Aug 4, 2020

Good Morning Fellow Travelers,

Read: Ephesians 2:1-10

“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die…. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. (Gen 3:4-6)

We can all identify with the Apostle’s words in Ephesians 2. We were all dead in trespasses and sins. We walked like the world, following the spirit of evil and disobeying God. We followed the lust of the flesh. We fulfilled the desires of the mind and were deserving of the judgments of God. We were rebels against the will of God. If we continue to give in to our selfish desires, we are still rebelling against God.

It seems that one prominent feature of our sinful human nature is to seek out the prohibited. In fact, even children are natured to do the same. If a mother tells a child that he may play with anything in the room except the sewing machine, what will happen when the mother steps outside the door? The child instantly wants to touch the sewing machine. We are born with this sin nature.

We also see this in the Garden of Eden. Thousands of food choices surrounded Adam and Eve, but the prohibited Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil became what they most desired. We see this in our society today. Our society is spoiled by an excess of material wealth, yet many people go after what is forbidden or against the law. This aspect of the sin nature appears childish.

In verse four of our text, Paul recounts the blessings and benefits of the mercy of God. He reiterates the richness of God’s mercy and love. We, who are dead to self, have been made alive in Christ. By the grace of God, we sit in heavenly places. Let’s learn to enjoy this blessed place of grace and hate the forbidden.