Volume 3 - Number 5 The week of November 12, 2017

Loudonville Community Church

THIS WEEK’S CORE STATEMENT

Salvation by Grace: We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful man, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely

essential and that a person comes into a right relationship with God by His grace, through faith in Jesus Christ.

John Samson is the pastor-teacher of King’s Church in Peoria, Arizona, as well as an author and conference speaker. He has a

passion for the local Church and for the free offer of the gospel to be proclaimed far and wide. Samson’s article below contains

his reflection on the third Sola and is aptly entitled: “Sola Gratia - Grace Alone”

The religions of man often like to bring grace into the equation. Human works always play a role in obtaining

salvation in these man made formulas. An appeal is often made that although works (human actions) must be

involved before salvation can occur, it is still “grace alone” that saves because it is God alone who is the

ultimate source of power for these works. They say that God (in the end) therefore gets the glory for the works

we do to save ourselves.

While it is true that for the Christian, God's grace empowers us for Christian service (sanctification), the Bible

makes it abundantly clear that the works we do play no role whatsoever in our salvation (justification)

(Romans 4:4, 5). In contrast, Rome confuses justification with sanctification for in their scheme, only when a

man is fully sanctified will he be declared right with God (or justified). Yet Romans 5:1 declares that

justification is a past tense event for the believing Christian - having been justified by faith we have peace

with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:8, 9 also declares, “For by grace you have been saved

through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may

boast.” According to the Bible, for grace to truly be grace, works cannot be mixed in. Romans 11:6 says, “But if

it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.”

In contrast with all man made concepts, the Protestant Reformers heralded the message of "Sola Gratia," or

Grace Alone. There was no confusion as to the meaning of the term. Sola Gratia meant grace at the start,

grace to the end, grace in the middle, grace without fail, grace without mixture, grace without addition, grace

that allows no boasting, grace that precludes all glorying but in the Lord. All false concepts of grace would seek

to eliminate at least one of these clauses, but the biblical Gospel stands firm. Unless Grace Alone is understood

in this manner, man will always have some room for boasting.

The Reformers understood that man’s only contribution to the table of redemption is in fact his sin. Man’s will

is not a deciding factor (Romans 9:16) because it is inseparably linked with his heart which is desperately

wicked and while still in the flesh, he cannot submit to God (Rom 8:7,8). It takes a new heart - a regenerated

or born again heart - to enter or even see the kingdom of God (John 3). As Martin Luther said, “If any man

ascribes salvation, even the very least, to the free will of man, he knows nothing of grace, and he has not learnt

Jesus Christ aright.” Even though we are justified by simple faith, without any human works or human merit

involved, even this faith is the gift of God and not a reason for which to boast, for any boasting of man robs

God of His glory. The works we do are the fruit and not the root of our salvation. The fruit is necessary to

affirm that the faith is genuine, but Jesus Christ is the Savior who saves through faith alone - plus nothing!

Only when Sola Gratia is properly understood does Soli Deo Gloria (the fifth sola) maintain its integrity. The

issue has never been the necessity of grace, but the sufficiency of grace. All man made religion believes grace is

Sermon Series: Seizing the Solas Sola Gratia: Grace Alone

Ephesians 2:1-10

necessary but cannot embrace grace's sufficiency, and because of this, stands in opposition to the only Gospel

that saves.

Sola Gratia, Soli Deo Gloria. It is because God saves us by His Grace Alone that all the glory for it goes to God alone.

STEP ONE . . .

READING what the passage says

(Read it at least three times)

Ephesians 2:1-10 (ESV)

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world,

following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—

3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the

mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because

of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together

with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the

heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his

grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this

is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his

workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk

in them.

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THIS WEEK’S COMPLEMENTARY PASSAGE

Titus 2:11-15(ESV)

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,12 training us to renounce

ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present

age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus

Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people

for his own possession who are zealous for good works.15 Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with

all authority. Let no one disregard you.

