ironically, on halloween

Okay let me preface by saying that I'm not into halloween. never have been. 1st, I don't like being scared. 2nd, my parents never introduced or let us do any halloween celebrating. 3rd, it doesn't seem to be all that God-glorifying. But I'm not here to dig on the day. I say all that because it tickles me that on halloween of all days I am about to post about living dead people.

That's right folks, ''living, dead, people''. all three things. 2 adjectives, 1 noun. let's break it down, you know; drop the beat. : )

Ephesians 2.4-5
"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." (emhasis, and color, mine)

In thinking about this, how can a person be both alive and dead at the same time? Apparently, it's happened. And to us Christians, to boot. I think it interesting that God made us alive even when we were dead. So that makes me a living dead person, right? I mean, how can we be both living and dying at the same time?

Perhaps this has more to do with our dual nature, that we are both flesh and spirit. Maybe it is that before we knew Christ, both our flesh and spirit were marked for death and judgment, and eternal separation from God. Then, when the gospel was preached to us and we believed, our Spirits were transferred from death and marked for life. And so our flesh is still marked for death because of the sin that has destroyed physical life on the earth, but our Spirits marked for the eternal life that comes through faith in the Son of God.

Earlier in Ephesians, (1.19-20) Paul writes about the incomparably great power of God, which was displayed when He rose Christ from the dead. That same power is something that Paul prays for the Ephesians to know, to really understand and live from. And he says that power is for us who believe. One way to see that is that God's mighty strength, the awesomeness of which was shown when He raised Christ from the dead, is available to us and working on our behalf. But another way to look at it is that the same power that raised Christ from the dead is resurrecting our dead Spirits and marking them for life.

That just intrigues me. I'm a living dead person, by the power and grace of God.

Thought I'd share....