Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

Free Grace Media

Of Princeton, New Jersey

 

AuthorClay Curtis
TitleJuly 22
Bible TextEphesians 2:1
Date22-Jul-2014
Series Daily Readings
Article Type Article
PDF Format pdf
Word Format doc
 

July 22

 

Ephesians 1: 22: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23: Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. 2: 1: And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins…

   

     Often, it serves us well to remember that the chapters in our bible were added by the translators.  This is one such example.  As we read of God raising Christ and giving “him, the Head over all, to the church,” we are told that it is Christ’s glory to be the one who “filleth all in all” his body.  Immediately, we are told what that means, “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.”  The translators added the italicized words because they convey what verses 4-10 tell us God did in and by our resurrected Lord and Savior.

     Notice, our death was in “trespasses” as well as in “sins.”  The word “trespasses” declares we were guilty of breaking the law of God for which we needed the free justification which Christ accomplished for us by his death on the cross.  The word “sins” declares we were dead spiritually for which we needed God to quicken us by Christ filling us with a new heart and giving us his Spirit. (Eze 36: 25-27)  Both these works are performed by our triune God by Christ our Head and both are necessary before holy God will receive guilty, dead sinners like us.

     First, we must be paid the just wages which our trespasses have earned, which is death. (Rom 6: 23; Eze 18: 4)  This death is much more than that physical death which we all shall face at God’s appointed hour.  It is the “second death” of “fire and brimstone” of God’s eternal and unalterable justice which every trespasser shall die. (Rev 20: 14; 21: 8)  The second death will be a living death “where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” (Mr 9: 44) But all praise and glory goes to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, who by his sovereign will and grace, who in his Son, provided himself, the Lamb, to die that living death upon the cursed tree for a people chosen unto salvation from eternity.  Look into the darkness of Calvary’s cross and behold our Substitute alive in agony as he died that living death of hell’s just wrath which all his people deserved.  Christ cried, “It is finished” before commending his spirit into the hands of God, declaring that his physical death was but a visible token to his people that that living death had been conquered and justice forever satisfied in those hours in which he suffered upon the cross.  By the death he accomplished, the gift of God is eternal life to all his chosen seed.

     Secondly, and just as important, because we were dead in sins, a new man must be created within each of God’s elect, in the true righteousness and true holiness of Christ. (Eph 4: 24)  While dead in sins, not only could we not believe on Christ in faith, nor offer up “the calves of our lips”, God could not receive us or any offerings of faith and gratitude from us, because “it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein.” (Ho 14: 2; Lev 22: 21)  The blessed man is not simply the man “unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity” but also “in whose spirit there is no guile.” (Ps 32: 2)  We have not that guileless spirit until God puts his Spirit within us, forming Christ in you, and gifting us with faith by his grace. (Gal 4: 19; Col 1: 27; Eph 2: 8-9) There is simply no freedom from the law of sin and death except by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. (Rom 8: 2)  The reality is that the true spiritual child of God does not even exist until God has circumcised the heart, whereby God’s child is created within these dead sons of Adam. (Rom 2: 28-29; Gal 6: 15)   Again, all praise and glory goes to our triune God for we are “his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Eph 2: 10) 

    If we have a new spirit and a new heart to behold that we have been delivered from our death in trespasses as well as in sins then shall we praise and glorify our triune God for Christ Jesus who filleth all in all.