What do an eraser, white-out, and a delete button have in common? Each item provides compensation for our mistakes. If you make a mistake on a document then all you have to do is erase it, white-it-out, or delete it.
Don’t you wish that the mistakes we make in life could be handled that succinctly? The reality is that we are flawed and live in a fallen world. Life gets messy and we make mistakes. We deliberately choose our own way and sometimes we may deviate from God’s best. Sometimes we make poor choices and break the heart of God. A name for that willful disobedience is called transgressions. We select a path that does not honor God and therefore commit a transgression.
“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,” Eph 2:1 (NIV)
Before Christ, we were spiritually dead which was evidenced by our willful disobedience. Our transgressions flowed from our state of decay. We were dead! Thus, in our deadness rebellion came naturally. We acted according to our spiritual reality.
Let the word “were” in verse one capture your heart for a few moments. Meditate on what you were when you were dead in your transgressions. Weigh the reality of “were” and see if your level of appreciation for God’s intervention escalates.
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care