Wednesday, November 8, 2023 (NOTES)

Ephesians 2:8-10

For the last two weeks we have been studying in Ephesians chapter two. We have been looking at the life of the believer before coming to Christ, and last week, we began looking at the Gracious work of God in the life of THAT un-believer that moves them to the place of salvation. We are going to continue tonight to look at God’s work by reading one of the most profound scriptures in the New Testament.

We look at the sinful state of man, that Paul discussed in verses one through three; that man before salvation, before coming to Christ was DEAD in their sin, was living a life of sin transgressions, was spent in time with the disobedient of the world, and was under the wrath of God. We see that condition, and then see in verses four through seven, the solution to that sinful condition; God makes us ALIVE in Christ, He raises us up in Christ, He makes us to sit in heavenly places, and this is all done so that His glory and the riches of His grace will be seen in the ages to come. Man’s sinful human nature is the problem. God’s mercy through Christ is the answer.

Tonight, we see HOW the solution is applied to the problem. If man desires salvation, if that call of God is evident in the life of a man, how does he go about obtaining salvation; the solution to the problem of sin and separation?

It was through this answer, that the reformer Martin Luther was perplexed and confounded in what he had been taught as a monk.

We discover

The five solas of the reformation:

that go against our humanistic ideal of salvation by works:

sola scriptura, (Scripture Alone)

sola gratia, (by Grace Alone)

sola fide, (through Faith Alone)

sola Christus, (in Christ Alone)

sola Deo gloria (to the Glory of God Alone)

In the scripture alone, by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone. For man to receive salvation is through the grace of God alone.

Our text tonight:

Ephesians 2:8-10 (NASB 95)

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

If man desires to respond affirmatively to the calling of God for salvation, this text explains how that happens.

Salvation is by grace through faith. So, let’s look at these two.

I. Salvation by Grace

“For by Grace you have been saved.”

Grace is God’s unmerited favor

, the Father’s kindness despite our unworthy nature. But the kindness of God is unique in comparison to the kindness of man. Man is willing to be kind to those who are worthy of our kindness or who have never done anything to NOT be worthy of our kindness.

ILL. I’m a very trusting person, sometimes to a fault. I will trust anyone until they give me a reason NOT to trust them. That has bitten me in the backside on more than one occasion.

Man’s kindness is that way. We will be kind, until we have a reason NOT to be kind, then that kindness is gone. God’s kindness, God’s mercy is a mercy that is unlike mans. Not only are we undeserving of God’s kindness, we have done everything within our human nature to DESTROY deserving God’s kindness; and DESPITE the fact that its undeserved, unwarranted, and unmerited; God’s kindness is always there.

If we were to make a list of all we have done to turn away God’s kindness, we could go on for days. Despite cursing God, despite rejecting Him, rebelling, denial, neglect, hostility, and half-hearted commitment to Him; God still loves us and expresses kindness toward us.

Grace is giving, and God has given us the greatest gift in His Son Jesus.

Not out of obligation or responsibility. Not out of force, who would/could force God to do so. Not out of duty. God gave of His Son out of love. God could have wiped out all the population, AGAIN, but chose grace instead.

And not only did he have grace, he SENT grace.

God is not sitting in the heavens somewhere waiting for you to come to Him for forgiveness or casting out bait to see if you will take it. By his grace, He SENT Jesus into the world to do the work of salvation. He devised the plan. He initiated the plan. He completed the plan.

We do not lay our sins at Jesus’ feet; Jesus TOOK our sins upon Himself on the cross.

We do not ask Jesus to bear our punishment, He did so voluntarily and without cause. We, in our sins had committed high treason against God. The penalty for treason is death. The gift of God despite our treason is eternal life.

Romans 5:6 (New American Standard Bible 1995)

6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

Romans 5:8 (New American Standard Bible 1995)

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:10 (New American Standard Bible 1995)

10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

According to these verses,

Mankind was “powerless, ungodly, sinners, and enemies;” yet, God has showered us with His grace.

II. Salvation through Faith

Salvation is by Grace; the application is through faith.

