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God, knowing our sinful condition, provided the solution by making us alive with Christ.
Ephesians 2:4-7 - 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
What is the solution for the problem of sin? If the answer is religion, then how do we know which religion really got it right? Essentially, all religions prescribe a similar set of rules, rites, and rituals to deal with sin. All of them prescribe a cocktail of prayers and works depending on the degree of the sin and how many sins one has committed.
The problem is that all religious efforts to deal with sin are man-made solutions to the problem of sin. People need to know that these solutions neither deal with our sinful nature nor put us on the good side of God. At best, they make us feel better for a little while before we commit the next sin. So is the vicious cycle of religious rules, rites, and rituals. If you feel that I just described your life, the good news is that Christ came to set you free.
Last time, we saw that Ephesians 2:1-3 defined and described the problem, presence, and power of sin. It showed that man’s greatest problem is not moral, social, nor political, but sin because we are born in sin, and without Christ, we die in sin to face the judgment of God in torment that lasts forever. Ephesians 2:4-7 contrasts the grim condition of humanity with the solution to the problem of sin.
The big idea is that God, knowing our sinful condition, provided the solution by making us alive with Christ.
We Were Made Alive with Christ Because of God’s Initiative (Ephesians 2:4-5)
Ephesians 2:4 starts “But God.” Textually, these two words contrast what Paul taught in Ephesians 2:1-3 about the problem of sin and what he is about to teach next about the solution to the problem of sin. Therefore, these two powerful words demand more attention than an average student of the Bible deems to give. So, pause and adore the beauty of these two words.
They declare the power of God, the presence of God, and the persistence of God to solve the problem of sin and end the consequence of sin. They show that rather than hitting the reset button, God chose to heal and restore what was broken.
These two words make the whole work of salvation from beginning to end, in its totality, to be the work of God, leaving nothing to sinful man deserving God’s wrath. As we celebrate the Christmas season, these two words make Christmas a cosmic reality that offers hope, peace, joy, and love to the world.
These two words are the essence of the gospel— the good news that sinners are reconciled with God because the power of sin is defeated, the chains of death that enslaved humanity are broken, and we have been set free in Christ for the glory of God.
These two words are the basis of the Christian hope of eternal life with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Grammatically, the “but” here is a conjunction but also a contrast between our old nature before Christ and the new nature in Christ, between what we have done and what God had to do to undo it. Christmas is a joy to the world because these two words, “But God,” changed the trajectory of ever-perishing humanity from where we were headed without Christ to where God is taking us in Christ.
So, the “but” here contrasts what Satan and sin did to kill us in the Garden of Eden, a perfect habitat for humanity, with the ultimate Eden, the very presence of God. All of this points to one fact: God took initiative because of His character.
Ephesians 2:4-5 reads, “4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— .” In many ways, out of God’s character came the solution to the problem of sin.
God’s Mercy
Verse 4 says, “being rich in mercy.” It’s not that God just shows mercy to us, rather His mercy shows His character. He is mercy. He is the source of mercy, which is infinite and everlasting like Him. It never dries up because God never runs out of His mercy.
The Greek word for mercy here, eleos, can be translated as compassion or pity. It focuses on the one who offers it and not the recipient because the one who offers has the power and right to punish or harm but chooses mercy, compassion, and pity. God had the power and right to get rid of us, but He chose to work with the sinful creatures that we are.
Mercy is choosing not to be offended by the perpetrator. God chose mercy, knowing that our sinful nature will always wrestle against God, even after He saves us. Mercy results in forgiveness. That is exactly what God did for us and continues to do so in Christ.
Also, in the Bible, eleos is rooted in a covenantal relationship. He has a covenantal relationship with us through Jesus. Church, God first chose to have a relationship with us in Christ; we did not first choose Him. That is why Paul spent all that time Ephesians 1 to show us that it was predetermined, predestined, and preplan.
God’s Love
The verse says, “because of the great love with which he loved us” which magnifies the divine love toward us. The Greek words agape refers to God’s selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional love. Every other form of love is reciprocal but not agape. God’s love makes our actions, good or bad, completely irrelevant in the process of salvation.
God’s Grace
Finally, the verse changes tenses and says, “by grace, you have been saved.” Later in Ephesians 2, we will study what grace is, what it does, and why we need it. But for now, it is sufficient to say that grace, in Greek, charis, refers to God’s unmerited favor toward us by which He alone, without human intention or efforts, regenerates us and gives us faith to believe and grow in Christ. It is a gift of God, free of cost offered to us all in Christ.
