WORKS
OF EPHESIANS 2:8- #1 The Parallel Explanation For The Works. Compared with Colossians 1:20f
I
want to recommend to you Michael J. Shank’s Muscle and a
Shovel. It’s
an easy read story of a person taught by denominationism who searches
for Biblical truth.
The
author tells of a pastor dismissing as
“being taken
out of context”
the passage in 1
Peter 3:21 “Baptism does also
now save us.” His
objection was that Ephesians
2:8-9
states that “For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves: it is
the gift of God: Not of works,
lest any man should boast.”
The “pastor’s”
premise was that since salvation
was “the
gift of God”, the
passage teaches that we are not saved by
“any” works.
“Baptism”,
he says, “is a work. Therefore, we are not saved by baptism.
To take 1 Peter 3:21 at face value is to take it out of context.”
1.
There are two statements here. One
says that salvation is not of works. The other one says that baptism
saves us. If baptism is identified as one of the works then both
statements cannot be true. Therefore, we have a contradiction in the
Bible. However, if baptism
is categorized
as being different from that of these
“works”, we have harmony.
2.
The “works” in this passage
are contrasted with “the gift of
God.” They are said
to be “works”
that a
man can boast about; these works
are “from
yourselves.” “And that
not from (exG1537)
yourselves.” That
is, these works excepted
are from
man and not from God. On the other
hand, the gift of
God is literally “from”
(Greek, exG1537,
cf: our
English “exit”) God and not from man.
3.
Baptism is a work but it is a
work from
God.
This
is consistent with Ephesians 2:8. Jesus
taught, “He
that believes and is baptized shall be saved”
(Mark 16:16). The apostle Peter says it saves us just
like Noah was saved in the ark by water. “Baptism…
Not
the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the interrogation of
a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus
Christ”
(1 Peter 1:21, ASV). It is authorized
by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Note:
Biblical faith is also
work
(1 Thessalonians 1:3, “Remembering
without ceasing your work of faith”;
2 Thessalonians 1:11, “the
work of faith with power”;
John
6:29, “Jesus
answered and said unto them, This
is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent”;
James 2:20, “faith without works is dead?”).
4.
The Bible teacher in Shank’s book
points out to him that works referred to in the
Ephesians 2:8-15 context are
the works of the Law of Moses that Jesus had terminated
through His
death.
“Having abolished in his flesh
the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for
to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace”
(Ephesians
2:15).It
is true that
the (a) Law of Moses was regarded as works that the Jew would boast
in; “Behold,
thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law,
and makest thy boast of God”
(Romans
2:17; compare 2:23); (b)
the
works of that
Law justifies no one: “Because
by the works of the law
shall no flesh be justified in his sight”
(Romans
3:20, ASV).
It
is also true that the
congregation at Ephesus was made up of Gentile (non-Jews)
Christians. As the writer Paul points out in verse 12,
the Ephesians were “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel.”
Perhaps, as
Acts 15:5 points out, Paul may have had in mind the false
Jewish
teaching that the Gentiles must be circumcised according
to the Law before
they could be saved.
But
the epistle’s
context
does not specifically spell
that out.
There
is another context parallel
on
this subject in Colossians. “Parallel”
according to Dictionary.com
means
“having
the same direction, course, nature, or tendency; corresponding;
similar; analogous.” Ephesians
and Colossians are admittedly
parallel
epistles and are thought to have been written at about the same time
from Rome and delivered by the same person.
Note just
some of the
following ways in which the two epistles are parallel:
Parallel
passages are commentaries on one another. If we accept the premise
that parallel passages repeat, complement, add to or explain one
another, then let’s look at the parallel text to Ephesians
2:1-10 which is Colossians 1:20-23.
“And,
having made peace through
the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things
unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or
things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and
enemies in your mind by
wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
in
the body of his flesh through death, to present you
holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If
ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be
not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and
which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I
Paul am made a minister”
(Colossians 1:20-23).
In
the Colossians
text, the Christians have been reconciled1to
God in the crucified body of Jesus. This atoning2sacrifice
(Jesus is
given by God for man’s sacrifice
to Him) is equivalent to
Ephesian’s 2:8’s “God’s
gift [Greek:
doronG1435].”
“...our Lord Jesus
Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement” (Romans
5:11). “And Jesus saith unto him,
See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and
offer the gift [Greek:doronG1435]that Moses3commanded, for a testimony
unto them” (Matthew
8:4).
The
“in the faith”
is equivalent to the passage “by grace are ye
saved through the faith.” It is obviously not a
simple expression of belief either that’s meant for it
conditionally says, “If
ye continuein the faith
grounded and settled.” The faith in this passage is
equated further with the words “of
the gospel which
ye have heard.” Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians 1:8
that on His return Jesus will take vengeance on them that obey not
the gospel. Hence, the faith, which is the gospel, is to be obeyed,
which implies “works”. The faith contains the works to
be obeyed.
This
leaves for us the explanation for the works that are negated in
Ephesians 2:8; the works are not the works of the faith or the gospel
but the wicked works of mankind.
P.S.
I also recommend my book, “Grace, A Free Ride To Heaven?”
available at most
book
stores, including Amazon and Ebay.
1Atonement is the same as reconciliation (Strong’s).
2AtonementG2643,
Strong’s:
“exchange,
that is, restoration
to (the divine) favor: - atonement, reconciliation.
3“Then
shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two
birds alive and
clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop”
(Leviticus
14:4).
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