Ephesians 2:1-10 makes it clear that we are not saved by our good works, but were saved that we may do good works. Join Dr. Marty Baker as he preaches his first Labor Day sermon and paints a beautiful picture of how we are Saved to Serve.
President Grover Cleveland instituted Labor Day as a national holiday in 1894. What is its purpose? To remember and reflect on the hard work Americans have given to make their lives and this great country prosperous. As Christians who adhere to the biblical concept of hard work, we reflect that work ethic that has benefitted us, our families, and this country, and rightfully, we pause to rest and enjoy this core commitment of greatness and blessing.
Apart from our responsibility to enjoy our physical labor to sustain our lives and positively impact our culture, as believers, we are responsible for asking ourselves, “What does the Lord require of my spiritual labor?” Paul, a tentmaker who knew how to work hard with his hands, also understood the importance of working hard for God. In chapter two of Ephesians, verses 1 through 10, the apostle gives us insight into the answer to my question. Yes, we should be known in our communities as people who love labor; however, we must also be known as those who are not afraid to roll up our sleeves for work that brings a smile of approval to God’s face.
Paul develops his answer to the question above by guiding our thinking through three stages. In verses 1 through 3, he first addresses . . .
Who You Used To Be (Eph. 2:1-3)
If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, you will thoroughly understand these words for they tell your life story:
1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. (Eph. 2)
The verbiage, “you were dead,” is translated as a past tense because it describes our spiritual condition before salvation. The verb, however, is a present tense participle. It is ontas (ὄντας), which is from the verb “to be.” As such, it can be grammatically classified as a gnomic present that denotes a timeless truth. We were, prior to conversion, in a perpetual state of spiritual death. When did we die? When Adam and Eve fell in the Garden of Eden. Their sin became our sin. Their judgment became our judgment. Paul develops this point in Romans chapter 5:
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned– (Rom. 5)
Some will say this is unfair, but it is not. We use this kind of judgment in sports. When a lineman is drawn offside, who is punished? Just the lineman? No, the entire team experiences the referee’s judgment for the lineman’s willful infraction. So, it is true in our world that one’s actions can impact many.
As sinners, we naturally show who we are by engaging in “trespasses and sins.” Trespass is from the Greek word paraptoma (παράπτωμα). This word speaks of our proclivity to disregard God’s Word and laws to do what we want. By way of illustration, consider what happened to me in Junior High. We had free time to explore the countryside at Junior High winter camp in the mountains outside of San Diego. My friend Donnie and I went to the camp’s outer perimeter to see what was out there. We bumped into a barbed wire fence. Hanging on the fence was a sign that read, “No Trespassing.” We disregarded the sign, climbed over the wire, and began to walk on forbidden ground. When we spotted a large, muscular bull with horns in a clearing, we quickly returned to the protective fence and climbed to safety. Trespassing always comes with a negative outcome. Adam and Eve’s trespass led to our spiritual deaths, and that status is now verified in our love of disregarding God’s protective rules and regulations.
Our dead status is also seen in our “sins.” The Greek word here is hamartia (ἁμαρτία). Literally, in ancient times, it denoted an archer who missed the target with his arrow. Logically, this became used to speak of sin, for what is sin but a complete miss, and willfully so, of God’s target of holy behavior. God says: do not lie, so we lie. God says not to use filthy communication, so we use it anyway. God says: remain sexually pure until marriage, but we think of all kinds of rationalizations as to why that cramps our style. So, before knowing Christ as your Savior, our spiritually dead state was easily seen in our lifestyles.
With verses 2 through 3, Paul drills down even further into who we used to be before Christ redeemed us.
2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. (Eph. 2)
“Walking” denotes our former way of life. As spiritually dead people, cut off from life with God, our sinful activity was tied to three things.
One, the wicked world dominated us from without. Its vacuous values, ideologies, progressive thinking, lies, and love appealed to and motivated us. They partied, we partied. They trashed the character of moral people; we joined in. They drank too much; we thought this was a great idea. They viewed way too much porno; we agreed with them that this was just a harmless adult pleasure. They hated certain people, so we hated to be accepted. You remember the drill.
