Probably the most beloved and memorized Psalm in the modern world, Psalm 23 is filled with wonderful images and metaphors that function are multiple layers: salvation history, communal stories, and personal testimony. At the center lies the assurance, “You are with me!” Immanuel. God is with us–to protect, guide, nourish, welcome, host, and commune. Bobby Valentine and John Mark Hicks explore the Psalm to discover its richly diverse and powerful message.
God gifted Paul with the ministry to proclaim the good news of the mystery of Christ to the gentiles, and Paul is a prisoner for their sake. Paul is a servant of the gospel to declare the multi-faceted wisdom of God in the Messiah to the powers, and this mission is carried out through the church. The church proclaims the mystery of Christ to the powers; the church speaks truth to power for the sake of the reconciliation of all things in Christ.
Paul is a servant (diakonos) of the gospel. This is the reason Paul suffers, and the church must not grow faint in the mission but embrace the glory of the mystery, the glory of suffering itself. Paul’s suffering, as much of a hardship as it is, is for the sake of the gentiles, and his suffering is their glory!
Resource:Mark Owens, “The Purpose of Ephesians 3:2-13,” Southeastern Theological Review (2023): 1-21.
Context
The cosmic agenda in new creation through the mystery of God means the glory of the enthroned Messiah fills his body and the cosmos (Eph 1:9-10, 22-23). This creates cosmic unity in the body of the Messiah as one new human through a renewal of God’s temple-dwelling in his body (Eph 2:11-22).
What is the Function of 3:2-13 in the Letter
Digression: it is a “long parenthesis” (Kirby) that is superfluous to the argument of the letter, or an apostolic defense Paul’s gentile mission (Lincoln; Arnold).
Explanation: given the triumph of God’s Messiah over the powers (Eph 1:20-2:22), this section addresses why Paul is in prison. Answer: Paul is an agent of divine triumph over the powers through his ministry (Gombis) and/or Paul’s imprisonment does not threaten God’s eschatological plan (Sherwood).
Missional Participation: Paul encourages the Ephesians to participate in the purpose (mission) of God rather than being discouraged by his imprisonment and giving up what God is doing through the church. It is a plea for perseverance (Owens).
The Structure of 3:2-13
For this reason (3:1; τούτου χάριν): I, Paul, am a prisoner for (ὑπὲρ) you gentiles.
I am graced (χάριτος) with managing (οἰκονομίαν) the mystery to the gentiles.
That mystery was revealed to Paul, and he writes to share his understanding.
The mystery was once hidden but now revealed.
The mystery is that the gentiles have become fellow-heirs and sharers in the promise with Israel through the gospel.
Paul is graced as a servant of this gospel according to God’s power.
I am graced
to proclaim the good news the boundless riches of Christ to the gentiles, and
to bring to light the mystery previously hidden in God who created all things,
so that (ἵνα)
God’s wisdom might be made known to the powers through the church.
This was God’s eternal purpose which he carried out in Jesus the Messiah,
in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence
through faith in him.
Therefore, I pray that you do not lose heart over my sufferings for (ὑπὲρ) you.
They are your glory!
For this reason (3:14; τούτου χάριν): I bow my knees before the Father.
The gracing (gifting) of the church is a primary topic following Paul’s prayer (4:7-15).
What are the righteous to do when the world is falling about? When the lovers of violence and injustice are shooting arrows at the followers of the way? Psalm 11 responds to these questions, and the answer is rooted in Yahweh’s identity, faithfulness, and love. Bobby Valentine and John Mark Hicks discuss the meaning of Psalm 11 for our world today.
Give thanks to the Lord for his goodness and steadfast love. Whatever our circumstance–from wandering in the desert, imprisoned in chains, sick and wounded, or tossed upon the sea–the steadfast love of God is present to hear and deliver. God will bring low the aristocrats and raise up the poor and needy. The wise will meditate on this and give thanks for God’s steadfast love.
This is the “key and high point of the whole epistle” (Barth, Ephesians, 1:275).
Though the gentiles were once foreigners and aliens from the commonwealth and strangers to the covenants of promise, through the cross the Messiah has made peace and killed the hostility between Jew and gentile by abolishing the law of commandments in ordinances. As a result, both Jew and gentile have access to the Father through the Messiah in the Spirit, and together they are being built into a holy temple (Jesus is the chief cornerstone) where the God dwells by the Spirit.
