Archives for category: Theology

Reflections on the Rich Ruler

February 23, 2010 //
2

The gospel accounts of Jesus’ exchange with a rich ruler are often used to discuss the principal that following Jesus means choosing Him over things we value. While this is true, I believe there’s a greater truth at play. Here’s some thoughts on the account in Luke.

Luke 18:18 And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (ESV)

This initial exchange gives us an idea of how things will progress. The rich ruler seems to use the right words. He calls Jesus, ‘Good Teacher’, and asks an appropriate question about how he might obtain eternal life. Jesus’ first response is unexpected:

Luke 18:19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. (ESV)

He is not flattered by the rich ruler, but perceives a shallowness in the man’s use of the word “good”. He senses the rich ruler is going to boast about his righteous works and immediately lays down a definition of true goodness – no one is good, only God (Rom 3:10-18).

Jesus continues:

Luke 18:20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” 21 And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.” (ESV)

The man persists with the notion that he can be good enough. His self-righteousness is laid bare. He believes that his actions are enough to secure favor with God and merit eternal life. “Commandments? I’ve kept them all!”

Luke 18:22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” (ESV)

Jesus gets straight to the heart of the matter. Keeping rules is not the righteousness that God desires (Rom 3:20). Jesus knows the rich ruler doesn’t understand the Kingdom of God, or its value. His words strike at the heart of the man’s identity, passion, and self-righteousness, and uncover what he really cares about.

Luke 18:23 But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. (ESV)

It’s too much for the rich ruler. Jesus has uncovered the one thing he can’t do, the one thing that separates Him from God’s kingdom. Given the choice, the man still would rather hold on to what he wants rather than do what God wants. All his rule keeping amounted to nothing when his true heart was exposed.

Luke 18:24 Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” (ESV)

Jesus turns the conversation to the gathered crowd and uses a surreal analogy involving a camel and a needle to destroy their misconceptions. It was believed that rich people were blessed by God, and their riches were a sign of God’s favor. Surely those favored by God with riches would have full access to the kingdom? Jesus says that wealth doesn’t mean God’s blessing, nor are the rich closer to God and His kingdom. The hyperbole of the camel and needle hammers home the point that it is impossible for even a rich man, with all his resources, to save himself. The people are shocked:

Luke 18:26 Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” (ESV)

If the rich, with all their perceived ‘blessing’ haven’t done enough to be saved, then what about the poor? If the ‘best’ among us don’t have access to God, just how far away are the ‘worst’ of us? Who is able to be saved? Jesus arrives at the point of the whole discussion:

Luke 18:27 But he said, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” (ESV)

Salvation is not based upon the righteous works of people, but the will of God (Rom 9:16). People, despite their best efforts, cannot do enough to be saved (Rom 8:7-8). Even those that appear to be righteous and good still fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23). It is the grace of God that transforms men’s hearts, clothing them in Christ’s righteousness, and saving them in spite of all their good and bad actions (Eph 2:8-9).

The story of the rich ruler is not just about choosing Jesus over valuable things in our lives. It’s about the fact that none of us, not even the ‘best’ people, can ever do enough to save themselves. Every one of us has rejected the holiness of God, and can’t earn our way back into the Kingdom. It takes the atoning sacrifice of a Savior, and the graceful opening of our eyes by the Holy Spirit to bring us back into righteous relationship with our Father (John 6:63-65, Luke 10:22)

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Categories Bible, God, Jesus, Salvation, Theology

Choosing Songs of Truth

September 22, 2009 //
3

It has been said, “show me a church’s hymn book, and I’ll show you their theology.” Songs sung to God are very important. They have a way of nestling themselves into our hearts and minds. What we say to God, and about God is vital. If our songs don’t speak rightly of God, then we are not singing to Him at all. Instead, we sing false truths to a false God. The worship leader has a duty to protect and lead the church through the selection of songs that they will sing corporately.

