[Ephesians 2:1–10] “You were dead in your transgressions and sins… But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ…”

Sorry, this is kind of morbid, but picture this: You’re standing at a visitation, looking down into a casket. You lean in, wave a crisp $100 bill over the corpse, and say, “Just grab it and you can have it.” The image is absurd. Cruel, even. Because dead people can't grab anything. They can't choose. They can't make any decisions. They can't respond. They can't cooperate. They are dead.

Sadly, that’s our natural spiritual condition, Paul describes in Ephesians 2: “You were dead in your transgressions and sins.” Not sick. Not struggling. Dead. We were all born that way. No exceptions. “Surely I was sinful at birth; sinful from the time my mother conceived me,” David reminds us in Psalm 51. We were all born dead. DOA. Spiritually dead. And dead people can’t “accept Christ.” They can’t “choose Jesus.” They need resurrection. 

They say, dead men tell no tales. Paul revises that a bit when he says in effect:

Dead Men Grab No Grace

Paul continues with the beautiful Gospel message: “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ – even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.” It’s all God. God did it. God made us alive through His grace, His undeserved love.

Grace is not a handshake; it’s a heartshock. It’s not a deal; it’s a deliverance. It’s not a decision or resolution; it’s a resurrection. We can't decide to or choose to climb out of our spiritual graves by ourselves. We’re called forth like Lazarus. We can't reach for God; He reaches for us. “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:9)

The words “I accepted” or “I chose” imply an action on our part; they suggest that we had something to do with coming to faith. On face value, to say “I accepted Christ” is really like saying “I grabbed the $100 bill from the casket.” First, it is impossible. Second, that turns grace into a transaction and faith into a work, something that we do. The danger, Paul says, is that “if it is by works, then it is no longer by grace” (Galatians 2:16). We can’t grab grace. It is a gift. A totally free gift, which we can’t do anything to earn or receive. 

I don’t know about you, Saints, but I am glad I don’t have to grab grace or contribute anything to my salvation. I have nothing to offer. I’m delighted that I don’t have any decisions to make. The onus is off me and on Jesus. He chose me. Not the other way around. For that, I am eternally grateful.

Now, let’s be clear: Scripture does call us to action after we come to faith. Faith calls for a response. The Bible does use words like “choose,” “receive,” and “open the door.” But we must always ask: To whom is the passage addressed?

• Joshua said, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15) – to believers.
• Jesus said, “I stand at the door and knock” (Revelation 3:20) – to the church.
• Paul said, “Do not receive God’s grace in vain” (2 Corinthians 6:1) – to those already made alive.

These are sanctification summons, not justification invitations. Those activities are on the other side of faith. They are addressed to folks who already have the miracle of faith worked in their hearts by the Holy Spirit.

Adam and Eve were created “able not to sin” (Latin: posse non peccare). Their reason, emotions, and will were perfectly aligned with God. They bore His image in righteousness and holiness.

But after the fall, humanity became “not able NOT to sin” (Latin: non posse non peccare). We lost that part of the image of God. Our reason, emotions, and will are broken and bent awkwardly inward. We arrived in this world fatally flawed and spiritually stillborn.

Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” That’s why saying “I decided to follow Christ,” or “I accepted Christ,” really is not possible and misses the mark. Spiritually dead people can’t do any of those things. It takes a miracle – 100% God’s work – to bring us to faith. Faith isn’t our contribution; it is God’s creation. Faith is a miracle, not a mindset. Faith takes place in the heart, not in the head. 

Only after God the Holy Spirit has worked the miracle of faith into our hearts can we cooperate with Him in good works. And even then, our cooperation is powered by the Holy Spirit working through the means of grace – the Gospel in Word and Sacrament.

Think of a toddler gripping his father’s fingers, trying to walk. Remove the father’s fingers, and he collapses. Or picture a three-year-old “helping” bake cookies. She dumps flour everywhere and hinders more than helps the cookie production. Still, later, she proudly beams, “Look what I made!” Did she help? Kind of. Did she do it alone? Not even close.

Our cooperation is real, but it’s dependent. We can't pull alongside the Spirit like two horses yoked to a wagon. We are carried, led, and empowered by the Spirit. Our cooperation is not a co-operation; it’s a participation. And even that is a gift.

So, Saints, what does this mean for us?

• It means we shouldn’t take credit for our conversion.
• It means we shouldn’t turn faith into a work that we do; rather, view it as a gift from God that we need to nurture and nourish through continual contact with the Word.
• It means we should live lives of humble gratitude, grateful that we have been chosen to be members of the Lord’s family of believers.
• It means we should give credit where credit is due; we should give God alone the glory (Soli Deo Gloria!) – not just for our salvation, but for our faith and for every good work that flows from it.

God gives us the desire, the opportunity, and the ability to live lives of thanks. And yet, He lets us participate. He lets us “help.” But let’s be clear: the miracle is His; the movement is ours. And the glory? Always His.

So, Saints, let us live lives of joyful cooperation.

Not to earn or grab grace, but to respond to it.

Not to impress God, but to reflect God.

Not to take credit, but to give credit. 

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, 

That saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost, but now I’m found.

Was blind, but now I see. Amen

Lord of life, I was dead in sin, unable to reach for You, unable to choose You, unable to love You. Unable to reach out to You. But You reached out to me. You raised me from the dead spiritually. You gave me faith. Thank You for the miracle of grace and faith. Now, alive in this new life, help me walk with You, guided by Your Spirit, grateful for every step. Amen.

Rev. Timothy A. Unke, Campus Pastor

Crean Lutheran High School

campuspastor@creanlutheran.org