弗二4~5　　然而神富于怜悯，……叫我们一同与基督活过来（你们得救是靠着恩典）。

　　8　　你们得救是靠着恩典，借着信；这并不是出于你们，乃是神的恩赐。

　　约一17　　因为律法是借着摩西赐的，恩典和实际都是借着耶稣基督来的。

　　以弗所二章八节……说出神显示祂恩典（7）的理由。因为我们已经靠着祂的恩典得救，所以神可以显示这恩典。……在以弗所书，恩典指分赐到我们里面的神。所以，靠着恩典得救，意即得着经过过程的三一神分赐到我们里面而得救。多数基督徒都把恩典当作一样东西，而不是一个人位。对他们来说，恩典只是白白赐给他们的礼物。根据这个恩典的观念，我们是不配得神救恩的罪人，但是神却借着将祂逾格的恩典赐给我们，白白地救了我们。然而，这是对靠着恩典得救很肤浅的领会。

　　约翰一章十七节说，恩典是借着耶稣基督来的。这指明恩典有点像一个人。以弗所书启示，拯救的恩典乃是神自己在基督里作到我们这人里面。……靠着恩典得救，实际的意思就是靠着三一神分赐到我们里面而得救（以弗所书生命读经，二二二至二二三页）。

　　Eph. 2:4-5 But God, being rich in mercy,…made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).

　　8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.

　　John 1:17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and reality came through Jesus Christ.

　　The word for at the beginning of Ephesians 2:8 gives the occasion for God to display His grace (v. 7). Because we have been saved by His grace, God may display it. In Ephesians grace denotes God dispensed into us. Therefore, to be saved by grace means to be saved by having God dispensed into us. Most Christians regard grace as a thing, not as a person. To them, grace is merely a gift freely given to them. According to this concept of grace, we were sinners who did not deserve God’s salvation, but God saved us freely by giving us His unmerited favor. This, however, is a superficial understanding of what it means to be saved by grace.

　　John 1:17 says that grace came through Jesus Christ. This indicates that grace is somewhat like a person. Ephesians reveals that the saving grace is God Himself in Christ wrought into our being…To be saved by grace means to be saved by the dispensing of the Triune God into us. (Life-study of Ephesians, p. 183)

　　许多基督徒认为，救恩仅仅是从可怜的光景中被救出来。根据这个领会，靠着恩典得救就是有一位富于怜悯的救主，降临到我们低下的光景中搭救我们。……〔然而〕根据以弗所书，救恩乃是成为肉体、钉十字架、复活、升天的基督传输到我们里面。当这个人位进到我们里面作恩典时，我们就得救了。我们一旦接受这神圣的传输，就活过来，复活了，并且一同与基督坐在诸天界里。因此，在以弗所书，恩典乃是基督自己这拯救的人位。……这是对靠着恩典得救更深的领会。

　　神要传输到我们里面作恩典，不是简单的事。祂必须经过成为肉体、钉十字架、复活和升天的过程。借着经过了这样的过程，现今祂能把祂自己传输到我们里面。当这位经过过程的神传输到我们里面时，祂就成了拯救的恩典。这恩典不仅是惊人的恩典，也是洋溢的恩典。恩典乃是传输到我们里面那经过过程的神。……经过过程并传输到我们里面的神，乃是拯救的恩典和洋溢的恩典。我们乃是靠着这位经过过程之神的传输而得救的。

　　这恩典有超越的丰富〔二7〕。这恩典有许多方面，许多美德和属性，就如生命、光和能力。若没有生命、光和能力，神就无法拯救我们。譬如，你若没有力量把一个掉在坑里的人拉上来，你怎能救他？不仅如此，你对他若没有爱，就不会费心去救他。为了要救我们，神需要爱和智慧；这些都是神拯救的恩典里超越的丰富。因着神在基督耶稣里向我们所施的恩慈，神就借着祂的恩典救了我们。在要来的诸世代中—在千年国和将来的永远里—神要公开地把这恩典显示给全宇宙看。

　　保罗在二章八节说，我们得救是靠着恩典，借着信。信是未见之事的质实（来十一1）。我们是借着信，将基督为我们所成就的一切质实出来。因这质实的能力，我们靠着恩典得救了。神恩典的白白作为，借着我们质实的信，救了我们。……在我们得救那天，信就分赐给我们，我们就相信了。别人也许问说，我们从来没有见过耶稣基督，怎能信祂。我们虽然没有见过祂，却不能不信祂。这信不是出于我们自己，乃是传输到我们里面之恩典的一部分（以弗所书生命读经，二二三至二二五页）。

　　参读：以弗所书生命读经，第五、二十一篇。

　　Many Christians consider salvation as merely being rescued from a pitiful situation. According to this understanding, to be saved by grace is to have the Savior, who is rich in mercy, reach down to us in our low estate and rescue us… [However], according to Ephesians, salvation is the transmission of the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, and ascended Christ into us. When this person comes into us as grace, we are saved. Once we receive such a divine transmission, we are made alive, raised up, and seated with Christ in the heavenlies. Therefore, in Ephesians grace is the saving person of Christ Himself…This is a deeper understanding of salvation by grace.

　　It was not a simple matter for God to be transmitted into us as grace. He had to be processed through incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. By being processed in this way, He is now able to transmit Himself into us. When the processed God is transmitted into us, He becomes the saving grace. This grace is not only the amazing grace; it is the abounding grace. Grace is the processed God transmitted into our being. God processed and transmitted into our being is the saving grace and the abounding grace. We have been saved by the transmission of this processed God.

　　This grace has surpassing riches [Eph. 2:7]. It has many aspects, virtues, and attributes, such as life, light, and power. Apart from life, light, and power, God cannot save us. For example, how can you rescue a person who has fallen into a pit if you do not have the strength to lift him out? Furthermore, if you do not have love for him, you will not bother to save him. In order to save us, God needed love and wisdom. These are some of the surpassing riches of God’s saving grace. In His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus, God has saved us by His grace. In the ages to come—in the millennium and eternity future—God will display this grace publicly to the whole universe.

　　In verse 8 Paul says that by grace we have been saved through faith. Faith is the substantiating of invisible things. It is by faith that we substantiate all the things Christ has accomplished for us. Through such substantiating ability, we have been saved by grace. The free action of God’s grace saved us through our substantiating faith. On the day we were saved, faith was imparted to us, and we believed. Others may ask how we can believe in Jesus Christ when we have never seen Him. Although we have not seen Him, we cannot help believing in Him. This faith is not of ourselves; it is part of the grace transmitted into us. (Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 183-185)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Ephesians, msgs. 5, 21