When a worship song makes it into one of our church services, there’s a thought process behind its inclusion that helps make sure that what we sing to God is appropriate and in line with His Word. Here are some of the questions I ask of a song:

- Who is the song writer?
- What are their theological convictions?
- Do they belong to and serve in a church?
- What is that church’s theological convictions?
- Do they belong to any movement that speaks ill of the church, teaches falsehoods, or supports
false prophets?
- What is the theme of the song?
- Is it rooted in Scripture? Can I find the scripture(s) it is rooted in?
- Does it contradict what God’s Word says about Him?
- Which of God’s attributes does the song emphasize?
- Is this something our church needs to say to God? Will it challenge and inspire worship?
- Does the song draw more attention to us, or God?
- Is the defining value of the song our feelings, or God’s truth?
- Does the song use words or phrasings that distract from the truth?
- Can this song be sung to God by men?
- Can this song be sung to God by women?

This is before we get to issues of musicality! The key is, what God are we presenting to our congregation?

Matt Redman wrote,

“Worship starts with seeing You,
Our hearts respond to your revelation.”*

Do the songs help us to see God? Do they reveal Him to us? If so, our worship will be in spirit and truth, our hearts responding with an overflow of sincere affection, love and dedication to the one, true God.

*Matt Redman, Seeing You from the album Facedown.

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Categories Bible, Church, God, Theology, Worship

Made Alive pt 8

August 17, 2009 //
0

Part 8 in a series looking at Ephesians 2:1-10 (for previous days click here).



Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God



1. “For…” links this verse to the previous. In verse 7 Paul tells us why we were saved. In verse 8, he is going to tell us how.

2. “By grace you have been saved…” This tells us that, were is not for God, we could never be saved. Salvation is impossible without God’s grace (His free favor towards us). We cannot be saved by our own attempts. Our best efforts can never match up to God’s holiness. The Bible says that our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), meaning any good works we do are stained by the sin that we constantly commit. The situation is so grave that Paul tells us we were “dead in sin“. God knows our predicament, and although He does not have to, He willingly shows grace towards us. When we should be condemned, He provides the way of salvation. Without God’s grace, our sinful state would deserve judgment, condemnation and punishment. That would be the fair outcome for those who have rebelled against God. But, because of God’s grace, God destroyed our sin in Jesus so that He didn’t have to destroy us.

3. “And this is not your own doing…” Salvation was not our idea. We were content as slaves to sin, willfully destroying our souls and separating ourselves from God. But God, in His love for us, decided to save us. Anyone who receives the salvation that comes by God’s grace is merely responding to what God has done. Even our response is made possible by God. This is why the term, “made alive” is so important. We were dead and could not see, hear, know, or choose God. But, by His grace, the Holy Spirit came to us and made our hearts alive (regeneration). Only then could we see the beauty, glory, and greatness of Jesus, and the horror and destructive power of our sin. Only then could we see our need for forgiveness, and find it at the cross. Only then could we say, “Jesus is Lord” and surrender our lives to be transformed by Him.

4. “…it is the gift of God“. Our salvation is not a loan. It is not paid to us in advance with the expectation that we pay God back. A true gift is given freely, with no expectation of recompense. This makes the grace of God even more glorious. Our sin made us debtors to God, and it was an impossible, eternal debt that we could never pay. God canceled out our debt when Jesus paid the price for us on the cross (atonement). When we are saved by God, our debt is wiped out, our sin forgiven and forgotten, and the burden lifted from us. Before we were unrighteous, but through our faith in Jesus, we are made righteous (justification). Now we are free to live as His sons and daughters, not trying to pay back God, but flourishing in a new relationship with our Father.

This is the main difference between religion and the gospel. Religion says, “I obey, therefore I am accepted“. This leads to a lifetime of guilt, failure, and uncertainty about God’s love for you. The gospel says, “I am accepted, therefore I obey“. Grace destroys the drudgery or following God out of duty, and replaces it with the joyfulness of following God out of love. The free gift assures us that God loves us, and that we belong to Him, no and forever.



Next: Verse 9


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Categories Bible, God, God The Father, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Theology

Made Alive pt 7

August 11, 2009 //
2

Continuing in Ephesians 2:1-10 (for previous days click here).



Ephesians 2:7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.



