And Therein Lies The Glory

“8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” 

Ephesians 2:8-10

Good afternoon all. There exists no greater setback or disappointment than when God’s glory gets obscured by brothers and sisters arguing over the proper place of grace versus works. Some pour so much energy into winning the argument that they lose sight of the reality staring them right in the face. For the reality of God’s glory is made known precisely in moments when grace and good works join together amongst the various places and spaces of our lives. 

In Eph 2, Paul presents grace and works not as independent agents unaffected by the other, but as interdependent instruments supporting each other. He presents grace not as something that we achieve, but rather as something that we partake in.

Paul also declares that one can only experience grace when he or she yields completely to that which is greater than ourselves.  Consequently, we yield to the fact that God’s grace fills the air we breathe and permeates every molecule of our atmosphere. We submit to the truth that grace exists to be encountered, not clarified. 

While forming our understanding of grace, Paul also completely transforms our understanding of work in Eph 2.  Prior to Eph 2, our best interpretations of work might show themselves in spiritual acts of prayer, worship, or evangelism. At worst, we come to see work as a means to achieve significance, become famous, or make vast sums of money.

However, Paul makes it clear in Eph 2 that neither represent a proper understanding of work. Far from endorsing any notion that work is what we do, Paul reveals to us that in actuality...WE ARE THE WORK. More than any function or task we might perform, we exist first and foremost as God’s work invited to carry out God’s work.

And therein lies Christ’s purpose for establishing the church. The church lives because of and for the glory of God. Scripture repeatedly cites God’s glory as the primary aim of all creation, but our sin damaged this inherent aspiration. You see it was precisely for the sake of God’s glory that the Father sent the Son to destroy sin and make it possible for us to rejoin all of creation in glorifying the Creator. 

Having now been filled with the Spirit, we obediently accept God’s offer to help bring grace and good works into the hurting places and empty spaces of this broken world. As bearers of God's image, we gladly welcome the chance to show each other and the world what God is like. For regardless of  time, place, or sin; God is love and therein lies the glory. 

CJE