Before Christ and After Christ

 READ: Isaiah 61,62; Psalms 93; Ephesians 2

SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 2: 1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
2 in 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.

OBSERVATION: Until recently, people predominantly used the BC (means before Christ and AD (in Latin, it means “in the year of the Lord.”) when they mentioned any date or year. For religious neutrality in saying the years, people now started to use BCE and CE (CE stands for Common Era). Change in the name or abbreviations will not change any truths of the history of the world or Jesus. In his epistles to the Ephesians, Paul presents a picture of the new man who lives in Christ and says the difference between the old sinful life and new life in Christ.

Before we came to Jesus, we were slaves to sin. We were dead in our transgressions and sins (Rom.6:20). Formerly, we did not know God (Gal.4:8) and were in darkness (Eph.5:8). Once, we were not people of God (1 Pet. 2:10). We were under the dominion of darkness (Col.1:13).  Essentially, we were spiritually dead and were deserved to receive God’s wrath. We were away from God as foreigners and aliens to him. Next to God, we know what our past life is. But God who loves us, chosen us to be his children, gave us a new life in Christ. We who were spiritually dead are now alive in Christ.  In Christ, we become a new creation; “The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Cor.5:17). Our new life in Christ is the gift of God (Eph.2:8). We should not continue to live our former Christless life. Instead, we should have a clear picture of who we are in Christ and live accordingly. As a spiritual exercise, as we read and meditate on the Ephesians, let us write down what we find about ourselves in the epistle.

APPLICATION: I have a new identity and life in Christ. Christ lives in me and enables me to fight against sins and carnal desires. I should not live in my past. I should experience and enjoy Jesus every day. I will/should allow Christ to reign my life, not sins. When Satan reminds me of my past, I need to remember who I am in Christ.  

PRAYER: Father God, thank you for the new life you have given us. Help me to live as your child who fears nothing but God. Holy Spirit, help me to obey God’s commandments. Lord, help me to remember who I am in Christ and apply it in my life to sit and reign with Christ.

- Arputharaj Samuel
+91 9538328573

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