For By Grace You Have Been Saved Through Faith Alone
Posted: Wednesday, March 04, 2009
by Denny Smith
No, Eph. 2:8-9 does not read that way but that is the way most seem to want to read it. Let me quote the verses for you from the New King James version. "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."
There is no believer in his right mind who would discount the grace of God in man's salvation. You do not believe you deserve to be saved do you? If you cannot count your own sins I suspect it would not be too hard to find some one who would be willing to do it for you. And, I add, that is to say nothing of those internal sins that no man can see in another, those sins that only God knows about you. Many people are unaware that even evil thoughts are sin in God's sight.
Yes, I am thankful for grace for my own sins wear me down but it distresses me to see what man has done to Eph. 2:8-9. The passage has been perverted; the perversion has been made the be all and end all of God's teaching on the subject. It is as if no other verses in the Bible have any authority on the topic of salvation. If God has spoken elsewhere it makes no difference for these two verses (I should say the perversion of them) are all we will take into account and accept. We tell God, in effect, do not waste your time telling me anything else for I do not want to hear it.
We are unwilling to accept that the same man who wrote Eph. 2:8-9 by inspiration of the Holy Spirit also wrote other books of the New Testament by inspiration of the Holy Spirit as well and also spoke in those books on the subject. We forget the Psalmist said, "The entirety of Your word is truth." (Psalms 119:160)
We pit Paul against himself in order to make sure that Eph. 2:8-9 (our perversion of it) remains on a pedestal above all other passages on the subject. The passage in Eph. 2 teaches the truth on the subject of how man is saved when properly understood and not perverted but my problem is with the perversion. The passage is a summary statement of how man comes to have salvation but where the trouble comes is man's willingness to define the terms there as he very well sees fit and desires. For example, who gets to define terms like grace, like faith, like works? And, that is where the perversion comes in.
Let me define grace for you the way it is commonly defined by man grace is God doing all the work and me not lifting even my pinky. It is total unconditional salvation. The idea is if God makes any demand on me (puts a condition on salvation) it cannot be grace.
Faith is commonly defined, in this context, as what I believe. It is subjective, not objective, does not depend on a book, chapter, and verse because it is what I believe. I knew a lady who once said words to the effect that she did not care what Paul said about women preachers. She knew what she believed was her idea. Bingo! That is how faith is commonly defined among men today as it relates to Eph. 2:8-9.
Works is defined as being anything that requires me taking a single breath. If I have to lift my eye lids it is salvation by works.
I totally reject all of the above. I say it is a perversion of truth. It is a perversion of the teaching of Eph. 2:8-9. Let us hear a little from Paul, the one no one seems to be willing to listen to except in Eph. 2. Let him explain himself.
"But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God which is through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." (Rom. 3:21-24 NKJV)
This passage speaks of faith and grace as well as justification being a gift. Does this sound familiar to Eph. 2:8-9? It ought to. But, how does the passage say we are justified by faith and grace? Answer "through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." (v. 24)
Well how does Paul say a man enters Christ Jesus where this redemption is redemption "is in Christ Jesus?" He says just two chapters later, "do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus." (Rom. 6:3 NKJV) Was this a slip of the tongue or of the pen? No, for he says it again, "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." (Gal. 3:26-27 NKJV) By the way, can you put on Christ without baptism? (see also 1 Cor. 12:13)
Why is a man a son of God through faith in Christ Jesus? Because he was baptized into Christ. Reread Gal. 3:26-27 again. I challenge one and all to find even a single passage of scripture in the New Testament that tells you how to get into Christ outside of baptism.
By faith a man is led to be baptized into Christ Jesus. No one would or could be baptized into Christ without first having faith in him. Forgiving grace is found in Christ. The reader will see readily that I do not pit Paul against himself. Faith, grace, and baptism all fit together into one package. Paul meant what he said in every single passage of scripture he wrote but those who interpret Eph. 2:8-9 the way most do today have him fighting himself for they cannot admit he meant what he said in passages like Gal. 3:26-27.
They cannot understand why he arose and was baptized to wash away his sins (Acts 22:16) unless of course the passage does not mean what it literally says. They have to symbolize all such passages (and dream up what the symbols are suppose to mean for the Bible does not tell them). Paul could not have literally meant that a man enters Christ by baptism no matter what he said about it for that would mean one had to be baptized to be a Christian, to be in Christ, the very thing they deny. They thus pit Paul against himself by their man made tradition.
Paul was baptized to wash away his sins (Acts 22:16) and taught that one enters Christ by baptism. He said Christ is the savior of the body (Eph. 5:23) and that the church is his body (Eph. 1:22-23) but says that body is entered through baptism. "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body." (1 Cor. 12:13 NKJV) If Christ is the Savior of the body and you are baptized into that body how are you going to be saved without being baptized (for the remission of your sins Acts 2:38, Acts 2:16) the same way Paul was baptized?
This body one is baptized into, the body of Christ, the church, is cleansed "with the washing of water by the word." (Eph. 5:26 NKJV) No washing of water (baptism) then no cleansing.
Paul, unlike those today, did not see a conflict between being saved by grace through faith and being baptized for the remission of sins. As said earlier, it was all part of one package. Baptism for the remission of sins is a part of God's grace. A man is led to it by faith.
When Paul was baptized to wash away his sins he did not see that as salvation by works but salvation by a living faith (by grace you have been saved through faith). When Ananias, a Holy Spirit filled man sent by God to Paul, told him to "Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins" (Acts 22:16 NKJV) faith led him to believe that this was God speaking to him. When he complied with God's command he was, you get to choose: (a) justified by faith (b) justified by works.
