Eph 2:7 | KingComments | STEP | . The words “so that” indicate that what is now being described is the goal of the previous verses. After you’ve seen to which high position you were taken by God – seated in the heavenly places in Christ – you will now see why God gave you that position. With receiving that high place your blessings haven’t finished. There is far more to be expected by you. There will be a time, that is called here “the ages to come”, that the whole world shall see what God has done to you. At the moment this is all a mystery for the world, as it is said in Colossians 3: “And your life is hidden with Christ in God” ( ). It will be different in the ages to come, because right after that it is said: “When Christ who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory” ( ; ). Then “the surpassing riches of His grace” will be visible. In Ephesians 1 we also saw “the riches of His grace” ( ). There you have seen what you already have received, such as redemption and forgiveness. But everything you already have, will be displayed by God to the entire creation. That makes ‘the riches of His grace’ ( ) the ‘surpassing riches of His grace’ ( ). also speaks of God’s grace, but first I want to look with you at “His grace in kindness toward us”. If you are fully aware of all this it makes you small. Kindness is the riches of God’s goodness which is in His heart and is being expressed through His actions. And hasn’t that kindness come toward us, toward you and me and every other child of God? Who were the ‘us’? People who first were depraved, dead sinners; insignificant small creatures who hated God; who dared to lay their dirty hands on their Creator; who abused Him, scourged and mocked Him and spat in His face; who nailed Him to the cross and after they erected it, even there mocked Him and challenged Him to come down from the cross to make Him prove that He was Who He said He was: the Son of God. In this way you and I have treated Him and so killed Him. That was you and me. And ‘us’ He has blessed with such blessings! Can you imagine greater grace? Eternity will not be too long to worship Him for that. And due to Whom will we be the representatives of God’s kindness in the ages to come? It is the Lord Jesus, as it is “in Christ Jesus” that God will show us His rich grace in the ages to come. . It is all grace! Again Paul returns to this point. There is not a thing from man involved, regarding this point. Even faith is called here a gift from God. It all fits with the content of the letter in which everything comes from God. If man would say: ‘But I have contributed to receiving the blessings, after all I have believed, haven’t I?’ then Paul takes away this argument. Even faith is a work of God; He worked that in us. You could say: grace is the basis, the starting point for God to bless us, while faith is the way along which, or the means through which, He could give us that blessing. Actually, with ‘the gift of God’ not only ‘the faith’ is meant. That came from the reply I received from Gerard Kramer (an expert in the Greek original text) to my question what the word “it” refers to in the phrase “it is the gift of God”. Does it refer to what is right before that phrase, “through faith”, or does it refer to further back, “for by grace you have been saved”? His reply was: The interesting thing is, there is no ‘it’ in the Greek original. Literally it is said: “and that [neuter] not of yourselves, of God the gift”. So the words “yourselves” and “God” are in contrast with each other. That’s why the question should be answered to which the former “that” (neuter) refers. The word “faith” is feminine. That’s why you could say that the meaning of ‘that’ (and so of ‘it’) goes a little further and that they both refer to by grace (also a feminine word!) you have been saved through faith. [End of reply.] The blessing is called here “have been saved”. The original meaning of this word is: to arrive in a safe place right through all dangers. When Paul says here that we have been saved, it means that we have, as it were, already arrived safely. Also that fits with this letter. Saved here means the spiritual and eternal salvation, including all blessings that God gives to everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus. Faith is not present in the heart of the natural man. The weed, that comes out of the heart of the natural man, is described to us in details in Romans 3 ( ). Faith is not a wild plant or a plant that runs wild, but a beautiful flower that cannot be pulled out anymore if it is once planted by the heavenly Father. It is impossible to take away ‘the gift of God’. What He gives remains of Him and therefore remains in eternity. . To exclude all misunderstanding, the apostle adds to it that it is “not as a result of works”. Through my own works it is impossible to receive God’s blessing. How could you expect any activity from a corpse – we were after all dead in trespasses and sins? Everything has to come from God and indeed it happened like that. Concerning man, we must say that all boast is excluded. That boast belongs to God alone. . Does the previous verse mean that ‘works’ don’t count at all to the believer? To that question there is a clear answer, again entirely in accordance with the content of the letter. It is about a totally different kind of works than what the law requires from man. The works of the law are given to sinful people in order to enable them to deserve life. The principle of the law has nothing to do with grace and faith, but with achievements that are to be expected from a sinful person: “However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, “HE WHO PRACTICES THEM SHALL LIVE BY THEM”” ( ). Here in the letter to the Ephesians, however, it is about works that are the result of our salvation. They are the result of the fact that we are a new creation, “for we are His [i.e. God’s] workmanship”. Indeed, as natural human beings we are also His workmanship: “And the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground” ( ). He is our Creator, Who “is mindful that we are [but] dust” ( ). Or as how Elihu puts it: “I too have been formed out of the clay” ( ). In this letter, however, it is about what we have become as new people. And just as Adam in no way had contributed to his own creation, we neither have contributed in any way to become a new creation. And just as Adam received the commandment to work, we as new creations also have to work. The works that God expects from us as new people, again fits with the content of this letter. You don’t have to rack your brain over what you should do. God already had thoughts about that when He thought of you in eternity. Just as He had predestined you for sonship ( ), He also had prepared good works beforehand that you should walk in them. Your position finds its origin there in eternity and also your good works find their origin there. You see that here it is about works that were already prepared before the law was given. It is one of the proofs which show that a believer, who belongs to the church, has nothing to do with the law; the law cannot be a rule of life to him. The law is destined for man who belongs to the earth, the old creation. The believer doesn’t belong to the earth anymore, but, as a new creation, to heaven. There he is already seated in Christ, as someone who is “created in Christ Jesus”, Who is seated by God at His right hand in the heavenly places ( ). What is said here of ‘good works’ makes clear that the believer is not only seen as in the heavenly places, but that at the same time he is also on earth amidst the old creation. He is someone who can realize heavenly matters in daily life on earth, the old creation. It is about ‘good’ works, meaning that the Christian from God is given to do things that are to the benefit of his environment. For a Christian who recognizes these works, life will lose all convulsiveness. What is more simple than to walk in the works in which God already has provided and thereby only to trust on His grace? In short, walking in good works consists of the following: to show on earth Who the glorified Christ is in heaven. In the chapters 4 and 5 this will be developed further. Now read Ephesians 2:7-10 again. Reflection: What demonstrates the riches of God’s grace?

