Today, we have the privilege of working through Ephesians 2:1-10. But let's start by rereading a little bit from last week. Ephesians 1:22-23:
(22) And all things/beings He subjected under his feet,
and him He gave as head over all things to/for the church,
(23) which is his body--the fullness of the One filling/fulfilling all things in all ways.
In these two verses, Paul talks about the status and position that God has now given Jesus. God used his power to set Jesus over all things, and all beings, so that everything is subject to him. God set Jesus at his right hand, so that Jesus is in charge with Him. And God did this for the sake of his church, which is Jesus' body.
So that's the situation that we find ourselves in, right now. In Christ, through our connection with Jesus, we are in a position of power and authority. We are also God's temple, and God fills us with himself. And this is true for all of us together, whether we are Jews by birth or Gentiles.
Paul then continues in Ephesians 2, without any real break in his argument, by talking about how all of this happened. How did we get here, in this lofty place of honor, with all of God's blessings, from where we started?
Now, the thing that's easy to miss in these verses is that Paul is once again deliberately writing as a Messianic Jew who believes that Jesus is the promised Savior. Paul speaks as a Jew who grew up living under the Mosaic covenant. And he deliberately describes the Ephesians as not like this, because they weren't. They were Gentiles. They knew nothing of Moses. They weren't rescued from Egypt. They didn't have that special covenant relationship with God.
So we'll see in this section that there are two groups. There is "you all," by which Paul refers to the Ephesians, who were Gentile by birth. And there's a "we" group, which is made up of Messianic Jews like Paul. Hearing this, and seeing it, is the key to understanding Ephesians 2 as a whole.
Before diving in, the other thing I should say is that most English Bibles are designed in a way that makes it so that every verse can be read by itself, as though each verse is a full independent sentence. Maybe it's to make it easier to memorize? I'm not sure. But what we'll see today, is that the verse numbering breaks up the text in weird ways. It helps to not get caught up on the numbering.
So let's start by reading Ephesians 2:1-3. In these verses, Paul paints a picture of who you Gentile Ephesians, and who we Jews, used to be:
(1) and (it was) you (plural)--
the ones being dead in your wrongdoings and sins,
(2) in which you all formerly walked
in accordance with the age of this world,
in accordance with the ruler of the authority of the air-- the one now working in the sons of disobedience--
(3) in which we also all lived formerly in the desires of our flesh,
doing the will of the flesh and of the mind,
and we were children by nature of wrath as also the rest of them--
Who were you? Paul holds up a mirror to who you used to be, and says, basically, that you were an ugly people. You were dead in your sins. You walked in a way that matched the way the world works. The age we live in a hostile, angry, selfish, uncaring one. And you walked step for step, in a way that matched this age. You also walked in a way that matched the way that satan works. Satan is the ruler of the authority of the air. You lived like Satan. You lived like he wanted you to live.
In verse 3, Paul goes on to say that you all weren't unique, in any of this. "We also" lived the same way. And again, Paul is writing as a Messianic Jew.
Now, do you see in verse 3 how Paul talks about "the flesh?"
"we also all lived formerly in the desires of our flesh,
doing the will of the flesh and of the mind,"
Some Bibles translate this as "sinful nature" (NLT), but that reads an awful lot of theology and meaning into this that's maybe not quite right.
Paul uses this word "flesh" to mean a few different things. But one of the most common goes something like this:
Our bodies all have natural strong desires. We get thirsty. We get hungry. We have sexual desires. We want to not feel pain. We want to feel pleasure. We want rest. Those are all things that our body-- our flesh-- wants. And our flesh isn't necessarily picky about how it obtains what it wants. When our flesh is hungry, it doesn't care if we satisfy that desire with junk food, or with good food. When we're thirsty, our flesh doesn't care if we satisfy that desire with an energy drink, or with something that doesn't have 50 chemicals. When our flesh has sexual desires, it doesn't care if fulfill those desires with our spouse, or with our computer, or with someone else's spouse. Our flesh isn't picky. And our flesh has no moral strength. It's vulnerable, and it's perfectly willing to satisfy those desires in the easiest, most convenient way.
