Grace in Christ

Written By Clay Worrell

This week, we continue our series titled, "In Christ", a study through the book of Ephesians. As Paul writes to the church of Ephesus, we are all trapped by our sin and being pulled towards self destruction and destruction. Because of sin, we see the effects of sin around us each day and are condemned by it. But it's through the grace of God that we do not receive wrath but instead His love. He gives us the opportunity to share in the inheritance He has for us.

RLC Home Group Handout | September 21st, 2025 

“I Am in Christ”  | Ephesians 2:1-10

Recap

This week we are reminded that apart from Christ we were dead in sin, enslaved to the world’s broken system, and under God’s just condemnation, but God, rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ by grace. We see in Scripture and in our culture the realities of sinful people and evil forces, yet we also see the greater reality of a gracious God who rescues and restores. We are not saved by works but by grace through faith, and now, as God’s workmanship, we have been created for good works that He prepared for us to walk in. Our calling is not to withdraw from or attack the world, but to live as Christ’s masterpieces in it, loving others as He has loved us, and pointing a broken world to the immeasurable riches of His grace.

References 

  • Galatians 1:3-4 – Although evil is present in the world, we are delivered from its power

  • Eph. 6:2 – We struggle against evil, spiritual forces..

  • Phillipians 1:6 – God starts a good work in us and carries it to completion.

Discussion Questions


Head

  • Is there anything that stood out or spoke to you in this week’s sermon?

  • In Eph. 2:1, Paul says that we are dead because of trespasses and sins. What is the difference between the two? Can you think of an example of each?

  • Give a definition of slavery. How does sin not just result in death, the antithesis of life, but also enslave us?

Heart

  • When you hear that apart from Christ we were “children under wrath” (v. 3), how does that sit with you emotionally?

  • How does the phrase “But God, being rich in mercy” stir your heart? Can you recall a moment in your life when you experienced God’s mercy personally?

  • When you think about the evil forces in the world today, what fears or anxieties come up—and how does the gospel speak to them?

  • How does this passage reshape how you see people in your community who live differently from you (neighbors, co-workers, those with different beliefs or lifestyles)?

Hands

  • What have I been saved for? How am I God’s poiēma ?

  • What might it look like for us not to withdraw from culture or attack it, but instead engage it with Christlike love?

  • What rhythms or practices could help us remember daily that our identity is “in Christ” rather than in performance, possessions, or politics?


Clay Worrell
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You Are In Christ