Sola Gratia

Study Notes

Sola Gratia

Ephesians 2:1-10

     We are in week 3 of our series of messages we calling “The Five Solas”, a word that means “only”.  We’re remembering back to 500 years ago when God raised up men and women who called the church back to the main pillars of biblical faith, to the things that all believers in Jesus believe.  Those pillars of truth have been boiled down to five statements that we are looking at week by week here at LAC:

• #1 -- Sola Scriptura – Only Scripture is our final authority for what we believe and how we live.
• #2 -- Sola Fide – It is “only by faith” that we can be rescued from sin and made right with God.

     On this 3^rd week, we come to Sola Gratia – “Only by the grace of God.” We declare that it is only by God’s grace that sinful people can be forgiven and made right with God. 

     So, today, we focus on God’s grace.  To guide us, we turn to Eph 2:1-10, which is all about the grace:

• 2:5 – “by grace you have been saved…”
• 2:7 – “the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus…”
• 2:8 – “by grace you have been saved…”

     I can imagine a few of you thinking, “Oh, good.  We get to talk about grace.  It’s such a wonderful and safe topic with nothing at all convicting or negative.”  But, I wonder how safe it is. For example, in this passage, God’s grace is supposed to change our lives.  In v.2, the Apostle Paul, who wrote this letter, was convinced that anyone of us who have genuinely experienced God’s grace will no longer be able to live as we used to. 

     It’s clear to me that the message of God’s grace, of sola gratia, should thrill your soul and change your life.  If it’s not, it may be that you have not yet grasped what the grace of God is all about.  Maybe we need to take a few steps back and simply define what “grace” means in Ephesians 2.

What God’s Grace Is – a free gift that 1) you cannot live without but 2) have no way to get on your own.

     In v.8, the Bible calls salvation by grace through faith a gift from God.  What is a gift?  It’s something you haven’t paid for yourself; something you haven’t earned through your efforts. A gift is free.

     I’ve heard it put this way: Grace is mercy, not merit. Grace is the opposite of karma, which is all about getting what you deserve. Grace is getting what you don’t deserve, and not getting what you do deserve.  Grace is fundamentally about God: his un-coerced initiative and extravagant demonstrations of care and favor that are offered to all people, accessed through faith in Jesus.

     But, there is something that is different about this gift of God from most gifts we are given.  Most of the gifts we have been given, even the most cherished ones, do not necessarily transform our lives.  One reason for this is that most gifts are not absolutely essential to our survival.  I mean – gifts you might receive, like socks or video games, etc., may be good gifts but you can live without them.  And the second reason some gifts are more life-transforming is that you don’t have the resources to get them on your own.

     In Eph 2:1-10, the Bible draws upon those two qualities of a life changing gift and shows us how precious God’s grace is: 1) that we can’t live without it (2:1-3) and 2) that we can’t get it on our own (2:4-7).

We Cannot Live without God’s Grace (2:1-3) As for you, you were dead…

     In the opening phrase of v.1, the Bible gives us a stark and precise statement about what is wrong with us, i.e., “you were dead”.  This diagnosis is counter to the way our culture discusses human problems.  In our world, we usually think about our problems being more of a sickness, a physical, emotional or moral sickness.

     There are, of course, degrees of being sick and a variety of ways to treat those who are sick.  When you’re sick, you can go to the doctor.  You can take medicine.  If your problem isn’t so serious, you might be told you simply need more sleep or a better diet.  The point is that, if your problem is a sickness, you do things that can contribute to your healing.

     But, if your problem is that you’re dead, you can’t do anything about that.  There are no degrees of deadness; no dead people who are more dead than other dead people.  If you’re dead, you don’t need medicine or therapy. You need a resurrection!  There are no classes at med school that teach a doctor how to do that!

The hard part about this truth about us, i.e., that we are dead, is that all of us who have come to church today feel alive.  Right? And we are alive, i.e., physically.  To be alive physically means to be alive to sensations in this world.  We can respond to physical stimuli with our five senses.  We can touch and taste and hear and see and smell.  So, how can the Bible say so brazenly that, in our normal state, we are dead?   