So when Paul talks about living in the desires of our flesh, and doing the will of the flesh, that's basically what he means. Before Christ, you Gentiles, and we Jews, mostly focused on satisfying our flesh, in a very un-picky way. We did what our flesh and mind wanted. We lived selfishly. We took revenge. We didn't really forgive. We were envious.
Paul then wraps up verse 3 by saying that "we Jews" were by nature children of wrath as all the rest. It's debated what exactly Paul means here, but I think it means that we Jews and you Gentiles were all the type of people who would naturally face God's wrath. That's the expected outcome here for we Jews, and you Gentiles.
So at this point, through verse 3, you should have this pretty clear picture of who you Gentiles, and we Jews, used to be. We'd rather turn away from the mirror. It's not very flattering. But it's who all of us were. A lot of times, when people plan to lose a ton of weight and get in the shape, they post a before and after picture. This is the before picture. So you all see yourselves, as you used to be? You see the before picture?
With this, we come to verse 4. Here, Paul uses a little Greek word, "de," which I will consistently translate as Now comma. And what this little word does, is signal that Paul is about to take a step forward in his argument. We're starting a new paragraph here. Let's read through verse 7:
(4) Now, God,
rich being in mercy, ["rich" is focused]
because of his great love
with which He loved us--(5) and us being dead in our wrongdoings--
He made us alive together in Christ--by grace you (plural) all are saved--
(6) and He raised us together,
and He seated us together in the heavenly places in/by Jesus Christ,
(7) in order that He might show in the coming ages the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness upon us in Christ Jesus.
Now that Paul has shown you this ugly picture of yourselves, he can get to his main point, and show you something else-- how good God has been to all of us.
God, (1) being rich in mercy, (2) because of his great love for us-- and us being terrible, wicked people-- God did 2 things for us.
(1) He made us alive together in Christ.
(2) He seated us together in the heavenly places in Christ.
It makes no difference to God whether you are a Jew or Gentile. Either way, God made all of us alive together IN CHRIST. Either way, God seated us together in Christ.
Why did God would do this? Paul gives us two answers here:
(1) God loves you. God loves you despite your wrongdoing-- despite the fact that he had every right to be angry with you.
(2) God wanted to show how amazing his grace is. This was verse 7: "in order that he might show in the coming ages the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness upon us in Christ Jesus."
Many people throughout history have looked up into the heavens, and they've looked at the condition of the earth, and they've wondered what God is like. When you see a world filled with ugly people, who do terrible things to each other, and can't seem to get along, and who seem trapped in sin, you wonder, who is God, really?
And what Paul says in verse 7, is that you can tell what God is like, not by checking out the prisons, and seeing what terrible things we humans have done to one another, but by looking at what God did for us really ugly people through Jesus. God has this wealth of grace, and kindness, and He richly gives out of that wealth. You can tell that God is a good, loving, and generous God, when you look at Jesus.
So it doesn't matter, as far as salvation goes, whether you are a Jew or a Gentile by birth. Either way, all of us walked in sin. Either way, all of us were by nature children who deserved God's wrath. And either way, God chose to respond, not with wrath as we might expect, but with this amazing grace. And God has made Jew and Gentile alive together in Christ.
This brings us to verses 8-10, which you maybe know:
(8) For by grace you have been saved through faith(fulness), ["by grace" is focused]
and this gift isn't from yourselves,
[but] from God,
(9) not from works,
in order that no one can boast.
(10) For his creation/work, we are, ["his" is focused]
created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared before hand,
in order that in them we may walk.
First, just a word about the two "for"s in these verses. What "for" does is signal that Paul is about to strengthen an argument he just made. He's not going to say anything new; he's not pushing his argument forward. He's strengthening. So there's two things that Paul thinks need to be strengthened here.
Here's the first: Paul has just said that what God has accomplished, is that we have been made alive together in Christ, and raised together in Christ, and seated together in Christ. And how has God done that? In Christ, right? It's through Jesus, and not through the Mosaic covenant, that God has shown his love and his grace to all people.
So you can think about verse 8, as slowing us down, and making sure we don't miss the point. It's by grace that you've been saved. It's God's kindness, and favor, that led to you receiving life, and being raised, and being seated with Jesus in the heavenlies. Basically, Jesus is God's grace.
