We are all born in sin due to our inheritance of Adam’s sin. Therefore, we are born with a human spirit that is dead and in need of reconciliation to God. This original sin opens us up to the lure of the world, the lies of the devil, and the need to satisfy the inordinate cravings of our body and soul, which makes us deserving of God’s wrath (Ephesians 2:1-3).
That is why Jesus was begotten by the Spirit of God, and not by a human father. He was not born in sin, although He was tempted in every way, just as we are. He never once sinned against our Heavenly Father, which made Him the perfect sacrificial Lamb of God to pay our sin debt for us (Hebrews 4:15).
The free gift of God is salvation through Jesus Christ and is available to anyone wise enough to receive His gift of grace, righteousness, and reconciliation. Otherwise, we foolishly condemn our self to eternal damnation (John 3:16-18; Romans 5:11-18).
Due to his abundant love for us, our merciful Heavenly Father saves us by His grace and mercy, and makes us alive with Christ, even while we were still sinners. Once we turn to Jesus and away from relying on our human strength or the imagined enlightenment of false gods, God renews our spirit and raises us up to sit with Jesus in the depths of His spiritual wisdom (Ephesians 2:4-8; Romans 5:8).
This gift is not due to any merit or actions on our part, but only due to the sanctifying work of God’s Spirit in our life. From this new life, God calls us to walk in His preordained plan for our existence on earth. Jesus destroyed the wall of hostility between us and God (Ephesians 2:9-10).
We are no longer without hope of eternal life, and without God’s presence in this world, and separated from Christ and His righteousness, but unified with the entire Trinity of God through the shed blood of Christ on Calvary’s cross. Jesus is our peace, and He destroyed the enmity between us and God (Ephesians 2:12-18).
Prayer:
Father God, thank You for not abandoning us on this earth to traverse the world with nothing but our human resources, which fail us time and time again. You made us Your children rather than strangers and foreigners on this earth. Once we walk away from trusting in our human understanding and totally trust in You and walk in Your Spirit and not in our flesh, we are members of Your household (Galatians 5:15-26; Ephesians 2:19).
You give us a firm foundation on which to build our house – on the Rock of Jesus Christ who is the cornerstone for our life. You join us together as living stones to build a holy temple for Your dwelling place by Your Spirit. We can never thank You enough for Your gift of salvation, and praise Jesus enough for the sacrifice He made on our behalf. Thank You that He took the punishment for our sins on His own body and endured the scourging and crucifixion in our place (Deuteronomy 32:4; 1 Corinthians 10:4; Matthew 7:24-27; Ephesians 2:20-22; 1 Peter 2:5-9).
Thoughts for the Day:
Rather than condemning our self to eternal condemnation and torment in hell, we can accept the free gift of God of eternal life. This is not dependent on our human effort because otherwise we could take credit and boast of our accomplishment. This amazing gift comes from our benevolent Heavenly Father who reveals His purpose for our life if we would only take the time to listen.
- John 3:18; Romans 3:23, 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-10