STEP TWO . . . OBSERVING how the passage moves

Return to the passage and mark key words, phrases and movements:

• Circle all of the words in these passages that speak of the Triune God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit, etc.).

• Underline the significant verbs/action words in these passages.

• In Ephesians 2:1, underline the phrase: “you were dead in the trespasses and sins.”

• In Ephesians 2:4, highlight the phrase: “But God.”

• In Ephesians 2:4, underline the phrase: “being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he

loved us.”

• In Ephesians 2:5, underline the phrase: “made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been

saved.”

• In Ephesians2:7, underline the phrase: “he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace

in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

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STEP THREE . . .

Ask the five “W” questions and the one “H” question:

1. WHO is speaking? Who is this about? Who are the main characters? And, to whom is it speaking?

2. WHAT is the subject of the passage? What does the passage say about the subject?

3. WHEN do or will the events occur? When did something happen to a particular person, people, or nation?

4. WHERE did or will this happen?

5. WHY is something said or mentioned? Why would or will this happen? Why at this time? Why this person?

6. HOW will it happen? How is it to be done? How is it illustrated?

STEP FOUR . . .

UNDERSTANDING what the passage means

This commentary is intended to enhance your own study of the text.

Ephesians 2:1-10 (ESV)

2:1-Either verses 1–7 or 1–10 form one sentence in Greek,

with the main verb in v. 5. It is one sustained argument.

Paul’s presentation includes (1) the hopelessness, helpless-

ness, and spiritual lostness of all mankind, vv. 1-3; (2) the

unmerited grace of God, vv. 4-7; and (3) the necessary human

response, faith and life, vv. 8-10.

“You.” In Colossians and Ephesians this plural pronoun al-

ways refers to believing Gentiles.

“Were dead.” This word may also be rendered “being dead.” It

refers to spiritual death. The Bible speaks of three stages of

death: (1) spiritual death (cf. Gen. 2:17; 3; Isa. 59:2; Rom. 7;

10-11; James 1:15); (2) physical death (cf. Gen. 5); and (3)

eternal death, called “the second death” (cf. Rev. 2:11; 20:6,

14; 21:8).

“Trespasses.” This Greek term (paraptōma) means “falling to

one side” (cf. 1:7). All Greek words for “sins” are related to

the Hebrew concept of deviation from the standard of God’s

righteousness. The term “right,” “just,” and their derivatives

in Hebrew are from a construction metaphor for a measuring

reed. God is the standard. All humans deviate from that

standard (cf. Ps. 14:1-3; 5:9; 10:7; 36:1; 53:1-4; 140:3; Isa.

53:6; 59:7-8; Rom. 3:9-23; 1 Pet. 2:25).

“Sins.” This Greek term (hamartia) means “missing the

mark” (cf. 4:26). The two terms for sin in verse 1 are used as

synonyms to illustrate mankind’s fallen, estranged condition

(cf. Rom. 3:9, 19, 23; 11:32; Gal. 3:22).

2:2-“In which you once walked.”The Greek term that is trans-

lated as ‘walk’ is a biblical metaphor for one’s lifestyle.

“Following the course of this world.” This current fallen world

system is personified as an enemy (cf. Gal. 1:4). It is fallen

mankind attempting to meet all of their needs apart from

God. In John’s writing it is called “the world” (cf. 1 John 2:2,

15-17; 3:1, 13, 17; 4:1-17; 5:4, 5, 19) or “Babylon” (cf. Rev.

14:8; 16:19; 17:5; 18:2, 10, 21). In our modern terminology it

is called “atheistic humanism.”

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Following the prince of the power of the air.” This is the

second enemy of fallen mankind, Satan, the accuser.

Mankind is subjected to a personal angelic tempter (cf. Gen.

