Living as Saints: Grace and Peace in Christ

We opened Ephesians by sitting with just two verses and letting them set the tone for the months ahead. Paul names himself “an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,” and that phrase pulls our eyes off the messenger and onto the One who calls. Paul’s identity—and ours—rests on grace, not achievement. We’re not apostles, but we are saints: not a special class of spiritual elites, but ordinary believers set apart by God for His purposes. That’s who we are, even while we live in a place that looks a lot like ancient Ephesus: crowded with idols of sex, money, and status, and content with a thin spirituality that rarely challenges our desires.

Ephesians speaks straight into that setting. It invites us to live distinctly in the middle of our city, not by retreating from it, but by reflecting Christ within it. Jesus prayed in John 17 not that we’d be taken out of the world, but that we’d be kept from the evil one while being sent into the world. Our citizenship is in heaven, and that heavenly address should shape how we love, work, raise families, serve the church, and stand against the darkness right here. The call is not escapism; it’s fidelity—steady, gospel-shaped presence.

Paul’s greeting, “Grace to you and peace,” is more than polite. It’s the order of the Christian life. Grace is God’s unearned favor—costly to Christ and freely given to us. Only grace can produce true peace: the settled wholeness that guards hearts and minds when circumstances do not change. That kind of peace showed up for Horatio Spafford as he sailed over the waters where his daughters drowned and could still say, “It is well with my soul.” It wasn’t denial; it was confidence that God’s strength meets us in our weakness and holds us there.

As we walk through Ephesians, we’ll learn how to live as saints in a city like ours—how to wear our new identity in Christ in everyday places. And as we step into a new year, the best resolution we can make is this: receive grace, and then live from it, so that peace takes root where fear and frenzy used to live.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Called by grace, not merit God’s will, not our performance, establishes our identity. That keeps pride in check and despair at bay. When we forget this, we either start posing or we quit. Grace frees us to be honest and faithful because the pressure to self-justify is gone.
• 2. Saints: set apart in ordinary places “Saint” means set apart, not removed. God doesn’t extract us from our neighborhoods; He sends us into them with a different loyalty and a different love. Holiness shows up in the ordinary: promises kept, neighbors served, idols refused, worship prioritized.
• 3. Citizens of heaven, engaged on earth Heavenly citizenship doesn’t shrink earthly responsibility. It reframes it. Because our future is secure, we can spend ourselves for the good of our city without panic or compromise. Presence becomes our strategy; faithfulness becomes our protest.
• 4. Grace precedes peace that endures Real peace is downstream of grace. Techniques can calm nerves for a moment, but only reconciliation with God can steady a soul in deep waters. Receive what Christ has purchased, and you’ll find a peace that guards you when circumstances don’t.

1. In verse 1, what three facts does Paul give about himself and his authority to write this letter?
2. Who is Paul addressing in verse 1, and what everyday word does he use for them?
3. What two gifts does Paul wish for his readers in verse 2, and from whom do those gifts come?
4. What does Paul not ask for in John 17 (as quoted in the sermon): removal from the world, or protection while sent into the world?

1. What does it mean that Paul is “an apostle… by the will of God”? How would that shape a believer’s confidence in identity apart from performance?
2. How does understanding “saints” as simply “those set apart” (not a spiritual elite) change what it looks like to live holy in ordinary places?
3. Why might Paul put “grace” before “peace”? In what way is peace dependent on receiving grace?
4. Given the claim that Christians are citizens of heaven yet sent into the world, what tensions should a believer expect, and how should those tensions shape daily decisions (work, family, neighborliness)?

1. Name one idol in your city or personal life (examples: sex, money, status, comfort, approval). What is one concrete step you will take this week to refuse that idol? (e.g., set a spending limit, limit an app, fast, tell an accountability partner.)
2. Pick one ordinary place you spend time (home, workplace, school, neighborhood, sports field). This week, how will you intentionally “be present” there as a saint? Give a specific action (keep a promise, invite someone for coffee, serve without agenda, listen for a need).
3. When anxiety or fear comes, what short gospel truth or verse will you rehearse to receive grace and find peace? What practical habit will you use to remember it (phone lock-screen, prayer card, a quick prayer before work)?
4. Is there a way you’ve been tempted toward escapist faith (waiting for “later” instead of serving now)? Name one change you will make this month to re-engage: a ministry to join, a neighbor to visit, or a family rhythm to restore.
5. Before the next Communion (or next Sunday), what specific area will you examine and, if needed, confess so that you can rest in God’s grace and peace? Who will you ask to pray with you about it?
6. Identify one person in your life who is not a believer or who is spiritually weak. What concrete gospel-shaped step will you take in the next two weeks to love them (invite to lunch, ask to pray for them, offer practical help, start a spiritual conversation)?