"The top of the mountain" - Reflections on Ephesians 2 (part 3)

A pastor once likened the book of Ephesians to someone climbing up a mountain; he went to declare that Ephesians 2:8-10 are, what he referred to as “the top of the mountain.”  That is well said.  They are indeed amazing verses.  They are so rich, in fact, that there’s no way I could adequately cover them all in one blog.  The way I plan to do this is to cover verse 8 today, and continue on with the other verses in future blogs.

Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” (New King James Version).  What is grace?  Grace is God’s unmerited favor.  Grace is God giving us something that we don’t deserve.

 

Earlier on in this chapter, we’re told that we were dead in sins, but God made us alive (verses 5-6).  A parenthetical statement is made there that is also given in verse 8, “By grace you have been saved.”  We were dead, but God made live.  We needed to be rescued, but God saved us.  Not because of any merit, work, or brownie points we accumulated, just because of God’s incredible grace.  In fact, verse 6 goes on to state that He “made us sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus”.  This amazing position of honor, once again, is only through God’s grace.

Ephesians 2:8 declares that we are saved “through faith.”  I like one of the definitions that the dictionary gives for faith: “complete trust or confidence.”  We are saved by God’s grace, through faith, or complete trust.  When it comes to the issue of salvation from sin, it is vital that our faith or complete truth be put in the right source.  Jesus the Christ is the only One who is worthy of that trust and faith; only He was sinless, fully God and fully man, and therefore qualified to pay for our sin.  Galatians 3:26 states, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”

“For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves” (italics added for emphasis).  Amazingly, even the faith given to us to believe in Christ in the first place isn’t something we’ve conjured up on our own; it is a gift from God.  A Bible teacher, evangelist, preacher, and yes even a writer of blogs like me, can declare the truth of the gospel as passionately and clearly as he can, but ultimately it is up to God to illuminate the heart, oil the words, and convict the heart.

Let me conclude with this.  Ephesians 2:8 says the grace and the faith to belief is all a gift from God.  But the question is this: have you taken the gift?  Unfortunately, it is possible for the heart to be convicted of the truth, and for the person to choose to reject the gift of God’s love and favor.  Some people may not like this thought, but the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant teaches us once again that life is fleeting.  We don’t know what tomorrow holds.  If you have been on the fence, or playing games, I pray that today would be the day that you would take the gift; say an irrevocable “yes” to the Lord’s unmerited favor, forgiveness of sins, and an exciting relationship with the God of the universe.

Kevin