MONDAY
Last week we launched a new campaign called the Irresistible Gospel. This campaign aims to reveal the beauty and appeal of the gospel story, regardless of one's religious beliefs. The story is so good that, whether Christian or not, we should all want it to be true.
In this campaign we will approach the gospel story from a philosophical perspective, exploring the basic building blocks of any worldview or meta-narrative: origin, meaning, morality, and destiny.
Last week we started with morality. Remember, our conclusions were:
- There is a moral law and a moral law giver
- We all violate that moral law
- Our violation of the moral law puts us at odds with the moral law giver
These propositions are difficult to accept, nevertheless ones that we intrinsically know to be true. In line with the theme of this campaign, then, it is far more desirable to accept the truth than it is deny it, ignore it or deceive ourselves into rationalizing our violations of it. Instead, we need to genuinely examine ourselves, which leads to confession and repentance.
This week we will be looking at God’s response to our violations of the Law, i.e. sin. This is where the gospel becomes so desirable that it is truly irresistible. This is where the story takes a turn that no other story, worldview or meta-narrative. No one even comes close to matching its splendor. Later in the week we will explore a couple of alternative options that, put bluntly, are trash in comparison.
But again, we cannot jump to this too quickly. If the depth of depravity in our plight is small the greatness of the redemption will be small. Conversely, if the depth of depravity in our plight is large, the greatness of the redemption will be large. The text we are in for this week begins by describing the tragic state of sinful humanity apart from God’s redemption. For the rest of today, let’s just read it. Read of our plight followed by God’s merciful, loving, powerful act of redemption in Christ.
Ephesians 2:1–10 1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 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, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Reflection
Read through that passage again slowly and just appreciate the beauty and greatness of God’s redemption.