“GRACE AND FAITH”

Text:         Ephesians 2:1-10

By:             Charles Itseghosimhe

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INTRODUCTION

Our theme of fellowship and intimacy within God’s family reminds us that we are called into a relationship with Christ. God’s power that directs this relationship brings us God’s grace—His favor, forgiveness, understanding, and compassion—and empowers us to grow in faith, thereby strengthening the faith of other Christians and bringing us closer to God than ever before.

In Ephesians 1:19–23, Paul describes God’s power as far beyond anything we could ever measure or imagine. This power was demonstrated in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

God’s power is available to Christians [humans – with weaknesses, limitations, and imperfections]; is actively at work in the lives of Christians and is meant to transform, equip, and enable us in ways that go beyond our own natural abilities.

There are two important questions to consider: First, do we truly believe in this power and allow it to work through us, or do we still view it as a distant force that might be sent our way if God actually cares about what we’re going through?

During a preaching discussion, a young single mother shared her struggles with the recent loss of her job.

At first, she was resistant to hearing anything about God, the gospel, the church, or attending services because, in her mind, if God truly cared, why would He let her lose her job, especially as a single mother with no stable income?

This mindset reflects a belief some of us share—we hear about God’s surpassing power, but we struggle to see it actively demonstrated in our lives.

We often think, “If God is truly that powerful, let Him show it in my life like this. If this is His so-called power, it only seems to appear in the lives of the wealthy, the attractive, those with fancy clothes, cars, homes, happy marriages, high-paying jobs, and debt-free people.”

The second is, what is the key condition for this power to be active in our lives?

We must be “yielded to His will.” This means surrendering our own plans, desires, and self-reliance, and being open to God’s leading. When we allow ourselves to be vessels for God’s power, He can work through us in ways that surpass what we can do on our own.

We will be examining Ephesians 2:1-10, with a focus on gaining insight into our new identity as Christians in Christ. Our key learning will center on understanding the role of grace and faith in transforming our attitudes, character, behavior, actions, reactions, decisions, and overall way of life.

This transformation moves us from being displeasing, disgraceful, and unacceptable to being pleasing in God’s sight, of good reputation, inspiring, and adding value to others—both fellow Christians and society—while drawing us closer to God.

Our focus will be organized into four phases:

1. Understanding our past state (Ephesians 2:1-3),
2. God’s grace and mercy (Ephesians 2:4-7),

3. The role of faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), and

4. The new creation in Christ (Ephesians 2:10).

OUR PAST STATE (EPHESIANS 2:1-3)

¹And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, ² in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, ³ among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

Paul begins by reminding the Ephesians of their former condition: spiritually dead, separated from God, and enslaved by sin. This reminder is just as relevant to us today.

Before we became Christians, before we accepted Jesus as God’s only begotten Son—the one and only means of salvation for all mankind [God established that salvation comes only through Jesus (John 3:16). Jesus affirmed and sealed this truth (Matthew 28:18, John 14:6), and the apostles declared it (Acts 4:12, 1 John 5:12, 2 John 9-10)].

Before we repented of our sins, were baptized into Christ, and were added to God’s church, God’s own assessment was that we were living in darkness, without clear direction, controlled by sin, driven by our lusts and sinful behaviors, hopeless and condemned to eternal separation from God.

According to heaven’s record, we were lost sinners—without God, without Jesus, without hope, without forgiveness, and without reconciliation. What a dark, miserable existence.

Our lives were primarily focused on accumulating material wealth recklessly and indulging in bodily pleasures, without concern for whether these things were destructive or displeasing to God (Luke 12:15).

Even as we pursued these pleasures, we knew deep down that our lives felt empty, and in our quiet moments of reflection, we realized this. However, in denial, we resisted acknowledging the truth and continued living as though our possessions and enjoyment brought lasting value.

Our lives were ruled by greed, desperation, delusion, insensitivity, arrogance, oppression, deceit, and a desire to be the god of our own lives, among other things.

This was our past state—alive physically but spiritually dead (1 Timothy 5:6), imprisoned by the power of sin.

When someone is physically dead, they no longer respond to anything around them—whether they are touched, beaten, pushed, stabbed, or shouted at.

Similarly, in our spiritual death, we were unresponsive to God and His will for us. The things of God did not excite or interest us. Instead, we found them irritating.

Could we help ourselves in this condition? No.

We were helpless, but unwilling to admit it. Rather than recognizing our need for God, we chose to rebel, moving further into a life of resistance against Him. We continued following the ways of the world, trapped under Satan’s influence—Satan, the ruler of all evil spirits. These evil spirits are everywhere, able to occupy any place where humans exist, and they can swiftly take hold of anyone who is spiritually empty (Matthew 12:43-45).

