Well, you can turn in your Bibles to Ephesians chapter two for our meditation before the supper. Ephesians chapter two. Last time we had the supper, we looked at verses 11 to 22 under the title, The Inclusion of Gentiles in God's Covenant. Thought it would be good to look at the previous section, verses one to 10 under the title, The Inclusion of Wretches in God's Covenant.
So I want to read beginning in chapter two at verse one. and you he made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ, by grace you have been saved, and raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our Father, we thank You for the written Word, and thank You for the glorious content of the written Word, the reality that God is in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself.
What a blessed book this is, as it details that plan, as it demonstrates it, as it shows us, and as it reveals that blessed Christ to us. We ask now the Holy Spirit would guide us and direct us as we consider this passage of scripture. May it encourage our hearts and may it strengthen and fortify us. And may we stand in awe at the amazing grace of our great and glorious God.
And we pray this in Jesus' name, amen.
Introduction
Well, as I said, I wanted to focus on verses 1 to 10 to look at the specific salvation of individual sinners. Remember that in chapter 1, verse 19, Paul wants the Ephesians to know God's power. And then he gives three concrete evidences or demonstrations of God's power. God's power is demonstrated in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
You see that at the end of chapter 1. God's power is demonstrated in the salvation of individual sinners. You see that in chapter 2, verses 1 to 10. And then you see that power displayed in the inclusion of Gentiles in God's covenant.
And you see that in chapter 2, verses 11 to 22. So again, we're going to go back to that section previous to the one we looked at last time. And
Outline of Three Main Points
I want to look at three things. First, the origin of salvation. Secondly, the objects of salvation. And then thirdly, the execution of salvation.
But as we consider or contemplate the origin of salvation,
The Origin of Salvation
it's important for us to consider the link between chapters 1 and 2. In other words, we don't just fall into chapter 2. We come to chapter 2 having been very well instructed concerning God's plan to save His people from their sins. We might look in terms of covenantal categories to see in chapter 1, verses 3 to 14, what we call the covenant of redemption.
And then when we look at chapter 2, verses 1 to 10, that's the covenant of grace. Essentially, the covenant of redemption is that transaction between the persons of the Trinity. It is between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit concerning the salvation of His elect by Jesus Christ. And Paul unfolds that in glorious detail in verses 3 to 14.
And then we see the application of that in history in what's called the covenant of grace, when God takes that plan of salvation or or rather what Christ has wrought out on the cross, and it's applied to individual sinners. So let's look first at this origin of salvation in chapter 1.
Covenant of Redemption in Ephesians 1
Notice that Paul indicates there's a comprehensive plan of God and he sets forth specific theological categories. Notice that he praises the Father in verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And then he gives us the reason who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.
So he wants to bless God. He wants to speak well of God. He wants to honor and glorify God. And the reason for this is because God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.
And now he goes to the individual components with reference to that salvation. the work of the Father, the work of the Son, and the work of the Holy Spirit. You see, when we come to the supper, when we eat this bread and we drink this cup, this is not an afterthought in the mind of God. This is a comprehensive plan set in motion before the foundation of the world. We're not here tonight because we're wise.
We're not here tonight because we're good. We're not here tonight because we made right decisions. We're here because of what Paul sets forth in Ephesians 1 verses 3 to 14.
Election, Predestination, and the Trinity
The Father chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. That ought to just humble each and every one of us who confesses faith in Jesus Christ. When we get to chapter 2, and this salvation by grace through faith, and that not of yourselves, there's a big debate. Does that mean the faith is not of yourselves?
Does that mean that it's something that we bring to the table? If you understand chapter 1, there's no way you can approach the covenant of grace and think for a moment that man has a contribution to make with reference to his salvation. Luther was right. The only thing we contribute to our salvation is the sin we need saved from.
It is not the case that we offer to God any good thing. The Father chose us, the Father predestined us. In fact, if you look there at verse 4, it says, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him. Notice he doesn't choose us because we were holy and without blame.
