* Ephesians 2:1-5 - By Grace Alone
* Introduction
Today, under the title “By Grace Alone,” I will deliver the second message of our Fall Revival Series. Through this revival, we are learning about the essence of faith under the theme “Return to the Essence of Faith.” Learning the spirit of the Reformation is a deeply meaningful process because it reminds us where our roots lie. Moreover, it helps us rediscover what true biblical faith is.
Last night, we looked together at Sola Scriptura — By Scripture Alone. At a glance, the medieval era seemed to be the golden age of the church. However, behind its appearance of glory were many unbiblical practices — the papal system, indulgences, and various distortions of truth. Yet even during that dark time, God was at work. Through His Word, He raised up reformers, and through the power of that Word, the church was reformed. That is the true meaning of the Reformation. Now today, we will take one step further and meditate together on the truth of “By Grace Alone.”
* Who Deserves to Be Celebrated on a Birthday?
Not long ago, it was my second son’s birthday. Of course, he received many congratulations from our family. He also had a joyful time with his friends and received several gifts. As the evening came and the birthday was almost over, while the whole family was gathered together, I asked my son a question: “Jion, who is your mom’s mom?” Since his grandmother is currently living with us, he immediately answered, “Grandma.” Then I asked him again, “Then, Jion, who made your mom be born into this world?” He thought for a moment and replied, “Because of Grandma, Mom was born.”
So I changed the question once more and asked, “Then, Jion, who made you be born into this world?” After thinking a bit longer, he said, “Because of Mom, I was born.” Finally, I asked the most important question: “Then, Jion, on your birthday, who should be celebrated the most, and to whom should you be most thankful?” He paused for a while, thought about it seriously, and then half-reluctantly answered, “I should thank Mom.” At that moment, I looked carefully at his face. The expression that had seemed all day like he was the center of the universe suddenly became more humble, because he realized that he did not come into this world by himself, but through his mother.
* How Did We Come to Be Here?
Now, let us apply this same principle to our spiritual lives. How did you come to believe in Jesus Christ? When I look back on my own life, I can hardly point to the exact moment I began to believe, because faith came to me so naturally. I was born into a Christian family and grew up attending church from childhood.
But when I talk with others, I often find many stories that are quite different from mine. Some say they had never been to church before, or that their parents or grandparents were Buddhists. Yet one day, they decided to go to church—sometimes following a friend, sometimes by their own choice. When I hear such testimonies, I cannot help but think, What a remarkable decision that must have been! Just imagine: going to church for the first time, even without any believer in the family—that is a tremendous step of courage.
However, here lies the most important question: did that person come to church and believe in Jesus simply because of a great personal decision, or was there a deeper spiritual reason behind it? That is what we must examine biblically.
* We Were Dead in Our Trespasses and Sins
In today’s passage, Ephesians 2:1 says, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins.” This verse powerfully reveals the true condition of our spiritual beginning. Scripture declares that we were spiritually dead.
This means that although we had physical life and appeared perfectly fine outwardly, our souls were completely disconnected from God, the source of life. To be spiritually dead means that the relationship between God and us—our Creator—was entirely broken. We did not acknowledge Him; instead, we opposed Him, disliked Him, and tried to avoid Him. That was the natural state of our souls.
So here comes the crucial question: How can a dead soul seek God on its own? Death means the absence of life. Of course, we can advise people, “You should live rightly, go to church, and believe in Jesus; otherwise your life will have no hope.” Such advice is sincere and well-intentioned—but the problem is that our words cannot bring life. If the person’s soul is dead, they cannot decide on their own to come to God.
Therefore, for a sinner to return to God, what is absolutely necessary is “total grace” — that is, “grace alone.”
* The Theological Debate on Free Will
In church history, this topic has long been a matter of serious debate. Nearly every question we wrestle with today has already been discussed and argued in depth throughout the history of the church. One of the most famous examples is the debate between Pelagius and Augustine in the fifth century, long before the Reformation. Both were respected theologians of their time, yet they held completely opposite views on salvation.
Pelagius argued that human beings have free will and that even though people are sinners, they still possess the ability to choose what is good. According to him, if a person chooses to seek God, then God adds His grace to assist that decision, and thus salvation is achieved through a combination of human will and divine help.
Augustine, however, firmly rejected that view. He insisted that since humanity is spiritually dead, there is no free will capable of choosing God. Therefore, salvation must begin entirely with God’s grace alone. In other words, God’s grace works first—He comes to us before we could ever come to Him. Only when God initiates His work in us can we be saved.
* By Nature Children of Wrath
In verse 3, Paul continues, “Among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” As I meditated on this passage, the phrase “carrying out the desires of the body and the mind” struck me deeply.
The great theologians such as Augustine and Luther never meant that humans have no will at all. What they meant is that every human being freely lives according to his or her own desires—but those desires are corrupted. People freely choose evil rather than good. They willingly live against God. In that sense, humans act with freedom, but it is a freedom bound to sin.
Therefore, Paul clearly declares that our natural state was that of “children of wrath.” This was not merely an unfortunate condition but a spiritually tragic one. Augustine described it this way, and Luther also agreed, saying in The Bondage of the Will, “Before God works in us, we can do nothing that profits unto salvation. The sinner does not sin by compulsion but by willing choice; he willingly and gladly does evil.”
* Therefore, God’s Total Grace Is Revealed
With this miserable human condition as the backdrop, verses 4 and 5 of today’s passage declare: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.”
What part of this verse touches your heart most deeply? For me, it is the word “mercy.” Mercy means compassion — to look upon the helpless with deep pity. Think about it: although humanity lives as it pleases, it still cannot return to God. People are free in one sense, but they are freely running toward destruction. What a sorrowful and hopeless reality that is!
