Connect Mark 10:26 with Ephesians 2:8-9 on grace and faith. Scene in Mark 10: A Question of Salvation “They were even more astonished, and said to one another, ‘Who then can be saved?’” ( Mark 10:26) • The disciples have just watched the rich young ruler walk away sorrowful because he would not part with his wealth to follow Jesus (Mark 10:17-25). • Jesus declares how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom, triggering the disciples’ alarm. • Their stunned cry, “Who then can be saved?” exposes a universal concern: if the most outwardly blessed and religious can’t make it, what hope is left? The Human Dilemma: Impossible by Our Effort “Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.’” (Mark 10:27) • Salvation is beyond human capability—wealth, morality, heritage, or effort cannot bridge the gap (Romans 3:20). • The disciples’ despair is healthy: it strips away confidence in flesh and prepares the heart to receive grace. God’s Answer: Grace Alone “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) • Grace = God’s unearned favor, accomplished through Christ’s atoning death and resurrection (Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21). • The verb “have been saved” is perfect tense—an accomplished act with ongoing results. • “Not from yourselves” echoes Jesus’ “with man it is impossible,” underscoring that salvation originates entirely with God. • “Gift” highlights its costlessness to the recipient and costliness to the Giver (1 Peter 1:18-19). Faith: The Open Hand That Receives Faith is not a meritorious work; it is the empty hand that accepts the gift. Key features of saving faith: • Personal: trusting Jesus Himself (John 1:12). • Repentant: turning from self-reliance to Christ-reliance (Acts 20:21). • Persistent: continuing confidence that Christ alone saves (Hebrews 10:39). Connecting the Dots: From Despair to Hope Mark 10:26 shows the disciples’ helplessness; Ephesians 2:8-9 reveals God’s provision. Together they teach: 1. Awareness of impossibility (Mark 10:26) drives us to grace (Ephesians 2:8). 2. Salvation’s source (grace) and means (faith) exclude human boasting (Ephesians 2:9; 1 Corinthians 1:29-31). 3. What is impossible for humans is accomplished by God in Christ (Mark 10:27; Titus 3:5). Living in the Gift Practical outworkings of grace-through-faith salvation: • Humility: no room for pride or comparison (James 4:6). • Gratitude: daily thanksgiving for a salvation we could never earn (Colossians 2:6-7). • Freedom: serving God not to earn favor, but because favor has been freely given (Galatians 5:13). The disciples’ anxious question meets its answer at the cross: salvation rests on God’s grace, received through faith, leaving hearts astonished not by impossibility but by God’s glorious possibility. |
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