Articles
Do You Have a Blessed Hope?
“And you did he make alive, when ye were dead through your trespasses and sins, wherein ye once walked according to the course of this world, according to the spirit that now worketh in the sons of disobedience; among whom we also all once lived in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest:—but God, being rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace have ye been saved), and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:1-6).
These words of hope have been refreshing to many a reader. They identify regeneration from a state of death, to that of life. Many who read this thank God for his great love, as was stated by the Apostle John, saying, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God sent not the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through him” (John
Do you have this blessed hope, expressed by the Apostle Paul and the Apostle John? Let us see.
In the Apostle Paul’s description of those who are sitting “with him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus,” he uses terms such as, “ye were dead,” “also all once lived,” “were by nature,” “were dead through our trespasses.” These phrases indicate a changing of condition: the Apostle Paul’s words of consolation were written to Christians, not to people in general.
In order to receive hope from these words, there are certain conditions that must be realized, i.e., “you did he make alive:” (1) “ye were dead through your trespasses and sins” because “ye once walked according to the course of this world:” the recipient of this blessing must cease to so walk; (2) had been “by nature children of wrath,” i.e., they were among those of whom, “cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 5:6); (3) They “were dead” through their trespasses: dead in a moral and spiritual sense; (4) They were “made alive in Christ.”
Those to whom the Apostle Paul spoke were those of whom he said, “We are ambassadors therefore on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us: we beseech you on behalf of Christ, be ye reconciled to God. Him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians
Remember the words of the Hebrew writer, saying concerning Jesus, “and having been made perfect, he became unto all them that obey him the author of eternal salvation” (Hebrews 5:9). ret
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