The Simple Gospel

Over the past few months,  I've been working my way through Ephesians a couple verses at a time.  The past month, I've been looking over the verses below.  The Spirit just overwhelmed my heart with the reality of our lives before Christ came.  

If you are a Christian, God has literally raised you from death to life because of his grace and mercy in Christ Jesus.  He loves us with a love that isn't based on works or how 'good' we are.  

Our good works cannot get us into heaven - it's only by his grace that we are made alive together in Christ! What a great, overwhelming love he has for his children. 

 I pray we all can rest in this simple, beautiful gospel.

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins   ²in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—   ³among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.   ⁴But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,   ⁵even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—   ⁶and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,   ⁷so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.   ⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,   ⁹not a result of works, so that no one may boast.   ¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:1-10   ESV

"I’m laying down all my religion
I’m laying down
I want to know you, Lord"

"I use to think that I could box you in
But I’m laying down
I want to know you, Lord"

"Lord, I’ve been told to be ashamed
Lord, I’ve been told I don’t measure up
Lord, I’ve been told I’m not good enough
But you’re here with me "

"You say no amount of untruths can separate us

I will rejoice in the simple gospel"