For by grace are ye saved through faith; and
that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”
This grace is not just a pardon for past sins but a divine empowerment
that restores the believer to a normal state, enabling him to
walk in entire holiness and ultimately achieve his final salvation in the fear of God.
The restoration in Ephesians 2:3-4 shows that God restored
us, bringing us back from the death of sins.
The phrase “made us alive with Christ” means that we were spiritually resurrected, no longer dead in sin but restored to a new life. In this sense, we are saved by grace, as it is God’s power that revives us and enables us to walk in righteousness.
We come back with a new start, renewed to serve God in holiness, walking in obedience and sanctification in order to achieve the course set before us.
1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.
This is why it says, “By grace you have been saved through faith” saved from the death of condemnation caused by sins. We were once under the judgment of sin, spiritually dead and unable to free ourselves, but God, in His
mercy, delivered us, making us alive in Christ.
It is a complete deliverance from the power of sin, restoring us to a life of
righteousness, where we are called to persevere in holiness
until we finish the race set before us (Hebrews 12:1).
This passage emphasizes the role of God’s grace and faith in
salvation. Here, salvation, being “saved,” means being delivered from sin in all its dimensions: forgiven of past sins, freed from guilt, and set free from the power of sin that held man captive.
This initial salvation, or justification, cannot be obtained by human efforts, whether moral works or ceremonial practices.
Paul emphasizes that this justification is a free gift from God, granted by grace. Man, unable to attain forgiveness of sins on his own, receives this liberation by placing his faith in Jesus Christ.
This total trust in the redemptive work of Christ, rooted in faith leading to a pure life without sin and holy completely.
Verse 5 explains that we have been “made alive together with Christ.” This new life is not simply a deliverance from sin, but a spiritual regeneration. It inaugurates a walk in total holiness, where man, freed from sin by the forgiveness and power of God, is called to live in perfect purity, without sin,
and to produce ripe fruit.
However, the deceptive movements within Christianity tirelessly cite this passage, seeing in it a salvation accomplished only by faith in Christ, which would guarantee them eternal life without requiring any conduct, commitment, responsible duty on their part in salvation, nor any personal work in purity and complete holiness.
They consider this fruit of holiness as an automatic effect of faith, which God alone will produce, their only participation consists in believing and letting God act.