From Death to Life: The Transforming Power of God’s Grace
"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 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." Ephesians 2:1,2
Ephesians 2 starts out with a very grim description of our condition prior to becoming disciples of Jesus - "dead in our transgressions and sins." Imagine this, every baby starts out full of potential for tremendous good but is also naturally bent on a personal agenda that does not include God and his plans. Born in sin and separated from God is our natural state. In fact the Scripture says we start out in life;
"following the ways of this world, and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air."
Self love and a love of the world sets us on a trajectory of being opposed to God's better plan for us. This passage of Scripture from Ephesians 2 goes on to explain that because of our condition we are worthy of God's wrath. I used to think that God's wrath meant He is angry with those who do not know him or live for him. However, the more we get to know God and his character the more difficult it becomes to reconcile an angry God with a God who is the definition of love. The Scripture tells us God loves us with an everlasting love.
The wrath of God must be something different than God's anger. Our natural condition sets us on a path to separation from God eternally. The wrath of God is then a condition or place where the presence of God is not. Being separated from a God of love is a place so horrific that it can only be described as the wrath of God. The wrath of God is not about his anger but rather where we find ourselves if we live outside or away from his presence.
Ephesians 2 goes on to state:
"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved."
We don't deserve God's mercy, but He is merciful toward us anyway. We are dead, but He makes us alive through Christ. His actions are rooted in his love for us and are an extension of grace toward us.
As recipients of God's grace, through Christ, it is our unspeakable privilege to help people leave a life of transgression and sin and enter a life where they can experience the grace of God and his mercy. A very good way to accomplish this, which results in long lasting fruit, is through discipleship.