The Bible consistently talks about two kinds of life – and it talks about two kinds of death.  You can be alive physically but dead spiritually.  That means, there are realities that you, on your own, are not alive to; not able to respond to.  Most importantly, there is a God who is not seen by physical eyes.  Indeed, there is an entire spiritual ream that, when you are born physically, you are not alive to.  So, you may intuitively think that there must be a God – but you don’t know him.  You don’t experience him.  You are not alive to him.   

The Bible declares from the beginning to the end that you and I were made to know God personally.  In fact, the most important thing in your life is to know God and live in relationship to him.  When I say that, do you see the problem that Eph 2 addresses?  You were made to know God.  Nothing else in this world is quite right when you don’t know God.  And, the problem is not just that you’re sick.  You’re dead to the only one who can bring meaning into your life.

     The result is that, without God, we still look for meaning and joy and fulfillment in life.  But, we look for it in all the wrong places! We try to find it, as v. 2 says, in the “ways of the world”.  When human beings are dead to God, we try to find real life, as v. 3 says it, by gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature…”  And, we don’t know where to find what it is that we’re missing.  According to the Bible, living without a relationship with God inevitably leads us into self-directed thoughts, words and actions that are wrong. 

     This is all summed up in v.3:  All 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. Who is in that “all”?  Are you?  Of course, you are – and so am I. 

     The Bible says that apart from God doing something for us, we don’t live as God has made us to live. So, we are not ready to meet God.  We’re deserving of wrath.  We’re in big danger – eternal danger. 

     This is the reality you have to own if you will understand what the word “grace” means. As Paul put it, “we are without hope in this world.”

We cannot afford what we need without God’s grace (2:4-7) God… made us alive with Christ even when we were dead.

     In these deeply moving verses, 2:4-7, we first are told why God has chosen to make available to us what we absolutely have not earned and we do not deserve.  V. 4 simply says, “Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy made us alive…”  So, on the basis of God’s Word, I want to declare to you right now that, no matter what you have done and no matter what you have brought with you to church today, God loves you with an everlasting love.  Because of that, God is ready to give you the most important thing that you need in your life – and you need only receive it by faith. God offers life to you sola gratia, by his grace alone.

     What I want you to see is the way the Apostle Paul wrote about how costly it was for God to offer us forgiveness of sins and a new life as a free gift.  But, it was not free to him.  I want you to look closely at the three parallel phrases telling us about what God’s grace led him to do:

• 5 – God made us alive with Christ. Because of our sin, we were dead to God, with no personal relationship to him.  But, through faith in Jesus, we are “born again”, i.e., made alive.
• 6 – God raised us up with Christ. We were not left in that old dead way of life but raised up to live life the way God created us to live, i.e., the way that Jesus lived.
• 7 – God seated us with Christ in the heavenly realms. God has seated us in heaven alongside Jesus Christ, the firstborn from the dead in this eternal family of God.

      There are two things I want you to notice about each of those three phrases.  The first is that each of the three wonderful things that has happens to us when we place our faith in Jesus is said to happen “with Christ”.  It means that there is a union that happens when we follow Jesus.  Paul put it this way in Gal 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

     The second thing to see is that all the things we read that God has done for us “with Christ” are in the past tense.  Our being made alive to God, our new life lived powered by the resurrection power of Jesus, and even our eternal placement alongside Jesus Christ in heaven are all said to have already happened.  Of course, in our own daily lives, we know that all that has not yet happened.  But, in the eyes of God, he declares that it is all so certain that it is as if it has all already been completed. 

     I know that this is difficult to understand fully – although it certainly is wonderful.  Let me try to boil it down for you: The moment you believe in Jesus, you become united with him and indwelt by God’s Spirit. This means that everything that Jesus has done and everything that Jesus deserves become yours.  You are as loved and accepted by God as Jesus’ actions deserve.  Your sins are gone.  Your future as one fully complete in Christ is assured.  Hallelujah!

     One implication:  But, you must know this too.  If you are so united with Christ that you get everything Jesus deserves, then he is so united with you that he got everything you deserve.  2 Cor 5:21 sums it up: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 

     We could never afford this salvation on our own.  Ephesians 2 sums this up by simply saying twice (v.5 & v.8), “It is by grace you have been saved.”  It is “sola gratia” – by God’s grace alone.

