SAVED BY FAITH

"But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions -- it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith --  and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”  (Ephesians 2:4-8 NIV)

I recently walked through an old cemetery in northern Wisconsin and came across one of the oldest graves there, likely dating back to the latter half of the 1800’s. It was marked with a white, vertical headstone. Most of the writing was no longer legible -- name, birth date, death date. But what was still legible, written in a large, cursive font, were the words “Saved By Faith.” What a lasting testimony to this pioneer’s faith. His soul was “alive with Christ” even though his body was long dead and buried.

I know nothing about this person, except for this enduring witness. But it did give me pause, as I stood there before this old grave, as to what I might want for my epitaph. It may very well be “Saved By Faith.”

-- David T. Wilkinson


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