1. “…so that” means that Paul is about to explain the reason for what preceded this verse. We are about to find out why God has “made us alive together with Christ” (v5).

2. “…in the coming ages” refers to the future that is ahead for us. The word ‘age’ refers to a reality, or a dispensation(Eph 1:20-21). A time is coming when this reality will fade away, or be changed so much that those who love God will find themselves in a different age. The main characteristic of the coming ages is that they will be eternal, or forever (Rom 6:23).

3. “…he might show…” tells us that the reason that we are “made alive in Christ” is because God wants to reveal something to us. Our God is a God of revelation – He does not hide, but shows Himself to those who seek Him. He is revealed in nature, through His word, and in His Son, Jesus. He has saved people because He wants to show us a full revelation of Himself that will take us all of eternity to comprehend. What exactly does He want us to see?

4. God wants to show “the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus”. Let’s work backwards on this: In Jesus, God has shown kindness towards us – He has provided the sacrifice, atonement, and cure for our dead and sinful state (Rom 3:23-26). This provision is made for us because of God’s grace upon us – that is, He did not give us what we deserve, but instead gave us what we could not dream of. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. That is grace. This grace is deep in “immeasurable riches”. We cannot ever reach the bottom of how great God’s love for us is. His grace is a treasure (“riches”) that cannot be fathomed (“immeasurable”). That’s why we will need all of eternity! It will take endless time to discover the endless greatness of God’s saving power and love for us!

5. The reason we have been made alive in Christ is so God can spend the rest of eternity with us, revealing to us the depth of His love for us in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The gift of God is Himself, in all His grace and glory. This should give us enough fuel for worship for this life and the one to come.



Tomorrow – verse 8.


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Categories Bible, God, God The Father, Jesus, Theology

Made Alive pt 6

August 6, 2009 //
0

Continuing in Ephesians 2:1-10 (for previous days click here).



Ephesians 2:6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (ESV)



1. “…and raised us up with Him” refers us again to the truth that we have been resurrected from a life of sin and death. We are made alive in Christ. The obvious symbol of this is baptism, where the believer is placed under water as a sign that they were dead in sin, and is then raised up out of the water to show that they have been spiritually resurrected in Christ. This will one day be followed by a physical resurrection.

2. This can also refer to the idea that the heart and mind of the Christian are not just stuck on earthly things. In fact, although we can appreciate the good things God has made, we no longer worship or depend upon them. Our vision has been ‘raised up’ to see that Jesus is the most important thing.

3. “…and seated us with him” is an awesome promise. Jesus, the Son of God, left the glory of His heavenly throne to come to earth to save us. He humbled Himself, and left behind His power and majesty and became a man. He identified with us, and experienced all that we experience. He lived perfectly, and was crucified for us (Heb 2:9). He then rose again from the dead, and ascended to His Father in heaven (Heb 12:2). He is now restored to His position of glory and power, with one difference. Now He is not only God, but also man, bridging the gap between us. Those who believe in Jesus receive the rights and privileges of the Son of God. His Father is our Father, and we come to Him like children! God adopts each of us as His own (Heb 2:10-12;Rom 8:15-17)!

4. “…in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” The promise here is a “now and not yet” promise. Paul says that we are “seated…with him in the heavenly places”. Yet, you and I know that we are still here, on earth. So what does Paul mean? I think he is making a statement of faith to those who have faith (Heb 11:1). It is as if we are already in the heavenly places because that is the promise that God gives us in Jesus, and He will not revoke the promise. A place has been prepared for you. Not only that, but the Kingdom of Heaven is not a place we will eventually go to, but a place that will eventually come to us in its fullness. The powers and principalities of this world will be replaced with the Kingship of Jesus, and He will rule and reign. This Kingdom of Heaven has already started to change the world. Where, you may ask? In you and I (Luke 17:20-21). When Jesus rules in our hearts, we begin to personally experience the effects of the Kingdom of Heaven in our lives, and it spreads to those around us. That is the “now”. We are already seated with Jesus spiritually. The “not yet” is when one day, all of reality will conform to God’s ways and desires, and we will be a part of it.

