New Life in Christ
Scripture Reading — Ephesians 2:1-3
All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature …
Ephesians 2:3
Paul uses the contrast of death and life to address the spiritual well-being of his readers. Spiritual life and health touch the core of every human person. Everyone is both a physical and spiritual being. This doesn’t mean that all people express their spirituality in the same way or through the same faith. The fact that there are many different religions in our global society does not deny that all religions have an underlying spiritual dimension. Even a person who professes to have no religion at all is still a physical and spiritual being.
As we noted yesterday, people were created in God’s image to live in fellowship with God. But people rejected God, causing their own spiritual death. In another letter Paul describes how this happened: “Although [people] knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal human beings and birds and animals and reptiles” (Romans 1:21-23). People did this because they were tempted by “the ruler of the kingdom of the air”—that is, the devil—“who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” (See also Genesis 3; Revelation 12.)
Let us thank God that we can have new life in Christ!
Creator Lord, forgive us for not living up to your intentions for us. Guard us from the death-dealing ways of the devil, and restore us to fellowship with you. In Jesus, Amen.
About the author — Peter Borgdorff
Dr. Peter Borgdorff has been a pastor and administrator in the Christian Reformed Church for 40 years, most recently serving as executive director till his retirement in 2006. He and his wife, Janet, have five children and 14 grandchildren.
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