way of disobedience. But they are dead to God, blind to the truth, and incapable living as God commands us to live. This is the condition of fallen humanity. The good news of the gospel is that God did not simply leave us in this fallen condition. Rather, he provided salvation for us through Christ. Paul continues the passage cited above from Ephesians 2 as follows. 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—