But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

Ephesians 2:4

While Jesus preferred the terms lost and found, Paul’s description of life as a follower of Christ was one of life that came from death, not the other way around. Because of Christ’s resurrection, the dead (lost) could become fully alive (found).

The idea of being spiritually dead isn’t exactly a pleasant thought, is it? But it is exactly how we are described in Ephesians 2:1 because of a three-letter word we all have experience with – sin. In his letter to the Romans, Paul reminds us that each one of us has sinned. We have missed the target. We have fallen short and so we are kind of dead men walking, but there is hope.

In the verse above we read that God loves us and is merciful. And His grace is the greatest proof of that love so it is by His grace that we experience new life, not our attempts to make things right.

Jesus alluded to this time when he said, “He who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live” (John 5:24-25).

Let’s make sure we’re listening.