Ephesians 2 - By Grace through Faith

Last time, we went through the first chapter of Ephesians, and we discovered what a packed chapter it was. Right out of the gate, Paul covers some major doctrinal issues. We saw how we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. We have been chosen by him before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blame before Him in love. We have been foreknown and predestined (marked out beforehand) to be adopted sons by faith in Jesus Christ. We have been called, justified, and glorified. God has done all this according to the good pleasure of His will. We are highly favored in God’s perfect, divine love. We have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, and are recipients of His abounding grace. We have been united in Christ. We have been predestined to an inheritance of Heaven and eternal life that is incorruptible, undefiled, does not fade away, and that is being preserved for us. We have been sealed (stamped) with the Holy Spirit of promise, being preserved by God until the day of redemption.

Last time I was struck by just how much God has given us. He hasn’t held anything back from us in Christ. In Romans it states, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Rom 8:31-32) I believe He has done this for us because of His love for us. Paul writes further in Romans, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 8:38-39) Paul prayed they would receive the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God so that they would have a greater understanding of these truths.

Lastly, that we would understand the exceeding greatness of God’s power who raised Jesus from the dead, and seated Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places far above all other power and authority, and gave Jesus to the Church to be its head. It’s truly some amazing stuff. Now, let’s move into chapter 2.

Paul begins the chapter by reminding them where they came from. As believers it is important to remember where we came from. Sometimes, especially if we have been a believer for a while, we become prideful and self-righteous, forgetting what God has saved us from, and we can become overly critical or harsh with others’ sins. He states, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins. We ended the last chapter with Paul talking about the exceeding greatness of God’s power who raise Jesus from the dead, and it is that same power that makes us alive again spiritually. We are all born with a sin nature inherited from Adam and Eve, and as a result, are spiritually dead. Trespass has the idea of crossing a line or boundary that God has set. It can be accidental or willful. The word sin is an archery term, and simply means to miss the mark, God’s righteous standards. So, whether we sin ignorantly or willfully, it is still sin.

He reminded them that they walked (past tense) according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who works in the sons of disobedience. First, they used to walk. A true convert won’t be comfortable in their sin any longer, whereas a spiritually dead man does not care. This temporal world is under Satan’s control or influence (Acts 26:18, Col 1:13, and 1 Jn 5:19). He also blinds the minds of those who do not believe from seeing the truth (2 Co 4:4). Next, Paul includes himself in stating how wea all walked after our own lusts, and as a result, were the children of wrath like the others. John the Baptist said of Jesus, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (Jn 3:36) The wrath of God is a real thing, and we should be eternally grateful for what God has saved us from. It’s good to remember what God has saved us from, and it’s good to remember what He has saved us to.

We did not deserve anything, but God, who is rich in mercy because of His great love for us, made us alive together with Christ when we were dead. The word “mercy” is used in connection with feelings of compassion, as well as the actions that result from it. I have heard it said that mercy is not giving someone what they deserve. It is God’s compassion and divine love that causes Him to not pour out His wrath on us, but to give us a second chance. Asaph, in speaking of Israel’s provocations of God in the wilderness, said that God remembered that they were but flesh, a breath that passes away and does not come again. He knows our struggles, and how difficult it is to do what is right at times. It’s kind of like our own kids: sometimes they deserve more discipline than we give them, but we go lighter on them because we love them and know their struggles.

Paul inserts in parentheses, “by grace you have been saved.” So, we see both mercy and grace at play here in connection with our salvation. Grace means kindness or favor, and is referring to the unmerited favor and kindness of God towards humanity. I have heard it said that it is God giving us what we don’t deserve. Not only have we been spared the punishment of Hell, we have been given the inheritance of eternal life in Heaven with the Lord.

God has raised us up and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ. I think that is interesting, God views us as already seated in the heavenly places because of our faith in Jesus. We tend to view ourselves based off where we are presently, but God views us in light of where we are headed. When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!” (Judges 6:12) Now, if we recall, Gideon was threshing wheat in the winepress in order to hide it from the Midianites. The Lord told him he would save Israel, and when Gideon protested, the Lord told him He would be with him and that Gideon would defeat them as one man. So, we may not feel like we’re seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, but the Lord has told us we are. He is with us in the person of the Holy Spirit. He’s done all this so that He can show us the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ in the ages to come. Again, this is Heaven, and this is where we are headed.

