All of us also lived among them at one time …
Summary: Paul has a confession to make: He, too, was a person who was “dead” in his sins before Jesus found him. He knows he is no better than anyone else and because of that, he has compassion for you and me.
It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking of the Apostle Paul as “Saint Paul.” The thinking is that Paul, being hand-picked by Jesus to bring the Gospel to the Gentile world, was a very godly man.
But was he? Was he always godly?
Paul makes a humble confession in this passage. “All of us” includes Paul, too. “All of us” lived among the walking dead* at one time. We all lived among people who are dead in their transgressions and sins. We were all people who followed the “ways of this world” and were disobedient.
Paul was, too. Just like you and me. And he admits it.
There is a wonderful freedom that comes with admitting we all have the same challenges. We can stop pretending that we are better than we appear to be. We no longer have to “pose” as someone who is above that sort of thing. “All of us also lived among them at one time.”
The other blessing that comes from admitting we were “one of them” is that it opens the door to compassion. If we are no different from the sinners in the world, then there is no room for pride. What is different is that we have grabbed hold of the lifeline Jesus has thrown to us.
That’s it.
In the final analysis, it is not that we are better than those who are “dead” in their transgressions. It is that we have more Jesus in our lives. When we let Jesus in (Revelation 3:20), he supplies us with his Holy Spirit (John 14:26, 15:26) to teach us.
Life is a delicate balance of giving and taking, want and need. We live in a web of social interconnectedness that ties us all together. Whether someone lives on the street or in a mansion only matters to our pride. We all live until we die. In between living and dying is an ocean of need. Jesus wants to meet that need. He wants us to depend on him because only he can meet the kind of needs that the world ignores.
Application: Trust Jesus.
Food for Thought: What must it have been like for Jesus to come from heaven to live among people who were dead in “transgressions and sins?”
*Ephesians 2:1
What must it have been like for Jesus to come from heaven to live among people who were dead in “transgressions and sins?”
Like a medic in a warzone. So many people that need to be saved so little time.
He had to battle His way to each person.
Like well trained Marine receiving his orders to deploy!
Tim,
What a great analogy! Thank you!
I love T’s response here. Spoken like a true war hero. Great perspective.
I think Matthew 9: 35 – 38 gives us a glimpse, as does Luke 23: 34, 43 and John 19: 30.
Rich,
Great verses! Luke 23:34 is, for me, the most powerful, where Jesus asks the Father to forgive those who have conspired to mock, beat, and crucify him.
03-29-2023, What must it have been like for Jesus to come from heaven to live among people who were dead in “transgressions and sins?”
Our Omnipresent God confined Himself to the body of a human and served His creation for 33 years. A people whom He loved more than Himself, a people He knew would brutally beat and in the end, crucify Him. He did this as the lamb of God, to take away the sins of the world.
John 1:29, 3:16-17
Before creation, Jesus knew this would be His mission, God personally paying the price for all sins of all mankind Himself. He gives life and freedom to all who receive Him and is our power over sin.
“This is my blood… poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28).
Ron,
Interesting phrase … “God confined Himself to the body of a human”
That says a lot!
What must it have been like for Jesus to come from heaven to live among people who were dead in “transgressions and sins?”
We know that our sin breaks God’s heart:
Genesis 6:5-6 The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.
We also know that Jesus and God are one:
John 10:30 “The Father and I are one.”
It stand to reason that Jesus, having to be in a world filled with sin, would feel that heartbreaking.
We also know that Jesus is fully God, and at the same time, fully man. His human side felt the weight of what He came to do:
Matthew 26:38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.”
I also think that Jesus felt joy in knowing that His sacrifice would provide a way for us to have a close, personal relationship with us. That our sin would no longer separate us from Him and God.
John 15:11 These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
John 17:13 But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves.
I also think that Jesus felt joy in knowing that His sacrifice would provide a way for us to have a close, personal relationship with us. That our sin would no longer separate us from Him and God.
should have been
I also think that Jesus felt joy in knowing that His sacrifice would provide a way for us to have a close, personal relationship with HIM. That our sin would no longer separate us from Him and God.
Chris,
Thank you! The Genesis 6:5-6 reference is helpful here.
It is an interesting bittersweet mix of emotions that you present here; joy mixed with … what? Repulsion?? Not repulsion at us, God’s creation, but at what we do.