But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and He raised us up and seated us together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:4-7 (MEV)

 

Through Jesus, we encounter and experience God's deepest love and grace. With the work of the cross already completed, God in Christ has done everything possible to bring humanity to His saving grace.

The Apostle Paul beautifully expresses this truth, telling us that even though we are dead in sin, God in Christ has made us alive alongside Him. If we take Paul's words seriously, they clearly imply that God’s grace is at work to save us even before we believed in God. On the Cross, Jesus removed everything that disqualifies us from God's salvation. There is now absolutely nothing that can impede a person from choosing to follow Christ and believe Him as Lord and Saviour.

With such a wonderful gift of salvation, we assume that everyone wants to be saved. However, this is not always true. Jesus tells us that some people are unaware of their own sinfulness and thus do not see the need for a Saviour. Too often, they see sin as something only evil people do, not realising that sin is enmity with God (James 4:4).

It is not sin that separates us from God, but rather our refusal to accept God's love and grace. It is our unbelief will keep us from living a victorious life in Christ.

Sin is not what you do but why you do it. Sin is not a deed, but a nature within us that opposes God. Sin denies God's sovereignty over us and our unwillingness to trust Him for what He has promised. Having defeated sin, death and the devil, Jesus bestowed upon us a new divine nature and a right standing. This enables every person to have an authentic and personal relationship with God in Christ.