Sermons by
An Instructive Analysis Of Our Salvation
- Ephesians 2:8-10
- Pastor Jerry Halbrook -PBC
- May 30, 2010
The basis of our salvation is grace and the means is faith. The cause of our salvation is God, and the effect is His glory. The design of our salvation (new creation) is the image of Christ, and the purpose is that we walk in works that are beneficial to God and to man.
The apostle Paul wrote this epistle to people who were already converted to Christ. They were already saved. He says to them “you have been saved.” He leads them to analyze their salvation, because in doing so he will show them how to be sanctified. The Christ who saved them is the Christ who will sanctify them. The cross that saved them is the cross that will sanctify them. The grace that saved them is the grace that will sanctify them.
This analysis of salvation gives light for our sanctification. Since the basis of our salvation is grace and the means is faith, since the cause of our salvation is God and the effect is His glory, since the design of our salvation is a new creation in the image of Christ, we must live by God’s grace through faith, recognizing that only he can accomplish anything through us. And anything He accomplishes through us is for His glory. God has created us anew in Christ to walk in the works which He, the Creator has prepared before hand. These works are for the glory of God and the good of man.
We tend to use these three verses when we are explaining salvation to a lost person, or to someone who is doubting their salvation. Today let us hear them as Paul wrote them—to the believer. Let us analyze our salvation that we might understand sanctification, and let us do this with purpose.
I. Basis & Means (2:8a-c)
A. Basis: grace (2:8a)
B. Means: faith (2:8c)
Hoehner. Whereas “grace” is the objective cause or basis of salvation, “through faith” is the subjective means by which one is saved. This is important, for the salvation that was purchased by Christ’s death is universal in its application. One is not automatically saved because Christ died, but one is saved when one puts trust in God’s gracious provision. Calvin states that a person must receive by faith the salvation offered to him or her by the hand of God. A good illustration of this is of Abraham whereby his faith was reckoned for righteousness (Rom. 4:5). Notice, it was Abraham’s own faith that gave him a right standing. However, faith is never thought of as a work, for the preceding verse (v. 4) explicitly states that if a righteous stand before God were obtained by works, it would not be according to grace but according to obligation. Verse 5 continues by saying that it is to those who do not work but believe in the one who justifies the ungodly that their faith reckons them a right standing. This is confirmed in the present context in Ephesians, for following the above statement Paul reinforces the idea that this salvation was not by means of any kind of works done by humans but solely by faith.
The word here translated “faith,” basically means “trust, confidence” in people or gods. The word is used 243 times in the NT, 142 times by Paul and eight times in Ephesians. Much study has been done on the word, but again it basically has the idea of “trust, reliance, faith.”
Rom. 4:8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”
Gal. 2:21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.
II. Cause & Effect (2:8d-9)
A. Cause: God
1. You are not the cause of your own salvation (2:8d).
Hoehner. “The ‘this’ may refer to one of three things: the ‘grace,’ the verb ‘saved,’ the noun ‘faith.’” Some commentators think that it refers to "faith," the nearest preceding noun. A serious objection to this is that the feminine noun does not match the neuter gender of the pronoun. The same problem is raised with “grace,” a feminine noun. Some would have it refer back to "you are saved" but again the antecedent would be a masculine participle. Furthermore, to refer back to any one of these words seems to be redundant. Rather than any particular word it is best to conclude that "this," refers back to the preceding section. This is common and there are numerous illustrations of such in Ephesians.
2. Your salvation is a gift from God (2:8e).
3. Your salvation did not come out of your religious deeds (2:9).
Hoehner. In the present passage, the gift of God does not refer to “faith” but it refers to the whole concept of salvation. The contrast is stark not only in the words themselves but also in their position in the sentence. The gift of salvation has its origin in God, its basis is grace, and it is received by means of faith.
The origin of salvation not only does not come from within a person but also not from his or her works or efforts. Works or works of the law are an antithesis to grace (Rom. 11:6; 2 Tim. 1:9; Titus 3:5). Hence, as in verse 8, grace is the means or instrument of our salvation. Furthermore, on numerous instances Paul makes the stark contrast between works and faith (cf. Rom. 3:20, 28; 4:1-5; 9:32; Gal. 2:16; 3:2-5, 7, 9). However, Romans and Galatians refer to the “works of the law,” whereas the present context refers only to “works.” But it needs to be realized that in Romans and Galatians Paul is dealing with many Jews, whereas in Ephesians he is dealing primarily with Gentiles. In fact, “law” is mentioned only once in Ephesians (2:15) where Paul reminds them that Christ has rendered the law inoperative in order that he might create in himself the two (believing Jews and Gentiles) into one new person. It is incorrect to think that “works of the law” is really different from “works.” “Works” is a broad term referring to human effort, which is the same as “works of the law” in Jewish context (Rom. 3:20, 28; 4:1-5, 6; 9:11, 32; 11:6).
Rom. 11:6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
We are saved by means of faith. Grace is the objective instrumental basis of our salvation, and faith is the subjective means by which we are saved. Therefore, salvation is obtained not by anything inherent in a human nor by his or her external efforts but is obtained by trusting God who saves a person on the basis of his grace. From God’s vantage point it is his grace not a human being’s works that is the basis of salvation. From a human’s vantage point, it is faith and not works that is the means to salvation.
