Eph 2:8-9 "For by grace
are ye saved through faith"
Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should
boast."
Introduction:
a. In life, some statements are often stated and repeated as though the truths
of the statements are obvious and universally agreed. The passage for our study
and instruction today is one such statement. This is a very popular passage and
often quoted to acknowledge and affirm the glorious truth that salvation is by
the free and sovereign grace of God ALONE. However, its meaning and truth are
often missed; and worse, twisted, and sincere people end up believing lies and
remain ignorant of the truth stated. So, let me direct your attention to this
passage and consider what is plainly stated here.
Don't switch off your mind just because what I am going to say does not conform
to what you have always been told, and have always believed, and perhaps have
repeated endless times to others. If after hearing what I have presented to
you, you are convinced that you cannot agree with me, that is fine! All I ask
is, show me a better interpretation. I am still learning, and want to learn. I
will most certainly and humbly consider what you have to say.
1. Common misunderstandings
about eternal salvation by grace alone
Please take note of TWO VERY COMMON and POPULAR but erroneous ideas concerning
this passage:
Firstly, the popular error that the gift of God
spoken of here is 'faith.'
No, the gift spoken of here is the salvation by God's free grace. The 'gift' is
that which is by God's free grace, and that which is by God's free grace in the
passage is undoubtedly the eternal salvation spoken of. A gift is something
that comes to us from WITHOUT, something bestowed to us. But the grace of faith that
enables our act of believing and resting in Christ is a spiritual grace worked
by the Spirit of Christ from WITHIN us. I assume this is a given, and that there is
no dispute about this basic point.
In the sense that the grace of faith is worked WITHIN God's children by the
indwelling Spirit, in that sense faith is not our own. However, it would be
most misleading to say that faith is the gift. If that was true, then every
saving grace worked by the Spirit of God (Gal 5:22) in a redeemed man would be
a gift too. That's quite an unscriptural and erroneous manner of speaking. No
one can deny that believing and resting in Christ are activities of those who
are already SAVED by God, already possessing eternal salvation freely bestowed,
i.e. by grace. The salvation spoken of is NOT IN ANY WAY through the believing
act of man! Why? Salvation by God's free grace happens when we were still dead in trespasses and sins; "EVEN when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved.)" Eph 2:5.
As a result of seeing 'faith' as the gift, it is commonly and consistently
believed, among the Arminians as well as the 'reformed' folks, that those
(still NOT saved, i.e. still dead in trespasses and sins) who are given this
gift of faith must then exercise that gift of faith to believe and receive
Christ in order to receive salvation
from God. That is what they mean by their notion, "faith is the instrumental
means of salvation."
No, the gift spoken of is the eternal salvation in Jesus Christ, and it is
bestowed by God's free grace, that is, without the recipients meeting any
condition. Why? Those still dead in trespasses and sins can't meet any. Why? The dead in trespasses and sins are still in active enmity against God.
And believing
in Jesus Christ is the effect or fruit of that gift of salvation by grace.
Romans 5:15-18 speaks of the gift of righteousness, justification of life, i.e.
eternal salvation. Roman 6:23 speaks of God's gift of eternal life, i.e.
eternal salvation. Jas 1:17 reads, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is
from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no
variableness, neither shadow of turning.” A gift is something that comes from
WITHOUT, bestowed freely to a recipient, without him meeting any condition,
like hearing and believing the gospel.
Think for a moment the serious implications of this common error, i.e. faith is
the gift. It necessarily teaches: (1) that God gives the gift of faith to those
who are not yet saved – i.e. still unjustified, condemned, and dead in
trespasses and sins; (2) that such are able to utilize that gift of faith
to believe in Jesus Christ in order to be saved. But these are just foolish and
idiotic notions.
Those who are not YET saved, i.e. unjustified and unregenerated by God's grace
are still dead in their sin. How could a spiritually dead man utilize a
spiritual gift to appropriate salvation for himself? Have you ever try giving a
good gift, e.g. life-giving concoction, to a dead man and persuade the dead man
to make use of that good gift to benefit himself. Wouldn't that be like a cruel
wicked man mocking at the dead???
Secondly, that the faith spoken of
here is the believer's faith in Jesus Christ.
In the nature of the case, this can't possibly be true. Just look carefully at
what has been said in verses 1-5 about the spiritual condition of those that
are saved by grace through faith. Faith cannot possibly come from those in such
spiritual condition - sons of disobedience, of wrath, dead in trespasses.
Please put on your thinking cap, and stop being a zombie! Connect verse 5 and 8 and get the right meaning.
