Called by Grace

Subject: Salvation

Theme: Grace, Election, New Birth

Thesis: The Christian life begins not with our choice, but with God’s sovereign and gracious call that brings us from death to life.

Principle Statement: You are a Christian not because you were good enough to choose God, but because God was gracious enough to choose you.

Introduction

Have you ever noticed how many people use the word Christian without really thinking about what it means?

For some, being a Christian just means you were born in a certain country, raised in a certain family, or go to church occasionally.

For others, it is about trying to live a decent life, following some moral code, or being “a good person.”

But when we turn to Scripture, we see that being a Christian is far more profound.

It is not about tradition, culture, or even moral effort.

It is about a radical transformation—moving from death to life, from wrath to grace, from sin to Christ.

It is about becoming part of a family that extends beyond the boundaries of your own household and discovering what that truly means for our lives together.

As I have been praying and seeking the Lord for where we ought to go this fall, I have felt the Lord laying it upon my heart to explore together as a church what it means to be a Christian.

Some of us here have been walking with Christ for many years.

Some of us are just beginning that journey.

Some of us may do many of the things we will talk about very well, but I think for many of us there will be areas of much needed growth.

For all of us though, understanding what it means to be a Christian is is essential—whether as a reminder or learning for the first time.

Understanding what it means to be a Christian helps us to know God better,

It determines how we live our lives, how we relate to one another inside the church, and how we relate to those outside the church.

That is why we are beginning this new series I have titles “What It Means to Be a Christian.”

Over the next weeks, we will walk through the essential truths of the Christian life: how it begins, how it grows, how it is lived out in the church and in the world, and how it ends in the hope of glory.

So this morning, we begin with the foundation of it all: the call of God’s grace.

If we do not understand this, we will misunderstand everything else.

Ephesians 2:1–10 ESV

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not 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, that we should walk in them.

1. Our Desperate Condition Apart from Grace

Paul begins n this passage by showing us our desperate condition apart from grace.

Ephesians 2:1–3 (ESV) 1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

He puts it very bluntly “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked.”

This is meant to be a jarring statement.

Death is final - there is no return from it.

Paul is not describing sickness but spiritual death: total separation from the life of God.

Death means incapacity.

A corpse does not seek, reach, or respond.

That is the condition of every person apart from Christ—no ability to move toward God unless God first acts.

Notice Paul uses two words - dead in trespasses and sins.

Trespasses carries the sense of going astray, crossing a boundary;

sins points to falling short, missing the mark.

Together, they encompass both rebellion and failure.

Our problem is not only that we sometimes slip, but that every part of us—heart, mind, will—is corrupted.

This is how all people walk apart from God.

This is not a rare stumble; it is a way of life.

Without the Lord, people are not occasionally doing bad things; sin is the air they breathe, the road they walk daily.

This is a sickness that plagues the entire world.

Paul says that the path sinners walk is one following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air - two enslaving powers: the world and Satan.

Left to ourselves, we simply drift along with the values, loves, and priorities of a fallen world -

while at the same time under the sway of the devil, who is at work in “the sons of disobedience.”

Paul makes it personal in verse 3.

All of us lived this way.

Jews and Gentiles alike.

Our sin was not only external conformity to the world or demonic influence; it was internal.

Our flesh—our sinful nature—controlled both our bodies and our thoughts.

And the verdict?

Apart from Christ, we stand under God’s just judgment.

Not neutral.

Not basically good.

By nature—that is, from birth—we are objects of divine wrath.

This is the Bible’s clearest description of human depravity.

Apart from grace, every person is spiritually dead, enslaved to the world, the devil, and the flesh, and destined for wrath.

This is frightening thing when we truly grasp it.

Now, why does Paul begin this way?

Because unless we grasp the depth of our condition, we will never grasp the wonder of God’s grace.

And here is where this touches our life together as a church:

If all of us were dead, enslaved, and condemned, then none of us has grounds for boasting.

There is no hierarchy of worth in the church.

The ground is level at the foot of the cross.

That means we cannot look down on a struggling brother or sister as though their weakness is worse than ours once was.

That means when someone wanders from fellowship, our first response must not be frustration but compassion: “That could be me, apart from grace.”

That means every single relationship in the church must be marked by humility and patience, because each of us was once walking in darkness until God broke in.

When Paul says, “among whom we all once lived,” he is reminding us that this is our shared story.

No one here is in Christ because they were strong enough, smart enough, or faithful enough.

