Made Alive

February 7th, 2024
by Nathan Boyd

Scripture

Ephesians 2:1-10

2 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Devotion

At one time, we were dead in our sins. Unbelief and disobedience were the air we breathed. By nature, we were all children of wrath. Before the way of Christ, we followed the way of the world. Our primary motivations were pleasure and self-advancement.

Even now, without the daily reprieve from self that following Jesus provides, we can become enslaved to our own desires, our own appetites. The world encourages such indulgence. As long as we are chasing after the wind, then we are consuming, buying in to the lies of the enemy that we can be happy if only our life had that missing piece. If we could just manipulate our life conditions correctly, all would be perfect. In our fallen nature, we will pursue our own selfish fulfillment to the point of depression and insanity.

Rather than give us what we deserve, however, and what we rebelliously pursued with such zeal, God did the opposite. In His immense mercy and incredible love, God made us alive in Christ. This was 100% His doing; we did nothing before or after our salvation to deserve God’s consideration.

There is nothing that any of us can do to earn the love that God has shown us. Any attempt to do so, to earn or buy God’s love, betrays a misunderstanding of the Gospel. Your salvation is not justified or proven by your works. If you have been made alive in Christ, your behavior, good or bad, has no effect on your standing before God.

But, and this is a big but, your life and behavior should reflect your salvation and a sincere belief in the teachings of Jesus. James 2:17 reminds us that faith without works is dead. Our growth does not sustain our status with God; our status with God sustains our growth.

You have been made alive in Christ to experience deep union with the Triune God and to embody His love to the people in your life. That truth should motivate you to train your mind and care for your body. That love should spill over into every human relationship. That grace should make us all want to be better today, even if just a little, then we were yesterday.

Action Step

As the Puritan minister John Owen so eloquently put it, “Be killing sin or sin will be killing you.”
What behavior or attitude needs to stop today? Conversely, what behavior or practice needs to start today? Unless your spirit is clouded by pride and self-righteousness, the answer to these questions probably comes quickly.

We are all sinful. We all deserve wrath.

But God…. How beautiful are those two words! But God made us alive.
Always try to live worthy of being called a son or daughter of the Most High. Always remember how good God has been to you.

“God is opposed to earning; He is not opposed to effort.” – Dallas Willard

Prayer

Ask God to forgive your pride in good works and for the wretchedness of your sin.
Thank God that he has made you truly alive. Nothing can touch you. Pray Psalm 73:21-28 out loud:

When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered,
I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.
Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My body and heart may fail, but you God are the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
It is good to be near God. I have made you my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.

Posted in For Generations