One of my daughters asked me the other day, “Daddy what is sin?” I tried to be as simple as I could and said, “Sin is disobeying God and not doing what God tells us to do." She said, “Daddy, I sin.” If she knows that at the age of 4, you should too. The good news is that God already provided the solution to that through God’s gracious gift in Christ.
Application
If you are not a follower of Jesus, this gift is for you. All you need to do is: believe in Jesus, that He is the Son of God who came from God to save you, confess that you are a sinner and you need Jesus to save you from the slavery of sin. If you invite Jesus into your heart, then at that very moment, you will be saved for eternity.
We Were Made Alive with Christ Because of God’s Interest (Ephesians 2:5c-6)
The end of Ephesians 2:5 and 6 reads, “5c By grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
God Took an Interest in Saving Us in Jesus
When we were dead in our sins, we had no desire to be saved. As Ephesians 2:1-3 said, our desires were for Satan, the world, and the flesh. God took the initiative to make us alive together with Christ, which shows God’s interest in saving us.
God Took an Interest in Raising Us in Jesus
At the resurrection of Jesus, we were co-raised to be united with Christ.
God Took an Interest in Seating Us in Jesus
Today, physically, we are here, and Christ is with us spiritually, but positionally, we are presented with Christ in heaven. One day, all this will come together, and we will no longer be separated physically or spiritually but united forever in our resurrected, glorified bodies.
Last week, there was a strong argument between my four children about heaven. They all wanted to get there first. Now imagine the weather we had last week: rainy, cloudy, and foggy. I told them if they did not stop yelling and arguing, we were all going to end up in heaven together at this very hour.
Application
It is good to have the desire to go to heaven, but that should not cloud our view of this physical world and these physical bodies. If we truly believe that we are co-raised and co-seated with Christ, then it does not matter whether we are on earth or in heaven. We should live like heavenites, praising and raising Christ up no matter where we are. That is the joy of Christmas.
We Were Made Alive with Christ Because of God’s Intention (Ephesians 2:7)
Ephesians 2:7 reads, “so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” Now we come to the purpose and reason for God to make us alive in Christ— the solution to the problem of sin. God intended to shower us with the immeasurable riches of His grace and kindness. The word immeasurable in Greek, huperballo, means exceeding, transcend, and surpassing. God intended to shower us with an ever-increasing abundance of God’s grace.
Two men, a Muslim, and a Christian, were debating the idea of salvation. The Muslim man said that we do not have original sin, so we do not need a savior. The Christian man asked then, why do you have the idea of salvation in Islam? What is it for?
Application
All known religions have the idea of salvation, but they do not know what that salvation is for. They think it is to be saved from the bad place. If you are a Christian, you need to believe and share with them that the primary purpose of salvation is not to keep us out of hell but to join us with Christ. The whole reason that God saved us was to shower us with love, mercy, and grace that changed the course of history.
Not too long ago, I was asked why Christians do not care about the world and the problems of the world. The assumption was based on how Christians cannot wait for the world to end so that they can be in heaven. Yes, as Christians, we should live with the anticipation of heaven, but we should not abandon our responsibility to this world. God saved us to shower us with love, mercy, and grace so that we may introduce others to Jesus by living out God’s love, mercy, and grace.
Action Step
Let’s prove the world wrong, let’s show them we are not some lazy, crazy heavenites on earth who live in the clouds, but we deeply care about the world because God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son Jesus to die for the world.
Appeal
Trust God’s solution to the problem of sin because all human solutions neither deal with sinful nature nor mend our relationship with God; at best, they make us feel better for a little while before we commit the next sin. But God, knowing our condition, provided the solution by making us alive with Christ not because of any good or bad we have done but because of His initiative, interest, and intention.
Study Questions
What solution does Eph 2:4-7 offer for the problem of sin?
What do we learn about God’s character in Eph 2:4-7?
What do we learn about the human condition in Eph 2:5?
Deeper Study Questions
If people are saved by grace and not by their own works, what role does works play in the Christian life?
How would you explain to someone that salvation is by faith alone, grace alone, and Christ alone?
Practice sharing the gospel in your group. Be sure to differentiate work based salvation from salvation in Jesus.
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