The Community of the Living

Aim: To marvel at the life- and community-creating miracle of God's electing love.

Doctrine: God miraculously creates the community of the living. This is motivated by His love for Christ's elect church, and this is accomplished by His grace (alone).

Exegesis: The intensely personal nature of God's creation of the community of the living: the Lord pre-loved us sinners, placing us into Christ's church (v. 4); the Lord united us rebels to His Son, even when we were still in our sins (v. 5a); the Lord redeems us, His church, by grace, and not by our works (v. 5b).

Further application: How the community of the living is to react to her loving God: the church will heartily praise her exalted Savior, and will sincerely seek to please her beloved Redeemer.

Key verses: vv. 4-5a ''But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ...''