The Riches of God's Grace

It may seem that the Reformation is just something that happened a long time ago and doesn’t have much to say to us today, but the basic principles which the Reformation proclaimed still stand at the heart of what it means to be a Christian. In an age when people tried to reach heaven by their own efforts, Luther and others brought the church back to the truth: that we are save by grace.

Ephesians 2:4–10 NIV84

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

What we were

Dead in transgressions

By nature objects of wrath (from previous verse)

What God has done

Made us alive with Christ – spiritual life, eternal life, physical life

Raised us up with Christ -

Seated us with Him in the heavenly realms – gives us direct access to God

Notice that all of this is done in connection with Jesus Christ. It is union with Him which gives us these blessings because He has been made alive, raised and seated in heaven. We can be certain that these things are true for us because they are true for Jesus.

What God will do

Show the incomparable riches of His grace

Rom. 2:4 – kindness, tolerance, patience

Eph. 1:7 - Forgiveness,

Eph. 3:16 - power

Phil. 4:19 - needs met

Eph. 1:18 - glorious inheritance

Why God did it

Because of his great love for us - to seek the highest good in the one loved

God is rich in mercy – abundant, undeserved kindness

Saved by grace

Through faith - the means by which one accepts God’s free salvation.

Not from ourselves – if salvation were something we worked for it would not be by grace.

The believer who seeks to live the Christian life through self-effort is like the man who, in attempting to sail across the Atlantic Ocean, found his boat becalmed for days. Finally, frustrated by his lack of progress, he tried to make his stalled boat move by pushing against the mast. Through strenuous efforts, he succeeded in making the boat rock and so created a few small waves on the otherwise smooth sea. Seeing the waves and feeling the rocking of the boat, he assumed that he was making progress and so continued his efforts. Of course, although he exerted himself a great deal, he actually got nowhere.

A gift of God

We are God workmanship

Created to do good works – this is purpose and our response to what God has done for us. These works are the consequence of salvation, not the basis for it.

Colossians 3:1–2 NIV84

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Dr. H. A. Ironside tells the story of an attempted assassination of the first Queen Elizabeth of England. The woman who sought to do so dressed as a male page and secreted herself in the queen’s boudoir, awaiting the convenient moment to stab the queen to death. She did not realize that the queen’s attendants would be very careful to search the rooms before Her Majesty was permitted to retire. They found the woman hidden there among the gowns and brought her into the presence of the queen, after confiscating the poniard that she had hoped to plant into the heart of the sovereign.

The would-be assassin realized that her case, humanly speaking, was hopeless. She threw herself down on her knees and pleaded and begged the queen as a woman to have compassion on her, a woman, and to show her grace. Queen Elizabeth looked at her coldly and quietly said, “If I show you grace, what promise will you make for the future?” The woman looked up and said, “Grace that hath conditions, grace that is fettered by precautions, is not grace at all.” Queen Elizabeth caught the idea in a moment and said, “You are right; I pardon you of my grace.” And they led her away, a free woman.

History tells us that from that moment Queen Elizabeth had no more faithful, devoted servant than that woman who had intended to take her life. That is exactly the way the grace of God works in the life of an individual—he or she becomes a faithful servant of God.

What is your condition? Are you still dead in transgressions or are you now alive in Christ? Have you experienced that marvelous grace of God? Do you know that you are in Christ? All that God asks is that you confess your need and trust in God’s provision. The Holy Spirit will come and unite you with Christ and begin working in your life to make you like Him, enabling you to enjoy all the riches of God’s grace.