"But God, who is rich in mercy…" Ephesians 2:4-5 God doesn’t give us what we deserve. He doesn’t even give us what we almost deserve. No, He actually gives us the exact opposite of what we deserve. That may seem like an audacious statement, but when we examine what the Apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Ephesians, that’s precisely what we see. Take a close look at how he begins the second chapter of this brilliant epistle: "And you…who were dead in trespasses and sins…once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air…fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath..." Ephesians 2:1-3 This is a brutally honest critique of the human condition. It’s shining the unforgiving spotlight of truth on the very soul of who and what we are. We were dead in our sins, we walked according to the world’s ways, we were under the control of the prince of the power of the air (Satan), we fulfilled our fleshly desires, and as such we deserved the holy wrath of a sinless God and Judge. That’s what all of us were and what all of us deserved. Thankfully, he doesn’t stop there. He continues: "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us…made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)…" Ephesians 2:4-5 Despite deserving the weight of God’s wrath, His love and mercy compel Him to move in the exact opposite direction. Instead of judging us, He judged His beloved Son, in whom we are given spiritual life through faith in Him. The next time you feel like God isn’t giving you what you deserve, be very glad He isn’t. Be eternally thankful for the “But God” that not only calls attention to what we truly deserve, but which also reminds us that God has graciously given us the opposite!
Posted on: Tue, 11 Jun 2013 11:38:07 +0000
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