Memory – Ephesians 2.8-10 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
When I first memorized these verses (2.8-9) decades ago it was part of the Navigator’s Topical Memory System. I carried a small packet of Bible verses that I was trying to memorize around in my shirt pocket to help me commit God’s Word to memory. The text is profoundly significant in that it reinforces the beginning and end of salvation as rooted in the gracious work of God. Thus, there is no room for self-aggrandizement. The Christian does not have any justification for claiming any reformation in their life based solely a result of their resolve to be a better person. That is not to say they do not aspire to live a righteous life, but they recognize that God in Christ is working in and through them. It was only a few years later that I realized the importance of connecting verse 2.10 with the foregoing verses 8 & 9: For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Sometimes, fully understanding the meaning of a text is just joining it together with the preceding or following verse(s). As you gain more familiarity with the great themes of Scripture you will recognize reoccurring thoughts and patterns threaded throughout the Bible. For example in Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi he writes: And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1.6). Or consider the psalmist David who wrote: The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands (Psalm 138.8).
Two important biblical doctrines (a set of beliefs or teachings) are inherent within these three verses: namely, justification and sanctification. In some ways they are alike and in other ways they are different. They are alike in these ways: a) Both find their origin in the free grace of God and are a part of the larger work of salvation. b) Both begin at the same time, and both are necessary for salvation. Second, these two doctrines differ in these ways: a) Justification reckons a person righteous, but sanctification is the process of making a person righteous (though perhaps only to a very limited degree). b) Justification results entirely from the work of Christ, sanctification results from the working of the Holy Spirit in a Christian’s life; perfection mingled with imperfection. c) There is no place for works in justification, but in sanctification the Christian cooperates with the Holy Spirit in doing good works. d) Justification is a finished and complete work, while sanctification is an uncompleted work until the believer reaches heaven. e) Justification refers to the believer’s person, that is, his standing before God, or God’s act about the Christian. Sanctification on the other hand, refers to his nature, that is, the moral renewal of his heart, or God’s act within the Christian. f) So, then, justification gives one title to heaven, but sanctification prepares one to enjoy living there (cf. J. C. Ryle, Holiness, pp. 30-31).
Sometimes, fully understanding the meaning of a text is just joining it together with the preceding or following verse(s). As you gain more familiarity with the great themes of Scripture you will recognize reoccurring thoughts and patterns threaded throughout the Bible. For example in Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi he writes: And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1.6). Or consider the psalmist David who wrote: The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands (Psalm 138.8).
Two important biblical doctrines (a set of beliefs or teachings) are inherent within these three verses: namely, justification and sanctification. In some ways they are alike and in other ways they are different. They are alike in these ways: a) Both find their origin in the free grace of God and are a part of the larger work of salvation. b) Both begin at the same time, and both are necessary for salvation. Second, these two doctrines differ in these ways: a) Justification reckons a person righteous, but sanctification is the process of making a person righteous (though perhaps only to a very limited degree). b) Justification results entirely from the work of Christ, sanctification results from the working of the Holy Spirit in a Christian’s life; perfection mingled with imperfection. c) There is no place for works in justification, but in sanctification the Christian cooperates with the Holy Spirit in doing good works. d) Justification is a finished and complete work, while sanctification is an uncompleted work until the believer reaches heaven. e) Justification refers to the believer’s person, that is, his standing before God, or God’s act about the Christian. Sanctification on the other hand, refers to his nature, that is, the moral renewal of his heart, or God’s act within the Christian. f) So, then, justification gives one title to heaven, but sanctification prepares one to enjoy living there (cf. J. C. Ryle, Holiness, pp. 30-31).
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