Ephesians 2:5
[5] even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— (ESV)
Every day we see people walking around. They appear to be very much alive. We have conversations with them. We work with them. They are everywhere. But they are dead! I am talking about people who have not been made alive by the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. Paul tells us that we were dead in our trespasses, but then made alive with Christ. It's almost like nonbelievers are spiritual zombies. They have temporary physical life, but the life that matters, their spiritual life is dead.
Now, some can take great offense to this idea that we are dead in our trespasses, or sins. I have even heard some very "religious" people claim that they did not sin at all. They may make some mistakes, but no sins. These are some of the very dead people that I am talking about. They do not know they are dead. I think a fair question becomes, who is it that has sinned? Thankfully, Paul answers that question very directly in Romans:
Romans 3:23–24
[23] for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, [24] and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (ESV)
Who has sinned? Who has been walking around while being spiritually dead? Who are the spiritual zombies? Everyone! Paul says ALL have sinned. No exceptions. The sad reality is that many spiritually dead people are so offended that they have been called dead that they will refuse to receive the gift of spiritual life that Christ offers to them.
Some spiritually dead people go around trying to do things that spiritually alive people would do. They call them good deeds. But, no matter how nice those deeds appear, they are done by spiritually dead people and achieve for them nothing. The only way that we can go from being spiritually dead to spiritually alive is by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. He then gives us the gift of life. And I emphasize, as Paul does, that it is a gift. You cannot work your way to life.
Do you know any spiritual zombies? They may look physically alive, but their spiritually dead condition will end up in their eternal torment. Find a spiritual zombie and introduce them to the life giving Savior, Jesus Christ.
Well Said PK. I like how you can take a term used today and apply to something Paul wrote so long ago. Proves how living the word needs to be applied to our daily lives. Can you give me a break down of Justified? I was reading Romans 8 in my devotions this morning and I am reading it again here. Verse 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. I understand predestined. I sorta understand the rest but can you break it down on a 5th grade level. I get this question often but I can not explain it well. Thanks
ReplyDeleteJustified is a legal term by which we are declared "Not Guilty by God. This is not because the Father chooses to leave sin unpunished. That would be unjust. Rather the punishment for sin is placed on Jesus' back at the cross. Some have wrongly described this term as "Just-as-if-I'd Never Sinned." That does not go far enough. It isn't as if we had never sinned. But, it is that we sinned greatly and yet are still declared not guilty because of Christ. This gives even more glory to God through Christ Jesus, our amazing Savior.
ReplyDelete