All of Grace-Part 1-Grace that Saves

Introduction- Ephesians 2:1-9

Today we are going to begin a series of messages which will develop the theme of the grace of God.

Grace is often defined as God’s unmerited favor towards us and though this is absolutely true, over the next several weeks we will see that grace is so much more.

God’s grace is what saves us, it transforms us, it empowers us, it sustains us and even more.

Today we are going to begin with the fact that salvation is “All of Grace.”

The passage before us this morning is a beautiful depiction of the operation of the grace of God in the lives of men.

We will see clearly in this passage that no one can be saved on the basis of their own merits and that salvation is always and only by grace!

This passage begins with a sobering description of the natural condition of all mankind.

A Hopeless Condition (Vs. 1-3)

The passage begins with a reference to the fact that in his natural state man is “dead in trespasses and sins.”

Sin is that which has separated us from God and has rendered us spiritually dead with no life at all.

Romans 5:12 KJV 1900

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

The natural man does not need healing, he does not stand in need of some radical change of mind, rather what he needs is resurrection.

The fact that man is dead in sin means that he is separated from God and has no spiritual life in them whatsoever with no ability to raise himself to life.

This condition is further described in the verses that follow.

The natural man walks according to the course of this world which means that he is under the influence of the world and his actions and behavior are dictated by it.

This also means that he is under the influence of the “prince of the power of the air” which is Satan himself who exercises dominion over the unbelieving world.

Furthermore the natural man is described as a child of disobedience because he lives in open rebellion and disobedience to God.

Many men have tried to convince themselves that they are basically good and that somehow they do not fall under this description.

Yet the next verse states that this is true of all men. Not one man has been excluded including Paul as the author.

The lifestyle of every man/woman upon earth has been at one time marked by disobedience and sin as he fulfilled the lusts of his flesh and the desires of his sinful mind.

This made us by nature the “children of wrath” not as some have claimed the children of God.

Man’s disobedience and sinful indulgence makes him the enemy of God and the justified target of His wrath.

John 3:36 KJV 1900

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

The worst of this position is that there is nothing that any man in himself can do to change his position. He is hopeless apart from …

God’s Intervention (Vs. 4-7)

Verse 4 begins with a wonderful two word phrase that is scattered throughout the scriptures, “but God.”

This implies that man would have remained in this hopeless condition except for the fact that God chose to intervene.

The richness of His mercy and the greatness of His love for humanity caused Him to act in spite of our being dead in our sins.

God intervened and did what only He could do, raising us to new life with Christ, not because of our merits but because of His grace.

He has raised us up now in union with Christ and now He has made us sit together in heavenly places in Him.

Those who have been the recipients of God’s grace are already become citizens of heaven and are even now as though they are already seated there.

This He did for us that the riches of His grace would be on full display for all humanity to recognize in every age of time.

This grace comes to us through Jesus Christ and the offer of salvation in Him.

The truth is without God’s intervention we would all still be destined for eternal condemnation and separated from God with no hope of reconciliation.

Yet God has intervened and has now established a way whereby we can be made alive spiritually and delivered from the power and penalty of sin.

The final two verses of the passage we have read this morning provide...

A Simple Prescription (Vs. 8-9)

We have thus far considered the awful condition of man in his natural state.

We have also saw how that God intervened to deliver men from this hopeless state.

The one question that remains is how can a man avail himself of the deliverance that God has now made possible?

These final two verse give us a clear understanding of salvation and that it is “by grace” and “through faith”

However let us first consider what does not work and that is your works. No man will ever attain deliverance himself.

The scripture here clearly states that it is “not of yourselves” for instead it is “the gift of God” which means it is not something to be earned but something freely offered.

It is plainly to be understood that salvation is not by works for then would we have reason for boasting and then it could not be said that it is by grace for grace and works are opposite of one another.

Salvation is “by grace” which means that God’s offer of deliverance is not on the basis of any merit in man but is according to His own sovereign grace.

It is “through faith” which means that it is received by simply believing that what God has said is true that Jesus saves by His death, burial, and resurrection.

Illustration- writing a check to cover someone’s debt

God offers to men the free gift of salvation in Jesus Christ and those who believe God and respond in faith to Him will be saved without any additional requirements.

If you want to be delivered from the hopeless state that every man is in by nature you must receive by faith the gracious gift of God in the person of Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

The overarching truth of this passage is that salvation is “All of Grace” and there is no one who has ever merited the deliverance that God offers.

Apart from God we would all be hopelessly condemned and we would each necessarily face the justified wrath of God because of our sin.

We could not overcome the lusts of our flesh and the sinful desires of our minds by our own efforts.

We would still be dead in sin today were it not for God’s gracious intervention.

God has by grace provided a means whereby all men can be saved and yet sadly many are attempting to find deliverance by some other means.

There are a great many religious systems in the world today and unfortunately a common thread among nearly every system is that one must work to earn salvation.

Yet Bible Christianity is different because it insists that we cannot earn salvation for it is the free gift of God.

All that a man must do to be saved is to believe God and trust that the means He has provided (Jesus Christ) is sufficient for our deliverance from sin and separation from God.

Have you by faith received the gift of God by placing your trust in Jesus Christ as savior?