3, Job. 1-2, Zech. 3). He is called the ruler or god of this world

(cf. John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; 2 Cor. 4:4; 1 John 5:19). In the

New Testament the air is the realm of the demonic. The

lower air was viewed by the Greeks to be impure and

therefore the domain of evil spirits.

“The sons of disobedience.” This was a Hebrew idiom for

rebellion and settled character.

2:3-“Among whom we all once lived.” In Ephesians “we”

refers to the Jewish believers, in this case, Paul and his

ministry team. This Greek employs the passive voice which

emphasizes that fallen mankind was being manipulated by

outside evil spiritual forces, like Satan or the demonic,

mentioned in v.2 and 3:10; 6:12.

“In the passions of our flesh.”This is the third enemy of fallen

man. Although it is not listed in a grammatically parallel

structure (“according to …”) with the two enemies in v. 2, it is

a theological parallel. Mankind’s fallen, egocentric self is its

worst enemy (cf. Gal. 5:19-21). It twists and manipulates

everything and everyone to one’s own self-interest (cf. Rom.

7:14-25). Paul uses the term “flesh” in two distinct ways.

Only context can determine the distinction. In 2:11, 14; 5:29,

31; 6:5 and 12 it means “the human person,” not “the fallen

sin nature” as here.

“Carrying out the desires of the body and the mind.” This

verb in in the present tense and emphasizes continual, on-

going, habitual action. The human body and the mind are not

evil in and of themselves, but they are the battleground of

temptation and sin (cf. 4:17-19; Rom. 6 & 7).

“By nature.”This refers to mankind’s fallen, Adamic

propensities (cf. Gen. 3; Ps. 51:5; Job 14:4; Rom. 5:12-21; 7:14

-25). It is surprising that the rabbis in general do not

emphasize the fall of humanity in Gen. 3. They instead assert

that mankind has two intents (yetzers), one good, one bad.

Humans are dominated by their choices. There is a famous

rabbinical proverb: “Every man has a black and a white dog

in his heart. The one he feeds the most is the one that

becomes the biggest.” However, the New Testament presents

several theological reasons for mankind’s sin (1) the fall of

Adam, (2) willful ignorance and (3) sinful choices.

“Children of wrath.” This term is a Hebrew idiomatic phrase

used to refer to a person’s character. God is opposed to sin

and rebellion in His creation. The wrath of God is both

temporal (in time) and eschatological (at the end of time).

“Like the rest of mankind.” This refers to the lostness of all

humans; both Jew and Gentile (cf. Rom. 1:18-3:21). Paul

often uses the term “rest” to refer to the lost (cf. 1 Thess.

4:13; 5:6).

2:4-“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us.” There is such a dramatic switch

between the hopelessness and helplessness of vv. 1-3 and the

marvelous grace and mercy of God in vv. 4-7.

What a great truth! God’s mercy and love are the keys to

salvation (cf. v. 7). It is His character, not mankind’s

performance that offers a way of righteousness. It is

significant that God has loved us in the past and continues to

love us (cf. 1 John 4:10)!

2:5-“Even when we were dead in our trespasses.” This phrase

is parallel to v. 1a. Paul returns to his original thought after

his parenthetical thought (cf. vv. 1-3) about the lostness of

mankind. In the midst of our need, God acted in love (cf. Rom.

5:6, 8).

“Made us alive together with Christ.” This English phrase reflects one Greek word (suzōpoieō). This is the main verb of

the sentence which begins in v. 1. This is the first of three

compound verbs with the Greek preposition, syn which meant

“joint participation with.” Jesus was raised from the dead in

1:20 and believers have been quickened to spiritual life

through Him (cf. Col. 2:13). Believers are now truly alive with

Christ.

2:5-“By grace you have been saved.” This phrase meant that

believers have been saved in the past, by an outside agent,

with abiding results; “they have been and continue to be saved

by God.” This same construction is repeated in v. 8 for

emphasis.

2:6-“And raised us up with him.” This is the second of the verb

compounds with syn. Believers have already been raised with

Christ. Believers were buried with Him in baptism (cf. Col.

