The Bible clearly describes our former fallen condition as “dead in trespasses and sins in which [we] once walked."
In our natural human condition we were simply "following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air [Satan], the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience - among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind...” (Eph. 2:1-3a).
Left on our own sinful state, we can neither choose God nor believe in Him. And why not? Simply because we are dead spiritually. Our hearts are hard as a rock. We cannot and will not desire godly things for our own spiritual and eternal benefit.
The truth is our natural passions and desires are wired to sin and fleshly lust following the world and the prince of darkness, as Paul says in Ephesians 2:1-3. All we were able to do and choose was to sin. That's why we “were by nature children of wrath” (Eph. 2:3b).
But God, by His grace and to the praise of His glorious grace, did not leave us in this miserable condition. As Paul continues, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even while we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace [we] have been saved - and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ...” (Eph. 2:4-6).
Every believer who understands this truth would gratefully and gladly say, “Thank you, Lord for saving me. Thank you for raising me up from the dead with Christ and for redeeming me from my sin by the work of Christ. I could not and would not have willed to believe in You if it was up to me."
So thanks be to God! Now that He has made us alive and and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ, we are now ready to do His will and to do good works by the power of the Spirit. God also has given us His Spirit who now dwells in us. The promised Holy Spirit is God's seal for those who believe in Christ. He is also the guarantee of our inheritance as God's children through faith.
God did all these not because of anything we have done but only by His grace and to the praise of His glory (Eph. 1:13-14).
And how should we respond to the Lord for the many gifts He has given us? We ought to live holy lives doing good works, "which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10).
"Thank you, our heavenly Father, for blessing us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places!"
Posted with permission from Ptr Vic Bernales, Pastor, Davao Covenant Reformed Church
Original from a Facebook post here.
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