 We cannot experience God’s grace and remain the same. (2:8-10) We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works…

     Eph 2:1-10 begins by telling us as Jesus-followers that there was a way we “used to live” before Christ.  And, it ends by telling us that, once we place our faith in Jesus, we become God’s handiwork.  The word that is used there is “poiema”, the basis for our word poem.  I find it beautiful.  When we receive God’s gift of salvation that comes to us “by grace through faith”, we become God’s work of art.  God promises to recreate us so that we might live beautiful lives, lives that serve others as Jesus did, and lives that do the good work that God intended for us before sin entered the world and became a part of our lives.  So, if we’ve experienced God’s grace, our lives should be changing in those directions – right?

     How does this happen? Paul writes in this passage, that the foundational change that grace brings about in us, the thing that re-directs everything else, is that it takes away boasting. Those of us who know that our salvation required the death of the sinless Son of God can no longer be proud.

     You see, the problem that led to Paul writing the letter to the Ephesians was that both Jews and Gentiles were coming to faith in Jesus.  But, the new Jewish Jesus-followers and Gentile Jesus-followers did not want to be in one church family together.  Paul is saying here that the reason for this division among people was their pride.  The Jews felt they were better than these worldly Gentiles because they were God’s chosen people.  The Gentiles thought they were better than the Jews because – well, sadly, they were as anti-Semitic as many people throughout history have been.  In our day, we would probably say, “The answer to that problem is easy, i.e., just form two churches so that they don’t have to tolerate one another – one for Jews and the other for non-Jews.”  But, the Bible says, “No!”  Paul is basically writing in this text, “Yes, the answer to this problem of your not wanting to worship together is easy. But it’s not that you should have two churches.  The answer is grace.”  Grace means the end of boasting.  Grace tears down the proud divisions that separate people from people.

     This life-changing power of “sola gratia” is something that English reformer Thomas Brooks wrote about to his church in the 17^thC in his book Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices.  Brooks said that, before coming to Christ, we get our sense of identity and worth out of putting ourselves first and putting down those different from us.  And, he wrote specifically about socio-economic differences.  Apparently, in his church, people from all economic classes were coming to faith in Jesus but were not welcoming one another across those class divisions into the church. 

     Pastor Brooks spoke of the poor, the middle-class and the rich in the church.  He said the poor despise the middle-class and the rich because they blamed wealthier people’s self-centered and uncaring actions as the reason for their own poverty.  Brooks said the middle class despise both the poor and the rich: the poor because they claimed they hadn’t worked hard and the rich because they claimed they hadn’t earned their wealth but had been born into it.  And, he wrote, the rich despise the middle class and poor because they claimed both were unrefined and don’t know how to live with what they had.  Brooks drew upon the message of “sola gratia”, we are all saved by God’s grace alone, in Ephesians 2.  He proclaimed, just as Paul had proclaimed, that when we experience the grace of God made available only because of the death of Jesus, all boasting must be cast away.  Grace takes away boasting.

     I believe we need a book like Precious Remedies against Satan’s Devices for our day.  How will the divisions in our own world between younger and older generations, immigrants and citizens, Republican and Democrat, rich and poor, and all the racial divisions ever be reconciled?  How will all those who have come into one unexpected family through faith in Jesus ever show this divided world that there is one God and one Lord who is over all?  Like the Apostle Paul and Rev Thomas Brooks, I believe the answer is “sola gratia”, only by grace.  The only thing that will make it possible for a church as diverse as ours to glorify God though our unity is that we all must be humbled by the grace of God. 

      When we live as if we are “our own”, i.e., that we don’t desperately need the mercy of God, then we too look down on others different from us. We too can pray, like the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable, “I thank you Lord that I’m not like that other person over there.”  We look down on others.  But, when grace meets us, we get our identity only by looking up to the only one who could have boasted.  But, when we look up at Jesus, we see that he who was in very nature God, but was willing to empty himself and take on the form of a servant for us, even die for us (Phil 2:5-11).

     Grace is God’s tool to make you his work of art.  When you experience grace, you will find it spells the end of boasting, the end of bitterness, the end of fearing someone else will get ahead of you, the end of perfectionism – of not measuring up, the end of comparing yourself to other people, and the end of excluding people because they’re not good enough.

