COMMENTARY ON EPHESIANS
ELSSON NUMBER 21
Eph 2:5 "But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, 6 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)" (Eph 2:4-5)
BUT GOD!
INTRODUCTION
In accounting for our change in status, Paul takes care to describe the transition at the causal level, not the level of our conscious participation. This is a most important distinction. Our former state was described as being "dead in trespasses and sins," living "according to the course of this world," dominated by "the prince of the power of the air," and identified as "children of disobedience." Our moral condition was one of deadness and insensitivity. The area of our wills, and what is required to make choices, was characterized by living according to the direction of the world at large - who was on the broad road that leads to destruction. The one who ruled over us was the devil who has a battery of powerful spirits at his command. So far as our association with the Living God was concerned, we were "children of disobedience." Our parentage, back to Adam, was noted for disobedience. At the basic level, and as a race, we were to "seek the Lord, groping, as it were for Him, if "perhaps" we might find Him. After all, He "is not far from each one of us" NIV (Acts 17:27). That was out intended vocation, and yet not a single mortal viewed life in that manner. Our wills moved us to live in an indifferent and self-centered manner. The only people who rose above this general condition were those to whom, God made Himself known - men like Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David, and the Prophets. Now,. I ask you, what is there that man - any man - can do about that circumstance? What natural resource or aptitude can enable men to climb out of that moral pit? What Law can be given that will so strengthen men that they can recover themselves from this fallen condition? That is the issue that Paul now addresses. He will trace the effective change of our status to the working of the Lord. He will affirm that God effectively and willingly interposed Himself into the situation.
THE GRAND DISJUNCTIVE
Eph 2:4 "But God, who is rich in mercy. . ."
BUT GOD. Other versions read, "And God," YLT, "However, God," IE "But the God," ABP "Instead," MESSAGE All other versions read, "But God."
The word "but" is a disjunctive - a sharp intellectual cleavage, disunion, or separation. In this text it is a word that stands between a statement concerning two conditions that cannot exist simultaneously. The movement from one condition to another has a stated cause. In this case, the Cause is God Himself, and the movement is from death in trespasses and sins to life. It is from walking in the course of the world to moving in another realm. It is being taken away from being dominated by Satan, to being under the care of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is from the state of being disobedient, to one of obedience.
"But God" stands between those conditions. That is, He is the One who produced the change of condition (death to life), the change of environment (walking in the world's course to being in heavenly places), the change of master (from the Prince of the power of the air to he exalted Christ), and the change of response (disobedience to obedience). None of these changes were produced by human discipline, a system of law, or a perfunctory routine.
The expression "But God" occurs forty-one times in Scripture (Gen 20:3; 31:7; 45:8,21; 50:20; Ex 13:18; 21:13; Judges 15:19; 1 Sam 23:14; 1 Chron 28:3; Psa 49:15; 64:7; 68:21; 73:26; 75:7; Prov 21:12; Isa 17:13; Jonah 4:7; Lk 12:20; 16:15; Acts 7:9; 10:28; 13:30; Rom 5:8; 6:17; 1 Cor 1:27; 2:10; 3:6,7; 6:13; 1 Cor 7:15; 10:13; 12:24; 15:38; Gal 3:18,20; 6:14; Eph 2:4; Phil 2:271 Thess 2:4,8).
Throughout the Scripture, in both doctrine and events, the Spirit teaches men to bring the working and reigning God into their thinking. There is no circumstance that is not under His control. Further, any change for the good is always traced to His working. Men do not climb out of the pit, they are "brought" out of it (Psa 40:2). If they are not consumed, it is owing to the "the Lord's mercies" (Lam 3:22).
The words "but God" speak of His intrusion into the affairs of men - an intrusion in which He has the absolute dominion, The invasion can be either for blessing or for cursing. In the case of the flood (2 Pet 2:5), the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Jude 1:7), and the destruction of Jerusalem (Lk 21:20-24), it was for cursing - and the intrusions could not be neutralized or aborted. In the case of Israel's deliverance from Egypt (1 Sam 10:18), the overthrow of the Amorites with hailstones (Josh 10;11-12), and the defeat of Sennacherib's massive army (2 Kgs 19:35-36), it was for blessing.
Throughout the ages, holy men have prayed for Divine intervention. They have known of the "but God" factor. The Scriptures and the Prophets made the people aware of the greatness of God, and of the subordination of everything to Him. Now Paul builds upon that sanctified awareness, tracing the change that is found in salvation to the God of salvation.
WHO IS RICH IN MERCY. Other versions read, "God was merciful," CEV "God's mercy is so abundant," GNB "immense in mercy," MESSAGE "abundant in mercy," CSB and "rich in faithful love." NJB All other versions read "rich in mercy." Exactly what does that mean?
