WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson commentary
For Sunday March 12, 2017
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SAVING GRACE
(Made alive with CHRIST)
(Ephesians 2:1-10)
Whenever we decide to choose the Christian walk, we are also
choosing to alienate ourselves from worldly attitudes and behavior. We are no
longer permanent residents of this earth, but rather, we become citizens of
Heaven in advance, so to speak, and therefore, the laws of GOD should become
paramount to us, right now, while living here on earth.
Aspiring Christians need to begin to let GOD
dominate our thought process, if we are to move away from the spirit of this
world, satan, who refuses to obey GOD at any time. We have to, in effect,
“change our mind”, or “repent” from our former “worldly way” of thinking. We
then can, in a very real sense, begin to “share the mind of CHRIST”, and we can
begin to incorporate HIS thoughts into all of our decision-making.
In the biblical sense, the word “heart” is
translated from the Greek word “kardia” which describes one’s “thoughts” or
“way of thinking”, not one’s emotions. Still, our conversion is often treated
as “an emotional experience of psychological change”. And even though here in
Ephesians 2, Paul correctly depicts “conversion” as a “spiritual transformation”,
or, “a metamorphosis” from “a state of spiritual death” into “a state of spiritual
life”, this passage does have some psychological implications also.
Before our conversion to Christianity, we
generally follow the ways of the world and are driven by sinful thoughts and
desires. And while, even after conversion, we still are capable of sin, our
lives are, for the most part, re-oriented toward GOD, through the power of the
HOLY SPIRIT. However, all in all, it is not until a person actually falls in
love with goodness, that wrong things, will no longer fascinate, and have power
over them.
The reality of “our inward change”, must,
in time, be reflected in a true change of lifestyle, actions, and behavior, and
if it’s not, the supposed conversion, is not real. Our relationship with GOD is
our greatest asset, and it must be nurtured and invested in, in order to keep
us from “backsliding” and returning to old worldly behavior, or “spiritual
bankruptcy”.
Human nature has long been corrupted, and
we constantly tend to desire to create “a god who is made in our own image”,
instead of desiring to worship the GOD, WHO made us in HIS divine spiritual
image. The GOD of our salvation through JESUS CHRIST is the only GOD, and
theologians often debate whether it is salvation or faith that HE grants to us
freely.
However, the true Christian has “faith”
that “the gift of salvation” is an example of how GOD’s grace is greater than
all of our sins combined. Paul tells us that GOD acted graciously to grant
salvation to each of us who believe, and, no amount of good deeds can earn us
what GOD freely gives.
GOD determined long ago to form the
Christian Church out of the now flawed humanity that is “us”. He always took
those of us who were “dead in sin” and made us “alive in CHRIST JESUS”. HE,
quite literally, re-fashions us to make us suitable for every good work that HE
has prepared for us to do, and, through JESUS CHRIST, HE closed the gap between
us and HIMSELF, and brought us back into “a personal relationship of friendship
with HIM”.
GOD sees the unbeliever, who is walking
with satan and is thereby, in step with, even this current generation and it’s
worldly way of thinking, and HE desires to exchange our old “life of misery”, and
“temporal happiness (at best)”, for “a life that is filled with grace, mercy,
and eternal spiritual riches”.
Salvation, and GOD’s continued abundant
grace, is available to all people. However, one has to voluntarily choose to
become a partaker in that salvation and enormous grace. Every human being has
the opportunity to be “made alive with CHRIST”, to be at “oneness and peace
with CHRIST”, and, to “be a temple for the LORD”, our GOD and SAVIOR, WHO is
now, in Heaven. We’ve always had the “liberty” to choose, however, we can never
obtain “freedom”, until we use that liberty to choose CHRIST JESUS, and walk
away from the trappings of this world, which, right now, is being dominated by
satan.
A Sunday school
lesson by,
Larry D.
Alexander
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