Made Alive In Christ

Made Alive in Christ

Have you ever wondered what it means to be made alive in Christ? It’s one of the best feelings there is. It’s rejuvenating when you truly understand what that means. We are made alive. The statement itself is rejuvenating at it is.

It’s hard to explain something without scripture, so here it is.

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following the desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved. 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 incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift from God-not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ecclesiastes 2:1-10)

That scripture is filled with so many awesome bits and pieces of truth. One of the first things that it is important to understand is that we all used to be dead in our transgressions and sins. That is how is used to be, we followed the ways of the world and were a victim to it. If you didn’t go through that stage in your life, then I really want to meet you! Everything that we did was deserving of wrath…everything that was done was for the flesh and to satisfy your own cravings. It’s still like that today! We are dirty sinners who sin over and over again, it’s human nature. It’s the battle we fight everyday… (righteous vs. wicked, vertical lifestyle vs. horizontal, right vs. wrong, God vs. world.

You know what? Because of God’s great love for us, we have been saved by grace. Reading that is convicting, I think God’s grace is something that I take for granted. I am far from perfect, yet God has blessed me in so many amazing ways. Think about what you deserve vs. your life. I guarantee you where you are right now wouldn’t be with God. To get where you are at, so many things have to fall into place and that is only because of Christ and his love for us.

*For it is by grace we have been saved, through faith*

The end of the passage is my favorite. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  We are God’s handiwork created to do good works, that have been prepared in advance for us to do. Let that settle in. Next time you feel like there is nothing good you can do, remember that there are good works out there for you to perform and God has that already planned out for you.

I hope that you were encouraged and have a greater understanding what it means to be made alive in Christ.