All people want one thing: peace. Ephesians 2 tells us exactly where to find it.
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Ephesians 2 Summary
Christianity literally brings you from death to life.
You WERE:
Dead in sin;
Following this world and it's prince.
You are NOW:
Made alive in Christ;
By God's gift of grace;
So that you can do the good works God created you to do.
God's grace breaks down the dividing wall of hostility (v14) that normally separates differing groups of people. The conventional wisdom of our world trots out trite, meaningless phrases like our unity is in our diversity, but this passage makes clear that it is our universal dependence on God's grace that that unites people in Christ.
All people have an instinctual desire to restore the peace lost when mankind fell into sin. Often times, this quest for peace is ironically expressed in greedy, selfish ambitions, which unsurprisingly never lead to lasting peace.
Ephesians 2 gives the simple answer to the one thing all people are looking for:
Christ Himself is our peace... For through Him we have access in the Spirit to the Father (v14a, 18).
Dig Deeper
This chapter is foundational to the five key claims of the Protestant Reformation.
We are saved:
BY GRACE ALONE
For by grace you have been saved through faith (v8)
THROUGH FAITH ALONE
For by grace you have been saved through faith (v8)
BECAUSE OF CHRIST ALONE
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ (v13)
REVEALED IN SCRIPTURE ALONE
built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone (v20)
FOR GOD'S GLORY ALONE (Soli Deo Gloria)
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (v10).
AAA Prayer:
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: God has wrath for those who remain dead in their sin (v3), yet He is rich in mercy (v4)
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will understand what it means that you are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for you to do (v10).
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
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