Salvation by Grace and Faith Ephesians 2:1-10 (Bible)

BYCANAAN MAY 19, 2023

In Ephesians chapter 1 we saw rich spiritual blessings in Jesus Christ. This is the figure after being saved. And what about going into Chapter 2? In verses 1-3, a figure far from blessing is depicted. This is what we looked like before we were saved by Jesus Christ. It describes what life without Christ is like.

2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ²in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. ⁴But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:1-10).

Paul writing

Sin is Hamartia in Greek. It means “off the mark”. Verse 1 says that you were dead in your transgressions and sins . We used to live lives that missed the mark. We were living in a self-centered way, ignoring the God who created us. We were dead. This is the pre-saved state and represents a life without Christ.

What does death mean in the Bible? Death is not annihilation. When we speak of death in the Bible, it means “separation.” It’s a curse. Life, on the other hand, is a blessing. When a branch is detached from a tree, it may still look fine at the time, but it will die after a while. It looks like it has life, but the tree is already dead because no nutrients flow from it. When we too are separated from God, when we live apart from Him, life and blessings do not flow. So the Bible says that it is actually a dead state.

There are two kinds of death. One is physical death. This is the separation of the soul and the body. Another is spiritual death. This is the state of being separated from God. The first death (physical death) is followed by the second death, eternal separation from God. We have come to inherit the kingdom through Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:11 says: In him we have also become heirs of the kingdom. We were thus preordained according to the purpose of Him who, by His will, does all that He wills. From hell to heaven, from death to life. It’s a big reversal.

There are two main things that promote sin in man and what separates us from God.

The first is the current of the world. In those days, in their sins, they followed the course of the world (v. 2a) ,

The flow of this world is human common sense, tradition, customs, etc. It is shaped by education, information and media. Crowd psychology is a very scary thing, and it is a special psychological state that is born in a crowd. Often impulsive and excitable. Individuals can think rationally, but when they are in a group, they become emotional and their reason does not work. The crowd shouted, “Crucify Jesus!” Here we can see the danger of going with the flow of the world. The same is true of internet fires. Criticism floods in against a certain subject, and it gets out of control. Sometimes it drives people to suicide.

Japan’s major media outlets (television and newspapers) pretend to be impartial news, but in reality they are producing highly biased news and shaping public opinion. Press freedom in Japan is very low. 71st in the world. In these end times, it will be more important than ever to be skeptical of mainstream media information. We need accurate information. Due to prejudice, the Japanese media are clearly anti-Israel news because of certain powers at work, but they act as if they are reporting accurate information. And they try to create public opinion in Japan. That power works through the media. This applies to all issues, not just Israeli issues. The same is true for election coverage in the United States.

The other is the presence of a ruler who has authority in the air. namely, the devil. The devil is said to be “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). It will come out later. we were by nature deserving of wrath (v. 3). The wrath of God, this is the human reality. God judges sin justly.

If we don’t understand sin, we don’t really understand salvation. Just as we cannot appreciate our health until we get sick, we will not realize our need for salvation, our need for God’s help, unless we realize the misery of sin. The opposite may also be said. If we don’t know God, if we don’t know the holy and glorious God, we don’t know sin. We get used to the darkness. But when God’s light shines upon our hearts, our inner darkness and sins are exposed. Showing sin to a person is the work of the Holy Spirit.

There would be no hope if it ended here, but next, ” but ” (verse 4) comes out. A divine solution is presented. A life with Christ. what kind of God is that? God is rich in mercy. God is pouring out his great love.

A human pinch is God’s chance. Salvation comes from God, from above, from heaven. There is no salvation from the bottom up. Jesus, who came down from heaven and was born as a human being, took on the wrath of God on the cross. Jesus Christ died for our sins. Dead is not the end, resurrected. This is the gospel. The only way for a dead person to become a living person is resurrection.

We were dead in our sins. But by God’s great love and great power, through the cross and resurrection, we too are raised and made alive (v. 6). Ephesians 1:20 ( God, having worked his almighty power in Christ, raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places ), it is written, Jesus What happened to we will also happen to us. This is the great power of God to be transferred from death to life. Let us pray that we will know more about this.

This amazing salvation is by the grace of God alone (v. 5). And salvation is by faith (verse 8). This is a gift from God. When this is shaken, salvation is shaken and life is shaken. Salvation does not depend on good works. Good works are a result of salvation, not a condition of salvation.

We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works (v. 10). we are new creatures. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away, and behold, all things have become new (Ⅱ Corinthians 5:17).

We were once dead in our sins, but now we are made alive in Christ, resurrected, and seated in heaven. Praise the Lord!