Ephesians, Week 4: Alive by Grace (Ephesians 2:1-10)

As Paul transitions from his prayer in Ephesians 1 to the opening lines of chapter 2, he doesn’t hand us what we might expect: a to-do list. He offers a dark diagnosis of the human condition and message of great deliverance from God. Against common misconception, Christianity is not about making bad people better; it’s about making dead people alive. The Christian life isn’t a moral self-improvement project with a spiritual gloss; it’s nothing short of miraculous resurrection. We were dead. God made us alive. Everything else flows from that miracle.

The Diagnosis: What We Were (vv. 1-3)

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course[a] of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.[b]

Paul refuses to sentimentalize the human condition. Apart from Christ, we weren't merely misguided or spiritually lethargic. We were dead to God, lacking the desire or ability to honor Him. This death wasn't passive or peaceful. Paul describes three currents that carried us along, each one strengthening the others' grip. We sometimes call these the "three enemies" of the Christian: the world, the flesh, and the devil.

There was the world—"the course of this world"—those fallen patterns and rebellious cultural values we inhale without noticing. There was the devil—"the prince of the power of the air"—a real personal enemy who deceives and destroys. And there was the flesh—"the desires of the body and the mind"—our own willing participation in what is contrary to God.

The result? "By nature children of wrath." God's wrath is His settled, just opposition to and punishment of evil. Until grace intervenes, that's the truest thing about us. It's a sobering diagnosis, but we must to take it seriously. For those apart from Christ, it should stir them to seek God's forgiveness. For those in Him, it should deepen gratitude rather than defensiveness as we remember the completeness of our rescue. We didn't need a coach or rehabilitation; we needed a Savior and rescue.

The Deliverance: What God Did (vv. 4-7)

4 But[c] God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, 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, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Two words pivot the entire passage: But God. Notice carefully: the subject of every saving verb in what follows is God.

• He made us alive together with Christ. Regeneration is a miracle, not a merit badge.
• He raised us up with Him, changing our status so death no longer rules us.
• He seated us with Him, uniting us to Christ so we share in His victory and belong to His realm even now.

Why did He do this? "So that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (v. 7). Your salvation is God's eternal display case for His kindness. Once objects of wrath, we've become trophies of grace. This means we're called to live from our new position, not our old patterns. You are raised and seated with Christ! That reality should shape our thoughts, words, and deeds more than anything else. It's the defining reality of our lives. We are now forever united with Christ.

The Means: How We Are Saved (vv. 8-9)

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Paul gathers the gospel in a single sentence, and every phrase matters. We're saved by grace. This is entirely unearned, from first to last. We receive this grace through faith. It is, as some have said, the empty hand that receives, not a work that achieves. And lest we miss the point, Paul adds the negative: "not your own doing… not a result of works." He could not be clearer. There will be no boasting of our merit in heaven, only thanksgiving at the foot of the cross.

Even our believing is encompassed by God's gift. Salvation is monergistic grace (God acting alone)—God acts, we receive. This should free us from the constant drift back into performance-driven spirituality, spiritual arrogance and condescension, or neurotic anxiety over our worthiness. We aren't worthy; He is. Rest your weight on Christ alone.

The Purpose: Why We Were Saved (v. 10)

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

We are His workmanship, His handcrafted new creation. Grace doesn't only pardon; it also restores true purpose. The good works set before you this week aren't random. According to Paul. they're providentially prepared paths for those God has raised. This is the gospel's order: indicative (what is true of us) before imperative (what God requires of us). You are God's workmanship, alive in Christ. Our works are the response to God's mercy, not the requirement for it (Romans 3:28; Titus 2:11–14; 3:5).

A Crucial Distinction: Grace Alone or Grace Plus?

Ephesians 2:1–10 tells us salvation is "by grace… through faith… not your own doing… not a result of works" (vv. 8–9). That's the heartbeat of the Protestant Reformation, but it also highlights where evangelicals and Roman Catholics understand salvation differently. Both traditions affirm that salvation is by grace, but they differ significantly on how that grace works and what it accomplishes.

Understanding Roman Catholic Teaching

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, baptism is "the sacrament of regeneration" (CCC 1213), through which one is "freed from sin and reborn" as a child of God. Justification happens "through faith in Jesus Christ and through Baptism" (CCC 1987–1995), and this justification is not only a legal declaration but an infusion of grace that makes a person inwardly righteous.

