Forthright Magazine
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Straight to the Cross


COLUMN: Fidelity

Grace Through Faith
by Mike Benson

A man was drowning in a river. His situation was
hopeless. Another man on shore saw the drowning
man. He called out to his two friends to get a
boat, two oars, and a rope. The trio rowed out,
threw the rope, whereupon the man in the water
took hold, hung on, pulled himself into the boat
and was then taken back to shore.

Reflecting on the incident, one man observed, "It
was the BOAT that saved him, because without it we
could have never gotten to him in time." Another
said, "Yes, but it was the OARS that made the
difference." Still the third offered, "In a sense
the MAN saved himself, for he took hold of the
life-line, held on, got into the boat, and stayed
there until we reached shore." Finally, the man
who nearly drowned said, "It was the MAN on shore
who saw me and called for help; it was his
compassion that saved me."

Who was right? Was it the boat, the oars, the
caring man on shore, or the drowning man himself
which made the rescue possible? Actually, all four
contributed to the saving of the drowning man.

This parable illustrates our salvation today. It's
a combination of factors. Man's part (e.g.,
obedient faith) and God's part (e.g., unmerited
favor/grace).

The Bible says, "For by grace through faith you
have been saved..." (Ephesians 2:8,9).

Think about it.

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