The Power of Prepositions

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” ~Ephesians 2:8-10

Prepositions are not something you should end a sentence with. In other words, the end of a sentence is not where prepositions belong at. If you’re like me, those last two sentences will bother you all day! Prepositions are small but powerful words that express relation to another word, usually a noun. For example: he sat on the bench; she drove through the tunnel; he is married to her.

In Scripture, prepositions make all the difference in the world, especially when it comes to the prepositions of the Gospel. Consider the passage above: Paul tells us that we have been saved by grace and through faith. These prepositions remove all room for boasting, don’t they? If our salvation is by grace, then God alone is the active agent in our salvation. The entirety of our salvation (including faith) is a gift rather than something God owes us because of our faith. As the late R.C. Sproul used to say, “As soon as it’s a requirement, it’s no longer grace.” If it is through faith (rather than by faith), this means our assurance of salvation is not found in the clarity or strength of our faith, but in the object of our faith, namely, Jesus. We look through eyes of faith to the source of our salvation. What comfort there is to be found in this truth. When my faith feels weak, I don’t look at my faith for strength; I look at Christ, in whom my life is hidden with God (Col. 3:3).

Paul goes on to say that we have been (re)created in Christ. This means that our salvation is a matter of relationship to the person of Jesus, not simply a matter of academic knowledge or theoretical understanding. It is only in Christ that we have fellowship with the Triune God of creation and salvation. Elsewhere Paul tells us that we have been buried with Christ and raised with Him through faith (Col. 2:12). We also know it is Christ’s desire that we be in Him and with Him in glory (John 17:21,24). Do you see how essential prepositions are to our understanding of the Gospel? These little words have so much meaning! They place us in Christ by grace through faith, which means we will be with Christ in glory forever.

As we approach Resurrection Sunday, let’s close with a few final prepositions that ought to fill us with wonderment and praise: Jesus was delivered up for our trespasses (Rom. 4:24). He was then hung on a cross, where He descended into hell and ultimately died for our sins. He was buried in a tomb where He remained for three days. But up from the grave He arose! And His resurrection is for our justification (Rom. 4:25). Because He lives, in Him we shall also be made alive forever. Oh, the power of prepositions!

Rev. Kyle Lockhart, Associate Pastor