Now, how do you get connected to Jesus? Paul says, "through faith." And faith, I argued last week, has three main parts. (1) Faith means believing certain things about Jesus-- that he's sent by God, that he's God's son, and God's servant, that Jesus is trustworthy, that he lived, and died, and rose again, and ascended to God's right hand. (2) Faith means trusting in Jesus, rather than in some other god, or in magic, or money, or power, or anything. (3) Faith means loyalty, or allegiance. Faith isn't just a one-time thing. It's just not something you did many years ago, when you prayed the sinner's prayer, or were confirmed. When you come to Jesus, you come on bent knee. And as you go through life, you stay on that bent knee. Faith is an ongoing commitment to Jesus. It's a life-long bending your knee, in submission before King Jesus.
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The scholar who has best argued "faith" as meaning "loyalty" or "commitment" or "allegiance" is Matthew Bates, in two books: Saved by Allegiance Alone, and Gospel Allegiance. His book Saved by Allegiance Alone has won at least a couple awards, and been praised by scholars across the theological spectrum. I would argue that he overstates things in some ways, particularly in what he says faith "is not," but the evidence is quite clear that one aspect of faith is "loyalty." [Matthew Bates also lists Teresa Morgan, Roman Faith and Christian Faith, which looks like a fabulous book, but I haven't read that one].
In what follows, I've listed some of the examples in Josephus where "faith" clearly has the sense of "pledge" or "loyalty." The examples could easily be multiplied; this is a small fraction of what my Logos Bible software search uncovered. But it was pretty obvious after the fifth example how "faith" is used. The first example, from Plutarch, is available online. The other examples are from Josephus's Antiquities. The translation is from William Whiston, with the Greek for that text given below each translation:
Plutarch, Precepts of Statecraft 805B. Available at https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Moralia/Praecepta_gerendae_reipublicae*.html
One shows faith (=loyalty) to a weak client in the face of a powerful opponent.
Nowadays, then, when the affairs of the cities no longer include leader¬ship in wars, nor the overthrowing of tyrannies, nor acts of alliances, what opening for a conspicuous and brilliant public career could a young man find? There remain the public lawsuits and embassies to the emperor, which demand a man of ardent temperament Band one who possesses both courage and intellect. But there are many excellent lines of endeavour that are neglected p195 in our cities which a man may take up, and also many practices resulting from evil custom, that have insinuated themselves to the shame or injury of the city, which a man may remove, and thus turn them to account for himself. Indeed in past times a just verdict gained in a great suit, or good FAITH in acting as advocate for a weak client against a powerful opponent, or boldness of speech in behalf of the right against a wicked ruler, has opened to some men a glorious entrance into public life.
Greek version is here: https://remacle.org/bloodwolf/historiens/Plutarque/preceptesadmgr.htm
?d? d? ?a? d??? µe???? ?a??? d??as?e?sa ?a? p?st?? ?? s???????? p??? ??t?d???? ?s????? ?p?? ?s?e???? ?a? pa???s?a p??? ??eµ??a µ??????? ?p?? t?? d??a??? ?at?st?se? ?????? e?? ????? p???te?a? ??d????.
Antiquities 1.14:
(14) Upon the whole, a man that will peruse this history, may principally learn from it, that all events succeed well, even to an incredible degree, and the reward of FELICITY is proposed by God; but then it is to those that follow his will, and do not venture to break his excellent laws;—and that so far as men any way apostatize from the accurate observation of them, what was practicable before, becomes impracticable; and whatsoever they set about as a good thing is converted into an incurable calamity;—
t? s?????? d? µ???st? t?? ?? ?? ta?t?? µ???? t?? ?st???a? ??e??sa? a?t?? d?e??e??, ?t? t??? µ?? ?e?? ???µ? ?ata????????s? ?a? t? ?a??? ??µ??et????ta µ? t??µ?s? pa?aßa??e?? p??ta ?at?????ta? p??a p?ste?? ?a? ???a? e?da?µ???a p???e?ta? pa?? ?e??• ?a?' ?s?? d' ?? ?p?st?s? t?? t??t?? ????ß??? ?p?µe?e?a?, ?p??a µ?? ???eta? t? p???µa t??peta? d? e?? s?µf???? ?????st??? ? t? p?t' ?? ?? ??a??? d??? sp??d?s?s??
