Saved and Called: "Undeserving gift of God’s grace"
2 Timothy 1:9 “For God saved us and called us to live a Holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was His plan from the beginning of time—to show us His grace through Jesus Christ.”
This verse gets right to the point in a number of different levels. The author first points that being saved is for a reason and purpose, not for a destination. We are saved and called through that saving to live a holy life. The author wants us to know that the call is a holy life but that can only happen if we are saved. The next level is the reminder that this saving and calling is not because we deserve it but happens because it is God’s plan. God’s plan for our lives and this world is to show us His grace through Jesus Christ and this grace saves and calls us to live a holy life in a restored relationship with God.
In my world nothing is for free and getting what you deserve is the American way. For better or worse, we affirm this self destination that every person gets the life they deserve. In fact, to get something you don’t deserve often comes with strings attached because nothing is for free. The last thing we want to be in is debt and to receive a gift often means that we incur some kind of debt in the process. But yet God completely turns this kind of thinking up on its heels. God saves us and calls us to live a holy life for the sole purpose that this is His plan to reveal His grace to His creation through Jesus Christ. God is the chief actor and we have nothing to do with it; we are only the objects of His grace. This grace in turn saves us from our “deserving friendly” world and calls us to live a holy life.
Lord, its hard for me to wrap my mind around this gift of saving and calling that I do not deserve. Help me understand. Amen.
Leave a Reply