Called Out Of Death

Ephesians 2:1–3
[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. 

Consider Paul’s words to the Ephesians, “you were dead” (Eph. 2:1). These words destroyed any illusion that they were good, or even morally neutral, before they were in Christ. Apart from Christ they “were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind” (Eph. 2:3). Do we believe this? Do we see our life in Christ as those who were once dead in sin? Do we consider our unrepentant family, friends, and neighbors dead in sin? 

The fact is, sin is natural to us. It springs up from our own desires. James writes, “but each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death” (James 1:14–15). For this reason, since sin is conceived by our own desire, we are prone to dismiss, minimize, or excuse sin despite the fact that it brings forth death and God’s wrath to mankind. 

R.C. Sproul said, “Because our sin is commonplace we have the tendency to think it is not serious, but one of the most serious dimensions of sin is its commonplaceness and casualness with which we experience it and overlook it.” 

TCBC, sin is no small thing!

Paul makes it clear to the Ephesians and us, in our sin we were dead. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (Eph. 2:4-5). We were DEAD! Now, we are ALIVE! 

We have been called out of death into life according to His purpose. Do you believe this? “I therefore, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called … put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:1, 22-24).

1. Worship God. He loved and saved us, even when we were dead in sin.
2. Turn from sin. It is no small thing. It brings ruin. Put off your old self, put on the new.
3. Share the gospel with urgency. It is a matter of life and death.

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