Key Verse: "Even when we were dead with trespasses - (The Godhead) made us alive together with Christ - by grace we have been saved - and raised us up in him and seated us with him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:5-6)".
Today's epistle, Ephesians 2:1-10 outlines the apostle Paul's understanding and experiences of spiritual warfare between the mind of the spirit and the mind of the flesh, within witnessing paschal faith communities. Down through the ages and generations, this unique aspect of spiritual warfare continues to take place in witnessing paschal faith communities, within all traditions, religions, cultures, ethnic and secular groups. Before Paul's revelation and proclamation of the Paschal Mystery, as revealed to him by the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, followers of Jesus Christ continued to live their lives of repentance, faith, humility and obedience, in the rebellion, deception, lusts, evil desires and spiritual warfare of the carnal mind of the flesh (Acts 9:1-23, Ephesians 2:1-3, Colossians 1:15-23).
Paul makes it clear that in the gospel of Christ, salvation comes through God's grace, faith in Jesus Christ and living our lives in the mind of the spirit. Believers who choose to live their lives, after water baptism, in the mind of the flesh, and focus on good works, cannot discern, seek, nor embrace their divine heritage in Christ. Although initiated and embraced in God's forgiveness, mercy and divine love as members witnessing paschal faith communities, these carnal minded believers remain spiritually blind, spiritually deaf and spiritually asleep (Ephesians 2:4-5).
Many sincere believers in all the world religions embrace the basics of the Gospel of Christ, God's saving grace, and plan of mercy and forgiveness of sins. Carnal minded believers however reject God's plan of resurrection from spiritual death and spiritual awakening, in the mind of the spirit. These believers choose to reject God's plan for mankind living Christ centered, Holy Spirit-based lives in the mind of the spirit, as revealed in Jesus Christ, as Messiah (Ephesians 2:4-5).
Resurrection from spiritual death, is discerned and realized to degree that believers surrender to the lordship of Christ, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, steadfastly cast down and cast out, the inappropriate dominion of the mind of the flesh. Within witnessing paschal faith communities, the mind of the flesh blocks normal communion with the indwelling Godhead. The mind of the flesh destroys normal fellowship, dialogue and establishing unity, within the body of Christ (Ephesians 2:6).
Within witnessing paschal faith communities, for ages and generations, the mind of the flesh erroneously separated Jews from Gentiles in God's eternal and changeless plan of redemption for all mankind. Jesus Christ and the apostle Paul, in the mind of the spirit, recognized God's loving kindness and the riches of God's grace are universal and equally available to all mankind. The eternal gifts of God's salvation and eternal life through Christ, (ADONAI, JEHOVAH) in the spiritual bodies of Jesus Christ and every person, are freely given to all who believe (Genesis1:26-27, John 3:14-17, Ephesians 2:7-8).
In today's epistle, the apostle Paul stresses that salvation does involve personal resurrection from spiritual death. God's divine gifts of salvation and liberation from slavery to sin in the mind of the flesh, are freely available to all. The human initiatives of faith and embracing God's grace, love and truth in the mind of the spirit, produce transformed attitudes, relationships, lives and good works. Living in the mind of the spirit bring the manifestation of the gifts and fruit of the spirit and good works, in believers lives, within witnessing paschal faith communities in all traditions, religions, cultures, ethnic and secular groups (Isaiah 11:2-3, John 1:17, Ephesians 2:9-10, Galatians 5:22-23).
Have you sought and experienced resurrection from spiritual death since you believed the gospel of Christ, as revealed in Jesus Christ as Messiah? Are you experiencing liberation from slavery to the sins of the mind of the flesh, since you became an active member and participant within your witnessing paschal faith community? Are you passing over into the new and glorified life with the Godhead in Christ, by following Jesus Christ in living the Paschal Mystery, in the mind of the spirit (Romans 8:1-11, Ephesians 2:1-2)?
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