The Work of God

Understanding Ephesians 2:4–10

When we look closely at the Bible, each word has a deep meaning. Ephesians 2:1-10 shows us how meeting Jesus can change us completely. It’s like crossing a big mountain range—just a tiny step can lead to a massive change. The joy we feel when we compare our old life of sin to the new life we have in Jesus is a gift.

1. Moving from death to life

Before we become Christians, ideas like sin, grace, heaven, hell, truth, and mercy might seem hard to understand or even not real at all. This is a kind of spiritual blindness—or death. But when Jesus becomes part of our lives, these spiritual truths come alive. They become the most important parts of our lives, showing we’ve moved from spiritual death to life.

2. Moving from bondage to freedom

Being free in Jesus means we’re not chained to things of this world like our jobs, money, or relationships. When we’re saved, we start to see that God’s love is better than anything the world can offer. We realize that while these things are good, they’re not our whole life—our real life is found in Jesus. Getting to this point of spiritual freedom can be tough and takes discipline, but as we focus more on knowing Jesus, we experience the joy of true freedom.

3. Moving from children of wrath to being raised and seated with Him

Grace, like we see in the story of Jean Valjean in “Les Miserables,” can change us in a big way. It asks us to let go of thinking we’re always right, and to accept love we don’t deserve. This can be a shocking and humbling experience. It often means admitting we’ve done wrong. But it also highlights the importance of showing God’s grace in our own lives. It reminds us that we need Jesus’ saving grace, and it encourages us to live in a way that shows His love to others.