Grow With Pastor Joe

We live in a day that consumes bite sized media. The days of book, newspaper, or magazine reading have all but gone. In today’s world, both in the church and in the world, attention spans are far shorter. The average consumer of media or information of any kind has lost an appetite for the whole story. We care less about details than we used to as a society. The book of Ephesians so far has been filled with an incredible depth of doctrine. As Paul continues writing, he takes Eph. 2:8-10 to put everything in a nutshell as we might call it. He does this not because we can’t handle the whole thing but so that we can easily understand the grand scope of what it means to be in Christ. Ephesians is in many ways a synopsis of the Christian life. We have been specifically viewing it through the lens of being in Christ. Our wealth in Christ is who we are positionally. This is our saved position of being in Christ. We are in eternal and unending union with Him, not based on personal merit but His plentiful mercy for us in Jesus. Our walk in Christ is what we do practically. This is the street level, day-by-day, and moment-by-moment walking in, with, and for Christ. The Christian walk is based on our position in Christ or wealth in Christ. Who I am effects what I do and what I do expresses who I really am. What Paul is going to continue to show is that the wealth and walk of a Christian is less about our performance for Christ and more about our participation in Christ. It is about being in Him and walking in Him accordingly. My performance doesn’t earn His grace or else it ceases to be grace. My performance doesn’t convince Him to save me. However, my participation in Christ is a response of faith to His work of grace for, in, and through me. This has been seen already throughout the first two chapters of Ephesians. My salvation in Christ is my wealth in Christ. My sanctification in Christ is my walk. It is enabled by grace, enjoyed through faith, and expressed through works. So many today have placed performance of works as a prerequisite of salvation or have made their testimony more about themselves than Christ who freely redeemed us by His grace. This passage does the opposite. It makes much of Him and little of us. This passage shows us how big our guilt is but how much bigger His grace is. By faith we now participate (our walk) in the work of His grace for, in, and through us (our wealth). This is God’s plan for you.

As Paul develops the book of Ephesians he describes our salvation, and Christian living in a nutshell that we can see in Eph. 2:8-10 three important truths. We are saved “by grace” “through faith” “unto good works.”  Eph. 2:8-10 says, “⁸ For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹ Not of works, lest any man should boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” The three truths that are presented in these three verses show us the wealth and walk of a believer in a nutshell. Grace gives us the power to participate by faith in the purpose of the work and glory of God. In a nutshell, our life in Christ demonstrates that grace, faith, and works are all in Him. Christian living is not merely living for Jesus but living in Him. It is living in the life that He has presently provided us in Himself. His grace reveals His glory. Our faith responds to the glory that His grace revealed. Our life lived unto good works is enabled only by His grace through faith. To put being in Christ in a nutshell, it is all (beginning, middle, and end) by His grace through faith unto good works to the glory of God. The scriptures alone show that we are saved (justified, sanctified, glorified) by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone to the glory of God alone. This is our wealth and walk in Christ. Grace provides, faith participates, and works prove that we are in Christ. These nutshell truths of life in Christ show us the “exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:7).”

The first thing that we will see as we crack into the nutshell of being in Christ, we must see something that has already been said in Eph. 2:1-7. All who are in Christ are saved by grace. It is by grace that we are in Christ, and it is grace that eternally secures us in Christ. Either everything in our life is by His grace or its by our merit, performance, or self-righteousness. Eph. 2:8-9 tell us, “⁸ For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹ Not of works, lest any man should boast.” The grace of God is the motivation of our salvation in Christ. Without the grace of God, we are not accepted by God through faith unto good works. Without the grace of God, we wouldn’t believe. Without the grace of God our salvation wouldn’t have been planned, purchased, or proven. Without the grace of God, we would not have been sought, saved, sealed, or strengthened. It is the grace of God that has brought all of these things to us in our wealth and walk in Christ. There is no one who doesn’t need grace. There is no one who graduates from needing grace. The grace of God is the initiator and ignition of the flame of faith and works. It is grace that provides air to breathe by faith unto the glory of God. All of the infinite riches of His grace are in Christ. Therefore, all who are in Christ have the infinite riches of His grace available. Grace enables and empowers our salvation. It is grace that has made salvation through faith alone in Christ alone possible. Remember, grace is unearned, undeserved, and unmerited. It is a gift. Grace has gifted us with the opportunity to receive God’s gift of salvation in Christ. The grace of God provides salvation for all so that by faith we can participate in God’s plan of salvation. This was God’s plan for us as seen in Eph. 2:3-6 and it is all to the praise of His glory. From our side, grace is free. It has been freely given and may freely be received by faith alone. However, from God’s side, He freely gives it because His Son, Jesus Christ, paid the price. It cost Him everything and by His blood He has purchased us with the riches of His grace. It is none other than the grace of God that causes our salvation. It is grace that gave enlightenment for us to believe (Eph. 2:15-22). It is grace that planned, purchased, and proves our salvation (Eph. 1). It is grace that regenerated our formerly dead spirit. It is grace that is renewing our depraved soul. It is grace that will redeem our body so that we may be on display throughout the ages to the praise of the glory of His grace. Grace has made the impossible possible. Grace brought sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and deliverance to the damned. Grace is the nutshell statement of what it means to be in Christ. It is grace that sums up life in Christ, both the believer’s wealth and walk. God’s grace not only has taken away the sting of death, but it has freed us from having to be the hero of our own story. It has delivered us from being slaves to performance-based salvation or sanctification. It is grace that displays God’s glory and directs our hearts to boast in Christ alone. 1 Cor. 1:18-31 makes it clear that if we are to boast or glory in anything it is the grace of God displayed in the cross of Christ. Jesus alone deserves glory.

Grow with me as we study the believer’s wealth and walk in Christ.

Grow deeper.

Grow higher.

Grow wider.