Devotion: From vessels of wrath to vessels of mercy

Who we were? - Eph 2: 3

Many of us have heard of hereditary diseases. From the parents, it transmits to the children. If the parents have, the children are also most likely to have that disease.

Bible also says about one such problem, the problem which we got from our grand grandparents - Adam and Eve. And this problem affected the entire mankind since we are children of that one parent.

“Like the rest of mankind, we were by nature children of wrath …”

Being the children of that parent, we cannot be children of any other thing. We must not miss the phrase ‘by nature’. In other words, Paul is speaking of what we are by conception, by heredity and by birth, from that moment on.

 It is not the result of any of the things which are mentioned above. It is not because of the passions of our flesh, not because of the desires of our body and mind, or not because of the influence of evil habits, and bad companions, and abuse, and unfortunate education, and key wrong decisions we made. By nature we behaved in this way; this was our inclination and the wrath of God was the inevitable response.
“Like the rest of mankind..” it’s a universal rule applicable for all. All are children of wrath by nature. Entire mankind.
Paul tells us here that we are children of wrath. That is what I deserve. That is where I stand, under the holy condemnation of a righteous and sin-hating God.

Ok. That’s what we were – children of wrath. Then what changed our nature?

What made the change?

Rom 5:9 – Through the justification by the blood.

Here it talks about a provision where God’s wrath can be removed from us.

How are we saved from the wrath of God?  - Through the justification by the blood.

How are we justified?  - At the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.

Imagine the situation if we have not received salvation. We continue to be the children of wrath. And we are very clear from the OT incidents how God acts on his wrath – so many incidents.

We know in the end days, God wrath is going to be fully revealed.

John 3:36 – God’s wrath remains on them who rejects salvation.

After believing in Jesus Christ, after being justified by his blood, we are no more the children of wrath. Our nature got changed. What are we now?

Who are we now?

 Romans 9:22 – Here Apostle Paul talks about the two categories of people.

1. Vessels of wrath
2. Vessels of mercy.

By default, all are the children or vessels of wrath (by nature). But the moment we believed in Jesus Christ, accepted His salvation, God’s wrath has been removed from us and we received eternal life.

Now we belong to the second category – the vessels of mercy.

Not only our nature got changed but our destinies also.

And what is vessels of mercy prepared for? – For glory.

And what is vessels of wrath prepared for? – For destruction.

From the children of wrath to the vessels of mercy which is prepared for eternal glory, eternal life. It’s the justification by the blood. At the right time Christ died for the ungodly. When we remember the death of our savior let us also remember the change that happened to us.