Antiquities 1.242:
1. (242) Now when Abraham, the father of Isaac, had resolved to take Rebeka, who was granddaughter to his brother Nahor, for a wife to his son Isaac, who was then about forty years old, he sent the ancientest of his servants to betroth her, after he had obliged him to give him the strongest assurance of his fidelity;
?s??? d? pe?? tessa?a??st?? ?t?? ?e????t? ???a??a ????? ??a??s?a? ? pat?? ?ß?aµ?? ?eß???a? ?a????? pa?d?? ???at??a t?de?f?? t?? p?esß?tat?? p?µpe? t?? ???et?? ?p? t?? µ??ste?a? ??d?s?µe??? µe???a?? p?stes?
Antiquities 1.321:
(321) but when those that came to Jacob’s share proved numerous, he did not keep his faith with him, but said he would give them to him the next year, because of his envying him the multitude of his possessions. He promised him as before, because he thought such an increase was not to be expected; but when it appeared to be fact, he deceived him.
p??????t?? d? t?? ?p' ???µat? t? ?a??ß?? t??t?µ????, t?? µ?? e?? t? pa??? ??? ?f??atte p?st??, e?? ?t?? d? pa???e?? ?p??????et? d?? t? ?p?f?a?µ??? t? p???e? t?? ?t?se??, ?pa??e???µe??? µ?? d?? t? d?s??p?st?? ?e??s?a? t?sa?ta, ?e?d?µe??? d? ?p? ?e??µ?????
Antiquities 2.60-61:
(60) Now Joseph, commending all his affairs to God, did not betake himself to make his defense, nor to give an account of the exact circumstances of the fact, but silently underwent the bonds and the distress he was in, firmly believing that God, who knew the cause of his affliction and the truth of the fact, would be more powerful than those that inflicted the punishments upon him:—a proof of whose providence he quickly received; (61) for the keeper of the prison taking notice of his care and FIDELITY in the affairs he had set him about, and the dignity of his countenance, relaxed his bonds, and thereby made his heavy calamity lighter, and more supportable to him: he also permitted him to make use of a diet better than that of the rest of the prisoners.
? ??? desµ?f??a? t?? te ?p?µ??e?a? ?a? t?? p?st?? a?t?? ?ata???sa? ?? ??? t??e?e? a?t?? ?a? t? ????µa t?? µ??f?? ?pa??e? te t?? desµ?? ?a? t? de???? ??af??te??? a?t? ?a? ???f?? ?p??e? d?a?t? d? ???s?a? ??e?tt??? desµ?t?? ?p?t?epe
Antiquities 2.66:
(66) for he let him know that God bestows the fruit of the vine upon men for good; which wine is poured out to him, and is the pledge of fidelity and mutual confidence among men; and puts an end to their quarrels, takes away passion and grief out of the minds of them that use it, and makes them cheerful.
?a?p?? ??? ?s?µa??e? ?µp?????? ?p' ??a?? t?? ?e?? ?????p??? pa?as?e??, ?? a?t? te ??e??? sp??deta? ?a? p?st?? ?????p??? ?a? f???a? ?µ??e?e?, d?a???? µ?? ????a? t? p??? d? ?a? t?? ??pa? ??a???? t??? p??sfe??µ????? a?t?? ?a? p??? ?d???? ?p?f????
Antiquities 2.111:
(111) Now when Jacob’s sons were come into the land of Canaan, they told their father what had happened to them in Egypt, and that they were taken to have come thither as spies upon the king; and how they said they were brethren, and had left their eleventh brother with their father, but were not believed; and how they had left Symeon with the governor, until Benjamin should go thither, and be a TESTIMONIAL of the truth of what they had said:
?? d? ?a??ß?? pa?de? ?????te? e?? t?? ?a?a?a?a? ?p???e???? t? pat?? t? ?at? t?? ????pt?? a?t??? s?µpes??ta, ?a? ?t? ?at?s??p?? d??e?a? ?f???a? t?? ßas????? ?a? ?????te? ?de?f?? te e??a? ?a? t?? ??d??at?? ????? ?ata??pe?? pa?? t? pat?? ?p?st??e?e?, ?? ?ata??p???? te Seµe??a pa?? t? st?at??? µ???? ?e??aµ?? ?? a?t?? ?p??? p?st?? a?t??? t?? e???µ???? pa?' a?t? ?????t?
