Introduction: Rediscovering the Treasure
We have already spoken about three pillars of the Reformation: Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone), Solus Christus (Christ Alone), and Sola Fide (Faith Alone). We now approach the fourth principle, which permeates all Christian teaching: Sola Gratia—“Grace Alone.” Recently, I was talking to a believer about these “Solas.” He said, “You know, Ivan, these are such subtleties… It’s probably not worth preaching about them so much. We already know that God is good.” How ironic! In the 16th century, people went to the stake for these “subtleties” because they understood that the presence or absence of the word “alone” was a matter of eternal life or death. As Jodocus van Lodenstein said, “The church is reformed and always in need of being reformed according to the Word of God.” We need to rediscover the power of grace for ourselves.
What Is Grace?
The word “grace” can sound like church jargon. Some suggest replacing it with more modern words so as not to “burden” people. But how can you remove grace from the Gospel when it is its very essence? Let’s try to define it. We often say that grace is “unmerited favor.” But this definition sometimes sounds too cheap.
We all love free things. If you are given a free candy or a pen at a reception desk—does it change your life? Most likely not. You might even lose that pen five minutes later and not be upset. But grace is not a “free pen” from God. It is something infinitely more valuable. In Ephesians 2:1-10, the Apostle Paul shows us grace from three sides: why it is indispensable, why it is precious, and how it changes everything.
I. Why Grace Is Indispensable: The Diagnosis of Death
The Apostle Paul gives humanity a diagnosis: “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins…” (Eph. 2:1). This is the most important part for understanding grace. If we do not recognize the seriousness of the disease, we will not appreciate the value of the medicine.
Notice, Paul does not say we were “sickly” or “lost.” He says—“dead.” Spiritually dead. Imagine a person in a morgue. Can you help him by offering vitamins? Can you inspire him to go for a morning jog? No. He doesn’t need advice; he doesn’t need “help” to get up on his own. He needs the miracle of resurrection. A dead person can do nothing for his own revival. He cannot even realize his need for life.
The Bible says that without grace, we lived “following the course of this world,” being slaves to our desires and being under God’s wrath. We didn’t just make mistakes—we were dead in our very nature. And this shatters human pride. We like to think that there is a “divine spark” in us that God saw and therefore decided to help us. But Sola Gratia asserts: grace is indispensable because only the Creator of life can help a dead man.
II. Why Grace Is Precious: God’s Initiative
The second part of the text begins with a great “BUT.” “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us… made us alive together with Christ” (Eph. 2:4-5). Here the preciousness of grace shines. When we were dead, when we were His enemies, when we did not seek Him—God Himself took the initiative.
Grace is when the One we have offended takes the initiative for reconciliation. God does not just look down on us and wait for us to improve. He comes down into our “morgue,” takes us by the hand, and breathes life into us. Why does He do this? Not because He saw potential in us. Not because we are “good guys.” But because He is “rich in mercy.” The source of grace is exclusively in the heart of God, not in the merits of man.
The preciousness of grace is that it cost God the life of His Son. It is “free” for us, but it was incredibly expensive for Him. God has seated us “in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” so that in the coming ages He might “show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” We are the showcase of God’s mercy. When angels look at us, saved sinners, they see not our achievements, but how great and kind our God is.
III. How Grace Changes Everything: Faith and Works
Many fear the doctrine of grace. “If you tell people they are saved only by grace, they will stop trying! They will sin and say that God loves them anyway.” But those who think this have never encountered true grace.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8-9). These verses are the heart of the Reformation. Salvation is 100% God’s work. Even faith itself is a gift. God opens our hearts so that we can believe. We have no reason at all for boasting.
But immediately after this, Paul adds: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). Look at the order! Good works are not the condition for salvation, but its fruit. We do good works not in order to be saved, but because we are already saved. Grace does not make us passive; it makes us truly alive.
Imagine a child who knows that his parents love him only when he brings home good grades. He lives in constant fear. He does his homework out of fear of punishment. But a child who knows he is loved unconditionally, simply because he is a son—that child will study and please his parents out of love. Grace frees us from slavish fear and gives us the joy of sonship. We no longer “earn points”; we serve God out of gratitude for His immeasurable love.
Practical Application: Humility and Assurance
What does the doctrine of Sola Gratia change in our daily lives?
First, it produces in us a deep humility. If my salvation is entirely a gift from God, then I cannot look down on any person in this world. The only reason I am not in a “spiritual morgue” is God’s hand that pulled me out. Grace kills religious arrogance and fanaticism.
Second, grace gives us incredible assurance. If my salvation depended even one percent on my holiness or my efforts, I would have lost it in the first hour. But if it rests on the “immeasurable riches of His grace,” then it is secure. Our hope is not in how tightly we hold on to God, but in how tightly He holds on to us.
Conclusion: A Call to the Thirsty
The doctrine of Sola Gratia is the best news for this world. Our world lives by the principle of merit: “you have to pay for everything,” “nothing comes for free.” And when we hear about God’s gift, it is hard for us to believe it. We try to “top up” God’s gift with our prayers or donations.
But God says: “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price” (Isaiah 55:1).
If you feel spiritually empty, if you realize that all your attempts to “become better” have failed—I have a word of hope for you. Sola Gratia. Grace alone. You don’t need to bring anything. You simply need to admit your poverty and receive His gift. This grace has been turning the dead into the living, slaves into sons, and sinners into saints for two thousand years. And now, it is open to each of you.
May this truth fill your hearts with peace and joy. We are saved by grace, we live by grace, and one day we will enter His glory to sing of the immeasurable riches of His mercy forever.