From Death to Life (Part 2) The Beautiful Flow of Salvation in Ephesians 1–2

Everything in Ephesians 2 has been moving toward this moment.

After describing the hopeless condition of mankind and introducing the great gospel hinge—"But God"—Paul now explains what God actually did for those who were spiritually dead.

Salvation is not merely the forgiveness of sins.

It is nothing less than a miracle of divine resurrection.

The Miracle of Salvation

Paul writes that God "made us alive together with Christ" (Eph. 2:5).

Notice that God did not improve us.

He did not reform us.

He did not simply make us better people.

He gave life where there had only been death.

This is why salvation is the greatest miracle that takes place in our world today. Scripture defines a miracle as an extraordinary act of God that cannot be explained by natural causes. That perfectly describes salvation. Dead sinners do not raise themselves any more than Lazarus raised himself from the tomb (John 11:43–44).

The God who called Lazarus from physical death is the same God who calls sinners out of spiritual death.

Paul then describes three magnificent saving acts that belong to every believer (Eph. 2:5–6).

First, God made us alive together with Christ. Spiritual life was imparted where there had only been spiritual death.

Second, He raised us up with Christ. Believers are united with the risen Lord, sharing in His victory over sin and death.

Third, He seated us with Christ in the heavenly places. Although we still live on earth, our position before God has been completely transformed. Our citizenship is now in heaven because we are united to Christ Himself.

What an astonishing transformation.

The same people who were once dead, condemned, and separated from God are now alive, raised, and seated with Christ.

The distance between Ephesians 2:1 and Ephesians 2:6 could never have been crossed by human effort.

Only God could accomplish such a work.

Why Would God Save Sinners?

Perhaps the greatest question in all of redemption is this:

Why?

Why would God rescue people who were spiritually dead?

Why would He choose those who deserved His wrath?

Many answers have been suggested throughout history. Some argue that God simply could not bear the thought of anyone going to hell. Others suggest that He needed people to populate heaven, or that He saw something valuable or promising within us.

Paul gives none of those answers.

Instead, he writes,

"...so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:7).

The ultimate purpose of salvation is the display of God's grace.

Throughout all eternity, redeemed sinners will serve as living testimonies to the immeasurable riches of God's mercy, kindness, and love. We are not the centre of the story.

God is.

Salvation ultimately exists for His glory.

Everything God does magnifies His own perfect character. His mercy, His love, His grace, His justice, and His holiness all shine brilliantly through His work of redemption.

That is why heaven will never cease praising Him.

The redeemed will forever proclaim not how worthy they were to be saved, but how gracious God was to save them.

Salvation by Grace Through Faith

Having explained the source, miracle, and purpose of salvation, Paul now summarises how salvation is received.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith" (Eph. 2:8).

These may be the most familiar words in Ephesians, yet they are often misunderstood.

Grace is the source of salvation.

Faith is the instrument through which salvation is received.

Works play no part whatsoever.

Paul deliberately removes every possibility of human boasting by adding,

"...and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, so that no one may boast" (Eph. 2:8–9).

Everything about salvation is God's gift.

Its source is God's grace.

Its accomplishment is Christ's work.

Its application is God's saving power.

Even the faith by which we receive Christ is possible only because God first acted in grace.

Imagine standing in a room without windows or light.

You cannot see the door.

You cannot find the way out.

No matter how sincere you are or how desperately you search, darkness remains darkness.

Then someone enters the room and switches on the light.

Suddenly you can see.

The door has not changed.

The room has not changed.

You have changed because light has been given.

That is what God's grace accomplishes.

His grace shines into hearts that were darkened by sin (2 Cor. 4:6). He opens blind eyes, just as He opened Lydia's heart to respond to the gospel (Acts 16:14). Grace enables faith, and faith receives what grace freely gives.

From beginning to end, salvation belongs to the Lord.

A New Walk

Paul does not end with salvation itself.

He ends with its inevitable result.

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them" (Eph. 2:10).

The God who planned salvation before the foundation of the world also prepared the life His people would live after salvation.

Good works are therefore not the cause of salvation.

They are the evidence of salvation.

A changed life does not produce a new heart.

A new heart produces a changed life.

Those who have been made alive by grace begin to walk differently because they have become different people.

The old walk has ended.

The new walk has begun.

This is one of the great themes of Ephesians. Paul moves from the believer's position in Christ to the believer's practice before the world. The grace that saves also transforms.

The God who raises dead sinners also teaches them to walk in holiness.

Salvation is never merely a decision made in a moment.

It is the beginning of an entirely new life.

The Beautiful Flow of Salvation

When we step back and view Ephesians 1–2 as a whole, the beauty of God's saving plan becomes unmistakable.

Before the foundation of the world, God planned salvation.

At the cross, Christ accomplished salvation.

When we were dead in our sins, God applied salvation.

He made us alive.

He raised us with Christ.

He seated us with Christ.

He saved us entirely by grace through faith.

He saved us for the display of His own glory.

And He created us anew so that we might walk in the good works He prepared long ago.

Every step points to the same conclusion.

Salvation begins with God.

Salvation continues by God.

Salvation ends in the glory of God.

That is why Paul leaves no room for human boasting. Every believer can only stand in humble gratitude and confess that from beginning to end, salvation belongs entirely to the Lord.

May our study of Ephesians leave us with the same response.

Not confidence in ourselves.

Not admiration of our own faith.

Not gratitude merely for what we have received.

But worship of the God who loved us while we were dead, made us alive together with Christ, and will display the riches of His grace in us forever.

To Him alone be the glory.