Life-Giving Grace Series

Read the text and pray. When I read this passage, my mind jumps to the fictional movie, Sixth Sense. You may recall that it’s about a young boy who is very troubled, which has his single mom very concerned about him. He begins seeing a therapist and, after a while, he finally confides in the therapist, “I see dead people.” Now, that seems rather odd and the movie takes quite the plot twist at the end when it’s revealed that the therapist is one of the dead people he sees.

If you think about it, though, we all see dead people, most likely every day. Now hold up, outside of being a funeral home director, how is this even possible? Let’s take another look at Ephesians 2:1-3. (read)

You were dead. Notice that’s in the past tense because Paul is addressing Christians here. This means that for those who haven’t found Christ, this is their current state, which is why he concludes verse 3 by stating “like the rest of mankind.”

Paul, in a manner of speaking, provides an autopsy revealing the cause of death. First, he points out that they were walking in their trespasses and sin. We know this applies to everyone outside of Christ because Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and Romans 6:23 starts out with “the wages of sin is death.”

Paul continues his diagnosis by stating they were unrighteous. He knows this because they were following the course of this world. There are so many unbelievers out there who would rather drag people down to their level than be renewed by faith in Christ. Paul speaks of the prince of the power of the air, describing him as the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. The devil is real and from the beginning of time with Eve has influenced people to disobey God.

I work with a lot of young people who struggle with who they are and where they fit in. Sometimes, they will compromise their beliefs for the sake of belonging. Even as adults, we face these same types of temptations, don’t we? (Read Proverbs 4:14-15 and Matthew 7:13-14) Both of these passages indicate that to be alive means we make the tough choices to stay on the narrow path that leads to God.

Unrighteousness is also lived out by living in the passions of the flesh. We live in a whatever feels good at the moment is what you should do. People lack self-control. I’ve got to admit, I’ve seen this in our puppy Lily lately and it has me rather frustrated. As we have folded clean clothes and gone to put them away, we’ve found too many articles of clothing with holes. In fact, the other day, I didn’t realize she had chewed a hole in my pants until I stepped outside and a cold wind blew. That pales in comparison to the disappointment that God must feel when He watches His creation go astray.

Paul’s autopsy concludes that because people have been unrighteous and walked in their sins, they have become children of wrath. This means they are the target of God’s judgment. (read Colossians 3:5-6) People who are caught up in these sins are caught up in idolatry. Their desire has moved away from God and God has rightly passed a guilty verdict with a penalty of death.

But God provides life-giving grace (read Ephesians 2:4-7). Mercy and grace are two sides of the same coin. Mercy is when God spares you what you do deserve. Grace is when God gives you what you don’t deserve. Whether mercy or grace, God is acting to benefit us, the recipients of His love.

So you see, God, being rich in mercy and motivated by love, transforms us from our status of being dead in our trespasses to being alive with Christ. How does He do all this?

Physically, we’re still here in this natural world. Spiritually, we have joined with Christ. BY GRACE, you have been saved. BY GRACE, we have been raised up with Christ. BY GRACE, we have been seated in the heavenly places with Christ. In other words, our eternity is secured. We may still be going through life here on earth, but we can do so with confidence of our final destination.

What is the result of God’s gift of grace? He has provided a testimony that would last for all the ages. We have that testimony recorded in scripture as we read all the stories of people who, like Paul, came to follow Christ. We have that testimony repeated throughout church history as people have recorded many trials and triumphs in the lives of believers. We have that testimony available still today. That’s right- you can share what God has done in your life.