Now let’s go to Ephesians chapter 2 verse 4. Remember this is all jumping off from that word Salvation in Hebrews chapter 6 as Paul was agreeing that the believing element of these Hebrews had salvation. So he wasn’t condemning them for being apostate but it was the people who were part and parcel of their congregation who were and had been.
Ephesians 2:4-6
"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins,(as the offspring of Adam) hath quickened (or made us alive spiritually through the office of the Holy Spirit) us together with Christ, (for by the Spirit of Grace are you saved") And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:" God always has a purpose in everything He does, and here is another one, in the next verse.
Ephesians 2:7-8
"That in the ages to come (eternity) he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. (and here comes that classic verse that every believer should know) For by grace are you saved (through the benefit or our benefactor, no its much more than that, that we don’t deserve, no we did not but God in His infinite Love placed a greater value on us then we deserved) through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:"
Is there anything added there? No. There’s nothing in there of baptism, or of tongues or even of works. There’s nothing in there of good works, because the only way we’re saved is by trusting in His faith plus nothing! Now I have to qualify that. That doesn’t mean that we can say, "Oh I’m saved", and then go on our way. That’s not what we're teaching. We’re saved for the purpose of sharing in His producing fruit, and that’s not "easy believeism." It’s not easy to get out there in His likeness and then allow Him to produce fruit through us. You’ve heard me use it over and over and I’ll use it again. If you’re paddling a canoe up a river, that is upstream, how much of the time can you take the paddle out of the water? Never! Because the moment you do, back down the river you go. We're the vessel that He uses, we're His mouth and His message bearers. We work with the Holy Spirit just as Jesus did as our leader and forerunner or captain. It's only in and by the power of the Holy Spirit that we're to do anything.
And it’s a constant exercise of energy to keep moving on in the Christian experience. So don’t ever let anyone accuse me of an easy believeism. All I say is it is so simple because God has done all that needs to be done and all we have to do is first receive and then believe it. But, recognize that God’s going to move in and make us a new creation, so that we can bear His fruit. To get some kind of handle on this let's turn for a moment to 2 Corinthians chapter 3 and verses 3, and 6-10:
2Corinthians 3:3, 6-10
"Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart..... Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth."
Now we'll quote from a book written by Andrew Murray entitled "The Two Covenants" and from chapter 7: "Think a moment of the contrast. The Old Covenant was of the letter that kills. The law came with its literal instruction, and sought by the knowledge it gave of God's will to appeal to man's fear and his love, to his natural powers of mind and conscience and will. It spoke to him as if he could obey, that it might convince him of what he did not know, that he could not obey. And so it fulfilled its mission : "The commandment which was unto life, this I found to be unto death." In the New, on the contrary, how different was everything. Instead of the letter, the Spirit that gives Life, that breathes the very Life of God, the Life of heaven into us. Instead of a law graven in stone, the law written in the heart, worked into the heart's affection and powers, making it one with them. Instead of the vain attempt to work from without inward, the Spirit and the law are put into the inward parts, thence to work outward in life and walk.
This passage brings into view that which is the distinctive blessing of the New
Covenant. In working out our Salvation God bestows upon us two wonderful gifts.
We read: "God sent forth His Son, that He might redeem them that were under
the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because we are sons, God
sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." Here we
have the two parts of God's work in our having entered into His Salvation. The one, the more objective, what He did that we might become His children---He sent forth His Son. The second, the more subjective, what He did that we might live like His children He sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts. In the former we have the external manifestation of the work of redemption; in the other, its inward appropriation; the former for the sake of the latter. These two halves form one great whole, and may not be separated."
Notice that Mr. Murray said that these two actions now can't be separated and indeed that is so but only after we've spent our time under God listening to the Holy Spirits training and teaching of us. In what we've called "our first estate" under the Law because when He's done His work we find our true self life lacking and in utter shambles of sin. If we've allowed Him to do that to which He is first given and that is to bring us to Christ and His alter and our table. For it's only through His office as our trained and teacher that we can pass and then come to the knowledge of Christ which is the subject of our teachings. Now back to our outline.
Ephesians 2:8-10
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (and you don’t work for a gift) Not of works, (because if it was works then) any man should boast. (now we follow-up after salvation) For we are his workmanship, (We are something now that God is working in us to form us and to prepare us for our service) created in Christ Jesus unto good works, (Not for salvation I think that’s evident, but as a result of it.) which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." Alright now, I’m going to look at verses 11, 12 and 13 because again, too many people don’t know these are in their Bible. Look what they say:
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