But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 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
In our Bible study together this week, we have learned that sin leads to death. When sin entered the world, death became a devastating reality that all living things must face. Think about this truth for too long, and your heart will break. Praise God, however, that this is not the end of the story. When we were lost in our sins, God sent Jesus to rescue us from sin and death so that we could experience life with Him forever one day.
We learn about the hope and freedom from sin and death that Jesus offers in Ephesians 2. In this chapter of Ephesians, the apostle Paul talks about our lives before knowing Christ and after knowing Christ. Before Christ, we were dead in sin and living according to our sinful nature (verses 1-3). It seemed like we were without hope, but God had a plan. He sent His Son, Jesus, to come to earth and die on the cross and sacrifice His life for the sins of the world. "He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead," Paul explains (verse 5). Jesus defeated sin and death through His life, death, and resurrection, and His sacrifice ultimately brought us life. Paul continues teaching in Ephesians 2 that because of Jesus, God "raised us from the dead along with Christ" (verse 6). This means that when we place our faith in Christ, we have freedom from sin and death, which we will fully experience when we spend eternity with Him one day.
The truth found in Ephesians 2 is life-altering. We deserved sin and death, but Jesus, who was sinless, died in our place. Instead of death, we receive life in Him because of His sacrifice on our behalf. We must not take lightly the sacrifice and gift of freedom that Jesus offers us through His death and resurrection. Because of what He has done for us, we have hope. We have hope for the future, knowing that sin and death will not have the final say. We have hope, knowing that we will spend forever with Christ one day. This, my friends, is the hope we have to cling to every day if we have placed our faith in Him.
Read the passage in the Going Deeper section below out loud two times. Read it slowly and deliberately, carefully paying attention to the truth that this passage of Scripture reveals. As you read, pause and thank God for the gift of salvation and freedom available through Christ Jesus. He deserves all of our gratitude.
Ephesians 2:1-7
1Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.
4 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!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.
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