{"content":[{"text":"ESV Reformation Study Bible \n 2:4 But God. Paul paints this bleak portrait of the human situation to throw into relief God’s gracious and \n merciful response to it. \n because of the great love. God loves His people of His own will. Paul excludes any consideration of merit, \n effort, or ability on the part of those who come to life (cf. Deut. 7:7, 8). The hopeless condition of sinners apart \n from Christ that Paul has described in vv. 1–3 is the basis for understanding his teaching on God’s election in \n 1:4–6, and on His gift of life here in vv. 4–10. Note the summary in Rom. 8:29, 30.","bbox":{"left":0.058824,"top":0.04357,"width":0.870477,"height":0.114866}},{"text":"2:5, 6 made us alive . . . raised us up . . . seated us. These are historical events in the life of Christ: His \n resurrection from the dead and enthronement at the right hand of God. But Paul also applies them to what has \n happened to believers. Paul teaches a union between Christ and those who come to trust Him (1:3; Col. 3:1– \n 4), so that what is said of the Redeemer can also be said of the redeemed. What once happened to Jesus will \n one day happen to believers as well (2 Cor. 4:16): they will be resurrected to glory at His return (Rom. 8:11; 1 \n Cor. 15). For the present, there is a new mind (4:23, 24; Rom. 12:1, 2), a new identity as God’s children (Rom. \n 8:14–17), and a new ability to live free from the control of Satan (Rom. 8:1–4; 2 Cor. 5:17).","bbox":{"left":0.058824,"top":0.171253,"width":0.875579,"height":0.115062}},{"text":"Asbury Study Bible \n However, in spite of their transgressions, God brought the dead to life (cf. Ro 6:3-4). Not only was \n righteousness imputed, but spiritual life was imparted. Surely this was an act of grace. (Notice Paul’s emphasis \n on grace in this entire paragraph.) Moreover, in Christ’s exaltation, believers were seated in the heavenly \n realms in Christ Jesus. Whereas in 1:20-21 this exaltation to universal authority is bestowed upon Jesus, \n here Paul includes believers in the granting of authority even as he includes them in the Resurrection. If \n Christ’s resurrection is theirs, then Christ’s exaltation must also be theirs. The purpose: that in the coming \n ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace. A king who buys a beggar a new coat \n demonstrates altruism; making him coruler shows grace. Christians have a rags-to-riches story: though born \n spiritually depraved, they now reside in a throne room. How magnificent God’s grace is, as shown us in Christ \n Jesus! In the denouement of salvation history, Paul suggests, those who rule with Christ will uniformly testify: “I \n was once a sinner, but I came, pardon to receive from my Lord.” And for emphasis, Paul repeats himself: “For \n it is by grace you have been saved, through faith” (in Jesus as God’s condition for your salvation). The \n power to believe is God-given, but one must use the God-given power (Clarke, 6:430) or it is of no effect.","bbox":{"left":0.058824,"top":0.331057,"width":0.879932,"height":0.22683599999999998}},{"text":"If salvation were by works, by effort, or by obeying the law, there would be justification for human boasting, \n since some would be more obedient, more industrious, and more precise than others. Those born with an \n advantage could utilize, even flaunt, that advantage. The truth is, however, that human redemption \n is not brought about by works, so there is no room for boasting.","bbox":{"left":0.058824,"top":0.570558,"width":0.84627,"height":0.067295}},{"text":"At the same time, all believers must realize that they are designed in Christ Jesus to do good works. Wesley \n emphasized that predestination relates to outcome: to be children of God, to rule with Christ, to attain to the \n measure of the fullness of Christ, to do good works (Wesley, Notes, 489, 492). Even before creation God \n prepared in advance for believers to follow after good works as an expression of their love of God and their \n appreciation for divine grace.","bbox":{"left":0.058824,"top":0.650407,"width":0.8825710000000001,"height":0.08309200000000005}},{"text":"IVP New Testament Commentary Series, Ephesians \n God is indeed sovereign in the matter of grace, It is inconceivable that salvation should in any way depend on \n the individual, since it is part of God’s overall plan as explained in chapter 1 and further developed in the latter \n part of this chapter and in chapter 3. Therefore verse 10 is an appropriate conclusion to this section, beginning \n with the words we are God’s workmanship. The word workmanship (poiema) was used in ancient Greek \n literature to refer to what a person made or did. Among other things it could refer to literary works, such as a \n poem. Christians used it in it’s more general sense and applied it to God’s creation, as Paul did in Romans \n 1:20. Here, as the work that God produces, it stands in contrast to the mere human works in the previous verse \n that are unable to save us. Salvation cannot be our work, not only because it is God’s work but because we \n are God’s work, his new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).","bbox":{"left":0.058824,"top":0.778393,"width":0.882646,"height":0.16149999999999998}}],"images_bbox":[],"images_bbox_not_text_overlap":[]}