"Grace alone (Sola gratia)" by Rod Bayley, 29 June 2008, Ephesians 2:1-10

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In 2004 I saw a documentary on TV about the genocide in the African
country of Rwanda which had occurred 10 years earlier, back in 1994.
There are two major ethnic groups in the country - the dominant Hutu
group, and the Tutsi minority. The Hutu were in control of the
country at the time, and had a monopoly in the government and the
police and army. Further, they controlled the radio, which
increasingly preached hate against the Tutsi minority which had
formerly ruled the country. It intensified to the point where civil
war ensued, following the death of the Hutu president after an attack
on his plane.

The result was that the Hutu majority killed approximately 800,000 of
the Tutsi in a horrific, unbelievable three month period. Road blocks
were set up and any Tutsi found was executed on the spot. One
particular massacre occurred at a church, where 2,000 people were
lured under false promises of protection. They were then set upon by
a coordinated crowd of mainly local villagers, led by the military.
Men, women and children were attacked, mainly with farm implements,
outside and within the church. In the horror that followed, their
bodies fell on top of each other given the confined space of the
massacre. This saved the life of one woman who was assumed dead under
a pile of bodies. She was so traumatised by the event that she lived
for a month after the massacre inside the church amongst the corpses.
Though alive, she saw herself as the living dead - she was a walking
corpse. Though alive, she saw herself as condemned to death.

The sense of this woman considering herself a living corpse, conveys
at least partially God’s view of people spiritually before salvation.
We are physically alive, as she was, but we are spiritually dead
towards God. ‘Why are we considered spiritually dead, even though
we’re physically alive?’ Well, look with me please at verses 1 to 3
which answer this question for us. Notice in verse 1 that we are
spiritually dead to God because of our sins. Verse 1 tells us that you
were “dead in your transgressions and sins.” But what is sin? It is
rejection of God as ruler of our life. When we say that we are going
to rule our lives by living how we want, without reference to God, we
are rebelling against God. This rejection of God’s right to rule over
us as our Creator is what the bible calls sin. The specific things we
do wrong day-by-day - our proud words and thoughts, our lies, our
selfish actions which hurt those around us - are just a symptom of our
root problem of rejecting God’s rule. Committing sinful acts doesn’t
make us sinners; we commit sinful acts because we are sinners.

You might be thinking, well, even if the bible defines everyone as
sinners, why does that make me spiritually dead, why does that condemn
me? God is telling us that our sin separates us from true life that
comes from being right with him. We need to be saved from our sin to
experience spiritual life in relationship with God. The reason for
this is given in the last part of verse 3. It states that, “like the
rest we were by nature objects of wrath.” Our rejection of God’s rule
means that we face God’s anger. God cannot ignore our rebellion
against him. He must judge us for our sins and this passage tells us
that our verdict is we are “dead” - we are living corpses with no
spiritual life, we are condemned by our rebellion.

The second point that this passage addresses in verses 4 to 7 is, ‘How
and why can we be “made alive” and rescued from this spiritual
death?’ How is it that people condemned to death because of sin, can
be given new life, brought back into friendship with God? There is no
way that we can respond - we’re dead. If you’ve seen a corpse or two,
as I have, you will know that they do not move - there can be no
response - there is an absence of life, there is no way to relate.
Just like in our reading from Ezekiel 37, there is no hope of any new
life unless God regenerates, recreates the person. As the Creator,
with power over life and death, he must recreate those who can do
nothing. Notice that the first phrase of verse 5 says that we are
made alive “with Christ.” God brings life, and the means by which
that life can be offered is through Christ’s death on the Cross, 2000
years ago at Jerusalem. It was there that the insurmountable barrier
of our sin, which separates us from life, was removed. Jesus is our
rescuer who bore our sins and died in our place. He stood between us
and God’s rightful punishment. So, those who trust in Jesus’ actions
on their behalf can be forgiven by God and given spiritual life.
Jesus said in John’s gospel, “I am the resurrection and the
life” (11:25). Christ’s work can give life to those who are dead.

But how could God allow his only Son to be sacrificed - the only
perfect, sinless person to live - to die for our sin? How can the
innocent die for the undeserving? We realise that our great exchange
of death for life, is at great cost to God. Why are we offered such
an incredible exchange, whereby God pays for our rebellion in the
death of Jesus? Well, in verse 4 we are told that it was because of
God’s “great love for us.” In sacrificial love he allowed Jesus to
undergo death by crucifixion, but worse still, to face God’s
rejection, the death and separation that we should face. We are told
that it is God’s character that He should show such great love to us,
because He is “rich in mercy” as verse 4 also states. It is not
because we are deserving of God’s love and mercy - we warrant nothing
but condemnation - we are worthy only to be objects of wrath. It is
simply because of God’s character. He chooses not to condemn us to
spiritual death, but offers us new life through his son Jesus. This
amazing grace is not a cheap grace. Though it costs us nothing, it
costs God dearly. That is “great love,” and it allows us to move from
death to life.

