2:4 Life as Direct Objects

Ephesians 2:4-5:
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

If Paul had had the luxury of a modern word-processor, I think he would have bold-faced this verse and increased the text-size a few notches.

This is especially true for the first two words, “But God.”

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In verses 1-3, Paul reminds us of our past; a hopeless state in which nothing we did was pleasing to God. We were spiritually dead—walking in the steps of the enemy, fulfilling fleshly passions, and living under God’s wrath (cf. John 3:36).

Thus it is crucial to note that this verse does not say, “because of our great potential,” or, “because God could really use us to run His Kingdom.”

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Instead, all credit goes to His mercy and His love.

God is the subject.

We are the direct objects.

He is the Actor.

We are the acted-upon.

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For folks who grow up in church, it is easy think that conversion is only a matter of time. We seem to think that since we are close to Divine-things, we are owed Divine love.

But when we think that way, let us not be surprised to find that our worship is dead; our passion for Christ is stale; and our love for the saints is pale.

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When we realize, though, that God owed us nothing; that His grace was purely undeserved; that He loved us when we were hostile to Him, it is meant to do something to us; to create a revolution within.

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Ephesians 2:1-10 is a passage worth studying, worth memorizing, worth teaching. It is the marvelous summary of an unreasonably kind God, who saved wretches like us.

Read through it today.

Chew on every word,

every clause,

every phrase.

Come to grips with what you were, then consider how God softened your heart and opened your ears.

Shed joyful tears at the astounding mercies of a God who owed us nothing but His wrath.

Refuse to get over the two most wonderful words you may ever hear . . .

“But God.”

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“No story, from disaster to delight, stands out above the day I came to know Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of sins, came to be on speaking terms with God, and came to find a sense of high direction and holy meaning in life.” -Carl Henry