In this state of being dead in sins, dead to God, we were by nature “children of wrath.” Other versions say we were the “objects of wrath.” This corresponds to Romans 1 that teaches us that all sin is deserving of God’s wrath: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” (Romans 1:18 ESV).
No believer ever faces God’s wrath, though, because, in Christ, you have already faced God’s wrath. When Jesus was on the cross, He became the object of God’s wrath, and God shot Jesus through with the arrows of His hatred for sin (Lamentations 3:1, Lamentations 3:13, Psalm 38:2-4). Therefore Christ has stepped in front of the wrath of God and absorbed it all for you. There is no wrath left for those who put their faith in Jesus.
It’s important to understand our condition while outside of Christ. We were dead in sins, disobedient to God, led around by the devil and were depraved in our actions.
So how do we escape returning to the life of those who are dead in sin?
Let’s look at the passage in Ephesians chapter 2 again:
Ephesians 2:4-6 ESV But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, (5) even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— (6) and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
Notice the change that comes by God’s grace: we are “made alive,” “saved and raised up” with Jesus. And this is how we escape lust and impurity, whether we are unbelievers receiving Life for the first time or believers being rescued from the trap of the devil; it takes resurrection power!
Question 6. How does Ephesians 2:4-6 describe God’s attitude toward us, even when we were dead in sins and trespasses?
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Mark writes, "He viewed us with mercy and out of his great Love for us, sent his Son to save us and redeem us from the deranged ways of Satan."
Even though you were a terrible sinner, God had great love for you! Abundant and overflowing love for you! At the cross, He gave you “great love with which He loves you!”
In fact, in Christ, God gave you “mercy…love…grace.” God is rich in mercy; He has a lot of it for you. God has love to pour out on you, indeed, “great love with which He loved you.” And God saves you by His grace. Where we were dead toward God, living in disobedience and depravity, He showed us mercy, love, and grace.
This love and grace, when believed and received, makes us alive to God. Then the Bible becomes a wonderfully exciting book as the Holy Spirit unfolds it to us. Church is enjoyable because we want to sing and praise God. We treasure listening to sermons as they reveal Christ to our heart. This is what it is like to be alive!
The good news is that we access God’s resurrection power by faith. And this is why it is so crucial for us all to hear the gospel much and often, and that we exercise faith in it. We need to believe the message, and that’s how we receive the power.
We are raised by faith: Notice how this truth is taught in Colossians 2:
Colossians 2:12-13 ESV having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. (13) And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,
Question 7. According to Colossians 2:12, how are we raised?
Faith is the real key to experiencing the power of God. We know we’ve come to believe in the resurrection when we are raised with Christ, “through faith in the powerful working of God…”
We experience resurrection power when we believe the gospel.
Question 8. How is it that we receive resurrection power when we believe the message of the gospel?
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Radomir writes, "We receive His resurrected power in the moment we put our faith in what Jesus has done for us on the cross. How he loves us when He dies there in order to cleanse us and redeem us from the curse of the law, from God's wrath that we may live in freedom."