Welcome to Timeless Truth with Pastor Jim Thomas. In season 1, Pastor Jim is leading us in a study of Ephesians. Today’s passage is Ephesians 2:4-7.
Chapters 1-3 indicatives/what Christ has done
Chapters 4-6 imperatives/what it means to follow Christ
Who is this God of the Bible? What is the God of the Bible like and how does faith in Christ impact our real lives?
Did you notice the intervening actions of God on our behalf?
- God made us alive in Christ
- God raised us up with Christ
- God has seated us in the heavenly places in Christ
All of this is possible only because our life is now found in Christ. As God the Father raised Christ from the dead, we who are united with Christ and live in union with Christ have now been raised with Christ to new life.
“Christ’s death and resurrection are not merely events which produce benefits for the believer but are events in which the believer himself (or herself) participates.”
– Robert C. Tannehill, Dying and Rising with Christ
“Being in Christ is not only the fundamental fact of the individual Christian’s existence, it is the whole reality.”
– Lewis B. Smedes, Union with Christ
“This passage does not instruct the readers to do anything; it only states what God has done in Christ. The implications, however, are enormous for what Christians should do and think. Surely proper application of this text starts with speechlessness, then moves to wonder and worship, and finally to obedience and service… the contrast between the plight of humanity without God, and the privilege of humanity with God is remarkable.”
– Dr. Klyne Snodgrass, Ephesians: The NIV Application Commentary
I hope we will all live in the experiential knowledge of our union with Christ today!