Antiquities 2.253:
(253) He thereupon accepted the offer, on condition she would procure the delivering up of the city; and gave her THE ASSURANCE of an oath to take her to his wife; and that when he had once taken possession of the city, he would not break his oath to her. No sooner was the agreement made, but it took effect immediately; and when Moses had cut off the Ethiopians, he gave thanks to God, and consummated his marriage, and led the Egyptians back to their own land.
p??sde?aµ???? d? t?? ????? ?p? t? pa?ad???a? t?? p???? ?a? p???saµ???? p?ste?? ???????? ? µ?? ??es?a? ???a??a ?a? ??at?sa?ta t?? p??e?? µ? pa?aß?ses?a? t?? s?????a? f???e? t? ????? t??? ??????. ?a? µet? t?? ??a??es?? t?? ?????p?? e??a??st?sa? t? ?e? s??et??e? t?? ??µ?? ???s?? ?a? t??? ????pt???? ?p??a?e? e?? t?? ?a?t??
Some other references to "faith": Antiquities 2.272, 2.283, 4.76, 4.86, 4.135, 4.136, 5.66, 5.131, 5.350 (and this is where I started to realize it's a waste of time to give more examples-- dozens and dozens.
This use of "faith" as meaning "pledge" or "commitment" is found in the NT in 1 Timothy 5:9-14 (NIV):
9 No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, 10 and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord’s people, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.
11 As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. For when their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry. 12 Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first PLEDGE. 13 Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also busybodies who talk nonsense, saying things they ought not to. 14 So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander. 15 Some have in fact already turned away to follow Satan.
Another interesting example is found in Romans 3:3, which has three interconnected uses of "faith" words, two with the prefix rendering it a negative, and one straightforwardly using the word "faith" (NIV):
3 What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness?
3 t? ???; e? ?p?st?s?? t??e?, µ? ? ?p?st?a a?t?? t?? p?st?? t?? ?e?? ?ata???se?;
The NIV translates this really nicely here. God has "pistis," "faith," which means "faithfulness" or "loyalty" or "commitment." And the question Paul asks, is whether or not the unfaithfulness, or disloyalty, of the Jews nullifies God's faithfulness/loyalty. The answer to that is "no."
So here we have another clear example of where one aspect (just one!) of "faith" is "faithfulness" or "commitment" or "allegiance."
I haven't studied this in detail, but my guess is that when the verbal form of "faith/belief" is used with "in Christ," the verb tends to have the sense of trust, but with underlying notions of "commitment." And when it's the noun "faith" used in the often debated phrase "faith of Christ," that the idea is of a "pledge/allegiance/commitment" toward Christ (objective genitive).
I think one can accept this part of Matthew Bates's book as being rock-solid and irrefutable, without embracing the entirety of everything else he says. "Part of" faith is allegiance.
Another scholar who has talked about this is Michael Heiser. He's read Matthew Bates, but prefers to maintain the word "belief" in his translation of "faith/pistis." Basically, "faith" is "believing loyalty," which is an outworking of khesed in the OT. Without saying I completely agree with Heiser either, I think that nicely captures Paul's thought, and is a good way of striking a better balance and catching more of the word's meaning all at once:
https://nakedbiblepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/NB-350-Transcript.pdf
I think many positive things come out of this definition of "faith" as "believing loyalty," or as including the ideas of commitment, loyalty, and allegiance:
(1) It helps people understand that "faith" isn't only a one-time act or decision, but it's instead an initial act that marks the beginning of a faith/loyalty journey with Christ. You come to Jesus on bent knee, and every day you wake up, you deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus. You live as dead to yourself, and alive to Christ. There is a first moment, an act of allegiance. But it's not just a first moment.
