But God
But God. Paul is almost beginning to sound like a broken record! Why is that? Paul not only restates the ideas presented in verses 1 through 3 of Ephesians 2, but he continues in more detail.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:4-7, NKJV
But God
Paul is almost beginning to sound like a broken record! Why is that? Paul not only restates the ideas presented in verses 1 through 3 of Ephesians 2, but he continues in more detail. The important thing for us is to realize that this is all about God and none about ourselves. We do not have the ability to save ourselves, whether or not saving ourselves even seems necessary to us. Our tendency is to compare ourselves with other people and say, "I'm really not that bad." That is the problem: we compare ourselves with other people when we should be comparing ourselves to a Holy and Righteous God. Compared to God, we are in a hopeless estate.
Yet, look at what Christ has done. Even when we were dead in trespasses, Christ made us alive, and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ. Wow! How amazing is that? It is not as though we somehow became better people so God decided to save us. No! Even while we were dead in our sins, Christ made us alive!
Not only did Christ make us alive, but, through Him, we are raised up together into heaven where we will sit with Him. Our salvation in Christ is an eternal salvation, and that salvation begins the moment we believe. When Christ opens our eyes to see, understand, and accept His Word, we already have eternal life! Oh, we may die an earthly death, but in a moment of time, we will pass from our life on this earth to life in heaven. We will sit at the feet of Christ, Himself!
Why? Christ will bring us to heaven so that, in the ages to come (and they will come), He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us. How can it be that a sinful and undeserving people can receive such grace? This grace is only available to us through Christ. It is Christ who left the glories of heaven, came to this earth in the humble form of a baby in a manger, lived a life of rejection by His own people, died a cruel death on the cross, and was resurrected from the dead. It is Christ who thus purchased a salvation for His people.
Nothing we do gives us a right to Christ. It is entirely His grace and His love that purchased us! How, then, can we not fall down before Him in humility and gratefulness as we consider the great things He has done for us?
But God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16, NKJV)
Again and again, we will hear this theme by Paul and all of the other writers of the Old and New Testaments. It is God who saves, it is God who keeps us, and it is God who will bring us home to be with Him forever!
What an amazing God we serve!
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