He chooses us unto holiness and blamelessness. He doesn't look down the tunnel of time and say, oh, that group that's going to occupy those pews on Sunday night, March 3rd in Chilliwack, they're going to do some good things, so I'm going to purpose them in my plan. No. It's because God saved us.
It's because God chose us. It's because Christ bled for us. That's the basis upon which we now go out and live in a way that is without blame, or in a way that is full of good works. We're not saved as a consequence of that, but rather those are consequences of the salvation.
And then notice at the end of verse 4, there's some question as to where this in love ought to go. Is it without blame before Him in love, or does in love go with verse 5? I think in love goes with verse 5. It says, in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself.
The enemies or the opponents of sovereign grace try to paint God as some sort of a monster. They try to paint Him as some sort of a deity that just pulls the strings behind the scenes, and that it's just the way that it is. It's in love that He predestined us. It's in love that He calls us.
It's according to the riches of His mercy that He brings us forth. We ought never to forget who God is. He's the one that orchestrated this plan of salvation. And so Paul rehearses the father, and then he speaks concerning the son, and you see that specifically in verse 7.
Well, in verses 6 and 7, to the praise of the glory of his grace by which he made us accepted in the beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood. the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace. So you see the work of the Father is election and predestination. The work of the Son is specifically redemption and union.
We have union with Christ, this phrase in Christ that highlights that we're in union with Him. And then dropping down to verses 13 and 14, we see the work of the Holy Spirit. In Him you also, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in Him also having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession to the praise of His glory. So you see, this doctrine of the Trinity, it's all over the Bible, and here Paul assumes it, and Paul works in terms of it, and Paul highlights the various aspects of the persons involved with reference to our salvation.
The Father chose. The Son redeems, the Spirit applies, and that's the origin of our salvation. Again, we don't come to the supper tonight as a reward for our good works. We come to the supper tonight because God chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. and that in time and space and in history, he showed us our sin, he showed us our wretchedness, and he showed us the majesty and the glory of Jesus Christ.
And he gave us the graces of faith and repentance so that we may close with Christ. That's why we're here tonight. It's by God's grace.
The Objects of Salvation
Now let's look at the objects of salvation. And Paul highlights that in chapter two, verses one to three. And notice, the Apostle
Dead in Trespasses and Sins
Paul highlights in the first place that you were dead in trespasses and sins. Again, only Reformed theology answers the big questions. You cannot move from deadness in sin to life in Christ by virtue of the creature. We cannot resurrect ourselves.
We cannot make ourselves alive. We cannot make ourselves anew. It must be God who raises us from the dead. And that's a very important point for all of us to understand.
Sinners aren't crippled. Sinners aren't lamed. Sinners aren't a little maimed, but rather sinners are dead. If you have a sinner that you love and you want to come to know the Lord Jesus Christ, you better be praying to God Almighty, because the only way that dead sinner is ever going to enter into eternal life is by the power, that resurrection power that Paul will go on to declare in verses 4 to 7 in this chapter.
We need the grace of God to move from a state of deadness to life. That ought to be obvious, it ought to be evident, and again, it ought to put to rest any notion whatsoever that man contributes to his salvation. There's nothing a dead man can contribute to his salvation, again, except the deadness from whence he needs to be raised. That's Paul's point.
Dominated by the World and the Devil
Notice what he goes on to say. We walked according to the course of this world, governed by the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience. In other words, as dead men and women, as dead boys and girls, our orientation was demonic. Our orientation was to this world.
Our orientation was contrary to God Most High. There's that vice list in Romans chapter 1 that the Apostle highlights. It talks about Gentiles, apart from the grace of God, and what they look like. And one of the things that Paul describes them as, as being those who did not like to retain the knowledge of God in their minds.
Well, who do you think you are to actually try and exclude God from your mind and your heart? But that's how we were. We didn't like to retain the knowledge of God. We suppressed the truth in unrighteousness.
During the days of the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord upbraids the people because they turned to him the back and not the face. What does that mean? It means they did not like to retain the knowledge of God. They turned their back on him.
Have any of you parents ever had that experience? You're having a heart-to-heart with your child, and it's actually not a heart-to-heart. You're yelling at them. And then they turn around and walk away.
