FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
| Question #1 > Doesn't Ephesians 2:8-10 prove that our salvation is totally a gift from God and we cannot do anything ourselves to be saved? |
Ephesians 2:8,9,10 "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. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." (NKJV)
Ecc 3:13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labor, it is the gift of God.
Three points: 1. there is "good" of labor (work) 2. there is "gift" of God 3. the good of labor = God's gift.
The Hebrew definition of labor is "toil, wearing effort, worry, grief, sorrow, trouble" (Strong's).
Work is not a curse. Labor is. But not work.
For God designed man to work (to till the soil and care for the garden-Gen.2). And woman is his helper in this work. But the ground is cursed because of man's sins. Same procedures; just troubles and labor in bringing the results. But the fruit of work and hence, labor, is the gift of God.
Man plants and waters but God gives the increase in both physical and spiritual realms. I Corinthians 3.6.
God gives the seed and the wherewithal but man must labor to get God's results.
Example of the scientist who is pictured conversing with God.
"God, we don't need you anymore. We can clone and now we will surely create an original man without you." God says, "How?" "Well, I will take this dirt and..." "Wait", God says, "What dirt?" "Why this dirt from the yard." God replies, "Oh, no. That's my dirt. You have to make your own."
Everything we have is from God. And what we work with is from God. The result of our work is totally dependent on the grace (favor) of God.
That's the lesson from Ecclesiastes. Now let's apply it to "salvation".
Eph. 2:8-10 "By grace are you saved through faith, not of yourselves, it is the gift of God".
Phil. 2:12 "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling".
Man has to work. Labor. But the result is still the gift of God. God has provided the seed, His word, and the wherewithal.
James 1:
21 receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
"Receive" the Word. The word "doers" is performers or workers.
"Be ye "workers" of the word."
So we have "labor" and then the "gift of God". Be saved by listening to and receiving the call of the Word of God, being baptized into Christ, even as those on Pentecost did in Acts 2.
Continue with "Antecedents and Parallel Passage" for Ephesians 2:8
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