Daily Devotional
Are You Religious or Redeemed?

April 20, 2023

Ponder This

It is “by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). You can’t beg it, you can’t buy it, you can’t borrow it, you can’t steal it, and you can’t earn it. It is the grace of God; salvation was bought by Christ on the cross. When Christ finished, it was accomplished. You cannot deplete it, and you can’t add to it—it is the supernatural work of God. It is the grace of Christ. He is the subject of the Gospel. It is about Him: the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

You may say, “Well, I believe the plan of salvation.” You can believe the plan of salvation and go straight to Hell, because you’re not saved by the plan of salvation, you’re saved by the man of salvation. It’s not a creed. You may say, “I believe if you live right, you’ll go to Heaven.” Paul said if righteousness comes by the law, then Christ is dead in vain (Galatians 2:21).

Do you know why we have so much religious mayhem in the world today? Because people have met creeds, not Christ. They’ve entered into codes of living but not met Christ. They’ve joined churches without meeting Christ. Salvation is not believing something; it is receiving Someone. Jesus is just not a good way to Heaven; He’s the only way to Heaven.

• What are some other things you can think of that people put their faith in instead of Jesus?
• What are you tempted to put faith in over Jesus?

Practice This

Pray for a friend or loved one who has not put his or her faith in Jesus. Confess any ways you need to turn back to Jesus or turn to Jesus for the first time.