How lovely God is Pt 11: We are made alive in Christ

Ephesians 2:1-10                   1As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.  3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts.  Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.  4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.  6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.  8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

We were dead in transgressions

First, let’s talk about what dead means.  Peter is writing to the church in Ephesus intending for them to read it, so certainly they had a pulse—they were not physically dead.  Death, in the biblical sense, isn’t about a lack of pulse—it’s about separation.  There’s a haunting realism here.  Dead people can’t revive themselves.  They can’t respond, breathe, or change their condition.  There’s no softer way to say it—spiritually, we were lifeless.  This isn’t a metaphor for “struggling” or “flawed”; it’s a declaration of total inability.  Sin didn’t just wound us; it killed us.  And that’s precisely how Scripture frames our spiritual situation before grace intervenes.

OK, if we are dead in our sins, which sounds horrifyingly permanent, how do we correct that problem?  Of course, the answer is that we can’t do it at all; only Christ can.  The “ways of this world” are the self-centered patterns of thought and behavior that resist God’s truth.  Behind them stands the “ruler,” a reference to Satan, who manipulates the systems of this world to keep people blind.

We often like to think of ourselves as mostly good people who just need a bit of divine encouragement.  But the gospel diagnosis is deeper: without Christ, we were lifeless.  Our thoughts, habits, and desires bent away from God’s purposes.  Romans 3:23 states that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  In other words, sin isn’t a bad habit; it’s a fatal wound. 

Thankfully, the diagnosis of death in transgressions is not permanent.  To be “dead in transgressions” means to be unable to respond to God, much like a corpse cannot respond to sound.  The heart does not beat toward holiness.  Yet the beauty of the gospel begins with this diagnosis.  Only when we grasp how helpless we were can we understand how glorious it is that God intervened.

But God made us alive

Thus, our story begins not with self-help but with death—our own and His.  Only when we see how desperate our condition was can we appreciate how glorious His rescue is.  If verse 1 describes our death, verse 4 describes God’s divine interruption.

Two of the most beautiful words in all of Scripture are “But God.”  After describing our spiritual lifelessness, Paul says, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ” (Ephesians 2:4–5).  There’s the turn—the pivot point where grace breaks into darkness.  The same power that raised Jesus from the grave now breathes life into hearts that had forgotten how to beat.

What happened to Jesus physically happens to us spiritually.  We don’t just admire the resurrection; we participate in it.  To be alive in Christ is to live with new desires.  The pulse of grace beats within us.  The things that once satisfied no longer do; the things of God that once seemed foreign now feel like home.  This is why Paul urges believers in Philippi to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:12–13).  Notice that the life given by God now becomes life lived with God.  Salvation is not static; it’s dynamic, relational, and transformative.

The humility of Christ not only redeems us but reshapes us.  As we grow alive in Him, we begin to mirror His posture—servanthood, obedience, self-giving love.  The one who was lifted up invites us to live lifted lives—not in pride, but in praise.  The power that made us alive continues to sustain us.  Paul doesn’t say we gradually improved or were resuscitated.  He says we were made alive—a resurrection word.  The same power that raised Jesus from the tomb (Ephesians 1:19–20) now operates within those who believe.  When we realize that God made us alive, it reshapes how we view everything.  We no longer strive to earn His favor; we live in response to it.  The Christian life isn’t about moral performance—it’s about resurrection participation.

So we might know His grace

We hear about God’s grace and mercy a lot.  Grace is God’s divine intercession which gives us strength or power to face a situation.  Mercy is His forgiveness when we mess up anyway.  Grace isn’t just a means to salvation—it’s the ongoing display of God’s generosity throughout eternity.  God’s grace exceeds comprehension.  It’s like trying to measure the ocean with a teaspoon.  Every act of kindness, forgiveness, and restoration in the believer’s life is a reflection of that grace.

Verses 8–9 are among the most quoted in all Scripture: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”  Salvation is entirely God’s doing.  Faith is not a human achievement but the open hand that receives what grace gives.  This is freeing news.  We are not saved by how much faith we can muster, how many prayers we say, or how morally consistent we are.  We are saved because God is gracious, and He has anchored that grace in Jesus.

Grace is not a concept to admire; it’s a person to know.  Christ is the embodiment of God’s grace (John 1:14–17).  The more we grow in relationship with Him, the more we discover the “riches” of that grace—grace that restores, empowers, and sustains.

Which saves us

The Greek word for “workmanship”  means a masterpiece or crafted work of art.  God doesn’t just save us from something—He saves us for something.  We are His new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), designed to reflect His creativity and goodness in the world.

This verse ties the whole passage together.  We were dead, God made us alive, His grace was revealed—and now that grace produces something tangible.  Good works are not the root of salvation but the fruit of it.

In a world obsessed with self-definition, Paul reminds us that our identity is received, not achieved.  We are God’s workmanship.  He thought us up, shaped us, redeemed us, and now sends us out.  Every act of love, service, forgiveness, or compassion becomes an echo of His saving grace.  Notice that God “prepared” these works in advance.  That means there is divine intentionality behind your life.  You’re not an accident of biology or a random believer adrift in history.  God has marked out specific opportunities for His grace to be displayed through you.

Being “alive in Christ” is not simply about inner renewal—it’s about participation in God’s redemptive mission.  When we walk in the works He has prepared, we become living testimonies that salvation is not theoretical—it’s transformational.

What about me?

Ephesians 2:1–10 tells the full story of salvation in miniature.  We move from death to life, from wrath to grace, from alienation to adoption.  We began as spiritual corpses—unable to move toward God, enslaved to sin, and deserving of judgment.  But God, rich in mercy, intervened.  Through Christ’s death and resurrection, He breathed life into our dead hearts.  He raised us up, seated us with Him, and made us living demonstrations of His grace.

This grace, received through faith, is entirely a gift.  And the result is that our lives now bear the fingerprints of divine artistry.  We are God’s poem—living, breathing evidence of what grace can do.

To be alive in Christ is to live every day as a resurrection person—to remember that grace not only saved us but continually sustains us.  The gospel doesn’t just make bad people better; it makes dead people alive.  So, when we worship, when we serve, when we forgive, when we love—these are not mere religious acts.  They are the expressions of new life that flow from the One who conquered death.

Believer, if you are struggling over an issue—or facing opposition—or feeling worthless—remember this one thing:  You were created on purpose, for a purpose.  All that you are, all your hopes, skills, and gifts, were created by the Father.  You have value!  And remember also…

We were dead.
But God made us alive.
So we might know His grace.
Which saves us—completely and forever.