These are strong verses. We were dead and Christ made us alive. I don't see how a dead man can do anything. He doesn't move, he doesn't say anything, and he doesn't breathe. So I don't see how a dead man can choose God. I think that it is God who does the choosing and then once our eyes are open then we choose Him. In other words before the foundation of the world, God elected us. We were dead in our sins and unable to choose Him. Then at some point in the lives of the elect, when God deemed the exact right time, their eyes are opened to His goodness and they are given the choice to choosing him or to continue in their sin. And then it's kinda like choosing life or death. Who would be foolish enough to reject life? It is our nature before God opens our eyes to choose things that lead to death. But once God opens our eyes we have the ability to see the greatness of God and the ability to choose life.
we were children of wrath.
We had a discussion about this in our apologetics class. And according to these verses I believe that this is saying before we were saved we were children of wrath. And even though we are of the elect, before we are justified we are enemies of God and deserving of His wrath.
But God (even when we were dead in trespasses) made us alive together with Christ.
Again, we are dead, so we have no ability to choose. It was God who made us alive with Christ.
That He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness towards us in Christ Jesus.
And why did He do it? To show the exceeding riches of His grace. So that all of creation can marvel that He chose a sinner like me. So that He can get ALL the glory. And when God chooses a sinner such as me, then there is no glory that I can claim for myself. I did absolutely nothing to merit His mercy or grace.
For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Could this be a nail in the coffin for Open Theism? (The idea that God doesn't know the future. He only responds to it as it happens.) This verse is saying that not only did He choose me before the foundation of the world. He also had good works prepared for me to do.
Now I don't believe that I am some robot that has no choice in the matter. It's kinda like this--when I come to a fork in the road, God can block the ways he doesn't want me to go and then the choice is mine. There may be some ways that are better than others. And depending on where I am in my spiritual walk, I may choose better or worse. And through it all God is in control. He already knows what decisions I'll make and what temptations I'll face. And He teaches me and helps me to learn lessons and to grow in godliness even when my choice is not the best one or I am choosing sinfully.
An example from my life is my dear K. Oh how many lessons I have learned through that situation. But I believe God gave me the choice to submit to my husband for another child. And I chose correctly. But...had I not chosen correctly, God could have intervened and given us a child miraculously regardless of my choice. And I would have failed the test and had regrets. But knowing that I passed that test only makes my sweet K only more dear to my heart.
Now you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.
Citizenship was a great privilege during the Roman Empire. If you were a Roman citizen, you had more opportunity, protections and privileges that those who were not citizens. But we are not earthly citizens. We are citizens of God's Kingdom. And not only citizens, but members of the household of God. What it must have been like to be a member of Augustus Caesar's family. The riches, the privilege, the power, the protection of the emperor, and stature. But God's family provides us with His riches in Christ, the same power that raised Christ from the dead, the protection of God Himself, and the stature to be called a Son of God!! Awesome!
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