“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” Ephesians 2:8 Recently, I was privileged to hear Elder Daniel Montgomery present an excellent lesson from Ephesians 2:1-10. (The sermon is posted on the Unity Primitive Baptist Church FB page for any who care to hear it.) His comments caused me to once again consider the nature and structure of Paul's explanation of the principle, means and ends assigned to regeneration that are contained in these verses. Based on the prompting of Elder Montgomery's message and from my own studies, here are some of my thoughts, with specific focus on the significance of verses 8. I believe Paul's statement in Ephesians 2:8 provides added information to an earlier assertion found in verse 5, “by grace ye are saved.” In both instances, Paul uses these statements as grounds to support his assertions as to Gods love and mercy as it applies to quickening (regeneration); whereby, He quickened us together and raised us up together with and in Christ in heavenly places. Thus, Paul's assertion of effectual quickening mentioned in verse 1 is supported on the grounds of prior positional quickening. The whole of Paul's argument begins in Ephesians 2:1 and continues through verse 10; and asserts aspects of the motive, means and process by God wherein a person is born again. It does so in the collective sense of the whole number of God's elect. This is apparent from Paul's use of the plural “ye” and even more, by his assertion that all the elect were quickened and raised up together with and in Christ. (see verses 5-6) This positional quickening and raising is the basis for the effectual quickening of they who were (are) actually born again. The structure of Paul's argument implies effectual quickening (verse 1) is based on positional quickening and raising up of all the elect with and in Christ in heavenly places; with “heavenly” characterizing the positional place where all the elect were (and are) together with and in Christ. From this we are given to understand verses 4 through 10 present a covenant-of-grace perspective of why and how all who are elect qualified to be born again (and in the context of Paul's immediate audience, were already born again). This being so, verse 8 does not in itself specify the actual accomplishment of one's effectual regeneration. Rather, it informs us of the covenant means and process by which the elect were quickened and raised up all together with and in Christ. In this regard, the phrase "for by grace are ye saved through faith" signifies a process in which an end is achieved through means of applying a principle. The end is salvation; “by grace ye are saved.” “Saved” is the only verb in verse 8 translated from original language (the verb“is” was inserted by the KJV translators). Further, “saved” is passive; thus signifying that grace and faith are actions by God in which the recipient “ye” is passive. “By grace” is the principle upon which saving is based; and the means of applying grace is “through faith.” (In verse 8 the word “through” is διά dia. It means: “through; by means of; the ground or reason by which something is or is not done.”) Just so, I believe the phrase, "for by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: It is the gift of God" can be interpreted: Because of the grace of God you are saved through the faith of God; in the which you are completely passive for it is all the gift of God. And hearkening back to Paul's original assertion in verse 1, it is how and why God effectually quickened those who were previously dead in trespasses and sins.

Elder Mike Ivey