Pastor's Corner
PROPOSITIONAL PREPOSITIONS
Keith E. Murray, Pastor, Blanch Baptist Church
[This article was originally published in the Caswell Messenger on July 19th, 2023.]
It's not a good idea to begin with an apology, but I'm going to anyway. I apologize ahead of time to any and all students who are reading this column; here we are with about three weeks before school starts up again, and here I am writing about grammar, of all things! So, if you are a student who wants to enjoy your last few weeks of summer vacation "freedom" before "putting your nose to the grindstone" again, I give you my permission to stop right here and quit reading the rest of this. However, if you want to consider three "propositional prepositions" which can help us keep our Christian theology "Biblically-balanced"—regardless of our denominational (or non-denominational) persuasion—read on.
One of my favorite passages in the Bible is Ephesians 2:8-10:
"For by grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk therein."
I have deliberately emphasized the three prepositions—"by", "through", and "unto"—three little words which are "propositional"—that is, they are essential towards understanding this passage, and towards having good general doctrinal understanding as well. Let's look at each:
"BY" Grace: we are, as Christians, saved from eternal punishment by the sovereign grace of our loving God, who sent our Lord Jesus Christ to die on the cross and pay our penalty for sin.
"THROUGH" Faith: we receive this wonderful gift of God's salvation by simply trusting in both the reliability of the Giver (God) and the all-sufficiency of the Gift (Christ's blood-payment).
"UNTO" Good Works: when we are "born again" and begin to gratefully live our lives in love and obedience to our Lord, we yield "fruits" of righteousness. When gardeners plant seeds in the ground and then wait for the "natural" miracle of germination and growth into plants, they know that the seeds don't sprout due to their own efforts, but by "nature's"—God's—will and power. In the same way, the supernatural miracle of new birth through Jesus yields fruit—again, by God's will and power, not our own.
I have found that the right understanding of this passage, and its "propositional prepositions" can keep me "out of the woods" and on the right path, theologically-speaking. Consider what happens if we leave any of these out:
If we leave out "by grace", the very essence of our faith is lost. One of the most notable features of Biblical Christianity—a feature which makes it unique among all the "religions" of the world—is that we cannot earn our salvation by good works, religious exercises, financial gifts, or anything else which is by our own efforts. Our salvation is entirely of God.
If we leave out "through faith", Christianity becomes universalistic—that is, it no longer involves any element of free will, but becomes a "divine mandate." God is sovereign, yes, but He sovereignly chooses for us to come to Him through loving faith—not as robots who cannot choose, but as His children who love Him and are grateful to call Him "Father". Just as no human father wants his children to love him because they must, our heavenly Father does not want us to love Him because we must, but from our hearts.
If we leave out "unto good works", we have a faith system which has no impact in our daily lives, our communities, or our world. If "good works" are not part of this beautiful equation, we may as well die and be ushered into heaven the minute we are converted/"born again"!
Just as leaving out any of these "propositional prepositions" is doctrinally-dangerous, mixing them around is deadly also:
Being saved "by faith" becomes experientialism or emotionalism (do you "have enough faith?").
Saved "by good works" is pure, rank legalism—Jesus did not need to die if my good works can bring me salvation!
I humbly submit Ephesians 2:8-10—with its three "propositional prepositions"—as a key passage in the Bible with three great benefits:
A right understanding of the passage—and taking its truths to heart—can result in eternal salvation. My most fervent hope is that someone may be saved through this column! If so, please let me know!
A right understanding helps us avoid doctrinal error and extremes, heresy and division. Thus…
A right understanding can bring us closer to Biblical unity within the body of Christ, which is our Lord's sincere desire (see John 17 verses 11 and 22).
"By grace", "through faith", "unto good works": they're simple—and profound! "Propositional Prepositions": don't leave home without them!