Your Salvation: A Present Reality
Embracing Your New Identity
We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, Ephesians 2.3-4.
The contrast between these verses cannot be more significant. Here, we observe two groupings of people: children under wrath and a different set of children who have been shown mercy. Inherent in all of this is our choice. We may choose to be either God’s enemies or His children. Those who choose God receive mercy, which is the removal of punishment that is deserved.
John writes:
God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins, 1 John 4.9-10.
God took the initiative by demonstrating pity and compassion toward us after we fell into a situation that we could not escape without help. The fact that we became victims because of our bad choices did not prevent God from having mercy. God loves us no matter what.
In Ephesians 1, Paul spoke about the power available to us who believe, 1.19-20. By his power, God raised Jesus from the dead. By that same power, God raises us from spiritual death, 2.5. God brings dead people to life. God seated Jesus at his right hand in the heavenly places by his power, 1.20b. By that same power, God has seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 2.5b. Just as Jesus lives forever and reigns triumphantly, so do God’s children continue in spiritual life and triumph over the old life of human failure. What you were, you are no longer, by the grace of God.
In Ephesians 2.5, saved is written in the present tense. Salvation by grace is not just a future promise but a present reality. Notice how Paul goes on to describe that reality:
· You are alive together with Christ.
· You have been raised up together with Christ.
· You are seated together with Christ.
A Parallel Text
Giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, Colossians 1.12-13.
Please focus on the words rescued and transfer. These are powerful. Rescued means “to be delivered.” This is God’s ultimate goal in history.
Look at how Jesus summarized His mission:
The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, Luke 4.18.
Transferred means “a change of state, emphasizing the difference in the resulting state.” It is “a change in position,” “a change of residence.” You have been taken from Satan’s domain and transferred to God’s.
Now let’s examine Colossians 2.12-14:
When you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses. He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.
You had piled up a debt before God. Its payment was death. Now, Jesus caused it all to be set aside. Your sins were nailed to His cross.
Wrapping Up
In conclusion, the journey from living under the shadow of wrath to basking in the light of mercy is one of the most essential facts of Christianity. It speaks to the heart of what it means to be redeemed, to be given a second chance at life rooted not in our own merits but in God's boundless grace and unfailing love. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, we are offered an escape from the crippling debt of our sins and a path to a new identity as children of God, co-heirs with Christ.
It is not just about the destination but about embracing each step with a heart full of gratitude and a spirit willing to be transformed. It challenges us to view our lives through grace, recognizing that we are not defined by our past mistakes but by our new status in Christ. We are called to live lives that reflect the magnitude of this grace, bearing fruit by our renewed nature and spreading the light of Christ's love.
Let us, therefore, step forward with renewed vigor, led by the Spirit and empowered by the very power that raised Christ from the dead. May we be agents of grace, ambassadors of mercy, and living testimonies to the life-changing power of the Gospel. Let’s go forward, living not as those who have no hope but as those whose hope is anchored in the Rock of Ages, the foundation of our faith and the author of our salvation.