{"id":1334,"date":"2022-10-26T12:28:23","date_gmt":"2022-10-26T12:28:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stevebelsheim.com\/?p=1334"},"modified":"2024-01-17T00:59:01","modified_gmt":"2024-01-17T00:59:01","slug":"is-the-doctrine-of-baptismal-regeneration-the-road-to-hell-post-9-saved-by-faith-and-not-by-works-ephesians-28-9-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stevebelsheim.com\/?p=1334","title":{"rendered":"Is the Doctrine of Baptismal Regeneration the Road to Hell? \u2013 Post 9 (Saved by Faith and Not by Works \u2013 Ephesians 2:8-9 Part 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

INTRODUCTION<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Posts 9 and 10 analyze Ephesians 2:8\u20139 (NASB95), which reads:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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8<\/sup> For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is<\/em> the gift of God; 9<\/sup> not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In Post 9, I look at the relevant background of Ephesians and begin to observe the text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ONE RELEVANT PURPOSE OF EPHESIANS<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no apparent occasion that prompted Paul to write Ephesians.  Therefore, it makes sense that there is no consensus among commentators about the purpose of Ephesians.  Carson and Moo write:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2026 there is a solemnity about the letter and an absence of specifics that show it is devoted to a general articulation of what is profitable for believers.  \u2026 We can say that it is an important statement of the gospel<\/u><\/strong> that may well have been greatly needed in more than one first-century situation.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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An Introduction to the New Testament<\/em>, Carson & Moo, (1992, 2005) Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI at pp. 490-491.  Emphasis added.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The Life Application Bible Commentary \u2013 Ephesians (1996), Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, IL teaches at page xixi, that Paul wrote to strengthen the church by calling believers to sound doctrine<\/u><\/strong> and holy living.  Sound doctrine includes the saving gospel of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a sermon entitled \u201cIntroduction to Ephesians\u201d [link: https:\/\/www.gty.org\/library\/sermons-library\/1901\/introduction-to-ephesians<\/a> ], John MacArthur emphasized how grace saturates Ephesians when he said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The word \u201cgrace\u201d is used 12 times, and the word \u201cgrace\u201d means God\u2019s unmerited, undeserved kindness and favor. Grace is behind all of this lavishness that God pours out. So, the word \u201cgrace\u201d is used 12 times. \u2026 And the key to everything is because we are in Christ that all the fullness of the riches of the inheritance of the glory of His grace is ours.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

One commentary strongly emphasizes grace as necessary for salvation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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3. God\u2019s Sovereign Grace<\/strong>  \u2026 The stress in Ephesians on God as the initiator of salvation combined with the portrayal of humanity as dead in sins and helpless to achieve salvation assures us not only that on the human side we need<\/em> grace in order to be saved, but also that, on the divine side, God chose<\/em> grace as the means by which he would save us.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Liefeld, W. L. (1997). Ephesians<\/em><\/a> (Vol. 10). InterVarsity Press.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In summary, throughout much of Ephesians, there is an emphasis on the necessity of God\u2019s grace for the salvation of human beings.  The opening lyrics of Julia H. Johnson\u2019s song \u201cGrace, Grace, God\u2019s Grace\u201d (1910) resonate:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Grace, grace, God\u2019s grace, grace that will pardon and cleanse within.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Grace, grace, God\u2019s grace, grace that is greater than all our sin.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

EPHESIANS 2:1-10 <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ephesians 2:8-9 falls within a larger text block, i.e., Ephesians 2:1-10.  The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries \u2013 Ephesians <\/em>reads at page 20:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The next section (2:1-10) deals further with the meaning of redemption, life for those dead in sin, salvation by grace, a re-creation of human lives for the glory of God and as a demonstration of his great love.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll briefly consider verses 1-10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In verses 1-3, Paul points out that at one time his audience was lost:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1<\/sup> And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2<\/sup> in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3<\/sup> Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