5. One final comment about being “in Christ Jesus”. Jesus is the man that we were meant to be. The way He lived, without sin, perfect, is how God initially created us. When we trust in Him, and are filled with the Spirit, we begin to sense our lives changing and becoming more like Him. We often feel the frustration of not being like Jesus in certain situations. We repent, and learn, and grow. It can feel like a struggle at times. The promise that the Bible gives us of being raised up and seated with Christ will help us when we feel this way. We know that there is a day coming when the struggle will cease, and we will be made perfect by our loving Father. We will be made like Jesus, and sin will no longer affect us. We await the return of Jesus and long for that day:

1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. (ESV)



Next – verse 7


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Categories Bible, God, God The Father, Jesus, Theology

Made Alive pt 5

August 5, 2009 //
0

Continuing in Ephesians 2:1-10 (for previous days click here).



Ephesians 2:5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— (ESV)



1. The word, “even” sets up this verse as being contrary to what we should expect. It follows on from the previous verse which spoke of God’s “great love with which He has loved us”. He is about to reveal the glorious nature of God’s love and its power to save us from sin and death.

2. “…when we were dead in our trespasses”, indicates that what we are about to be told is the action of God towards us. The action of salvation is all God’s idea. We are still “dead in our trespasses”, meaning our actions against God are keeping us lifeless towards God. It’s at this point that God decides to take action to restore the broken relationship (Rom 5:8).

3. What did God do? He “made us alive together with Christ”. This is astonishing. Let’s start at the end and work back. Paul tells us that God’s action involves Jesus, His Son. He tells us that we are “together with Christ” – that we become, in some way, affiliated with, recognized with, linked to Jesus. Finally, he says that God “made us alive together with Christ”. If we are made alive together with Christ, we must ask, “why did Jesus need to be made alive?” Because He was crucified on the cross. “Why was He crucified?” To take our sin and all its consequences, and have it killed in Him. Paul is talking here about the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. He is telling us, “that’s what God did to you”. Our old, dead sinful selves have been buried in Him, and God has raised us up to new life in Him (Gal 2:20).

4. Finally, we are told, “by grace you have been saved”. Grace is unmerited favor. Our salvation is not deserved – we are rebels against the God who loves us. Our salvation is not earned – we are dead to God and cannot stop enough sin or do enough good to make ourselves right with Him. Our salvation can only be received. The awesome truth is that God has so much love and mercy towards us, that He chose to send Jesus and save us even when we cursed and rejected Him. We do not “find Jesus”. He finds us. The result is new life in the grace of God (Rom 5:15-17).



Tomorrow: verse 6.


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Categories Bible, God, Jesus, Theology

Made Alive pt 4

August 4, 2009 //
0

The first ten verses of Ephesians 2 are rich in God’s love, grace and salvation, and they can fill our hearts with a deep thankfulness for the wisdom and ways of God.

I’m working through the passage verse by verse, listing some thoughts, ideas, and observations from them. For previous posts, click here.



Ephesians 2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us (ESV)



1. After a devastating diagnosis of our sinful condition, spiritual death, and inability to sense, know, or please God, Paul presents us with the cure – “But God”. The “but” tells us that all that has already been said is absolutely true, with only one alternative – the saving work of God in our lives. The answer to our rebellion against, and hatred of God is found in God Himself.

2. God is “rich in mercy”. “Mercy” is defined as “compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one’s power” (m-w.com). It is tempting to think of ourselves as the victims of God, as if we are the innocent party subject to His arbitrary whims. Paul opens our eyes to show us that God is the One who has been wronged. He is the innocent party, and we are the offenders. However, we are not of equal standing with Him. God has all the power and authority, and is free to do with us what He will. Because we have turned our backs on Him, and embraced all that is against His character and desires, he would be perfectly justified to destroy us. Yet, He hasn’t. He allows us to continue on the earth, showing mercy to us. Every day, every moment, every breath is a sign to us of God’s mercy. This is no small thing – He is “rich” in His willingness to bear with us and give us opportunities to know Him.

