THE HEART OF THE STORY
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Opening Prayer
Father, you have taken me from a pit to your throne and from death to life in Christ. This is your gift to me, and I give you my adoration.
Read EPHESIANS 2:1–10
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Made Alive in Christ
2 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 flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 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. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Footnotes
- Ephesians 2:3 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What is your favorite story? What makes it special for you?
Have you ever tried to sum up the story of Scripture in 60 seconds? If Paul had to, I wonder if these ten verses would be what he would say. At the heart of the story is the great love and rich mercy of God. A love and mercy that transform death into life and disobedient wanderings into being seated on the very throne of God with Christ. These verses take us to the heart of both God’s character and his action.
There are times in life when we need gentle guidance to head in the right direction. Maybe it is a parent holding onto our saddle as we learn to ride a bike or a grandmother guiding our hand as we add ingredients to a dinner. We learn from practice and gradually improve and become independent. The story of Scripture is not that kind of story. It is a story of God’s powerful resurrection that creates life out of death. A story of God’s merciful honoring of those who dismissed the King, treating them with such kindness they end up seated on his throne. It is a story of grace, the unmerited gift of God that both humbles and exalts us.
Tim Keller wrote of the gospel: ‘We are so evil and sinful and flawed that Jesus had to die for us … but we are so loved and valued that he was willing to die for us’.1 These verses reveal our plight, and it is bleak. Yet even as the darkness draws around us, the light of the love and mercy of God breaks through and banishes even the faintest glimpse of a shadow. That is a story that has the power to change the whole of creation.
Apply
Write out your testimony of coming to faith in God and use it to worship God as you see your place in his amazing story.
Closing prayer
O God, Loving Author, thank you for the part you have given me in your big story. Thank you for my redemption, my salvation, and for the place reserved for me in heaven.
1 Tim Keller, The Meaning of Marriage (Hodder & Stoughton, 2011) 166.
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