Any gift is useless if not received by the intended person. Faith can, in its simplest form, be summed up by the word “belief.”

Hebrews 11:1 (New American Standard Bible 1995)

11 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.Now faith is the assuranceof things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Faith is knowing we are separated in sin, not seeing HOW or WHY God would or could forgive us, yet believing that through the finished work of Jesus on the cross, our sins have been removed.

That faith, that belief, causes God to look upon us as having been in Christ when He died. We are credited with the righteousness of Christ, resulting in salvation.

Genesis 15:6 (New American Standard Bible 1995)

6 Then Abraham believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.

To reject belief in Jesus is to reject the gift of God, which is to reject salvation.

God gave the gift; man can choose to reject that gift. If you believe, you reach out and receive the gift, you are acting in faith, you are applying the grace of God, you are saved.

John 3:16 NASB

16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Romans 10:9-10 NASB

9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

To confess is to agree; to agree with the Word of God, to agree with the truth of God; to agree with the GIFT of God.

Belief of the heart is a sincere belief. Not halfhearted, not surface level, not a faced; but sincere belief.

If you agree, and you believe, you will be saved.

III. Not Saved in and of yourself

“This is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift – not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

The entirety of this process is fully by the work of God, and not through the works of man.

God is perfect and holy. To live in His presence, you must also be perfect and holy. Man is NOT perfect. As stated earlier, this is the problem as presented in verse 1-3.

Even if man COULD (we can’t), we would not be accepted by God because we have already transgressed the will and law of God and are not acceptable before God.

To be accepted before God, man needs his entire slate wiped clean. The

Sin cannot simply be forgotten, it must be removed.

Man cannot remove his transgression. This must be the act of God.

Titus 3:5 NASB

5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

Galatians 6:3 NASB

3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

IV. You are saved as a Gift of God not of Works

William Barclay gives us seven reasons why salvation MUST be a free gift.

1. Man cannot make God OWE Him.

When we work, we are owed a compensation for that work. God is independent and cannot be indebted to His creation.

Romans 4:4 NASB

4 Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due.

2. Man cannot bring perfection to God.

God is perfect, man is not. Man cannot offer anything to God that is of value or worth that He does not already possess.

3. Man cannot make God forgive him.

We are the ones who have severed the relationship; we have wronged God. Therefore, we are the ones who are to apologize. If God is to have mercy on man, it comes from His loving nature, not because man deserves it.

4. Man cannot heal God’s heart.

Our sin breaks God’s heart. Our sin goes against the nature of God; who is love. Our actions cannot heal that broken heart. Despite that, God forgives. To accept that forgiveness, we are welcomed back into God’s grace.

5. Man cannot save himself

Man cannot keep the law unto perfection, which happens to be the requirement. Even the best of the best still fall short.

6. Man cannot make God love Him

If salvation was be works of the law, and man COULD keep that law, God would be forced to forgive us and save us not because He loves us, but because He OWES it to us. He would always be indebted to our actions. There would never be a means for God to freely show His love and kindness. We would not know what it is to be loved by God.

7. Man cannot set himself free and bring liberty of conscience.

If we could be saved by works and the law, we would never experience liberty and freedom. Our minds would constantly be seeking that redline of work. That would forever eat at us and keep us in stitches wondering if we have done enough. If God does not forgive us simply because He loves us, then at what point can we stop worrying that we have done enough to EARN God’s forgiveness? We can’t. There is not freedom, liberty, or peace of mind.

V. Salvation by grace to prevent boasting

God is the supreme being of the universe. There is none greater. There is none mightier. There is none more powerful. God shares His glory and His honor with no one.

If salvation was by works of the Law, as mentioned already, that would make God indebted to mankind, thus usurping Him from His position of supreme being.

He would no longer be sovereign and powerful. The only one who can boast in salvation, is Christ alone, who did all the work, and offers the reward of righteousness to mankind who must only receive the gift by faith.

God in all of His glory, seeks to share that glory with us, if we will receive His free gift of salvation by grace alone through faith alone.