3. So far, we may think of a God who has decided to put up with us, and in a gesture of kindness, has granted us continued life when we have cut ourselves off from the source. But this is not merely a congenial God – He is a God whose love roars across eternity. Paul is beginning to open the doors to God’s awesome plan for us, which He makes “because of the great love with which He loved us”. Instead of death, he wants us to have life. Instead of sin, he wants us to know righteousness. Instead of hatred, he wants us to know true love. God defines love, and His is no passive love. It is not merely one of His attributes, but is something He demonstrates. The way God destroys the sin that destroys us is with the furious passion of His great love (1 John 4:10).



Tomorrow: verse 5


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Categories Bible, God, God The Father, Theology

Made Alive pt3

August 3, 2009 //
1

I love Ephesians 2:1-10 and count it among my favorite portions of scripture in the Bible. Those ten verses are so rich in God’s love, grace and salvation that when I read them, it fills my heart with a deep thankfulness for the wisdom and ways of God.

Over the next little while, I’m going to go through the passage verse by verse, listing some thoughts, ideas, and observations from them. For previous posts, click here.



Today is verse 3:

Ephesians 2:3 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. (ESV)



1. Paul again makes the point that no one is exempt from the sinful nature – “among whom we all once lived”. Paul does not let self-righteous Christians off the hook. He will not tolerate the claims of those who say they have always been ‘good people’, because doing so would negate the power of the gospel. If you have always been good, you do not need Jesus. Paul restates the point in Romans 3:23.

2. “…in the passions of our flesh.” The word “passion” can be defined as “the emotions as distinguished from reason,” or, “an overmastering feeling”. The passions Paul talks about are controlling factors that we cannot escape. From where are the controlling factors arising? From our “flesh”. When Paul uses the word “flesh”, he is not referring merely to the meat on our bones, but to the person whose spirit is dead – that is, when we live in the flesh, we do not sense our spiritual connection to God, and cut ourselves off from our true Source of life. We live only in relation to the physical world, unaware of the spiritual realm (Rom 8:5-7).

3. “Carrying out the desires of the body and mind”. This is a further definition of “passions of our flesh”. Interestingly, Paul says that we “carry out” these desires, implying that although we are beholden to these passions, we are still responsible for our sin. This also tells us something about the nature of temptation. Although it often feels like temptation comes from outside of us, we are only truly tempted because the desire is already within our hearts (Jas 1:14-15).

4. “…and were by nature children of wrath.” The picture of life before Christ is bleak, and this is Paul’s nail in the coffin. He says that we were “children of wrath”, meaning that our separation from God placed us under judgment (John 3:36). We were like Children who disowned their Father, called Him a liar, and rejected His love for us (an echo of “sons of disobedience” in verse 2). Not only that, but Paul says that we were this way “by nature”. It wasn’t just bad choices that we made, but the very core of our being stands in opposition to the God who loves us. Any hope of trying to change by behavior modification is gone (Rom 7:18). It wasn’t just what we did, but who we were.

5. This problem does not just afflict the few. We were “like the rest of mankind”, meaning this issue is present in the hearts of every person (Rom 5:12).



This all seems pretty bleak, and I think it’s meant to be. Paul is not trying to beat us up, but is lovingly showing us the way things are without Jesus. If we go to the doctor, we don’t want him to tell us things are better than they really are – we want the truth. Paul is giving us truthful diagnosis which sinks the heart. What we haven’t heard yet is that there is a glorious cure that makes us whole again…

Tomorrow: verse 4.

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Categories Bible, God, Theology

Made Alive pt 2

July 31, 2009 //
6

Ephesians 2:1-10 is one of my favorite portions of scripture, perhaps even my favorite. I find those ten verses to be so rich in God’s love, grace and salvation that when I read it, it fills my heart with a deep thankfulness for the wisdom and ways of God. It seems to me that the theme of this passage is God so transforming and changing us, that we can say that we have been, “made alive”.

Over the next little while, I’m going to go through the passage verse by verse, listing some thoughts, ideas, and observations from them. For previous posts, click here.



