Jul 17, 2018
For anyone who has experienced salvation in Christ, the knowledge that it is a wonderful gift goes without saying. We have been taught to understand that it is something we could never have earned and in no way deserved. But Paul knew that even the most grateful believer was capable of taking the gift provided by God for granted. Not only that, he knew that each of us is fully capable of thinking we somehow deserved to be saved – at least just a little. So, he goes out of his way to warn the believers in Ephesus just exactly how bad off they were when God called them. He pulls no punches and doesn’t attempt to sugarcoat the fact that they were in a bad place when God extended His grace by offering His Son as the payment for their sins. Prior to their salvation, the Ephesian believers were in a really bad place – condemned by their sin and fully deserving of God’s judgment. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loves them … made them alive together with Christ. God showed mercy. He extended grace. He provided the free gift of His Son, and no one has any right to brag about their right standing with God, because no one did anything to deserve it.