     Has your life been changed by grace?  Have you received his grace through faith in Jesus – gratefully, humbly, joyfully?  “For it is by God’s grace that you are saved, through faith.  And that is not of yourself.  It is the gift of God lest anyone should boast.”  At the heart of all we believe is “sola gratia” – only by the grace of God.

Chinese Study Notes

惟有恩典

以弗所書2：1-10

           

這周，我們進入“五個唯一”系列講道的第三周。我們還記得，五百年前，神興起了一批人，使教會回到聖經真理的重要根基之中，回到所有門徒在耶穌裏所相信的信仰裏。這些真理的根基都被濃縮成下面的五句話，是我們在湖邊大道教會每周都會看到的：

• #1 – 惟有聖經 – 只有聖經是我們信仰與生活的最終權威
• #2 – 惟有信心 – 只有信心能救我們脫離罪，使我們與神和好

在這第三周，我們講到“惟有恩典”。我們宣告，惟有靠著神的恩典，罪人才能得蒙赦免，與神和好。

所以今天，我們的重點是神的恩典，讓我們翻開以弗所書2：1-10，這段經文講的就是恩典：

• 2：5 – “你們得救是本乎恩……”
• 2：7 – “祂極豐富的恩典，就是祂在基督耶穌裏向我們所施的恩慈”
• 2：8 – “你們得救是本乎恩……”

我可以想象，有人會覺得，“哦，很好，我們可以談談恩典。這是一個美好而安全

的話題，不會涉及到定罪或消極方面。”但是我不知道這個主題有多安全。我不知道我們這些去教會的人是不是真的全面理解了神的恩典。比如，這段經文說，神的恩典應該改變我們的生命。這封書信的作者。使徒保羅在第二節中說到，我們任何真正經歷了神恩典的人，都不會再像從前一樣活著。

            很顯然，神恩典的信息，應當激勵你的心靈，改變你的生命。如若不然，就是你還沒有理解到什麽是神的恩典。也許我們需要回到以弗所書第二章，看一看“恩典”的定義是什麽。

神的恩典是什麽 – 是白白賜下的禮物：1）你的生命中不能或缺，但是2）你靠著自己無法得到

            在第八節，聖經將因信而得的救恩稱為神的禮物。禮物是什麽？是你無需自己付錢而得到的東西，是你沒有靠自己的努力而得到的東西，禮物就是免費的。

            我聽到過有人這樣說：恩典是憐憫，不是功績。恩典與karma不同，karma的意思是得到你應得的。恩典是得到你本不應得的。恩典從根本上是關於神的：祂對所有世人的愛心和祂的眷顧與喜愛的顯明，都體現在我們對耶穌基督的信靠之中。

            但是，這份神所賜的禮物，與我們收到的其它禮物不同。我們所收到的大部分禮物，包括那些最珍貴的禮物，都不一定會改變我們的生命。其中的一個原因是，大部分的禮物都不是我們生存所必需的。我的意思是，你可能收到的一些禮物，比如襪子、或是遊戲等等，都是很好的禮物，但是沒有它們，你還是能生活得很好。有一些禮物能改變生命的第二個原因是，你沒有資源能得到它。

            在以弗所書2：1-10，聖經告訴了我們改變生命的禮物的兩個特質，也顯明神的恩典多麽寶貴：1）沒有它我們無法存活（2：1-3）； 2）我們無法靠著自己而得到它（2：4-7）

沒有神的恩典，我們無法存活 （2：1-3）你們死在過犯罪惡之中的人……

            在第一節開頭，聖經就準確而全面地說到我們的問題，比如經文說：“你們死在過犯罪惡之中的人啊”。這個描述與我們的文化所談到的人類的問題完全相反。在我們的世界裏，我們通常會認為，我們的問題，大多是疾病，是身體、情緒、或是道德上的疾病。

            當然，疾病程度各有不同，治愈病人的方法也各不相同。如果你的身體和情緒都有問題，你可能需要心理專家的幫忙。如果你有上癮的問題，你可能需要去一個專門的中心進行藥物治療。如果你的問題沒有太嚴重，別人可能會告訴你，你需要更多的睡眠和好的飲食習慣。重點是，如果你的問題是疾病，那麽你就需要做那些幫助你痊愈的事情。