2:12) and raised with Him by the Father (cf. Col. 2:13) who

raised Jesus (raised by the Spirit in Rom. 8:11). These are

special redemptive analogies. Believers spiritually participate

in the major events of Jesus’ experience: crucifixion, death,

burial, resurrection and enthronement! Believers share His

life and suffering; they will also share His glory

(cf. Rom. 8:17)!

“And seated us with him.” This is the third of the verb

compounds with syn. Our position in Him is one of present, as

well as future, victory (cf. Rom. 8:37)! The concept of sitting

down with Him meant reigning with Him. Jesus is the King of

Kings sitting on the throne of God the Father and believers

are even now co-reigning with Him.

“In the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” This phrase is only

used in the book of Ephesians (cf. 1:20; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12) and

from the context of all of its usages, it must mean the spiritual

realm in which believers live here and now.

2:7- “So that in the coming ages.” The Jews believed in two

ages, the current evil age (Gal. 1:4) and the coming righteous

age. This New Age of righteousness would be inaugurated by

the coming of the Messiah in the power of the Spirit. This

implies that (1) there are at least two ages, or (2) the plural is

used to accentuate and magnify the coming age. This use of

the plural in a symbolic sense can be seen in the passages that

refer to the past “ages” (cf. Rom. 16:25; 1 Cor. 10:11; 2 Tim.

1:9; Titus 1:2). Some scholars believe this was simply a

metaphor for eternity because of the way the phrase was used

in secular Koine Greek and in several places in the New

Testament (cf. Luke 1:33, 55; John 12:34; Rom. 9:5; Gal. 1:5; 1

Tim. 1:17).

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“He might show.” God clearly manifested His own character

(cf. 1:5-7). This term means “to publicly display” (cf. Rom.

9:17, 22). God’s mercy and purpose in Christ are clearly

manifested to the angels by His treatment of fallen mankind

(cf. 3:10; 1 Cor. 4:9; 1 Pet. 1:12).

2:8- “For by grace.” Salvation is by the “grace” of God (cf.

Eph. 1:3-14). The character of God is revealed through His

mercy (cf. vv. 4-6). Believers are the trophies of His love.

Grace is best defined as the unmerited, undeserved love of

God. It flows from God’s nature through Christ and is irre-

spective of the worth or merit of the one loved.

“You have been saved.” This is also parallel with v. 5. Its

thrust is that “believers have been and continue to be” saved

by God. In the Old Testament the term “save” spoke of

“physical deliverance” (cf. James 5:15). In the New Testa-

ment this meaning has taken on a spiritual dimension. God

delivers believers from the results of sin and gives them eter-

nal life.

“Through faith.” Faith receives God’s free gift in Christ (cf.

Rom. 3:22, 25; 4:5; 9:30; Gal. 2:16; 1 Pet. 1:5). Mankind must

respond to God’s offer of grace and forgiveness in Christ (cf.

John 1:12; 3:16-17, 36; 6:40; 11:25-26; Rom. 10:9-13). God

deals with fallen mankind by means of a covenant. He always

takes the initiative (cf. John 6:44, 65) and sets the agenda

and the boundaries (cf. Mark 1:15; Acts 20:21). He allows

fallen mankind to participate in their own salvation by re-

sponding to His covenant offer. The mandated response is

initial and continuing faith, repentance, obedience, service,

worship, and perseverance. The term “faith” in the Old Testa-

ment is a metaphorical extension of a stable stance. It came

to denote that which is sure, trustworthy, dependable and

faithful. None of these describe even redeemed fallen man-

kind. It is not mankind’s trustworthiness, or faithfulness or

dependability, but God’s. We trust in His trustworthy prom-

ises, not our trustworthiness! Covenant obedience flows from

gratitude! The focus has always been on His faithfulness, not

the believers’ faith! Faith cannot save anyone. Only grace

saves, but it is received by faith. The focus is never on the

amount of faith (cf. Matt. 17:20), but on its object, namely

Jesus Christ.

