From Darkness To Light

(Ephesians 2:1-10 NKJV) And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, {2} in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, {3} among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. {4} But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, {5} even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), {6} and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, {7} that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. {8} For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, {9} not of works, lest anyone should boast. {10} For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

The Big Change

There has been a huge change in your life. You have moved from being "dead in trespasses and sins" to being "alive together with Christ". God's life, which is "eternal life" has been put into your heart. God has come to live in you and be at home in your life. You have started to "come alive" and "wake up" to all sorts on new things. Things that were nonsense before now start to make some sense and there is a deep desire for God and for holiness in your heart. You want to belong to Jesus and to obey Him. You want to be with other believers and read the Bible and go to church. You want to do good things and you want to get rid of the bad things in your life. A new life principle is operating within you. Wheras before the life principle of sin and death led you now the life principle of righteousness and peace leads you. You are a different person. Your life is so different and so new that you can say "I have been born again" (John 3:1-18).

To fully understand this change you must realise that before you became a Christian you were a controlled person. You were controlled by "the prince of the power of the air" - the Devil. He might not have been around pestering you all the time but anytime he wanted he could "press your buttons' and you would do what he commanded. You were being spiritually manipulated by an evil power. That is why even "good people" who are not Christians end up doing things they are ashamed of and regret. Now Satan's ability to press your buttons are gone. They are no longer available to him. However you still have a storehouse of bad habits that you have made your own, a whole heap of wrong desires, angry thoughts and boastful intentions that are dear to your heart and for many people a whole bird's nest of confusion and anxiety that still has to be dealt with. God will clear these things up for you if you ask Him. He is your Saviour - not you yourself. He will rescue you from both the penalty and power of sin and very graciously from some of its consequences as well.

Why does He rescue you - is it that he likes being a sort of life-saver" Or is there more to it than that? God certainly delights in saving people but He does so for a purpose - that they may live holy and responsible lives and fulfill the plans and purposes that He has created for us. Note verse 10 above "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." By being God's workmanship it means He deliberately made you, and deliberately made you a certain way. By "good works which He prepared beforehand.." means that God has a plan for your life, a plan full of good works for you to do. These good works will flow from the kind of person that He has made you to be. Lastly there is the phrase "for us to do.." that means you and I have to be active "doing' Christians putting our new lives into practice each day.

Other articles in this series include:

Back to: "How To Become A Christian"

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