Ephes. 2:1-10 (ESV)
And 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.
Thoughts
In these words, Paul is proclaiming the core of the Christian faith: Grace from God! Ours is not a religion in which we expend our own efforts to impress God and achieve salvation. This is religion that is built on the generosity of the heart of God as he looks at sinners and exclaims, "I know you don't deserve it, but I'll love you anyway!"
Grace is, by its very nature, surprising and without reason! And it is very expensive! Grace is expensive to God because it cost him his only begotten Son, and it's expensive to Christ because he gave his life for us. But we must not overlook the fact that it also has a cost for us. We must relinquish control of our life and give it over to our Sovereign Master.
Questions
1. When have you shown mercy to a person who deserved to be punished?
2. What three characteristics mark the condition of a person without Christ?
3. Why did God make those who were dead alive with Christ?
4. Why can no one boast in his own salvation?
5. How do you see God’s creative workmanship operating in your life?
Don’t forget the church breakfast (pancakes and bacon) Saturday morning at 8:00am and then we will do some clean up around the church. The more hands the lighter the work!
