Boast in Jesus
“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins” - Ephesians 2:1
I appreciated Bryant Wright’s sermon this past Sunday on John 3:1-16 highlighting the importance of the New Birth. But something worthy of reflecting on for an eternity is how does it happen? In this world, those in desperate need of a heart transplant put themselves on a list. Being sick, they initiate as an act of survival. But when it comes to regeneration—a theological word indicating the heart-transformation that takes place at conversion, the same cannot be said. The Apostle Paul tells the Ephesians that unbelievers are dead. Due to our sin and guilt, there’s no spiritual life in any of us. Not only are we lifeless—but like a dead man, we have no ability to seek life. There’s no waitlist for a spiritual heart. Unless the Holy Spirit gives us a new heart, ours remains hard and impenetrable as granite. When it comes to salvation in Jesus, God makes the first move.
There’s a lot of debate over what’s called the ordo salutis, Latin for “order of salvation.” But it seems undeniable in Scripture that regengeration precedes faith and repentance. The dead sinner must first be awakened by God and the Gospel before he or she can put faith in Jesus. But is it worth nitpicking over which of these comes first? After all, conversion happens in a moment. I would argue that this seemly fine distinction is of great import. Why? Because who makes the first move says a lot about who we are and who God is. The Apostle Paul did not say to the Ephesians, “And you were weak in your trespasses and sins.” This would allow for the idea of us seeking God first—albeit in frailty. But Paul says we are “dead.” It follows that our destiny hangs completely on God showing mercy. As Paul says in Romans 2:10-11: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.” Our culture tends towards an optimism about man, but the Bible teaches us that sin touches every part of us, and without God’s intervention, we’re without hope in the world.
This isn’t merely Pauline doctrine. It’s the doctrine of the Apostles, and of God, who is jealous for us to know that He came and sought us. The Apostle Peter opened his first letter with it: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” The Apostle John wrote, “We love because he first loved us.” Indeed, Jesus Himself couldn’t be clearer than this: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.” Friends, there’s no room for boasting in ourselves when God is the initiator. If the Spirit of Christ didn’t arrest us on the highway to hell, we would be barreling towards an eternity under God’s just judgment. By grace alone, we were born again. We were made alive. Boast in Jesus, and no one else.