Salvation History: “The Uncircumcision” Through a Covenantal Lens
“Then You Gentiles in the Flesh Were”
“But Now in the Messiah”
Without the Messiah
In the Messiah
Aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel
Citizens with the saints; no longer aliens
Far Off
Brought near
Strangers to the Covenants of Promise
No longer strangers
No Hope
Access to the Father
Without God in the World
Members of God’s Household
Hostility
Peace
The Effect: New Temple through New Creation
That he might create in himself one new human
by making peace (2:15), and
that he might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross (2:16),
by killing the hostility in/through him/it, and
having come, the Messiah proclaimed the good news of peace to you gentiles (2:17)
because both have access to the Father through Christ in the Spirit (2:18).
Therefore, both are members of God’s household (οἰκεῖοι),
built on the foundation of the apostles & prophets, the Messiah the cornerstone,
in whom the structure (οἰκοδομὴ) has become a holy temple in the Lord,
in whom you are built together (συνοικοδομεῖσθε)
into a divine habitation (κατοικητήριον) in the Spirit (3:5; 5:18; 6:18)
(Eph 2:19-21).
The Means: The Work of Christ (2:14-16)
Thesis: “brought near by the blood of Christ” (2:13)—given access (2:18).
Elaboration: “he is our peace” (2:14-15a).
In his flesh,
having made both groups into one, and
having broken down the dividing wall—the hostility (ἔχθραν) between us, by having abolished the law of the commandments in ordinances
(τὸν νόμον τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐν δόγμασιν καταργήσας)
Result (ἵνα): new creation and reconciliation (2:15b-16).
Messiah might create one new ἄνθρωπον out of two,
making peace and
might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross,
having put to death the hostility (ἔχθραν) in/through it/him (ἐν αὐτῷ
Did the Cross Abolish the Law?
The Messiah put to death the hostility between Jew and gentile and united them in one body—the new human. How did the Messiah put to death the hostility?
Three Primary Options
The Messiah abolished the whole law and thus created something wholly new.
D.R. Dungan, Hermeneutics: A Text-book (1888), 131-32: “It would seem impossible to make a statement plainer than this. The Gentiles and Jews have lost all distinction; they are all on the same footing; the law which had served as a partition wall between them had been removed. They were not under the law, but had been brought together in Christ.”
2. The Messiah abolished the “ceremonial,” separatist boundary markers, or some specific aspects of the law and thus removed the barrier between Jew and gentile.
Jean Calvin, Commentary on Ephesians, cv. 2:15: “What had been metaphorically understood by the word wall is now more plainly expressed. The ceremonies, by which the distinction was declared, have been abolished through Christ. What were circumcision, sacrifices, washings, and abstaining from certain kinds of food, but symbols of sanctification, reminding the Jews that their lot was different from that of other nations. . . so that they no longer differ from each other, but that the mark of difference has been taken away; for ceremonies have been abolished.”
3. The Messiah enabled full access for gentiles in God’s new habitation and destroyed the balustrade that prevented gentiles from access to God in the Herodian temple.
Argument for the Third Option (cf. Windsor, Reading Ephesians and Colossians After Supersessionism, pp. 134-140).
If Ephesians claims Jesus abolished (καταργήσας) the law, this stands in tension with Jesus (καταλῦσαι) in Matthew 5:17 and Paul (κατήργηται) in Romans 3:31. It does not easily comport with their use of the Torah in their ethical teaching (Matt 22:36, 40; 23:23; Rom13:8, 10) and even Ephesians itself (6:2).
The law did create a distinction between the covenant people and uncovenanted people, but the Torah itself did not prescribe the sort of separation or hostility noted in Ephesians 2 (cf. Lev 19:33-34; 24:17-22; Num 15:11-16; Deut 16:11; 29:10-11; Ex 12:19).
The phrase “of the commandments in ordinances” (τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐν δόγμασιν) qualifies the law (τὸν νόμον). This is the only appearance of “law” (νόμος) in Ephesians. This is not the whole law itself, but some aspect related to “the commandments in dogmas.”
The use of “ordinances” (δόγμασιν) qualifies the commandments and suggests the specific reality Ephesians has in mind. The word typically refers to decrees/judgments that regulate behavior by an external authority (Luke 2:1; Acts 16:4; Acts 17:7). It may refer, then, to post-Torah regulations imposed by authorities such as the dividing wall at the temple.
The abolition of “the law” in this qualified sense is how the dividing wall (2:14) is destroyed—the hostility between Jew and gentile.
Some identify the dividing wall as a metaphor for the hostility or even the law itself.
