God's Grace at Work in Humanity

This is an excerpt from the Grateful - Bible Study book.

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians provides readers with a bird’s-eye view of God’s grace at work in humanity. It shows that through Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection we have been redeemed of past, present, and future sins. Also, Paul made clear what we were before we came to Christ, what we have in the present, and what we will have in the future.

In Ephesians 2:1-3, Paul described the way we walked in the world before Jesus came into our hearts. In verse 1, he said we were dead in trespasses and sins. Before you became a Christian, you may have experienced many difficult circumstances—financial, physical, or relational. But the greatest adversity in your life at that time was that you were dead. Your body may have been alive, but you were spiritually dead. Ephesians 4:18 describes our state before Christ, “They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God.”

In verse 2, Paul described us as following the ways of the world. Not only were we spiritually dead, but we were walking and living in sin. Without Christ, we were living in the realm of Satan, “the ruler of the power of the air,” who influenced us to walk contrary to the ways of God. We lived according to our own sinful desires (v. 3).

Verses 1-3 present a description of our dark and hopeless past. “But God” (v. 4) intervened into our hopeless and sinful condition. Paul shared that God, who is “rich in mercy,” made us alive. He did this “because of His great love . . . for us” (v. 4). We deserved God’s wrath, but “For God so loved” (John 3:16, ESV) came to fruition. That’s the miracle of salvation.

The same power that raised Christ from the dead has made us spiritually alive. Because we have been granted a new spiritual life, we can have a relationship with God.

In verse 6, Paul seemed to build in crescendo the blessings of salvation. He stated that we have been raised together with Christ; that is, we have been united with Christ in His resurrected life. God also has “seated us with him in the heavens” (v. 6). Paul wanted believers to know that our citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20). We are not there physically yet, but we are spiritually. We’re no longer of this world; we are with Christ, even now. And because we are joined to Christ, what is true of Him is true of us. Paul wanted us to know that the benefits of being alive in Christ are not just something we look forward to in the future but something we enjoy now.

In verses 8-10, Paul focused on three themes: grace, salvation, and faith.

Grace

Paul used the word grace twelve times in Ephesians. The word was used here to describe the utter generosity God showed to sinners even though we didn’t (and still don’t) deserve it.

Salvation

Paul used the word “saved” in these verses to refer to the various aspects of our salvation. He used it to indicate the salvation that was accomplished in the past continues to impact our lives in the present. In other words, salvation is a permanent condition. And, as Paul emphasized in verses 8-9, salvation is not something given because of good works. It is not an accomplishment; it is a gift.

Faith

This word refers to a total openness to receiving God and the benefits of salvation into our lives. Our faith does not save us. God’s grace saves us.

Finally, God has a purpose for saving us. We are His workmanship (v. 10). We are a work of art that God is in the process of designing. Day-by-day, He is changing us into the image of His dear Son. And because Christ came to serve, we are being made new to serve God and to serve others. This has been God’s plan for us from the beginning. God’s transforming grace will increasingly result in our doing works that are pleasing to Him.

All the glory for our salvation goes to God. We were born spiritually dead into a sinful world, destined to spend eternity separated from the God who loves us. But God who is rich in grace sent His Son to be punished in our place. This truth should move us to live lives of gratefulness, extending thanks to God not just with our words but by the way we live. It is the right response for all God has done.