We were all dead together, and we were all raised together.

That reality should bind us to one another in deep gratitude and love.

If we let this text sink in, it should change the way we respond when we notice someone missing from the body.

It should change the way we think about the brother or sister battling sin.

Because if we really believe Paul’s words, then we know: that is exactly where we would still be—lost, enslaved, and under wrath—if not for the grace of God.

When someone in the church is struggling or straying, this passage should whisper in our ears:

“Remember where you came from.

Remember who you were.

Do not forget that you were dead too.

Now go to them in the same grace that God came to you.

Until we see how lost we were, we will never see how amazing grace is.

If Paul had stopped at verse 3, we would be left in utter despair—dead in sin, enslaved to the world, the flesh, and the devil, and destined for wrath.

But the gospel does not end in death.

Into the darkest backdrop of our hopelessness, Paul now paints the brightest colors of God’s mercy.

2. God’s Merciful Intervention

Ephesians 2:4–7 (ESV) 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

After three verses of hopeless darkness, Paul suddenly shifts with two of the most beautiful words in Scripture:

“But God.”

These words are the pivot of the entire passage.

They declare that salvation is not rooted in who we are, but in who God is.

Left to ourselves, we were dead and condemned.

But God intervened.

Our story does not end with sin, because God, being rich in mercy and great in love, intervened to make us alive in Christ.

“Being rich in mercy” – The word “rich” emphasizes abundance.

God is not stingy with His mercy, nor is He reluctant.

Mercy flows from Him in infinite supply.

Mercy means God does not give us what we deserve—His wrath—but instead extends compassion to the helpless.

Why God does this is “Because of the great love with which he loved us” –

Notice: mercy is not an abstract attribute.

It is personal.

God loves His people with a “great love” - a love that is shown through sending Jesus.

Love that was decisively displayed at the cross.

“Even when we were dead in our trespasses” – God’s love did not wait for us to improve.

His intervention came while we were still lifeless and hostile.

This magnifies His grace.

In spite of our state God “Made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.” –

The miracle is resurrection.

God breathed spiritual life into us, joining us to Christ’s resurrection.

We were dead, and now we live.

Notice Paul’s wording: together with Christ.

Salvation is not an isolated event; it is union with the living Lord.

Through that union he has raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” –

Our union with Christ is so complete that Paul can speak in the past tense about our exaltation.

Positionally, in Christ, we already share His resurrection and His enthronement.

This is not merely future hope; it is present reality.

God’s purpose in saving us is not only our rescue, but the eternal display of His grace.

Throughout eternity, the church will be the living testimony to His kindness.

“So that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” –

This passage shows the heart of God.

Against the darkness of verses 1–3, the mercy, love, and grace of God shine in breathtaking contrast.

If this is what God has done for us, how should it shape the way we live together in the church?

It destroys pride.

If we were dead and only God made us alive, then no one can boast.

No ministry accomplishment, no moral strength, no religious heritage makes one believer higher than another.

Every Christian shares the same story: But God.

It calls for mercy toward others.

If God loved us “even when we were dead,” then we must learn to love brothers and sisters even when they are weak, faltering, or disappointing.

Mercy received should always overflow as mercy given.

It binds us together in shared life.

Notice Paul’s emphasis: together with Christ.

Salvation is not individualistic.

God did not just make me alive—He made us alive.

He raised us up together.

He seated us together in Christ.

The Christian life is inseparably communal.

That means the church should look less like a club of individuals and more like a family resurrected together.

This means when one of us is sick, it is the responsibility of the the body to go and visit one another.

When one of us is struggling with sin, it is the responsibility of the body to go to them, the encourage and perhaps admonish them to faithfulness.

None of us are sinless of course, so this must be done in humility, admitting that we too are sinners but that we are all attempting to walk in the same direction with God’s help.

To understand God’s grace in all of this is to lift our gaze.

We already share in Christ’s heavenly position.

That means our fellowship should not be consumed with earthly divisions, preferences, or disputes.

Our life together is anchored in heaven, where Christ is seated.

Think about this: every time we gather as a church, we are a living display of the But God reality.

We were dead, but God made us alive.

We were enslaved, but God raised us up.

We were objects of wrath, but God seated us with Christ in the heavenly places.

I want you to take a look around the room right now - this is not just see a collection of ordinary people.

Each person in here who has made a profession to follow Christ is a trophy of grace—

A living, breathing testimony to the immeasurable riches of God’s kindness.

