And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.We were utterly an enemy of God. It wasn't just part of us, that was our identity. We walked, lived, indulged in sin. We were dead.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Salvation is God's doing. It is His great love. It is a gift. It is grace.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.But that isn't the end of the story. This last verse encourages me so much when I wonder why we are still on earth. We are able to do good works because of the former verses... He created and saved us for this, for His glory
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