Salvation is called a gift of grace because it comes entirely from God’s love, not from anything we can earn. Many people struggle with this idea because in daily life, everything seems to depend on effort or achievement. But in the mystery of salvation, the heart of the Gospel is this: God gives freely what we could never obtain by our own strength.
In the Letter to the Ephesians, Saint Paul writes, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). These words remind us that grace is not a reward for being good, but a love that reaches us even when we are far from God. Grace means God comes first — He moves toward us before we ever move toward Him.
When we call salvation a “gift,” we are saying that it flows from the heart of the Giver. God doesn’t save us because we deserve it, but because He desires that we live in communion with Him. It’s like sunlight — we do nothing to make it shine, yet it pours out warmth and life over all. The Church teaches that grace is God’s own life shared with us, transforming our hearts so we may love as He loves.
This truth also invites humility. We cannot buy salvation with good deeds or perfect prayers. But our good works become our response to grace — the fruit of a heart that has already been touched by divine mercy. When we forgive, serve, or love others, we are living proof that God’s gift has taken root within us.
So salvation is pure grace: a divine generosity that begins in God’s mercy and ends in our freedom. It is the Father’s love poured out through Jesus Christ, who died and rose so that we might live not as slaves of sin, but as beloved children.
May we never forget that grace is not earned, but received. Each day, let us open our hearts to the God who gives Himself completely — the One whose greatest joy is to save us.
— Fr. John Matthew, for Christian Way
