SAVED BY GRACE ALONE
Ephesians 2: 1-10
I would want to call Ephesians 2: 1-10 as a Treasure Box. It contains everything that we need to know. As we meditate on the amazing grace of God, I would like to leave with us three thoughts
1. Saved from Dead (What are we saved from?)
2. Saved by Grace (By what are we saved?)
3. Saved to Serve (What are we saved for?)
1. Saved from Dead (Eph. 2: 1-3)
• Human conditions as unsaved!
• Dead in the trespasses and sins
Dead
▪ Not in every sense but it is a metaphor
• Separation from God
• Not responsive
• Lack the capacity to respond to stimuli (spiritual stimuli) just like a corpse!
Trespasses and sins
▪ Both willful, intentional, deliberate and mistakes/errors/unintentional/not deliberate
• Creation Account in Genesis 1: 27
• So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them
Image of God?
▪ We are not created like other creation but we are special, representing God
• Effect of sin
Man’s fall into sin didn’t destroy or remove the image of God. It certainly disfigured/distorted the image of God in us
According to a theologian by the name of Wayne Grudem, Since man has sinned, he is certainly not as fully like God as he was before. His moral purity has been lost and his sinful character does not reflect God’s holiness. His intellect is corrupted by falsehood and misunderstanding; His speech no longer continually glorifies God; His relationships are often governed by selfishness rather than love, and so forth. Though man is still in the image of God, in every aspects of life some parts of that image have been distorted or lost.
• Someone has rightly stated that In Seeking to become God, we have become less than man
• Illustration:
G.K. Chesterton, a British author, was among several writers asked by the London Times to submit an essay on the question, What’s wrong with the world? Chesterton sent in the clearest and most succinct reply: Dear Sirs: I am. Sincerely yours, G.K. Chesterton.
• Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 1:15
The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
• Romans 3:23, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
• As we read in the Scripture, there are basically three elements/forces that influence our lives
o The World (v. 2)
▪ So corrupt (Romans 12:1)
o The Devil (v. 2)
▪ More crafty than any other beast
• Multiple Ph.Ds. in lies/deceiving
o The Flesh (v. 3)
▪ Struggle between flesh and spirit
2. Saved by Grace (Eph. 2:4-9)
• I like the phrase BUT GOD. Just could not imagine our lives if not for God.
• Attributes/nature of God
o Rich in mercy, great love and grace
• Warren Wiersbe on God’s Grace and Mercy
o By nature, God is truth, but when He relates to man, God’s truth becomes Faithfulness
o God is by nature holy, and when He relates that holiness to man, it becomes justice
o Love is one of God’s intrinsic attributes, but when this is related to sinners, it becomes grace and mercy.
• God is rich in mercy and full of grace
o Grace upon grace (John 1:14 & 16)
▪ In His mercy, He does not give us what we do deserve (Death)
▪ In His grace, He gives us what we do not deserve (Salvation)
• God’s grace and mercy in Jesus’ life
o Adulterous woman (John 8:1-11)
▪ Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her
o Jesus on the cross
▪ Father forgive them (Luke 23:34)
▪ The two thieves (Luke 23:39-43)
There is nothing greater than the grace of God!
There is no sin greater than the grace of God!
There is nothing that the grace of God cannot cover!
• God’s Grace: What is God’s grace so amazing about?
o It is the unmerited, undeserved, and unearned kindness and favor of God
▪ It cannot be bought/earned
▪ There is nothing we can do but receive it
o God’s grace is not only for those who are faithful
▪ But it comes to even those who have been unfaithful
▪ It has been extended to every single individuals regardless of who you are, what you are, where you come from...
• So often we think that
o God is interested only in good people
o People that have never given to temptation ...etc.
• But it is quite the opposite
o When you mess up, God does not turn away from you. Rather He turns to you
o His grace comes looking for you
• Right now some of us might be in a place or situation where you do not want to be
o God is saying – I am not mad at you but I love you just the way you are
o God is saying – I am not interested in your past but your future
o It does not matter to God where you have been but it matters to God where you are going
• God’s grace is given to us
o Not because we are holy and blameless/read the Bible/pray regularly
o Because we were dead in our trespasses and sins
• How many of us are fighting a battle (of sins and transgressions)
o God is telling us, My Grace is sufficient for you!
• As a result of His saving grace, we are given a a New Status/Position in Christ Jesus (vv. 6-7)
o Salvation by grace (being repeated) and is a gift of God (Not a Reward) (vv. 8-9)
o Salvation is the work of God, the finished work of God
• Indeed, Salvation by grace is a gift for us, yet it is very costly on the part of God
o Salvation by God’s grace is made possible through the death of Christ Jesus
3. Saved to Serve (Eph. 2:10)
• Saved by not good works but saved unto good works
• Workmanship created in Christ Jesus...
o Beforehand
o Walk in them
o No Boasting/bragging
• John Calvin
o It is faith alone that justifies, but faith that justifies can never be alone.
o We are not saved by faith plus good works, but a faith that works
• Read
o Romans 6:1-5
o Romans 12:1
▪ Human minds being so corrupt
• Remember, we are saved and given a new position but we are not yet perfect
• Robert Robinson (accepted Jesus at 20, a Methodist preacher & a song writer)
o Back in the 18th century (1700s) he wrote a song (one of my favorite songs), Come thou fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing Thy grace
o There is a line that says
▪ Prone to wander, Lord I feel it
▪ Prone to leave the God I love
o That’s our human nature, even after we’re saved
• We need to constantly remind ourselves of the amazing grace of God and depend on Him
• It is the grace of God that compels me to do things that I am not comfortable with
o To love
o To forgive
o To share
o To give