ETS ACADEMY · LESSON 3

Week 3: Receive grace and practice good works

Teaching points

Follow the whole movement: Read Ephesians 2:1–10 from beginning to end. The movement is from human need to God’s merciful action and then to a life of good works. Stopping at the discussion of salvation can hide the purpose expressed in verse 10; starting with good works can hide the gift that comes before them. Keep the sequence together. The learner receives grace and responds with a changed way of life.
Distinguish receiving from earning: A gift cannot simultaneously be the wage that settles a debt owed to the recipient. In the course’s reading of Ephesians 2, boasting is excluded because salvation is God’s gift rather than an achievement. Faith is trust, not a spiritual performance used to impress God. This does not turn Christian living into passivity. A person can depend on grace while practicing habits, accepting correction, and working hard to serve a neighbor.
Read Adam and Christ with care: Romans 5:12–21 contrasts the consequences associated with Adam and the grace associated with Christ. Observe the repeated contrasts rather than attempting to solve every theological debate in one session. The passage emphasizes the reach and abundance of grace. That emphasis does not authorize the conclusion that wrongdoing is harmless. The next section, Romans 6:1–4, directly rejects continuing in sin as a response to grace. Read it as an optional extension when the question arises.
Practice lab: Compare two statements: “If I serve enough, God will have to accept me” and “Because grace is free, my choices do not matter.” Use the order of Ephesians 2:8–10 to explain what each statement misses. Then write a third statement that connects gift and response.
Worked example: A balanced statement: “I do not serve to purchase God’s acceptance. Because of the grace I receive in Christ, I can learn to serve freely and take responsibility for my choices.”

Read in Scripture

Ephesians 2:1–10 and Romans 5:12–21

Reflect

Identify what God does and what the renewed person is called to do.
Describe a good activity you sometimes use to prove your worth. How would gratitude change it?
Choose one good work that serves a real need rather than displaying your importance.
How can we encourage effort without implying that people earn God’s love?
What is the difference between relief from condemnation and avoiding accountability?
In Ephesians 2, do good works purchase salvation or follow God’s saving action?
Does grace mean practice and discipline have no place?
Why consult Romans 6:1–4 when someone uses Romans 5 to excuse sin?

Put it into practice

Perform one useful act of service without seeking public recognition. Record the need, the action, and what you noticed about your motivation. If an apology or restitution is owed, do not substitute volunteering for that responsibility.
Choose an action, deadline, and accountability partner. Save your responses in your journal.

Framework supplied by Mareneo “Reno” Flournoy. Expanded teaching and exercises prepared with AI assistance for Jesus Generation Movement. Sources and credits →