What is it like to receive life in exchange for death? Several years
ago there was a round-the-world solo yacht race, in which a British
man named Tony Bullimore was competing. In the Southern Ocean off the
south coast of Australia, he ran into a huge storm and capsized. In
massive waves and in a helpless state, he clung to life under the
protection of his boat’s overturned hull. He had no hope of righting
his yacht and sailing to the safety of a port. He could only wait in
the hope that someone might come and rescue him in time. If no-one
reached him quickly he would die from the cold or from dehydration.
Yet, after many hours of holding on and facing imminent death, he was
snatched from the freezing waters by the Australian Navy. He could
easily say that he was fortunate to be alive - facing certain death he
had been given new life. And do you think he was excited - you bet!
He knew he was facing death - you may remember the pictures on the
television news, of him kissing and hugging the sailors who had saved
him. He was elated!

It is no exaggeration to say that God offers us an even greater
exchange, where we can receive spiritual life in exchange for
spiritual death. In the first half of verse 5, the apostle Paul is
writing to Christians and says that God has “made us alive with Christ
even when we were dead.” Notice that it is in the past tense - they
have been “made alive.” A great exchange has taken place from death
to life for many people already, and God continues to offer this
miraculous rescue today. We need to be rescued from God’s rightful,
holy anger against our sin; just as Tony Bullimore needed to be saved
from the Southern Ocean. Our sin is more destructive than the ocean.
Just as Tony Bullimore was saved by the Australian Navy from physical
death; so we are saved by Jesus from spiritual death. We require a
rescuer.

But you might say, ‘How can I be sure that Christ’s rescue act is
enough to secure me?’ How do I know that the payment has been
sufficient to move me from being someone who is helpless and dead in
my sin, to someone alive to God? Well, in verses 6 and 7, Paul makes
it very clear that Christ’s work has achieved all that is necessary.
He states in verse 6 that those who have been made alive in Christ are
seated with him in heaven now - the goal of their salvation has
already been achieved, spiritually speaking. We simply await in verse
7 the consummation of that spiritual reality, when we will physically
experience what we have already received. So Christ’s work is
absolutely sufficient - it has already secured us the resurrection
life which we shall enjoy in the future. We have been secured - all
that is necessary has already been achieved through Christ’s finished
work.

The third point that I want us to consider from this passage, is our
part and God’s part in the reception of this new life, this salvation
made available through Christ’s death and resurrection. Paul
addresses this crucial question in verses 8 and 9, although he has
already noted it at the end of verse 5. But notice again what verses
8 and 9 state:
8"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not
from yourselves, it is the gift of God - 9not by works, so that no one
can boast.”

The key part that I want to focus on is the first phrase. Notice that
salvation is related to two key words, “grace” and “faith.” Let’s
consider the word “grace”, as we’ll come to the issue of ‘faith alone’
next week. The word “grace” in the bible means “an undeserved
favour” or “an unmerited gift.” It’s just like a birthday present -
you can’t earn it - it is a gift that is just given to you. This is
referring to the fact that since we are sinners who rebel against God
and who are spiritually dead toward Him in our natural state, we are
not deserving of being saved. God has acted to save us through
Christ, in spite of us not deserving his help. It’s an unmerited
offer of forgiveness. We should not be treated so kindly.

When I was in 2nd year at University the first time, I missed my
Economics lecture one week. The following week I sat down waiting for
the lecture to start, and the lecturer came in and said, “Before I
start, can everyone bring down their assignments to the front and put
them on the desk, because I will be talking about the correct answers
during this period.” Well, my jaw dropped and face must have gone
pale, as every one went down the front and handed in their
assignments. It was like a bad dream - the assignment had obviously
been given out the previous week when I wasn’t there - and of course I
hadn’t done it. As the lecturer talked about how it was worth 20% and
he wouldn’t be accepting anything at the end of the lecture I was
feeling sick, thinking “I’ve just blown a fifth of my mark.”

Well, after the lecture, I went and saw the lecturer in his office.
Waiting outside I was trying to think of a good excuse - You know “I
was abducted by aliens”, ‘the dog ate it’ - but I didn’t have one. I
should of asked somebody during the week if I’d missed anything at
last week’s lecture. I thought to myself, I just hope he shows
kindness towards me and gives me another question or something. But
if he says “too bad”, “you missed it - there’s no second chance”, “you
get zero”, I haven’t got a come-back. I’m totally dependant on his
kindness. After the previous student came out, I went in nervously.
Fortunately he was in a good mood, and listened to my story. He said
I could get a new question and do it for the following week - I
breathed a huge sigh of relief. Then, as he ferreted around in one of
his draws, he said something even more amazing - “I don’t think I’ve
got another question handy - just do the previous question and I’ll
take some marks off.” I couldn’t believe it - I thought he must be
joking, because he’d just given us all the answers in class, and I’d
written them down! Well, he was serious, and I handed it in a couple
of days later, knowing that I had got 20 out of 20, and waited to see
how much he’d take off. From memory, it was only 5 marks off. NOW
that is grace - it was a completely undeserved gift of 15 marks which
required no effort on my part, when I was the one in the wrong. It
was unmerited favour that he had shown me.