Windsor identifies the dividing wall as a concrete expression of the hostility or separation of Jew and gentile. This is the balustrade in the temple that separated the Court of the Gentiles from the Court of the Women. It symbolized and enforced sacred separation.
A contextual clue in Ephesians is that now both Jew and gentile have access to the Father in the temple of the one body (2:18; cf. 3:12). The dividing wall no longer exists because that ordinance(s) has been deregulated (cf. Matt 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45). The death of Jesus created peace through forgiveness and holiness in the temple of his body.
In Psalm 106 exilic Israel confesses the sins of their ancestors and identifies with them. They recognize the solidarity that shape a people, including their sin and rebellion. They also confess God’s merciful response to sin, and they appeal to God to remember God’s covenant love and renew mercy again. This is a corporate confession of sin, a communal appeal for mercy, and the call to the assembly of Israel to praise the Lord.
Psalm 105–part of the “mini-Bible” (Psalms 103-107)–sings God’s praise for how God’s steadfast love revealed itself in God’s history with Abraham, Joseph, Moses & Aaron, and their journey to Sinai. God is a covenant keeper; and God entered into an everlasting covenant with Abraham that would identify Israel as God’s own possession (chosen ones), multiply them, and given them a land where God and Israel could dwell together. That is the story of Psalm 105, and our response is praise, thanksgiving, and obedience. Join Bobby Valentine and John Mark Hicks as they walk through this wondrous story in Psalm 105.
Dead in our sins we walked in the passions of the flesh and were enslaved by the powers that rule and work disobedience in humanity. But God–rich in mercy–loved us by making us alive with Christ, raising us up with Christ, and seating us with Christ in the heavenlies so that God might display his grace through all the ages. Because of what God has done, we are no longer enslaved to the powers but recreated to walk in God’s good world to do goo works. Our good works do not earn our worth before God. Rather, God’s grace saved us through faith without any merit of our own; God’s salvation is a gift! And because of the gift we sit with Christ in the heavenlies and are no longer enslaved to the powers. Instead, we are able to participate in what God is doing in the world for the sake of the world through good works.
Ephesians 2 and Ezekiel 37
(Robert H. Suh, “The Use of Ezekiel 37 in Ephesians 2,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society (2007): 715-33.)
Common Vocabulary
Ezekiel
Vocabulary
Ephesians
37:26
Covenant
2:12
37:26
Peace
2:14, 15, 17
37:16, 17, 19, 22, 24
One
2:14, 15, 16, 18
37:22
Two
2:15
37:27, 28
Dwelling Place
2:21, 22
37:11
Hope
2:12
37:24
Law
2:15
37:9
Dead
2:1, 5
37:23
Sin
2:1
37:24
That They Might Walk In
2:2, 10
37:3, 5, 9, 14
Make Alive
2:5
37:22, 24, 25
Prince
2:2
37:1, 5, 5, 8, 9, 10, 14
Spirit
2:2, 18, 22
37:7
Joining
2:21
37:7
Draw Near (Approach)
2:18
Common Structure
Ezekiel 37
Ephesians 2
Looking forward to the establishment of the new sanctuary in a single Davidic reign (24-28)
Looking forward to the final establishment of the new sanctuary in the reign of Christ (19-22)
Unification of Judah and Israel (15-23)
Unification of Jews and Gentiles (11-18)
So that people might know that he is Lord (13-14)
So that people might know the riches of his grace through Christ (7)
Bringing them to the promised land (12-13)
Seating them with Christ in the heavenly places in Christ (6)
Raising Israel from the graves (12-13)
Raising them with Christ (6)
Making Israel alive (5-10)
Making them alive with Christ (5)
Israel as dead bones (1-2)
Jews and Gentiles dead in their sins (1,5)
Key Parallel Themes
New creation from death to life (Ezek 37:1-11; Eph 2:1-10)
Walking in the way of the Lord (Ezek 37:24; Eph 2:10)
Covenant (Ezek 37:26; Eph 2:12)
Peace (Ezek 37:26; Eph 2:14-15, 17)
Promised Messiah/Davidic King (Ezek 37:22, 24-25; Eph 2:13-17, 20)
Temple/Sanctuary/Dwelling Place of God (Ezek 37:26-28; Eph 2:19-22)
The work of the Spirit (Ezek 37:1,14; Eph 2:18, 22)
Ephesians and Colossians Compared
Concept/Word
Ephesians
Colossians
Dead in Trespasses (νεκροὺς τοῖς παραπτώμασιν)
2:1, 5
2:13
Uncircumcised (ἀκροβυστία)
2:11
2:13
Flesh (σαρκὸς)
2:3
2:13
Made Alive with Christ (συνεζωοποίησεν)
2:5
2:11, 13
Raised with Christ (συνήγειρεν)
2:6
2:12; 3:1
Seated with Christ (συνεκάθισεν)
2:6
No reference
God’s Work (ποίημα // ἐνεργείας )
2:10
2:12
By Grace (τῇ χάριτί // χαρισάμενος)
2:8
2:13
Through Faith (διὰ πίστεως // διὰ τῆς πίστεως)
2:8
2:12
In Baptism (ἐν τῷ βαπτισμῷ)
No reference
2:12
Colossians 2:11-13: In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised byChrist, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins. . .”
