Amazing Grace | Ephesians 2:1-10

INTRODUCTION

In this sermon titled Amazing Grace, based on Ephesians 2:1–10, Paul shows us how God rescues us from sin and gives us new life through grace.

Ephesians 2:10 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God

One of the core teachings of the Bible is salvation through faith. Yet this truth naturally raises important questions:

• Why do we need salvation?
• From what are we saved?
• What does salvation by grace mean?

In this passage, Paul contrasts two ways of life – the life we once lived without Christ and the new life God gives to those who believe in Him. Ephesians 2:1–10 helps us understand not only what we were apart from Christ, but also what God has made us by grace.

Recap:

We are currently in a series from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.

• 1:3-14: Paul begins with praise – often described as a breathless invocation—celebrating all that God has done in Christ
• 1:15-23: Paul’s first recorded prayer for the Ephesian believers

Today’s passage is Ephesians 2:1–10, where Paul moves from praise and prayer to a clear description of our past condition and God’s saving action.

Ephesians 2:1-10

¹As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ²in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions it is by grace you have been saved.

⁶And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages `he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus .⁸For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

This passage is made of two sentences in Greek:

• Ephesians 2:1-7. describes our past condition without Christ
• Ephesians 2: 8-10: reveals God’s work of salvation

Our past condition without Christ

Ephesians 2:1-3

¹As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ²in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

Nature of the former way of life

It was a state of death in sin and transgression. A body cannot live without a head. In the previous chapter, Paul reminds us that Christ is the head of the church. Those who are not united with Christ are therefore described as spiritually dead.

The metaphor Paul uses here points to a state of lifelessness. We were dead in a realm of sin, trapped and powerless. Our condition was that of deep brokenness – marked by sin and trespasses with no ability to give ourselves life.

Paul goes on to unpack how this life of death was actually lived.

Life in bondage

Paul explains that this life of spiritual death was lived in bondage – a life shaped and controlled by forces outside of Christ

• Living according to the ways of this world
• Living according to the flesh
• Living under the ruler of the kingdom of the air

Living according to the ways of this world

This refers to living according to worldly standards.

It means doing things that are acceptable in society but not in accordance with biblical standards. The “age” Paul speaks about here refers to the world as we experience it now. Life without Christ, Paul says, is a life lived according to the dictates and values of this world. People’s lives were shaped and directed by what the world considered normal and acceptable.

As a scholar explains:

The age of this world is the unhealthy and ungodly social, cultural, economic environment in which we live. It represents organized evil in the form of peer pressure, ideologies, systems, and structures that provide us with a script of living life totally apart from God and his purposes.

– Arnold, Ephesians, 143

This age has a powerful way of shaping our thinking and actions. Paul says that in our pre-Christian life, we were deeply influenced by it. We lacked the moral and spiritual discernment to distinguish clearly between what is godly and what is ungodly in the world around us.

Application:

Do you find that your life is still being influenced and directed by what society calls good, rather than by what God defines as right? Take a moment to reflect.

Examples include corruption, injustice, lies, deceit, fighting, bribery, and similar practices.

Do you live according to God’s way or the world’s ways?

Do you need salvation from the influence of the world?

Living according to the flesh

This refers to living according to the pleasures and desires of the sinful nature.

Paul explains that life without Christ is a life governed by our sensual and self-centred desires. Rather than being free, such a life is often deeply controlled by what we crave.

As the Greek philosopher Socrates once asked,

“How can you say you are free when your pleasures rule over you?”

Paul echoes this in Galatians 5:19-21

¹⁹The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

When our desires rule over us, whether it is the desire for alcohol, sex, food, power, pleasure, or any other appetite, we are no longer free. Instead, we become slaves to those desires.

Paul’s question confronts us: To what extent does the flesh, in Pauline terms, control your life?

If so, then the deeper question that follows: Do you need salvation from the control of the flesh?

Living under the ruler of the kingdom of the air

This refers to evil spiritual powers that operate in both the cosmic and human spheres.

Paul explains that those who do not follow Christ live under the influence of the ruler of the kingdom of the air. Though unseen, these powers influence the way human beings think, act, and live. They belong to the spiritual realm, yet they exercise real control in the lives of those who do not belong to Christ.

According to Paul, every person’s life is controlled by one of two spiritual forces, and there is no middle ground. The life of a believer is governed by the Spirit of God, while the life of an unbeliever is influenced and controlled by evil spiritual powers.

Paul goes on to say that a person’s pre-Christian past was lived under the authority of these principalities and powers. These forces were not passive; they controlled and shaped behaviour, values, and choices.

The context of this passage is about people living in the city of Ephesus, a busy harbour city filled with social, religious, and spiritual activities. It was known for sensuality, magic, and widespread belief in spiritual powers and their influence. In such an environment, Paul reminds the believers that life without Christ meant living under the authority of these unseen powers.

This is why Paul describes that former life as a dead life – a life lived in submission to the ruler of the kingdom of the air.

Recap: A life apart from Christ is a life lived under the dictates of the world, under the controls of the flesh, and under the influence of the evil spiritual powers.

Consequence: By nature, objects of wrath

Ephesians 2:1-3

Dead In Trespasses And Sins. Deserving Wrath.

To be dead in transgression means living without reference to God – without moral awareness of the consequences of one’s actions. Separated from the life of God, such a life is rightly described as death.

The just consequence of this separation is the wrath of God.

Paul echoes this in Romans 2:5

But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.

Transition: From death to hope

While this is the sobering truth about our past, where we were dead in sins and deserving of God’s wrath, Paul doesn’t leave us there to wallow in pity. God, who is rich in mercy, decided to act and to intervene. There is hope, grace, and mercy.

Ephesians 2:4-7

Romans 5:8-9

⁸But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!

