Dead is dead

Sometimes you have one of those moments when a truth sinks in and begins to revolutionize your thinking. I had one of those moments on Saturday.

Pete and I were discussing Ephesians 2:1-10 in preparation for our small group. The apostle Paul states bluntly in verse 1 "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins" (NASB). Pete made the observation that "there aren't degrees of deadness - dead is dead. Some people aren't more dead than others." A light went on for me at those words. I don't know how I've missed the implications of that all these years. Sometimes in my prayers for people I find myself thinking, "Oh, this person is so FAR from the Lord!" as if that would somehow make a difference in how hard it would be to save them. But, silly me, there aren't degrees in deadness. You can't be a "little" dead.

I've been thinking and rejoicing over that verse these last few days. It isn't easier to save a "nice" dead person than an "evil" dead person; it isn't easier to save someone who has only been dead for, say, 4 or 5 years than someone who has been dead for 40 years. Every one of us that has been saved is a miracle of salvation and redemption, even if I was saved as a small child. It's a miracle because I was a dead small child, dead in my trespasses and sins.

There is another picture in Ephesians that, coupled with this thought, infuses my prayers with hope. In chapter 1 (verses 15-23) Paul is telling of his prayer for the Ephesians. He asks that "the eyes of their heart may be enlightened to know (among other things) what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us..in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead." Phew - that's quite a mouthful, one of those lofty Pauline thoughts in Ephesians that we hardly know what to do with. The Living Bible puts it this way: "I pray that you will begin to understand how incredibly great His power is to help us who believe in Him. It is that same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead..." I picture Jesus dead in the tomb, wrapped in linen, bound and unmoving. Suddenly the power of God bursts forth and in an instant Jesus is transformed, raised from the dead and made alive forevermore. THAT is the power that is available to help me! THAT is the "working of the strength of His might which...raised Him from the dead."

The power that raised Jesus is the same power that raises each of us from our deadness. It is the same power that works in us day by day, our Deliverer day by day.

What hope. Dead is dead. But GOD, being rich in mercy and mighty in power - there's no room for puny prayers in the light of that truth.