Ephesians 2:8-10
1. For you have been saved by grace (Τῇ γὰρ χάριτί ἐστε σεσῳσμένοι)
[2:4, rich in mercy; through his great love]
[2:6, by grace you have been saved]
[2:7, showed his incomparable riches of his grace]
[2:7, kindnesses to us in Christ Jesus]
2. through faith (διὰ πίστεως)
[2:5, he made us alive with Christ]
[2:6, he raised us up with him]
[2:6, he seated us with him in the heavenly places]
not from (ἐξ) yourselves (it is the gift of God),
not from (ἐξ) works (ἔργων) so that no one may boast.
3. For we are God’s workmanship (αὐτοῦ γάρ ἐσμεν ποίημα)
created in Christ Jesus to do good works (ἐπὶ ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς),
which God prepared in advance for us to do,
that we might walk (περιπατήσωμεν) in them.
A modified version of the below text was originally published as “Saved by Grace,” Ephesians, Harding University Lectureship Book (1994).
Saved by Grace (Ephesians 2:8-10)
In recent years there has been a renewed interest in the biblical doctrine of grace. But this interest has largely had a polemical tone. On one side are those who stress salvation as a divine work on our behalf and appear to some to minimize the role of human responsibility. They cry that no one can effect their own justification, do anything to save themselves or contribute to their salvation. God’s grace is the sole salvific power in conversion. God saves us despite ourselves rather than because of ourselves. On the other side are those who stress human responsibility and appear to some to minimize the divine work of salvation. They insist that there is something humans must do to effect their justification or contribute to their salvation. We are saved, they claim, when we act in response to the gospel; when we do something. We are saved because we do something.
This polarization has become acute in the past few years. It has become part of the fabric of the discussion of the “new hermeneutic.” Those who advocate or practice a “new hermeneutic” tend to stress grace and claim a new perspective which had not been previously known or was at least relatively rare among churches of Christ. Those who oppose the “new hermeneutic” tend to stress human responsibility and claim that churches of Christ have always understood and preached grace.[1] As a result, the discussion of grace has become intertwined, to some degree, with the discussion of the “new hermeneutic.”
This is unfortunate because the problem is not a hermeneutical one, but is a matter of theological precision and understanding. The polarization of positions on grace, particularly as focused in the question “Who is a Christian?” is more a matter of semantic confusion than it is a real theological difference. In the context of Ephesians 2:8-10, I hope to mediate this growing polarization. Yet, before mediation, we must understand something of the polarization as it now exists.
The Polarization.
In 1990, Rubel Shelly penned a bulletin article entitled “Arbeit Macht Frei“[2] where he addressed a kind of “spiritual neuroticism” which affirms that only through “doing enough” can one feel secure in his salvation.[3] His article contained these two sentences which have inflamed much of the contemporary controversy over grace: “It is a scandalous and outrageous lie to teach that salvation arises from human activity. We do not contribute one whit to our salvation.” Thomas Warren responded that “our brother eliminates all human activity from salvation. If he were right, then every human being will be saved, because God’s grace is offered to all men.”[4] Garland Elkins, under the sponsorship of the Knight Arnold Church of Christ in Memphis, Tennessee, challenged Shelly to debate the relationship of divine grace and human obedience.[5] Shelly declined, but he did participate in the 1992 Annual Preacher’s Forum at Harding University Graduate School of Religion which attempted to mediate between Shelly and his critics. But the polarization had already set in: it was a difference between those who said that we do not contribute to our salvation and those who say we do.