And now we come to one of the most famous passages in Scripture in V 8-10: For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” We have been saved by the unmerited favor of God through our faith in Jesus Christ, nothing more, nothing less. The overwhelming Scriptural evidence is that we are saved by faith. This word for faith in the original language (pistij) is a noun, and, in context, means a belief or reliance on Jesus for salvation. Its root is in another Greek word that means to persuade or be persuaded. Paul wrote to the Romans, “There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” (Rom 3:11-12) Jesus said in John, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (Jn 6:44) So, this calling and persuasion is itself a gift from God offered to us; it’s only up to us to receive it.

The corresponding verb used by John in his Gospel and by Paul in his epistle to the Romans “believe” is pisteuw, and means to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing). It is to entrust one’s spiritual well-being to Christ. it is referring to the response of the heart to the call of God bringing eternal life.

It's not of ourselves, but it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. There is nothing that you or I can contribute or offer God for our salvation; it is a free gift. I cannot stop doing enough bad things and do enough good things to make myself right with the Lord. Even repentance inn and of itself cannot save a person, because it is not accompanied by faith. As we discussed in Romans, repentance does not erase our previous debts of sin; it merely means we are not adding more debt to our account. We need God’s righteousness imputed or credited to our account by faith to pay our debts in full. To believe justification by our works is to say that Jesus’ sacrifice was not enough, and that I’m not really that bad. However, what does the Scripture say? As we have already read, there is none who does good, no, not one.

I don’t believe we can cover this topic of justification by faith apart from works without covering some ground in the book of Romans. So, if you would please turn with me to Romans 3, beginning at verse 19, and read through 4:16. It states:

“Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

God’s law stops all our mouths and our attempts to justify ourselves by showing us our guilt.

“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.”

The righteousness of God is given to not just some, but to ALL who believe.

“For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

All have sinned, but We are justified freely by His grace. Grace is free to us, but it cost God the life of His only begotten Son. Propitiation means a place or thing used to appease or atone for wrong-doing. This word is used for the lid of the ark in which the blood of the sin offering was sprinkled on the day of Atonement. Jesus appeased God’s wrath toward us by dying on the cross in our place.

“Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.”

We don’t have room to boast, for we are all justified by faith, apart from the deeds of the law.

Continuing into chapter 4:

“What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.”

Even Abraham, the father of the faith, was not justified by his works. Those who seek to be justified by works end up in debt to God.

“But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: ‘Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.’ Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.”

Abraham’s justification came before circumcision, and so our justification comes before our obedience.

“The Promise Granted Through Faith For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.

The Law brings about wrath because it can only leave us in debt to a righteous and holy God. “Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.” This is why salvation must be by grace through faith apart from our works. We must trust in Jesus who is our propitiation. He is where we find mercy, grace, and forgiveness.

We are saved by grace through faith, apart from our works, but that doesn’t mean that works are not important. Paul continues, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” The word for “workmanship” is poihma, and is where we get our word poem. We are God’s work of art. Spurgeon said, “Our new life is as truly created out of nothing as were the first heavens, and the first earth. This ought to be particularly noticed, for there are some who think that the grace of God improves the old nature into the new. It does nothing of the sort.” Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Co 5:17)

I think Paul’s approach here is interesting. He focuses on God’s artistic abilities as it relates to our good works. We are all unique, and the Lord has different plans for each of us that He will work out if we trust Him by faith. If we are God’s work of art, this means that He loves us and takes pleasure in us, and if He loves us and takes pleasure in us, then what He tells us to do or not to do we can believe it is for our good. God’s mercy, grace, and love should be our primary motivation for obeying Him. David Guzek writes, “God’s love is a transforming love. It meets us right where we are at, but when we receive this love it always takes us where we should be going.”

In closing, we were once dead in our trespasses and sins, but we are now saved and made alive by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, and we have been created to do good works which God has already prepared for us beforehand to do.

Ephesians 1 - Blessed with Every Spiritual Blessing

The book of Ephesians was written in AD 60 or 61 during Paul’s first Roman imprisonment, and is known as one of the four prison epistles. The others are Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. If we recall from Acts, Paul spent some time in Ephesus at the end of his second missionary journey, and more than two years on his third missionary journey. There were so many converts to Christianity on his third missionary journey, that Demetrius the silversmith, along with his fellow craftsmen became upset because their idol making business was suffering. As a result, they stirred up a riot, and led Paul to leave the city.