            但是，假如你的問題是，你已經死了，那你就無能為力了。天下沒有死亡的程度這一說，沒有誰會比別人死得更厲害。如果你死了，你就不再需要藥物與治療。你需要復活！沒有醫學院會教給醫生做這件事！

            關於我們都已是死人的事實，有一個難以理解的部分，那就是，我們所有今天來到教會的人都感覺自己是活著的，對嗎？我們的身體的確都是活著的。身體活著的意思是，能夠感知這個世界。我們可以藉著五種感官來回應身體感受到的刺激。我們可以觸摸、品嘗、聽到、看到和聞到。那麽，為什麽聖經要這樣明確地說，我們已經死了呢？

            聖經多次談到，兩種生命會導致兩種死亡。你可以是身體活著，靈裏卻已死亡。這就意味著，有一些事實，是你靠著自己無法回應、也不能存活的。最重要的是，有一位肉眼無法看到的神。事實上，有一個完整的靈性領域，當你的肉身出生之時，你已經失去了在那個世界裏的生命。因此，你可能會直覺地認為，宇宙間必然有一位神，但你並不認識祂。你也沒有經歷過祂，在祂的面前，你並不是活著的。

            聖經從開始到結尾都在宣告，我們被造，就是為要認識神。其實，你生命中最重要的事就是認識神，並在生活中與祂連接。說到這，你有沒有註意到以弗所書第二章談到的問題？你被造的目的就是認識神。當你不認識神的時候，一切都是不對的，而且，問題不止是你身體的疾病，在那位將意義賦予你的生命的神面前，你是已死的。

            結果是，我們在沒有神的生命中仍然在尋找生活的意義、喜悅和生命的滿足。然而，我們卻找錯了地方，正像第二節所說的，“隨從今世的風俗”。當人在神的面前已經死亡，而我們還試圖找到真正的生命，就會像第三節所說的，“隨著肉體和心中所喜好的去行。”然而我們不知道怎樣找到我們所缺失的東西。根據聖經，與神沒有連接的生活，會不可避免地將我們帶進錯誤的自我導向、話語和行為之中。

這是對第3節所作的總結：我們從前也都在他們中間，放縱肉體的私欲，隨著肉體和心中所喜好的去行，本為可怒之子，和別人一樣。誰是“我們”？是你嗎？ 當然，是你，也是我。

聖經說，當我們離開了神為自己行事之時，我們實際上在靈性上都已死去了。 結果是，我們都在過犯和罪孽中行事。 我們沒有依照神為我們定規的那樣去生活。 神的憤怒是針對這個世界上一切的邪惡與不公的。 而我們都曾有罪和過犯！ 所以，我們還沒有準備好去見神。 我們處於巨大的危險之中，而且這危險是永恒的危險。

在面對死亡時，我們都無法靠自己做什麽。死亡之物沒有能力使自己起死回生。這就是你應該了解的事實，如此，你才會明白“恩典”的意思。正如保羅所說，“我們在世上沒有盼望。”

離開了神的恩典，我們無法擔當自己的需求 （2：4-7）：神啊，即使我們死了，也讓我們與基督一同活過來 。

在2章4-7節，這些深刻的經文首先告訴我們，神為什麽選擇賜給我們這些憑借自己絕對無法賺取、又是本不該得的一切。 第4節簡明地說到， “然而神既有豐富的憐憫，因祂愛我們的大愛，當我們死在過犯中的時候，便叫我們......活過來” 所以 ，在神話語的基礎上，我要宣告，今天無論你做了什麽，無論你們來教會的時候帶著什麽，神都以永不變的愛來愛你們，也因著這樣的緣故，神已經準備好了將你們生命中最重要的東西賜給你們；你只需要靠著信心來接 受它，這一切都是你自己沒有途徑能得到的，惟有靠著神的恩典，神將生命的恩惠賜給你 ，惟有靠著祂的恩典，才能得到。

使徒保羅曾寫道，神將赦罪的平安和新生命，作為一件禮物白白賜下給我們，然而對祂而言卻是要付上生命的代價。我希望大家能仔細看 ，這其中三個平行的短語告訴我們神的恩典是怎樣帶領他的。