Wineskins produced a special issue on grace in June, 1993. One article in particular has drawn fire for its statements. Roy Osborne, in an article entitled, “Dead Men Don’t Climb Ladders!,” wrote: “We seem unable to give up the idea that we must DO SOMETHING to effect our justification. Some of the most prominent preachers, in and out of the Church of Christ, teach justification as a cooperative effort on the part of God and man. . . . Those who are dead cannot contribute anything to the process.”[6] Wayne Jackson has written a response to Osborne’s article in which he characterizes his teaching as “a shocking example of the type of neo-denominational thinking that has contaminated our brotherhood in recent years.”[7] In response to Osborne’s fundamental thesis, Jackson asks: “But is there not a sense in which man is seriously involved in his own salvation?”[8] The polarization appears once again: it is a difference between those who say we do nothing to effect our justification and those who say we must do something to effect our justification.
This polarization is not new. It has generated conflicts about the doctrine of grace for generations within churches of Christ. While there are several historical examples of this conflict, one of the best is the publication of K. C. Moser’s The Way of Salvation in 1932.[9] The significance of the book may be judged by the difference it highlighted between two influential contemporaries, G. C. Brewer and Foy E. Wallace, Jr. When the book appeared, Wallace, the editor of the Gospel Advocate, noticed it an editorial. His tone is noticeably negative though tempered by his brother Cled’s preface to the book. “We do not think,” he wrote, “that [Moser’s] ‘approach’ to these subjects is more effective than the plain preaching of faith, repentance, confession, and baptism as ‘conditions’ of salvation, like all faithful gospel preachers have always preached. . . . Such preaching is not to be criticized.”[10] Towards the end of his life, Wallace regretted “having contributed to its circulation” and noted that his brother Cled regretted having written the preface. Wallace blamed Moser for “indoctrinating young preachers with denominational error on the plan of salvation.” Moser’s “‘salvation by faith’ hobby” is contrary to the “gospel plan of salvation” and is “no more nor less than denominational doctrine.”[11]
G. C. Brewer, on the other hand, had almost nothing but praise for the book. One year after it was published Brewer specifically commended it and suggested that it be read “two or three times”.[12] It is “one of the best little books that came from any press in 1932,” according to Brewer. Further, he commended Moser for going to Scripture first instead of first searching for what is taught among churches of Christ and then going about to establish it by Scripture. Brewer wrote: “The author’s independence of all denominational views or brotherhood ideas, or of what the ‘fathers’ taught, or of what has been ‘our doctrine’ is the most encouraging thing I have seen in print among the disciples of Christ in this decade.”
It is clear that Wallace and Brewer had two entirely different views of this book. Wallace believed that it was too critical of brotherhood preaching and offered denominational doctrine in the place of biblical preaching on the plan of salvation. Indeed, he noted that the renowned Baptist debater Ben Bogard used to flaunt Moser’s book in his debates with gospel preachers.[13] Brewer, on the other hand, welcomed the critique of legalism among the churches of Christ. In his review, Brewer noted that “some of us have run to the extreme of making salvation depend on works.”[14] It is apparent that either Brewer or Wallace were misreading Moser, or that neither was understanding the other, or that there was a clear theological difference concerning the biblical doctrine of grace between these two pillars of the churches of Christ in the 1930s.[15] There was polarization among churches of Christ on the doctrine of grace in the 1930s as well as in the 1990s.
The Text: Ephesians 2:8-10
One of the clearest, yet most disputed, texts on the doctrine of grace in the New Testament is Ephesians 2:1-10. It is clear because it is a declarative statement from which we gain the phrase “grace through faith.” It is disputed because it demands interpretation. It is rarely sufficient to quote the text of Ephesians 2:8-9. Everyone wants to know what you mean when you quote it.[16] I propose to provide a meaning which unites the polarized groups among us.
EPHESIANS 2:8-10
1. You have been saved by grace
[2:4, rich in mercy; through his great love]
[2:6, by grace you have been saved]
[2:7, showed his incomparable riches of his grace]
[2:7, kindnesses to us in Christ Jesus]
2. through faith,
[2:5, he made us alive together with Christ]
[2:6, he raised us up with him]
[2:6, he seated us with him in the heavenly places]
not from (ek) yourselves (it is the gift of God),
not from (ek) works, so that no one may boast.
3. For we are God’s workmanship (“doing”),
created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:1-7 is a single sentence in the Greek text. It describes our sinful condition before God, God’s act in Christ to save us according to his mercy and grace, and his goal of glorifying us along with his Son. We were dead in sin, so God raised us up with Christ so that he might pour out his riches upon us. This is a statement of grace–God acts on our behalf. It is God’s act in Christ where he made us alive with him, raised up with him and sat us in heavenly places with him. This single sentence sets the motive and nature of God’s actions in the context of God’s mercy, kindness and grace. Our actions did not move God to grace, but God’s grace moved him to act on our behalf. His work is a gracious work for sinners who did not deserve it.
