Go! And Live by Grace Alone – The Gift You Could Never Earn - Ephesians 2:8–9
Ephesians 2:8–9 (NLT) – “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”
Introduction – The Gift You Could Never Earn
Imagine standing at the gates of heaven and being asked, “Why should I let you in?” What would your answer be?
Some might say, “Because I’ve been a good person.” Others might say, “Because I went to church.” But the Bible is clear—none of those reasons are good enough.
If salvation were earned by good works, heaven would be full of people boasting about what they did. But heaven is filled with people praising what Jesus did.
Grace means that God gives us something we don’t deserve—salvation through His Son. Mercy means He withholds what we do deserve—eternal separation from Him.
Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8–9 words that changed history, that transformed hearts, and that define the very foundation of the Gospel:
“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”
Let’s unpack these verses word by word, because contained in them is the heart of Christianity—salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone.
1. The Context: From Death to Life
Paul begins Ephesians 2 describing our spiritual condition before Christ:
“Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.” (Ephesians 2:1, NLT)
Spiritually dead. Not sick, not unwell—dead.
In Greek, the word nekros (?e????) means lifeless, powerless, without any ability to respond. That’s humanity apart from God.
We were not seeking Him; we were rebelling against Him.
But verse 4 says, “But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much…”
That’s the turning point of history. “But God.”
It’s His grace that moves us from spiritual death to spiritual life. We contribute nothing but our sin; He contributes everything through His Son.
Charles Stanley once said, “Grace is the goodness of God to those who do not deserve it and cannot earn it.”
And that’s exactly what Paul is teaching here—salvation is a gift, not a payment.
2. “God Saved You by His Grace When You Believed” – Grace Defined
The Greek word for grace is charis (?????). It carries the idea of a free, unearned favour.
Grace is not God giving us a discount on sin; it is God giving us Jesus instead of judgment.
Titus 3:5 echoes this truth: “He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.”
It’s not by our moral record, our family background, or our religious activity. It’s by His mercy alone.
Tim Keller said, “The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time, we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.”
That is grace—God’s unearned, undeserved, unbelievable kindness to sinners like us.
3. “And You Can’t Take Credit for This” – It’s All God’s Work
Paul makes it clear: “You can’t take credit for this.”
The verb in Greek carries the sense of “not out of yourselves.” Salvation doesn’t originate with you—it originates with God.
Romans 11:6 says, “And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.”
Grace and works are mutually exclusive as a means of salvation.
If we could earn salvation, Jesus would not have needed to die.
But at the cross, God did for us what we could never do for ourselves.
John Piper puts it this way: “Grace is not simply leniency when we have sinned; grace is the enabling gift of God not to sin. Grace is power, not just pardon.”
When you receive God’s grace, it doesn’t just save you—it transforms you.
The Gift You Cannot Repay
Imagine a man drowning in a river. He’s unconscious, sinking fast. A rescuer dives in, pulls him out, breathes life into him, and saves him.
When the man wakes up, does he say, “Did you see how I reached out my hand at the end? That’s why I’m alive!”?
Of course not. He knows he was helpless—and that his rescuer did everything.
That’s salvation. We were dead in sin, but Christ dove into the depths of death to rescue us. He didn’t throw us a life ring; He became our substitute. He gave His life so we could live.
4. “It Is a Gift from God” – The Unpayable Gift
Paul calls salvation “a gift.” The Greek word doron (d????) means a present freely given, with no expectation of repayment.
Salvation isn’t a wage earned but a gift received.
Romans 6:23 tells us, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
What a contrast—wages versus gift.
Our sin earns death, but God’s grace gives life.
Max Lucado wrote, “Grace is God as a heart surgeon, cracking open your chest, removing your heart—poisoned as it is with pride and pain—and replacing it with his own.”
Grace doesn’t polish us up; it gives us a new heart.
When you receive a gift, you don’t pay for it. You don’t say, “Let me earn this.” You simply say, thank you.
That’s what salvation is—humble gratitude for what Christ has done.
5. “Not a Reward for the Good Things We Have Done” – The End of Boasting
Paul drives home the point: “Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”
In Greek, kauchaomai (?a????µa?) means to glory in, to brag, to take pride.
Paul says there’s no room for boasting in heaven—only worship.
Galatians 6:14 declares, “As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died.”
The only boast of the believer is in the cross.
Why? Because the cross shows both our helplessness and God’s holiness.
R.T. Kendall said, “Grace means that God has done for you what you could never do for yourself—and He did it without your help.”
That’s humbling. And it’s liberating.
Illustration: The Ladder and the Cross
Religion is like climbing a ladder—step by step, effort by effort, trying to reach God. But grace says God came down the ladder to reach us.
At Calvary, Jesus took the punishment we deserved so we could receive the pardon we didn’t.
The ladder of works was replaced by the cross of grace.
The cross is not a reward for the righteous; it’s rescue for the guilty.
6. The Gospel: The Grace that Saves
Let’s be crystal clear about the Gospel.
God created us for relationship with Him. But our sin separated us from His holiness.
No amount of religion, good deeds, or morality could bridge that gap.
So, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who lived a perfect life, died in our place on the cross, was buried, and rose again on the third day.
At the cross, Jesus cried, “It is finished!” (John 19:30)
In Greek, tetelestai (tet??esta?) means “paid in full.”
The debt of sin was fully settled. Nothing left to add.
Romans 5:8 says, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”
And 1 Corinthians 15:3–4 affirms, “Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day.”
Salvation is not about what you do for God—it’s about what God has done for you in Christ.
7. Application: Living by Grace in a Performance World
We live in a world that rewards achievement—grades, goals, promotions.
But God’s kingdom operates on grace, not performance.
Grace frees you from the treadmill of trying to earn God’s approval.
Grace says, “You are loved, accepted, and forgiven—not because of what you’ve done, but because of what Jesus has done.”
John Stott wrote, “The Christian life is nothing less than the outworking of God’s grace, from beginning to end.”
You began by grace, you stand by grace, and you will finish by grace.
So stop striving for what’s already been given.
Stop comparing your worth to others.
Rest in the finished work of Christ.
8. The Call: Repent and Receive the Gift
Friend, if you have never trusted in Jesus as Lord and Saviour, today can be the day of salvation.
Grace is God’s hand extended toward you—but faith is your hand reaching out to receive it.
Acts 16:31 says, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.”
To believe is more than agreeing intellectually—it’s trusting personally.
It’s turning from sin, admitting your need, and surrendering to Jesus as Lord.
You can’t earn it, but you can receive it.
You can’t pay for it, but you can praise God for it.
9. The Benediction – Go! And Live by Grace
So, Church, go and live by grace.
Go and extend grace to others.
Go and boast only in the cross.
You have been saved by grace—now live as evidence of that grace.
You are not who you once were; you are a new creation in Christ.
Let’s close with Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 9:15: “Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!”
Closing Exhortation:
May you go from here with your heart anchored in grace, your lips filled with gratitude, and your life shining the glory of Jesus Christ.
You are saved by grace—now live to make that grace known to the world.
Amen.