• 第五節，神讓我們與基督一同活過來。因著我們的罪的緣故，我們與神沒有任何連接，我們向著神是死的。 但是，藉著對耶穌的信心，我們 得到“重生 ”，得以復活。
• 第六節，神使我們與基督一同復活。我們不再停留在那個舊有的必死的生命裏 ，而是與基督同復活，按照神原本創造我們的方式去生活，像耶穌一樣。
• 第七節 -- 神讓我們與基督在天上一同座席。神已經讓我們與耶穌基督一起坐在天上，就是那位在神永恒的家中從死裏復活的長子。

在以上這三個短語中，我想讓大家留意兩件事。 第一件是，當我們將信仰放在耶穌身上時，在我們身上所發生的三件奇妙的事情就都顯明，這是因著基督與我們同在的緣故。這就意味著，當我們跟隨耶穌時，就會與祂聯合。 保羅在加2:20中這樣說：“我已經與基督同釘十字架，現在活著的不再是我，乃是基督在我裏面活著；並且我如今在肉身活著，是因信神的兒子而活，他是愛我，為我舍己。”

第二件事就是，保羅在描述神與基督一同為我們所成就的事時，使用的都是過去時。我們的生命向著神活過來，耶穌復活的大能所賜給我們的生命，包括我們在 天上將永遠與耶穌基督的同在，都已經發生了。 當然，在我們每日的生活中，我們知道，這一切都還沒有發生。 但是在神的眼中，祂宣告說，這一切都是定意要發生的，因而就當作一切已經完成了。

我知道，這是一件很難完全理解的事情，盡管它肯定是一件美好的事情。 讓我嘗試為大家解釋一下。在你相信耶穌的那一刻，你已經與祂連接，並住在神的靈裏。神必定 會完成祂在你的生命中所開始的一切工作。這就意味著，耶穌所做的一切、和耶穌所應 得的一切，都將為你所有。 你們將會蒙神所愛、被祂接受，正如耶穌那樣。你們的罪得了赦免。神定會保守你在耶穌裏的未來，哈利路亞 ！

這其中有一個含義：你也必須知道這一點。 如果你與基督親密的連接，使你得到耶穌所應得的一切，那麽祂與你們的連接，也會使祂得到你們應得的一切。 哥林多後書5:21 總結說：“神使那無罪的，替我們成為罪，好叫我們在他裏面成為神的義。”

因為罪的緣故，我們的身體和靈魂都會死去。但在十字架上，耶穌替代了我 們罪人的位置，並與我們連接，因此我們現在可以藉著與祂的聯合而活著 。而我們永遠不可能自己擔負得起這樣的救恩。以弗所書第二章兩次做了總結 ：（第5節和第8節），“你們得救是本乎恩”——惟有恩典。

我們不可能在經歷了神的恩典之後毫無改變。 (2 ：8-10) 我們原是祂的工作，在基督耶 穌裏造成的，為要叫我們行善...

以弗所書2章1-10節的開始告訴我們，作為耶穌的追隨者，在我們認識基督之前，曾以舊有的方式去生活，而結尾則告訴我們，一旦我們相信耶穌 ，我們就成為了神的手所做的工，在這裏使用了“poiema”這個詞（祂所做的工），這是一個用於詩歌之中的詞語，我覺得用得很美。當我們藉著信仰得到神的救恩，我們就成為了神手中的藝術品， 神應許我們，祂要重造我們，使我們可以活得美好，像耶穌那樣服事他人，並且如同罪惡進入世界之前，做神定意要我們完成的工作，而這最終成為我們生命的重要部分。 所以，如果我們經歷了神的恩典，我們的生命應該向著這些方向改變，對嗎？

這樣被改變的生命，是神恩典的工作。 當你真正在內心中經歷到神的恩典時，它就會開始引導你的思維，指引你的生命，並且打開你屬靈的眼睛，使你看到神所看到的世界。 這是如何發生的呢？保羅在這段經文中寫道，恩典所帶給我們的生命根基的改變，將重新引導其它一切的事物，挪去人的驕傲。一旦我們知道，我們的救恩需要無罪的神子受死才能換來，我們就不再驕傲了。

