Introduction:
If salvation is a gift from God, does that mean everyone will be
saved? If salvation is a gift, do we have to do anything to receive
it? Ecclesiastes 3:13 says, “And also that every man should eat and
drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.”
God designed mankind to work (Genesis 2:15). Even after the curse of
sin, when labor became toil, the good that comes from work—the fruit
of it—remains a gift from God. He provides the seed and water, but
we must plant and tend it. The increase comes from Him. In the same
way, God’s spiritual blessings are gifts that come through His
grace, yet He expects our faithful response.
The Gospel Teaches Salvation
by Grace
Salvation is called the “gift of God.” Paul wrote in Ephesians
2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not
of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone
should boast.” Grace means unearned favor—something God offers
freely through Christ’s sacrifice. We cannot earn forgiveness by
good deeds or merit. Yet grace must be received by obedient faith.
The same passage that denies human boasting also affirms faith as
the means of receiving grace.
Conditions Attached to
God’s Grace
Though grace cannot be earned, Scripture shows that there are
conditions to receiving it. When Peter preached on Pentecost, the
people cried out, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37).
Peter did not reply, “There is nothing you can do.” Instead, he
said, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the
gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Their repentance and baptism
were not works that earned salvation; they were steps of obedience
God required for the gift to be given. Peter further urged them, “Be
saved from this perverse generation” (Acts 2:40). God was ready to
give; they had to respond.
An Old Testament Example—Naaman
the Leper
Naaman’s cleansing in 2 Kings 5 illustrates the same principle.
Elisha told him, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your
flesh shall be restored to you” (2 Kings 5:10). Only after he
obeyed—dipping seven times—was he healed (v. 14). The power was in
God, not the river; yet obedience was necessary for the gift to be
received. God’s promise of healing was conditional on Naaman’s
compliance.
Baptism—A Work of God, Not
Man
When we obey the gospel, repentance and baptism are conditions of
God’s grace. Baptism is not a human invention or meritorious deed—it
is God’s appointed means of union with Christ. Paul described it as
being “buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised
with Him through faith in the working of God” (Colossians 2:12). It
is God’s work, not ours, that removes sin.
Is Salvation a Gift? Sermon
Outline:
Introduction
-
Salvation is
often called “the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8–9)
-
If it is a gift,
does that mean everyone will be saved automatically?
-
Ecclesiastes
3:13 teaches that the good from our labor is also “the gift of
God.”
-
God provides
blessings, but He requires human effort and obedience to receive
them.
-
Lesson Text:
Ecclesiastes 3:13
I. God’s Gifts Require Human
Response
-
God designed man
to work. (Genesis 2:15)
-
After sin, work
became toil, but it remained a divine design.
-
The fruit of
labor is a blessing from God, though man must work to enjoy it.
-
Principle: God
gives the resources; man must act in faith and obedience to
receive the benefit.
-
Application: God
provides the gospel and grace, but each person must respond to
receive salvation.
II. Salvation by Grace
-
“For by grace
you have been saved through faith… it is the gift of God.”
(Ephesians 2:8–9)
-
Grace means
unearned favor—salvation is not achieved through merit.
-
Christ’s death
on the cross made forgiveness possible.
-
Salvation
cannot be earned by human effort, yet it is not unconditional.
-
Faith is the
means through which God’s grace is received.
-
Grace teaches
obedience—faith without obedience is incomplete.
III. Conditions of
Receiving God’s Grace
-
Example from
Acts 2:37–38:
-
After
hearing Peter’s sermon, the crowd asked, “Men and brethren,
what shall we do?”
-
Peter’s
answer: “Repent, and be baptized… for the remission of
sins.”
-
Their
obedience did not earn salvation but was required to receive it.
-
Peter urged
them further: “Be saved from this perverse generation.” (Acts
2:40)
-
God offers the
gift; man must meet the conditions to receive it.
-
Application:
Repentance and baptism are the conditions attached to God’s
saving grace.
IV. Old Testament Example:
Naaman the Leper
-
Naaman was
told to wash seven times in the Jordan to be healed. (2 Kings
5:10)
-
He doubted and
resisted, but when he obeyed, “his flesh was restored.” (2 Kings
5:14)
-
God’s power
healed him, not the river—but obedience was required.
-
Naaman’s
healing was a gift from God, but he would have remained a leper
if he had refused.
-
Lesson:
Obedience is always the means of accepting God’s grace.
V. Baptism—The Work of God
-
Some claim
baptism is a “work of man,” but Scripture calls it God’s work.
-
Colossians
2:12 – “Buried with Him in baptism… raised with Him through
faith in the working of God.”
-
Baptism is the
moment faith acts—where God forgives and raises us to new life.
-
It is not man
earning salvation, but God fulfilling His promise to cleanse.
-
Those who
reject baptism reject the working of God.
VI. Salvation Offered to
All but Received by the Obedient
-
God desires
all to be saved. (2 Peter 3:9)
-
The gospel
invitation is universal but conditional.
-
Romans 6:23 –
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal
life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
-
Sin earns
death; obedience receives life.
-
The free gift
must be accepted through faith and submission to God’s commands.
VII. The Christian’s
Ongoing Response to Grace
-
After
receiving salvation, believers must continue in faithfulness.
-
Titus 2:11–12
– “The grace of God… teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly
lusts.”
-
Grace
motivates obedience and holy living.
-
The saved live
in gratitude, not self-reliance, knowing all blessings come from
God.
Call to Action
God’s grace is available to every soul, but His gift must be
received through faith and obedience. Have you repented of your
sins? Have you been baptized into Christ? (Acts 2:38) Eternal life
is the gift of God, but only those who meet His conditions will
receive it. God has done His part—will you do yours today?
Key Takeaways
-
Every
blessing, physical and spiritual, comes from God (Ecclesiastes
3:13).
-
Grace is
unearned but must be accepted on God’s conditions (Ephesians
2:8–9).
-
Repentance and
baptism are divinely required responses (Acts 2:38–40).
-
Naaman’s
healing shows obedience is essential (2 Kings 5:14).
-
Baptism is the
work of God, not man (Colossians 2:12).
-
Eternal life
is God’s gift to those who obey Christ (Romans 6:23).
Scripture Reference List
-
Ecclesiastes 3:13 –
God gives the good from labor as His gift.
-
Genesis 2:15 – Man
was created to work and tend God’s creation.
-
Ephesians 2:8–9 –
Salvation is God’s gift through faith, not works.
-
Acts 2:37–40 –
Repentance and baptism are necessary conditions for salvation.
-
2 Kings 5:10–14 –
Naaman’s obedience brought cleansing by God’s grace.
-
Colossians 2:12 –
Baptism operates through faith in the power of God.
-
Romans 6:23 – Eternal
life is God’s gift in Christ Jesus.
-
2 Peter 3:9 – God
desires all to come to repentance.
-
Titus 2:11–12 – Grace
teaches us to live godly lives.
Prepared
by Bobby Stafford of the church of Christ at Granby, MO
The church of Christ at
Granby, MO
Located at
516 East Pine St.
P.O. Box 664
Granby, Mo. 64844
(417) 472-7109
For more lessons and
Sermons, please visit
granbychurchofchrist.org/
granbychurchofchrist.com/