How does Romans 4:4 connect with Ephesians 2:8-9 on grace and works? Setting the Stage: Two Key Passages • Romans 4:4 – “Now to the one who works, his wages are not credited as a gift, but as an obligation.” • Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.” Romans 4:4—The Wage vs. The Gift • Paul uses the language of employment. • If salvation could be earned, God would owe us payment; it would be “obligation,” not generosity. • The verse exposes the impossibility of earning righteousness: our “wages” for sin are death (Romans 6:23), not life. Ephesians 2:8-9—Grace Front and Center • Salvation described as “gift,” highlighting God’s initiative. • Faith is the hand that receives, never the work that earns. • “Not by works” eliminates room for boasting, echoing Romans 3:27. Seeing the Seamless Connection • Romans 4:4 explains why Ephesians 2:8-9 must be true: if grace were mixed with works, it would cease to be grace (Romans 11:6). • Both passages establish a contrast: – Work → Wage → Obligation – Grace → Gift → Gratitude • Abraham’s justification “apart from works” (Romans 4:2-3) serves as the practical proof of the doctrinal statement in Ephesians. Why This Matters for Daily Living • Rest from performance-based religion; Christ has performed perfectly (2 Corinthians 5:21). • Motivation shifts from earning favor to loving obedience (John 14:15). • Assurance grows: what God freely grants, He securely keeps (John 10:28-29). Supporting Scriptures • Titus 3:5 – “He saved us, not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy…” • Galatians 2:16 – “A person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ…” • Isaiah 55:1 – “Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.” Summing It Up Romans 4:4 clarifies that anything earned is a wage; Ephesians 2:8-9 assures that salvation is a gift. Together they proclaim one unbreakable truth: we are rescued solely by God’s grace, received through faith, and never secured by our works. |
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