Ephesians 3:1-21

In chapter 3 and verse 7 Paul says that the grace of God was given to him as a free gift according to the effectual working of God's power. In verse 8 Paul sees himself as the least of all saints, and he mentions again God's free gift of grace. Paul never boasted about how God's grace had been given to him because he believed, did good works, and kept to the rules and regulations of the law of Moses. The opposite is true today. We have men behind the pulpit with bragging rights. They boast about how God saved them by grace and how they keep working hard at maintaining God's grace.

Their grace message is one of: "Yes, you are saved by grace, and God has given it to us as a free gift, but we cannot afford to be careless with the gift of grace that God has given us." "God's gift of grace is like a costly diamond." "It is expensive and it must be handled with care." "We need to keep it clean, shiny and free of scratches." "When someone hands you a valuable gift, like a diamond, you just don't throw it in a drawer and let it collect dust." "God's gift of grace is precious, and we must make sure that the diamond is free of scratches, dust and cracks." "The same can be said of salvation." "God did not save you by grace so that you can go out and sin like the devil."

Friends, there was a time that I preached the above junk. When a pulpit describes grace in the manner in which I just did in the above paragraph, it is no longer grace but works. The Evangelical Church is a suave and smooth operator. They teach on grace, talk about grace, and even at times say that it cannot be earned, but in their sneaky ways they always manage to deceive by putting a "BUT" to grace. The fact is that there isn't one Evangelical Christian that hasn't abused, and made a mess out of the Gospel of the Grace of God. The fact is that they are still doing it by attaching to it some off the wall religious conditions of self-righteous works.

Friends, God's grace was imputed. It is not something that you are required by some sort of performance on your part to work hard at it in order to prove that you are saved by grace. We make grace of no effect the moment we begin to justify ourselves before God through our works. I have said it hundreds of times before, and I'll say it again: "I believe in doing what is right, what is good, living a moral life and obeying the laws of the land." "However, these and more like these are not the things that prove that I am saved by grace." "I am saved by grace because of what Jesus has done for me."

"To believe and say that I am saved by grace because of my works is to deny and insult the finish work of the cross." There have been times when old time religious friends, and family members always manage to throw in a hint of grace during our conversation over lunch, on the phone or just when we run into each other. I had lunch not too long ago with a dear friend, and since he is very much aware where I stand on grace, he tries to pull my strings by saying things like: "Man, it is a good thing that God saved us believers by His grace." I looked at him right in the eyes and said: "It is also a good thing that with the same grace He saved believers, He also saved the unbeliever."

Then silence sets in and the conversation shifts to yet another legalistic topic. Friends, where in any of Paul's letters does he ever say that grace is a free gift that is earned by our works? Notice that in verse 9 Paul says: "And to make ALL men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created ALL things by Christ Jesus." Now, to how many did God wanted this mystery to be made known? What was the mystery that had been hid from the very beginning of the world? Was it only revealed to them that believed? Did it not say to "ALL MEN"?

The answers to these questions are found in chapter two and also in chapter one. One can even go to 2 Corinthians 5:19. That God was in Christ reconciling the whole world unto Himself, not holding their sins against them. That "Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the LAW of commandments contained in ordinances; for to MAKE in Himself of TWO One new man." Friends, God did it all through Jesus and He had this mystery which is now clearly revealed way before the foundation of the world, that He would bring both the Jews and Gentiles into One family in Christ.

The moment Jesus crucified the law to His body, at that very moment ALL men entered into fellowship with God. This is not what you will hear from the pulpit. All we get from the pulpit is the gospel of the "3 Amigos" A perverted gospel of performance. A lying gospel of "God for the goody, goody" and "Lou-suffer" (lucifer) for the not so fruity, goody." Evangelical Christianity operates on a religious system of TWO families. The family of the devil and the family of The Lord. Yet we see the very opposite being taught in the bible. The reason why the Evangelical Christian Church doctrine continues to see it as TWO and not ONE in Christ, it is simply because they do not understand grace versus law.

They don't understand the meaning of the "middle partition" being done away with. They do not understand the finished work of the cross. They do not understand "GRACE." "God's Riches At Christ's Expense." They only understand "control," "money," and "works." They pull the entire letter of Paul out of context and break it down into different topics not understanding that the entire chapter is dealing with one subject and one subject only. "In whom ALL the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord." Its no wonder Paul said in the 4th chapter: "One body, One Spirit, One hope, One Lord, One faith, One baptism, One God and Father of ALL, who is above ALL and in you ALL."

HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!!!

More good news in part 14!

Grace N Peace

Eddie Narvaez