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Ephesians 2:4-5 - Resurrection Power in Justification and Sanctification.

Ephesians 2:4-5 (NIV) 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.

Ephesians 2:4-5 (NLT) But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved!)

Ephesians 2:4-5 (AMP) But God - so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us, 5 Even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation).

INTRODUCTION

The previous verses (2: 1-3) highlight our old, sinful nature. Here Paul emphasizes that we do not need to live any longer under sin's power. The penalty of sin and its power over us were miraculously destroyed by Christ on the cross. Through faith in Christ we stand acquitted - not guilty - before God (Romans 3: 21-22). God does not take us out of the world or make us like robots; we will still feel like sinning, and we will still sin. The difference is that before we became Christians, we were dead in sin and were slaves to our sinful nature. But now we are alive with Christ and have his help to avoid sin and live with real joy and freedom. [Life Application SB 2019]

COMMENTARY PEARL

   During the Iraq War, U.S. Army soldier Ross McGinnis was in the raised gunner's turret of a Humvee when a grenade clattered down inside the vehicle. But instead of jumping to safety, he yelled "Grenade!" and covered it with his body, absorbing the explosion that would have killed four of his fellow soldiers. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
   Even greater than a man's love for his friends (John 15:13) is God's love for us. When we were not His friends but His enemies, God reconciled us "through the death of His Son" (Romans 5:10). Or, as stated in today's promise, "when we were dead in trespasses, [He] made us alive together with Christ."
   According to the law, our first parents should've died when they ate the forbidden fruit (Genesis 2:17). But according to grace, "the Lamb of God" (John 1:29) offered His own flesh (Genesis 3:21) to protect them from the shrapnel of breaking the law. That's the only way any of us can be protected from the law's condemnation. "All of us have sinned" (Romans 3:23), and the penalty is death (6:23). But because God "is rich in mercy," He and His Son paid the highest price. Furthermore, Christ not only "died for us" (5:8); He was raised so that we could be "made ... alive together with [Him]."
   When tempted to think that you're too great a sinner to be saved, remember what today's promise says about God's mercy: If it were currency, He'd be a zillionaire! Such love can never be repaid.
   Heavenly Father, Your love is so great that I cannot comprehend it! Thank You for sacrificing Your only Son to protect me from eternal death. [The Most Amazing Bible Promises by Amazing Facts]

COMMENTARY

Throwing Off The Old Deadness
   We can read how the apostle Paul viewed resurrection in Ephesians 2. He wrote that "God, being rich in mercy ... made us alive together with Christ." That type of resurrection power is displayed when we're saved, and it is also at work through the rest of your life.
   The gospel is so much more than a self-help message. Without Christ, we aren't just "bad." We aren't merely unchurched. We don't simply need a little help. Without Christ, we're dead. And even after we're made alive, sometimes we struggle with our old state of deadness (Ephesians 4:22-24). The Bible tells us to throw off our old self and take on new attitudes. Just as we put on a jacket and a pair of jeans, we're to put on our new alive self, the self that's created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
   Just as we put on clothing, we're to put on our new alive self each day. The self that's created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness - set apart and made for a life of abundance of joy.
   Dear God, because I am new in You, I throw off my old self and put on my spiritual newness as I abide in Christ. Today, I rejoice that I was dead and now I'm alive. [Grace and Glory by Louie Giglio]

Resisting Fleshly Appetites
   The Holy Spirit guides believers to make wise and righteous decisions. But when Christians fail to listen, they can make choices that appeal to the flesh instead.
   After the serpent spoke to Eve, she no doubt took a long look at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:17; 3:3). Whatever she might have thought about the tree before, she now saw it with new eyes - flesh-focused eyes. Genesis 3 tells us that the forbidden tree appealed to Eve in three ways: 1) it was good for food, 2) it was a delight to the eyes, and 3) it was desirable to make one wise.
   In other words, the tree could fulfill three legitimate human appetites: the desire for tasty meals, beauty, and wisdom. There is nothing wrong with these God-given yearnings. The Lord created a variety of food and an earth packed with breathtaking sights so that people could enjoy them. He also offers the Holy Spirit as a source of His true wisdom and knowledge. In fact, it is the Spirit who teaches believers to keep fleshly appetites under control and in balance.
   Meanwhile, Satan works very hard at corrupting healthy desires. He abhors seeing people's appetites satisfied. What he wants is to watch a person lusting after a good thing until he or she is controlled by the impulse to have it.
   The Devil is pleased when people make themselves slaves to a desire that - in the proper context - the Lord intended to be enjoyed freely. A believer walking in the Holy Spirit rejects gluttony, preferring desires that are within God's boundaries instead. That's how we get His very best. [In Touch Daily Devotional by Charles Stanley at www.intouch.org]

CLOSING THOUGHT

We Are Objects of Infinite Love
   O Precious, loving, long-suffering, long-forbearing Jesus, how my soul adores Thee! That a poor, unworthy, sin-polluted soul can stand before the Holy God, complete in the righteousness of our Substitute and Surety! Wonder, O Heavens, and be astonished, O earth, that fallen man is the object of His infinite love and delight. He rejoices over them with celestial songs, and man defiled with sin, having become cleansed through the righteousness of Christ, is presented to the Father free from every spot and stain of sin, "not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing" (Ephesians 5:27). "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth." {UL 377}

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY

Romans 3:24-25 - Restoring Man's Relationship With God.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220419-0903.html

Galatians 2:20 - Dying to Self and Living for Christ.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20230817-1103.html

Ephesians 2:8 - Saved by GRACE through FAITH.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2016/20160702-2136.html

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

https://abible.com/links/