B. Effect: God’s glory (modifying A-1, 2 & 3)
Hoehner. iºna mh/ tiß kauch/shtai. "so that no one might boast." Because salvation cannot be obtained due to some inherent good or by good works but only by faith, boasting is excluded (Rom. 3:27). A person is not to boast about his or her efforts (1 Cor. 1:29; 3:21) but only in God (Rom. 5:11; 1 Cor. 1:31; 2 Cor. 10:17; Phil. 1:26; 3:3) or the cross of Christ (Gal. 6:14). Certainly, if one could obtain salvation from within oneself or by one’s own works or efforts, there would be a lot of boasting (Rom. 4:2). This salvation is the gift of God obtained by faith and thus one can bring praise only to God and not to self or self-effort.
Though the specific terminology of justification is absent from the present context, the concept of salvation is the same. Radl states, “It is on the basis of grace by means of faith without any works. We need to grant Paul the freedom to express the same concepts with different terms.”
In conclusion, verses 8-9 spell out salvation in summary form. Its source is God, its basis is by grace, and it is obtained as a gift by means of faith. It is external to human beings and becomes a reality to them when they appropriate it by faith. This salvation is not something that is inherent in a person nor can it be gained by his or her efforts. Hence, a person cannot boast of any self-achievement but must boast in the gracious gift of God.
III. Design & Purpose (2:10)
A. Design: new creation in Christ (2:10a-b)
1. God’s work of creation (2:10a)
2. Created in union with Christ (2:10b)
Hoehner. The sphere or location of this new creation is “in Christ Jesus.” This was described in verses 5-6 where together with Christ we were made alive, raised, and seated in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus.
Gen. 1:2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Gen. 1:3 ¶ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
1Pet. 1:3 ¶ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
2Cor. 4:5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.
2Cor. 4:6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
2Cor. 4:7 ¶ But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
1Cor. 1:28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
1Cor. 1:29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
Eph. 4:24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Col. 3:10 and have been clothed with the new man that is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of the one who created it. (NET)
2Cor. 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Gal. 6:15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.
B. Purpose: fulfilling God’s will (2:10c-e)
1. The works prepared (2:10c)
Hoehner. The goal of being created in Christ Jesus is for good works. God’s workmanship is not achieved by good works, but it should result in good works as God has purposed them (Titus 2:14; 3:8). The attributive adjective which describes the works as good, normally has a moral as well as a beneficial connotation. In other words, we are created in Christ Jesus for works that are morally and beneficially good for us, for those around us, and for God.
It is the good works or conduct, given in chapters 4-6, that proceed from salvation. Before coming to faith, human beings exist in the sphere of bad works and are the objects of God’s wrath. When they come to faith they are not left in a vacuum of no activity, but they have in this new creation works already prepared by God in eternity past. Not only did God predetermine eternal glory for the believers (1:5, 11; 2:6-7), but he has prepared beforehand good works for their present life. This is grace from beginning to end.
2. The walk prescribed (2:10e)
The verb “walk” is an ingressive aorist subjunctive which “expresses the coming about of conduct which contrasts with prior conduct.” The only prior use of this verb in Ephesians is in 2:2 where it describes the walk of the unbeliever who is dead in transgressions and sins. The use of “walk” in 2:10 suggests that these are the same works outlined for the believer in chapters 4-6 because the dominant theme of those chapters is the believer’s “walk” (4:1, 17; 5:2, 8, 15). It is interesting to notice that we are “to walk in them” and not “to work in them.” God has prepared beforehand good works for believers that he will perform in and through them as they walk by faith in his power. It is not doing a work for God but God doing a work in and through the believer (Phil. 2:13). Hence, the good works, also, cannot be a cause for boasting, as is the case in our salvation, because both elements are accomplished by God’s grace by means of faith. If no good works are evident, it may indicate that that one is not a believer, because what God has purposed in the believer is not being accomplished. Works are not the means of salvation—only faith is. But works are an evidence of salvation—God’s working in the believer is his prepared works. Verses 8-10 depict the essence of the gospel, probably the best summary in the Pauline corpus. It is grace from start to finish.
Eph. 4:17 ¶ Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.
Eph. 4:18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.
Conclusion: An analysis of our salvation instructs us for life.
Hoehner. In conclusion, 2:1-10 demonstrates that though people were spiritually dead and deserving only God’s wrath, God, in his marvelous grace, has provided salvation through faith by making us alive, raising us, and seating us in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. The origin of salvation is God, the basis is grace, the means is faith. Our salvation is not only a one-time act of conversion, but also includes the activity of his workmanship in whom and through whom he performs the good works he has already prepared in advance.
Col. 2:6 ¶ Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,
Col. 2:7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding min thanksgiving.
A. Basis & Means
—grace through faith
For by grace
you have been saved
through faith.
B. Cause & Effect
—what God gives for His glory
And this is not your own doing;
it is the gift of God,
not a result of works,
so that no one may boast.
C. Design & Purpose
—fulfilling God’s purpose through His design
For we are his workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus
for good works,
which God prepared beforehand,
that we should walk in them.
Phil. 2:13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.