Exegetical Paper Ephesians 2:8-13
This paper was written for a class I am taking online from Columbia International University.
This paper will be exegeting Ephesians 2:8-13 the main idea of this passage can be summarized as, Paul is explaining that his primarily gentile audience is saved by grace and not through works, but they are created to do good works once they are brought near to Christ. The general outline is as follows:
I. We are saved by grace through faith not of our own power or works (v.8-9)
II. We are created to do good work (v.10)
III. Gentiles were at one time excluded from the covenants of promise (v.11-12)
IV. Through Jesus the gentiles are now brought near (v.13)
This passage is incredibly useful because it establishes three important ideas for the Christian faith. First, it establishes that Christianity is not a works-based religion in that to be saved nothing is required of us in order to earn our salvation. Second, the passage establishes that just because there is nothing required of us to be saved does not mean there are no expectations for us once we are Christians. Third, the passage establishes that Christianity is universal and for everyone, Jew and Gentile alike.
Historical Context
Before examining the further details of Ephesians 2:8-13 first this paper must first establish the historical background. Ephesians was written by Paul while he was imprisoned in Rome around the years AD 60-61. This letter was written to “A booming city and a coastal port in Asia Minor, it was the home of Dionysiac cults, Artemis worship, a major library, indoor and outdoor theaters, marble streets in the city center complete with outdoor lamplighting, state-of-the art Roman bathhouses, spas, a gymnasium, and an athletic stadium” (Blomberg & Seal, 2021). This letter was sent to a very modern Roman city; a city Paul spent three years in according to Acts 19-20. This letter was probably sent along simultaneously with the letters of Colossians and Philemon with Tychicus as the courier. Some scholars think that since the book of Ephesians is not very warm or personal towards the people of Ephesus, despite how long he had stayed there, that this letter was one that was written for the whole region and so it therefore could also be the letter coming from the Laodiceans that Paul mentions in Colossians 4:16. This may also explain why it seems Paul is going out of his way to describe the basic tenants of Salvation.
Though as a counterpoint Paul writes in Ephesians 3:13, “Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory”. Which seems to demonstrate some level of personal care between Paul and the Ephesians.
Literary Context
With the historical context in mind, Ephesians is a book about Salvation, Christian unity, and how Christians ought to live. In chapter 1 verse 7 it says, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace”. This verse functionally opens the book with the description of Salvation. Then later we read that the church is to, “preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (4:1). Christians only have one God so how can people who share the same God be divided. Then the book gets into the nitty gritty of walking the Christian walk when Paul writes, “immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints;” (5:3). Christians are now to pursue what is good and not that which is evil. It will be shown that Ephesians 2:8-13 acts as a microcosm of all the broad themes in the entire book.
The immediate context to this passage is seen in that it comes after the first 7 verses of chapter 2 which focus on comparing and contrasting where the audience was to where they are. For example, in the first verse Paul says, “you were dead in your trespasses and sins,” (NASB95) then that is contrasted in verse 5 with, “made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)”. Paul even describes what is in store for Christians in the future in verse 7 saying, “that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” What is important is that there is not a descriptor of the mechanics of how one goes from dead to alive.
It is verses 8 and 9 that get into the actual mechanics then expands on the idea of salvation and that it is universal which is the idea verse 13 ends on. Verses 14 to the end of the chapter act as encouragements to the Gentiles that the national boundary of God has been broken. This is seen in verses such as verse 19 where Paul writes, “then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and are of God’s household”. The mechanics of salvation are not rooted in national, racial, or ethnic identity.
Examining Ephesians 2:8-13
Ephesians 2:8-9 is an incredibly famous passage memorized by people the world over. It is a passage that both brings comfort to the believer and delineates how Christianity is separate from every other world religion. Verse 8 begins by saying, “For by grace you have been saved” but whose grace is doing the saving? Paul answered that back in Romans 3:24, where he says that Christians are “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus”. Christians are saved by capital “H” His grace, that is God’s. If Christians are saved by God’s grace, then the conclusion to the verse that Christian’s are saved, “not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” makes it clear that the “gift” is the grace.
Christians are not just saved by grace though, they have also been, “saved through faith”. Now faith here encapsulates the ideas of obedience and faithfulness. Christian’s must be obedient to the call of God and His grace to be saved and then they must faithfully pursue it as believers. The reason the idea of faithful pursuit is not a part of salvation is because of verse 9 which says that they are saved, “not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” God did all of the heavy lifting in our salvation. If it was a result of all the work they have done, they could take pride in their abilities or face great shame in their failure to achieve. Anyone can have faith but at the moment any work is required Salvation becomes ableist and classist. If people must profess audibly to receive Salvation, then everyone born mute cannot be saved. If people must take a pilgrimage to a holy site, then those in poverty will not have the resources for the journey. Instead, God made everyone equal, all can be “saved by grace through faith”.
