Ephesians 2: 1 – 10
Whether I knew it or not, at one time in my life I followed the leadership of Satan. This was not a conscious choice on my part. It’s not like I woke up one morning and said; “This God thing just isn’t working”, “I think I’ll try the other side”.
1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
Like Paul said, I was living among them satisfying the wants of my flesh, my sinful nature. To borrow a phrase from W.C. Fields; “Everything I like (or want to do) is either illegal, immoral, or fattening”. I had no clue.
Then I came to believe in the saving power of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
That was it, free gift, I was washed clean; neither God nor man had nothin’ on me. But as it turns out, even though the gift is free, the ride isn’t.
I know that this sounds like a contradiction but it isn’t really, we are called to show Christ to others by the changes in our lives. We are shown the work that God had chosen for us from the beginning.
10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
God has tasks planned for us to do while we are on this earth, not to pay our debt but to honor our Savior. Life from here to heaven is not a vacation cruise; it’s a wonderful privilege and calling to serve God.
We are not saved by good works but for good works.
Whether I knew it or not, at one time in my life I followed the leadership of Satan. This was not a conscious choice on my part. It’s not like I woke up one morning and said; “This God thing just isn’t working”, “I think I’ll try the other side”.
1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
Like Paul said, I was living among them satisfying the wants of my flesh, my sinful nature. To borrow a phrase from W.C. Fields; “Everything I like (or want to do) is either illegal, immoral, or fattening”. I had no clue.
Then I came to believe in the saving power of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
That was it, free gift, I was washed clean; neither God nor man had nothin’ on me. But as it turns out, even though the gift is free, the ride isn’t.
I know that this sounds like a contradiction but it isn’t really, we are called to show Christ to others by the changes in our lives. We are shown the work that God had chosen for us from the beginning.
10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
God has tasks planned for us to do while we are on this earth, not to pay our debt but to honor our Savior. Life from here to heaven is not a vacation cruise; it’s a wonderful privilege and calling to serve God.
We are not saved by good works but for good works.
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