Day 179 "One Family Through God's Grace" (Ephesians: Chapter Two)

Mark Hogan (Grace Walker)
Jan 16, 2020
5 min read

There existed two classes of people in the mindset of the Jewish people: those who belong to the promise of God and those who did not. They were called the Jews and the Gentiles (everyone else). Chapter two of Ephesians shows us that through God's grace, both groups have become one in the family of God. This is a great word for us today considering all the dissension and inequality going on in our country. What can bring us together? God's love

and grace.

Ephesians: Chapter Two

:1 -2 "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used

to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom

of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient."

For Paul as a Jew, he was stating the obvious to the Gentile believers in Galatia.

Their situation without Christ was hopeless. They were dead in their trans- gressions and sins, apart from God.

:3 "All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sin-

ful nature, and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were objects

of wrath."

Even the Jewish people were basically human with a sinful nature without God.

The law that was given to the Jewish people to follow, was put in place to show

them that they could not live up to God's moral and righteous standards. In our natural physical state, we are born into this world but are born spiritually dead to God. All of us, Jewish and Gentiles.

:4-5 "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive

with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have

been saved."

It is clearly the point that Paul is emphasizing that our salvation, our redemption, was implemented out of God's love and provided for us through

Christ. We did nothing to alter our hopeless situation before God. Our redemption, our reconciliation with God, has taken place out of God's grace, not through our effort or obedience. Our redemption came through God's unmer-

ited favor upon us.

:6-7 "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in kindness to us in Christ Jesus."

Imagine for a moment, that you were on the very edge of dying and God brought you back to life. The realization that you were basically dead without

God's assistance is a certainty. Spiritually, the exact truths hold the same except that we were actually spiritually dead without Christ. But God raised us

up. But not only raised us up, but also seated us with Christ in the heavenly

realms. This goes beyond mercy and forgiveness. This moves us into the

grace of God's blessings.

:8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast."

Our relationship with God is bonded and solidified by faith, not achieved out of our own works. It is a gift given to us from God.

:10 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ to do good works,"

Our mission, living out the rest of our lives here on Earth by God's grace, is

to do good works. The motivation for doing such good works, as we saw back

in the book of Galatians is love.

"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love."

Galatians 5:6

:12-13 "remember that at that time you were separated from Christ, excluded from

citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once

were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ."

:14-15 "For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the

barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its

commandments and regulations."

Though the Gentiles were not part of God's promise given to the Jewish people, they became included through the actions of Christ. Christ paid the

penalty for all of our sins: Jewish and Gentile alike.

:18 -19 "For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Conse- quently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with

God's people and members of God's household."

In the spirit, we are all one family- God's.

:22 "And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit."

By faith, to the believers in Christ, God places his Spirit within us to assure us of his presence and to guide us in our walk homeward towards his spiritual kingdom.

Key verses for me:

:4-5 "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive

with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have

been saved."

:8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast."

In a world that is desperate for love and unity, God reveals his love for us every moment of our lives through Jesus and the cross. God, through his mercy and grace, reached down to mankind and made a provision for man's redemption and reconciliation. And that love has a name: Jesus! *************************************************************************

Every where we look these days we are encountered by two fronts: one is the coronavirus and the other is our quest for equality in "Black Lives Matter." Hopefully, soon, a vaccine will be developed to help eradicate the effects of the coronavirus and return our nation back to pre-pandemic days. As for the other front, as we explore, pursue, chase after, and hope to discover ways to bridge our differences with one another, the solution is already there: love. As God first showed his unconditional

love for us through Christ, it is now up to us to lay down our self-centeredness and selfishness to see one another as brothers. Christ died to make us one family. This

division that exists within our world stems from a heart issue. And there is only one

remedy that can change the world's way- Jesus Christ.

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be trans-

formed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2

Let him who has no sin in one's life be the first to cast stones against others. Otherwise, let us pursue the Spirit of God, who loved us first while we were, yet, sinners, and seek to love others as God first loved us.

"Perfect love casts out all fear." 1 John 4:18

"We love because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19

Mercy Me's song, "Bring the Rain," fits well in meditating on God's provision for us, thus, enabling us to minister to others with love.