Lexically, mercy is defined as "mercy: kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them," STRONG'S To be "rich" in mercy is to abounding in that trait. That is, God is especially inclined to be kind toward those who are in a miserable state. He does not look for meritorious qualifications for mercy. It is a person's condition that qualifies them for mercy, not their achievements. A person is made aware of their miserable state by the Law, which sets before them God's requirements for the human race. Once the reality of a person's condition registers upon them, all human hope is destroyed. It is at that point that "the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared" through the message of the Gospel, which testified to the Person of Jesus Christ.
It was not God's pity that moved Him, but His mercy - His inclination to be kind and good toward the individual. The experience of salvation is traced back to God, and particularly to His character. The point here is that the rescue from sin and its power is not initiated by men reaching up to God. It is rather traced back to God's merciful and kind disposition. Were it not for this, seeking the Lord, calling upon the name of the Lord, and obeying the Lord would actually have no value. In my judgment there is a lot of confusion on this matter in the Christian world. God is depicted as responding to human initiatives rather than to the human condition - and there is a vast difference between the two. The truth of the matter is that when man sees himself as God sees him he is in a position to receive God's mercy, for God is inclined to such a person. That was precisely the point of Jesus' reference to a penitent publican and an arrogant Pharisee (Lk 18:13-14). The response of God to that publican's recognition of his condition was that he "went down to his house justified" (Lk 18:13). May God deliver sensitive souls from the notion that doing what they perceive to be right qualifies them for Divine goodness and consideration.
GOD'S GREAT LOVE
2:4b ". . . for His great love wherewith He loved us." Other versions read, "the great love with which He loved us," NKJV "His great love for us," NIV "the great love which He had for us," BBE "loves us with such intense love," CJB "He loved us so much," NLT "intense love which He bestowed upon us," WEYMOUTH "the great love He has for us, " WILLIAMS and "with an incredible love." MESSAGE
At this point Paul is very precise, even though that precision is greatly obscured by several of the versions of Scripture. Because this is accounting for the genesis of our salvation, it is essential that we see it properly.
Throughout Scripture, the love of God for lost humanity is consistently presented in the past tense. He is depicted as loving His children whom He chastens (Heb 12:6). He is also depicted as loving the one He corrects (Prov 3:12), and loving the righteous (Psa 146:8). Jesus said God loves those who love Jesus, believing that He "came out from God" (John 16:27). God also "loves a cheerful giver" NKJV (2 Cor 9:7). However, all of that is quite different from what is being declared in this text, as well as the majority of other tests referring to God's love.
Generally, the love of God for mankind is used in the past tense. Jesus said God "so loved the world" (John 3:16). Our text states God "loved us" (Eph 2:4). Paul wrote that God the Father "hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace" (2 Thess 2:16). John said that God "loved us, and sent His Son to be the Propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10). He reasoned that "if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another" (1 John 4:11). He also said He "first loved us," with our love for Him following it (1 John 4:19). Paul wrote that we are "more than conquerors through Him that loved us" (Rom 8:37).
John wrote of "the manner of love" that God "hath bestowed upon us" (1 John 3:1). Emphasizing that the comprehension of the love of God is a pivotal point, Paul declared "the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit" (Rom 5:5). He also affirmed that "the love of God" is "in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom 8:39). Speaking of our actual experience of God's love, it is written that our hearts are said to be directed into "the love of God by God" Himself (2 Thess 2:5). John wrote "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us" (1 John 3:16). He went on to say, "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him" (1 John 4:9). It is also written, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom 5:8). Paul also wrote to Titus of the time when "the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared" (Tit 3:4). It was at that time that God, "according to His mercy . . . saved us" (Tit 3:5). The church is referred to as "the beloved of God," or "those who are loved by God." NIV (Rom 1:7).
There are several things we learn from these statements concerning the love of God. It is important that serious thought be given to this matter. This is chiefly because of the infantile ways in which men have been led to consider the love of God. It is generally not associated with a dramatic change in the nature and behavior of individuals. However, that is the point of our text, and it mist be kept uppermost in our minds. If what we were, alienated from God, then we ourselves had to be changed. The love of God played a significant role in that change.
First, the texts about the love of God are not about how God felt or feels, but what He did. Ponder the magnitude of what God's love prompted Him to do. (1) Give His only begotten Son. (2) Give us everlasting consolation and good hope. (3) Sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (4) Laid down His life for us. (5) Sent His Son into the world that we might live through Him. (6) Christ died for us while we were yet sinners. (7) He saved us.
Second, it is always depicted as being because of Christ and through Christ. Take Jesus out of the scenario, and it is inappropriate to speak about the love of God. It is inappropriate to tell anyone who is alienated from God that God loves him. That is precisely why there is no record in Scripture of anyone outside of Christ being told that God loves them. That includes the prodigious earthy ministry of Jesus Himself. It also includes the recorded ministry of John the Baptist, Peter, John, Stephen, and Paul. One may theorize about the matter, reasoning that God "so-loved the world," but that is quite different from saying "God loves you."
