The Wonder of Grace: Ephesians 2:1-8

**********************Update**********************

Since we had to cancel last week, we'll just push back the schedule one week and cover the below material this Thursday. On the bright side, you've had plenty of time to read the passage and think about the notes on here so I look forward to lots of discussion.

In the first 3 verses of Ephesians 2, Paul makes no attempt to soften his words. He writes in the strongest terms about the condition of the members of the church in Ephesus before they became believers. With phrases such as "you were dead in your trespasses and sins," [you were ]"following the prince of the power of the air," and [we]"were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind," Paul does not paint a picture of people in need of therapy. He is not talking about people that need improvement, minor or major, in their personal lives or "spiritual walks." Paul is describing people--all of mankind, in fact--who have completely rebelled against God and have in no way made themselves appealing to Him.

He follows this by an equally enthusiastic explanation of God's gift of gracious redemption. God redeemed us--that is, He bought us back--"even when we were dead" in our sins. Even though we had nothing to offer and had given Him no reason to forgive us, he "raised us up with Him." Isn't that amazing? We sinners who proudly served ourselves rather than God have been seated "in the heavenly places with Christ Jesus."

It seems to me that to understand the wonder of the grace God has given us, we must also understand our hopeless condition before the He made us one with Himself. I don't like looking at my own faults, and I hate looking my life before I knew Jesus Christ, but to even begin to appreciate what has been done for (and to) us, we have to see the dramatic contrast between our lives before Christ and the new lives that have been given to us. The hard news of our former condition makes the news of the Gospel so much sweeter.