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BRAVER THAN LIONS
Sam Stringer
Oct 14, 2024
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 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, 3 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. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love
with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with
Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in
the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 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
In writing today’s devotional, I am fully aware that there are mixed perspectives on how salvation works,
sometimes labeled “Calvinism vs. Arminianism” and I’m honestly not looking to open up a can of worms in
saying that. I want to address this passage by directing your attention to a concept that I think is quite
helpful in understanding salvation. Of course, when we speak of salvation, it’s not really foreign to those
of us who know God’s word as to why we need saved: we’re going to perish eternally in Hell if we don’t
get saved. John 3:16 is sufficient by itself in addressing that when Jesus says, “that whoever believes will
not perish but have everlasting life,” thus also implying that without belief in Christ, we will most certainly
perish. What I want to address from Ephesians 2:1-7, though, is in a sense deeper as it relates to the
eternal why of salvation.
The first six verses of Ephesians 2 speak very much of the active work of God in the saving of an
individual. These are not verses intended to speak so much to our call to believe or obey as much as they
are verses speaking of what God has done and is doing in redeeming us. You might consider it the other
side of the coin of salvation, us believing on one side and God working on the other. He made us alive;
we did not make ourselves alive. He raised us up; we did not raise ourselves up. He made us to sit
together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus; we did not make ourselves to sit in the heavenly places.
We were dead and without hope and God came in and changed that. We were senseless sinners just as
the rest, and God altered that course. Yes, we believed, but even our belief was founded upon the active
work of God in convincing us of our sin, His righteousness, and the judgment (John 16:8) that we were to
endure should we not trust in Jesus as our Savior. May I suggest to you that God has a stage and that He
shares that stage with no one? I think verse 7 will help in making that case.
Ephesians 2:7, I believe, speaks into why God saves. God saves people so that “in the ages to come He
might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” God saves in
order that God might be glorified. God saves to invite us into not only seeing, but also participating in the
worship of Him for His glorious attributes. In the end, all people will bring glory to God in one way or
another: in Heaven, for His mercy and grace, but in Hell, for His justice and holiness. Both display all of
His attributes, but they do so in different ways. God wants to show His goodness, the riches of His
kindness, so salvation is the forgiveness of sins; salvation is the pardoning of the certain judgment in Hell;
salvation is the offer of Heaven. Salvation, though, is also the invitation to celebrate first-hand the
exceeding riches of God’s grace, thus, to celebrate and elevate God in our hearts forevermore. Our
journeys what with their ups and downs as believers have a culmination in eternity and it is to join
together in sinless perfection as the glorified body of Christ in worshipping our Lord. That day is coming
and with such hope in mind, I encourage you in your walk today that you be braver than lions.
Sam Stringer
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.
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