Read: Ephesians 2
Watch:https://bibleproject.com/videos/khata-sin/
Remembering Your B.C.: Life Before Christ
What were you like B.C.?
We use B.C. (Before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini, or “in the year of our Lord”) to mark history’s greatest turning point. For us personally, we use this same chronology. B.C. is the time before you confessed your faith in Jesus Christ as Lord—a time before you were “born again,” when you were outside of intimate union with Him. Do you remember what that was like?
For our purposes here, we are asking you to look back at your life before you met Jesus.
The Biblical Reality of Our B.C. State
The Apostle Paul addresses this spiritual condition powerfully in the first part of Ephesians chapter two. He doesn’t pull any punches: B.C., we were dead because of sin.
We were under condemnation, defined by a sinful nature that made us subjects of the devil and driven by our own passions. We were under the righteous wrath of God because of our rebellion. We existed outside the boundaries of His grace, enslaved to sin, and orphaned from a relationship with our Creator. Because God is holy and cannot tolerate disobedience, we were under the consequences of our rebellion. We were utterly helpless and hopeless.
The Importance of Your Story
Whether your spiritual journey involved a dramatic, life-altering conversion, or whether you were exposed to the Good News, the Bible, and the Church at a very young age, remembering—or at least acknowledging—your B.C. state is a vital part of your testimony.
- For those with a dramatic turning point, your former life is a tangible reference point.
- For those who struggle to recall a life before faith, the truth remains: Paul confirms that we were all outside of relationship with God.
Knowing this previous state allows us to see how great the distance was between us and God, and therefore, how great His grace truly is.
But God… Jesus Came!
The story doesn’t end there (even though our assigned verses leave us hanging)—with us under condemnation, separated, and subject to the rule of evil.
Scripture turns dramatically at this point. While we were hopelessly and helplessly lost, dead in our trespasses, God intervened.
At the right time, Jesus came!
He came to bridge that gap and rescue us from our sin-state, fulfilling the unconditional promises that defined who may enter the Kingdom. Because of His love, He made us alive with Christ.
Pray:
Father, help me to remember what I was like before I knew you. Help me to see others and have compassion for the actual state they are in. Help me to share my story and offer your love and grace to rescue them from their sin-state.
Discussion Questions:
- Reflecting on the “B.C. Identity”: Ephesians 2:1-3, describes our B.C. state as being “dead in trespasses and sins,” “following the desires of our sinful nature,” and “objects of wrath.” In what specific, non-judgmental way did you see these characteristics manifest in your life B.C. (e.g., in relationships, goals, or coping mechanisms)?
- The “Difficulty of the Easy Life”: Those raised in the church may struggle to remember a definite B.C. life. If your conversion was gradual, how do you practically reconcile the biblical reality that you “were dead” with your lifelong familiarity with faith? What does the “before” state mean for you personally?
- The Great Transition (“But God”): The shift from hopelessness to salvation is summarized by the phrase, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us…” (Ephesians 2:4). If you could identify one single moment, realization, or act of desperation that created space for that “But God” moment in your life, what was it?
- Impact on Compassion and Testimony: The concluding prayer asks for help to “see others and have compassion for the actual state they are in.” How does honestly remembering the biblical severity of your own B.C. state change the way you interact with people who are currently outside of Christ?
- Grace vs. Works: We were outside of God’s grace and under condemnation. Why is it vital to consistently remember that salvation is entirely an act of grace, and not an achievement (or a moral improvement) of your own? What “works” do you still find yourself relying on, even unconsciously?