Ephesians 2.8-The First Statement in Ephesians 2.8 Presents the Reason for the Statements in Ephesians 2.6-7
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday October 17, 2023
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 2:8-The First Statement in Ephesians 2:8 Presents the Reason for the Statements in Ephesians 2:6-7
Lesson # 91
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 Tē gar chariti este sesōsmenoi dia pisteōs (Τῇ γὰρ χάριτί ἐστε σεσῳσμένοι διὰ πίστεως), “Each and every one of you as a corporate unit are saved because of grace by means of faith!” (Author’s translation) functions as a causal clause.
The second kai touto ouk ex hymōn, theou to dōron (καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐξ ὑμῶν, θεοῦ τὸ δῶρον), “In other words, this never originated from any one of you as a source. It originates as the gift from God” (Author’s translation) functions as 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.
It asserts that the church age believer is saved because of the Father’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
This statement presents the reason for the statement in Ephesians 2:6, which asserts that the church age believer has been raised with Jesus Christ and seated with Christ at the Father’s right hand.
It also presents the reason for the statement in Ephesians 2:7, which presents the purpose for the statements in Ephesians 2:5-7.
The latter asserts that the Father made the church age believe alive with Christ by raising and seating them with His Son in order to display for His own glory during the ages to come the incomparable wealth, which is the product of His grace.
The reason the Father will do this is because of His kindness and ultimately because of the church age believer’s faith in Christ at justification and correspondingly, their union and identification with Christ.
Therefore, the first statement in Ephesians 2:8 expresses the idea that the Father raised and seated the church age believer with His Son at His right hand “because” they are saved because of the Father’s grace policy through faith in His Son.
It also expresses the idea that the Father for His own glory will display His during the ages to come His incomparable wealth, which is the product of His grace policy on behalf of the church age believer “because” they are saved because of His grace policy through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.
Paul made almost the same identical assertion at the end of Ephesians 2:5 by stating that the church age believer is saved because of the Father’s grace policy on their behalf.
This assertion emphasizes that it was on the basis of the Father’s grace policy towards unregenerate sinners that He caused them to be made alive with His Son, Jesus Christ through the baptism of the Spirit at their justification even though they were spiritually dead because of their transgressions.
In other words, they emphatically did not earn or deserve this act on their behalf at their justification because the Father did this solely based upon the merits of the person of His Son Jesus Christ.
He also did this on the basis of the merits of His Son’s crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at His right hand, which propitiated the Father, redeemed the entire human race and reconciled them to the Father.
He also did this based upon the merits of the church age believer’s union and identification with His Son in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at His right hand.
He also did this because the transgressions they committed against Him resulted in the fact that they did not possess any merit with Him since He is holy or perfect.
Therefore, in Ephesians 2:8, the declarative statement in this verse functions in the same manner as the statement at the end of Ephesians 2:5.
However, the former amplifies the latter because it contains the prepositional phrase dia pisteōs (διὰ πίστεως), “by means of faith” (Author’s translation).
It also contains as we noted the elliptical result clause kai touto ouk ex hymōn, theou to dōron (καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐξ ὑμῶν, θεοῦ τὸ δῶρον), “Therefore, this never originated from any one of you as a source. They originate as the gift from God” (Author’s translation).
Thus, this declarative statement in Ephesians 2:8 asserts that the church age believer is saved because of the Father’s grace policy on their behalf.
In other words, they emphatically did not earn or deserve this act on their behalf at their justification when the Father raised them up and seated them with His Son at His right hand because the Father did this solely based upon the merits of the object of their faith and in particular the merits of the person of His Son Jesus Christ.
He also did this based upon the merits of His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at His right hand, which provided the church age believer their so great salvation.
The Father also did this based upon the merits of their union and identification with His Son in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at His right hand, which was accomplished at their justification through the baptism of the Spirit.
He also did this because the transgressions they committed against Him resulted in the fact that they did not possess any merit with Him since He is holy or perfect.
Therefore, the assertion at the end of Ephesians 2:5 and the one at the beginning of Ephesians 2:8 both state that the church age believer is saved because of the Father’s grace policy, which flows from the exercise of the Father’s attribute of love.
Together, they emphatically assert that the church age believer was made alive together with Christ by raising them up and seating them with His Son at His right hand at their justification through the baptism of the Spirit because of the Father’s grace policy, which flows from the exercise of the Father’s attribute of love.
In other words, the Father made them alive with Christ by raising them up and seating them with His Son at His right hand at their justification through the baptism of the Spirit because of the merits of His Son Jesus Christ.
Also, He did this because of the merits of His Son’s crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at His right hand.
The Father also did this based upon the merits of their union and identification with His Son in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at His right hand.
He also did this because the transgressions they committed against Him resulted in the fact that they did not possess any merit with Him since He is holy or perfect.