“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”
Ephesians 2:8
This is one of those important passages that I have heard preached more times than I can count.
It is a great verse.
In the evangelical context in which I was raised and spent most of my life, this verse was almost never shared without the following verse attached.
“not the result of works, so that no one may boast.”
This is also an important verse. Oddly, it often seemed connected to prideful, even boastful, declarations about how our understanding of Christianity was superior to the Catholic understanding.
Most discussions I’ve heard and participated in on these verses misrepresent Catholic understandings of grace and works. They also seemed to demonstrate a lot of pride in our faith, which, according to this verse, is not our own doing.
So much of how we as Christians interact with the world centers on a sense of pride in our faith. “We aren’t like them” is a common sentiment. But we are only different because of God’s gift of mercy and faith.
We are so proud of our holy living, our sexual purity, our ethical stances. We are so proud of being the spiritual ‘in’ group with God. The entire second half of this chapter reminds us that we were not always the spiritual “cool kids.” We were once aliens, foreigners to God’s kingdom. We did not gain citizenship by doing the right things.
We are citizens of God’s kingdom only because of God’s grace. We have access to the gift of faith only because in His mercy God “has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us, abolishing the law with its commandments and ordinances.” (v. 14 & 15) Because of God’s grace, we “are no longer strangers and aliens, but [we] are fellow citizens.” (v. 19)
In His profound loving grace, God dispelled the law which divided us and created hostility between us, making us citizens because he wants us “joined together” (v. 21). Our citizenship in the Kingdom of God is a result of mercy, not merit.
A Quote to Consider:
“It takes years to look at a picture.”
–Thomas Hess
We live in a fast-paced world. But both art and faith are slow endeavors.
I often advise my students to hang their art on their walls and to “live with it.” It takes time to fully see a painting, a drawing, a photograph, or any piece of art. Further, looking is active, not passive.
To truly see a work of art takes years and intentional effort. The same is true of all art, of all creative acts.
Our greatest pieces of art, our greatest creative acts, are our own lives. These take time and intentional reflection to understand, to truly see.
As Christians, one of the media that goes into how we sculpt our lives is often scripture, which itself is a work of art. The Bible is not an instruction manual with mechanical directions on how to service our cars… umm… our lives. It is a work of art inspired by the most brilliant and creative artist ever. It takes a lifetime to see the picture of faith painted in the Bible, and years for us to then sculpt our lives in response to the art of the master artist.
Prayer:
Dear Lord,
Allow me to reflect Your divine mercy and grace. Help me to seek to join together rather than divide with walls. Keep me from boasting about your favor and, rather, share your favor with others.
Amen.
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