你看，保羅之所以要寫信給以弗所人，是因為猶太人和外邦人都來信靠耶穌了。但是，追隨耶穌的新猶太信徒和外邦信徒，都不想在同一個教會中聚會。保羅在這裏說，這些人之所以分裂，是因著他們的驕傲。猶太人覺得，他們比這些世俗的外邦人更 好，是因為他們是神的選民。外邦人則認為他們比猶太人更好，是因為，他們與歷史上許多反猶太人的人一樣。今天，我們可能會說：“解決這個問題 的方法很簡單，就是建立兩個教會，使他們不必相互忍受  --  一個猶太人教會，另一個是非猶太人的。”但是，聖經說：“不！”。 保羅基本上是這樣寫的 ：“是的，解決你們不想在一起敬拜的方法很簡單，但不是將你們分成兩個教會。真正解決方法答案是恩典 ，“恩典就意味著驕傲的結束。恩典把那將人群分裂的驕傲拆 毀。”

十七世紀，英國改革家托馬斯·布魯克斯在他的著作 – “對付撒旦詭計的寶貴方法”一書中，曾提到了改變生命的“惟有恩典”的力量。布魯克斯說，在信仰基督之前，我們為要得到認同感和價值，就要把自己放在首 位，將那些與我們不同的人放在後面。他也特別寫到了有關社會階層的差異 。很顯然，在他的教會裏，來自各種經濟階層的人們都相信耶穌，但這些等級不同之人卻彼此不能接受。

布魯克斯牧師談到了教會裏的窮人，中產階級和富人。 他說窮人鄙視中產階級和 富人，因為他們譴責中產階級和富人的自我中心，卻從不思考他們因著貧窮而導致了自己的冷漠行為。 布魯克斯說，中產階級對窮人和富人都鄙視：他們認為窮人沒有努力工作，而富人的財富並非自己賺取而得，是生來就有的。他還寫道，富人鄙視中產階級和 窮人，因為他們認為，這兩者都是粗俗的，都不知道如何利用自己所擁有的去生活。布 魯克斯借鑒了“惟有恩典”的信息，以弗所書第二章告訴我們，我們都 是因神的恩典而得救的。他像保羅那樣宣告，當我們能經歷到那藉著耶穌的死而帶來的神的恩典，就要摒棄所有的驕傲。是恩典驅走了驕傲 。

我相信，在我們的生活中，我們需要一本像“對付撒旦詭計的寶貴方法” 這樣的著作。在我們的世界裏，年輕與年老一代，移民和公民，共和黨和民主黨，貧富之間，以及所有種族之間，應當怎樣才能和好呢？所有那些因著相信耶 穌而永遠進入到一個超乎期待的美好家庭中的人，怎樣能夠向分裂的世界見證，只有一個超越萬事萬物的神和主呢？ 像使徒保羅和托馬斯·布魯克斯一樣，我相信答案是，“惟有恩典”。唯一能使我們這樣多樣化的教會通過我們的合一來榮耀神的方法，就是我們都因著神的恩典而變得謙卑。

當我們靠著 自己生活，而不需要神的憐憫時，我們就會看不起與我們不同的人。 我們是靠著行為而得到認同的。我們也可以像 耶穌的比喻中的法利賽人那樣禱告，“主啊，我感謝你，因我不像那邊的那個人”。我們會看低別人，但是，當恩典遇見我們時，我們就惟有通過仰望那唯一有資格驕傲的人來確立我們的身份認同。然而，當我們仰望耶穌的時候，我們看到祂本有神的形像，卻願意為了我們反倒虛己，取了奴仆的形像，成為人的樣式。甚 至為我們而死（腓2： 5-11）。

恩典是神的工具，祂借此而使你成為祂的傑作。當你經歷到神恩典的時候，你會發現，這意味著驕傲的結束，苦澀的終結，你也不再懼怕他人超越你，這也將意味著完美主義的結 束，即不再將自己與其他人相比，也不再會因為他人不夠好而將他們排除在外。

你的生命是否因著恩典而改變？你是否謙卑而快樂地接受神的恩典？ “因為你是藉著信心，並靠著神的恩典得救的，而不是靠你自己。 這是神的恩賜， 使人免於自誇。”我們信仰的核心，就是“唯有神的恩典”。