Made Alive Together with Christ -- A New Quality of Life

by Mr. Whitney V. Myers

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Woman Praising God - Ephesians 2:4-5 - 123RF Photo - Used under license

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved."  (Ephesians 2:4-5)

God has made believers in Christ alive together with Christ.  We identify with the resurrection of Christ, and God gives us a new quality of life -- eternal life.

     Consider.  If you are a believer in Christ, how would you describe to an inquisitive unbeliever or a new believer what it means to be "made alive together with Christ"?

1. Who is Paul writing to?

     Paul begins his letter, "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:" (Ephesians 1:1).  The Greek word for saints is hagios (hag'-ee-os) which means different or holy.  Christians are different from the world because we are like the Lord (Ref. 1).  Clearly, Paul is writing to believers in Jesus Christ.    

2. What was the former spiritual condition of the Ephesian believers before God made them alive together with Christ?

     Paul writes, "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world ..." (Ephesians 2:1-2).  In the same way, without Christ, we were dead in our trespasses and sins.  We inherited our spiritual "deadness" from Adam (Genesis 2:16-17, Genesis 3:6).  Romans 5:12 says, "When Adam sinned, sin entered the world.  Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned" (Romans 5:12 NLT).

Trespasses are a lapse or deviation from the truth, a slip-up, or an error that can be unintentional or willful (Ref. 2).  Sins are thoughts, words, or deeds where we miss the mark or target (Ref. 3).

3. Even when we were dead in our trespasses and sins, before we were in Christ, God loved us.

     God's divine attributes of mercy and love moved God to plan for and provide for our salvation (Ephesians 1:3-5, Ephesians 2:4-5, Colossians 2:13-14).  Romans 5:8 tells us, "But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  Jesus said about himself, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him" (John 3:16-17).
      

4. Together with Christ, God has made us alive.

     Ephesians 2:5 tells us (believers) that God has made us alive together with Christ.  In the Greek, the verb does not just say "made alive."  It says, "made alive together with" (Ref. 4).  Strong's Exhaustive Concordance defines this verb, suzóopoieó (sood-zo-op-oy-eh'-o), as "to reanimate conjointly with, (figuratively) -- quicken together with."  As believers in Christ, we identify with and are co-joined with Christ in his resurrection.  Paul writes, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).

5. When God makes us alive together with Christ, God gives us a new quality of life -- eternal life.

When we believe in Jesus Christ and in his resurrection, God makes us alive together with Christ.  God gives us a new quality of life -- eternal life (Romans 6:23).  Eternal life begins for the believer when they put their faith and trust in Christ, and continues after their physical death (John 11:25-26, Ref. 6).

Being made alive in Christ results in a new quality of life.  The Greek word for eternal in eternal life is aiónios, which means perpetual, unending, age-long (Strong's Concordance, Ref. 5, Ref. 6).  Aiónios includes the character of that which lasts for an age, as contrasted with that which is brief and fleeting (Ref. 5, Ref. 6).  "Aiónios does not focus on the future per se, but rather on the quality of the age it relates to.  People who are alive spiritually in Christ live in eternal life right now, experiencing this quality of God's life now as a present possession" (Helps Word-studies, Ref. 5, Ref. 6).

     Apply.  If you already are a believer in Jesus Christ, praise God that God has made you spiritually alive together with Christ.  Thank God for the quality of new life that he has given you in Christ.  If you are not yet a believer in Jesus Christ, put your faith and trust in him today.  He will forgive your trespasses and sins.  He will make you spiritually alive together with himself, and he will give you a new quality of life -- eternal life.  

Related Lessons
"What is Eternal Life?" (John 17:3)
"Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life (Job's Question, Jesus' Answer)" (Job 14:14, John 11:25-26)
"Jesus Christ is the Life - John 14:6"
"Jesus is the Way to Heaven" (John 14:6)

References
1.  https://biblehub.com/greek/40.htm
2.  https://biblehub.com/greek/3900.htm
3.  https://biblehub.com/greek/266.htm
4.  https://biblehub.com/greek/4806.htm
5.  https://biblehub.com/greek/166.htm
6.  http://www.scriptureway.com/home/what-is-eternal-life