Monday, September 10, 2018: Ephesians 2:1-10

¹And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ² in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— ³ among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. ⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Take a moment to look back at an old picture of yourself, then compare and contrast the image of yourself then with who you are now. Between the time those two pictures were taken, you’ve been shaped by an immeasurable number of experiences, truths, and relationships. As a result, you are not now who you were then.

Verses 1-3 of Ephesians 2 tell us who we were before God stepped in, and they don’t paint a very flattering image. Verses 4-6 tell us about the amazing grace and love of God, as He stepped into human history and gave us a new identity in Christ. Verse 7 begins with a transitional phrase “so that,” where Paul explains the reason behind why God saved us. When you consider the magnitude of what has been done for you in Christ, a natural question to ask is, “Why would God go through all the trouble?” We might wonder what it is about us that made God act. The truth of the matter is, as Ephesians 2:1-3 tells us, there was nothing in us that made God act.

Everything we bring to the table creates distance between God and ourselves. However, the gospel is about the God who loved us when we were unlovable. More specifically, the gospel demonstrates God’s character in a way that nothing else does. The gospel shows us the immeasurable riches of His grace and kindness. The gospel made a way for God to show us who He is. He has revealed Himself to us. Otherwise, we would not be able to know Him. The lengths that God went to in order to save us should motivate us to see that same grace come true for others.

1. According to Paul, why would God go to all the trouble of sacrificing His Son for you?
2. What do the actions God took tell you about His character?
3. As you reflect on this passage, praise God for changing you with the gospel.