That makes you happy, doesn't it? As a parent, you just feel like father of the year at that point. At that point, you want to turn them back around and say, don't you turn to me the back. You rather turn to me the face.
See, sinners do that to God in spades. Sinners do that to God all the time, and not sinners out there, but sinners in here. This describes us prior to our conversion to the Lord Jesus Christ. I think it's important for us to remember this rock from whence we've been hewn so that it will stir up the gratitude that we owe to our God for so great a salvation.
Total Depravity of Flesh and Mind
Notice what Paul goes on to say. He says, we conducted ourselves. Actually, notice verse 3, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. Notice that Paul is not saying, you wretched Gentiles in Ephesus, you terrible monstrous people.
Paul includes himself. Paul understands that prior to his conversion to Jesus Christ, he was a man who hated God. Prior to his conversion to Jesus Christ, he may have appeared upright, he may have been a Pharisee, he may have been a man who went about doing the religiosity of that particular generation, but when Paul comes to deal truthfully and honestly, and he understands something about redemptive grace, he includes himself with these dirty, filthy Gentiles, and he says, we, we all did this. This is a comprehensive problem.
Look around at the world today. You know what the recurring issue is? It's sin. It's not a lack of money.
It's not a lack of education. It's not a lack of, you know, new green deals. It's a lack of ethical disposition toward God. That's the issue today.
Paul is describing man before coming to the Lord Jesus Christ, but as well he's describing what society looks like apart from saving faith in Jesus Christ. And it's disgusting, isn't it? It's truly wretched and repulsive. Notice what he says there in verse 3, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind.
This is why we speak of total depravity. Sin isn't just the physical appendages. Sin is comprehensive. It's flesh and mind.
A man who is absolutely, positively, utterly paralyzed from the top of his head to the end of his big toe is a filthy sinner who stands in need of Jesus' blood and righteousness. You say, well, that's not very nice to our handicapped brethren. Well, if you ask our handicapped brethren, and they have a Bible and an open heart by the grace of God, they'll say the same thing. Remember our dear brother, Johnny Farese, a man that had no ability in terms of getting up and going out and sinning.
He couldn't go buy crack cocaine. He couldn't go visit prostitutes. But he saw himself as a wretch who needed the grace of God most high. You see, it's not just a flesh issue.
But it is a flesh issue, and it's a mind issue. Our problem is total. It's comprehensive. It's through and through.
This is the picture Paul portrays. And essentially, what he summarizes is that we are lifeless and helpless and hopeless prior to God's grace coming into our lives and bringing us to his beloved Son for the salvation of our souls. That's a bleak before picture, isn't it? I don't know that any of us ever just sort of contemplate on what kind of men or women we were prior to coming to Christ.
I think this happens to me, you know, the times that we go down to California, you know, you ever get that where there's certain sights or certain smells or certain environments that sort of cause, you know, memories to memory recall? It happens in life. It happens with all of us. And I'm not suggesting we need to spend every moment of every day thinking about how bad we once were.
But once in a while, to think about how bad we once were and how bad we presently are, will give us a fresh apprehension of the glorious grace of God Almighty. This is what God said to the prophet, you are not to forget the rock from whence you've been hewn. So we've got the origin, the objects.
The Execution of Salvation
Now let's look at the execution of salvation. Who's involved here? Well, again, it's the triune God. Notice,
Salvation from Love and Mercy
in the first place, it is due to the love and mercy of God. Verse 4, I'm sure I've told you this. In fact, I've probably told you it ad nauseum, but listen to Lloyd-Jones on Ephesians 2.4. It's got a whole sermon on those two words, but God.
Look at the contrast. Here's what we were, but God. Here's how we found ourselves but God. Isn't that a beautiful contrast?
He doesn't leave us in that condition of lifelessness, helplessness, hopelessness. He doesn't leave us there but God. And in the first place, we see that our salvation is owing to the love and mercy of God, but God who is rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us. And I try to encourage us to consider this in light of who God is according to the rest of the Bible.