5 Even when we were dead in
sins, [God] hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)... 8 For by grace are ye saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.
Few understand this passage. Verse 8 "by grace ye are saved" TOOK place WHEN "we were dead in sins"; this is indisputable, read verse 5 slowly, and let the truth sink into your head. Faith on our part is an impossibility when we were dead in sins; that's incontrovertible. Faith is only possible AFTER "by grace, ye are saved."
Therefore the faith that is spoken of in v8. CANNOT possibly be the faith of those that are saved by grace.
Salvation by grace (i.e. the manner the salvation is bestowed, freely, without
the recipient meeting any condition!) must come to them first; they must first
be made children of obedience, children of grace and alive in righteousness by
the free grace of God before they can manifest any faith in Jesus Christ.
Salvation by God's free grace CANNOT be through the faith of the believer. It must
be through the faith of SOMEONE ELSE. Sadly, most believers are acquainted with
the faith of the believer only. They are completely ignorant of the faith of
Jesus Christ. They even scorned at the very idea of the faith OF Jesus Christ
in their salvation.
The whole idea of the believer's faith is imposed upon the passage; it is a
man-centered idea read into the passage. It is a fable! Eternal salvation
is NOT through the believer's faith in - in - in Jesus Christ. Eternal salvation
is through the faith of - of - of Jesus Christ.
The vast difference between the two must be noted carefully if we are to know
the truth concerning our salvation by God’s free grace. The biblical
distinction is the essence of sound theology. Since we do believe in
the verbal inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, we need to note the distinction
carefully. We will look at the passages of Scripture that vindicate and affirm
the truth just stated.
The eternal salvation that comes to the condemned spiritually dead sinners by
God's free grace is through the faith of - of - of Jesus Christ. Eternal
salvation is not by God’s free grace through an act of man, not even his
believing in Christ. If that were so, it is no longer by God's free grace; at
best it would be grace conditioned or dependent on something man can do and
must do.
The believer's faith in Jesus Christ is one of the many graces (worked in the
children of God by the indwelling Spirit of God) that results from the gift of
eternal salvation freely bestowed. An effect of eternal salvation cannot
possibly be the instrumental means to obtain the same salvation. As noted
before, the believer's faith in Jesus Christ is a work of the indwelling Spirit
as a result of eternal salvation - justification, regeneration, and adoption -
by God's free grace. The indwelling Spirit works many other graces in a child
of God. It is only a saved person who can believe in Jesus Christ because a
saved person is indwelt by the Spirit of God, and the Spirit works the saving grace of faith in him
so that he can believe. 1Cor 1:18, 2:12-14. Gal:5:22 "But the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith..."
and Eph 5:9 "For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and
righteousness and truth."
2. The Simple Truth of
Salvation by Grace
a. The simple truth is: eternal salvation is the free gift of God, (i.e.
sovereignly bestowed) through the faith OF - OF - OF Jesus Christ (the basis or
ground of the gift). The faith of Christ speaks of His FAITHFULNESS / FIDELITY
in believing, submission, and obedience to all the will of God His Father in
His office as the Redeemer and Saviour of His people. The faith of Christ ALONE
secured the righteousness for the elect who do not have any righteousness of
their own but who were deservedly under the just and righteous condemnation of
death because of their sins.
The word faith, pistis has two basic meanings... check here:
http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G4102&t=KJV
I. conviction of the truth
of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man's
relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of
trust and holy fervour born of faith and joined with it
a. relating to God: the
conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the
provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ
b. relating to Christ: a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is
the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God
c. the religious beliefs of Christians
d. belief with the predominate idea of trust (or confidence) whether in God or
in Christ, springing from faith in the same
II. fidelity, faithfulness
a. the character of one who can be relied on
Most are acquainted with the various aspects of the first meaning and only
that. Very few are aware of the second biblical usage that speaks of the
character of the fidelity/faithfulness of a person.
Our eternal salvation by God's free grace is EVIDENCED or MANIFESTED by our
believing IN - IN - IN Jesus Christ. This is a world of difference from the
erroneous idea that God's free gift of eternal salvation to us is through our
faith IN - IN - IN Jesus Christ. If eternal salvation is conditioned upon our
belief in Jesus Christ - i.e. if God gives us eternal salvation because we
believe in Jesus Christ, THEN we who believe do have some reason to boast, it
is our believing that constitutes the decisive factor in securing our eternal
salvation; i.e. it is salvation through our act of believing! We can also
congratulate ourselves that we are capable of believing prior to our salvation
by God's free grace!