This passage now turns from what we once were to what God has done for us. The story shifts from wrath to mercy, from death to life, and from hopelessness to grace.

The character of God: Rich in mercy

Ephesians 2:4

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,

When we read the text that says that our God is “rich”, some may assume this refers to material prosperity. But that is not Paul’s point here, though. God is rich in His character – rich in mercy.

God is a storehouse of mercy. He is so abundant in mercy that when we were dead in our sins and deserving the wrath of God, he chose to respond with compassion, kindness and with amazing grace. God did not turn away from us in our brokenness.

God’s mercy flows from His love. It is His great love that moves Him to reach out to us.

Illustration: Imagine you are drowning in deep waters and someone shows up to rescue you. Would you respond by saying, “Leave me alone and let me die, who told you I need your help”? Instead, you will respond with gratitude and take the hand that is offered to you.

That is the same posture God wants us to have toward His mercy.

The act of God

Ephesians 2:4-7

⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

In response to our helpless condition, Paul highlights three decisive actions God has taken on our behalf. These actions describe not only what God has done for Christ, but what He has also done for us in Christ.

• God made us alive with Christ
• God raised us with Christ
• God seated us with Him in the heavenly realms

We don’t serve a God who leaves us the way we are – in that state of death. Even though we can do nothing to merit God’s mercy, He chooses to do just that – love and save us, out of His rich mercy and love.

What God did for Christ, He has also done for us

Paul now draws a powerful comparison between what God did for Christ and the amazing grace that God has shown for believers. The same divine actions that were applied to Jesus are now applied to us in Christ.

Eph. 1:20: Christ was the one who died.

Eph. 2:1: In our pre-Christian past, we were dead in our trespasses and sins.

Eph. 1:20: God raised Christ from the dead.

Eph. 2:6: God raised us with Christ.

Eph. 1:20: God seated Christ at his right hand.

Eph. 2:6: God seated us with Christ in the heavenly places.

What God did for Jesus, He has also done for us. Paul’s point is that our salvation is not merely forgiveness of sins – it is union with Christ. Everything God has done for Christ, he graciously applies to those who are found in him.

Amazing Grace: Salvation by grace, not by works

This is the heart of amazing grace—salvation that is entirely God’s gift, not the result of human effort.

Ephesians 2:8-10

True Nature Of Salvation

• Salvation is by grace through faith, Eph. 2:8 (Faith is believing and trusting).
• Salvation is a gift of God, Eph. 2:8.
• Salvation is not by works or human efforts, Eph. 2:9.
• Salvation is a new creation for good works.
• God saved us to prepare us for good works.
• The culmination of our salvation will come in the future (2:7; 1:10, 14; 4:30; 5:5-7).

“The purpose of God’s creative activity is not merely to have a people, as if he were constructing a work of art. Rather, this new creation is to be active and productive like the Creator. Christians are to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Salvation is not from work, but it surely is for works that is, living is living obediently and productively.”

Grace in action: The life of John Newton

John Newton’s life is a powerful illustration of amazing grace at work in a broken life.

The young British boy John Newton was born and raised in England. He lost his mother at age six. John got himself into all kinds of wrong activities. He eventually served on a slave ship and is known to have taken advantage of some of the slaves, even sexually. Later in life, John surrendered his life while reading some writings by Thomas à Kempis in ‘The Imitation of Christ.’ At age thirty-nine, John Newton became a minister and served in several parishes, including the Olney Parish Church of Saints Peter and Paul, a small town between Oxford and Cambridge. To this day, the fourteenth century church has this inscription on the wall that says

“John Newton, Clerk; once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was by the rich mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had long laboured to destroy.”

John Newton understood that he deserved judgment, not mercy. Yet he profoundly experienced the grace of God. Out of that experience, he wrote many hymns, the most famous of which is “Amazing Grace.”

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound

that saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost, but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.

It was grace that taught my heart to fear,

And grace my fears relieved;

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed.

Newton goes on to talk about God’s promise and grace:

The Lord has promised good to me,

His word my hope secures;

He will my shield and portion be

As long as life endures.

The same grace that transformed John Newton is the grace Paul proclaims in Ephesians 2:1–10. God is full of mercy and great love towards us, who are saved only by grace. We are saved for good work which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Life application points

When we truly understand amazing grace, our lives begin to change—not out of fear, but out of gratitude.

• Christ has saved us from the ways of the world

The culture and society we live in constantly shape our values, priorities, and choices. Without realizing it, we can begin to live according to what the world calls acceptable rather than what God calls right. The amazing grace of salvation is that Christ rescues us from being shaped and dictated by the world’s standards.

• Christ has saved us from the cravings of the flesh and its desires

Our desires can easily begin to rule over us. When we let our cravings govern our decisions, we give up our freedom and place ourselves in slavery to them.

• Christ has delivered us from every evil spiritual power

Salvation is not only personal and moral, but it is also spiritual. Christ saves us from the influence and control of evil spiritual powers that once held authority over our lives.

• Christ saves us by grace through faith

Our salvation is not the result of effort, performance, or good works.

• God saved us to prepare us for good works

Although good deeds do not earn our salvation, God saves us with purpose. God has created us anew in Christ to live lives that reflect his goodness. Good works are not the cause of salvation; they are its fruit.

• Be careful how you live. Live according to God’s ways

Grace does not lead to careless living; it leads to transformed living. God rescues, restores, and renews us, and he calls us to live wisely, intentionally, and in ways that honor him.

Closing

In Ephesians 5:1-20, Paul shows us what a life shaped by grace looks like – a life lived in love, holiness, wisdom, and gratitude. This passage calls believers to walk as children of light, reflecting the character of Christ in a dark world. This sermon on amazing grace reminds us that our hope rests not in our works, but in God’s mercy revealed in Christ.