Tuesday after the Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity Sunday

Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-22 (NKJV)

2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands—12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Devotion

Ephesians 2 starts by reminding us that we were all led by a spirit of evil and disobedience. But at the end of the chapter we are reminded that by God’s grace, through faith, He makes us a dwelling place of His Holy Spirit.

Unrepentant sinners need to be taught that they are dead in their trespasses. They are “sons of disobedience” and “children of wrath.” And the Lord dearly wants to save them and bring them near to Himself by the blood of Christ. His holy desire is to cast out the spirit of evil and make His own Spirit dwell in men and women so that they may have true saving faith in Jesus Christ crucified, so they should not perish, but have everlasting life!

Regrettably, the father of lies, the devil, continues to confuse people with false teachers and twisted messages about forgiveness. We who are of the household of faith have been made so because the message of the prophets and apostles was preached to us: sin and faithlessness brings death and God’s wrath; His Word and Spirit brings faith, repentance, and forgiveness. As Paul says in Galatians 1:6-9 about those who proclaim a perverted gospel which is different from the salvation that comes by grace through faith, “let him be accursed.” Let the lies of the devil be cast out, and God’s Spirit of faith and repentance prevail to bring life and salvation!

We pray: Lord, we beseech Thee to keep Thy household, the Church, in continual godliness, that through Thy protection it may be free from all adversities and devoutly given to serve Thee in good works, to the glory of Thy name; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.