By J.A. Medders
I’m a preacher and a writer, so I know how helpful a good illustration can be to understand some passages of Scripture. But this one needs no introduction. We are staring into the radiating wonder of the gospel of grace.
Paul’s been preparing us for this passage, hasn’t he? Think about the previous readings, especially Ephesians 1:15–19, when Paul prayed for our hearts to see the glory of God. Like a dad telling us to get ready to see the Grand Canyon, it’s as if Paul is saying, “Get ready to enjoy it. Drink it in.” Now, we’ve pulled up to Ephesians 2, and it’s time to really look.
You were dead in your sins. Not sick and in need of a lozenge or some vitamin C. You were spiritually dead, unable to do anything but continue in the deadness of sin. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the ancient serpent slithered around you, pushing you to continue on in your sin.
But God—this is perhaps the greatest coupling of words in the Bible.
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!
—Ephesians 2:4–5
You were dead. But God…
You were enslaved to sin. But God…
The rich-in-mercy God, brimming with love for you, made you alive in Jesus despite your moral wreckage. You didn’t deserve it. God saved us by pure grace—it’s an undeserved salvation. Our sins were placed onto Jesus there at the cross, and He paid for them in full. Jesus rose from the dead, raising us sinners up with Him, and it is a 100 percent free gift of God. We receive this salvation by faith and trust that Jesus really went to the cross, the grave, and then to the throne for us, exchanging our sins for His righteousness and giving us a whole new life.
Do you ever wonder why He would do such a thing? Paul points it out to us in verse 7: “So that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” We are displays of his grace and his kindness. Another way to answer: God is gracious and kind, and He endured the cross for the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2)—He endured it for us. That’s our God. That’s our message too; no matter the mess we find ourselves in, God can save each one of us through Jesus. He is alive today, and we are living proof.
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