Ephesians 2:1-10

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (vv. 8-9, NASB)

Ephesians 2:1-10

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (vv. 8-9, NASB)

Ephesians 2:1-10

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (vv. 8-9, NASB)

"FOR BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN "FOR BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED THROUGH FAITH...NOT SAVED THROUGH FAITH...NOT

AS A RESULT OF WORKS"AS A RESULT OF WORKS"Ephesians 2:8-9Ephesians 2:8-9

"By Grace You Have Been Saved..."

Ephesians 2:8

• The provision of salvation is solely by God’s grace! (Eph 2:1-10)

• There’s nothing we did to deserve it and nothing we can do to become worthy of salvation, it is God's gracious gift!

• This is not the same as saying “salvation is by grace only”

• If salvation were ‘by grace only’, all would be saved! Titus 2:11-14

"By Grace You Have Been Saved..."

Ephesians 2:8

• We can never be worthy for two reasons:

• A) Sin makes us worthy of death. Rom 5:12, 6:20-23

• B) All have sinned. Rom 3:20-23, 5:12

• Thus, the only way we could be worthy of salvation is if we had never sinned, which again is not possible. I John 1:8-10

• If one could live from this day forward and never commit another sin, he/she would still never be worthy of salvation!

• WHY??? Again, all have sinned and justice for sin demands death!

• Therefore, our obtaining salvation is a gracious gift of God!

"By Grace You Have Been Saved..."

Ephesians 2:8

• Remember, grace means mercy, favor, or pardon.

• The very implication of grace is that what is being rendered is entirely undeserved. Romans 11:6

• Hence, the idea being conveyed in Ephesians 2:8,9 is NOT that God requires nothing of man (i.e. works) but, rather, nothing we did or ever can do (i.e. works) will make us worthy or deserving of our salvation!

"...Saved through Faith... Not as a result of Works"

Ephesians 2:8

• The dividing line between the lost and the saved is Faith, i.e. man’s part. John 3:16, 8:24; Hebrews 11:6

•The scriptures teach that Faith and Obedience are inseparable. John 3:36; James 2:14-26; Romans 1:5, 16:26

• But wait, does not obedience, of necessity, involve works???

"...Saved through Faith... Not as a result of Works"

Ephesians 2:8

•Work (n) - activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result (New Oxford American Dictionary)

•Synonyms: deed, effort, endeavor, exertion, task, toil, undertaking

•Usage in the KJV N.T. : work 67, works 110

•NOTE: As is the case with nearly any word used in the Scriptures, the word work(s) is NOT always used in reference to the same work(s), the context must be observed (e.g. works of the Law, works of the flesh, works of God).

Works Mentioned In The Scriptures That Cannot Save

• Works of the flesh. Gal. 5:16-25

• Works of sincerity. Matt. 7:21-23; Rom 10:1-3

• Works of pride. Lk. 18:9-14; Eph. 2:8-9

• Works of man. Matt. 15:9; Acts 4:18-19

• Works that perish. John 6:26-27

• Works that are dead. James 2:17; Hebrews 6:1, 9:14

• Works for the sake of being seen (hypocritical): Matt 6:1-8

• Works of the law. Gal. 2:15-16; Romans 2:25-4:12

"...Saved through Faith... Not as a result of Works"

Ephesians 2:8

• Faith in and of itself is a work!

• Faith is a command (John 8:24). Recall the definition of “work”.

• Scriptures explicitly call it a work. John 6:28-29; I Thes 1:3; II Thes 1:11

• Paul explicitly states that work/obedience is required for salvation! Phil 2:12

• Faith and obedience DO NOT make us worthy of our salvation, but they are nonetheless required of God! Luke 17:3-10

• Again, the idea being conveyed in Ephesians 2:8,9 is NOT that God requires nothing of man but, rather, nothing we did or ever can do will make us worthy or deserving of our salvation!

"The Obedience Of Faith"Romans 16:26

• Works of Initial Obedience: Heb. 5:12

• Work of Faith. John 6:28-29; 8:24; Heb. 11:6; I Thess 1:3

• Work of Confession. Rom. 10:10; Matt 10:32-33

• Work of Repentance. Matt. 3:8; 11:20-24

• Work of Baptism. Matt. 28:19; Mk 16:16; Acts 22:16; I Pet 3:21

• Works of Continued Obedience: Rev. 2:10

• Good Works (i.e. commands of God). Eph 2:10; I Tim 3:16-17

• Work of Love. Matt. 22:37-40; John 14:15, 21, 23-24

• Realize, all these works of obedience are interdependent therefore we must do ALL to be saved!

"You See That A Man Is Justified By Works And Not By Faith Only"

James 2:24

• Salvation is God’s gracious gift to mankind!

• There's nothing we did to deserve it and nothing we can do to become worthy of it.

• However, that does not mean that God requires nothing of us in order to obtain our salvation! (Ephesians 2:10)

• Again, if He didn’t all would be saved (Tit 2:12)

• Remember, obedience does not make us worthy, it is still God’s gift to us! (Eph 2:8)

Tonight, let us be obedient to God’s

commands so that we may receive His

gracious and blessed gift of salvation!

James 1:21-25