Regeneration in Ephesians 1 and 2

Today is my 5th rebirthday. 5 years ago today, God revealed to me the mystery of his will (1:9) as I heard the word of truth, the gospel of salvation and believed in Christ (1:13) and underwent a transformation from being separated from Christ (2:12) to being united with him in his resurrection and ascension (2:5-6).

Therefore I had the below transformations, in him (1:6, 7, 11, 13, 2:6, 7, 10, 13), through him (1:5, 2:18) and his blood (1:6, 2:13), by the grace that was lavished on me through faith (1:7-8, 2:4, 8) and above all, because I was chosen and predestined before the beginning of the world according to the purpose of God's will (1:4-5, 11) due to God being abundant in mercy and because of his great love and good pleasure (1:5, 9, 2:4). Why? To the praise of God's glorious grace (1:6); to help fulfil the plan of God to bring everything together in the Messiah (1:10); to the praise of God's glory (1:12, 14) that he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us (2:7). It's all for him and his plans. It's not by anything that I've done (thank God) and I can't boast - it's a gift! All I can do is exclaim how amazing God is because of what he's done.

I was, 5 years ago:

1. dead in my trespasses (2:1)
   
2. a son of disobedience and a child of wrath (2:2-3)
   
3. far off (2:13)
   
4. called "uncircumcision" (2:11), a stranger and an alien (2:19), alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and a stranger to the covenants of promise (2:12)
   
5. without God (2:12)
   
6. without hope (2:12)
   
7. walking following the course of this world, the prince of the power of the air and carrying out the desires of the body and the mind (2:2-3)
   
8. following the spirit still at work in the sons of disobedience (2:2)
9. separated from Christ (2:12)
   

Now I am (and have been for 5 years):

1. alive (2:5) and I have been forgiven my trespasses (2:7)
2. a son of God, adopted by him (1:5), an heir (1:11)
   
3. brought near (2:13)
4. reconciled to man (2:16), a fellow citizen with the saints and a member of the household of God (2:19)
5. reconciled to God (2:16), having access to the Spirit and the Father (2:18)
6. with hope in Christ (1:12)
7. called to walk in the good works that God has prepared (2:10), holy and blameless before God (1:4)
8. given God's Spirit (1:13)
9. united with him in his resurrection and ascension (2:5-6)
10. blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (1:3, 6)
    
11. saved (2:5. 8)
12. used as part of the temple of God (2:21-22)
    

(note how 1-9 tally with how I was)

There's plenty of other transformations that happen at rebirth elsewhere in the Bible, but I won't deal with them here as I think the above list is enough to show how amazing God is!

'Tis mystery all immense and free, for oh, my God, it found out me!