Yet God, seeing such sinners, was moved with compassion. Because He is rich in mercy and abounding in love, He chose to show pure and undeserved grace. He came to us, sought us out, and made us alive with Christ when we were dead in sin. Therefore, Scripture declares clearly and powerfully: “By grace you have been saved.”
* The God Who Predestined Us
Scripture goes even further to explain this mystery. In Ephesians 1:3–5, it says: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.”
This is indeed a mysterious truth, one that goes far beyond human reason or understanding. Human nature constantly desires to boast: “I did something great; I achieved this result by my own effort.” We tend to interpret the good outcomes in life as the product of our own merit. But the Bible teaches the opposite. It declares that God, out of His mercy, saved us by choosing us in Christ before the foundation of the world.
“Predestination” means that before we ever acted, before we ever existed, God had already determined to save us. Martin Luther understood this truth as the overwhelming victory of God’s sovereignty over human free will. He wrote that through predestination, “God’s will utterly overcomes man’s will.” We cannot fully grasp its depth with human reasoning, yet this very doctrine demonstrates God’s complete and undeserved grace.
Before the world began, God chose us in Christ. Then, at the appointed time, the Holy Spirit caused us to be born again and, ultimately, led us to believe in Jesus Christ. That is why Luther boldly declared in The Bondage of the Will: “The Holy Spirit alone works all these things in us, without us; He creates and preserves us anew.”
* Total Grace vs. Partial Grace
Now let us think about what we truly gain from this biblical truth—“By Grace Alone.” From both the message of Ephesians and Luther’s theological understanding, we arrive at this conclusion: “The salvation of the saints is guaranteed by God alone.”
Even if we talk with other Christians—or even with Catholics—there is hardly anyone who denies grace. Everyone says, “We are saved by grace,” because that phrase is written clearly in the Bible. Yet the crucial difference between the true heirs of the Reformation and others lies in this question: Do we believe in grace alone, or do we merely believe in grace?
If we say “By Grace Alone,” we confess that God chose us, predestined us, and saved us entirely by His grace. But if we say only “by grace,” it implies that I first chose God, and that God simply helped me a little with His grace—that salvation is achieved by cooperation between God and me. That may sound similar, but in truth, it is an enormous difference.
The gospel of grace alone proclaims that salvation depends not on human will or decision but solely on God’s sovereign grace. This is why true believers can find assurance and peace. Salvation that begins with God’s grace will never fail, because it depends entirely on Him, not on us.
* Those Who Feel Anxious About Their Salvation
What happens if we forget or neglect this truth of “By Grace Alone”? The result is that our salvation becomes uncertain and unstable. In other words, if God helps but I fail, then everything is lost.
Let us ask ourselves honestly: how could someone like me—so weak, so imperfect—ever trust in myself? Deep down, we all know that we are not perfect. We know we are sinners full of flaws and failures. Therefore, those who think of grace only as “God helping me when I try” will inevitably live with anxiety about their salvation.
Outwardly, they may seem faithful and diligent in their spiritual life, but deep inside, they constantly worry: “Can someone like me truly be saved?” Such doubt and uneasiness fill their hearts. And when we deny God’s total grace, the opposite problem also arises—spiritual pride.
If we compare ourselves to others and think, “I am more faithful than that person; I made better choices,” then pride creeps in. We begin to think, “My effort, my decision, my faithfulness have brought me here.” Without realizing it, we believe that we play an important part in our own salvation. That pride quietly replaces gratitude, and grace no longer amazes the heart.
* Our Salvation Is Guaranteed
However, the biblical truth of “By Grace Alone” brings both peace and humility to the believer’s heart. In Romans 8:38–39, Paul proclaims: “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Here, Paul is not simply speaking of love, but of absolute love—a love that nothing in this world can break. Though there are countless forces that try to shake our faith and pull us down, Paul assures us that nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus.
When we connect this to Ephesians, we understand something profound: the grace that God granted us before the foundation of the world is far greater than any hardship or sin we may experience in life. Because our salvation rests on God’s eternal grace, it cannot be shaken. That is why believers can live with confidence—not in themselves, but in the unchanging grace of God.
* The Triune God Works in Our Salvation
Finally, let us pay attention to how Ephesians 1 describes the work of the Triune God in our salvation. This chapter beautifully proclaims that our salvation is the perfect work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
God the Father chose us before time began. God the Son redeemed us by His blood and forgave our sins. God the Holy Spirit gave us faith and became the seal and guarantee of our salvation. Verse 7 says, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.”
Then verses 13–14 continue, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”
Through these verses, we see clearly that salvation does not begin with our weak and temporary decision, nor does it end with our effort. Rather, salvation is a divine drama written and completed entirely by God’s grace. The Father’s choosing, the Son’s redemption, and the Spirit’s sealing together display how our salvation is accomplished by grace alone, from beginning to end.
* Humbly Praise the Lord
In conclusion, before this great biblical truth of “By Grace Alone,” what can we offer to God except our humility? Our humility must be complete, because we have done nothing to earn salvation, and even now, our salvation continues only by God’s grace. Therefore, throughout our lives, both before God and before people, we have no choice but to remain humble.
At the same time, this humility naturally leads us to praise. Ephesians 1 begins with the words, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” and ends with, “to the praise of his glorious grace.” The entire story of salvation starts and ends with praise to God’s grace.
So, dearly beloved, my earnest prayer is this: may you grow deeper in your understanding of God’s total and undeserved grace. May your hearts overflow with joy and thanksgiving in that grace. And may you spend your whole life praising the God who had mercy on you, trusting in Him, loving Him, and living by faith.