Today is verse 2:



Ephesians 2:2 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— (ESV)


1. …”in which” continues the premise in verse 1 that sin is not just actions, nor just actions plus thoughts, but is actually a spiritual corruption that affects us at our core. Our very will is bent away from God, and Paul says that is the condition “in which” we are dead. It is an identity defined by our sinfulness.

2. …”once walked” speaks firstly to the idea that our sinful identity is something that “once” was, but is no longer. Paul will later tell us how. The word “walked” reveals that our sin is not something that just happens to us, nor is something we are forced into. It is something we choose and “walk” out. We are sinners both by nature and choice.

3.With the word, “following,” Paul begins to establish the idea that we are being led. People only follow if there is a leader. Who is the leader of our sin and trespasses (v1)?

4. Firstly we follow “the course of this world”. That is, we are only following the ways of every person who has gone before us, and every person who lives along side us. The people of this world are trapped in a cycle of rebellion against God.

5. More closely, we follow “the prince of the power of the air.” This refers to Satan, who ultimately leads sinners in the way that they live. Interestingly, Paul uses the word “prince”. This tells us that, although Satan has power, he is still subject to a King. “Power of the air” may suggest the idea that our sinful condition is as natural as the air we breathe, and that Satan is the master manipulator of that power.

6. …”the spirit” tells us that Satan is a spiritual being. All of our actions, words, and thoughts are symptoms of the spiritual life within us. Satan’s desire is to keep us spiritually dead, and he works hard to keep us trapped as slaves to sin.

7. …”now at work in the sons of disobedience.” The powers of evil are not passive, but are active in those who are separated from God. In fact, Satan can even work through things we generally regard as ‘good’ to convince us that we have no need for God. There are no spiritually neutral people. Paul even suggests that we live as spiritual children – those who follow Jesus are ‘sons of God’ (Rom 8:14, Gal 3:26); those who don’t are ‘sons of disobedience.’ That is, they belong as children to the evil ways of the world, the father of which is Satan (John 8:44).



Next: verse 3


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Categories Bible, God, Theology

Made Alive pt 1

July 30, 2009 //
3

Ephesians 2:1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 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— 3 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. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (ESV)



Ephesians 2:1-10 is one of my favorite portions of scripture, perhaps even my favorite. I find those ten verses to be so rich in God’s love, grace and salvation that when I read it, it fills my heart with a deep thankfulness for the wisdom and ways of God. It seems to me that the theme of this passage is God so transforming and changing us, that we can say that we have been, “made alive”.

Over the next little while, I’m going to go through the passage verse by verse, listing some thoughts, ideas, and observations from them. Today is verse 1:


Ephesians 2:1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins (ESV)


1. …”you” is universal. Paul was addressing the church at Ephesus, and through his words, the Holy Spirit addresses each of us. Among those who are saved, there are no exceptions to what Paul is saying.

2. …”dead” is a strong term. It is not the same as “jaded” or “distracted” or “mistaken”. Dead means lifeless, and unable to experience life. “You were dead,” tells us that there was a time when each of us was, in some way, dead. Paul is referring to a spiritual death, an inability within each of us to sense, hear, or see God. Our spiritual disposition towards God was that of a dead person.

3. What made us this way? Firstly, our “trespasses”. A trespass is an unlawful act committed on another person. The person in this context is God. Although we hurt each other with our actions, the ultimate victim is God (Ps 51:4). He is holy and righteous, and made us to be perfect and to glorify Him. Any rejection of that purpose is a trespass against God.

4. Secondly, “sin” has made us dead towards God. The word “sin” is often dealt with in a narrow way, that is, we think mostly about actions. And it’s true – sin does lead to evil actions. Others consider sin to be “out there” in the world, and to be avoided. And it is true that there are sinful things in the world that we want no part of. But those instances of sin are merely symptoms of a much larger, more sinister problem – that is, that sin dwells deeply in the heart of each person, and actually defines them (Matt 15:19). Because we are sinful at our core, we cannot know the true, living, holy God. Our hearts are dead towards Him, and do not desire Him. We create dead gods as substitutes for our dead hearts to worship.



Next: Verse 2…


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