Ephesians 2:1-7 is grounded in the principle of Ephesians 2:8: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith.” The term “for” has explanatory force. The principle of verse 8 explains in summary fashion what he has just described in verses 1-7. In fact, the whole of verses 8-10 have a summary character to them. Paul is summarizing the nature of salvation in Christ. I think his summary can be unpacked in three points.
First, grace is the ground of our salvation. Salvation is God’s work, not ours. This is the plain meaning of the word “grace”–it is unmerited favor; it is God’s disposition of saving love toward undeserving sinners. Wrath is what is owed, but grace is bestowed. The central assertion of the doctrine of grace is that salvation is God’s work. It is God who saves.
God is the subject of the verbs relating to salvation in verses 1-7. He is the active worker here. Further, Paul explicitly clarifies this point by excluding works from the ground of salvation. Salvation is “not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Salvation does not arise out of our own goodness, our own worthiness. Salvation is arises out of God’s gracious heart who gives us salvation. We are not saved from within, but from without. We do not save ourselves, but God saves us.
Paul underlines this point by offering a further contrast. Not only is salvation “not from yourselves,” it is also “not by [literally, out of] works.” Salvation does not arise from the works that we do. Our works do not contribute to our salvation–they are not the source of our salvation. Salvation does not arise out of the quality and character of our works. Salvation is fundamentally a gift of God and anything that undermines that principle is legalism and denies the gospel. In this sense, there is nothing we can do to effect our justification and there is nothing we can do to contribute to our salvation.
It is important to note that Paul does not qualify the kind of works he is talking about here. He does not say “works of merit” or “works of the law of Moses.” Rather, he simply says “works.” It does, however, provide a motive for why works are excluded as the source of salvation: “so that no one can boast.” Paul excludes all boasting from salvation except the boasting that is in Christ. No one can boast about his works in relation to salvation. If we boast in any work, human effort, or obedience to law, then we exclude Christ. God’s grace means that we do not boast in our works, but in his work in Christ. It is God who saves. We do not save ourselves. Salvation does not arise out of our works.
Second, salvation is by faith. We are saved through the instrumentality of faith. Faith is the means by which we receive God’s grace. Through faith we have access to God’s grace, and by faith we continue to stand in his grace (Rom. 5:1-2). Faith is the human response to God’s gracious offer of salvation. Faith receives what God is willing to give. God saves by grace, but through faith.
Human response is required for salvation. No is saved without faith. Faith is the condition of salvation, and faith is a human response to God’s gracious offer. God’s grace is offered to everyone, but is only applied to those who receive it through faith. Consequently, there is a sense in which we must do something to receive salvation–we must “do faith” or we must believe in Jesus Christ and trust him as our Savior.
What about baptism? If all works are excluded, does this mean that it is faith alone which saves without baptism? We must remember that in verse 8 Paul is summarizing verses 1-7. We are saved by God’s act, not ours. But what was God’s act which saved us? When we were dead, God made us alive with Christ, raised us up with Christ and sat us in the heavenly places with him. God raised us from the spiritual grave and made us alive through his work in Christ. We who were dead in sin are now alive in Christ through our death and resurrection with him. If Colossians is any indication (as well as Rom. 6), Paul is alluding to baptism in these phrases. God circumcised our hearts, made us alive with Christ and forgave us our sins when we were “buried with him in baptism and raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead” (Col. 2:12). When Paul says that God “raised us up with Christ” (Eph. 2:6), the total context of his thought and the parallel with Colossians implies a baptismal context.
Baptism saves, not as a work, but as an expression of faith in the work of God. Baptism is fundamentally God’s work–he forgives, he raises up, he makes alive. We simply entrust ourselves through faith in his power. In baptism, we do not do anything, but receive everything. Salvation does not arise out of baptism, it arises out of God’s grace. But we receive salvation through faith as we submit to God’s requirement to express our faith in the context of immersion. Baptism does not belong in the category of “work” but in the category of “faith.” It is a human response which arises out of faith, expresses faith and receives God’s gracious salvation as a gift.
Third, good works are the result of salvation; they are not the basis or ground of salvation. We are not saved because we work, but we work because we are already saved. Ephesians 2:10 is a comment on the relationship between works and salvation, as if Paul wishes to clarify or head off misunderstandings of his point in verses 8-9. We are saved by grace through faith–not of ourselves or our works, but as a divine gift so that no one can boast. This is true because, as verse 10 says, we are created for good works, and not because we do good works. Rather, we are God’s work–we are God’s doing, his creation. We work the works of God because we are God’s work of salvation–new creatures in Christ.
