| SCRIPTURE TEXT: “…that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.”–Ephesians 2: 5-6(NLT) In the previous verses, Paul wrote about our old sinful nature. Here Paul emphasizes that we do not need to live any longer under sin’s power. The penalty of sin and its power over us was miraculously destroyed by Christ on the cross. Through faith in Christ, we stand acquitted, or not guilty, before God. God does not take us out of the world or make a robot—we will still feel like sinning, and sometimes we will sin. The difference is that before we became Christians, we were dead in sin and were slaves to our sinful nature. But now we are alive with Christ. Because of Christ’s resurrection, we know that our body will also be raised from the dead and that we have been given the power to live as Christians now. Our eternal life with Christ is certain because we are united in His powerful victory. |
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