He doesn't grow in His love for us. He doesn't diminish in His love for us. God's love for us is always of the most sort. He is most loving toward the objects of His grace.
He is most loving to each and every one of us who by grace confess saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Who ever just ponder, does it ever melt our hearts to consider, but God who is rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us. I mean, just mercy is good, isn't it? But this is rich mercy.
Just love is good, isn't it? But it's great love. You know, the Apostle Paul was known to coin new words when he was writing theology. Not like brand new words, but he would take prepositions and add them to existing words to make them even higher and better.
And I think he's doing some of that in this particular instance. to show the super-abounding grace of God Most High. The Greek language didn't contain the vocabulary the apostle needed, so he took words and pieced them together so that he could extol the majesty and the excellency and the glory of God. It is due, it is owing to, it flows from the love and the mercy of God.
Salvation by Resurrecting Power
Notice, secondly, it is due to the resurrecting power of God in verses 5 to 7. even when we were dead in trespasses." Again, he doesn't ever let us forget what we were. Again, that's not because Paul has some sick fascination with the misery that you have or should have. He has a fascination with the grace of God. He has a fascination with the reality that even when we were dead in our trespasses and sins, God begraced us.
Even when we were at enmity with Him, God loved us. Even when we were shaking our fist and turning the back, when we weren't wanting to retain the knowledge of God, even then the Lord was showing us this mercy and this grace. But notice the language of verse 5. Even when we were dead in trespasses, He made us alive together with Christ.
Regeneration, the power of the Holy Spirit, the glory of God Almighty. Remember, we're dead in our trespasses and sins. How do we come to that place of life? How do we believe the gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?
The Spirit makes us alive. It's another question. Does faith precede regeneration or does regeneration precede faith? Why are there such foolish questions ever asked in the realm of theology?
How could there be faith from a dead sinner? He must be regenerate. He must be born again. He must be made alive.
And the reflex is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's Paul's point. If you need to look for the power behind the salvation of sinners, you're gonna have to look beyond the sinner to the God who resurrects them from the dead. That's the point in verses five. and following, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.
Parenthetically, he wants to make sure you don't forget this. By grace, you have been saved. And then note the beauty of verses six and seven. And raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
Now, I can't pretend to say that I know everything that Paul means by that. But this much I do know. It's glorious. As much I do know, it's awesome, it's blessed, it's wondrous, and it's by virtue of our union with Jesus Christ.
Where Christ is, we are, and Paul can say that we are seated in the heavenly places by virtue of that gracious, the grace of God, faith in Him, and that union that obtains. And then note verse 7, that in the ages to come, He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us, in Christ Jesus. It's a beautiful thing, isn't it? God has chosen several, great multitude that no man can number according to the book of Revelation.
I know there's this idea, you know, there's just this handful that's gonna be in heaven. The frozen chosen, I guess they call them, or, you know, not many are called, or many are called, but not many are chosen. And there's this idea that what Jesus meant there was that there's not gonna be many sinners, not many people, people in heaven. Well, Jesus making an ethical point concerning the Jews of his particular generation.
Jesus also says that he shed his blood for the remission of the sins of many. The scriptures envisage a time when the knowledge of Yahweh will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Brethren, we're not supposed to look for just this handful that's going to fall into heaven by God's grace, but a great multitude that no man can number. He shall have dominion from sea to sea.
That's the emphasis of Scripture. And God has chosen those objects so that He can confer upon them His grace, His kindness, His mercy. Isn't that amazing? It's like finding an old stray, and taking that stray home, and bathing it, and combing it, and caring for it, giving it a bowl of milk, and tending to its particular needs.
It's just doting on it to dote on it, because that's what you do. You have that kind of love. You have that kind of kindness. You have that kind of graciousness.
And you need to vent it on these objects of salvation. Notice Paul in Ephesians 3.10. There's a sort of corresponding thought there as well. We'll just pick up at verse 8 in Ephesians 3. to me, whom less than the least of all the saints this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ. to the intent, look at God's intent, that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.
