Ephesians 2:1-10
Saved by Grace
1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 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. 3 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. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 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. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 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 dead in our sins, for the wages of sin is death...We fall short of the Glory of God...When we follow this world and the earthly ways, the spirit who is at work in those who are disobedient...All of us also have lived being disobedient and have been among he disobedient at times in our lives...We gravitate to the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and its thoughts...Like the rest of those who sin, we are by nature deserving of wrath....But because of His Great LOVE for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Jesus even when we were dead in transgressions and sins—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 His Grace we have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves...Grace is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one cannot boast how good they are or by some of the deeds we have done...For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do...
Author Greg Gilbert writes, “God does not declare us righteous because we are ourselves righteous...And thank God that is true, because none of us would meet that standard!...No, God declares us righteous because by faith, we are clothed with Christ’s righteous life...God saves us by pure grace, not because of anything we have done, but solely because of what Jesus has done for us.”...