And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body[and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, 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 coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:1-8, ESV)
I’ve long been stubborn about submitting to a Trackman session. I wasn’t ready to see all my imperfections and was somewhat skeptical about the “scientific approach” to swing analysis.
After hearing the phrase “feel is not real” repeated about three million times, I decided to subject my swing to cameras and computers.
Of course, a pro was there to explain the raw data of “smash factor,” “ball speed,” “club-head speed,” and “angle of attack.” Ultimately, I am glad I overcame all my pitiful excuses against subjecting my swing to quantifiable data.
It was eye-opening, to be sure; it was also incredibly painful to be disabused of so many false ideas. However, in this confrontation with the truth about swing path, swing speed, and how far I carry the ball, I was, ironically, relieved and strongly encouraged.
Disregarding or avoiding the inevitable conflict with the truth about one’s swing is one thing; disregarding the truth about the larger issue of one’s life is naïve and ultimately harmful. On the other hand, discovering the truth about oneself from a trusted and loving source is “medicine to the soul.”
To cut to the chase, we must focus on Jesus Christ because he, and he alone, is the sole answer to our many issues. He, and he alone, properly diagnoses what is fundamentally wrong with us. Hence, he alone is the solution to our problems.
Properly diagnosing the “human condition” requires someone other than us who is eminently qualified. We need an outside authority to analyze our condition and then show us how to resolve what is unresolvable when left to our own devices.
A survey of Scripture reveals we are deeply flawed. In today’s verses, we are confronted with some “tough love.” Apart from Jesus, we are spiritually dead, enslaved to the forces of darkness, captive to false ideologies, ruled by life-destroying passions, and under God’s wrath. This is the real “come to Jesus meeting.”
Simultaneous to this “unsettling news,” the “good news” is declared with breathtaking clarity: God is rich in mercy, loves us, makes us alive, saves us, raises us, and seats us in heaven. And he did all this to spend eternity showing us his extraordinary kindness.
But the thing to notice in all these immeasurable benefits is that they can be ours only because of Christ Jesus and him alone!
The life of God in a man’s soul is because of Jesus—he alone raises dead men to life! Forgiveness of sin is because Jesus alone satisfied God’s justice—Christ took our punishment. Deliverance from the tyranny of Satan (he is real) is because Jesus alone defeated him at the Cross.
Spending eternity bathing in God’s kindness is only possible because Jesus Christ loves us, died and rose again for us, and sent his Spirit to live in us, enabling us to repent and believe.
Only our Maker can accurately assess the human condition; hence, the exclusive answer to the penalty of sin, shame, slavery, corruption, deception, and judgment is the one heaven has offered—Jesus Christ and him alone.
I have a friend who is a truly remarkable player. A few years back, he went deep into his hip pocket to attend a week-long camp with a famous “short game guru.” He came home with 12 “concerns” regarding putting. Sadly, the solutions offered didn’t help.
The difference between that sad scenario and the bad news God tells us about ourselves is that, unlike that expensive short-game guru, Jesus alone can and will solve all our issues.
Prayer: Jesus, “…send out your light and truth and let them lead us to your holy hill.”