A Leap of Faith
A French sailor, along with his cat, was sailing from Dutch Harbor—located on an island south of Alaska—to San Diego, California, when his yacht was capsized by a huge wave. The vessel righted itself, but the mariner lost his rudder and rigging to the violent swells. He reported his dire situation to the Coast Guard, saying he was stranded, had no control, and his boat was “pretty much dead in the water.” Eventually the Coast Guard contacted an oil drilling ship nearby, and they came to the sailor’s rescue. However, he still had to make a literal leap of faith—with his cat tucked under his jacket—from his boat to the rescue vessel.
In Ephesians 2, Paul described the sinful and hopeless condition of humanity—dead in the water spiritually and separated from God (v. 1). Moreover, we were disobedient to all that He desires (v. 2) and depraved—unable to do anything to merit salvation (v. 3). But “by grace,” Jesus made it possible for us to be “saved, through faith,” and this salvation is a “gift of God” (v. 8).
We were all stranded in the raging seas of sin and death, but praise God that we have a Savior who made it possible for us to leap into His saving arms by faith. Christ alone can rescue us and carry us to safety.
By Marvin Williams - Bread Ministries
Ephesians 2:1-10
Made Alive in Christ
1As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