The book of Ephesians is one of the most highly esteemed of the Paulene epistles, and has been termed the crown of Paulinism. Unlike many of his epistles in which he addresses problems in the Church, Paul explains some of the great themes and doctrines of Christianity. It can be divided into two clear sections: in the first three chapters, he focuses on the essential doctrines of the Christian faith and all that God has given us through the person of Jesus Christ. In the second three chapters, he focuses on how we as believers are to act in light of these blessings. In other words, applying the principles taught in the first three chapters makes possible what he tells us to do in the second. Charles Spurgeon said the following about the book of Ephesians: “The Epistle to the Ephesians is a complete Body of Divinity. In the first chapter you have the doctrines of the gospel; in the next, you have the experience of the Christians; and before the Epistle is finished, you have the precepts of the Christian faith. Whosoever would see Christianity in one treatise, let him ‘read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest’ the Epistle to the Ephesians.”

Before jumping into the first chapter of Ephesians however, I want to first take a look at Jesus’ words to the Ephesians in the book of Revelation, because I think that it may be relevant for us as we study. It states:

“To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, ‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”’ (Rev 2:1-7)

Often times we refer to the Ephesians as losing their first love, but here Jesus clearly says they left it. They left it because they got so caught up in doing for the Lord, that they forgot just to spend time with Him like they did when they were first saved. If we recall when we got saved, we were so grateful for what the Lord did for us in saving us and delivering us from the bondage of sin, we wanted to spend time with the Lord in the Word and in prayer. We did it out of love and gratitude.

Now, laboring for the Lord, weeding out sin and false prophets, and persevering are all good things. In fact, they were doing this because the apostle Paul had warned them before leaving them the second and final time. He warned them that savage wolves would come in among them, and even men who were part of them would attempt to draw the disciples away. So, it was not that these things were bad, but that they had neglected their primary motivation for doing them. If you or I find ourselves in the same predicament as the Ephesians in the book of Revelation, I’m going to submit to you that studying the book of Ephesians, the first three chapters in particular, is a good way to remind ourselves of what we have in Christ, and to renew our first love. According to Jesus, this is actually a matter of repentance; to go back and do the first works. Having said all this, let’s go ahead and jump into the first chapter of Ephesians.

He begins with a similar greeting to his other letters by identifying himself as the apostle Paul, and states that it is by the will of God. Paul was regularly challenged by others as to his apostleship, but he was specifically called by the Lord on the road to Damascus. He addresses the saints that were in Ephesus, as well as all the faithful in Christ Jesus, that’s you and me. He greeted them with grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. There is only one place we can get grace and peace, and that is from God the Father through the person of Jesus Christ. Without it, we are still God’s enemies and subject to His wrath.

The next 12 verses are actually one sentence in the original language, and helps set the tone for the rest of the book. Paul blesses God the Father, and this word is only used in connection with praise to God. He praises God because he has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. That’s not just some or most, but EVERY blessing. And, we don’t have to do anything to earn it; Jesus has done it all for us. That’s something worth praising God for! Some of these blessings are realized now, and some will be realized in eternity. Nevertheless, they are still all ours because we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Next, he will list some of these blessings for us.

First, we are chosen. God the Father chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. This is quite incredible really: God chose us long before He created us, knowing everything we would do and not do, and He still did it anyway. This alone is a testament to His grace. He chose us that we would be holy and without blame before Him in love. We often see ourselves in light of our sins and failures, but in Christ, God sees us holy and without blame.

Second, He predestined us (marked us out beforehand) to be His sons by adoption by Jesus Christ. Predestination is connected to His foreknowledge: In Romans 8:29 it states, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” He knows ahead of time who will accept His offer of salvation. We have already seen Paul describe God’s love for us, and it is this love that compels Him to draw us to Himself. We know He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. So, as we can see, God foreknows believers, they are chosen by Him, and predestined to be adopted sons. Paul continues in Romans 8, “Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” Where our part comes is responding to God’s calling. In order to be a believer, we must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.

Third, we have been adopted. Under Roman law, after the adoption was complete, the adopted son had all the rights and privileges of a legitimate son in his new family, and completely lost all rights in his old family. He was seen as a new person to the degree that even his old debts and obligations were abolished as if they had never existed. That’s a pretty good picture of what we have in Christ. We are a new creation, and all our old debts of sin have been canceled.

Fourth, we are highly favored. The Lord has done all this for us according to the good pleasure of His will. In other words, He didn’t do it begrudgingly; He took pleasure in it. This gives glory to the grace of God by which He has made us accepted (highly favored) in the beloved. The word for “beloved” here is actually a verb in the original. It is the word agapao, and refers to God’s divine love that He gives to us even though we are unworthy of it.

