August 1 – Saved by Grace, Led to Obedience

In today’s episode, Pastor Jenny Dirmann shares a devotion from John 3:36, where John writes that whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life because God's wrath remains on them. At first glance, this verse can seem to suggest that salvation depends on perfect obedience rather than faith. Pastor Jenny explains that the passage is not contrasting faith with works, but belief with unbelief. The disobedience John describes is the ongoing rejection of Jesus Christ, not the daily struggles of believers who are sincerely following Him. Salvation is received by grace through faith in Christ alone, not by our ability to perform good works. At the same time, genuine faith produces a life of growing obedience. We do not obey in order to earn God's acceptance; we obey because we have already been accepted through the finished work of Jesus. As we continue trusting Christ, the Holy Spirit empowers us to walk in righteousness, not out of legalism, but out of gratitude for the grace we have freely received.Today's Reading:August 1 – Isaiah 65–66; Psalm 62; John 3