Healing Rays of Righteousness

Many people spend thousands of hours and dollars reading horoscopes and listening to fortune tellers because of anxiety about their future. For me, such anxiety is answered and satisfied by reviewing and remembering my journey with God. And when I do, I am reassured of the future that is mine.

To best appreciate what God has done for us in our journey with him, we need to frequently revisit and remind ourselves of what God has done for us in the past, what he is doing for us in the present, and what he has prepared for us in the future. Every time I do this, I am amazed and awed by God’s love.

The opening words of Ephesians 2:1-10 tell us that we “were dead in transgressions and sins.”  We did what we thought would “gratify the cravings of our flesh,” and were victimized by the desires of our body and mind. “Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath,” (v.3).

From God’s perspective, we were spiritually dead because of our willful disobedience to his commandments. God does not say sickor asleep, he says dead and in need of life. Dead means to be powerless, lifeless, and rotting. In God’s sight, we were powerless to change our disobedient behavior. As a result, we could expect nothing from God but His wrath.

Yes, there is a paradox here. We were spiritually dead, yet very much alive and active against God. We followed and obeyed the devil and our fleshly desires, rather than living to obey and please God. This choice leads us on a path toward God’s wrath. “For the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). That was our past life of sinful separation from God

But “hear ye, hear ye” the good news of our present life in Christ. “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.” (v.4-5).

What amazing words these are. We were “made alive” and resurrected to a new life of eternal relationship with God. We could not work for it. We did not deserve it. We have not earned it. And yet, God gifted eternal salvation to us who believe, because Jesus willingly and lovingly paid for redemption and reconciliation on the cross. And now, today, we share in his glorious and wonderful resurrection life. This is our present life as a Christian.

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound!”  But, you asked, what is grace? It is God’s unmerited love acting on our behalf through Jesus Christ to rescue us from eternal death. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Rom. 6:23).

The exclusive agent of grace is Jesus Christ. Behind God’s grace is Calvary’s cross and Easter’s empty tomb. Jesus came to earth and took our sin upon himself, suffered, and died as a condemned criminal in our place, so that we could be made eternally alive and new. Why? Because he loved us!

We have been re-created, made alive and new in Jesus Christ to serve God. We, who were dead are now alive, not by good works but for good works. God’s intention is always to restore us to our created purpose as doers of good deeds in loving others. We are God’s workmanship and his presence of light and life in our present dark world of sin and death. This is our reality and mission in life.

But there is more! Both our present reality and continuing future is pictured in the good news that God “made us alive with Christ – … And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” (vv.5-7).

Yes, we have been raised and are seated with Christ “in the heavenly realms” and even now share in a measure of Christ’s authority. From this heavenly position of closeness and glory we are called to imitate God by compassionately seeing those near us who are enslaved by the powers of evil, and to love them as God has loved us, thereby participating with Christ in God’s process of salvation.

Please read those last two paragraphs again, slowly, and thoughtfully, letting their awesome truth penetrate deeply into your mind, heart, and soul. And may your assured future re-ignite your spirit and soul with purpose and praise. Thank you, Jesus!

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Ray M. Geigley – “Healing Rays of Righteousness” – www.geigler13.wordpress.com – 7/17/24