These verses do not paint a pretty picture of a lost person’s spiritual condition. For example, the note for verse 1 in The MacArthur Study Bible<\/em> reads at page 1804:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A sobering reminder of the sinfulness and lostness from which believers have been redeemed.  \u2026 [unregenerate sinners] are not dead because of the sinful acts that have been committed, but because of their sinful nature (cf. Matt. 12:35; 15:18, 19).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Every lost person is beyond redemption on their own initiative.  Without divine intervention, a lost person is hopelessly lost and on the highway to hell.  But the following verses show there is hope through Jesus Christ!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In verses 4-7, Paul told his audience they were the beneficiaries of God\u2019s mercy, love, and grace:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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4<\/sup> But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5<\/sup> even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6<\/sup> and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places<\/em> in Christ Jesus, 7<\/sup> so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Three amazing actions He performed on every believer prove \u201cHis great love with which He loved us.\u201d  God \u201cmade \u2026 alive together with [syz\u014dopoie\u014d<\/em>]\u201d Christ, \u201craised \u2026 up with [synegeir\u014d<\/em>]\u201d Christ, and \u201cseated \u2026 with [synkathiz\u014d<\/em>]\u201d Christ in the heavenly places.  The grammar of these three verbs reflects that the action took place in the past and was done by God<\/u><\/strong>.  There is no hint that a believer carried out any work, i.e., physical activity, to be syz\u014dopoie\u014d<\/em>, synegeir\u014d<\/em>, or synkathiz\u014d<\/em> with Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verse 5 paves the way for verses 8-9 when it reads, \u201cby grace you have been saved [s\u014dz\u014d<\/em>].\u201d  The expression \u201chave been saved\u201d means that God saved a believer in the past such that they remain saved in the present.  No evidence points to the notion that a believer contributed through physical action to their salvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verses 8-9 read: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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8<\/sup> For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is<\/em> the gift of God; 9<\/sup> not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

These verses, which explain verses 4-7, will be the subject of more detailed analysis in Post 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verse 10 reads:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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10<\/sup> For we are His workmanship [poi\u0113ma<\/em>], created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Paul taught his audience that they were new creations due to God\u2019s work alone.  The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries \u2013 Ephesians <\/em>at page 85, reflects that salvation is from God and not by humans:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The noun used (poi\u0113ma<\/em>) is from a different root to the \u201cworks\u201d (ergon<\/em>) of the previous verse, and is found elsewhere in the New Testament only in Romans 1:20, where it is used of the \u201cworks\u201d of God\u2019s first creation.  Humanity was his making at the first, and now, because that work of his was spoilt by sin, there is a new divine act of creation.  For \u201cif anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.\u201d  ( 2 Cor. 5:17; see also Eph. 4:24; Gal. 6:15; Col. 3:10).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

God, and God alone, \u201cfixed\u201d Adam\u2019s failure so that all human beings have the opportunity for eternal life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In summary, verses 1-3 show us mankind\u2019s hopeless condition, but verses 4-10 show us that through God\u2019s actions alone<\/u><\/strong>, He offers us salvation by which He makes a believer a brand new creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Post 10, I\u2019ll look at Ephesians 2:8-9 in more detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IF YOU ARE UNSURE ABOUT YOUR SALVATION<\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you are unsure about your salvation, you need to check out my book The Salvation Meter: Biblical Self-Diagnostic Tests to Examine Your Salvation and Spiritual Growth<\/strong><\/em> (book link at Xulon Press: https:\/\/www.xulonpress.com\/bookstore\/bookdetail.php?PB_ISBN=9781662828638<\/a> ).  At Amazon the book link is  https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Salavation-Meter-Biblical-Self-Diagnostic-Spiritual\/dp\/1662828632<\/a> .  I also have a website in which I am updating the content in the book.  The link to my website for the book is https:\/\/thesalvationmeter.com<\/a> .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IF YOU ARE NOT A CHRISTIAN<\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u2026 please (1) read through \u201cGod\u2019s Plan of Salvation\u201d so you can understand what God did for you through His only unique Son, Jesus Christ, and (2), from the bottom of your heart, pray the \u201cSinner\u2019s Prayer\u201d meaning every word.  If you do, you will be reconciled to God \u2013 saved – through Jesus Christ. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

