Reflection on Pauls Letter to the Ephesians
CHAPTER TWO
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:8-10 (ESV)
Perhaps more than any other passage of Scripture, Ephesians chapter two is cited and quoted by the modern church. Of course, John 3:16 probably has it beat, but Ephesians certainly ranks in the top three and for good reason. In just a few short sentences, Paul encapsulates the precious gift of salvation God grants us by grace. Like “For God so loved the world…,” these few short passages carry more depth and meaning than many people realize. To begin, let us state the obvious. The scriptures are clear; no amount of good behavior, clean living, or moral aptitude can save a person from the fires of hell. As echoed in Psalms 3:8, “Salvation belongs to the Lord…” and to the Lord alone.
The short history of why Ephesians 2 has gained distinct popularity throughout history dates back to the days of Martin Luther. The old-world Roman Catholic Church, before the Reformation, often abused Church dogma to control the European populace. In an attempt to extract as much monetary gain as possible, the Church and governing powers utilized a system of paid indulgences and downright barbaric horrors to keep everyone ignorant and subverted. It’s no surprise, therefore, the natural knee-jerk reaction of men like Luther, Tyndale, Witcliff, Calvin, Zwingli and Knox was to vehemently reject the contemporary perversions of scripture. As William Tyndale famously retorted to a pompous priest, “If God spares my life, I will see to it that a plowman knows more of the scriptures than you!” He accomplished just that, and we owe a great deal to such men for their unparalleled courage and sacrifice. They understood that the grace of God is a gift for all men and not limited to those who, at the time, wielded a Latin Bible.
Over five hundred years ago, the Protestant reformers rightly believed that we are saved by grace, and that through genuine faith in Jesus we come to know this grace. This was their chief quarrel with the organized church of the day and what distinguishes them in history. Yet, fast forward a short three hundred and ninety years since the Reformation, and we hear from such inspired men as Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who correctly understood that this grace comes at a high cost. The freedom of the Reformation also brought a new distortion of Scripture, introducing yet another form of compromise that still plagues today’s Christian church. Bonhoeffer once wrote, “Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.” Two things can be true at the same time. To rightly understand the book of Ephesians, we must be convinced that God’s grace, while a gift, demands everything from His disciples. While it remains true that “...the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,” (Titus 2:11) Paul equally emphasized in his letter to Ephesus that we are to “…walk in a manner worthy of the calling…” (Ephesians 4:1). The eyes of our hearts must become enlightened to the beauty of costly grace. Those who have received the “Spirit of wisdom and of revelation…” are indeed His workmanship, fashioned and refined by that same Holy Spirit. We are “His workmanship,” created for doing “His good works” but divine works nonetheless.
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Philippians 2:12-13 (ESV)
Many passages of scripture, such as Ephesians 2:8, are too often misappropriated as a spiritualized cop-out. We simply don’t like the idea that grace and salvation require “fear and trembling” before a Holy God. We’d rather hide behind the worn-out “that’s salvation by works” excuse, rather than come to grasp the true meaning of His holy grace. Costly grace is all over Scripture, and many things can be true at once. Salvation is indeed a gift; no amount of so-called spiritual works can obtain it. Yet we are commended to “be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48) and to live a life of complete surrender to God’s will. We are just as capable of trampling “underfoot the Son of God…” (Hebrews 10:29) as we are able to “…with confidence draw near to the throne of grace…” (Hebrews 4:16). Both scriptures are true, and we can be a Judas just as easily as a Simon Peter.
In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Ephesians 2:22 (ESV)
The second chapter of Ephesians concludes with a promise not yet realized but a work in progress. The Holy Spirit desires to build us into vessels for His glory. This requires genuine work, perseverance, humility, and above all, the gift of the Holy Spirit, activity, moving, and yes, even working fruit within our hearts. A closer look at Paul’s letter to Ephesus reveals that following Jesus indeed has a cost. After all, Paul was writing from a Roman prison at the time. As we will see, it was the fruits of goodness, righteousness, and above all, truth, that Paul desired for the church of Ephesus to discover, and what remains our task as fellow believers.