Two, the Devil, who is the god of this godless age (2 Cor. 4:4), dominated us from beyond or from his dimension as the leader of the demonic beings who encircle the air of the earth. Under his constant direction, his angelic troops moved us to oppose God’s person (1 John 3:7-15), to embrace counterfeit systems of truth (2 Thess. 2:8-11), enjoy his work in deceiving nations into hating God, God’s truth, and God’s people (Rev. Dan. 2:31-45; 7:1-12; 20:3), and celebrate ingrained evil lifestyles (Eph. 2:1-3) . . . to name a few. Where do you think the deconstruction you witness in our nation comes from? It originates with the Devil and is filtered down to the rest of us through people who listen to him. Talking about all the evil he sees in our country the other day, Dan Bongino, a secular talk show host, essentially said, “Folks, what we are dealing with is a spiritual problem caused by an evil being.” He could not be more fitting.
The Devil is working overtime in the “sons of disobedience.” The daily news shows you this much if you are paying attention.
- Leaders lie outright, even when they know we know the facts state the contrary.
- Criminals enjoy being repeat offenders because the legal system is corrupt and fails to prosecute and incarcerate them.
- Computer hackers steal other people’s private information and use it to enrich themselves, and these folks are never caught and brought to justice.
- More and more stores are encasing their goods under protective and locked sheets of plexiglass to put a stop to those who believe they are entitled to a five-finger discount. Some stores will not even let you shop if you do not have an employee escort.
- Hypocrisy is a pervasive cancer. Those who scream for the rights of all people waste no time showing their hatred of Jews.
The list is an ever-expanding reality; moral, God-fearing people can see it. Some are negatively impacted by it as they surrender to the temptation to act disobediently to be accepted.
Three, the lust of our flesh dominated us from within. Like a powerful magnet, our lustful desires pulled us in all kinds of evil directions in our bid to rebel against God. We wanted more but could not afford it, so we charged up our charge cards. We were bored with our mates because we were incompatible after seven years of marriage, so we started flirting. We did not want to pay more tax, so we did not tell the IRS about all that extra under-the-table income we made. We wanted a house we could not afford but stretched and purchased it anyway. We loved a particular drug to take away the pain of our lives, so we enjoyed its effectiveness and graduated to other drugs. Why, we even used our position as a pharmacist to self-medicate to remain “healthy.” Again, you remember the drill. All three areas dominated you because you were spiritually dead, but you thought you were alive and living life to the fullest. Satan, of course, had thoroughly blinded you to your predicament (2 Cor. 4:4).
Because sin not only gave us death while it dominated us, we rightfully were under God’s holy wrath, as Paul states in verse 3.
. . . and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. (Eph. 2)
Those who reject Christ and His Word and ways are destined for eternal judgment despite what the culture tells them. Paul talks about this also in his letter to the Romans:
5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 He will render to each one according to his works . . . (Rom. 2).
The spiritually dead are merely living large while they unknowingly make deposits in God’s vault of wrath. One day, God says, “It is time for judgment.”
All of this describes who we used to be. We were spiritually dead. We loved sin (Rom. 3). We rejected God. We embraced evil when given the opportunity. We were utterly incapable of doing anything to salvage ourselves from our spiritually dead status. It sounds hopeless, but that was, and is, not the end of the story. Paul purposefully painted a dire and dark spiritual situation to showcase the wonder and work of Jesus Christ on behalf of sinners. First, he laid out the black velvet nature of our sin, but then he turned and laid down the sparkling diamond beauty of the redemptive work of our Lord. This is illustrated in how Paul describes . . .
Who You Are Now (Eph. 2:4-9)
As believers in the resurrected Lord Jesus, we are not the same people anymore. Yes, our new spiritual condition is not because of anything we have done but because of what He has done. Physically dead people cannot initiate anything. I have been with many dead people, and they cannot breathe, see, hear, think, or move because death encompasses their whole being and body. Spiritually, the same is true. Our spiritually dead status left us in a hopeless situation we could do nothing about because we lacked the capacity to facilitate change of any kind.
God, however, had a different plan, and Paul introduced it here with the contrastive word “but.” God looked at our spiritually dead status and responded profoundly.
