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From Sin To Salvation To Service
Brian Mashburn
February 21, 2016
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From Sin To Salvation To Service
With amazing brevity and depth, Paul captures the essence of the Christian journey in Ephesians 2:1-10.
He speaks first of the death that is experienced when we "sin" (miss the mark) and when we "transgress" (slip and fall). It is not a physical death he speaks of here. As our hearts know, it is a death that we live with. It is a slavery to self-indulgent rewards rather than God-glorifying life.
Behind this is an unholy trinity, if you will - the world, the devil, and the flesh. The first two masterfully cooperate to have us enslaved by the last one.
It is the sad, Christless life. It fits into the world, and is at the mercy of unrestrained desire, especially subtle and socially acceptable ones. It disregards true good, disobeys God and calls it good. It is lowly and normal. It appeals to our low nature, and sadly kills the high one.
Then, Paul enlivens us with hope! He explains that God is helplessly in love with us! He sends Christ, and with him kindness, grace, and mercy combine as an unmerited gift from Him that rescues us! We get our ideals back, a new innocence comes, and our will to do good is found! He needed an exalted phrase for this happy transition, and he uses it twice: "You have been saved!"
And in one of Paul's greatest paradoxes, Paul says that no work or service can earn us this rescue - only faith can capture it and enjoy it - but once it is received, you end up compelled to work and serve. Not as a means of earning this gift, but as a response to it. And lo and behold, it is what God created our hearts to find life and satisfaction in all along.
Have you made the move from sin to saved? From saved to serving? God's plan is to bring all things together under Christ, and this is his enlistment strategy.