Ephesians 2 - Do You Want To Have Real Peace?

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Made Alive in Christ

2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

These ten verses are a great synopsis of the gospel. They teach what we believe about sin, the devil, and how we are saved. Ephesians 2:8-10 is the cornerstone of the Reformation movement led by Martin Luther and others. 

 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 

Grace is unmerited favor. Grace is a free gift. Someone came up with an acronym for grace. G.R.A.C.E. = God's Riches at Christ's Expense! If grace is free there is no way we can earn it. If we don't earn it and don't deserve it, it is for everyone. Grace comes to us via God's mercy. Mercy is giving us what we don't deserve. The wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ in Jesus, our Lord. 

But the next part of the equation is faith. Faith too is a gift from God! But it needs to be exercised. Faith is trusting in the promises made available through grace. Faith is trusting in what Jesus did for us on the cross as the only way we can be freed from the death sin brought to us. Faith expresses itself through action. 

So it is by grace through faith that we are saved. None of us can boast about the grace we have been given. or the faith we have been given. But this doesn't mean faith is passive. Faith is living and active. It is like a muscle it needs to be exercised in order to be strengthened. Our works flow from our faith. Paul says it beautifully when he says, 

"For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Sometimes good works get a bad rap. People get so concerned about falling into a "works based" mentality that they forget this verse. We were created for good works in advance. We are God's handiwork, which comes from the same word where we get the English word "poetry". We might say we are God's great work of art. Each of us are fashioned differently to make a different contribution to the body of Christ. 

As James said, "Faith without works is dead!" The key thing is our works come from knowing God's approval not to get it through them. 

What do you God created you to do? How has he made you uniquely and given you unique spiritual gifts to glorify him and build up the body of Christ? Only you can do what God made you to do!

Jew and Gentile Reconciled Through Christ

11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Paul distinguishes between the Jews and Gentiles that made up the church in Ephesus. He addresses the Gentiles by saying they were like foreigners, in the sense of they were not members of the Jewish faith and did not receive the covenant promises. And yet, the covenant promise was that the Jews would be a God's blessing to all nations. And that covenant was fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. 

All of have sinned and fall short of God's glory, including both Jews and Gentiles. Through sin both Jews and Gentiles are separated from God. But the great equalizer is that both Jews and Gentiles have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Jesus covers all people's sin. He doesn't exclude anyone based upon their race or religion. (Religion in a human sense of all the ways people trying to create systems that save us based on works).  

Religion is man's attempt to please God, whereas Christianity is about the relationship God made available to us through Christ. The direction of religion is man reaching up to God. The direction of the Christianity is God reaching down to earth in the form of His Son. 

14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

A lot of times we look for peace in ourselves, in the world, or through material possessions. But the only way we can have peace is through Jesus. When we have peace with God, we can truly have peace with others. We don't need to agree on all things to have peace. We can disagree, but not let us lose the peace we have through Christ. You can't put a price on peace!  Jesus said,

"My peace I give you not as the world gives!"

Though we pray for peace in our world in places like the Middle East, Russia, and Ukraine, we know that there will always be wars in our world. It will not be until Jesus returns to set up a new heaven and earth that there will be real peace. 

The wall of separation is gone because the common Lordship is greater than any previous division. If the Lordship of Jesus Christ is not greater than any difference you have with others – be it political, racial, economic, language, geography or whatever, then you have not fully understood what it means to be under the Lordship of Jesus. - Guzik

Do you experience peace with God on a regular basis? Do you go to Jesus for peace, or look for it in places you will never find it? Are you a person of peace? Are you a peacemaker? Do you bring God's peace into your relationships at home, work, and in the world!  

He is Our Peace! He is the Prince of Peace and the Lord of Lords!