All of the Bible is ‘God-breathed’ Scripture and so is profitable for God’s people. There are, however, certain passages that sum up in a few verses some of the great truths of the faith and which every Christian ought to know well. One of these passages, dealing with the very heart of salvation, is before us today. Consider Ephesians 2:1-10 From death to life.
1. Dead in sins
In v1 we are bluntly confronted with a truth about ourselves: ‘you were dead in your transgressions and sins’. That is the devastating spiritual impact of sin. Our human nature is corrupted at the root. We are born with an innate depravity (Psalm 51:5). We inherit fallen human nature from Adam and ‘in Adam all die’ (1 Corinthians 15:22). This results in the actual sins we commit. They are ‘transgressions’ – deviating from the right path of God’s law. They are ‘sins’ – falling short of the divine standard. Sin brings spiritual bondage to ‘the ruler of the kingdom of the air’ (v2). He exercises a pervasive influence and is ‘the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient’. By nature we are under Satan’s dominion – ‘Among them we too all formerly lived’ (v3 NASB). The final description is most terrible – ‘we were by nature objects children of wrath’. We stand condemned before a holy God.
2. Loved by God
That is not all that is to be said about God, however. For the Christian there is cause too for praise on account of ‘his great love with which he loved us’ (v4). This is even more overwhelming because of its objects, because we were loved ‘even when we were dead in transgressions’ (v5). God loved us when we were sinful and repulsive. His infinite love led to action, flowing from ‘mercy’ (v4) and ‘grace’ (v5). He showed mercy to the totally undeserving, who in fact deserved judgment. Salvation is founded on the love of God (John 3:16) shown to us in Christ (1 John 3:16). No deeper explanation is possible. Paul is full of wonder as he contemplates these truths: ‘rich in mercy…great love’ (v4), ‘the incomparable riches of his grace’ (v7). This is a fit subject for continual meditation that should fill us with awe and a desire to worship. Note the goal that is in view: Christians will be living testimonies to God’s love throughout eternity (v7), a glorious privilege.
3. Alive in Christ
The grace of God works a total transformation in the standing and the life of a sinner. God ‘made us alive with Christ’ (v5) – we are united spiritually with Christ in his death and resurrection – ‘God raised us up with Christ’ (v6). Our sins are forgiven, we have spiritual life in place of death, the power of Satan is broken. This is a complete reversal of our position by nature – we are ‘a new creation’ (2 Corinthians 5:17). We have an amazing statement in v6 ‘seated us with [Christ] in the heavenly realms’ – a present reality in a spiritual sense (see also Colossians 3:3). At the resurrection it will also be true physically. Our link with Christ depends on God’s grace and power – v8 (lit.) ‘you are [in a state of] having been saved’ a permanent position. It is impossible to earn salvation (v8-9) -it is by grace through faith and results in a life of ‘good works’ that testify to our salvation by grace.