Ephesians 2:4-10

Order of Service

• Sunday School Lesson — Ephesians 2:4-10
• Sermon
• Prayer of Dismissal

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Sermon Title: God's Workmanship — Salvation, Union with Christ, and Good Works

Scripture: Ephesians 2:4-10

I. Review — The Three Compound Verbs of Union with Christ (Ephesians 2:4-6)

A. Last week's focus: the first three verses and the phrase "But God"

1. We were dead in sin, walking like zombies, enslaved to worldly ways, the devil, and the flesh
2. "But God" — the great contrast that changes everything

B. Paul coined three compound Greek verbs (using the prefix syn-, meaning "together with") to describe what God did for us in union with Christ

1. Made alive together with Christ — corresponding to Christ's resurrection
2. Raised up together with Christ — corresponding to Christ's ascension
3. Seated together with Christ in the heavenly realms — corresponding to Christ's session at the right hand of the Father

C. The importance of union with Christ

1. One commentator called it "the heart of Paul's religion"
2. John Murray: "Union with Christ is the central truth of the whole doctrine of salvation"
3. Arthur Pink: "The subject of spiritual union is the most important, the most profound, and yet the most blessed of any that is set forth in sacred scripture"
4. Paul uses the phrase "in him," "in Christ," or "in Christ Jesus" approximately 164 times in his writings

D. Biblical foundations for union with Christ

1. John 15:5 — the vine and branches
2. Matthew 26:26-28 — the Lord's Supper
3. John 17 — "that they may be one as we are one"

II. Two Ways of Understanding Union with Christ

A. Federal union

1. Described in Romans 5:12 through the end of the chapter
2. Adam was designated head of the human race — in him all fell into sin
3. Christ is the second Adam — because he is righteous, we are righteous; because he is raised, we are raised; because he is exalted, we are exalted; because he is seated at the Father's right hand, so are we (Psalm 110:1)

B. Experiential union

1. John 15:7-8 — abiding in Christ produces fruit and answered prayer
2. "Made alive together with Christ" — corresponds to the new birth (cf. Jesus to Nicodemus: you must be born again)
3. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: the believer does not receive a new brain or new intellect, but a new disposition — a new bent, a new direction, with a new power guiding existing faculties
4. "Raised up together" — ascended to a new environment and realm; no longer limited to a purely earthly perspective; belonging more to heaven than to this world
5. "Seated together with him in heavenly realms" — conveys security, privilege, rejoicing, and accomplishment; we reign with him
6. John 13:23 — the beloved disciple leaning on Jesus at the Last Supper illustrates intimate fellowship; in that closeness Christ reveals himself to us (cf. Isaiah 30:21)

III. Why God Did What He Did — Four Motivating Attributes (Ephesians 2:4-7)

A. God was not prompted by anything good he saw in us or by our merit; he was motivated by what is within himself

B. The four words Paul uses, each accompanied by a superlative

1. Mercy — "rich in mercy" (v. 4); only in mercy would God pluck us from the death we were walking in
2. Love — "the great love with which he loved us" (v. 4); only in love could he spare us from wrath
3. Grace — immeasurable (vv. 5, 7); only by grace would he spare us from what we deserved
4. Kindness — toward us in Christ Jesus (v. 7); all of the above expressed as his kindness

C. The goal of these attributes: "so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:7)

1. This revealing of grace is not a one-time event but eternal
2. Believers will be living trophies of God's grace — not on a shelf, but active; not reflecting themselves but reflecting Christ

IV. Salvation by Grace Through Faith — and Not by Works (Ephesians 2:8-9)

A. Three foundational gospel words: salvation, grace, and faith

1. Faith is assurance and confidence in mercy freely given; even the capacity for faith is enabled by God
2. The whole of salvation — not just faith alone — is God's gift, not our doing

B. Two balancing negative statements

1. "This is not your own doing" — we did not instigate or cause our salvation
2. "Not a result of works, so that no one may boast" — no deeds, accomplishments, giving, or actions contributed to it

C. There will be no boasting in heaven; only God's grace, mercy, love, and kindness will be on display

V. We Are God's Workmanship Created for Good Works (Ephesians 2:10)

A. "We are his workmanship" — poiema in Greek: his work of art, his masterpiece

1. The word "we" (or "him") is the emphatic first word in the Greek sentence
2. Salvation is not an assembly-line stamping process; it is personal creation

B. Salvation described in prior verses as resurrection from the dead, liberation from slavery, and rescue from condemnation; here Paul adds: salvation is a new creation

1. Dead people cannot resurrect themselves; enslaved people cannot free themselves; creation requires a Creator
2. Calvin: "This word create is enough to stop the mouths of such as boast of having any merit, for when they say so they presuppose they were their own creators"

C. Created in Christ Jesus for good works

1. Good works are not the basis or cause of salvation, but its consequence and evidence
2. These works were prepared by God beforehand — each believer is uniquely shaped, like clay in a potter's hand, from different backgrounds, failures, and brokenness
3. Contrast with Ephesians 2:1-3: we once walked in sin and trespasses; now we walk in good works prepared for us

D. Summary of the passage

1. Two manners of walking — in sin, then in good works
2. Two masters — the devil, then God
3. Two great phrases capture it all: "But God" (v. 4) and "by grace" (vv. 5, 8)