Remembering the Riches of God's Redemptive Work, Part 1

The Apostle Paul pointedly calls us to remember our former condition before we were rescued by Christ. We were once enemies of the living God, children of wrath by nature, and dead in our transgressions and sins. In particular, he reminds Gentile Christians that we were not only without Christ, but also strangers to God's covenants with Israel, without God, and therefore without hope. But why look back and remember the darkness and futility of our former state? Because recalling these truths guards our hearts against the lie of self-sufficiency, and reminds us that we brought no offering and did no work that God should regard. Our problem was solved and our needs were met by an act of His will, not ours. Understanding our utter inability and spiritual poverty helps us to appreciate God's work in us, and to better understand the glory of the riches He's so freely given.