(2) It connects really nicely with the confession that saves us: "Jesus is Lord." That confession, is a confession of allegiance. "Jesus is my Master, now and from this point forward." That statement is a speech act, whereby you put yourself under Jesus. It's the type of performative speech act that does something, like when someone is pronounced husband and wife, or when a boss says, "You're fired."
(3) It ties in to the shield of "faith(fulness)" in Ephesians 6. The thing that keeps us safe from Satan's attacks isn't our initial act of faith alone. To use the language of Ephesians up to this point, it's that unswerving loyalty that stays on the new path, and everyday wakes up choosing the new clothing. Your shield of loyalty and commitment is what keeps Satan from harming you-- just as Satan couldn't do anything to Jesus in the wilderness, because of Jesus' unswerving loyalty/commitment to God the Father. If we become "unfaithful" or "disloyal" like the Jews Paul talks about in Romans 3:3, we can absolutely be messed up by Satan.
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At this point, let's reread verses 8-9:
(8) For by grace you have been saved through faith(fulness), ["by grace" is focused]
and this gift isn't from yourselves,
[but] from God,
(9) not from works,
in order that no one can boast.
In verses 8-9, Paul contrasts faith with works, and this is the second part where we see what's being strengthened. What are works?
It's often thought that works, are basically "good works." You'll sometimes hear people say that "works" are attempts to "legalistically obey God, apart from Jesus." We talk about "self-righteousness," and "legalism." So we'd think about doing the right things, like looking after orphans and widows, and not murdering people, and forgiving people. But we talk about doing the right things for the wrong reasons. "Works" are about being a good person, and doing good things, but doing them in a very unhealthy way, for bad reasons.
But I don't think this is what Paul means by works, at all. I think works are something different. In Paul's letters, "works" is a shorthand way of talking about the requirements of the Mosaic covenant. In Exodus-Deuteronomy, God and Israel entered into this special, committed relationship to each other. God committed to being a good, committed God to his people. And Israel committed to being a faithful, committed people to God. We have marriage covenants, where we make vows to our new spouse. That's what God and Israel did, with Moses as the mediator.
In Paul's letters, "works" are the requirements of the Mosaic covenant. And in particular, "works" tend to be focused on the requirements of that covenant that divide Jew from Gentile-- circumcision, food laws, and special holy days like the Sabbath. Whenever you see this word "works" in Paul's letters, if you look 10 verses to either side, with maybe one exception (Titus 3?), you'll see Paul is talking about Jew and Gentile. And when you see that word "works," if you understand it as meaning, "the requirements of the Mosaic covenant," it will make really good sense.
The clearest passage teaching this is Galatians 2:11-16. The money verse is verse 16, but let's start in verse 11:
11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.[a] 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”
15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not made right by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be made right by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be made right.
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All of this is often associated with E.P. Sanders, whose work called Paul and Palestinian Judaism, led to something called the "New Perspective on Paul." I've never read his book, to be honest. But arguably, the "new perspective" is best understood as being a new perspective of Judaism, and then NT scholars rethought in a wide variety of (sometimes controversial) ways what Paul meant. Basically, if Judaism wasn't a dead, legalistic, works-based approach to God, then what does Jesus fix, and how? What if first century Judaism wasn't the Catholicism of Martin Luther's day (at least as it's often understood), basically? Although the New Perspective people are lumped together, the "wide variety" bit isn't always appreciated-- Dunn is a very different scholar than Wright. Proponents of the New Perspective include NT Wright, James Dunn, Scot McKnight, Don Garlington, etc. Some scholars (in my understanding) were originally persuaded, but then pushed back (Francis Watson?). Others were never convinced, and wrote lengthy criticisms (cf. Justification and Variegated Judaism is kind of the gold standard response, to the best of my knowledge, and those unhappy with what I'm teaching here should see if that book persuades them I'm wrong. If I'm wrong, the right answer is there).
Without wading into that debate in any detail, the part of all of this that struck me as being persuasive had to do with "works of the law" not being any law, but the Mosaic law, the Mosaic covenant, in particular. At a practical level, it perhaps doesn't matter. Nothing about what God wants from us hangs on getting this exactly right. And the "works of the law" explanation can be accepted, without embracing vast swaths of the New Perspective (I think Matthew Bates in particular models this part well). It's like a buffet where you pick out one part, and not like bait on a hook where you're suddenly all-in committed.
