Let God Speak #10: Made Alive By Grace

Ephesians 2:1,4-5, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins… 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.”

You walk into a funeral, drop a bag stuffed with $100 dollar bills on the body, and say, “It’s all yours!” What happens? Would that dead person say, “Wow, thanks!” Would he jump around with joy? Would he go buy a house? No! It’s a silly question. Nothing would happen. He’s dead.

That’s us. Spiritually, we are dead in sin. We can’t decide for God, come to him, or open our hearts for him, just like a dead person receiving a bag stuffed with cash. We are lifeless.

But God has made us alive. He breathes life into us. He turns our hearts toward him.

How? Because of Christ. Jesus lived a perfect life in our place. He died for our sins. He took away our guilt.  Jesus gives us eternal life. God works through this gospel message, through Jesus, to make our hearts alive.

Why? “It is by grace you have been saved.” To put it simply: Grace, which means love. We are saved because of grace, because God loved us.

What a comfort. Our salvation, our eternal life rests entirely on Jesus and God’s grace.