“And this.” This phrase refers to the whole process of our sal-

vation in the finished work of Christ. There is another possi-

bility based on a similar grammatical construction in Phil.

1:28. If this is the case then this phrase relates to faith,

which is also a gift of God’s grace! Here is the mystery of

God’s sovereignty and human free will.

“Is not your own doing.” This is the first of three phrases

which clearly show that salvation is not based on human per-

formance: (1) “not of yourselves” v. 8; (2) “gift of God” v. 8;

and (3) “not as a result of works” v. 9.

“It is the gift of God.”This is the essence of grace-love with no

strings attached (cf. Rom. 3:24; 6:23). The paradox of salva-

tion as both a free gift and a mandated covenant response are

difficult to grasp. Yet both are true! Salvation is truly free,

yet costs everything. Most biblical doctrines are presented as

tension-filled pairs of truths (security vs. perseverance, faith

vs. works, God’s sovereignty vs. human free will, predestina-

tion vs. human response and transcendence vs. immanence).

2:9- “Not a result of works.” Salvation is not by merit (cf.

Rom. 3:20, 27-28; 9:11, 16; Gal. 2:16; Phil 3:9; 2 Tim. 1:9; Ti-

tus 3:5). This stands in direct contrast to the doctrine pro-

moted by the false teachers.

“So that no one may boast.” Salvation is by God’s grace, not

human effort, so there is no room for human glorying (cf.

Rom. 3:27; 4:2). If believers boast, let them boast in Christ

(cf. 1 Cor. 1:31).

2:10- “For we are his workmanship.” The English word

“poem” comes from this Greek term (poiēma). This word is

only used two times in the New Testament, here and Rom.

1:20. This is the believers’ position in grace. They are para-

doxically His finished product which is still in process!

“Created in Christ Jesus.”This means that the Spirit forms

believers through Christ’s ministry by the will of the Father

(cf. 1:3-14). This act of a new spiritual creation is described in

the same terms used of the initial creation in Genesis (cf. 3:9;

Col. 1:16).

“For good works.” Believers’ lifestyles after they meet Christ

are an evidence of their salvation (cf. James and I John).

They are saved by grace through faith unto works! They are

saved to serve! Faith without works is dead, as are works

without faith (cf. Matt. 7:21-23 and James 2:14-26). The goal

of the Father’s choice is that believers be “holy and blame-

less” (cf. 1:4). Paul was often attacked for his radically free

gospel because it seemed to encourage godless living. A gos-

pel so seemingly unconnected to moral performance must

lead to abuse. Paul’s gospel was free in the grace of God, but

it also demanded an appropriate response, not only in initial

repentance, but in ongoing repentance. Godly living is the

result, not lawlessness. Good works are not the mechanism of

salvation, but the result. This paradox of a completely free

salvation and a cost-everything response is difficult to com-

municate, but the two must be held in a tension-filled bal-

ance. American individualism has distorted the gospel. Hu-

mans are not saved because God loves them so much indi-

vidually, but because God loves fallen mankind, mankind

made in His image. He saves and changes individuals to

reach more individuals. The ultimate focus of love is primar-

ily corporate (cf. John 3:16), but it is received individually (cf.

John 1:12; Rom. 10:9-13; 1 Cor. 15:1).

“Which God prepared beforehand.”This strong term (pro +

hetoimos, “to prepare before”) relates to the theological con-

cept of predestination (cf. 1:4–5, 11) and is used only here

and in Rom. 9:23. God chose a people to reflect His character.

Through Christ, the Father has restored His image in fallen

mankind (cf. Gen. 1:26-27).

Resource for Commentary: Robert James Utley’s Study Guide

Commentary Series from Logos software.

