Title Ephesians 2: 1-10 Title: Works of Grace
Contents
Ephesians 2: 1-10 Title: Works of Grace
In verses 1-3 Paul said, 'You are dead in trespasses'. Death here means separation from God because of sin. But this death was by no means eternal. In verses 4-6, Paul describes how he raised the church in Ephesus from the dead in three ways. It was God who raised them up, raised them up, and seated them.
By their death, it means that they acted in their sins. These are people who have lived as captives tied to a certain power. But they do not know that they are bound. As a result, they become more accustomed to sinful nature. You will also remain enslaved to sin. Such a life is essentially an object of God's wrath (v. 3). God raised these people from sin and death. This is the first thing God has done for them.
Second, God raised them up. Here, 'raised' means that God did not leave them alive as they were, but led them to live well as children of God. Next, 'sit down' means that God has made His people enjoy all blessings and joys with Christ. This is an expression of the glorious state of the children of God.
Then verse 4 tells us what is the basis for God's love for wicked sinners. Verse 4 says that God is rich in mercy and because he has great love for his children. It is entirely because of his gracious character that God saved sinners. Based on this, verse 5 says, "By grace you have been saved." Another important point is that this grace of God is always bestowed only in Christ. It is never given apart from or apart from Christ. To emphasize this, Paul repeatedly emphasized the word "in Christ" in several places in the text.
Then, why did God save sinners? Let's think about what its real purpose is. This is introduced in verse 7 below. God never lacks in giving grace. His grace is always abundant and full of mercy. This grace of God was not only given to the early church. This grace is evenly distributed to the early church and to all God's people who read this article. The text tells us that this grace of God will continue to be extended in the future and forever. The text teaches us this. The purpose of God's grace to his people is to keep making known his grace in this way.
Verse 8 reemphasizes the grace of God. Verse 8 begins with “You have been saved.” It emphasizes the fact that this salvation was made possible by the grace of God. Therefore, this salvation becomes a gift from God. This is purely the result of God's mercy and love in Christ. Therefore, those who have received such salvation cannot boast of their salvation (verse 9). They must live on the path set by God and only according to His teachings. This is the way to rightly understand and enjoy God's salvation.
What would happen if the train said that it did not want to run on the railroad tracks and jumped into the rice fields or fields? The train must run on a set track. No matter how good the field looks, you should not go there. The train of faith we boarded is like this. This faith must run only on the teachings ordained by God. Only then can you enjoy its true value and blessings. It's hard for me to flounder around like a dancing scarecrow on the field.
We are God's work of grace painted with paint. Paul said in verse 10, “We are his workmanship.” Our existence is a work of art that is 100% overlaid with God's grace. There is nothing but His grace. We must not forget this. This idea must be deeply rooted in all of our lives and reverence. Only then can our lives reflect and show God's grace. However, this work has one peculiarity. That is, we can draw another work ourselves. If we diligently practice the Lord's teachings and teach others, God will continue to paint His work through us. That is why our lives are more precious and valuable. We must realize once again how important our role on this earth is, and we must never neglect our lives before God.