A Verse
Ephesians 2:11-12
Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
A Comment
In these opening verses, Paul stresses how important it is for this new community to remember their condition before Christ intervened in their life. Christ was, is, and always will be the believer’s only true hope. And if the believers were going to fully appreciate and grow in their joy and understanding of salvation, then the believers would need to remember the situation of their rescue. For, when we forget the goodness of God in our bad situation, we have a tendency to feel entitled, grow anxious, and be ungrateful. If we do not remember that we were dead in trespasses and sins, we will not be grateful for God’s life-giving mercy.
Now, there might be some who are thinking, “You know, I’m just about sick and tired of being told that I was dead in trespasses and sins. That I was weak. That I was powerless. That apart from the grace of God, I could not save myself. I don’t need the reminder.”
Well, if God’s Word tells us to “remember,” then it’s quite obvious that we do really need the reminder. This passage is actually a command to remember, and every one of us needs to heed this command because we tend to forget how truly bad off we were before Christ. We tend to be like a survivor of a traumatic accident who doesn’t recall their injury or their rescue. And at times, because we don’t remember the rescue or the event, we forget how dire our situation really was. But just because we forget, or we don’t want to remember, that does not mean that we don’t need the reminder. Reminders of God’s grace are always good for us.
A Prayer
Would you join me in praying and asking God to help us remember our need for Him?
A Blessing
Now the God who is mighty,
the Lamb who is worthy,
and the Spirit who is near, fortify
you to live faithfully in these days
and all the days until Jesus comes.
Amen.
from Dale Ralph Davis, Grace Be with You: Benedictions from Dale Ralph Davis
Remember When (Part 2)