Salvation is not earned by human effort or works, but is a free gift from God, received through faith that itself is given by God’s grace. In a world that often tells us to “pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps,” the truth of the gospel is that we are utterly dependent on God’s mercy and cannot make ourselves worthy before Him. This humbling reality should lead us to gratitude and worship, knowing that even the faith we have to trust Jesus is a gift from Him, not something we muster up ourselves. [33:23]
Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV)
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Reflection: In what ways have you tried to earn God’s favor or approval through your own efforts, and how can you rest today in the truth that your salvation is a gift from Him alone?
Forgiveness is not just a suggestion but a command for those who follow Christ, modeled after the way God has forgiven us in Christ. True forgiveness goes beyond lip service and requires a tender heart, letting go of bitterness and extending grace even when it is difficult. As recipients of God’s mercy, we are called to reflect His character by forgiving others, recognizing that we ourselves are in constant need of forgiveness. [33:54]
Ephesians 4:32 (KJV)
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Reflection: Who is one person you need to forgive from your heart today, and what step can you take to begin that process, trusting God to help you?
Believers are commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit, not relying on substitutes or empty pursuits, but seeking the empowering presence of God in daily life. This filling is not reserved for a select few or a particular denomination, but is the birthright and responsibility of every Christian, enabling us to live out God’s purposes with joy and power. Rather than fearing or resisting the Spirit’s work, we are invited to welcome His presence and allow Him to transform us from the inside out. [34:02]
Ephesians 5:18 (KJV)
And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you need to invite the Holy Spirit’s filling and guidance today, and how can you make space for Him to work?
We are called to stand firm not in our own strength, but in the power and might of the Lord, especially when facing the storms and challenges of life. Human strength will always fall short, but God’s strength enables us to endure, persevere, and remain faithful no matter what comes our way. When we rely on Him, we can stand firm even when everything around us is shaking, knowing that He stands with us and for us. [34:39]
Ephesians 6:10 (KJV)
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Reflection: What current challenge or “storm” are you facing, and how can you intentionally lean on God’s strength instead of your own today?
The mystery of salvation involves both God’s sovereign choice and our response, and we do not have to choose between these truths but can embrace both as friends. Rather than getting lost in debates or extremes, we are invited to trust that God is fully in control while also calling us to respond to His grace. This balance leads us to humility, deeper faith, and a desire to know God more, recognizing that His ways are higher than ours and that we are called to seek truth in His Word. [44:01]
Romans 11:33 (ESV)
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
Reflection: How can you hold both God’s sovereignty and your responsibility in tension today, and what does it look like for you to trust Him with the mysteries you cannot fully understand?
Today’s journey began with the opening of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, a book written from a Roman prison to a church planted in the heart of a pagan, idolatrous, and morally confused city. Ephesus was a place of great influence, wealth, and spiritual darkness, yet God chose to establish a church there, pastored by spiritual giants like Paul, John, and Apollos. Despite such a rich heritage, the church at Ephesus would later be rebuked for leaving its first love, reminding us that truth must not only be received but must transform our lives and affections.
The heart of the teaching centered on the great tension in Christian theology: the sovereignty of God and the free will of man, as famously debated by Calvinism and Arminianism. Using the metaphors of the tulip and the daisy, the differences between these two systems were explored—not to create division, but to encourage deeper understanding and humility. Calvinism emphasizes God’s absolute sovereignty in salvation, teaching that God alone chooses and saves, while Arminianism stresses human responsibility and the ability to respond to God’s grace. Both systems, when taken to extremes, can lead to theological ditches, but both also contain important truths.
Rather than demanding a rigid allegiance to one side, the invitation was to embrace the mystery and tension that Scripture presents. God is sovereign and knows all who will be saved, yet He calls all to repentance and faith. Salvation is by grace through faith—a gift, not a work—and the atonement of Christ is sufficient for all, though only effective for those who believe. Grace can be resisted, and yet those who are truly saved are kept by God’s power, not their own.
The call was to be students of the Word, not content with secondhand theology or shallow answers, but to wrestle with the deep things of God. Ultimately, the invitation is to trust in Christ alone for salvation, to rest in the security of His finished work, and to let the truth of the gospel shape both belief and behavior.
Ephesians 1:3-14 (ESV) — > Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV) — > For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Revelation 2:1-5 (ESV) — > “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.’”
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