I would also add five things to this, with respect to "works of the law":
(1) this understanding of "works of the law" uses different language from the older talk of "ceremonial law," but there's a lot of overlap between the two.
(2) At least some Catholics, who probably have nothing to do with the New Perspective, argue like me. Cf. Frank Matera, Galatians, Sacra Pagina.
(3) This narrow argument can be accepted with embracing the entirety of whatever one might call the "New Perspective." In fact, it's where you go next after this, that the new perspective is itself quite variagated.
(4) A number of NT scholars who I don't think would like the label of New Perspective explain things this way (Matthew Bates, Saved by Allegiance Alone, G. Walter Hansen's Galatians commentary, I think Martinus de Boer (who has a very different, apocalyptic approach). I think scholars have absorbed the bits and pieces of New Perspective that are helpful, but the questions that gripped scholars, no longer seem quite so gripping: (1) What was wrong with first century Judaism?, (2) Was Judaism legalistic?, (3) Was Paul converted, or called?, (4) What does Jesus fix, that was wrong with Judaism/the Mosaic covenant?, (5) How can Paul call himself "blameless" with respect to the "righteousness of the law" in Philippians 3:6, and say that no one is justified through the law in Romans 2-3?, (6) If Judaism was a dead legalistic works-based religion, what does one make of passages like Luke 1:5-6 or Luke 2:25?
(5) In what is today in many ways a post-Christian nation, there's value in talking about how we aren't saved by doing good works. It's like our grandparents' generation had a real, genuine faith in Jesus. Our parents' generation went to church, and adopted Christian values. And our generation (40s and down) has this vague sense of "doing good" and "wanting to go to heaven" when you die, and hoping things all work out. In that sense, our struggle today perhaps mirrors that of Martin Luther. I don't think this understanding of "works" was Paul's original intent, but it's a valid extension of Paul's argument (and I'm happy to admit many people disagree with me on that point, and I wouldn't force anyone to agree with me). When sharing the gospel with a younger coworker (off the clock, for the record!), I was stunned at the mash-up of theology that coworker had somehow come to believe. Other coworkers have simply accepted they are bad people and are going to hell, before I say word #1 to them.
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What Paul says in Galatians 2, is what he's saying in Ephesians 2. God accepts Gentiles on the basis of their faith and allegiance to King Jesus-- not on the basis of their becoming Jews. Gentiles don't have to be circumcised, or follow the food laws, or keep the Sabbath, or keep other holy days. They are made right with God through Jesus, and not through the Mosaic covenant.
So how are we saved? How do we receive God's grace? How do we receive all of God's blessings? All of us answer this question the same way, regardless of whether we are Jews or Gentiles by birth. It's not the works of the Mosaic covenant. We have a new covenant, made through Jesus' death. The path to salvation runs through Jesus. Jesus is God's grace to us.
Now, why did God set it up this way, so that salvation is only through Jesus? Paul says that God is determined to make it so no one can boast. Here, we tend again to think about people bragging about how righteous they are, as though our non-Christian friends are going around trying to please God by obeying him. But if we stop to think about it, if there's one thing we Gentiles never tried to do, it was obey God. In verses 1-3, Paul showed us that we were ugly people, right? We had other priorities. And when we turn elsewhere in Paul's letters, we see that boasting in the early church is usually a specifically Jewish problem.
Let's read just one example of this. Romans 3:27-31. As I read, listen for Jews, and Gentiles, and the law, and boasting:
Romans 3:27: Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is made right apart from works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,30 since God is one—who will make right the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.
Jews had lots of reasons to boast. They had the promises of God. They had the covenant. They had a history with God that went back thousands of years. But God has deliberately set it up so no one-- no Jew, basically-- can boast. Jews and Gentiles, TOGETHER, are saved by grace-- by what God has done for us in Jesus.
