EPHESIANS BIBLE STUDY
Lesson 3 – June 4 and 11, 2025
STUDENT GUIDE: SALVATION BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH (EPHESIANS 2:1-10)
BIBLE VERSES
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience
3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved
6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
MEMORY VERSE
“8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 ASV)
LESSON OVERVIEW
Today we’ll explore one of the most important passages in the Bible about how salvation works. Paul contrasts our hopeless condition apart from Christ with God’s amazing grace in saving us. This passage clearly explains that salvation is God’s gift, not something we can earn.
READ EPHESIANS 2:1-10
I. OUR CONDITION BEFORE CHRIST (verses 1-3)
Key Truth: Apart from Christ, we were spiritually dead and separated from God.
What does Paul say about our condition before Christ?
Verse 1: We were _ in our transgressions and sins.
Verse 2: We followed:
- The ways of this ___
- The ruler of the kingdom of the ___
Verse 3: We lived gratifying the cravings of our _ and were by nature deserving of _.
Reflection Question: Why do you think Paul uses the word “dead” to describe our spiritual condition? What does this tell us about our ability to save ourselves?
II. GOD’S RESPONSE TO OUR CONDITION (verses 4-7)
Key Truth: God’s love and mercy motivated Him to save us.
The Great “But God” (verse 4):
Because of His great _ for us, God, who is rich in _, made us alive.
What God did for us (verses 5-6):
- Made us _ with Christ
- _ us up with Christ
- _ us with Him in the heavenly realms
God’s future purpose (verse 7):
To show the incomparable riches of His _ in the coming ages.
Personal Reflection: How does it make you feel to know that God’s response to your sin was motivated by His great love?
III. THE MEANS OF SALVATION (verses 8-9)
Key Truth: Salvation is entirely by God’s grace through faith, not by our works.
Fill in the blanks from verses 8-9:
“For it is by _ you have been saved, through _ —and this is not from _, it is the _ of God—not by _, so that no one can _.”
Key Definitions:
- Grace: God’s unmerited favor; kindness to those who don’t deserve it
- Faith: Trusting in what Christ has done, not our own efforts
- Gift: Something freely given, not earned or deserved
Think About It: If we could earn our salvation through good works, what would be the problem with that according to verse 9?
IV. THE PURPOSE OF SALVATION (verse 10)
Key Truth: We are saved to serve God through good works.
What does Paul call us in verse 10?
We are God’s _ (masterpiece/work of art).
What were we created to do?
We were created in Christ Jesus to do _ _.
When were these works prepared?
God prepared them _ _ for us to do.
Important Balance:
- Good works don’t _ us (verse 9)
- But saved people _ good works (verse 10)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- How does Paul describe our condition before Christ in verses 1-3? Why is this understanding important?
- What motivates God to save people according to verses 4-5?
- What does it mean to be “saved by grace through faith” (v.8)? Why does Paul emphasize that this is “not a result of works”?
- How do you reconcile verse 9 (not by works) with verse 10 (created for good works)?
- What “good works” might God have prepared in advance for you to do?
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Check the boxes as you discuss each point:
□ Humility: Understanding our condition apart from Christ keeps us humble
□ Gratitude: God’s grace should produce overwhelming thankfulness
□ Security: Our salvation rests on God’s work, not our performance
□ Purpose: We are saved to serve, created for good works
□ Identity: We are God’s masterpiece, His workmanship
PERSONAL APPLICATION
This Week I Will:
- Remember: One specific way I’ll remember God’s grace in my daily life:
- Thank: I want to thank God for:
- Serve: One good work I sense God calling me to do:
PRAYER REQUESTS
Use this space to write down prayer requests shared in your group:
NEXT WEEK PREVIEW
Lesson 4: One New Humanity in Christ (Ephesians 2:11-22)
- The division between Jew and Gentile
- Christ breaking down the dividing wall
- The church as God’s holy temple
Homework: Read Ephesians 2:11-22 and think about barriers that divide people today.
ADDITIONAL STUDY
Want to dig deeper this week? Look up these related passages:
- Romans 3:21-28 (righteousness through faith)
- Romans 6:23 (the wages of sin)
- Colossians 2:13-14 (made alive in Christ)
- Titus 3:3-7 (saved by His mercy)