Scripture Text: Ephesians 2:1-3
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.
Ephesians 2:3
f one is truly seeking to continue to appreciate the greatness of God’s grace bestowed through Christ, remembering one’s previous state is a key to magnify the favor God has richly or abundantly given. Our new reality in Christ is indeed supreme blessedness. To be found in Him is the highest or ultimate place to desire. In fact, he/she who is in Christ finds all he/she needs and needs no more! Remember, this is all His grace! And the more we grow in God’s grace, the more that we truly realize that we need more of His grace. And for us to understand this deeper, be reminded of you were before Christ, and what is your state apart from Him.
In continuation, we can observe in the epistles of the apostle Paul that he usually reminds the believers of their new reality. In our study, this is particular to believers in Ephesus, and we can take this immediately in extension for us. Paul reminds them, by reminding them first who they were before they were believers of the Lord Jesus Christ: “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 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—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 (vv.1-3).” Notice carefully how Paul connected this in relation to the previous passages. In his desire for the church to grow more of beholding their blessedness in Christ, praying that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, he then immediately proceeds of pointing out the past to magnify God’s grace. Firstly, Paul put it bluntly that the believers before were spiritually dead because they sinned against God. This sinning is done by their natural inclination, and being aware or unaware of it, they fought or rebel against God. They live for satisfaction of their sinful desires, submitting themselves in the rule of Satan in the present. Each believer before is walking in darkness blindly but rejoicing in the absence of light or truth in their lives, as they march through the course of this world being manipulated by Satan himself.
One must realize that there is total or radical depravity. We are unable to save ourselves, as the scripture calls, we are dead in our trespasses. Before our blessed state in Christ, there comes first total cursedness. There is utter hopelessness for everyone. We don’t understand; we don’t seek for God. We have all turned aside; together we have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” We have presented ourselves or our bodies as instruments to sin, and we have been subjected to this curse without any power or ability to be free from it. Once we realize this state of despair, there comes the genuine humility and desperate need for savior! And now, realizing this reality, together with the apostle we cry “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” And we, with complete confidence, know the answer for this great need: Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
May your heart, dear saint, be truly captivated by this blessedness that you have in Him, and because of Him! May you find yourself, together with the psalmist, acclaiming, bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits! who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Ultimately, the enjoyment of God in Christ is the only joy and happiness with which our souls can be truly and magnificently satisfied.
Desire to know Him more, who has loved you unconditionally and eternally! Thirst and long for Him! Be in awe of Him—the darling of Heaven! He is all yours… He is all-perfect, all-holy, all-glorious!
Hear this then, dear saint: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
Christ is all that we have! Christ is all that we need!
Take heart, dear saint!
Reflect
1. How do you view the grace that God has given you through and in Christ?
2. How does His grace affect your worship of Him?
3. Do you grow in need of His grace?
4. Do you desire and long to love Him more, as you ought to be?
Remember
Every blessing from God and our Father are means to keep us back to our chief end—to glorify God and enjoy Him forever! Live your life therefore for the praise of His glory, and continue to live out your blessedness in Him!
Pray
Father in Heaven, I come before You, through Your Son, to once again praise and thank You for Your abounding grace that I have received through my Lord Jesus Christ. May I possess a heart that continues to grow in need of it, and a heart that exalts and exults in Your rich favor. For through it, I have my blessed state – being in the Lord Jesus Christ, my greatest portion. May I ever learn to love Him more, and be totally devoted to Him and Him alone. This I pray, in His name. Amen.
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