The Sunday of Confession (CL)

Ephesians 2:1-10

 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.

This is one of the most treasured passages of scripture. Luther read through Romans to discover what St Paul says so plainly right here. Many people have add or subtracted from this simple phrase. St Paul tells us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith.” This comes after saying, “made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved.”

You are dead! You have died on account of all your misdeeds. You were killed because of Adam and Eve’s rebellion. Sin has consumed your life and your thoughts. Your reason and passions have overpowered you. They have brought you to the point of death. You are dead!

What can a dead man do? How can a dead man be saved? Jesus Christ has made the sacrifice for your sins. He did this while you were dead and incapable of doing anything. Jesus Christ, God, did everything for you. He saved you from death. He made you alive. He continues to create in you the power to do good. This is Grace, a free gift of God. You are responsible for none of it. God has saved you by his grace through faith (which he gave to you).