy blinded the minds of men, so that they looked upon God with fear. They thought of Him as a severe and unforgiving God. This is how I felt like before my conversion. I looked upon God as an arbitrary God, far distant from sinners, and that people in this world are doomed to death without any possibility of being saved. We can only wonder how many people in this world feel like this, who say, I cannot be saved because God does not love me. If you and I have received the gift of eternal life let us tell others that they can receive it too. Will you and I go and tell people how much God loves them? Will we show from the Scripture that there is a way out of the pit of sin? Remember how Jacob stole the birthright from his brother Esau, lied to his father, Isaac and ran for his life? In his agony and despair he was shown in a dream how God provides restoration. There is need for cooperation. If we are not doing our part God will not do His part.

Faith. What is genuine faith? The Bible tells us about faith in Hebrews 11:1, 6; “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” Genuine faith is the Christian’s response to God’s grace, and its quality depends on a correct view of the character of God. Because faith is the key element in righteousness by faith, a limited or false understanding of faith leads to erroneous doctrines regarding how men and women are saved. The Bible clearly tells us that the only way in which we can attain to righteousness is through faith in Christ. This is how faith is accounted for righteousness.

“Faith in Christ as the world’s Redeemer calls for an acknowledgment of the enlightened intellect controlled by a heart that can discern and appreciate the heavenly treasure. This faith is inseparable from repentance and transformation of character. To have faith means to find and accept the gospel treasure, with all the obligations which it imposes.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 112

Now let us have a look at the fact that we are “judged by works”. We have read that we are not saved by works. Isaiah tells us the condition of our best works. “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags.” Isaiah 64:6

When your name comes up in the judgment, will there be evidence that you permitted God’s love to penetrate your heart? This is the question we must ask ourselves. “The character is revealed, not by occasional good deeds and occasional misdeeds, but by the tendency of the habitual words and acts.” –Steps to Christ, p. 57

There is also such a thing as false evidence of righteousness. This is seen by legalistic works done for the glory of self and the Judge can see right through it. Yet a faith that works by love is the exact evidence that will convince the Judge that we have received His amazing grace. A smoking furnace is evidence that it has been in action. Good works are evidence of grace put into action. Where you find smoke you find fire. Where you find grace you find good works.

Good works, done out of love, are evidence that we have been saved by God’s amazing grace. Good works have been prepared by God, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10.Where do good works come from? They come from God, who is the author and the finisher of our salvation, if we allow Him to do so. May God help us understand how we are saved by grace through faith in Christ our Lord is my wish and prayer. Amen!

Nicolas Anca