‏ Ephesians 2:7

Saved by Grace

Eph 2:7. The words “so that” indicate that what is now being described is the goal of the previous verses. After you’ve seen to which high position you were taken by God – seated in the heavenly places in Christ – you will now see why God gave you that position. With receiving that high place your blessings haven’t finished. There is far more to be expected by you. There will be a time, that is called here “the ages to come”, that the whole world shall see what God has done to you.

At the moment this is all a mystery for the world, as it is said in Colossians 3: “And your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col 3:3). It will be different in the ages to come, because right after that it is said: “When Christ who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory” (Col 3:4; 1Jn 3:2). Then “the surpassing riches of His grace” will be visible. In Ephesians 1 we also saw “the riches of His grace” (Eph 1:7). There you have seen what you already have received, such as redemption and forgiveness. But everything you already have, will be displayed by God to the entire creation. That makes ‘the riches of His grace’ (Eph 1:7) the ‘surpassing riches of His grace’ (Eph 2:7).

Eph 2:8 also speaks of God’s grace, but first I want to look with you at “His grace in kindness toward us”. If you are fully aware of all this it makes you small. Kindness is the riches of God’s goodness which is in His heart and is being expressed through His actions. And hasn’t that kindness come toward us, toward you and me and every other child of God?

Who were the ‘us’? People who first were depraved, dead sinners; insignificant small creatures who hated God; who dared to lay their dirty hands on their Creator; who abused Him, scourged and mocked Him and spat in His face; who nailed Him to the cross and after they erected it, even there mocked Him and challenged Him to come down from the cross to make Him prove that He was Who He said He was: the Son of God. In this way you and I have treated Him and so killed Him. That was you and me. And ‘us’ He has blessed with such blessings! Can you imagine greater grace? Eternity will not be too long to worship Him for that.

And due to Whom will we be the representatives of God’s kindness in the ages to come? It is the Lord Jesus, as it is “in Christ Jesus” that God will show us His rich grace in the ages to come.

Eph 2:8. It is all grace! Again Paul returns to this point. There is not a thing from man involved, regarding this point. Even faith is called here a gift from God. It all fits with the content of the letter in which everything comes from God. If man would say: ‘But I have contributed to receiving the blessings, after all I have believed, haven’t I?’ then Paul takes away this argument. Even faith is a work of God; He worked that in us. You could say: grace is the basis, the starting point for God to bless us, while faith is the way along which, or the means through which, He could give us that blessing.