I sort of understand this text this way. The church is a trophy case. We're all bowling trophies. And the angels of the principalities that look upon this place see those trophies and they say, wow, the God who brought them together is glorious and amazing.
You never go to somebody's house and say, wow, that trophy is fantastic. That trophy on your mantle is everything. No, it's a token of the everythingness of the one who earned the trophy, the one who secured the trophy, the one who is the victor of the trophy. The church is a trophy case.
And when the church gathers together on the Sabbath day, the angels, the principalities, they look down upon us, and they magnify the glorious grace of God, because we're not going to heaven because of our goodness. We're not going to heaven because of our law keeping. We're not going to go to heaven because of our merit, but because of God most high. See, that's the point.
God saves his people to demonstrate certain perfections of God. I've often said this in our theology meetings on Saturdays and probably in the confession studies. Sometimes people ask, well, why? Did God allow Adam and Eve to sin?
I suggest there's a few different ways one can answer that question, but certainly one answer is that because if Adam and Eve did not sin, there would be no need for the redemptive work of Jesus. In other words, the sin of Adam and Eve is the occasion for displaying the manifold riches of God's grace in the salvation of sinners by Jesus Christ. Prior to the fall of man, the angels understood many of the perfections of God, but grace Mercy, redemption, blood atonement, those things were wanting or lacking. But now, every time an angel looks upon this group gathered together, the angel says, what a display of God's amazing grace.
I'd like to think we think that as well, right? We're not here because we're good. We're not here because we merit. We're not heaven-bound because we've performed well.
We are heaven-bound because of the grace of God.
Salvation by Grace Alone
Notice, thirdly, he specifically highlights the grace of God in verse 8. He says, for by grace you have been saved. For by grace you have been saved. The salvation of God flows from the grace of God.
Certainly love and mercy, resurrection power, all those components, all those elements are there. But the direct causal agent that God uses in terms of our salvation is not our goodness, but His graciousness. For by grace you have been saved. The grace of God that is conspicuous in chapter 1.
Notice in chapter 1. Chapter 1, specifically at verse 6, to the praise of the glory of His grace by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. Verse 7, in Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace. All of this grace is manifested in the salvation of our wretched souls.
For by grace you have been saved. This amplifies or explains what he means in verses 4 to 7. Notice in verse 7, that in the ages to come, he might show the exceeding riches of his grace. And so he reminds us now in verse 8, The reason that you are in Christ is owing to the grace of God.
Salvation Through Faith as Gift
And then he says, fourthly, it is through faith in Jesus Christ. For by grace you've been saved through faith. Faith is the instrument. Faith is the means by which God brings the sinner into saving union with Jesus Christ.
Now, you need to see something with reference to the text. He doesn't say you are saved because of faith. You're saved by grace through faith. There are some who teach unhappily that we are saved because of our faith.
That seems to imply that we have a previous faith that we bring to the table, and then God confers upon us this gracious salvation. That's not Paul's point. It is very conspicuous. It is very specific.
It is through faith. It's an instrumental. It's not a causal agent. We don't bring faith to the table and then God rewards us.
Faith is given by God to us so that we may lay hold of Jesus Christ. And the way to understand that, for by grace you've been saved through faith and that not of yourselves, I've already mentioned, there's a big debate, this not of yourselves, does that mean the faith? I think it means the whole section. Grace through faith, salvation is not from yourselves.
Grace through faith, salvation comes from God. Grace through faith, salvation is conveyed freely by God to needy sinners that find themselves in the condition outlined by Paul in verses one to three. And faith is a gift. Now, in this particular passage, again, I think it's the grace through faith, salvation, that is the gift of God, that is not of yourselves.
But turn to Philippians chapter 1 for just one illustration of the grace character of faith, the fact that it is a gift given by God. And if you're following, you'll know it has to be this way, because dead men don't exercise faith in Jesus. Dead men don't say, oh, I've heard the gospel, I'm gonna believe the gospel. No, God raises them from the dead, and God conveys upon them the grace of faith, so that they may believe the gospel. in an instrumental way.
