Ephesians Series: Ephesians 2:8a-The Church Age Believer is Saved Because of Grace By Means of Faith

Ephesians 2:1 Now, correspondingly, even though, each and every one of you as a corporate unit were spiritually dead ones because of your transgressions, in other words, because of your sins. 2 Each and every one of you formerly lived by means of these in agreement with the standard of the unregenerate people of this age, which is the production of the cosmic world system, in agreement with the standard of the sovereign ruler, namely the sovereign governmental authority ruling over the evil spirits residing in the earth’s atmosphere. Specifically the spirit who is presently working in the lives of those members of the human race who are characterized by disobedience. 3 Among whom, each and every one of us also formerly for our own selfish benefit conducted our lives by means of those lusts, which are produced by our flesh. Specifically, by indulging those inclinations which are produced by our flesh, in other words, those impulses, which are the product of our flesh. Consequently, each and every one of us caused ourselves to be children who are objects of wrath because of our natural condition from physical birth. Just as the rest correspondingly caused themselves to be children who are objects of wrath because of their natural condition from physical birth. 4 But because God is rich with regards to mercy, because of the exercise of His great love with which He loved each and every one of us, 5 even though each and every one of us as a corporate unit were spiritually dead ones because of our transgressions, He caused each and every one of us to be made alive together with the one and only Christ. Each and every one of you as a corporate unit are saved because of grace! 6 Specifically, He caused each and every one of us as a corporate unit to be raised with Him. Correspondingly, He caused each and every one of us as a corporate unit to be seated in the heavenlies because of our faith in and union and identification with Christ Jesus. 7 He did this so that He could display for His own glory during the ages, which are certain to come, the incomparable wealth, which is the product of His grace because of kindness for the benefit of each and every one of us because of our faith in and union and identification with Christ Jesus. 8 Each and every one of you as a corporate unit are saved because of grace by means of faith! In other words, this never originated from any one of you as a source. It originated as the gift from God. (Lecturer’s translation)

Ephesians 2:8 is composed of a declarative statement, which is then followed by an elliptical epexegetical clause.

The declarative statement in Ephesians 2:8 functions as a causal clause because it presents the reason for the statements in Ephesians 2:6-7.

As was the case in Ephesians 2:5 when Paul asserts here in Ephesians 2:8 that the church age believer is saved because of the Father’s grace policy on their behalf, he uses the second person plural present active indicative conjugation of the verb eimi (εἰμί), which pertains to certain persons who belong to a particular group of human beings who exist in the state or condition of possessing a particular characteristic.

The referent of the second person plural form of this verb of course refers to the recipients of the Ephesian epistle which Ephesians 2:11 identifies as Gentile Christians.

The word not only refers to them as a corporate unit but is also used in a distributive sense emphasizing absolutely no exceptions expressing the idea that “each and every one” of them were saved because of grace.

The dative feminine singular form of the noun charis (χάρις) and the nominative masculine plural perfect passive participle conjugation of the verb sozo (σῴζω) identify them as those who exist in the state of belonging to a particular group of human beings who were saved because of the Father’s grace policy.

Therefore, these words are expressing the idea that each and every one of these Gentile Christians belong to a particular group of human beings who exist in the state of being saved because of the Father’s grace policy through faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ.

As was the case in Ephesians 2:5, the verb sozo(σῴζω) here in Ephesians 2:8 is used of the act of the Father delivering a sinner from personal sins, the sin nature, Satan, his cosmic system, condemnation from the Law, spiritual and physical death and eternal condemnation.

The referent of the masculine plural form of this verb sozo (σῴζω) is of course each one of the recipients of the Ephesian epistle, who we noted were Gentile Christians according to the contents of Ephesians 2:11.

The word not only refers to them as a corporate unit but is also used in a distributive sense emphasizing absolutely no exceptions expressing the idea that “each and every one” of them were saved because of grace.

The verb sozo (σῴζω) is modified by the articular dative feminine singular form of the noun charis (χάρις), which again as in Ephesians 2:5 means “grace” and refers to God the Father’s grace policy towards unregenerate sinners who are under His wrath.

