Created in Christ for Good Works

Ephesians 2:1-3 ESV

 

“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.”

 

This is speaking to all those believing in Jesus Christ. We were once (past) dead in our sins in which we once (past) walked. We are to no longer be walking in sin, according to the flesh, because Jesus set us free from our slavery to sin. We once (past) followed the ways of this sinful world, and we were once (past) following Satan and not God. All this is to be in our past lives, not in our present lives. Now we are to be following Jesus Christ.

 

We are to no longer be among the children of disobedience, i.e. to be partaking in the evil in which they partake. We are to no longer be living in the passions of our sinful flesh, doing whatever our flesh desires, living in sin, doing evil deeds, living in sexual immorality, telling lies habitually, ignoring God and his commands, just doing whatever our flesh craves. For then we would still be children of wrath like the rest of mankind.

 

Ephesians 2:4-7 ESV

 

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

 

God’s kindness and mercy to us is not just in forgiving our sins so we can escape hell and so we can go to heaven when we die. God’s kindness (grace) and mercy to us was in sending Jesus Christ to that cross to put our sins to death with him so that we could be delivered from our slavery (addiction) to sin, and we can now walk in holiness and in righteousness in obedience to our Lord, in the power of God (see Romans 6:1-23).

 

For God’s grace, which brings us salvation, trains (instructs) us to renounce (to say “No!” to) ungodliness and fleshly lusts, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s soon return. For Jesus Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (see Titus 2:11-14). This is true grace! No permissions to keep sinning.

 

For Jesus Christ died on that cross that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness and that we might live for him and no longer for ourselves. He shed his blood for us on that cross to buy us back for God (to redeem us) so that we would now honor God with our bodies. And the truth that is in Christ Jesus is that we are to put off our old lives of living in sin and to put on the new self, created to be like Jesus in his character.

 

[1 Peter 2:24; 2 Co 5:15,21; 1 Co 6:19-20; Eph 4:17-24; Gal 2:20]

 

Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV

 

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

 

Neither the grace necessary for our salvation nor the faith to be delivered from our slavery (addiction) to sin are of our own making. We can do nothing in our own flesh to earn or to deserve our own salvation. In our flesh we cannot even come to faith in Jesus Christ. We can’t even come to faith in Jesus Christ unless God the Father first persuades us as to his holiness and righteousness and of our sinfulness and as to our need to repent of our sins and to follow Jesus in obedience to his commands. All this comes from God!

 

But our salvation is not absent of works. For we are not saved from our sins just so we can go to heaven one day. We are saved from our sins so we no longer live in sin and so we now walk in holiness in the power of God, by his Spirit. This is what is taught about our salvation all throughout the New Testament. And if some people would please read Ephesians 2:10 along with verses 8-9 they would see this clearly. Yes, we can’t work to earn our salvation, but works are what we are called to do, but they are God’s works.

 

So, just know that God’s grace is not forgiveness of sins so that you can keep on in deliberate and habitual sin without conscience. God’s grace frees us from our addiction to sin so that we can now walk in his holiness and righteousness, in obedience to his commands (New Covenant). For Jesus doesn’t save us just so we can go to heaven when we die. He saves us so that we can live for him and do his will while we still live on the face of the earth. For by his grace he transforms us and he makes us into new creations so that we can walk in newness of life in him, by his grace.

 

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:44; Jn 14:23-24; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

 

Christ for Me

 

Author Unknown

 

Christ for me, yes it’s Christ for me.

He’s my Savior my Lord and King,

I’m so happy I shout and sing.

Christ for me, yes it’s Christ for me,

Every day as I go my way it is Christ for me.