Dead Man Walking

"And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins." - Ephesians 2:1 (NKJV)

Ephesians 2:1-3 emphatically testifies to the lostness of all humanity. As Paul looked down on the world, he saw one vast spiritual cemetery, and inscribed on every grave-marker was this phrase, "dead in trespasses and sins." He doesn't say that they simply have needs, that they are sick, feeble or blundering; He says they are dead.

In this passage, "death" does not mean "cessation of existence", but "separation from life". In physical death, the spirit of man is separated from his body. In spiritual death, the spirit of man is separated from God. People in this condition are dead. Though a man may be very active mentally like an academic scholar with a bright mind, the Bible calls him spiritually dead if he is separated from God. Though a person may be active physically like an athlete, the Bible calls him spiritually dead, without Christ. Though a person may have a vibrant personality like a Hollywood movie star, yet separated from God is spiritually dead.

There are several passages of Scripture that paint the picture of man’s condition without God. Our sinfulness can be catalogued from the testimony of the Bible:

•We are alienated from God and are hostile toward God (Colossians 1:21).
•We are slaves to our sin and dominated by Satan (John 8:34; 2 Timothy 2:26).
•We love darkness and hate light (John 3:20; Ephesians 4:18).
•We live in impurity and wickedness (Romans 6:19).
•Our minds are depraved, blinded to truth by the god of this world (Romans 1:28; 2 Corinthians 4:4).
•Our desires are disordered, our hearts are sinful, and the wicked passions of our flesh wage war against our souls (Romans 1:26; 1 Peter 2:11).
•Our bodies are defiled. We are morally evil and spiritually sick (Romans 1:24; Genesis 8:31; Matthew 9:12).

Evangelist D. L. Moody said that as he looked at each individual he came across, he imagined a large “L” for “lost” on his forehead. Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, places five “Ds” on humanity’s forehead with-out Christ: dead, dominated, disobedient, depraved, and doomed. He certainly gives God’s cure in Ephesians 2:8 when he says, “for by grace you have been saved through faith,” but not until he first diagnoses the disease plaguing the entire human race separated from God.

Many modern preachers avoid discussing sin altogether, preferring instead to focus only on positive messages that make people feel good about themselves. Paris Reidhead once said, “If I had my way, I would declare a moratorium on public preaching of “the plan of salvation” in America for one to two years. Then I would call on everyone who has use of the airwaves and the pulpits to preach the holiness of God, the righteousness of God, and the Law of God, until sinners would cry out, “What must we do to be saved?” Then I would take them off in a corner and whisper the gospel to them.”[1] Our Gospel will never be complete unless we expose the hearts of lost sinners for what they are – totally depraved and in desperate need for the amazing grace of Jesus Christ for salvation.

Reflection Question: How does understanding spiritual death change your urgency in sharing the gospel with others?

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for making me alive when I was dead in my trespasses and sins. Help me remember that everyone without Christ is spiritually dead, regardless of how successful or moral they appear. Give me compassion and urgency to share the gospel, in Jesus' Name, amen.

This is adapted from The Vanishing of the Gospel: https://a.co/d/09DKujRi

[1] as quoted in Ray Comfort, The School of Biblical Evangelism (Gainesville, FL: Bridge-Logos Publishers, 2004), 35.