As one looks at the structure of the text, “works” follow salvation. God saves us by grace, not works. But he saves us so that we can do good works. Works are the result of salvation. We are his creation for good works. Paul’s order is clear: Grace, faith, salvation, works. It is not: grace, faith, works and then salvation. Works are not a means to salvation, they are the evidence of salvation already received. Works are evidence of God’s work of creating us. They testify that we are God’s new creation; they testify to our salvation–they do not create the salvation.
Salvation, then, is by grace through faith unto good works. Salvation arises out of God’s grace, and we do not save ourselves. Rather, God creates us through faith–we are his work; his doing. He raises us up with Christ and makes us alive through faith in his power which occurs when we are buried with Christ and rise with him in baptism. God saves us through faith at baptism–we do not contribute to the act of God’s saving. Rather, through a human response we receive God’s gift. As a result, we are God’s workmanship who are dedicated to good works, holiness, and discipleship. It is because we are saved that we seek to please God in every respect. Salvation, in summary, is by grace through faith at baptism unto good works.[17]
WORKS IN EPHESIANS
Are the works of 2:10 included or excluded by 2:8-9?
1) Some argue that the works excluded by 2:8-9 are redemptive-historical in character, that is, it excludes the works of the Mosaic Law. Thus, the works of 2:10 are part of the concept of “faith” in 2:8 and are not excluded by 2:9. The works included are the works of God required by the faith system.
2) Others argue that the works excluded by 2:8-9 are categorical in character, that is, it excludes all good works, including the works of 2:10. The works of 2:10 follow salvation and are not the means of salvation. I think when Paul excluded works in 2:8-9 he was including the kind of works that he named in 2:10.
We have the same question when we see that works are excluded from our past salvation (justification). We have been saved without works according to:
2 Timothy 1:9:
God saved us and called us to a holy calling,
not according to our works, but according to his own grace.
Titus 3:5-7:
God saved us not out of works of righteousness we had done,
but through the washing of regeneration
and renewal by the Holy Spirit…having been justified by grace.
Romans 11:6:
But if by grace, then it is no longer out of works;
otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
The Pastoral texts are particularly significant because of the consistent way in which the term ergon (work) is used in the Pastorals. It clearly signals that Paul is excluding the good moral works which God has commanded and to which he calls his people from the saving work of God.
WORKS IN THE PASTORALS
Are the good works required by the Pastorals included or excluded from the rejection of works in 2 Timothy 1:9 and Titus 3:5?
1) Some argue that the works which are excluded are the works of the law of Moses or the works of self-righteousness. The works of God, however, are included.
2) Others argue that good works (works which God commands) are excluded from the nature, ground or means of our salvation.
Alternative 2 is the correct one when one considers the way the term “works” is used in the Pastorals. The texts do not think about the works of the law of Moses or works of self-righteousness, but the good works which Christians are commanded to do as the people of God (1 Tim. 2:10; 5:10,25; 6:18; 2 Tim. 2:21; 3:17; Titus 1:16; 2:7,14; 3:1,8,14). Paul clearly excludes even good works from the ground of justification.
The Point
I believe the semantic confusion which lies behind the current polarization among churches of Christ on the doctrine of grace is the failure to distinguish between the ground of salvation and the means of salvation. This distinction is recognized by both groups, but they do not recognize it in each other.
There is a distinction between the ground of our salvation and the means by which we appropriate it. The ground of our salvation is the merit by which we stand before God. It is that which earns our righteous standing (salvation) before God. The means by which we are saved is the method of appropriation. It is the way in which we receive our righteous standing (salvation) before God.
The ground of our salvation is wholly outside of ourselves. It is external to us; it comes from outside of us. Titus 3:5 explicitly denies that we are saved by “works of righteousness,” that is, works which earn righteousness. We are not saved on the basis of the merit of our obedience or works. We are not saved on the ground that we are good enough. Rather, we are saved by the merits of Christ’s work and not our own. It is the righteousness of God which is imputed to us as a gift which saves us (Rom. 1:16-17; 4:1-8). The righteousness by which we are saved is not earned or churned up by our own moral and positive obedience. Our obedience, no matter how blameless it may be, will never be sufficient to earn us a righteous, perfect standing before God.
