Have you ever taken the time to consider the person of the Apostle Paul? He honestly was a pretty amazing follower of Yahweh. He comes from a line of people who were passionate about Torah, God's instruction and direction as how best to live. He grew up a ways from Jerusalem. His father was both a Roman citizen and a Jewish pharisee. Living in Tarsus, modern day Turkey, Paul's family had made long trips to Jerusalem to fulfill the requirements to be there on the high holy days. He was of the tribe of Benjamin and named after their most famous Benjamite, Saul, the first king of Israel. Young Saul excelled in his religious education, becoming a disciple of Gamaiel, (Acts 5) the most renowned Jewish Rabbi of the time. Young Saul, later known as Paul, held two passions. One was to be faithful to all of God's Law and Word. The other was to faithfully await the arrival of Messiah, the coming king and deliverer of Israel. This passion drove him to oppose the new Jewish sect called "the Way". A growing group of Jews who believed that the crucified rabbi Yeshua, was Messiah. Paul was confronted by the risen Lord on his way to Damascus. Following this event his life still held two passions. One, to be faithful in God's Torah and traditions and two, to let every Jew and Gentile he met know that Yeshua was indeed Messiah.
As one of the most prolific writers, used by God, to write the letters held in the New Testament, it serves us well to remember who Paul was. While addressing the Jews in Acts 23 Paul proclaims that he currently is a Pharisee and the son of a Pharisee. Near the end of his life Paul speaks to the Jewish elders in Rome telling them that he has "done nothing against Rome or the his people or their customs" (Acts 28:17). Paul was a faithful, Torah observant, Jew all of his life. He was also a Jew who was had a passion to know and proclaim the truth that Yeshua was Messiah, the deliverer of Israel and the Savior of the Gentiles as well. With this background, let us take a new look at Ephesians chapter 2.
(Disclaimer - The following is the result of some time of meditation, both on the subject of faith, faithful and faithfulness, and the impact Paul's life experience might have on his writing. It is not to suggest that this is the only right answer of interpretation or if it is even is a right answer. However, we are instructed to study, to meditate, and to ponder the truth of God's revealed Word. This is the result of that time. I am a work in progress, as are you, so this may just give you something new to think about.)
Ephesians 2:8, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." has long been a theological anchor for evangelicals.
Tie that to verse 9, "not of works, lest anyone should boast" and many theologians and Bible teachers find this as the evidence of the end of Torah. It is here they find that Judaism has been replaced by the Christian Church.
The verses have also been a point of contention between the reformed
camp and those with a more Wesleyan bent. Is grace the gift or is it
faith that is the gift from God? If Faith is the gift then only those
gifted with faith are predestined to be saved. However, if grace is the
gift then anyone is free to exercise faith and be saved. Quite the
dilemma. Where do you fall on the grace verses faith issue? And what of
works? Is this an end to Torah or as His workmanship are works, related
to the Law, ordained for us to complete? Well, what if both thoughts are a bit off message? Do these thoughts line up with the passions of the Apostle Paul as he writes to the Ephesian assembly of Messianic believers?
Paul's compelling drive to make Yeshua, Jesus, know is clearly evident in this letter. Paul's commitment to his Jewish heritage is also evident as he lets the Gentiles know that they who were far off have been brought near and are now under the Jewish covenants and a part of the Commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:12). Backing up to the beginning of chapter 2 we find remarkable news for us and Paul's passion for who Messiah Jesus is and just what He has done. You might want to turn to Ephesians 2 to follow along. We were dead, walking in agreement with the devil, fulfilling the desires of the flesh, children of wrath (verses 1-3). God, in His mercy, loved us even when we were dead. He made us alive with Christ. He raised us to the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. Showing His grace and kindness in Christ Jesus (verses 4-7). Paul's focus here is clearly on what God has done in Christ, Jesus. Paul then goes on to tell us that it is by this grace,through faith, that we have been delivered. Not of ourselves, gift of God. The translators have added it is to help make their understanding of the text clear. "It is" is a reference to the "gift of God", making whatever it is a "thing", for nouns can be a person, place or a thing. However, we have seen that the Greek word pistis has several different possible, yet accurate, translations. So this could be "by grace you have been saved through faithfulness, the gift of God, not of works, so no one can boast." Yet it seems contradictory to be delivered by faithfulness and not of our own works.
What if Paul has continued his thought train from the previous four verses. We know that Yahweh and His Son, our Messiah are faithful. See Deuteronomy 7:9, Hosea 11:12 1 Corinthians 1:9 or 2 Corinthians 1:18. "God is faithful", Another way of putting this is to say that God is the Faithful One. It says the same thing, and is an accurate translation, it simply makes "faithful" more of a character quality than an action toward me. God is the Faithful One who sent His Son, Messiah Jesus to deliver me. Jesus was the Faithful One who delivered me from death. For I was dead but God made me alive through the faithful actions of His Son, who is also the Faithful One. If you followed this we have another possible translation for Ephesians 2:8. "For by grace you have been delivered [from death] through the Faithful One, He is the gift of God, not of your works, lest anyone should boast." Now our deliverance, our salvation, is focused on the person of Christ, as it was in the previous verses. Paul may be reminding us that it was the work of the Faithful One, not of my faith, which delivered me from death.
"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared, or revealed, before hand, that we should walk in them." We are called to be faithful as He was faithful. Dependent upon His faithfulness and now called to our own faithfulness in Him.
The choice is simply where we place our focus. Is it on my faith or on the Faithful One, Christ Jesus? As a Jewish Rabbi consumed with love for Messiah and compelled to share His message of deliverance where do you think the Apostle Paul's thoughts were?
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