In this text, Paul is not telling the Ephesians how God feels about them, but what He has done for and in them. His point is not God's attraction to them, but His provision for them. The love of God is not about having an affection for sinners, but is rather seen in providing a way to escape from that category of people.
This is why God's love is mentioned most frequently in the past tense. It is because it is related to what God did through Christ Jesus, taking away the sin of the world (John 1:29), reconciling men to God (2 Cor 5:18-20), making peace through the blood of His cross (Col 1:20), opening up a new and living way (Heb 10:20), destroying the devil (Heb 2:14), and liquidating the massive debt that had been created by sin (Eph 2:14). That is the context in which the love of God is mentioned in Scripture. It accounts for the provision and realization of the salvation of God.
WHAT GOD'S LOVE CONSTRAINED HIM TO DO
2:4c "Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)."
The thing to see here is not merely that God was kind to us. His mercy, love, and kindness have transforming power. They found us in a despicable situation, but did not leave us there. A significant percentage of those who emphasize the love of God do not associate it with moral and spiritual change - transformation, and conformation. It is almost always associated with tolerance, fleshly understanding, and a kind of sympathy that leaves the individual in the same condition in which he was found. That perception, whether acknowledged or not, is what gave birth to the notion that once a person is saved, there is no possibility of being lost. Once the favor of God is enjoyed, there is no possibility that a person could no longer be favorable. There are at least three things such views fail to take into account. (1) The person holds the status of being "saved" by faith. Salvation is maintained the same way it is obtained - by faith. (2) That the love of God, when shed abroad in the heart, is transforming. (3) That God is repulsed by iniquity and cannot make peace with it. Now Paul reasons about the state of the redeemed.
EVEN WHEN. Other versions read "even though," CSB "while we were," IE "though we were," WEYMOUTH "even while," MONTGOMERY "we being." ABP The state in which we were found was death in trespasses and sins. In that state we were wed to the world and controlled by the devil. There was no possible way that we could change our state - and it was one that would, if not altered, summon forth the wrath of God. Hence we were referred to as "by nature the children of wrath" (2:3).
The language is emphasizing that if God had not intruded into our lives, we would never have been able to extricate ourselves from the situation. Even when, in the day of His power (Psa 110:3) we were willing to be delivered, the power or ability was not owing to our willingness. We were willing but helpless; desirous but impotent. Further, unless God was inclined to deliver us, He would not do so, for He cannot be coerced into raising the dead.
By saying "even when we were dead in sins," he is emphasizing the impossibility of our situation. Our case was not one which required the mere change if habits, adopting a new way of living, or following a more rigid set of rules. We were not only dead in sin, but dead toward God as well. Like Israel, we were like a stillborn child. Of their condition God said, "None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the loathing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born. And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live" (Ezek 16:6).
Unless had God entered into the situation of His own will, and through His own initiative, we simply were beyond any help. In order to appreciate salvation, that is how the matter must be seen.
HE QUICKENED US. There are a number of ways a change in our condition is described, and all of them are very real. We are taken from being enemies to being reconciled (Rom 5:10); from being guilty to being justified (Acts 13:39); from being alienated to being reconciled (Col 1:21); from not being a people to being the people of God (1 Pet 2:10); and from being defiled to being washed (Rev 1:5). These are just a few of the representations of very real change.
The representation here is from being dead in trespasses and sins to being quickened, or made alive unto God - from a state of insensitivity to one of sensitivity; from being unresponsive to being responsive; from being repulsive to being beautiful.
TOGETHER WITH CHRIST. All of this took place when we were effectively identified with Jesus Christ. We were "joined to the Lord" (1 Cor 6:27), "baptized into Christ" (Gal 3:27), called into His "fellowship" (1 Cor 1:9), and "added to the Lord" (Acts 5:14).
It is not possible to be identified with Christ without an essential change taking place in us. Jesus has no fellowship with Belial, or anyone associated with him (2 Cor 6:15). For men to be joined to the Lord a change is essential. Either that change takes place in Jesus, or it does in them. Either He adapts to them, or they adapt to Him. Because we know that Jesus is unchangeable, remaining the same yesterday, today, and for ever (Heb 13:8), the change takes place in us, for God has "called us into the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ" (1 Cor 1:9). The point of our text is that this change is owing to the mercy and love of God.
BY GRACE YE ARE SAVED. Here the grace of God is brought into the picture. This is the fourth time it has been mentioned in this letter (1:2,6,7; 2:5). It will be mentioned eight more times (2:7-8; 3:2,7,8; 4:7,29; 6:24). So far as this text is concerned, we want to see that grace includes both mercy and love - "rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us." Both of these were exhibited in the coming, dying, resurrection, exaltation, and present ministry of Jesus. Grace takes people who are repulsive to God, and puts upon them "the garments of salvation" and "the robe of righteousness" (Isa 61:10). This does not simply cover up our former state, but rather adorns us in accordance with our new state. Further, grace is strictly the expression of God Himself, not a condescending response to the lowly. God Himself has willingly saved us!