Martin Luther was the first since Paul to express it: simul iustus et peccator—simultaneously just and a sinner. It seems like a paradox. How can we be both just and sinful? Both claims are true of a believer in Jesus Christ. We are just or justified in our Position but still sinful in our Condition. Our Position deals with our current place seated at the right hand of God the Father in Christ. But our Condition on earth right now certainly does not conform to our Position in heaven. We still struggle with a sinful nature and do things we know are not Christ-like, to say the least.

Nothing in our Condition can ever change our Position, but a focus on our Position can radically improve our Condition. That’s what Ephesians is all about. For anyone who has wondered how he can be one of God’s children and still be so far from being like Jesus, this is the book for you. As you read it, may your changing Condition come into even closer conformity to your unchanging Position.