Accepting Jesus Christ and the Gift of His Grace

By Rob Riesmeyer, Elder

In a world driven by achievement, self-promotion, and earning your way, the Gospel of Jesus Christ stands in stark contrast. The message is radical: you cannot work your way into Heaven. You cannot be “good enough.” You cannot earn God's love. But here’s the beauty: you don’t have to.

The Gospel is not a ladder we climb; it is a hand that reaches down to us. And that hand bears the scars of a Savior who already did everything necessary for your salvation. The message we share today, as believers at St. Luke Evangelical Free Church, is the heart of Christianity: Salvation is by grace through faith, not by works—so that no one may boast.

The Problem We All Face

Let’s start with a truth we all sense, even if we haven’t named it: something is wrong. We live in a world marked by pain, injustice, loneliness, fear, and death. But this brokenness is not just “out there”—it’s within each of us. Romans 3:23 puts it plainly:

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

That means everyone. Every culture, every generation, every person. Sin isn’t just doing bad things; it’s living apart from God. It’s replacing Him with other things—whether success, pleasure, religion, or ourselves. And the consequence of sin is not just a hard life, but spiritual death:

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” — Romans 6:23

If we’re honest, we all feel this weight. We try to fill the gap with good deeds, rituals, self-help books, and meditation apps. But they cannot save us. We might make ourselves feel better for a while, but we’re still spiritually dead apart from Christ.

The Futility of Works-Based Salvation

Many think being “a good person” will get them to Heaven. God will weigh our good and bad deeds and let us in if we tip the scales correctly. But Scripture crushes this false hope.

Ephesians 2:8-9 is crystal clear:

“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.”

Not your doing. Not the result of works. It’s a gift.

Imagine someone hands you a beautifully wrapped box and says, “This is for you.” Do you reach into your wallet and say, “Let me pay you for it?” Of course not. That would insult the giver and rob them of the joy of giving.

Salvation works the same way. You cannot earn it. You can only receive it.

What Grace Really Means

The word grace is central to Christianity. It means unearned favor. It’s God giving us what we do not deserve. And at the heart of grace is Jesus Christ.

“But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” — Romans 5:8

Think about that. Not when we got our lives together. Not after we cleaned ourselves up. While we were still sinners, that’s grace.

And Jesus didn’t just come to be a good teacher or a wise prophet—He came to die in our place. To take the punishment we deserve, so that we could be made right with God.

“For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” — 2 Corinthians 5:21

Grace is not cheap. It cost Jesus everything. But it is free to you.

Faith: The Open Hand

So, how do we receive this gift? By faith.

Faith is not mere intellectual agreement. It’s not just believing that Jesus existed. Faith is trusting Him. It's leaning your full weight on His finished work on the cross. It's letting go of your own efforts and saying, “Jesus, I need You. I trust You.”

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” — Romans 10:9

Faith is the open hand that receives the gift of grace.

Why It’s Not About Religion

Religion says, “Do.”

Jesus says, “Done.”

This is what sets Christianity apart from every other belief system. Every religion gives you a list of rules to follow, rituals to perform, and works to accomplish in order to gain divine favor. But Christianity starts with grace. You don't work for acceptance—you work from it.

When you accept Jesus Christ and the gift of His grace, your life changes. Not because you’re trying to earn God’s love, but because you’ve been transformed by it.

This is what Jesus meant when He said:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” — John 5:24

Real Life Transformation

Accepting Jesus is not a religious moment; it’s a resurrection. It’s passing from death to life. It’s becoming a new creation.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” — 2 Corinthians 5:17

When you receive this gift of grace, God begins to reshape your heart. You begin to love what He loves. You begin to reflect His character. Not because you're trying to be saved, but because you are.

Obedience becomes worship. Service becomes joy. Faith becomes life.

A Personal Invitation:

Come as you are. You don’t need to clean yourself up. You don’t need to fix your past. You don’t need to figure it all out.

Jesus stands with arms wide open, offering you forgiveness, freedom, and eternal life—not because of what you’ve done, but because of what He did.

“Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28

Are you weary? Are you searching? Are you longing for something real, something eternal, something that cannot be taken from you?

Then come. Not to a religion. Not to a list of rules. But to Jesus.

How to Accept Jesus Christ and the Gift of His Grace

There’s no magic prayer. There’s no checklist. But if your heart is stirred and you’re ready to stop trusting in yourself and start trusting in Christ, you can pray something like this:

“Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. I know I cannot save myself. I believe You died for me and rose again. I trust You as my Savior. I receive Your gift of grace. Make me new. I want to follow You all my days.”

God sees your heart. If that’s your prayer, welcome to the family.

What’s Next?

If you’ve accepted Jesus Christ and the gift of His grace today, we want to walk with you. Salvation is the beginning, not the end. Join a community of believers. Read the Word. Talk to God daily. Get baptized. Tell someone about your decision.

At St. Luke Evangelical Free Church, we are here to help you grow in your new faith. No pressure. No performance. Just grace upon grace.

Because Jesus didn’t come to make bad people better. He came to bring dead people to life.

Closing Scripture Reflection

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness… and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives…” — Titus 2:11-12

Grace saves. Grace transforms. Grace carries us home.

You don’t have to earn it. You only have to receive it.