Ephesians 2:1-10: Saved by Grace

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And

this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God..." Ephesians 2:8

The first sermon I ever preached was from Ephesians 2:1-10. My outline was simple: death, life, and works. Ephesians 2:1-10 is a very popular text in Christian culture, but what does it actually mean? Let's look at it this morning, following this simple outline.

Death (1-3) -- The first three verses of this text teach us that every man is born spiritually dead. This is a great paradox, but one that scripture teaches clearly. Every man in Adam is born a sinner. There is no one who is born with a righteous heart (just ask anyone who has ever parented or been around a 2-year-old). By our very nature, we are disobedient, walking in "trespasses and sins, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air [that is, Satan]." Because of our natural sin, we were "by nature children of wrath," meaning that we all deserve God's eternal wrath (that is, punishment in hell) because of our sins. Every man is born dead.

Life (4-9) -- Yet, this isn't the end of the story, though it could have been. God would have been perfectly just, perfectly righteous, and perfectly good to send all of sinful humanity into hell forever. He did not have to come down and save us, yet he did. Thus, we find the most glorious two words in all of scripture: "But God..." We could have been hopeless forever, apart from the presence of God for which we were created, but God. Yet, what exactly did God do? Because of his great mercy, love, and ultimately his great glory, "made us alive together with Christ" even when we were dead in our trespasses and sins (5). Note here that salvation is not something that we do to ourselves, but something God does to us. In our own sin, we were both unable and unwilling to save ourselves, yet God reached in and did what we could not do. Yet not only did he make us alive, but he "raised us up with [Christ] and seated us with him in the heavenly places." In other words, God lifted us from the deepest hell up to the highest heaven, along with Christ. Why? Why would God do all of this, though we did not deserve it? So that he might show us the "immeasurable riches" of his grace (7).

Thus we find here the great implication in verses 8 and 9, which are so often quoted in Christian culture: by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God. Brothers and sisters, we have not been saved by our own effort, but God's. We have not been saved by our own merit, but Christ's. We have not been saved by our own power, but by the power of the Holy Spirit that he wonderfully works within us. Thus, there is no reason for boasting, for God alone gets all of the glory for our salvation (8).

Works (10) -- Yet, where does the Christian ideal of "obedience" come in? Since we've been saved by grace and not by our obedience, is there any point in obeying the law of God now? Certainly. For in verse 10 Paul tells us that we are "his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Now that we have been saved, we have been empowered by God to walk in obedience, in those great good works that he has created us for. Thus, we find that we are not saved by good works, but now that we have been saved, we do these good works because we have been saved! Thus, we are not legalists, obeying the law so that we can work our way up to heaven. Nor are we antinomians, disregarding the law because we are saved by grace. Rather, we are Christians who obey God's law willingly, out of a grateful heart that realizes what God has done for us, realizing that God's law is for his glory and our good.

Yet, what does this great story have to do for me and you this morning? Well, for those of us who are already saved, it is a great reminder. Paul wrote this to people who were already Christians, showing them what actually happened at the moment of salvation, revealing to them the great grace of Christ, that they might live accordingly (see Eph. 4:1). Because of Christ's death and resurrection, this salvation has been made possible for those who call upon his name (Rom. 10:13). This is the story of those who have believed, let us now live it out in complete obedience!

Yet this great story is not true of everyone. For anyone who has not repented of their sins and believed in the Gospel (Mark 1:15), their story stops at verse 3. They are still "children of wrath" who will endure eternity apart from Christ if they do not turn from their sin and call upon the Lord. Yet, by the grace of God, no one's story has to end there. This great, wonderful, and gracious salvation is available to all who simply confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in their heart that God raised him from the dead (Rom. 10:9). Because of Christ's perfect life, sacrificial death on the cross, and resurrection, everyone who calls upon the Lord will be saved (Rom. 10:13). If you haven't made that decision to follow Christ, I encourage you to do so soon, for we do not know the day of his coming, and it may soon be too late! Come! Come and be reborn by the blood of Christ!!

So, let me encourage you this morning: God's salvation is fully and entirely by grace. God does not save according to merit. This is both a terrifying truth because it shows us that we cannot save ourselves. Yet it is also a glorious truth in light of Christ because through him we can obtain God's favor because the wrath of God has been poured out on Christ on the cross on our behalf. Praise the Lord! He has provided a way for salvation to those who believe. We were born dead, yet by his grace, he bestows eternal life. How great and gracious is our glorious God!