“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.”
(Ephesians 2:1-2)
Christ’s earthly ministry was characterized by His miracles of healing the sick and raising the dead. These were all signs of His mission to bring life—both physical and spiritual—to a world dead in sin. Jesus declared, “I am come that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). He further proclaimed, “I am the resurrection and the life: he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25-26). Christ is the way, the truth, and the life, the source and sustainer of all existence.
To be “quickened,” as Paul writes in Ephesians 2:1, means to be given life where death once reigned. Before Christ, we were spiritually dead, enslaved to sin and the ways of the world, ruled by the prince of the power of the air. Yet, through faith, God infuses us with spiritual life, making us alive to Him. This is the miracle of regeneration, where a soul, once bound for destruction, is awakened to godliness.
God uses His Word as the primary means to accomplish this transformation. Hebrews 4:12 declares, “The word of God is quick,” alive and powerful, piercing to the core of our being and bringing life through the Spirit’s work. Christ Himself is the Word incarnate (John 1:1; Rev. 19:13), the perfect revelation of God to humanity. As Philippians 2:7 notes, He was “made in the likeness of men” to communicate God’s truth and life to us.
Through His Word and Spirit, God breathes grace into our souls, equipping us to live for Him (James 1:18; John 17:17). Thomas Wilson observes, “It [the Word of God] directs and teaches us the way to eternal life.” From creation’s breath (John 1:3-4; Job 33:4) to the resurrection of the dead (John 5:28) and the gift of eternal glory (John 10:28), Christ is the source of all life, physical and spiritual.[1]
Moreover, all things—creation, redemption, eternity—are “of Him, and through Him, and to Him” (Rom. 11:36), and to Him belongs all glory forever.
Contemplations:
- Evidencing spiritual growth. Since I belong to the source of life and share in eternal life, I must necessarily show evidence of life, i.e., growth. And the more of the Spirit of life I make room for in my heart, the more of Your life I evidence. Help me cultivate this growth, Lord, so that I reflect Your life in all I do.
- Rooted in supernatural life. Lord, Your grace gives spiritual life now and the seed of eternal glory to come because the source of all life who is Christ and His Holy Spirit is at work in me. As a result, the new creature that I have become must be growing more and more like You. Shape me into Your likeness, Lord, through Your life-giving Spirit.
- Desiring greater aliveness. Those that have their life rooted in this world may flourish for a while but will eventually evidence destruction and death. By contrast, the life of the new man is unshakably rooted in the heart of Christ, supplied by His Spirit to safeguard him from temptations and corruptions. Increase my spiritual vitality, Lord, that I may thrive in You.
- Escaping death’s terror. I know there are great terrors of conscience for those who are not quickened by Your Spirit (Heb. 2:15). Such are even now under the power of death and the bondage of Satan (Eph. 2:2). They bear the curse of God even in their earthly blessings, by which they are fitted for destruction (Rom. 9:22). Thank You for delivering me from this fate, Lord, and help me live as one truly alive in You.
Prayer (Thanksgiving)
Almighty God, You are the source of all life, the Creator who breathes existence into all things and sustains them by Your power. In Your Son, Jesus Christ, You have revealed Yourself as the way, the truth, and the life, the One who quickens the dead and grants eternal glory. I worship You for Your boundless grace, making alive those who were dead in sin, and for Your living Word, which pierces the soul and brings life through Your Spirit. Your glory shines in Christ, the Word made flesh, who communicates Your love to humanity.
When I walked in the ways of this world, enslaved to sin and the prince of the power of the air, I was blind to Your truth and indifferent to Your call. Too often, even now, I fail to evidence the growth that should mark a soul quickened by Your Spirit. My heart has clung to earthly things, neglecting the supernatural life You offer. Forgive me for these sins, for quenching the Spirit’s work in me. Cleanse me through Christ’s blood, restoring my zeal to live fully for You.
With heartfelt gratitude, I thank You for making Christ my life. Thank You for quickening me when I was dead in trespasses, breathing spiritual life into my soul through Your Word and Spirit. I am grateful for Jesus’ declaration in John 10:10, promising abundant life, and His assurance in John 11:25-26 that those who believe in Him shall never die. Your Word, living and powerful, has transformed me, guiding me to eternal life as Hebrews 4:12 promises.
Thank You for Christ, the Word incarnate, who became man to reveal You and redeem me. I rejoice that You have freed me from Satan’s bondage, rooting my life in Your unshakable security. Thank You for the promise of eternal glory, where I will live forever in Your presence, sustained by the life of Christ within me. Your grace overwhelms me, for You have made me a new creature, destined to grow in Your likeness.
Lord, I plead for Your continued grace to live as one truly alive in Christ. Help me evidence spiritual growth, reflecting Your life in my words and deeds. Deepen my union with You, that I may grow more like Jesus through Your Spirit’s work. Guard me from temptations that wither my faith and keep my heart rooted in Your truth. And use me to proclaim Christ as the source of life that through me You may draw others to Your gospel.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further References for Ephesians 2:1-2:
Col. 2:13; Luke 15:24; Eph. 5:14; John 10:10.
[1] “Luther and Calvin speak of Scripture as an infallible divine Word because its goal is the transformation of sinful men.” Carl F. H. Henry, God, Revelation, and Authority, vol. 4 (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1999), 249.