It's not causal. We don't bring faith to the table, and God rewards us with salvation. Salvation by grace through faith is conveyed by God to needy sinners. But notice in Philippians 1.29, and the fact that faith is a gift is not Paul's point in verse 29.
The fact that faith is a gift is incidental. The emphasis of Paul is on suffering for the gospel's sake. Notice in verse 29 of Philippians 1, For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, Again, you see how that's just an incidental point? Paul's not in some dispute here with Arminians or Pelagians, arguing where faith comes from.
And I want to show you that it's a gift given by... That's assumed. That's incidental. We all know that.
Because dead sinners don't exercise faith in a living Savior. They have to be born again. They have to be made new. They have to be regenerated.
They have to be given those gifts so that they then can exercise them. So Paul's point here is on suffering. For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake. So back to our text.
It is through faith in Jesus Christ. Now, Paul goes on to make sure that we don't miss this. I think Paul wrote Ephesians 2, 8 to 10, you know, for people that need a few raps on the head occasionally to make sure that you can't mess this up. You ever kind of get that in your life?
You just feel like you mess everything up? Well, sinners mess up the plan of salvation a whole lot. But it's not owing to Paul, because Paul couldn't make it any clearer. Paul couldn't make it any more conspicuous.
Paul could not highlight the grace of God any more than he's already doing. Notice what he says in verse 8. For by grace you have been saved through faith, that not of yourselves. Again, the grace through faith, salvation, specifically including faith.
And then he goes on to say, it is the gift of God. It's given freely. It's grace to display of His love and mercy, to display of His affection. It's His having chosen us before the foundation of the world.
It's Christ's blood atonement. It's the Spirit's work of sealing and guaranteeing all of that by grace. It's the gift of God. And then verse 9, not of works lest anyone should boast.
Now again, could you possibly conceive how Paul could be any more clear to demonstrate that it's not what sinners bring to the table, but it's how God saves that is uppermost in the apostles' thought? There's no contribution, there's no my faith, there's no my repentance, and then God owes me, and then God gives me. That's not it at all. It's not of yourselves.
It's the gift of God, and it's all designed lest anyone should boast. Turn back to 1 Corinthians chapter 1 for just a moment. 1 Corinthians chapter 1, same emphasis seen by the apostle. Verse 26, for you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty, and the base things of the world, and the things which you despise God has chosen, and the things which are not to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence.
But of Him. Again, it's of God you're in Him. It's not you and God. He's not your co-pilot.
You get that sort of cheesy theology once in a while. God's my co-pilot. No, not at all. And praise God for that.
We don't want God as our co-pilot because that assumes that we're the pilot. We want God in absolute, sovereign control of every jot and tittle. That's where the people of God are safe. That's where the people of God are secure.
That's where the people of God are happy. Not when He's their co-pilot, but notice, but of Him. You are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God. Now these next three words flesh out what this means, wisdom from God.
We could translate, but of him you are in Christ Jesus who became for us wisdom from God. That is righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Notice verse 31, that as it is written, he who glories, let him glory in the Lord. Go back to Romans chapter four for just a moment.
Romans chapter four. focusing on that bit where he says, lest anyone should boast. Notice in Romans 4 verse 1, what then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. You see brethren, the pesky truth is, is that if we had one iota to boast, We would do it.
We would do it in a heartbeat if we contributed a millimeter. I guess that's the lowest form in the metric system. I'm still new to that after 22 years here. I still use Fahrenheit on my phone.
I still think in those categories. Sorry. But the very smallest contribution is pulling out the water. If we could, we would.
MacArthur has said, if you could lose your salvation, you would lose it. If you could boast, you would boast. But there's no boasting before God, because it's a gracious, through faith, salvation conveyed freely upon lifeless helpless, hopeless, wretches that were children of wrath, even as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, who has great love, made us alive together with Christ.
By grace, you have been saved.
Against Grace-Through-Faithfulness Errors
Now, before we end, I want to point out one other thing that we need to be aware of with reference to this grace through faith salvation. There are those who teach this is grace through faithfulness salvation. That group is called Roman Catholicism. That group is called Federal Vision.
