By Grace You Were Saved

Ephesians 2:4–7 NKJV

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

We are looking this morning at the work of God’s intervention into our hopeless condition. The condition which Paul describes as dead in our trespasses and sins, walking according to the course of this world which is according to Satan’s leading, sons of disobedience, conducting ourselves in the lust of our flesh, by nature children of wrath.

This intervention is motivated by two things God’s rich mercy and His great love with which He loved us.

God’s mercy is one of His primary attributes that we find in both the Old and New Testaments.

Psalm 86:15 NKJV

15 But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.

Every person lives under the longsuffering and abundant mercy of God.

2 Peter 3:1–9 NKJV

1 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), 2 that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, 3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, 6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. 7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

So God because of His rich mercy and His great love with which He loved us.

This love is Agape love which is a sacrificial love, a love which is solely concerned with the one to whom it is directed and expects nothing in return. It is unconditional love.

Agape love is best described in 1 Cor 13:4-7

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 NKJV

4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

So God’s great intervention into our hopeless state is motivated by compassion, longsuffering and unconditional love.

And this is seen in that even when we were dead in our trespasses He made us alive.

as in...

Romans 5:8 NKJV

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

So then what does Paul say that God did for us even while we were dead?

Three verbs which Paul adds the prefix “syn” the verbs on their own would mean “made alive”, “raised up” and “made sit” But by adding syn Paul links these actions directly with the work done in Christ. The prefix syn adds to the meaning of the verbs “together with”

When Paul said in Eph 1:19-20

Ephesians 1:19–20 NKJV

19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,

According to does not mean it is a similar power rather it is the same power, in fact it is that exact same work. The work of our salvation was accomplished in Christ. It is therefore only in absolute identification and union with Christ that we are saved.

This is the great difference between belief in Christ and true saving faith. True saving faith is identification with Christ, partaking in His death burial and resurrection as well as His ascension. This is the picture of the sacraments. Baptism pictures the identification in the death burial and resurrection of Christ and communion pictures the unity with the body and blood of Christ.

This is why Paul says in Eph 1:3

Ephesians 1:3 NKJV

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

Because every blessing we have from God the Father flows from the Father to the Son and we receive these blessings only if we are in Christ.

We are accepted by the Father only because Christ is accepted by the Father we have forgiveness only because in Christ our sins were paid in full. We have and inheritance only because Christ has an inheritance and we will be glorified only because Christ is glorified.

When we truely identify with Christ a union is made, an inseparable and eternal bond. So it is in this union that we have salvation and all the blessings of God.

What does this mean for us? If you are united with Christ you are one with Him. For the Father to reject you He would be rejecting Christ and he will never reject Christ.

This is why Paul can say in Rom 8:38-39

Romans 8:38–39 NKJV

38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ because nothing can separate Christ from the love of God.

Coming back to our text…

Ephesians 2:5–6 NKJV

5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

So we have been made alive together with Christ and raised up together with Christ.

Paul speaks of our resurrection here in the past tense because our resurrection although we have not yet seen it, it was accomplished when God raised Christ from the dead. This is why Paul speaks of our resurrection and the resurrection of Christ as being the same as our resurrection in 1 Cor 15:12-15

1 Corinthians 15:12–15 NKJV

12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise.

So the fact of Christ’s resurrection become the assurance of our resurrection.

Now Paul says something that almost feels blasphemous.

Ephesians 2:6 NKJV

6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

The seat at the right hand of the Father, the seat of all power and authority. Paul spoke of this in Eph 1:20-22

Ephesians 1:20–22 NKJV

20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. 22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,

Christ is seated in heavenly places far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named and Paul tells us in 2 vs6 that we are seated together with Him. Here we see just how united we are with Christ. So much so that we are with Him seated in His throne of power. What does this mean for us? If Christ is far above all spiritual, demonic, Satanic powers and dominions then if we are in Christ then they have no power over us. As we will see in Eph 6 If we have on the armour of God then we are able to stand against all attacks. Putting on the armour of God is the same as being in Christ.

Romans 13:11–14 NKJV

11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

Why has God who is rich in mercy and because of His great love with which He loved us made us alive together with Christ, raised us up together with Christ and made us to sit together with Christ?

Ephesians 2:7 NKJV

7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

In the Ages to come, that mean now and stretching all the way into eternity God will show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

This is the great gospel. Those who are without hope are given everything in Christ. So the only question is “are you in Christ Jesus?” Self and self identity must die and we must be united with Christ by faith. Our only hope is in Christ.