Ephesians 2.4-7
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
Paul opens Chapter 2 with: “And you he made alive when you were dead.” The first three verses declare our spiritual condition of death apart from Christ, and then in verse 4 Paul pivots with two simple, powerful words, “But God.”
These two words are the heart of the gospel. They are the essence of the good news. For mankind, who is separated from God because of sin, there may not be two more important words.
We were in a condition of sin and spiritual death and therefore without hope … but God.
We were seduced by the world and deceived by the prince of darkness, lost in distorted beliefs and behaviors … but God.
We were enslaved to the passions of our flesh, directed and tossed about by deceitful impulses and passions … but God.
These two priceless words—but God—tell us that we have been saved because of God’s grace. In response to our condition of sin and spiritual death, God intervenes. Motivated by his great love and mercy, the Lord offers us redemption and life in Christ. He saves us and gives us new life.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” (John 5.24)
To be moved from a condition of death to a condition of life is the greatest gift the Lord could possibly give to us. Through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, God restores the life he designed for us but was lost at the Fall. It is no wonder, then, that Paul says God did this for us because he is “rich in mercy” and was motivated by the “great love with which he loved us.”
The apostle adds two other factors which are fundamental to new life in Christ: We are raised up with him, and we are made to sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. This is our spiritual position. Incredible, isn’t it?
“Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” (Philippians 3.20-21)