God\u2019s Plan of Salvation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the beginning, God, who is holy, created the entire universe.  As a part of His creative actions, He made humans in His image to know Him.  For a while, everything was right between God and our ancestors, Adam and Eve.    But Adam sinned, and his sin was passed down to all of humankind whereby we became separated from God.  Nothing we could do on our own could bridge that separation so that without God\u2019s intervention, hell would be our eternal destination.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately for us, in His great love and mercy God provided humankind with the only means of salvation, which is through Jesus Christ who is God\u2019s only unique Son.  While retaining His deity, God the Son became a man in Jesus, lived a perfect life, and died on the cross, thus fulfilling the law Himself and taking on Himself the punishment for the sins of all those who would ever repent and trust in Him for their salvation.  Jesus rose from the dead, showing that God the Father accepted Christ\u2019s sacrifice and that God\u2019s wrath against us has been exhausted.  He now calls us to repent of our sins and trust alone in what Christ did to save us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we repent of our sins and completely trust in Christ alone that He died for our sins and rose to life from the dead, we are born again into a new life, an eternal life with God. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scripture References: Genesis 1:1, 27, 31; Habakkuk 1:13; Genesis 2:7, 18, 21-25;  Genesis 3:1-7, 23-24; Isaiah 59:2; Romans 3:19-20, 23; 5:17-19; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 6:23; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 1 John 4:10; John 3:16-18; Mark 1:15; Romans 1:4; 4:25; John 3:5-8; 1 Peter 1:3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cSinner\u2019s Prayer\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lord, Jesus Christ, the only unique Son of God, thank You for Your free gift of eternal life.  I know I\u2019m a sinner who cannot save myself no matter what I do, and I deserve to spend eternity in hell.  But, I know that because You loved me so much, You voluntarily died on the cross for me taking my sins upon Yourself, and You physically bodily rose from the grave showing that Your sacrificial death was sufficient payment to give me eternal life in Heaven.  I now repent of my sins and trust alone in what You did for my eternal salvation.  Please take control of my life as I now receive You as my Lord and Savior.  Thank You so much for saving me.  I am now Yours forever!<\/em> (Scripture references: John 1:1-4, 11-14; John 3:16; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:21-26; Isaiah 53:4-6; Mark 1:15; Acts 16:31; Acts 4:12; Romans 10:9-10, 13; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; John 10:27-29).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upon your salvation, you must find a spiritually solid Bible-believing church that (1) teaches that the sixty-six books of the Bible are the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God, (2) believes in the doctrine of the Trinity, which means that there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons \u2014 the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit \u2013 and each Person is fully God, and (3) teaches that salvation is by grace through faith and not by works (e.g., water baptism by immersion).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ONE CAUTIONARY POINT.  Please do not make the mistake of thinking that once you become a Christian, your life will become easy.  Most likely, it will become more difficult.  God\u2019s blessing of salvation and life’s difficulties are not mutually exclusive.  Jesus told His disciples, \u201cIf the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.\u201d John 15:18 (NLT).  Always keep in mind that you have an eternal home in heaven waiting for you per John 14:2\u20134 (NLT):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2<\/sup> There is more than enough room in my Father\u2019s home.  If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  3<\/sup> When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.  4<\/sup> And you know the way to where I am going.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOTICE OF PERMISSIONS<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am mindful of and respect the rights other authors and\/or publishers possess in their works.  I thus try my best to not violate any copyright rights other authors and\/or publishers possess in their works.  The below copyright permission statement is the result of my best efforts to understand that limited usage or “fair use” is available and\/or to secure direct permission for specific works.  The quotations from commentaries are considered to be “fair use.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scripture quotations marked “ESV” are from the ESV\u00ae Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scripture marked \u201cNASB95\u201d are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE\u00ae, Copyright \u00a9 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scripture marked “NCV” is taken from the New Century Version.  Copyright \u00a9 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.  All rights reserved.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Scriptures marked “NET” are quoted are from the NET Bible\u00ae  http:\/\/netbible.com copyright \u00a91996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright \u00a9 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.  All rights reserved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scripture marked “GW” is taken from the God’s Word Bible that is a copyrighted work of God’s Word to the Nations.  Quotations are used by permission.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

INTRODUCTION Posts 9 and 10 analyze Ephesians 2:8\u20139 (NASB95), which reads: 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. In Post 9, I look at the relevant background of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[320],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-baptism"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stevebelsheim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stevebelsheim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stevebelsheim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stevebelsheim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stevebelsheim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1334"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.stevebelsheim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1334\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2090,"href":"https:\/\/www.stevebelsheim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1334\/revisions\/2090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stevebelsheim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stevebelsheim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stevebelsheim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}