Now, Paul knows from experience that when people hear Paul talk about God's grace, and how it's through faith, and not works, that we are saved, some people will immediately hear this and try to take advantage of it. They'll say something like this: "Jesus destroyed the Mosaic law, so we can live however we want. We aren't under law; we are under grace" (Rom. 6:1ff is a longer version of this argument; 1 Cor. 6:12).
So he immediately, in verse 10, clarifies his teaching. Verse 10 answers the question: "What were we saved for?"
(10) For his creation/work, we are, ["his" is focused]
created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared before hand,
in order that in them we may walk.
God's big cosmic plan, is to create this one single family who belong to him, and who would live in a very different way. The ugliness is replaced with something attractive-- good works. God made us a new creation so that we'd walk through life, living faithfully toward God, and doing good to all people. When Paul holds up the mirror to us now, that's what he thinks we should see.
Many Christians get really nervous when they hear someone teach for very long about the importance of obedience, and loyalty, and allegiance, and good works. They start fidgeting, and can't wait to jump in and say, "We are saved by faith and not by works." When they do this, they're trying to take Ephesians 2:8-9 as a promise. They think Paul is saying, "My obedience doesn't matter. Good works are optional."
But if we remember that part of what faith means, is faithfulness, and allegiance, we will understand that faith and obedience are inseparable. You can't bend your knee, in submission to King Jesus, without committing to serve and obey him.
God made you a new creation, so that you could do good works-- so you would love God, and love people. If you are trying to please God, let me just encourage you, don't worry about being legalistic. Don't worry that you're trying too hard. Don't worry that you're obeying God for the wrong reasons. Don't worry that you are trying to earn your salvation. What you're doing, is living faithfully toward God and Jesus. Just obey. Do good works. That's why God saved you. Live for him.
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So that' s the first half of Paul's big argument in Ephesians 2. When we take a step back, and try to view it as a whole, what do we see?
All of you, whether you were born a Jew or Gentile, used to live really sinful lives. You were people who by all rights should've suffered God's wrath (vs. 1-3). But God, because He loves you, and because He wanted to show everyone how rich He is in grace and mercy, did amazing things for you in Jesus. He made you alive; He raised you up; He seated you in the heavenlies with Jesus.
Every blessing that God holds out to you, is offered through Jesus. Not through Moses. Jesus.
Some of the Ephesians seem to be struggling with this. They wondered if Jesus wasn't enough-- if they needed Jesus, plus the Mosaic covenant, to be made right with God (vs. 8-9). Paul says this is absolutely wrong. You Gentiles, and we Jews, all found ourselves looking in the same mirror, looking at the same ugly reflection. And God changed all of that, blessing all of us who have placed our faith in Jesus.
So as you go today, praise God for his grace, and kindness, in turning you from being incredibly ugly, into this beautiful new creation in Christ. Boast in Jesus. Live in faith toward God. Walk in the path He's set before you; do the good works that God created you to do. And if you want, at some point this week, feel free to read the rest of Ephesians 2, and see how Paul finishes off this part of message by talking about what God has done for "us Jews" and "you Gentiles."
Translation:
(1:22) And all things/beings He subjected under his feet,
and him, He gave as head over all things to/for the church,
(23) which is his body--the fullness of the One fulfilling/filling up all things in all ways,
(2:1) and (it was) you (plural) --
the ones being dead in your wrongdoings and sins,
(2) in which you formerly walked
in accordance with the age of this world,
in accordance with the ruler of the authority of the air-- the one now working in the sons of disobedience--
(3) in which we also all lived formerly in the desires of our flesh,
doing the will of the flesh and of the mind,
and we were children by nature of wrath as also the rest of them --
(4) Now, God,
rich being in mercy,
because of his great love
with which He loved us --(5) and us being dead in our wrongdoings--
He made us alive together in Christ--by grace you are saved--
(6) and He raised us together,
and He seated us together in the heavenly places in/by Jesus Christ,
(7) in order that He might show in the coming ages the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness upon us in Christ Jesus.
(8) For by grace you have been saved through faith(fulness), ["by grace" is focused]
and this gift isn't from yourselves,
[but] from God,
(9) not from works,
in order that no one can boast.
(10) For his creation/work, we are, ["his" is focused]
created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared before hand,
in order that in them we may walk.
