September 11, 2017

We Were Made Alive

“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” Eph. 2:1-3

Humbling, isn’t it?  Paul is telling the people of Ephesus, whom he dearly loves, that we all share the same past – a life of sin and disobedience.  Note the references to the lusts of the flesh in verse 2.  This brings us to the spirit, soul, and body language found in 1 Thess. 5:23.  Our flesh was wanton and needed to die.  It was only when we accepted Jesus that we died with Him.  The death of Christ needs to be continually applied to our flesh, in order to subdue it.  

Consider 1 Peter 4:1-3:  “Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.  For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles – when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.” 

As we apply the death of Christ to our flesh, we also pray for our spirits to increase, to rise up, and to receive the will of God. 

These verses are then followed by two powerful words:  BUT GOD.  Let’s look at Eph. 2:4-7:  “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

Beloved, let this truth sink in – while we were dead in our sin, God loved us.  While we were satisfying the desires of our flesh, our heavenly Father loved us.  While we were disregarding and disrespecting God, our Creator – the One who fearfully and wonderfully made us – He loved us.  He loved us to repentance.  Consider Romans 5:6-9:  “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.  BUT GOD demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.”