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STEP FIVE …

SUMMARIZING the message

It’s a fundamental truth that we are saved by grace alone and not by anything we do. We can’t earn our way into heaven. This

truth, however, was once lost and people were deceived into believing they had to work their way into heaven by the accumula-

tion of merit. Many people still believe that today. It can’t by any further from the truth. In this message, we’re going to look at

the shocking truth of Sola Gratia as explained by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:1-10.

These words, first scribed by the Apostle Paul, were restated in one way or another by the tireless focus of the Reformers. They

saw the truth of Sola Gratia plainly revealed in Scripture, understood how it was directly related to the majesty and character

of God, and expressed how it captured the heart of the gospel. As the church prior to the Reformation replaced the biblical truth

of Sola Gratia with sacramental merit and a host of human mediators instead of Christ, grace was forgotten and the reality that

it creates was lost.

God’s Character Our Problem God’s Provision Our Response

A Grace Alone church takes …

Sin seriously.

Christ seriously.

Assurance seriously.

The corporate gathering of the church seriously.

The Bible seriously.

Preaching seriously.

Prayer seriously. A gospel-culture seriously.

Good works seriously.

STEP SIX …

EXPLORING the passage through discussion

Please try and read the entire passage before gathering with your Growth Group.

Questions

1. Define Sola Gratia or Grace Alone. Why do you think it is still important today?

2. Why is Sola Gratia a difficult doctrine for people to accept? What different “slogans” or ideas does our culture communi-

cate that flies in the face of Sola Gratia?

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3. In what ways do people try to earn salvation? Before you became a disciple of Jesus, how did you think salvation was

possible, if you even cared?

4. What do we learn about the nature of sin from the description of our spiritual deadness in Ephesians 2:1-3? Are people

really ‘dead’ spiritually? Are some people more ‘dead’ than others?

5. What motivated God to save us from our sin and its effects? (v.4).

6. According to verses 6-7, what is God’s end game in His work of redemption?

7. What role do the following three truths play in our redemption?

God’s grace.

Our faith.

Our works.

8. How would you answer this question: Are our good works necessary for our salvation? If we are not saved by our good

works, why in the world would we ever be motivated to do good works?

9. Review the marks of a Grace Alone church on the previous page. In what areas do you and your family, your Growth

Group, and our church need to take more seriously and why?

STEP SIX . . .

APPLYING the passage to my life

Our desire is to not be merely hearers of the Word but doers ~ James 1:22

When you apply God’s Word, you are thinking about what God might be saying to you through the Scriptures. Application in-

volves action. Application makes your reading become a reality in your own life. Make your applications specific (state who,

what & when). You are encouraged to use the S.P.E.C.K. method to apply God’s Word to your life. Remember that each passage

of Scripture may not lend itself to answering all five of these questions.

S - SINS to confess and avoid (Are there sinful actions, attitudes, or thoughts that you need to confess to God

based upon your study of these Scriptures?)

P - PROMISES to claim (List God’s promises for you from these Scriptures.)

Sermon Notes:

© The Abide in Me Bible study series is written by the pastoral staff of Loudonville Community Church, 374 Loudon Road, Loudonville, NY 12211 (www.lcchurch.org)

Sunday, November 12 thru Saturday, November 18

Matthew 27, Mark 15,; Luke 23, John 18-19; Matthew 28,

Mark 16; Luke 24, John 20-21; Acts 1-3; Acts 4-6; Acts 7-8

##asithappenedasithappened

(one(one--year chronological walk through the Bible)year chronological walk through the Bible)

Memory Verse Ephesians 2:8-9

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing;

it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

E - EXAMPLES to follow (What examples, for right thinking or right actions, can you take for you own life from

these Scriptures?)

C - COMMANDS to obey (List God’s commands for you from these Scriptures and seek to be obedient to them.)

K - KNOWLEDGE of God to apply (God’s character is visible throughout the Scriptures as an example to us.

What attributes and/or attitudes does God display that you can apply to your own life?)