In any case, our believing in Christ is described as work. "Then said they
unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered
and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he
hath sent" John 6:18-29. If salvation is through our act of believing,
then it is through our own works, according to the words of Jesus Christ.
However, it is so plain that believing is a work that ONLY the children of God
can perform. Children of God are those already justified, regenerated, and
adopted, and indwelt by the Spirit of God. Life must precede the activities of
that life; spiritual life precedes the spiritual activities of a man.
b. Consider this passage. Galatians 2:16 says "Knowing that a man is not
justified by the works of the law, but by the faith OF - OF - OF Jesus Christ,
even we have believed IN - IN - IN Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by
the faith OF - OF - OF Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the
works of the law shall no flesh be justified". [the old KJB has 'by the
faith OF Jesus Christ,’ nearly ALL other translations have 'by faith IN Jesus
Christ.' In the NASB for example, they translate as "faith in", but
in the footnotes, they admit "literally faith of." See also (Rom
3:22, Gal 2:16, 2:20, 3:22, Eph 3:12, Phil 3:9...)]
Anyone with an elementary knowledge of English would know that there is a vast
difference between the two - 'the faith OF Jesus Christ' and a believer’s
‘faith IN Jesus Christ." The former declares a glorious truth concerning
the character and attribute of Christ; the latter describes an act of man
relating to Christ!!!
Your justification before God - to have your deserved and righteous
condemnation removed from you and be declared righteous by God - is either by
your own righteousness or through the righteousness of a substitute.
Righteousness is the absolute prerequisite in justification. 'NO righteousness,
no justification' is the holy and righteous and exact demand of God's justice.
Without righteousness, condemnation must remain, justly and righteously; there
can be no justification nor righteous acquittal.
The righteousness absolutely needed for your justification before God is either
by your own faithfulness in keeping God's law perfectly or through Christ's
faithfulness in keeping God's law perfectly. It is either by your own works of
obeying the law completely and perfectly, OR by Christ's works of obeying the
law completely and perfectly. The faith of Jesus Christ speaks of the
faithfulness of Jesus Christ in keeping God's law completely and perfectly,
thus securing the indispensable righteousness which is necessary for the
justification and salvation of His people.
c. Your justification is NOT by or through the instrument of your own faith,
i.e. your act of receiving and resting in Christ Jesus. You must be justified
and saved by God first before you have the life and ability to believe in Jesus
Christ. Your believing in Jesus Christ is A CONSEQUENCE and AN EVIDENCE of God
having effectually called you out of your native state of sin and death to that of grace and salvation; i.e. justified you (removed your condemnation, and imputed
Christ's righteousness to your account), regenerated you (removed your
spiritual death by giving you eternal life), and adopted you (bring you, a
former alien, into His family and gives you His Spirit to dwell in you, and who
works the fruit of the Spirit WITHIN you.) That is why you are able to
believe in Jesus Christ. That is why anyone is able to believe in Jesus Christ.
Spiritual life is the basic prerequisite of spiritual activities. Eternal life
is the gift of God. Believing is an activity, and evidence of eternal life,
since the Scriptures declare copiously, whoever believes has eternal life. It
is just like the obvious statement - everyone who breathes has life. Many
misguided minds insist - 'a man must breathe in order to get life' without
realizing that such a statement implied that a person without life can breathe
in order to have life. This is fable and fiction. "For the time will come
when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they
heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away
their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." 2Tim 4:3-4.
3. The Imputation of Christ's
righteousness
a. Here is another passage which affirms the same truth. "But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law
and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus
Christ unto
all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference. For all have
sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:" Romans 3:21-22
The subject here is the righteousness of God. In the long passage from Rom
1:18-3:18, Apostle Paul proves and demonstrates conclusively and beyond dispute
that no man has ANY righteousness of his own, and therefore all stand justly
guilty and condemned before the righteous and thrice-holy God.
This becomes obvious from the outlines of the first 4 chapters of Romans. In
Rom 1:18-3:20 - Apostle Paul proves and concludes beyond any shadow of
a doubt that man has no righteousness of his own, without excuse and
guilty before God.
In 3:21-31 where the phrase 'by faith of Jesus Christ' occurs: Apostle Paul
speaks of God's provision of righteousness. God's provision of this
righteousness is by the faith of Jesus Christ, i.e. this righteousness is
secured by the faithfulness/fidelity of Jesus Christ in His complete and
perfect obedience to the law of God - in His perfect and sinless life of
righteousness, and His blood (His atoning death). Christ kept the law that His
people have broken. This righteousness of God secured by Jesus Christ at the
cross is APPLIED freely by God's grace - VITAL/PERSONAL justification is
by the free grace of God... APPLIED while each elect was still in a state of
condemnation and death, not when he believes.
