Dead In our Sins, Alive in Christ

As I was reading through Ephesians 2, the question occurred to me, "How can someone who is dead raise themself to be alive?"

I have heard this mentioned many times by Reformed thinking teachers but the crux of the message would usually rest in verses 8, 9, and 10 in chapter 2. As I meditated on the first five verses of Ephesians 2 as well as reading through Ephesians 1, I sensed a growing need for gratefulness in my life for the work of God in the salvation of His people. What God has done in raising humans from the dead (spiritually) is something He and only He can do.

John Piper provides us a great illustration in our need of God and salvation through His Son Jesus Christ.

In the Morgue, Not the Doghouse
The first reason we need a Savior is that without a Savior we are all dead in our trespasses and sins. Paul says this twice in the text. In verse 1 (literally): "You being dead in your trespasses and sins . . . " Verse 5: "Even when we were dead in our trespasses . . . "

If you were to ask most people why sin is a problem, and why we need a Savior from it, they would say that sin makes us guilty before God and brings us under condemnation; and so we need a Savior who can forgive our sins and take away our punishment. And that is absolutely right. But that is not the point of Ephesians 2:1 and 5. That is not all we need.

The reason we need a Savior is not just that we are in the doghouse with God and need to be forgiven for offending his glory. We need a Savior because we are in the morgue. In the doghouse you might whimper. You might say you are sorry. You might make some good resolutions. You might decide to cast yourself on the mercy of God. But what can you do if you are in the morgue?

I am more convinced than ever that God saves those who cannot save themselves by resurrecting them from death to new life with Him. "What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all; for I have already charged that all men, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin, as it is written: None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands, no one seeks for God. All have turned aside, together they have gone wrong; no one does good, not even one." (Romans 3:9-12)

John Piper says, "Without a Savior we are ruled by sin. We have no inclination to seek God. None of our deeds is good. All is the veiled expression of sin."

How grateful am I, who was once dead in my sin and now is ALIVE in Christ forever!