Written ~ 09-23-2024
Read Ephesians Chapter Two
Ephesians 2
This is an incredible chapter! I hope you had a chance to read it before we get started! Paul gives us a wonderful reminder of where we once were before Christ and what we have become since accepting Christ as Lord and Savior. All of us need to be reminded from time to time. That way we don’t become complacent, what do I mean by that? After a while if we aren’t reminded of the glory and power we have residing within us we can become stale, uninterested in the things of the Bible, our service to the Lord can become casual and indifferent. As we read through Ephesians 2, let’s have our hearts and minds become lit with the fire of the Holy Spirit. The gift God gave us in Salvation is not something we should just set aside as something we did once and that’s it. We need to live in our Salvation every day with a heightened sense of diligence and energetic effort!
Ephesians 2:1-3…
1 “Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil – the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.”
Before any of us made the decision to put our full trust in the Lord Jesus Christ we were disobedient and dead in our sin. Praise God though, if you are a believer, you are no longer on that side of God’s anger. But if you are struggling to believe in who Jesus Christ is and you have trouble acknowledging that there is a One True God who created Heaven and Earth and everything in them, your heart and mind has been closed off by “the commander of the powers in the unseen world, you obey the devil.” It’s time for you to ask the Lord to reveal Himself to you. You might think I’m being harsh, but when I read the Word of God and that is what it says, I will always agree with everything written within its pages. When someone does not put their faith and trust in the Son of God, they will be forever cut off from God, Salvation can only be given to those whose hearts are ready to believe. Verses 2:1-3 are a reminder of where the believer once was, but also a warning for the non-believer that if your heart continues to refuse obedience to God’s Word you are subject to God’s anger. Can you see in these verses how there is no middle ground? There is either, “Yes, I choose to follow Jesus” or “No, I refuse to obey God.”
Ephesians 2:4-7…
4 “But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For He raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of His grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all He has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.”
Now for the good news, this is the grand proclamation of what God has done for us! God has given us life through His Son! He did that so we would not be cursed in our sins and doomed to death and destruction. “It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!” In the Old Testament there are several instances where God had to destroy nations for their disobedience to His Word. If anyone continues in their sin and doesn’t accept God’s gift of Salvation, they will never experience the kindness of God, they won’t know the incredible wealth of His grace. But if you have given your heart over to the Lord, you already know the grace and kindness of God. Your hearts and minds are able to acknowledge all that the Lord has done for you! There is a peace in your heart that you are united with Christ. You were once dead in your sin, but now you have been made alive!
Ephesians 2:8-10…
8 “God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.”
Think about how difficult it would be to try and earn salvation. First off, we would have to impress a perfect, All-Powerful God. Second, there is no amount of a worldly “good thing” that would qualify as a worthy sum for salvation. So, God took it upon Himself to give us Salvation as a gift.
“God saved you by His GRACE…”
Let’s look to the dictionary for its meaning of Grace….
- Unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their sanctification*
- A virtue coming from God
- A state of sanctification* enjoyed through divine assistance
* Reminder of the meaning of sanctification: to be freed from sin – to be purified unmerited- not adequately earned or deserved.
So, our All-Powerful God saved us through means of undeserved sanctification – we have been freed and purified by the assistance of God which cannot be earned. This awesome virtue of God is what has provided us with Salvation! And how is it received?
“…When you believed…”
These verses are straightforward don’t you think? It’s a common “argument” when we try to defend someone’s goodness, when we say, “But they’re a good person they have to go to Heaven, God wouldn’t turn them away, look at how kind they are, they do nice things for other people, they smile a lot.” We need to be careful not to assume someone is saved by thinking they are “a good or nice person.”
The only way to confirm Salvation is this… if the good things we do are coming from the Holy Spirit living within us… The fruits of our “good things” will always be Biblically based, with no exception – our “good things” will always point people to the Lord and the Kingdom of God.
“And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.”
And what an awesome gift it is! One that we can never repay. It’s free! We just need to receive it and accept it. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave (as a gift) His One and Only Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
“Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”
No matter what good things we do, those “good things” will never be good enough to be rewarded Salvation as some kind of prize or medal of achievement. Our sinful nature is what will always get in the way, that’s why God provided a free gift… In our deepest, darkest hour God is reaching out to us with His free gift, He is presenting His Son as the final sacrifice and way to Salvation. All we have to do is look up, grasp that gift and receive it into ourselves. For those of us who have done this already, we know the joy that fills our hearts when that gap between us and the Father has been closed. Jesus bridges the gap between our sin and a Holy God. We now have Jesus standing as our witness, He is our intercessor, and He is the One who ensures our name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
I love verse 2:10 where it says,
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can the good things He planned for us long ago…”
When we believe – we have accepted Christ as LORD and Savior – God has made us new. He has created something brand new in us and our hearts, minds and souls are being molded into what God has in mind for us.
When we decide to do “life” on our own, even after we have given our hearts to Jesus, we are taking the creation of God’s heart and the masterpiece He has made and discarded it, along with His plans for us. For those who believe – God gives the gift of Salvation – we are changed – we are new. And now that we are new in Christ, we have the plans of God to fulfill!! Jeremiah 29:11-12 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.In those days when you pray, I will listen.”
Ephesians 2:18-22…
18 “Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.
19 So now we are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. 20 Together, we are His house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus Himself. 21 We are carefully joined together in Him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. 22 Through Him we are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by His Spirit.”
This should be a tremendous encouragement and reminder to just how awesome Salvation is! We are members of God’s family! We are no longer outsiders; we have been given a dedicated place at the table. We have been ushered in and become citizens of Heaven! We may live here on earth, but our citizenship is in Heaven!
I think it would be a good idea for each one of us to take a moment and reflect on the Gift of Salvation you have received. What have you done with this gift? Have you shared your gift with others? Or have you rewrapped it and tucked it up in the closet?
Our prayer needs to be that through our experience with Jesus that others will come to know Jesus too. Our prayer for our family members to know the Lord personally should be a constant request on our hearts and minds. By leading a godly life, we can be an example of how Jesus can transform a life.
Do you speak boldly about Jesus to those who are closest to you? Are you excited to share what Jesus has done in your life? Or do you shy away and hope someone else will tell them about Jesus? I hope we are all excited to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. I know I pray that I would have the boldness to express the Love of Jesus to everyone close to me. There should be an urgency on our hearts to make sure our families and our friends know the importance of accepting the precious free gift of Salvation.
~AMEN~