August 18, 2026 Today's Reading: Ephesians 2:1-10 or 1 Corinthians 15:1-10 Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 7:18-29; 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:16 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God…” (Ephesians 2:8) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Lutherans love to say we are saved by grace through faith. But, as Luther would ask in his catechism, What does this mean? No text explains this better than Ephesians 2. Paul explains to his readers that before coming to Christ, spiritually, they were dead. Not neutral or pretty good, or able to help themselves if they tried harder or anything like that. No. Spiritually, they were dead, and they were damned. Like the rest of mankind, they were following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air- that spirit now at work in the sons of disobedience, and carrying out the desires of the flesh. (v. 2-3) These are the three great enemies of God: the world, the flesh, and the devil. The world is the pressure we feel from outside of ourselves, coming from our friends or what is advertised to us as a good time. We want to fit in and be accepted, so we listen to these voices instead of listening to God. The flesh is our own personal weaknesses. We all have temptations to which we are prone, but they aren’t all the same. Some people are particularly tempted by pride, while others are driven by envy, and still others by lust, and so on. Lastly, there is “the prince of the power of the air,” or as he is better known, the devil. He is real, and as Luther said somewhere, he never takes a vacation. He’s like a roaring lion prowling around, waiting to devour you. (1 Peter 5:8) He suggests evil thoughts to you, like he did to Adam and Eve, and like he did to Jesus. And except for Jesus, he has a perfect record of getting people to sin! The world, the flesh, and the devil have made us, along with the rest of mankind, objects of God’s wrath. With these things stacked against us, constantly leading us to sin, we are dead. What chance does anyone have given this situation? “But God being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved…” (4-5) Why are some going to make it to heaven? Not because they were good enough. Not because they didn’t sin, but because God is merciful and Christ our substitute was good enough. Amazingly, God loves sinners in spite of their sins. What’s more, even though sinners are dead in their trespasses, He made some alive in Christ. That’s what the Bible calls grace –God’s undeserved kindness, His Gift of new life given to people who deserve to be dead. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. By grace! On this I’ll rest when dying; In Jesus’ promise I rejoice; For though I know my heart’s condition, I also know my Savior’s voice. My heart is glad, all grief has flown Since I am saved by grace alone. (LSB 566:2) Rev. Joel Shaltanis, pastor of Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Plano, TX.
