
Ephesians 2:1-10 NIV
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 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.
1. Salvation is a promise of
. It does not come from any human
or
.
a) To be saved, you must first
that you are
.
Ephesians 4:18 NIV
They [people who are lost] are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.
// People can’t understand how good the
is until they understand how
their situation is.
b) To be saved means that Jesus Christ has
us from God’s
and
.
Matthew 25:31-33
[Jesus said,] “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.”
25:41
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
25:46
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
c) God saves us by His
alone.
Ephesians 2:8-9
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.
// The grace of God = the
shown to those who deserve His wrath
Romans 4:4-5
Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.
2. God’s gift of salvation is received through
alone.
a) Saving faith includes:
i.
ii.
iii.
b) Saving faith is God’s
to us.
Acts 11:18
When [the Jewish Christians] heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
1 Corinthians 1:18
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
3. Salvation results in a life of
.
Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
// We are not saved
doing good, but we are saved
doing good!
James 2:18
But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith by my works.
Romans 10:9
If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.
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