RAISED INTO HEAVENLY REALMS

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:1-7, NKJV)

Devotion 4 of 16

WE WERE DEAD

    " And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins . . . "  (Ephesians 2:1)

      Our condition, before being made alive in Christ, was a dreadful one. We were "dead," destitute of spiritual life and separated from God. We were the opposite of Jesus, Who is "the Life," and is "alive forevermore" (John 14:6; Rev 1:18). Although moving about in the world, and, according to appearance, seeming to be alive, we were, like a widow living in pleasure, "dead while she lives" (1 Tim 5:6).

      As though the affirmation of our text was not sufficient, it is again stated in verse five: "we were dead in sins." The condition is further described in the fourth chapter of Ephesians as being "alienated from the life of God" (v 18).  We had a sort of mobility, but it was employed in hostility toward God and the rejection of His Son--"alienated." It is further declared that we came into life from a state of death: "we have passed from death unto life" (1 John 3:14). This was a state in which we were cut off from the life of God, with no eyes to see or ears to hear.

    The realm, or domain, of our death was "trespasses and sins." This involved alienation from God, and placed us under His wrath. "Trespasses and sins" are a realm that is both personal and collective. Individually we had sinned and were thus dead toward God. We also occupied a realm that was characterized by death and, consequently, was cursed by God. It was an utterly hopeless situation requiring Divine intervention. Although men debate about the extent of this death, nothing could have been done about it if God did not do it. Far better to acknowledge that "salvation is of the Lord" than to wrangle over the degree to which we were dead.

DIFFERENT STAGES OF DEATH

      During Christ's ministry, the Gospels record three occasions when He raised the dead. Each of them was in a different stage of death. Jairus' twelve year old daughter had just died, and still retained a pleasant appearance. Jesus took her by the hand and said, "Little girl, arise" (Luke 8:54). The only son of an unnamed widow from the city of Nain was raised en route to the burial. The Lord stopped the funeral procession, touched the open coffin, and said, "Young man, I say to you, arise" (Luke 7:14). Lazarus had been dead for four days, and mortification had set in, causing a stench in his tomb. Jesus stood at the mouth of the open tomb and cried out, "Lazarus, come forth!" (John 11:43).

      Each of these three occasions found death in a different stage. In the case of Jairus' daughter, you could look upon the child without being repulsed. In the case of the son of the widow of Nain, the corpse was not pleasant to look upon, yet you could stand close to the coffin, and men could carry it without being offended. But in the case of Lazarus, it was offensive to open the tomb because of the decay that had set in. Yet none of the people were actually any more dead than the others. They were all dead, although their appearance differed.

      So it is with sinners. Some have a degree of morality and civility that make them more tolerable, like Jairus' dead daughter. Yet, they are really "dead in trespasses and sins," and need to be raised up by Jesus. Others are more advanced in sin, and have no comeliness at all, like the son of the widow of Nain. Yet, they too are dead, and need to be raised up by Jesus. Still others have descended into the depths of sin. They have degenerated to such a degree that they are offensive to the eye and heart. Yet, they are really no more dead than the others. They too need to be raised by Jesus.

    There came a point in time when we, as those who were dead, heard the voice of the Son of God. With shattering power, it penetrated the dark domain in which we found ourselves. Jesus referred to this awakening when He said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live" NKJV (John 5:25). Jesus was speaking of a spiritual resurrection, for He later refers to another one which would also be accomplished by His voice--the resurrection of the body from the grave (John 5:28).

PRAYER POINT: Father, I thank You for raising me from death in trespasses and sins through Jesus Christ!

-- Tomorrow: WE WERE UNDER SATAN'S DOMINION --