Faith takes God at his word and holds his promise to be true for me because I know God would not lie to me.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Eph. 2:8-10).
There are a lot of big questions in life. There are big questions in life that people have wrestled with for centuries, even millennia, questions like: “Why am I here? Where did I, and everything else for that matter, come from? Where am I going? What’s the meaning of life, suffering, joy, death, etc.? What happens after death? Is there a God? Who is he? How can I know?” It’s not only Christians who have asked such questions. Philosophers and thinking people from all backgrounds, both ancient and modern, have written much about questions like these.
People weren’t afraid to ask Jesus big questions. More than once, a question like this comes to Jesus, “What must I do to get to heaven?” It’s not hard to understand why someone would ask that, and the answer is vitally important in this life right now and for eternity. It is this very question Paul is writing about in Ephesians 2.
Paul had just been talking about how everyone is born according to nature and, therefore, born into this world dead in sin. People who are dead can’t do anything for themselves. They can’t work. They can’t pray. They can’t make decisions. Paul has just said God is the one who does for you when it comes to salvation. He makes you, who were dead in sin, alive. He raises you up in Christ. He seats you with Jesus in the heavenly realms. It’s all about God’s love and mercy, his generosity and power.
That brings us to Ephesians 2:8-10. Notice how verse eight starts with the word “for.” That word tells you these thoughts are closely connected to what Paul just said. Here, it tells you Paul is going to explain a little more, so there will be no doubt about the answer. He says this rescue from sin, death, and the devil’s power is “by grace.” Grace is how God chooses to deal with his people. He chooses to love us in spite of ourselves; even and especially when we don’t deserve it, God loves us!
Paul adds that this rescue is received “through faith.” Faith is confidence based on a word or promise from God. It’s something the Holy Spirit must work in us. In this case, the promise faith grabs hold of is that God rescued you from the death of sin by making you alive in Christ and his work. Faith takes God at his word and holds his promise to be true for me because I know God would not lie to me.
Then Paul adds a number of reminders about how you’re not saved. It’s not from yourself. It’s not something you can gain by works. There’s nothing you did that is a cause for boasting. It’s all a gift from God. He planned your salvation. He executed the plan and did the work. He delivered it to you, and he will hold you fast in his loving arms until the end. “It (every last bit of it) is the gift of God!”
Finally, Paul says “for” again at the start of verse 10. He is going to explain more about the “not by works” part here. Just in case you think you can claim some credit for your salvation by works, keep these things in mind. “We are God’s handiwork.” God created us. Everything we are and have comes from him; what could we actually give him? He created us “to do good works.” That’s the purpose of our existence: to serve others in love. Even the good things we do, “God prepared in advance for us to do.” How could any of us claim credit before God for salvation from the good works we do when he is even behind so much of that work?
Even the good things we do, “God prepared in advance for us to do.”
So what about these big questions? What must I do to get to heaven? Paul is very clear in Ephesians. You don’t do anything. Salvation is entirely God’s work for you in Christ. It’s a gift, and you receive that gift through faith. Believing is receiving the gift God promised: forgiveness, eternal life, and heaven.
But there’s another question here: what do I get to do while I live in this world? What about those good works Paul mentioned? What does it mean to live in the love of Christ? We respond to God’s saving love in Jesus by showing love to others. It’s not to win my salvation; Jesus already did that. But our lives show the love of God through us to our neighbors around us. As you have received love through faith, now live that love toward others.