Verse 10 often is not included in the memorization of Ephesians 2:8-9 but it is incredibly important for highlighting that salvation is not just a get out of Hell free card where Christians can do whatever with no consequences. This is because people are God’s workmanship, God made everyone. God made everyone to do good works. The good works Christians are to do God prepared for them. When God made humans, he wanted their free obedience, yet they rebelled in the Garden. God then gave His people the Israelites the Law so that they “shall be holy, for I am holy.” (Leviticus 11:45). “But to live like this, to accomplish the good works prepared for His children by God, the empowering gift of the Spirit is necessary” (Bruce, 1984) Now through Salvation Christians are free to do true good works because they are empowered by the Holy Spirit to do so. To squander this gift is as if a parent were to bail their child out of prison but they were to continue living as though they were in prison. Staying in their room, wearing a jumpsuit, and eating prepackaged ramen. All that would demonstrate to their parents is they should have left them in prison and saved the money for someone who would actually appreciate it.
In verses 11 and 12 Paul writes about how the gentiles had been separate from the children of Israel, “excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise” (v. 12). Paul writes in Romans 1:16 that, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Yet verse 13 rounds out how the gentiles are brought into the Gospel saying, “in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Jew and Gentile are reconciled to Christ. Salvation is not just something that reconciles people to God, but it also unites people of very different backgrounds, people groups, even those who hated each other are now reconciled to each other in Christ. Yet “as Paul reminds his readers of their exclusion from historical Israel, although historically “near” to God, nevertheless needs to be reconciled to Him through faith in the Gospel” (Thielman, 2010 p.154). This is seen in verse 16 because God desires that He, “might reconcile them both” Israel did not get a free pass because of their history. So, while at that time Jewish Christians may have at times felt superior to their Gentile brothers and sisters even the act of getting saved put them both on equal footing.
People in the modern era often become uncomfortable with the idea that God picked favorites or had a chosen nation then suddenly changed His mind in the New Testament. This according to them makes the Old Testament God seem a bit racist. Which can be an understandable reaction when people come from a culture that heavily preaches for the idea of universal equality. This idea, though, of all people being brought together being the ultimate goal is not a New Testament principle. In Genesis 26:4 God tells Abraham, “by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed”. God always planned to use one people group to bless everyone on earth. This demonstrates Romans 2:11, “For there is no partiality with God.” He started in the garden of Eden being the God of everyone. Christ’s sacrifice to bring humanity salvation and the gospel going to the whole world is God repairing that original relationship that had broke.
God desires that everyone is brought near to Him and those people who are Christian are near to Him through the blood of Christ, but they must be careful because it, “is a privilege we take too frequently for granted. Our God does not keep His distance or stand on His dignity, nor does He insist on any complicated ritual or protocol. On the contrary, through Jesus Christ and by the Holy Spirit we have immediate access to Him as our Father” (Stott, 2020) No longer is God in one location where people must go and worship whether that be a tabernacle or temple, but He is in believers. Our “body is a temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19) whether or not an individual is of the circumcised does not matter regarding their ability to be a temple of the Lord.
Application and Conclusion
Ephesians was a book designed to give broad general teaching on God, Salvation, the equality of Gentile believers, and that they are to “be imitators of God” (Ephesians 5:1). Chapter 2 verses 8 thru 13 covers the mechanics of Salvation, what Christian’s are to do after they are saved, and the unity of believers through the blood of Christ. Believers must reflect on their Salvation, and the free gift of grace God gave to them, that it was not through any work that they have done. They must use this remembrance to spur them into doing good works, imitating Christ and loving their neighbors, not for the sake of Salvation but for the sake of their sanctification. Christians should therefore seek to have unity with their brothers and sisters in Christ. Theu may come from different cultures and backgrounds but no matter what through Christ all Christians, are one body. If they are to spend eternity together, they might as well start learning to get along. It won’t be easy, but they have the same Holy Spirit empowering them.
This is how attending a local church can be so incredibly useful. It is a time and place where believers gather to remember the free gift of God. It is where they can practice loving and serving one another. It even serves as a place where they can practice their unity together in Christ despite their differences. Paul said in Hebrews 10:24-25, “let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together”. He demonstrates here that one of the main goals of church is to encourage and pull each other to do love and good deeds. So, a good way to get a start on applying this passage is getting plugged into a solid Bible believing church.
References
Craig L. Blomberg, & Darlene M. Seal. (2021). From Pentecost to Patmos, 2nd
Edition : An Introduction to Acts Through Revelation. B&H Academic.
F. F. Bruce. (1984). The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the
Ephesians. Eerdmans.
John Stott. (2020). The Message of Ephesians (Revised edition). IVP Academic.
Thielman, F. (2010). Ephesians (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New
Testament). Baker Academic.