The Intervening Grace of God

#8 Ephesians 2:1-10

The Intervening Grace of God
This little section of Scripture is so clear in its purpose. First, Paul lays out the degraded position in which mankind finds itself (vs 1-3); then he explains how God has graciously intervened to lift us out of it (vs 4-10). While John, in his gospel, introduced the need for new birth, Paul takes it to a higher level when he announces that we are made alive TOGETHER WITH CHRIST and then declares that we are GOD’S WORKMANSHIP.

The degradation of mankind is described by these words: dead in your sins; following the ways of the world; disobedient; gratifying the cravings of your sinful nature; objects of wrath. Then in verse 4, we read two most beautiful words, “but God,” followed by the next seven verses where we read the words: His great love for us; in mercy He made us alive; by grace you have been saved; raised up with Christ; His kindness toward us; the gift of God. Verses one through ten communicate God’s thoughts about sin and His great heart of love toward sinners.

Paul makes it plain that when man acts according to his nature, he acts to satisfy his own desires, as if there is no God. In contrast, when God acts according to His nature, He acts out of a love so abundant that it cannot be measured. Moreover, His love is directed toward those who are DEAD TO GOD! He will not be satisfied simply to have a people who are saved from death and judgment; He will have a people who are ALIVE TO HIM! When we’re alive to Him, we become dead to the influences of the world, the flesh and the devil.

Ephesians portrays us as under the sentence of death because of what we ARE (Paul talks about what we DO in other epistles). Man sins because he is a sinner by nature – it is our nature that brings us under judgment, and it is our nature that requires regeneration. In times past, men sought to restrain the natural desires of their hearts by keeping the law. Now Paul explains that nothing short of death will free man from his sinful nature. God intervened, by way of the cross, in order that believers could become dead to sin, and therefore freed from slavery to the sin nature (Rom. 6:2)

To intervene on our behalf, God acted according to His nature (described by the words “His great love for us’ and ‘rich in mercy’). He has done a most amazing thing; He “raised us up WITH Christ and seated us WITH Him in the heavenly realms IN Christ Jesus.” This is a gift from God – no man can do this for himself – it is a show of the “incomparable riches of His grace.” When we were still dead in our ability to know God and His love, He moved us to the exact opposite position – He made us alive WITH and IN Christ.

God rises up to the pinnacle of His own goodness, acting from what He is – not responding to what we are in our sin (except to respond to us in grace and love) – and completely removes us from the fallen state (“in Adam”). Our new position in the sight of God is “in Christ.” This is not a return to an innocent state – it is a higher position! Christ makes His Father known to your soul in a way that could not have been possible from a state of innocence. As descendents of an unfallen Adam, there is much you would have learned about God – but you would have known nothing about His mercy and grace, for God has no need to display mercy or grace unless sin is present.

The Spirit of God has connected us with heaven while we are yet on the earth. We are not only raised us up with Him, but He has also seated us with Him. Now we have new choices to make – will we grow into maturity, reflecting our new position through our walk (a walk described in chapters 4-6)? Will we yield to the Spirit of God, in order to reflect God’s riches? Listen to what Paul says in verse 10 [making it personal]:

FOR [YOU ARE] GOD'S WORKMANSHIP, CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS TO DO GOOD WORKS, WHICH GOD PREPARED IN ADVANCE FOR [YOU] TO DO.

This word WORKMANSHIP is the Greek word for POEM. You are God’s POEM, His masterpiece. Poetry expresses passion and emotion flowing from the poet’s heart. It is with great passion that God has prepared, in advance, works for you to do so that you yourself will be part of the display He speaks about in Eph.2:7. In the coming ages He will show the “incomparable riches of His grace” through His activity in the lives of His children. All the training and influences in your life (positive and negative) were designed to enable you to do the works God has prepared in advance (in eternity past) for you. Your personality and character traits were meticulously adapted for your specific ‘works;’ then you were sent forth into the world to tread the path your Creator prepared for you. Your life was conceived in the mind of God, in the silence of eternity past. He plans to bring you personal joy while you live “for the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:12).

From degradation to poetry! So far, Ephesians has presented some lofty purposes for those who are made alive in Christ.
Read and reread the letter to Ephesians with these things in mind – let it live in your heart! LJ 6/09