And if that is true, then how could we treat one another with coldness?

How could we let bitterness fester?

How could we grow indifferent when a brother or sister begins to stray?

If God has acted toward us in mercy, then the only fitting response is to act toward one another with mercy, love, and patient grace.

The church is not a gathering of the good, but a resurrection of the dead.

Being made alive in Christ is not the result of anything we have done—it is the overflow of God’s mercy and love.

And Paul will not allow us to miss that.

He slows down in verses 8 and 9 to say it plainly, so that it echoes in our hearts: salvation is by grace, through faith, and this is not your own doing.

It is the gift of God, not a result of works.

In other words, we contributed nothing to our rescue but the sin that made it necessary.

Grace is the foundation, grace is the method, and grace is the reason we have hope.

3. The New Life We Receive in Christ

Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV) 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Paul pauses to summarize and underline what he has just said, but with even greater clarity:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith.”

Grace is the unearned, undeserved favor of God.

Salvation is not payment, not reward, not even cooperation with God’s help.

It is a gift.

Every aspect of our deliverance flows from His gracious initiative.

It is by grace “You have been saved” –

Paul uses a perfect tense verb, which conveys a completed act with ongoing results.

Salvation is not a temporary experience or a hope-so-far; it is a finished rescue with continuing effects.

Believers stand secure in what God has already accomplished.

As Rick taught last week, you can’t lose it because it is not yours be begin with!

Salvation happens “Through faith” –

Faith is the instrument of salvation, not the cause.

Paul carefully guards the order: grace is the source, faith is the means.

Faith is not a meritorious work; it is simply the empty hand that receives the gift.

“And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” –

Paul removes any possible misunderstanding.

Even the faith by which we believe is not generated from within ourselves.

The entire process of salvation—from beginning to end—is a divine gift.

“Not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” –

There is no ground for pride.

If salvation depended on even one ounce of human effort, then someone could boast.

But because it rests entirely on grace, every voice of boasting is silenced.

Only God receives glory.

Salvation is not human achievement but divine generosity.

If salvation is by grace alone, what does this mean for how we live together as the church?

It levels the ground.

Grace means every believer stands on equal footing at the foot of the cross.

The church is not divided into spiritual classes.

The pastor and the newest believer are saved the same way—by grace through faith.

This calls for humility and mutual honor in our relationships.

It removes performance-driven Christianity.

Since salvation is not earned by works, neither is God’s love maintained by works.

That truth frees the church from fear-driven religion and opens the way for joy, service, and worship motivated by gratitude.

It ought to cultivate patience with one another.

If we are saved by grace, then growth in holiness is also by grace.

We must be patient when others stumble, remembering that God’s work in them is ongoing, just as His work in us is.

It silences boasting but stirs worship.

Grace removes every ground of comparison.

The church is not a place to show off spiritual achievements.

Instead, it is a community where God’s grace is celebrated.

Worship should rise not from pride in what we have done, but amazement at what He has given.

Paul’s words confront one of the greatest temptations in every church: the temptation to make salvation about me.

We want to believe that God saved us because of our worthiness, our effort, or our sincerity.

We want to think that our spiritual performance secures our place in His family.

This passage makes it clear that that is not possible.

Salvation is by grace alone.

Even faith is a gift.

Works have no role in earning or securing salvation.

This truth humbles us.

It means the proud man and the broken addict enter the kingdom on the same terms.

It means the child who first believes and the elder who has walked with Christ for decades stand clothed in the same righteousness—not their own, but Christ’s.

And this truth unites us.

If no one can boast, then no one can look down on another.

Grace takes a church full of different stories, backgrounds, and personalities, and binds them together in one testimony: we are here because of grace.

Yet Paul is just as clear about what salvation leads to as he is about what it comes from.

Grace does not leave us where we were; it remakes us.

Verse 10 gives us the purpose of our salvation: we are God’s workmanship, His masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus for good works.

This is not a contradiction to grace, but the very fruit of grace.

And here is where the community of faith comes into sharp focus: the good works God has prepared for us are rarely individual tasks—

they are often lived out in how we treat one another, encourage one another, forgive one another, and serve together as the body of Christ.

Grace not only saves us, it reshapes us for life in the family of God.

4. The Purpose of God’s Grace

Paul concludes this section with a stunning balance:

Ephesians 2:10 ESV

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

The Greek word poiēma - workmanship - is the root of our English word poem.

Paul is saying that we are God’s masterpiece, His handiwork, His carefully crafted creation.