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, 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,
God’s mercy and love for His helpless, spiritually dead creatures motivated Him to give us the prospect of spiritual life by means of permitting our faith to wed us to the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. Our radical dead spiritual status could only be overcome by the radical death and resurrection of Jesus, the Redeemer and Savior. Because He was, and is, alive, He alone is equipped to grant spiritual life where there is spiritual death. All of this, of course, was His work, not ours. Paul underscores this with a parenthetical statement . . . “by grace you have been saved.” Your moral life, your money, your position and power, your adherence to religious works, and your relation to godly or religious parents did not move you from spiritual death to spiritual life. No. Spiritual life and salvation from spiritual death and the future prospect of divine wrath came solely by means of God’s grace.
God loved you when you were His avowed enemy. Paul reminds us of this truth in Romans 5:
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. (Rom. 5)
When you opposed Him, He left the glory of heaven to die for your sin and rise again from the grave so that your death might be replaced with a life of an eternal, spiritual nature. He did not have to do what He did, but his love for you motivated Him to do the hard thing. That, my friend, is grace. The wonder of God’s grace, as showcased in the person and redemptive work of Jesus, is showcased in the old hymn Grace Greater Than All Our Sin.
Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary’s mount out-poured–
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.
Refrain:
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!
His grace is marvelous because He poured it all over those who did not deserve it but desperately needed it.
Now, we who were spiritually dead are spiritually alive forevermore. This is what Paul means in the first part of verse 6:
6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus,
First, at the moment we, by faith, embraced and accepted His grace, He raised us from spiritual death to life. Further, God did not stop there. Because we were now “in Christ Jesus,” positionally speaking, He “seated us with Him in the heavenly places.” What does this cryptic clause mean? It means that while we are physically here on earth, it is as if we have a spiritual seat in heaven near Him. No, we are not there presently, but we are there insofar as our Lord is seated on His throne. So, because He is on His glorious throne, it is as if we are, too. This promise will be realized one day when the Lord brings us to our heavenly home. In the meantime, we should be encouraged and awed by what our spiritual life gives us.
But there is more.
Why did God do all of this for us? The opening phrase “in order that” is one preposition in Greek. It is the word hina (ἵνα), and here it introduces us to the purpose of God giving the spiritually dead the prospects of spiritual life:
7 in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Throughout eternity, God wants to blow our minds with the immensity of his grace and kindness, as shown in Christ Jesus. Once there, we will understand how mind-boggling it is that He who is holy determined to sacrifice Himself so that our sins can be forgiven. There will never be a moment as you enjoy the wonders of heaven, the heavenly city, and the new cosmos when you are not simply overcome with the wonder that you are there by His grace and kindness.
A few weeks ago, I stood on the 10,500 peak of one of the Grand Tetons. Stretching before me were green, lush valleys, lofty mountain peaks in the distance, and the life-giving Snake River meandering through the valley floor. Behind me, I saw jagged rocks rising to great heights and more spectacular, uninhabited valleys. Indeed, in that moment, it was all about worshipping the Lord who made this beauty. Moreover, this is on this old earth that is negatively impacted by sin. What will heaven be like? What will we see there? One thing will be true: just as you stand on a lofty earthly mountain peak and sense the awe of God, coupled with the privilege of being able to stand there, so, too, in heaven, will you be overcome with God’s presence and a deep, humbling sense of your gratitude for the price He paid for you to stand there. Moreover, it is a feeling of gratitude that will never fade, for it will stretch out into eternity.
Paul reminds us again of how spiritual death was/is replaced with life in verses 8 through 9:
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, that no one should boast. (Eph. 2).
God’s grace gave you life where there was death. You did not earn His favor. On the contrary, He showed you His favor because He loved you enough to go to the cross for you. You did not merit His loving grace that gave you spiritual life. You did not earn it by attending church, doing religious works, saying memorized prayers, giving God your tithes and offerings, or striving to be moral. Nothing you could have done could have secured His grace. Out of love for you, He showed you His grace through His cross and resurrection.
Once you understood you were spiritually dead and the wonder of His grace, that faith you placed in Him to save you and give you spiritual life did just that instantaneously (2 Cor. 5:17). It was His priceless spiritual gift to you. You did nothing to earn it because you were dead. The gift of life came from the Lord of Life, who sacrificed His holy life and then picked it up again. Based on all of this, Paul is quite right. Spiritual life can never be a result of our efforts. If it were, we, prideful by nature, would boast about our works. “Say, look, Lord, at how many candles I have lit at church in my lifetime. Consider how many less fortunate people I helped. Lord, do not overlook all the times I made sure I attended worship.” God does not care about our works because they originate from a spiritually dead person. All He cares about is the gracious work of His Son on Calvary and at the tomb.