From there, Catholic theology describes a continuing process. While initial grace cannot be earned, believers in a state of grace can "merit" further graces, growth in holiness, and even eternal life by cooperating with God's Spirit (CCC 2006–2011). Importantly, the Catechism stresses that even this cooperation is itself enabled by God's prior and sustaining grace (CCC 2008–2009). Mortal sin, however, destroys grace and must be reconciled through the Sacrament of Penance (CCC 1854–1864; 1422–1470), while venial sin weakens grace but does not cut off salvation. Post-baptismal sin requires confession and penance (CCC 1422–1470), and the Church teaches that indulgences and purgatory reflect the belief that even forgiven sin requires further purification (CCC 1030–1032; 1471–1479). The sacraments themselves are affirmed as "necessary for salvation" as Christ-appointed channels of grace (CCC 1129).

In other words, Catholic theology frames salvation as both an event and a process, in which God's grace is mediated sacramentally and lived out through Spirit-enabled cooperation. While Catholics affirm that no one can merit the initial gift of grace, they stop short of the evangelical doctrine of assurance, since final perseverance depends on continued cooperation with grace.

The Reformation and Evangelical Response

The Reformers agreed wholeheartedly that salvation is entirely of grace, but they insisted it is received through faith alone, and this difference has profound implications.

First, justification and adoption are events, not processes. Justification is a once-for-all legal declaration (Rom. 4:5–8; 2 Cor. 5:21), grounded in Christ's righteousness imputed to us. Adoption is likewise a definitive act (John 1:12; Gal. 4:4–7), bringing us into God's family. Both are unrepeatable events, secured the moment we believe.

Second, sanctification is both event and process. Scripture speaks of sanctification as a positional reality; we are already made holy in Christ (1 Cor. 1:2; Heb. 10:10). Yet sanctification is also progressive, as the Spirit conforms us to Christ over time (Phil. 2:12–13; 2 Cor. 3:18). This distinction matters because it keeps justification secure while acknowledging the real transformation God works in us.

Third, believers will persevere to the end, not because of our grip on God, but because of His grip on us. "He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6). The security of justification guarantees the certainty of glorification (Rom. 8:29–30). This is sometimes called the doctrine of perseverance and preservation, and it rests entirely on God's faithfulness, not ours.

So yes, salvation does unfold across time. We were justified and adopted once for all. We are being sanctified daily. We will be glorified at Christ's return. But the outcome is assured, not precarious, because the God who declares us righteous also preserves us to the end (John 10:28–29; Rom. 8:38–39).

Why This Matters

The practical difference is significant. In Catholic teaching, the Christian life is never fully secure. You are sustained by grace and called to cooperate faithfully, knowing that serious sin severs that life-giving connection until it's restored through confession. In evangelical teaching, the Christian life is marked by assurance. You may stumble often, but your standing remains secured because Christ has already accomplished your salvation and the Spirit is completing what He began.

Here's why this matters: While both traditions affirm salvation by grace through Christ, the Protestant concern is that when final salvation depends on sustained cooperation and sacramental restoration, the functional gospel becomes Christ's work plus our maintaining that work. The Reformers insisted this obscures the sufficiency of Christ's finished work and leaves believers without the assurance Scripture offers. Rome replies that this is precisely why grace must be active and renewing—not to supplement Christ's work, but to actually accomplish the transformation He died to provide. The debate, then, is not whether grace saves, but whether that saving grace secures our final standing or requires our ongoing cooperation to remain effective.

The Distinction

Roman Catholic teaching views justification and sanctification as a single infused process mediated sacramentally and maintained by Spirit-enabled cooperation. Protestant theology insists that justification and adoption are once-for-all events, sanctification is both definitive and progressive, and glorification is certain, so that salvation is indeed a process across time, but one entirely secured by God's preserving grace.

We believe Christianity is not first about making bad people better, but dead people alive. Justification and adoption declare new life; sanctification grows it; glorification completes it, and all of it rests securely on God's grace from beginning to end.

Living from Resurrection

Ephesians 2:1–10 reminds us that Christianity isn't about self-improvement; it's about resurrection. Dead to alive. Wrath to mercy. Works to grace. Aimlessness to calling.

This week, let these verses ground you in your true identity: You were dead. But God made you alive. Now you walk as His workmanship. Let grace define you, and propel you into and through the life God has already and mysteriously prepared.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith… not your own doing… for we are his workmanship…" (Ephesians 2:8–10)

Recommended Resource

R.C. Sproul, Faith Alone: The Evangelical Doctrine of Justification (affiliate link)
Clear, accessible defense of sola fide ("faith alone" in Latin), interacting honestly with Roman Catholic teaching.

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These Sunday School summaries are solely intended for the personal devotional use of church members and friends. They are not transcripts or academic works and should not be reproduced or distributed without permission.

Originally prepared by Kevin Labby during his vocational service at First Evangelical Free Church of McKeesport. Used with permission. Copyright remains with the church. Please do not reproduce or distribute without written consent from both the church and the author.