But God

Verse: Ephesians 2:1-3 (ESV)
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience — 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Devotion
Am I the only one who thinks Ephesians Chapter 2 reads like Paul said, “Okay, I’ve got good news and bad news”, and the church in Ephesus said, “Give us the bad news first!”? ‘Dead in the trespasses and sins’; ‘following the prince of the power of the air’ (that’d be Satan); ‘sons of disobedience’; ‘passions of our flesh’; ‘desires of the body and mind’; ‘children of wrath’ – what an uplifting passage, right?

Well, how about a good news spoiler alert…verse 4 starts with the words, “But God”. Maybe the two most inspiring words in all of Scripture. But that’s for Jillian to tell you about tomorrow.

In the meantime, let’s focus on the more important phrases of verses 1-3: ‘you were dead’; ‘you once walked’; ‘we all once lived’; ‘were by nature’. That’s right, all those negative things Paul reminds us about ourselves…he also reminds us they are in our past, if we are children of God.

Does that mean we have left all those things behind? Not exactly. What it does mean is this:
– There will still be trespasses and sins – but we are no longer dead in them, because we no longer walk in them! We have been crucified with Christ and live by faith in the Son of God (Gal. 2:20).
– Our flesh still has passions, our body and mind still have desires, and we are still by nature children of wrath – but God has made us a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). Not immune to the temptations of the world, but more keenly aware of them, and more able (through the power of his Holy Spirit) to combat them when they arise.

In the coming verses, Paul is also going to remind us (and the Ephesians) that none of that is of our own doing, but it’s a result of God working in us. Christian told us on Sunday that one of City Light’s values is, “You can belong before you believe”. That reminded me of a quote I’ve always loved, “The church is not a hotel for saints; it’s a hospital for sinners”. The transformation that happens in the life of a Christian is not the key card that gets you into your hotel room, it’s the wrist band you wear because you’re a patient. Let’s make sure everyone around us is aware of that!

Prayer
God, help me to live my life as someone who is no longer dead in my trespasses and sins. Help me to show those around me that any light they see in me is only a reflection of you. Help me to do my part to make the church a place that welcomes all people to experience your life-changing love. Amen.

Author: David MacDonald