TUESDAY
Yesterday we read Ephesians 2:1-10. The first three verses begin with the dreadful plight of humanity prior to the grace and mercy of God in saving his people. Today we will begin our laser focus on the good news (literal meaning of gospel). I’m going to jump right ahead to verse 4.
Ephesians 2:1–10 1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
This is one of, if not the most beautiful, concise and worshipful declarations of God’s response to our sinful plight.
If we were to rewind a few verses, Paul describes the resurrection as the enthronement of Christ over every “rule and authority and power and dominion (spiritual forces) and every every name that is named…He put all things under his feet…” (Eph. 1:21-22) Paul’s point, here, is to describe how Christ’s victory is personally applied to the Ephesian believers.
Notice the language of the transitions from our former state to our later state in Christ:
- Dead (v. 1, 5) to alive together with Christ (v. 5)
- Walking in trespasses and sins (v. 1-2) to new creations walking in the good works God has prepared for us (v. 10)
- Children of wrath (v. 3) to recipients of grace, mercy and love (v. 4)
All of this comes to believers by God’s actions of uniting us together with Christ so that the results of Christ’s resurrection are applied to God’s people. Of course, Christ still holds the exalted place, as chapter 1 is all about, and we are the thankful recipients of God’s grace given to us through Christ.
Why did God do this? Paul makes it abundantly clear by repeating multiple times with different words that it is solely because God wanted to show mercy, grace and love to his people. God is rich in mercy (v. 4). He loves his people with a great love (v. 4). In verse 7 Paul explains why God has raised his people up and seated them in the heavenly places in Christ—because he wanted to show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. In verse 5 Paul pauses, interrupting his thought to make this point abundantly clear—by grace you have been saved. He says it again in verse 8, emphasizing that this grace is a gift received by faith. He expresses the alternative also—”this is not your own doing…not a result of works.” Instead of us working out our own righteousness, we are God’s workmanship, his new creation in Christ Jesus. Again, God did this solely out of his grace, mercy and love for his people. God did not owe us this. God did not need to save us. He simply chose to. He takes the initiative to save us.
I regularly ask my kids, “What is the difference between a gift and a wage?” They usually sigh, roll their eyes and say something like, “A wage is something you earn and a gift is something freely given.” I ask this all the time because the correct understanding of it is essential to our understanding of the gospel.
Romans 6:23 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God has given his people a free gift of salvation that is received through faith in Jesus Christ. This is the only thing that restores our broken relationship with God due to our sin. No one else will save us. Nothing else can redeem us. There is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12). And why would we want another? Jesus is so good. This story is so irresistible.
Tomorrow we will begin talking about the alternative responses to our violations of the moral law.
Additional Content
Ephesians 1:3–14 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
1 Corinthians 6:9–11 9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Romans 5:9–11 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.