What did we deserve as hopeless, lost, rebellious sinners? God’s wrath and judgment. As Romans 6:23 reminds us, “The wages of sin is death.”

All of humanity, in its sin, deserves God’s judgment. In that state, there was no hope or intimacy with God.

GOD’S GRACE AND MERCY (EPHESIANS 2:4-7)

⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 

Despite our dire condition—dead, unresponsive to God, and hopeless, deserving of God’s wrath, judgment, and eternal punishment—God’s mercy and love intervened, even without our response, to restore us. In His grace, mercy, and love, God reached out to us in our sinfulness.

Through Christ, God brings us from death to life. By His grace, Christians are spiritually raised and seated with Christ in the heavenly realms.

This is a profound elevation—from hopelessness and death to a new status of fellowship with Christ. We now share a bond with Him, becoming part of His body.

We have access to all spiritual blessings in Him, including His power which can accomplish more than we could ever ask or imagine. What a remarkable elevation!

God’s intention goes beyond simply saving us. His actions also aim to reveal to the world the immeasurable riches of His grace for all eternity.

This calls for us to live not with grumbling, murmuring, discontent, doubts, or regrets for giving our lives to Christ. Instead, we should live with gratitude, commitment, and obedience for what God has done for us—delivering us, forgiving us, elevating us, and granting us an everlasting inheritance.

We serve the one true God, who is good in every way toward us. Through Christ, Christians are called to reflect God’s goodness in all we do. 

THE ROLE OF FAITH (EPHESIANS 2:8-9)

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast. 

Salvation is a gift of God’s grace, and it’s received through faith.

Grace and faith are inseparable; grace makes salvation possible, and faith is the means through which it is received.

It is not by works, so no one can boast about their own efforts or righteousness.

We did nothing to deserve God’s grace and mercy in responding to us. “What did we do to prompt God to send His Son to die on the cross for me?” – Nothing. “What action on our part led Jesus to die on the cross so that we might be redeemed?” – Nothing. “Did any effort of ours contribute to creating the gospel message, enabling us to know of God’s love and His offer of salvation, or to establish the church or inspire the Scriptures?” – Nothing. “What have we done to open the doors of heaven?” – Nothing.

The problem of entitlement is one reason why some of us fail to fully appreciate God’s grace.

We tend to downplay the seriousness of our sins, which required God to respond by offering His grace and mercy, ensuring that Christ had to die for us to receive forgiveness and salvation.

Hence, some of us are guilty of making comparisons. We might think, “I’m just a liar, but at least I’m not a lesbian, a drug addict, a killer, a ritualist, a fraudster, or a cultist.”

But the truth is, no sinner is spiritually better than another. A drunkard is seen the same as a drug dealer, a fornicator, a ritualist, a liar, or a thief. When you are dead in your sins, you are dead in your sins, regardless of the type.

Often, we view our sins as mere “mistakes” or minor injuries we can handle on our own, rather than acknowledging the need for the Great Physician’s help.

While some may grasp the depth of their sins, they may feel that they are beyond recovery and doubt the power of God’s grace to restore them. This is why God used the apostle Paul to highlight the extreme depths of sin he had fallen into, yet still experienced God’s mercy and grace.

In 1 Timothy 1:15, Paul writes, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost [worst] of all.” He continues in verse 16, “But for that very reason I was shown mercy, so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His immense patience as an example for those who would believe in Him and receive eternal life.”

In other words, God saved Paul to show that no one is beyond the hope of salvation.

This faith which is the means through which we received the grace – establishes and deepens the fellowship between Christians and God, opening the door for relationship and growth in Christ. 

THE NEW CREATION IN CHRIST (EPHESIANS 2:10)

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

As Christians, we are God’s handiwork, created to do good works that reflect His nature.

These good works don’t earn salvation, but they flow naturally from the new life God has given us.

The purpose of salvation is to be part of God’s family, live in fellowship with Him, and express His love through our lives and actions.

A Christian’s life should now bear the mark of fellowship with Christ, through acts of kindness, love, and living out the gospel. 

IMPLICATIONS OF FELLOWSHIP AND INTIMACY IN GOD’S FAMILY

Through Christ, Christians have access to a personal relationship with the Father. We are not just servants or strangers; we are children of God with direct access to Him.

Grace not only transforms our relationship with God but also shapes how we relate to others within the body of Christ. The church is a community built on shared grace and faith. 

CONCLUSION

Grace and faith are the foundation of our new relationship with Christ.

Through God’s grace, we are brought into fellowship with Him and given a new identity as His children.

This grace transforms us, not only for personal salvation but for a life that reflects His goodness and love to others.

Faith is the means through which we experience this transformation, enabling intimacy with God and communion with His family.

It is time to embrace the intimacy that God offers and to live out our new identity in Christ, grounded in grace and faith.

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