It is in this sense that we can say salvation is wholly of God, that is, the merit or righteousness by which we are justified in the sight of God is not our own; it is the gift of God. The ground of our salvation, then, is the grace of God alone as it is offered to us in Christ Jesus. We are justified on the merits of what Christ has done, not on the merits which we have earned. He imputes to us a righteousness which is not our own.
Salvation, however, does not come to everyone. This gift of righteousness is not universally distributed. Rather it is given to believers. Without faith no one can please God or enter into his presence since it is through faith that God gives his gift of righteousness. Faith is the means by which we receive the righteousness that comes from God. As a means, it does not contribute to the merit of our righteous standing, but it is the instrument by which the righteousness from God is received. The gift is the righteousness; faith is the open hand that receives the gift. Faith is a human act which responds to God’s gracious offer of the gift of righteousness by accepting it. Faith, then, as a human act, is the means or instrument by which we appropriate salvation.
[1]This tension is reflected in many publications. A good example is the contrast between James S. Woodroof, The Church in Transition (Searcy, Ark: The Bible House, Inc., 1990), 19 and James D. Bales, “The Church in Transition” to What? (Searcy, Ark: James D. Bales, Publisher, 1992), 37-57.
[2]Rubel Shelly, “Arbeit Macht Frei,” in The Love Lines, Bulletin of the Woodmont Hills Church of Christ, 16.45 (October 31, 1990), 3. The title, which was posted over the entrance of the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz, means “work will set you free.” It was a false hope for those who entered the camp, and, according to Shelly, it presents a false hope for Christians today.
[3]Rubel Shelly, “Question-Answer Session,” in Grace, Faith, Works: How Do They Relate?, ed. by C. Philip Slate (Huntsville, AL: Publishing Designs, Inc., 1992), 123.
[4]Thomas B. Warren, “Salvation is by Grace but not by Grace Only,” Firm Foundation 106.5 (May 1991), 129.
[5]Yokefellow 18.4 (April 15, 1991). The proposed propositions were: “The Bible teaches that salvation from sin results from the grace of God alone, totally and completely apart from any human activity” (Shelly affirms, Elkins denies), and “The Bible teaches that salvation depends upon both (1) the grace of God and (2) the faithful, loving obedience of the individual human being” (Elkins affirms, Shelly denies). Shelly refused to debate. See also Goebel Music, Behold the Pattern! (Colleyville, TX: Goebel Music Publications, 1991), 325-26, 335-8.
[6]Roy Osborne, “Dead Men Don’t Climb Ladders!,” Wineskins 2.2 (June 1993): 17. He also quotes K. C. Moser (“a giant in biblical understanding”): “One of the most difficult truths for man to accept is that he has a real Savior. He desires that Jesus tell him what to do to save himself!” (p. 17).
[7]Wayne Jackson, “Concerning Dead Men and Ladders,” Spiritual Sword 25.3 (April 1994): 12.
[8]Ibid., 14, citing Acts 2:40 and Phil. 2:13.
[9]K. C. Moser, The Way of Salvation (Nashville: Gospel Advocate, 1932).
[10]Foy E. Wallace, Jr., “‘The Way of Salvation’,” Gospel Advocate 74 (21 April 1932): 494.
[11]Foy E. Wallace, Jr., The Present Truth (Fort Worth: Foy E. Wallace, Jr., Publications, 1977), 1036.
[12]G. C. Brewer, “Read this Book,” Gospel Advocate 75 (11 May 1933): 434.
[13]Wallace, The Present Truth, 1036. G. H. P. Showalter records an incident where Ben Bogard asked him: “What are you folks going to do with Moser?” Cf. “The ‘Faith Alone’ Idea,” Firm Foundation 51 (3 April 1934): 4.
[14]Brewer, “Read,” 434.
[15]On the importance of Brewer and Wallace among churches of Christ in the 1930s, see Robert E. Hooper, A Distinct People: A History of the Churches of Christ in the 20th Century (West Monroe, LA: Howard Publishing Co., 1993), 131-64.
[16]The Woodmont Hills elders quoted this text in response to the challenge for debate by the Knight Arnold Church of Christ. Clearly, this quotation was not sufficient to settle the question. It is a statement that must be interpreted.
[17]This same structure can be seen in 2 Tim. 1:8b-11a and Titus 3:3-8. The language of this sentence is dependent upon Jack Cottrell who has used this summary in many different places in his writings. See his Being Good Isn’t Good Enough (Cincinnati: Standard Publishing Co., 1973) and his recent Baptism: A Biblical Study (Joplin, MO: College Press, 1989).
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Posted by John Mark Hicks