Background Story: The book of Ephesians was written by the Apostle Paul as a letter to the church of Ephesus, most likely when he was in prison in Rome. Read more at https://biblehub.com/ephesians/

Read Ephesians 2:1-10

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 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.

Big Idea: We who were dead, are made alive in Christ.

When God placed the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden and gave Adam and Eve a choice, God said, “when you eat from it, you will certainly die” (Genesis 2:17). When they sinned, death came. Not just physical death, where a person dies at the end of their life. But spiritual death that immediately separated man from God.

It is vitally important that we understand this truth. A person who has not put their faith and trust in Jesus, is dead in their sin. Because of this truth, we read in this passage, they follow the instincts of the enemy and the cravings of their sinful nature. And they have no ability to do otherwise. They can try hard to do better, but they can never live a life that pleases God (Romans 8:7-8). They have no ability to do so, because they are still dead in their sin.

When Jesus came, He died that we might have LIFE! A believer who has put their faith and trust in Jesus and received forgiveness of sins through His death and resurrection, is not a 2.0 better version of themselves. They are not a nicer, happier, more helpful version of the person they used to be. Nor are they like a zombie, who is a walking dead person. No- they are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) with a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26), born again (John 3:3-7)! Once dead, unable to do that which pleased God, they are now alive and given the Holy Spirit with new desires and the power from God to accomplish them (Philippians 2:13).

It is foolish to expect the world to behave as though they were not dead. And for the believer, it is foolish to be alive, and live as though you are still dead. Those who have put their faith and trust in Him, have stepped out from the grave! Like Lazarus, take your grave clothes off and live (John 11:43-44)!

Take time today to check out these AMAZING scriptures in the dig deeper section, and reflect on what it means to be alive in Christ.

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Dig Deeper: John 5:24-26, John 6:32-35, John 6:61-63, John 8:12-24, John 8:31-36, John 11:25-26, John 12:46-50, John 4:10-14, Colossians 2:6-15, 1 John 4:7-9, Jude 17-25, Revelations 1:4-6, Revelations 1:17-18, Isaiah 5:11-24, Mark 9:26-27

Similar Devotions: There’s Hope, The Undertow, One Way, Not Gonna Swerve, Swimming Upstream, Am I Numb?, An Allegory of Pride, Grace and Truth, The Curtain, Come Alive

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