Let me ask another question. What if Paul had refused to be baptized to wash away his sins? Would his faith have been a living faith or a dead faith? When you answer that one you will know why you will find baptism in a proper exegesis of Eph. 2:8-9. The way Eph. 2:8-9 is commonly understood today it demands a dead faith for there will be no baptism to wash away your sins found in it according to the common understanding.
Paul believed and obeyed and was saved by grace. We disbelieve and disobey and say we are saved by grace. Friends, there is a world of difference in those two positions. Both cannot be right.
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)Wow, i'm lost in your teaching. First you state there are no works to be saved, yes i believe that just like Jn 3:16 by belief i have eternal life. Then you throw in the baptisum like it will save me. Im sure this is the one step of obediance God asks of us as our outward statement to the world and only that. May the Holy Spirit guide you bortherWhat book, chapter, and verse can you refer me to that will tell me that baptism is "our outward statement to the world?" Just one will do. Since I am over 2 years late in responding to your comment I will patiently wait for my answer.
P.S. It will probably be easier to find a modern day denominational preacher you can quote to that effect than it will be to find a scriptural reference.
You have only quote Saul/Paul teachings. What about the words of Jesus Christ in John chapter 3/3-8 and John chapter 15/15-15-16)? I still remain with the thoughts that many of Saul/Paul's teachings have brought in the leaven of pride of "titles", confusion of "ministries", and confusion of the "grace only theology". I find the teachings of Jesus Christ to His disciples leaves no room for doubt.Marcia, rather than rewrite things I have already written on the New Birth (John 3:3-8) I will direct you to this page on my web site where you will find several articles on the topic--http://dennysmith.net/newbirth Just copy and paste the web address as the url is not live.
On John chapters 15-16 you are seeing a conflict I do not see so you need to be more specific.
I do want to address something you said here that I commonly hear. The idea seems to be prevalent that Paul wrote things of his own accord, not by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that his writings conflict with the writings of others and thus ought to be ripped out of our Bibles as uninspired teachings (that is the implication that your thinking leads to necessarily). If Paul's writings are in conflict with Jesus' teachings it has to be uninspired and thus ought to be ripped out of the Bible.
Here is the truth. The fact that you think Paul is in conflict with Jesus ought to immediately tell you that you are thinking wrong and thus need to halt and rethink. In 2 Peter 3:14-16 Peter talks about Paul. He talks about "wisdom given to him." (verse 15) Who gave Paul this wisdom, Marcia? Then in verse 16 Peter compares Paul's writings to "the rest of the scriptures" thus putting his own stamp of approval on what Paul wrote.
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God." (2 Tim. 3:16) thus unless you are actually going to rip Paul's writings out of the New Testament they remain in it as inspired of God and his writings are not, when properly understood, in conflict with anything else taught in the New Testament. The conflict is in one's misunderstanding.
Paul tells us where he got his knowledge from. "I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ." (Gal. 1:12)Denny John chapter 15 verses 15 through 16 Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servants know not what his lord does: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruits, and that your fruits should remain; that whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name, He may give it to you.
I believe that Jesus Christ is speaking to the born again Holy Spirit filled believer, because they are the only ones who bring forth fruits of righteousness since they abide in Him and His words abides in them. An unbeliever does not bring forth fruits of righteousness. Water baptism would never save anyone as proven by the many people going in and coming out the Churches the same way they went in. One must be born again according to Jesus Christ John 3/3. I try not to use the words "saved" because when I ask people who use that word what they are saved from most usually look at me with a dumb stare LOL!
Your statement copied above (Here is the truth. The fact that you think Paul is in conflict with Jesus ought to immediately tell you that you are thinking wrong and thus need to halt and rethink).
I have halted per your suggestion and my response to your comment above is that
with the help of the Holy Spirit, I try to rightly divide the written Word to come to the full revelation of what is being taught and then I try to apply it to my life, with the help of the Holy Spirit, thereby coming to the conclusion that the Word works and is truth.
Now, Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 that "some" will receive certain "gifts". Please tell me where God said He will set "some" in the Church, first apostles, then prophets, then teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, different tongues"?
Jesus Christ spoke of "signs following ALL believers and that is all Mark 16. Jesus never mentioned anything about different ministries or gifts, because He knew it would cause divisions and confusion, such as we have in the "churches" today. Have you ever wondered why many are falling away from the "churches" and not wanting to be involved in church activities?
Please let us be blessed as we ask the Holy Spirit for help in rightly dividing the written Word.Marcia, you commented, "water baptism would never save anyone." No, not by itself but to say that it will not save or to say it is not essential to salvation forces you to deny plain as day passages of scripture such as Acts 2:38, 22:16, 1 Peter 3:21, etc. It is to say either that Peter lied on the Day of Pentecost or that the Holy Spirit by which he spoke that day did not know what he was saying and that is pretty dangerous stuff for any man to say. I would be afraid to say it.
You also say, " Please tell me where God said He will set "some" in the Church, first apostles, then prophets, then teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, different tongues?" The answer is 1 Cor. 12:28 in the King James Version. The New King James version uses the word "appointed" rather than "set." However, that is not what you are really asking, I understand that. Here is your problem--you do not believe Paul or his writings were inspired by the Holy Spirit but believe instead that Paul was a sort of renegade who without any authority from God went out on his own and preached false doctrine. How you came to this conclusion I have no idea but I do know you do not think like Peter for Peter compared Paul's writings to "the rest of the scriptures" (2 Peter 3:16) and also called Paul "our beloved brother Paul" (2 Peter 3:15). You ought to think seriously about rethinking your position.
Pride is an awful thing and makind's curse from the living God. Humility is a blessing. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.We finally agree.
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