This is the fifth time that we have seen this word in Ephesian epistle (cf. 1:2, 6, 7; 2:5).

In each instance, the word refers to God the Father’s grace policy towards unregenerate sinners, which manifests His attribute of love.

Specifically, it speaks of the Father’s grace policy which benefits the church age believer because of the Father declaring them justified through faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ.

Correspondingly, it speaks of His grace policy on behalf of the church age believer because of their union and identification with His Son.

As was the case in Ephesians 2:5, the noun charis (χάρις) here in Ephesians 2:8 functions as a dative of cause, which means that the word indicates the cause or the basis of the action of this verb sozo (σῴζω).

Therefore, this indicates that the Father saved the church age believer “because of” His grace policy towards unregenerate sinners.

Therefore, this verb sozo (σῴζω) is expressing the idea that each one of these Gentile Christians “were saved” because of the Father’s grace policy on behalf of unregenerate sinners.

As was the case in Ephesians 2:5, the perfect tense of the verb sozo (σῴζω) here in Ephesians 2:8 is an intensive perfect which is used to emphasize the results or present state produced by a past action.

Therefore, the intensive perfect of this verb is emphasizing the present state of every church age believer being saved because of the Father’s grace policy as a result of the Father declaring them justified through faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ.

Again, simultaneously, He identified them with His Son in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at His right hand through the baptism of the Spirit.

Again, as was the case in Ephesians 2:5, the participle conjugation of this verb sozo (σῴζω) here in Ephesians 2:8 functions as a perfect periphrastic participle.

It emphasizes with the recipients of the Ephesian epistle that they exist in the state of being saved from the Father’s wrath because of His grace policy when He made them alive together with His Son even though they were spiritually dead because of the transgressions they committed against Him prior to their justification.

As was the case in Ephesians 1:15, the genitive feminine singular form of the noun pistis(πίστις) here in Ephesians 2:8 means “faith.”

In each instance, this refers to the non-meritorious system of perception of placing one’s “trust” or “confidence in” Jesus Christ as one’s Savior.

Specifically, it speaks of justifying faith or in other words, the faith exercised by the recipients of the Ephesian epistle which resulted in the Father declaring them justified.

Therefore, in Ephesians 2:8, the noun pistis “faith” refers to making the non-meritorious decision to trust or place one’s complete confidence in the Person of Jesus Christ at the moment of justification for eternal salvation and the forgiveness of sins.

The genitive feminine singular form of the noun pistis (πίστις) is the object of the preposition dia (διά), which means “through, by means of” since the word is functioning here as a marker of means expressing the means by which the recipients of the Ephesian letter were saved.

They were saved “by means of” or “through” their faith in Jesus Christ at their justification.

Paul taught in Romans 1:16 that the gospel is the power of God for salvation.

The Lord Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father provided the sinner salvation.

Specifically, it delivered the human race from eternal condemnation, condemnation from the Law, enslavement to the sin nature and Satan and his cosmic system as well as spiritual and physical death and of course, personal sins.

These events in the life of Jesus Christ demonstrated the power of God to deliver sinners.

The sinner appropriates this deliverance as well as the power of God, which delivers them, by means of faith in Jesus Christ as one’s Savior.

The Father credits or imputes to the sinner’s account His Son’s righteousness the moment the sinner trusts in His Son Jesus Christ as their Savior and consequently, the Father declares them justified.

This justification is based solely upon the merits of the object of the sinner’s faith, Jesus Christ and specifically, it is based upon the merits of His holy person as well as the merits of His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father.

What must a sinner believe about Jesus Christ in order to be saved through faith in Him?

First, the sinner must believe that Jesus is both God and man because no sinner can approach God without a mediator.

The Son of God became a human being in order to be that mediator (1 Tim. 2:4).

Secondly, the sinner must believe that Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead because if He does not rise from the dead then He was a deceiver and someone who was deluded.

Also, if He does not rise from the dead, then the sinner has no hope and spiritually dead because of their sins (1 Cor. 15:12-17).