In 4:1-12 Apostle Paul is NOT speaking of how an ungodly condemned
(unjustified) man may become justified before God. This is a common mistake of
the 'Reformed' as well as the ‘Arminian’ folks. Apostle Paul speaks of how a
man already justified by God's free grace may experience the blessedness of
this free grace justification. It is by faith in the promised seed, Christ. In
this matter, the principle is: 'But to him that worketh not, but believeth on
him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.' The
blessedness of one’s justification by God’s free grace is experienced, NOT
through his works of obedience, but his believing in Christ alone. Abraham was
the classic proof of this truth.
With this background, the righteousness of God's own provision through the
faith of Christ is announced. And by God's free grace, this righteousness
is legally
imputed at
the cross, and vitally
applied unto all
and upon all them that believe - THAT IS, all them that believe do so because
this righteousness of God has been imputed, and applied to them by free grace
when they were still ungodly and dead in sin. Until a man is called to eternal
salvation, made alive together with Christ in effectual calling and the Spirit
dwelling in us, there would be no possibility of him ever believing in Christ. "Except a man be born again, HE CAN NOT..."
Salvation is first bestowed to us by God's free grace, and not conditioned upon
anything we have to do because being spiritually dead we were utterly unable to
meet any condition whatsoever! All the conditions of eternal salvation have been
met, and perfectly and completely met, by Jesus Christ: his believing,
submitting to, and obeying all the will of the Father in His capacity as the
redeemer of His people - even the faith of Christ!!!
There is a world of difference between the "faith of Jesus Christ' (Rom
3:22 ) which provided the righteousness in the legal and personal justification
of the elect, and 'his faith' (a believer's act of believing, Rom 4:5)
experiential and evidential justification. Sadly, the faith of Jesus
Christ is no longer in the thinking and beliefs of VERY many modern Christians, both among the Arminian as well as the so-called ‘reformed’ folks.
b. Salvation requires perfect and complete righteousness. On their own, God's
elect has no righteousness whatsoever. The righteousness indispensable for
their salvation is provided by God alone, through the faith of Jesus Christ,
i.e. by the faithfulness of Christ in rendering perfect obedience to the whole
law of God for His people. And all them that believe do so ONLY BECAUSE the
condemnation of death has been removed and this righteousness of life has been
imputed, and applied to them, freely by God's grace, i.e. justified and
regenerated and adopted.
Justified 'by faith of Jesus Christ' is the same as "justified ... through
the redemption that is in Christ Jesus," (Romans 3:24) because that
redemption is secured by the 'faith of Jesus Christ' - through His belief
in, submission and obedience to all the will of God His Father in His office as
the Redeemer and Saviour of His people; it is through His faithfulness in
executing the work of redemption.
All these passages speak of the faith of Jesus Christ
"For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him
that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all
which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at
the last day” John 6:38-9;
"I have glorified thee on the earth: I have
finished the work which thou gavest me to do" - John 17:4; "When
Jesus, therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he
bowed his head, and gave up the ghost," Joh 19:30; "He went away
again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not
pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done" Matt 26:42; and
"And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross” Php 2:8.
c. It is a frightening thing to think that so many are deluded and are being
deceived that they have perverted the biblical teaching on the faith of
Jesus Christ in their eternal salvation into their own faith
in Jesus Christ in their eternal salvation. The former is the gospel,
the good news; the latter is the subtle lies of the devil, and many children of
God are deceived and misled. Most, if not all the modern translations of the
Scriptures have obliterated the biblical truth of the faith OF Jesus Christ in
the salvation of His people. Christ-alone salvation has been replaced by
Christ-and-me salvation. Though they still mouth 'salvation is by grace through
faith' though they have denied eternal salvation by grace because they put their OWN
act of faith into the equation of the salvation by God’s free grace.
Conclusion
God's children ought to believe the exact truth of how God saved them. To
believe incorrectly is to believe lies, and we dishonour and insult him. We are
not saved through believing; we are saved by God's free grace while dead in
sin, while utterly incapable of believing We are saved to believe the truth,
and the ministry of the word is divinely intended toward that end.
"Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old
paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your
souls. But they said, "We will not walk therein." Jer 6:16.
Let there be no reader who says, "we will continue to walk in the new
ways." May the Lord grant us eyes to see the difference between the old
paths and the new paths!
Amen.