Actually, with ‘the gift of God’ not only ‘the faith’ is meant. That came from the reply I received from Gerard Kramer (an expert in the Greek original text) to my question what the word “it” refers to in the phrase “it is the gift of God”. Does it refer to what is right before that phrase, “through faith”, or does it refer to further back, “for by grace you have been saved”?

His reply was: The interesting thing is, there is no ‘it’ in the Greek original. Literally it is said: “and that [neuter] not of yourselves, of God the gift”. So the words “yourselves” and “God” are in contrast with each other. That’s why the question should be answered to which the former “that” (neuter) refers. The word “faith” is feminine. That’s why you could say that the meaning of ‘that’ (and so of ‘it’) goes a little further and that they both refer to by grace (also a feminine word!) you have been saved through faith. [End of reply.]

The blessing is called here “have been saved”. The original meaning of this word is: to arrive in a safe place right through all dangers. When Paul says here that we have been saved, it means that we have, as it were, already arrived safely. Also that fits with this letter. Saved here means the spiritual and eternal salvation, including all blessings that God gives to everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus.

Faith is not present in the heart of the natural man. The weed, that comes out of the heart of the natural man, is described to us in details in Romans 3 (Rom 3:9-19). Faith is not a wild plant or a plant that runs wild, but a beautiful flower that cannot be pulled out anymore if it is once planted by the heavenly Father. It is impossible to take away ‘the gift of God’. What He gives remains of Him and therefore remains in eternity.

Eph 2:9. To exclude all misunderstanding, the apostle adds to it that it is “not as a result of works”. Through my own works it is impossible to receive God’s blessing. How could you expect any activity from a corpse – we were after all dead in trespasses and sins? Everything has to come from God and indeed it happened like that. Concerning man, we must say that all boast is excluded. That boast belongs to God alone.

Eph 2:10. Does the previous verse mean that ‘works’ don’t count at all to the believer? To that question there is a clear answer, again entirely in accordance with the content of the letter. It is about a totally different kind of works than what the law requires from man. The works of the law are given to sinful people in order to enable them to deserve life.

The principle of the law has nothing to do with grace and faith, but with achievements that are to be expected from a sinful person: “However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, “HE WHO PRACTICES THEM SHALL LIVE BY THEM”” (Gal 3:12). Here in the letter to the Ephesians, however, it is about works that are the result of our salvation. They are the result of the fact that we are a new creation, “for we are His [i.e. God’s] workmanship”.

Indeed, as natural human beings we are also His workmanship: “And the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground” (Gen 2:7a). He is our Creator, Who “is mindful that we are [but] dust” (Psa 103:14). Or as how Elihu puts it: “I too have been formed out of the clay” (Job 33:6). In this letter, however, it is about what we have become as new people. And just as Adam in no way had contributed to his own creation, we neither have contributed in any way to become a new creation. And just as Adam received the commandment to work, we as new creations also have to work.

The works that God expects from us as new people, again fits with the content of this letter. You don’t have to rack your brain over what you should do. God already had thoughts about that when He thought of you in eternity. Just as He had predestined you for sonship (Eph 1:5), He also had prepared good works beforehand that you should walk in them. Your position finds its origin there in eternity and also your good works find their origin there.

You see that here it is about works that were already prepared before the law was given. It is one of the proofs which show that a believer, who belongs to the church, has nothing to do with the law; the law cannot be a rule of life to him. The law is destined for man who belongs to the earth, the old creation. The believer doesn’t belong to the earth anymore, but, as a new creation, to heaven. There he is already seated in Christ, as someone who is “created in Christ Jesus”, Who is seated by God at His right hand in the heavenly places (Eph 1:20).

What is said here of ‘good works’ makes clear that the believer is not only seen as in the heavenly places, but that at the same time he is also on earth amidst the old creation. He is someone who can realize heavenly matters in daily life on earth, the old creation. It is about ‘good’ works, meaning that the Christian from God is given to do things that are to the benefit of his environment.

For a Christian who recognizes these works, life will lose all convulsiveness. What is more simple than to walk in the works in which God already has provided and thereby only to trust on His grace? In short, walking in good works consists of the following: to show on earth Who the glorified Christ is in heaven. In the chapters 4 and 5 this will be developed further.

Now read Ephesians 2:7-10 again.

Reflection: What demonstrates the riches of God’s grace?