Salvation by Grace

Bible study #2 from Discipleship Evangelism, Level 1 by Andrew Wommack & Don Krow

Our topic today is “Salvation by Grace”. We will be studying from the book of Luke chapter 18, verses 9 through 14 in the New Living Translation Bible. First, some background and definitions:

Grace – This word is Charis in the Greek and means the free, unmerited favor of God toward people who don’t deserve it. Jesus taught the people of His time and us, by using parables. A parable is a type of story that compares things to get a point across.

This story contains 2 types of people: A Pharisee and a Tax Collector.

The Pharisee represents someone who trusts in themselves for their right standing with God. Pharisee actually means “separated one”. The Tax Collector represents someone who knows they are not in right standing with God. A tax collector in that time would extort taxes by any means they could. Their reputation was to be evil, sinful people who cheated and defrauded others to make a living. They might have wanted to change but couldn’t see how.

The word to “fast” is used in this story and it means to do without food for a period of time on purpose. The word “justified” in our relationship to God, means “as if we have never sinned.”

“Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: ‘Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! (Can you imagine him pointing)? I fast twice a week, and I give You (God) a tenth of my income. But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner. I tell you, (Jesus continues) this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

The man says “I am not like other people…”  Isn’t he? This man wanted God to know that he was justified and in right standing with God because of all the things he was doing. As noble as this may seem, we learned from a previous lesson that God wants a relationship with us. We are not to have a checklist with God of all the things we are doing for Him. We want our relationship to be more like a dating process, getting to know Him. Also, this man had an attitude towards others that he thought of himself more highly than other people. How can anyone help another with this kind of outlook, that is, if I think “I’m better than you”?

Now let’s look at verse 13 and the Tax Collector:

“But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’” What is the first thing you notice? The Tax Collector stands “at a distance” from the place of worship. He doesn’t even lift his eyes up toward Heaven. He “beats his chest” to express sorrow about the terrible life he was living. He asks God to give him mercy, which is undeserved, because he is a sinner.

Now, verse 14 is Jesus’ response to these 2 types of people. Since Jesus is God in the flesh, it’s important to know what He thinks! “I tell you, (Jesus continues) this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Stop and take a minute to think about this: Why was the Tax Collector justified before God? Because he knew he had no standing before God, nothing he could offer God. Remember, Jesus didn’t come to save “righteous” people but sinners. Everyone is a sinner but you have to recognize this about yourself.

In the Bible, the book of Romans, the 3rd chapter and verses 10 – 12, the apostle Paul says it this way: “As the Scriptures say, ‘No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.’”

God offers us right standing before Him as a gift. The gift is righteousness and it only comes through Jesus Christ. This grace is only offered to one kind of person – the humble. So, here are some Review Questions from this lesson for you to ponder:

What is a parable? Who did Jesus direct this parable to? What kind of attitude do self-righteous people have? Who were the 2 types of people in this parable? What does fasting mean? Where was the Tax Collector standing and why? What was the Tax Collector’s behavior towards God? Why was the Tax Collector declared righteous or justified? Why was the Pharisee not declared righteous or justified? Did God forgive the Tax Collector?

In the Bible, the book of Romans, the apostle Paul declares: “For everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” If you would like salvation from the LORD, would you humble yourself, get down on your knees and cry out to God from your heart? Ask Him to forgive you of your sinful lifestyle. Ask Him to live His life through you. Begin today knowing Him in a personal, intimate relationship; Spirit to spirit! He will help you change, Holy Spirit speaking to you, helping you make better choices in life and showing you the way to live a life that glorifies God! I pray you have made a decision to have your sins forgiven and be a follower of Jesus. Next month we’ll discuss “Righteousness by Grace.” For a deeper Bible study on these and other topics, please visit my YouTube channel: