unmerited favor

Ephesians 2:1-10

/ kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

No Brag. Just Fact.

Ephesians 2:1-10

Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. – Ephesians 2:9 NLT

These first ten verses of chapter two of Ephesians are some of the richest, deepest and most profound words found in the entire Bible. In them, we have a succinct summary of the Gospel and its impact on the lives of men. Paul seems to be trying to get the Ephesian believers to understand just how marvelous this gift is that they had received. He has already told them that he prays for them constantly, asking God to give them spiritual wisdom and insight so that they might grow to know God better. He regularly prays that they understand the great power available to them because of Christ’s death and resurrection. Now he wants them to understand the unbelievable, radical nature of their salvation experience.

First, he reminds them of their pre-conversion condition. It is not a pretty picture, but it aptly and honestly describes the state of every human being who has ever lived – until they come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior. “Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil — the commander of the powers in the unseen world” (Ephesians 2:1-2 NLT). Paul doesn’t mince words, because he wants them to understand just how bad things were before Christ entered their lives. They had been spiritually dead – completely incapable of doing anything good. In fact, they had been under the control of Satan himself, just like every other human being who lives apart from Christ. As a result, they were controlled by their sin natures, unable to do anything but give in to their own sinful desires and passions. And their sinful lifestyles placed them directly under the wrath of God. God is holy and righteous and must deal with sin in a manner consistent with His character. Sin is ultimately rebellion against God and His divine will. And as a righteous King, He must punish that rebellion.

But …

That word is incredibly significant. It sets up an incredible juxtaposition that vividly illustrates the amazing transformation that takes place in the life of the individual who finds themselves suddenly standing in a right relationship with God. Paul reminds the believers of the bad news, so that they might truly appreciate the good news. “But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) (Ephesians 2:4-5 NLT).

But God …

Notice those words. It doesn’t say, “But man…”  No, it starts with God, because the entire story of man’s salvation begins and ends with God. It was His plan. It required His Son. It is based on His love, grace and mercy. It depends on the power of His Holy Spirit. He is the one who gives new life. He is the one who extends mercy. He is the one who saves, forgives, redeems, and restore. It has nothing to do with us. All we bring to the relationship is our sin. We have nothing about us that even remotely deserves or earns God’s favor or love. He loves us in spite of us. God saves us by His grace, and we can’t take credit for anything. “Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it” (Ephesians 2:9 NLT). And boast about it we would. Even now, with all we understand about God’s grace, we still try to take some kind of credit for our salvation. We somehow think we really did deserve it in some way. We were better than most. We had lived fairly decent lives. God looked down and saw something redeemable and loveable about us. But Paul says, “No!” Salvation is NOT a reward. It is undeserved and completely unmerited. It is the work of God – completely.

When it comes to man’s salvation, God gets the glory because God does all the work. He did for man what man could not do for himself. “So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7 NLT). We are, in a way, trophies that reflect the amazing grace of God. Every individual who has ever been transformed from death to life, from slavery to sin to freedom in Christ, from condemned to pardoned, is a testimony to the incredible grace, love, and mercy of God. “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT). No brag. Just fact.

Father, thank You for this timely reminder today. I need to hear this every day of my life. I need to be reminded over and over again of the reality of who I was before You chose to redeem and restore me to a right relationship with You. I was nothing. I was dead in my sins. I was a slave to the enemy and in direct rebellion against You. I deserved death. But You gave me life. I deserved condemnation. But You showed me grace. I deserved wrath. But You showered me with Your love and mercy. I once was lost but now I’m found. Thanks to YOU! Amen.

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

2 Corinthians 4:1-7

/ kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

Jars of Clay.

2 Corinthians 4:1-7

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. – 2 Corinthians 4:7 NLT

Paul was anything but a braggart. He had plenty of credentials, a great education, spotless pedigree, and a sterling resume, but he didn’t put a lot of stock in those things. In fact, in his letter to the Philippian believers, Paul had this to say about all his accomplishments, “I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done” (Philippians 3:7 NLT). Paul had a unique perspective when it came to his role and relative value regarding the work of the Kingdom of God. While others might want to brag about their importance and highlight their accomplishments for Christ, Paul was content just being used by God to spread the message of salvation. He was a tool in the hands of God. He was nothing more than a messenger of the Good News. He didn’t use coercion, flowery words, persuasive speech, trickery, deception, or showmanship to attract followers and impress men. He didn’t practice self-promotion or try to pad his reputation. “We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5 NLT). Paul had a singular message and that was Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. He viewed himself as simply a conduit of that message. Paul’s life was nothing more than a lens through which the light of Jesus Christ shone out. He lived to magnify Christ and to let the glory of His Savior shine on those who lived in darkness just as he once had.

Paul saw himself as a fragile clay jar – a common, ordinary household jar made of unbaked clay. There was nothing about Paul’s life that made him any more valuable or worthy of God’s love and Christ’s salvation than anyone else. He was frail and fallible. He was unimpressive and undeserving of the grace and mercy that had been given to Him through Jesus Christ. And yet, he had received the light of Jesus Christ into his life. The glory and power of God resided in him. Paul never ceased to be amazed at the significance of this reality. He was constantly blown away that God had chosen to take up residence in his life and displayed His power through him. For Paul, it was never about his accomplishments or capabilities, but what God was doing through him. He knew that God was doing the work, not himself, so He had no problem giving God the credit.

It is not the value of the container that matters, but the contents. Paul told Timothy, “In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use. If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:20-21 NLT). The context of this statement had to do with cleansing ourselves of any godless behavior that would bring dishonor to God. Paul was encouraging Timothy to keep his “vessel” pure. He wanted Timothy to understand the importance of keeping himself pure and avoiding godless behavior. It is God’s presence in our lives that give us value and worth, not our “container.” It is His glory that must shine through us. Too often, we want to impress others with the value of our vessel. We worry way too much about what others think about us than who they see in us. It was John the Baptist who said of Jesus, “He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less” (John 3:30 NLT). That was the attitude of Paul, and that needs to increasingly become the attitude of every one of us as believers. We are common, ordinary clay jars containing the glory of God and allowing the light of Jesus Christ to shine through the cracks of our sin-fractured lives.

Father, it still amazes me that You chose to redeem me. I know that I bring nothing to the table that qualifies me for Your grace and mercy. I have no value or worth that merits the gift of Your Son. I am a fragile, fractured clay jar, but You have placed Your Spirit within me and are allowing Your glory and power to flow through me. That truly is amazing and humbling. Amen.

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org