Next, we have been redeemed, forgiven, and have become recipients of God’s grace. Paul states that in Jesus, we have redemption through His blood and the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace, which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence. The word redemption means a release effected by a payment of ransom. We have been released or set free from sin by the blood of Jesus. This grace given to us is not a small amount or just enough, but it’s abounding. God has done all this in His wisdom. It wasn’t the law that made men righteous, for the law can only reveal our sin. Paul said in Romans, “I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died.” Any one of us who have tried to be righteous on our own quickly find out how impossible of a task it really is. It is the law that paves the way for the grace of God and shows us our need for a Savior. On the other hand, it is the grace of God through Jesus Christ that has made us free from sin (Rom 6:14).

Picking up in verse 9, “Having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.” although there were certainly prophecies of the Messiah and Savior, the idea of salvation by grace through faith was not fully revealed until the time was right. The Bible doesn’t tell us why God picked the time that He did to send His Son into the world, but there are some observations worth noting. There were two relatively recent world empires that had conquered the known world, predicted by the Prophet Daniel, and they both made some major contributions that would aid in spreading the Gospel. At the time of Jesus’ birth, the known world was under the control of Rome, and it was a relatively stable and peaceful time in the empire. The empire had spread throughout much of Europe, northern Africa, and the Middle East, and it had a great network of roads, kept safe by Roman soldiers. This greater ease of travel would have aided early Christians in spreading the Gospel, whereas it would not have been possible in other eras. Second, although Rome had conquered the known world, the Greek culture still prevailed. This meant that the common Greek was the trade language, and was spoken by most people in the empire, making communicating the Gospel possible to more people. Third, there was a great anticipation among the Jews that the Messiah would come. Fourth, the Jews had been under the Law for over 1,300 years, which was ample time for them and the whole world to see that no one could live up to its demands. The school master had done its job.

God the Father will gather together in one all things in Christ. This has the idea of uniting or adding numbers with the sum written at the top (Christ). In the end, God will add everything up, and those who are in Christ will be with Him, while those who are not will be judged.

Next, we have been given an inheritance. In verse 11 it states, “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.” This inheritance is Heaven. Jesus died in order that we would receive it, and via the grave or the rapture, we will. Peter said of our inheritance: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3-5) So, as we can see, it is incorruptible, undefiled, does not fade away, and is being reserved for us.

We have been predestined to it by God who works all things according to the counsel of His will. God always makes the right plans, and He always carries them out perfectly. This is to bring glory to God, for it is offered to those who first trusted in Christ (the Jews), and to the Gentiles.

Now, we get into the role the Holy Spirit plays in the salvation of nonbelievers. Nonbelievers, as a result of hearing the word being preached, are saved by trusting in Christ. After believing, they are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. In ancient times, a seal was a signet ring or stamp pressed into wax or clay, and signifies ownership and security. The thing being stamped is being marked for security and preservation. In other words, we are stamped with the Holy Spirit, meaning we belong unto God, being preserved by Him. Paul goes on to say that He is our guarantee or down payment until the redemption of the purchased possession. It’s like when you buy a house, you are required to put down earnest money as security you will pay the rest later. As the buyer, you can back out, but you may lose your earnest money. However, God never backs out on His end of the bargain. Remember, we are marked and preserved until the day of redemption, and the Holy Spirit lives inside us as God’s earnest or guarantee He is coming back for us. The author of Hebrews in quoting the Old Testament says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Heb 13:5)

Next, Paul says that after he had heard of their faith in the Lord Jesus and love for all the saints, he hadn’t stopped giving thanks for them, and praying that God would give them the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. He wanted them to know more of who God is. It’s important to note that the answers to Paul’s prayers are a spiritual revelation from the Holy Spirit through the written Word. David Guzek writes, “Our Christian life must be centered around this purpose – to know God as He is in truth, as revealed by His Word, and to correct our false, idolatrous ideas of who God is.” He wanted the eyes of their understanding to be enlightened that they would know all they had in Christ (i.e. the hope of His calling, the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints in verse 18. He also prayed they would know the exceeding greatness of His power toward us, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places. This is pretty incredible, for we have that same resurrection power inside of us through the person of the Holy Spirit.

The Father has seated Jesus far above all principality, power, might, dominion, and every name that is named, both now and in the ages to come. In other words, Jesus is ruler of all, including Satan and all the various demonic entities (He’s far above them). Remember, they are created beings, created by none other than Jesus Himself. Paul told the Colossians that Jesus disarmed the principalities and powers, and made an open spectacle of them, triumphing over them through His death, burial, and resurrection. (Col 2:15)

Lastly in chapter 1, the Father has put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head of all things to the Church. God gave Jesus to us as our head, we are His body, and He fills us with His blessings. Next time I hope to cover chapter 2.