Ephesians 2:1-9
1And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— 6and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
My buddy Md challenged me to find a verse or passage that truly speaks to me, one that I can hang on to even if all of the Bibles in the world were taken away. This is the passage I chose. I dare you to read this table-poundin’ passage and not shout AMEN!
This passage gives the true perspective of God, me, and salvation. It describes where I was, where I am, and where I am headed. It exalts God, and properly humbles man. It describes the components of salvation, and arranges them in the correct order.
The natural, unregenerate man is dead. He is a slave to sin (John 8:34), in bondage to the prince of this ungodly, unrighteous world system. They are of their father the devil, and carry out his wicked desires. I was once in this position. Sin reigned in my mortal body and I obeyed its lusts, using my members as instruments of unrighteousness (Rom. 6:12-13). I was hopelessly condemned, unable to save myself. I was in the same boat as the rest of mankind, deserving of only wrath.
Enter God. In spite of all of this, God loved me with a great love. So much so that He sent His son to die as an atonement for my sin. (John 3:16, 1John 4:10). I was dead, but He gave me new life. I was a slave, but He set me free. I was a worthless, sinful, reprobate, depraved sinner deserving of death and eternal punishment, but He had mercy on me. By grace I was saved. I am transformed, a new creation, raised from the dead through the glory of the Father so that I may walk in newness of life. (2Cor. 5:17, Rom. 6:4).
My response was submissive faith to God. For it is only through faith that a man may accept this free gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus (Rom. 6:23). I cannot work my way out of judgment and condemnation. I cannot earn my way into heaven. A man can only be justified by faith apart from the works of the law (Rom. 3:28). I was saved through the grace of our Lord Jesus (Acts 15:1).
Therefore, I am an heir to the immeasurable riches of God, and will one day be seated with Christ on His throne in Heaven, if I overcome (Rev. 3:21). Until that day, I shall labor in the work of the Lord, for this is the natural act of the regenerate man. For faith produces works, and faith without works is dead (James 2:17-18). In fact, I was created in Christ Jesus for the purpose of good works. He has prepared them beforehand through His eternal and comprehensive providence. It is my duty to faithfully walk in them.
In Summary:
Dead
Mercy
Grace
Faith
Life
Works
AMEN!
and AMEN!
ReplyDeleteIn His Service, Clay