Grace and Faith

Read: Ephesians 2:1-10

In this letter of uncertain second century authorship, we find elements of genuine Pauline thought. All people are dead because of their sins against God. The themes of total depravity and original sin appear. We are all by nature “children of wrath.” God, however, does not punish sinners, but saves us from death and makes us “alive with Christ.” God’s purpose is not to destroy humankind for their disobedience. Rather, God gives us life in Christ, raises us up, and rewards us with our inheritance.

But all of this is God’s gift. “By grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing.” Salvation is not earned by our “good works.” Instead, we are created for the good works that God has prepared beforehand. We cannot merit salvation by good works, but the good works prepared by God in advance mark the Christian’s way of life.

We miss in this text the center of Paul’s theology: that Christ is the Savior, dying and rising for us; that crucifixion and resurrection are pivotal events; that the “righteousness of God” and the “justification of the sinner” describe God’s relation with human beings; that we are saved by grace and faith alone. By contrast, “life in Christ” and “the gift of God” are the primary emphases of Ephesians.

Prayer: Merciful God, I am grateful for the wideness of your grace which you offer to different people in different experiences. Amen.

Manfred Hoffmann