God made us alive in Christ

 

“even when we were dead in our trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—” Ephesians 2:5

~"even" when "we were dead"

What were we?
We were already dead in our sins. We were dead like Lazarus, dead in our transgressions. Totally lifeless and rotten. We had no hope. Light had gone out. The Light came into the World to revive us from our death.

~God made us alive.
"Made us" is past tense. So, we were made alive when we repent and believe(Mark 1:15) in Christ as our Lord and Saviour. He breaks us free from the slavery of sins and its result which is physical & eternal death.(Romans 6:23). He saves us from His own wrath that was upon us. Now that wrath is poured on Christ and God's justice was satisfied.

"The one who has the Son has the life;" 1 John 5:12

THE LIFE is more than plain eternal life; it's eternity in communion with Christ, abiding in His infinite love, infinite joy and His infinite glory, beauty and magnificence which surpasses all of the creation. Creation is just a billionth of glimpse of all that Christ is.

God making us alive speaks of action that is already done with us, in Christ.

What is being “alive”? It is the resurrection of dead spiritually and physically. For now we are raised from the dead spiritually and soon we will be raised physically at the appointed time.

The call of God does what the call of man can’t. It raises the dead. It creates spiritual life. It is like the call of Jesus to Lazarus in the tomb, “Come out!” (John 11:43) and the dead man obeyed and came out.

Who initiated Lazarus to be brought to life? Jesus.

Who saved Saul? Jesus who revealed Himself.

So God Himself does what man cannot do: He is the Alpha. He creates the faith that saves. The call of God raises the dead. God's call creates the faith through which a person is justified.(Romans 5:1) With man it is impossible. With God only it is possible. Only God draws people to the Son (John 6:44, 65). Only God opens the spiritually dead heart so that it gives heed to The Gospel (Acts 16:14). He is the author and finisher or perfecter of faith.(Hebrews 12:2). He alone sustains the faith by power of Spirit with His Word. (1 Corinthians 1:8–9)

This is also how Missions live and thrive. Only God awakens the dead heart and gives a new heart.(Ezekiel 36:26)

~"By Grace" you have been saved. (Sola Gratia)
Did we do anything in all of this? None. We were already dead. How can dead do anything except rot? God alone by His Own Will revived us in Christ. It has nothing to do with us and everything to do with Him. If we had anything, it wouldn't be grace but wage. Grace is not wage, it is unmerited in its essence. It is by His own will. Do we deserve to be revived? No. let us rejoice in the abundance of grace that is overflowing every second, only because of Christ's merit and His work on our behalf. We rely on Christ's work on the cross and His merits alone.

Justification before God is by grace alone, with no merited favour whatever; on the basis of Christ alone, with no other sacrifice or righteousness as the foundation; through the means of faith alone, not including any human works whatsoever; to the end that all things lead ultimately to the glory of God alone; as taught with final and decisive authority in the Scriptures alone.