That group is any group who sees our covenantal faithfulness as somehow part of our justification before God. That's not Paul's point. Paul means here the faith wherein, by grace, we believe the objective content of the Christian gospel. It's not our faithfulness that's in view.
Again, if it was, we'd boast. If it was, we'd take credit. If it was, we'd say a little Jesus and a lot of me got me into this heavenly place. No, our confession is far more excellent when it highlights that the ground of our justification is the active and passive obedience of Jesus Christ.
It is faith that lays hold of that. Faithfulness has a place in the Christian life under the category of sanctification. But with reference to justification and salvation, it's grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ Jesus alone. John Piper also teaches this.
Our faithfulness is absolutely crucial to land us in heaven. Brethren, that's the worst possible news I could ever, ever dole out. The gloriousness of the Christian gospel is that it's not our faithfulness. It's Christ's faithfulness.
It's His doing. It's His dying. It's His rising the third day. That's the warrant for our entrance into heaven.
Not our contribution. Not what we add. Not what we do in our imperfect sanctification. In other words, we are solely received based on the justifying work of God Most High in the person of Jesus Christ.
The Spirit's work in us vis-Ã -vis sanctification, our faithfulness, our obedience, all of that is crucial. All of that is absolutely imperative. But that's not what lands you in heaven. What lands you in heaven is the Savior King.
And the last observation is just that. Notice that this gracious salvation of our God, this gracious salvation of our God, is unto good works. Verse 10. See, there's a pendulum in all matters theological.
On the one hand, we We don't want to be Roman Catholic, so we'll end up as antinomian. We don't want to be antinomian, so we'll end up as Roman Catholic. How about we be Pauline and listen to what he says and appreciate the categories of justification and sanctification? Notice what Paul says in verse 10.
Four, we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. We are created in Christ Jesus for good works, not because of them. We're not created in Christ Jesus because of our good works, but we're created in Christ Jesus for those good works. So sanctification necessarily follows justification, but our entrance into heaven comes as a result of the Savior's work for us and not the Spirit's work in us.
Now, persons will say, John Piper, one of them, heresy, blasphemy, terrible. I'm not mitigating the work of the Spirit in us. But read the Bible, read the confessions of faith. Why will you and I go to heaven?
Because of the active and the passive obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ. It's not what we wrought out, it's what Christ wrought out. Our confession grasps this beautifully, this connection between justification and sanctification in the chapter on saving faith. In chapter 14, paragraph 2, excuse me, But the principal acts of saving faith have immediate relation to Christ, accepting, receiving, and resting upon Him alone for justification, sanctification, and eternal life by virtue of the covenant of grace.
And then the chapter specifically on justification, speaking to this. Verse 10, situation. Yeah, we're justified freely by His grace. Yes, we've received the forgiveness of sins.
Yes, we've received the imputed righteousness of Christ, and we've received it by faith alone. That doesn't mean we just sit on the couch and do nothing. Our confession says, faith thus receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness is the alone instrument of justification. Yet it is not alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all other saving graces and is no dead faith, but worketh by love.
The apostle couldn't be clearer. We're saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Unto good works. But on that final day, our acceptance by God is because of what Christ wrought out for us.
And that is wherein we have joy, we have stability, and we have security. This is what Paul means in Romans 5.1. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. This is what Paul means in Romans chapter 8 verse 1.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Believer, do you ever just embrace those truths and say, praise God Almighty. We'll take Ephesians chapters 1 and 2 and may this serve for you, provide for you fodder and matter by which to express your gratitude and worship and adoration to the living and the true God. Well, let us close in a word of prayer.
Closing Prayer
Our Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for the clarity of the Apostle Paul and for the beauty of the grace of God displayed in our hearts and lives. We know it's not because of our deeds. It's not because of our contribution.
It's because of what Christ has accomplished in his life of obedience and his personal obedience to the law and then that obedience unto death at Calvary. We give praise to you for this. We thank you for the means of the supper. And we pray that you would strengthen us now and encourage our hearts.
And we ask in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.