Our new life in Christ is not a human achievement; it is God’s artistry “Created in Christ Jesus”

This points to new creation.

Just as God spoke the universe into being in Genesis, He now brings new life into being through union with Christ.

Believers are not merely improved versions of their old selves; they are re-created.

And re-created for a purpose.

“For good works” – Works do not earn salvation (vv. 8–9), but they are the necessary result of salvation.

Paul holds both truths together: salvation is not by works, but it is for works.

Good works are the evidence and fruit of genuine grace.

God is sovereign, not only in salvation but also in sanctification.

The good works we walk in are not random acts of morality but divinely prepared opportunities.

God has mapped out ways for His people to display His grace.

Good works which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them”

The word “walk” recalls verse 2, where Paul described how we once “walked” in sin.

Now, by God’s grace, we walk in good works.

Salvation produces a new lifestyle, a new rhythm of obedience, worship, and love.

This verse resolves a tension: if salvation is by grace and not works, does that make works irrelevant?

Paul answers firmly—works are not the root of salvation, but they are its fruit.

Our identity fuels our activity.

We are God’s workmanship, not our own.

That means good works are not self-driven attempts to prove worth, but the natural outflow of being God’s new creation.

The church becomes God’s display of grace.

The “good works” here are not merely private moral efforts.

They are visible expressions of God’s love in community—acts of service, forgiveness, mercy, generosity, and unity.

When the church lives this way, the world sees a living testimony of God’s grace.

Every believer has a role.

Since God has prepared good works beforehand, no Christian is without purpose.

Every member of the church—regardless of gifting, age, or background—has God-ordained opportunities to reflect His grace.

The Christian life, then, is not a frantic race to impress God but a joyful journey of discovering what He has already laid before us.

This verse brings the whole gospel movement full circle:

We were dead in sin (vv. 1–3).

God made us alive in Christ by mercy and grace (vv. 4–9).

Now, as new creations, we live to reflect His grace in good works (v. 10).

This means the church is not a museum of religious artifacts, but a workshop of living testimonies.

Each believer is a piece of God’s ongoing artistry, crafted to display His grace in unique and beautiful ways.

And when we walk in these good works together, the church becomes what Jesus called “a city set on a hill” (Matt. 5:14).

The way we treat one another, forgive one another, bear burdens, and serve the world becomes the living exhibition of the gospel.

The Christian life is not static; it is dynamic.

We are saved by grace, but we are also shaped by grace—into people who live differently, love differently, and relate differently.

And this is not an optional add-on to faith; it is the very purpose for which we were redeemed.

So as we step back from these verses and this first message in our series, we see clearly:

to be a Christian is to move from death to life,

from wrath to mercy,

from isolation to community,

from self-centeredness to God’s calling.

This is where our journey begins—and it sets the trajectory for everything else we will explore together in the weeks ahead.”

Conclusion

So as we stand at the beginning of this series, the message could not be clearer:

to be a Christian is to be made alive in Christ by grace through faith, and to walk in the good works God has prepared for us.

This identity is not abstract—it is deeply practical.

It changes how we live every single day.

What does this look like in real life?

It means we no longer drift through life as if we belong to ourselves.

We belong to Christ, and therefore we belong to one another.

In a world where people are easily forgotten, ignored, or discarded, the church is called to be different.

It looks like noticing when a brother or sister is absent, and reaching out in love.

Yes this takes time!

It looks like carrying each other’s burdens—listening, praying, stepping into one another’s lives even when it is inconvenient.

It looks like opening our homes and our schedules, not just to those we naturally connect with, but to those who may feel isolated or overlooked.

I know there are a few in our church who do this well, keep doing it!

But I also know that these are areas that I know I need to grow in myself and want to encourage each of you to grow along with me.

It can be hard to make the time, but it is so important, so necessary for us as a church family to grow in our love for Christ, and love for one another.

I wish we didn’t have to live such busy lives, just to survive it feels like, but part of our calling as Christians is to push back against that.

If we have been made alive in Christ, then His life in us must overflow in care for one another.

This is not just an individual journey—it is a shared life together in Christ’s body.

As we walk through this series, may we grow not only in knowledge of what it means to be a Christian,

but in the lived reality of being a people who reflect Christ’s love in the way we treat one another.

Because in the end, the world will not only hear the gospel through our words; they will see the gospel in how we love each other.

To be a Christian is to be made alive in Christ—growing in Him personally and showing His love in how we care for one another.