Ephesians 2:4a

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved) . . .
(Ephesians 2:4)

In the first verses of this chapter, the apostle paints a grim picture of humanity without Christ. We are dead – necrotic – in our sins (verse 1). We are obedient (whether knowingly or unknowingly) to the devil and disobedient to God (verse 2). We are “children of wrath” (verse 3).

And then St. Paul brings us to the great "But" in verse 4: But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved) . . . .

Over the next few lessons we will look at several wonderful points in this verse.

First, God is rich in mercy. As the word is used in this passage, mercy is what we get when we don’t get what we deserve.

Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio (The Crossroads Initiative) writes:

The first members of the human race had renounced their freedom and dignity as sons and daughters of God and had fallen into bondage to a tyrannical master. Suffering and death were the fruit of this slavery. The price to redeem themselves from this miserable situation was beyond their means. So in bondage they stayed, forging heavier chains for themselves with every passing generation.

Until, that is, the God of Justice manifested Himself as the Father of Mercy. Justice renders to each their due and calls each to assume responsibility for themselves. Mercy goes beyond the issues of who is responsible. Mercy is simply love’s response to suffering. So the Father of Mercy, to relieve our suffering, sent his Eternal Son to be made flesh by the power of the Holy Spirit. God the Son, by nature incapable of suffering, became vulnerable for us. He bound the strong man who had tyrannized the human race and paid the debt that the human race hadn’t been able to cover. His rescue mission succeeded at the cost of his life.

Although God’s justice requires judgment for our sins, God’s mercy grants us complete pardon instead. Christ, by His death, redeemed us -- purchased our pardon -- with His own blood.

The next thing we should consider is the method by which God grants us His mercy, which is His grace -- undeserved favor toward us. After all, we were "dead" in our sins. Necrotic. There was as much we could do about our condition as a corpse can do about its condition. We were completely helpless and hopeless. We need(ed) supernatural intervention. And so God intervened on our behalf, not on the basis of our goodness, but only and exclusively on the basis of His goodness.

Mercy and Grace mingled on Calvary and flowed from Christ's wounds to you and me.

Questions for Reflection:

1. Read Romans 2:4. How might frequent meditation on Christ’s suffering and death focus our minds on the kindness of God, and thereby lead us to deeper repentance?



2. Read this passage in Hebrews. What does it mean to you to “draw near with confidence to the Throne of Grace”? How might your confidence in God’s mercy increase through your own acts of mercy toward others? (consider 2 Cor 1:3-4 and Matthew 6:12 in your response).