Ephesians 2:1-10
1 You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3 All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5 even when we were dead through 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 ages to come 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 the result of works, so that no one may boast.10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
1 You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3 All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5 even when we were dead through 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 ages to come 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 the result of works, so that no one may boast.10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
THOUGHTS:
Let me repeat verse 8: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God." Our salvation is not based on what we do, say, think, or set out to do in life. Our salvation is solely a gift of God. To put it simply, it comes for FREE, merely because God wants us to have it.
To put it another way: "And if by grace [that God is motivated], then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. Because if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work" (Romans 11:6). In other words, if you try to combine grace and works, then grace is lost in the process. Put simply, if you have to "do something" to acquire salvation, then salvation isn't through grace.
Back to Ephesians, verse 10: "For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life." Good works aren't about earning salvation. We were made for good works to be our way of life.
Write this down someplace you'll see it numerous times in the next few days: "I was made for good works to be my way of life." Spend some time thinking and praying about what this simple statement might mean in your daily life.
PRAYER:
Lord God, you have been so gracious to us. We frequently try to make everything about ourselves, and have trouble understanding our salvation is for your sake. Help us to live the way of life that you have prepared for us, to do good in the world as a way of life. In Christ Jesus we pray, AMEN.
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PS: If you want to discuss theology -- to talk about questions you have reading the above -- in a safe, open environment, then join us at Brion's Grille on Tues 3/3 at 5:15pm . Contact lutheran@gmu.edu for details/rides.
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