| |
Book: Ephesians
 Print ( PC Only )
Ephesians 2:8
I. "For by grace are you saved through faith."
A. Here is where a long time controversy in the church comes
together.
1. The sovereignty of God and the human responsibility
of man.
2. Both concepts are correct for they are both taught in
the scriptures.
3. Where man errs is to teach one to the exclusion of the
other.
B. For by grace are you saved. That is the sovereignty of God.
1. I do not deserve to be saved.
2. I surely cannot save myself.
3. Salvation comes to me through the grace of God, there
is nothing that I have done to deserve it, and
certainly nothing
I can do to earn it.
4. This is something that God has done for me, He has
saved me.
C. The "through faith" is my part, just believing the promises of
God concerning my salvation. That if I will confess with my
mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, and believe in my heart that
God raised Him from the dead, God has promised that I would be
saved.
1. Peter shows the place of faith in the work of God on
my behalf.
1PE 1:3 Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which
according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a
living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1PE 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth
not away, reserved in heaven for you,
1PE 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation
ready to be revealed in the last time.
a. I have been born again. You really had nothing
to do with your first birth, and you have
little to do with your second birth. John said,
which were born, not of blood, nor of the will
of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of
God.
b. I have a living hope.
c. I have an inheritance that is incorruptible and
undefiled, and it doesn't fade away, and it is
reserved in heaven for me.
d. I am being kept by the power of God.
e. Through faith.
D. God's part saving me, my part believing in God.
E. What does it mean to be saved?
Neg.
1. I am saved from being dead in trespasses and sins.
2. I am saved from being controlled by the ways of the
world that are being directed by Satan.
3. I am saved from being a slave to the lusts of my flesh
and mind.
4. I am saved from my sinful nature that was destined for
the wrath of God.
Pos.
5. I have been raised from that state of death in my sins
to being alive in Christ.
6. I have been seated with Christ in heavenly places.
7. I have been saved for a glorious future, an eternity of
blessings from the grace and kindness of God toward me.
II. "And that not of yourselves."
A. Does the "That not of yourselves it is a gift of God" refer to
the faith, or to the being saved?
1. Those who would hold to the absolute sovereignty of God
to the exclusion of the responsibility of man would
relate it to the faith.
2. They assert that your faith, is not of yourself, it is
faith that God has given to you to trust His promises,
and if that faith was not given to you, you could never
be saved.
3. Hebrews 12:2 tells us that Jesus is the author and
finisher of our faith.
4. In Romans 12:3 Paul tells us that God has dealt to
every man a measure of faith.
a. God has given unto us a measure of faith, what
we do with it is up to us.
b. I have the choice to believe or not to
believe, else all exhortations to exercise that
choice are meaningless.
DEU 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, [that]
have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing:
therefor choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live
JOS 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this
day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers
served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods
of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my
house, we will serve the LORD.
PRO 1:29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of
the LORD:
PRO 3:31 Envy thou not the oppressor and choose none of his ways.
ISA 56:4 For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths,
and choose [the things] that please me, and take hold of my
covenant;
ISA 65:12 Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow
down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer;
when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes,
and did choose [that] wherein I delighted not.
c. Elijah's call to the people on Mount Carmel
implied a choice.
1KI 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye
between two opinions? if the LORD [be] God, follow him: but if
Baal, [then] follow him. They had the choice to follow the Lord
or to follow Baal.
5. The question as I see it is, how could a just God
punish a man for a choice that he did not make, nor
even had the power to make, but that God made for him.
B. There are those that believe that the "That not of yourselves,
it is a gift of God." refers to the word saved.
1. This definitely seems to fit better with the context,
for in the next verse he says, "Not of works, lest any
man should boast."
2. Salvation is not of yourself, it is gift of God. Paul
wrote to the Romans that the gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
3. John wrote, "And this is the record, that God has
given unto us eternal life, and this life is in the
Son."
a. As we said earlier, there is no way we can earn
it and certainly there is no way I deserve it.
b. I definitely cannot purchase it. Peter rebuked
Simon the Sorcerer for thinking that the gift
of God could be purchased with money.
c. I must just believe God for this wonderful
gift, therefore all of the praise and glory
goes to God for His glorious gift to us.
C. "Not of works lest any man should boast."
1. As we know man is very prone to boasting.
2. The Bible says that no flesh should glory in His
presence.
3. If works could save me, then I would be looking for
praise and glory for my efforts.
ROM 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
ROM 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that
is in Christ Jesus:
ROM 3:25 Whom God hath set forth [to be] a propitiation through faith in
his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins
that are past, through the forbearance of God;
ROM 3:26 To declare, [I say], at this time his righteousness: that he
might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
ROM 3:27 Where [is] boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works?
Nay: but by the law of faith.
ROM 4:2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath [whereof] to
glory; but not before God.
4. Paul taught that grace and works are mutually
exclusive.
ROM 11:6 And if by grace, then [is it] no more of works: otherwise grace
is no more grace. But if [it be] of works, then is it no more
grace: otherwise work is no more work.
5. The reason that God had Gideon cut the size of his
army was "lest Israel vaunt themselves against Me and
say, my own hand hath saved me."
D. So often we hear exhortations concerning the work we should be
doing for God. We hear men extolled for the mighty work they
have done for God.
1. We are prone to emphasize the great sacrifices our
missionaries have made in taking the gospel to the
third world countries.
2. What about the great work that God has done for us and
the tremendous sacrifice He made to bring us the
gospel?
3. If we emphasize the work that man has done for God or
extol him for the sacrifices he is making, then we are
encouraging man to boast in man rather than in God.
|