A few years back a friend of mine in Washington State had a near death experience. In God’s mercy, he survived. And I asked him how it had changed his perspective, and this is what he told me: “When you’re a dead man, and God gives you your life back, it means He’s got a purpose for you.”
And that’s what Ephesians 2:1-10 is all about: we were dead, but God made us alive, which gives our lives new purpose.
1) Dead
The Bible offers a robust understanding for the origin of sin and evil. It arises from three things: human choices, cultural influences, and supernatural oppression. All three are simultaneously at work in a way that doesn’t negate the others.
Spiritual death is ravaging our lives, our families, our neighborhoods, our cities, our nation, and out world. And all that brokenness arises from human choice, cultural influences, and supernatural oppression.
We need a solution that addresses all three sources of evil at once. But we can’t do it on our own.
Apart from grace, we are hopelessly dead.
2) Alive
Only God can provide the solution we need: when we were hopelessly dead, God made us alive together with Christ.
In God’s mercy, love, and grace, He made us alive together—Jews and Gentiles—with Christ, one new man in Him. And not only that, He raised us to newness of life and seated us in the Heavenly places.
Because of grace, we are gloriously alive.
3) Purpose
For what purpose has God shown us his mercy, love, and grace in making us alive together with Christ?
God made us alive by grace, in order that he might show us more grace! We’re saved by grace and for grace. Grace is the means of our salvation; and grace is the end of our salvation.
God’s purpose all along was to make you a new creation in Christ Jesus. And as a new creation we are to walk in newness of life in the good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Through grace, we have transforming purpose.
Takeaway: Grace grows godliness.
Friends, God has purposed that you will one day stand before Him holy, blameless, and glorious. You will one day see Jesus face-to-face and be transformed into His glorious likeness.
Even now, your Father has prepared good works that you might walk in them. And every step of the way is by grace.
Ephesians 2:1-10