God doesn’t owe us anything, He is not compelled to act to save us,
because we are His enemies who have rejected Him and wanted to run our
lives our own way with no reference to Him. Yet despite this
situation, God decides to offer to restore our broken relationship by
moving towards us - He acts to resolve our hopeless situation, when we
are helpless to do anything about it. This is why salvation is “by
grace” - it is God’s gracious actions toward us in sending Jesus to
die for our sins which allows us to be saved from its consequence of
death and hell. That’s grace - we receive help when we don’t warrant
it.

Grace also means that we are to rely on what has already been done, on
what has been achieved at the Cross, because we cannot save
ourselves. Paul stresses in verse 9 that there are no “works”
involved - these are very humbling verses. The problem is all ours,
and the solution is all God’s. Salvation is by grace alone. This
ensures in verse 9, that we cannot boast about our salvation. There
is no room for patting myself on the back. Imagine how ridiculous it
would have been for Tony Bullimore, after being pulled into the
Australian naval vessel, exhausted and suffering from hypothermia, to
boast about how he’d rescued himself. How absurd of us to think that
someone dead in sin, a spiritual corpse, could boast before God and
others of our great self-help rescue. No - the glory is all God’s -
it is abhorrent to imagine us taking credit.

This means that I cannot think that I have, or will ever, contribute
to my salvation through works, even partly. For example, my
attendance at church or my giving to charity will not contribute - not
even my involvement in the Christian ordinances of the Lord’s Supper
and baptism will help save me. This is the mistake that the Roman
Catholic church, and to a lesser extent the Lutheran church, has made
for centuries. That participation in infant baptism, for example, is
a step in salvation because it regenerates an individual, when
regeneration is completely the work of the Spirit. Similarly, the
insistence of Catholicism that participation in the Mass or communion
is required for salvation is wrong. These rituals which the church is
called to perform in the NT are symbolic, they are not effectual for
salvation. They are reminders of God’s grace expressed in Christ’s
death and resurrection on our behalf. This grace is received by
faith, not rituals, not even partially.

You see “grace alone” cuts out not only the common non-Christian view
of ‘doing good works’ to be saved - eg. helping the old lady across
the road - but it also cuts out the more subtle reliance on religious
ritual. Of course this second category of ‘works’ relates to many who
would consider themselves inside the Christian church. Any such
works, whether religious or otherwise, fail to grasp our fallen,
innately sinful nature. How can someone who is dead, bring themself
to life. Only God can raise the dead, whether physically or
spiritually. As spiritually dead people in our natural state, we are
dependent on being given new life. To think I can do anything other
than rely on God’s grace, is to empty the cross of its power. It is
to say that Christ’s death was not sufficient for my sin - so I will
add my good deeds, my participation in religious rituals. The Jews
made the same mistake in the first century when they insisted on the
religious ‘work’ of circumcision in order to ensure their salvation.
But to make any addition, is to reject God’s grace - there is no such
thing as a gospel plus my works. Paul says elsewhere in Galatians, “I
do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be
gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” (2:21). I’m sorry -
if you want to contribute to your salvation, you’re nearly 2000 years
too late - you can’t. All we need to do, is to trust in what God has
already done.

See, you can put all the man-made religions of the world in one
basket, and biblical Christianity in the other. They are very
different - take any of the religions of the world - Islam, Buddhism,
Hinduism - they are all characterised by one word - DO! Pleasing or
appeasing God for them is all about your effort, what you do.
Biblical Christianity is unique because it is about grace, because it
is all about what Jesus has DONE!

So where does our doing fit it? What is the place of works? Works
cannot earn our salvation, but Paul tells us in verse 10 that they are
a response to our salvation that is by grace alone. We have been
created or ‘re-created’ in Christ Jesus, made alive by his finished
work, in order that we might then live a life of response to this
grace shown us, and do good works which God has already laid out for
us. Grace is the train’s engine, and our works are just the carriages
that follow. God’s love and mercy shown to us should compel us to
serve.

So where do you stand? In our natural state we are all in desperate
need of being rescued from spiritual death which will separate us from
God forever. But God has sent his rescuer, his son Jesus who died in
our place, and who rose to give us life, life eternal. Have you
accepted God’s amazing offer, the great exchange of moving from death
to life? If you have not made that step, or you realise that you have
been trusting in your own works, even partially, then don’t keep
putting off a response which acknowledges God’s free grace. Salvation
comes when we give up on our own efforts, our own religious works, and
accept our rescuer’s work. He calls you to cross over from death to
life.