“The Eternal Equation!”
Ephesians 2:1-9
“1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast..”
Introduction: The book of Ephesians was written by the Apostle Paul to the church in Ephesus around 60-64 A.D. Paul spent a great amount of time there and this letter served as short overview of the theological tenets and practical applications of his teaching to them. At first glance, Ephesians 2:8-9 is simple in its presentation. There are three components to this phrase. If you have ever diagrammed sentences in school, you can see the relationships of these components. First, “By grace” is a prepositional phrase that refers to why we are saved. Second, “are ye saved” is a verb phrase that describes the verb “are saved”. The word “ye”, describes who are saved. Third, “through faith” describes how we are saved. Together the phrase, “For by grace are ye saved through faith” tells us that because of God’s grace (why) He saved us (who) through our faith (how). With this in mind, those of you who have diagrammed sentences can see that the subject of the first phrase or sentence is salvation.
Read more: https://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/ephesians-28-9-commentary/#ixzz6ugvrxl9Z
Let’s look at these three aspects of salvation from our text…First we have…
I. The Why of Salvation (For by grace…through faith)
a. The definition of grace
The definition that I have heard all my adult life is that grace is “unmerited favor.” What does this mean?
“When a person works an eight-hour day and receives a fair day’s pay for his time; that is a wage. When a person competes with an opponent and receives a trophy for his performance; that is a prize. When a person receives appropriate recognition for his long service or high achievements; that is an award. But when a person is not capable of earning a wage, can win no prize, and deserves no award—yet receives such a gift anyway—that is a good picture of God’s unmerited favor. This is what we mean when we talk about the grace of God.”
Clip-Art Features for Church Newsletters, G.W. Knight, p. 53
b. The designation of grace
Salvation is “by” grace which to me means that God has determined that salvation would be “by” His grace! As the sovereign God of the universe He has chosen to extend His grace to humanity. It comes in the form of an invitation to all men to believe and be saved.
For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved (Joel 2:32) and Romans 10:13 Salvation can come no other way but “by” grace!
c. The deliverance of grace
Notice what Paul says in Titus 2 when he declares that it is the grace of God, “…that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men…” Grace is the vehicle, the instrument that God uses to convey and to deliver salvation.
Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
How did this grace “appear” to all men? Through Jesus Christ…
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. 16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
Next, let look at:
II. The Who of Salvation (Ye are saved)
a. The recipients of salvation
Paul is speaking to the believers in Ephesus. This church was founded on Paul’s second mission tour; he visited Ephesus after leaving Corinth, and evidently planted the church there (Acts 18:19). Ephesus means desirable, and in many ways it was a desirable place to live. It was thought to have been founded about 2000 B.C. and was located in west Asia Minor, near the sea. Ephesus was known for two things. Commerce and religion and was located on the trade routes and was also the site of the Temple of Diana which historians said held 24,500 worshippers and took a hundred years to build. It’s worship involved unspeakable immorality. These believers had been saved out of these immoral practices and Paul, along with Pricilla & Aquila, Apollos and the aged Apostle John spent much time and ministry there. Much of what we know about these believers can be found in the Book of Acts.
b. The reassurance of salvation
Notice that Paul is emphatic for “by grace are ye saved.” There is no equivocation, no waffling, no hedging; just a straightforward declaration that all those who receive this gift of grace through faith are saved. This why I can stand before you this morning and declare that “if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, that you will be saved. Not think so, not hope so or maybe so. You will be saved.
c. The reality of salvation
The word “salvation” concerns an eternal, spiritual deliverance. When Paul told the Philippian jailer what he must do to be saved, he was referring to the jailer’s eternal destiny (Acts 16:30-31). Jesus equated being saved with entering the kingdom of God (Matthew 19:24-25).
What are we saved from? In the Christian doctrine of salvation, we are saved from “wrath,” that is, from God’s judgment of sin (Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:9). Our sin has separated us from God, and the consequence of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Biblical salvation refers to our deliverance from the consequence of sin and therefore involves the removal of sin.
Who does the saving? Only God can remove sin and deliver us from sin’s penalty (2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5).
How does God save? In the Christian doctrine of salvation, God has rescued us through Christ (John 3:17). Specifically, it was Jesus’ death on the cross and subsequent resurrection that achieved our salvation (Romans 5:10; Ephesians 1:7). Scripture is clear that salvation is the gracious, undeserved gift of God (Ephesians 2:5, 8) and is only available through faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12).
How do we receive salvation? We are saved by faith. First, we must hear the gospel—the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection (Ephesians 1:13). Then, we must believe—fully trust the Lord Jesus (Romans 1:16). This involves repentance, a changing of mind about sin and Christ (Acts 3:19), and calling on the name of the Lord (Romans 10:9-10, 13).
A definition of the Christian doctrine of salvation would be “The deliverance, by the grace of God, from eternal punishment for sin which is granted to those who accept by faith God’s conditions of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus.” Salvation is available in Jesus alone (John 14:6; Acts 4:12) and is dependent on God alone for provision, assurance, and security.
https://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-doctrine-salvation.html
III. The Work of Salvation (It is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast)
Finally, we come to the end of Ephesians 2:8-9. This puts to rest any idea that Ephesians 2:8-9 is talking about anything other than salvation. We see over and over again that salvation is not of works. Therefore, if it is not of works, then no one can boast about how they saved themselves. This is made clear in Romans 4:1-5 where we are told that Abraham was declared righteous through his faith in what God said, not his works. It was the moment that Abraham realized in his heart of hearts that what God was saying was true that his faith became the instrument through, which God would save him.
If religion could save a man then religious Nicodemus would have been saved but Jesus declared that Nicodemus “must be born again.” If any of our good work could save us then it would not be of grace and Jesus would not have come to die for our sins. The question is’ “What part of not of works,” do we not understand. It is not of works “lest any man should boast.”
Read more: https://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/ephesians-28-9-commentary/#ixzz6ugw8vYxt
Augustus Toplady wrote the great hymn that is titled:
Rock of ages
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure,
Save me from wrath and make me pure
Not the labor of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law's demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.
Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Saviour, or I die.
While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyes shall close in death,
When I rise to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgement throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee
I titled this message “The Eternal Equation” and it’s appeal comes from the simplicity of Paul message in verses 8 and 9. Grace + Faith = Salvation. Jesus is the man of grace and if you will place your faith in Him, you will be saved.
GRACE
What is this thought of undeserved grace?
A sinner condemned to a tormenting place.
Unable to hope, without a way out,
Weeping and gnashing of teeth all about.
Separated from love and life,
Only surrounded by pain and strife,
Nothing I could do to change my state,
A sinner condemned to a torturous fate.
Until one day Your love reached down,
You said, “You are mine,” and gave me a crown.
“Royalty,” you said, “You belong to me.
You are mine for all eternity.”
Blood was spilled from the cross to the ground.
Dripping with love,
Each drop made a sound.
Forgiven...
Forgiven...
Forgiven...
Forgiven...
By your sacrifice I can see love,
Healing, right standing with God above.
The arms of the Father have opened wide,
To His kingdom of peace, I’ve been welcomed inside.
Not by my merit, my works, or my trying,
But on Jesus who hung there bleeding and dying.
Grace, grace, I belong to the King,
No more condemned, there was nothing to bring,
He did it all, and by faith, I’m His heir,
There’s new life in Him, I’m now in His care.
Forever I’ll be in the place where He lives,
Only by the grace that He lovingly gives.
© 2016 ELICIA ROY
