Grace; Peace; Glory
A Sermon on Grace, Peace, and Glory from Ephesians 1:2
Originally preached Oct. 17, 1954
Scripture
2Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Sermon Description
Why is every word of Scripture vital? In this sermon on grace, peace and glory from Ephesians 1:2, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expounds the significance of two words: grace and peace. Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that these two words contain the most profound truths of the Christian faith. Christian lives begin with God’s condescended love, His beneficent kindness, and His unmerited favor. In other words, it begins with grace. This unmerited favor begins with the faith of the Christian, whereas peace is the result of their faith. Fallen humanity has a minimal and warped sense of peace. Dr. Lloyd-Jones says “reconciliation” captures the biblical picture of what God promises in peace. The peace that God gives includes peace with God, peace with self, and peace with others. Since God gives what is not deserved, one can give that same grace to others. His peace makes His people peacemakers, even with their enemies, because they sympathize and understand that humanity’s core problem is sin. Grace and peace only come through the Lord Jesus Christ. To deny the exclusivity of Christ is a denial of Christianity and the only place where grace, peace, and glory can be found.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul's greeting in Ephesians 1:2 contains profound truths and introduces major themes of the epistle.
- Grace and peace are the most important words in the Christian faith. Grace is the beginning and peace is the end. Grace is the source and peace is the purpose.
- Grace means unmerited favor, condescending love, and beneficent kindness. It is favor that we do not deserve.
- Peace does not just mean the absence of war or rest and quiet. It means union and reconciliation after separation. The root meaning of peace is union.
- The apostle wishes grace and peace for the Ephesians because of the truth about humanity - we need grace and peace.
- Humanity is in a state of enmity against God, internal conflict within themselves, and warfare with others due to sin. We deserve punishment and damnation.
- Despite this, God looks upon humanity with grace - unmerited favor. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. While we were enemies, we were reconciled to God.
- Grace leads to peace. It brings peace with God by reconciling us to Him. It brings internal peace and peace with others by changing our view of others. It brings the peace of God which guards our hearts and minds.
- Grace and peace come from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Our relationship with God has changed to that of Father and child.
- The Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. He is Jehovah God but also Jesus the man. He is the eternal Son of God who became the Son of Man so that the sons of men could become the sons of God.
- Grace is the condescending love of the Son of God coming down to reconcile us to God. He took on our nature, sins, and punishment to make peace. He then gives us new birth and makes us children of God.
- We can call God our Father because of what Christ has done. We have been given the highest honor of becoming children of God.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Grace and Peace: Analyzing Ephesians 1:2
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say is the significance of the apostle Paul's salutation in Ephesians 1:2?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Paul's salutation "Grace be to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ" is far from merely formal. He emphasizes that "the words he uses are charged with profound meaning," containing "some of the profoundest truths of our faith." Lloyd-Jones describes this verse as "a kind of overture to the whole epistle" where the major themes are hinted at before being fully developed later in the letter.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones define grace according to the sermon?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones defines grace as "unmerited favor" - favor that you don't deserve and are entirely unworthy of receiving. He offers several additional descriptions: "condescending love coming down," and "beneficent kindness." He emphasizes that grace is "the ultimate origin and source and fount of everything in the christian life." Lloyd-Jones also describes grace as "the second person in the blessed holy Trinity coming down in condescending love to reconcile us to God."
What is the true meaning of peace according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that peace is not merely the absence of war or conflict. He states that "the actual root meaning of the word that is translated peace is union. Union after separation." Peace means reconciliation after a contest or quarrel. It involves bringing together those who were separated, removing the wall of partition between them. He notes that true peace includes peace with God, peace within oneself, peace with others, and the "peace of God which passeth all understanding."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe man's condition that necessitates grace and peace?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones describes man's natural condition as one of enmity with God - "a hater of God," "an enemy and an alien in his mind from God." He explains that man is also in conflict within himself, experiencing internal warfare and tension. Additionally, man is in conflict with others as everyone wants to be their own god. Dr. Lloyd-Jones states that man deserves punishment and damnation for deliberately sinning, rejecting God's guidance, and mocking His law.
What is the relationship between grace and peace according to the sermon?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that "Grace is the beginning of our faith. Peace is the end of our faith." He describes grace as "the fountain, the spring, the source" while peace is the purpose and goal. Grace leads to peace - God's unmerited favor toward sinful man produces reconciliation (peace) with God, peace within oneself, and peace with others. He states, "You can put the whole of your christian faith, all you believe in detail and all you've ever experienced as the result of it - it all comes within these two bounds of grace and peace."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain the significance of "from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ"?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that this phrase shows how grace changes our relationship with God - He becomes our Father. He clarifies this isn't the universal fatherhood of God in creation, but a special relationship through Christ. The phrase also establishes Christ's deity and humanity - "Lord" indicates His divinity (Jehovah), "Jesus" His humanity, and "Christ" His role as Messiah. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that "there is no Christianity apart from the Lord Jesus Christ" and that grace and peace come equally from Christ as from the Father.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say happens to our relationship with others when we receive God's grace and peace?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, when someone becomes a Christian, "nothing remains the same and nobody else remains the same." The person we formerly hated, we now see as "just a victim of sin and of Satan," just as we ourselves were. We begin to feel compassion rather than enmity, seeing them as someone who needs God's grace. Our enemies become people for whom we pray, as Christ instructed. Lloyd-Jones says, "the enmity is taken out by the new view. And you want to be reconciled."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones summarize the ultimate benefit of God's grace to believers?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones states that the ultimate benefit is that "we become the children of God" through Christ. He explains, "The son of God became the son of man, that the sons of men might be made the sons of God." We not only receive forgiveness but are given new birth and a new nature. As a result, we enjoy the favor of God as His children, and will "spend our eternity in the presence of our father." Lloyd-Jones calls this "the highest honor of all" and "the greatest thing of all."
The Book of Ephesians
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.