Those who understand this, by faith, move from death to life. If that is you, you know who you used to be and who you are now spiritually. If this is not you, if you are still clinging to your works and not His work, then today is the day you need to realize you are spiritually dead and in need of new life that can only come from God’s gracious, nail-scared hand.
It stands to reason that since God gives spiritual life to those formerly dead, they should thank Him and ask Him, “Lord, why did you save me? What is my purpose now?” That question is answered in the climax of this magnificent passage.
What You Are Supposed to Be Doing (Eph. 2:10)
Paul started with a harsh, negative reality: We are all born spiritually dead, incapable of giving life to ourselves. Here, Paul tells us what we should do once our faith gives spiritual life to our bodies.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Eph. 2)
Each believer is God’s unique creation. The Greek word “workmanship,” according to Danker’s lexicon, speaks of something produced with a focus on functionality. Translated, anyone who creates something expects it to work. Whether you build an engine for an airplane or a custom dirt bike, you expect it to work. If you purchase something someone else has created, you expect it to work again. A La Specialista Maestro Expresso Machine is designed to crank out fantastic coffee drinks for $1,199.95. If you purchase a $1,700 Aventon Level 2 electric bike, you expect it to work because that is what it is designed to do.
God is no different. He did not just save us and give us life where death had reigned supremely. No, He saved us so we, His unique creation, can fulfill the reason for our creation. What is our purpose? What did He create me for? How about you? What is the specific reason for your creation? Paul’s answer is clear: You were created as a saint for the purpose of doing good works that God set aside for you to accomplish long before He created the cosmos. You might need to read that again. He saved you so that you can serve Him through good works.
What are good works? That is a sermon series in and of itself. Giving food to the poor is good work. So, too, is watching a young couple’s children so they can have a much-needed date. Even though it might be inconvenient, visiting the sick is good work. Sitting with a friend who is dying from a disease is good work, as is helping widows with their various practical needs when their husbands die. God has carefully fashioned us as saints to work to perform good works constantly. How are you faring? Are you fulfilling the Lord’s call upon your life this Labor Day?
Let me make this more practical.
Obviously, God determined in times past that at this juncture, He would bless this particular church’s growth profoundly. We have enjoyed numerical and spiritual growth we can only attribute to Him for several years. That growth continues. For instance, we had the most children from birth to sixth grade in Sunday School last Sunday. Five hundred and forty-nine children were here, which continues to grow. We are experiencing the same divinely designed growth throughout the entire church, whether it is people coming to worship or youth attending events designed for them.
Since God has ordained the growth, I know He has also ordained that you, as a saint, will be moved to ask, “Lord, I am saved, but where do you want me to serve? Where would you have me work?” You were not saved to sit and soak. You were saved to serve and sizzle for the Lord. And when you serve, as many of our dedicated saints do, you will be blessed because you know you are living as God designed you to. Sure, you can and should do good works in the community, because that is what the Lord did. However, your focus should also be on this body of believers, so we function as we should. Right now, there are many people and few workers. I trust that after this sermon, our workers will be many.
Today is our spiritual Labor Day. It is the day we recognize the hard-working saints who make this local church prosperous. It is also the day we challenge other saints to fulfill their divine design by stepping forward to serve. To help you, we have placed a sheet of paper on your chair as you came in this morning. It details the various areas where you can get involved. Pray about what the Lord who redeemed you has designed for you to do. Then, access the QR code and prayerfully consider where God would have you serve. Check the appropriate boxes, fill in the pertinent personal information, and send the data to our team. They will take that info and have an appropriate team leader contact you so you can get on with service to the body of Christ we call BCC.
For those of you who realize that you are not saved because you have attempted to come to God your way, not His, I challenge you to bow in repentant, trusting faith right now. The moment you do, His rich grace and mercy will wash all over you, leaving you spiritually clean for all time while also enjoying a new relationship with your Creator and Savior.
