Children love to ask questions. This is a good thing, it helps them to learn. When we look at the beginning verses of Ephesians chapter 2, we see our helpless, hopeless sinful state; but God initiated a plan to rescue us from this condition. There is a question that emerges: why would He bother to do this? God doesn’t need friendship and fellowship with mankind. He is complete in Himself, not lacking anything. So why bother? There are several answers given here in Ephesians 2 that I want to look at today.
#1: God is a God of mercy and grace
Look at Ephesians 2:4 again. The verse says that God is “rich in mercy” (English Standard Version). Mercy is not getting what we deserve. If you are stopped by a policeman for speeding, and he (or she) decides to not give you a ticket, just a verbal warning, you have been given mercy. You were guilty. But you didn’t get the ticket you deserved. Similarly, God is a God of mercy. We have accrued a massive “sin debt”, as a pastor once put it, but God who is “rich in mercy” didn’t give us what we deserved.
Secondly, God is a God of grace. At the very end of verse 5, after being told that God made us alive in Christ, this parenthetical statement is made: “By grace you have been saved.” Grace is getting what we don’t deserve. It’s unmerited favor. God orchestrated a plan for Jesus Christ, God in human flesh, to die a criminal’s death on a cross to pay for our sin. One resource puts it this way: “Grace is what God gives to undeserving people, while mercy is what He doesn’t give to deserving people. We deserve judgment, but God freely pardons, if only we will accept what He freely offers” (From God is Amazing by Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission).
#2: God is a God of love
How fitting that we would ponder God's staggering love us on the week of Valentine’s Day! This was God's providence, I assure you. Ephesians 2:4 reads, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us…made us alive together in Christ (italics added for emphasis).” A companion passage is in Romans 5; “When we were unable to help ourselves, at the moment of our need, Christ died for us, although we were living against God. Very few people will die to save the life of someone else…But God shows His great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while were still sinners” (verses 6-8; New Century Version). The words of a praise chorus state: “Amazing love! How can it be that You, my King, would die for me? Amazing love! I know it’s true. It’s my joy to honor You.”
Why does God love us? I submit that we human beings are not able to answer that question. To quote from another song, the Christian group Avalon has this line in their wonderful song “Everything to me”: “I grew up in Sunday school; I memorized the Golden Rule, and how Jesus came to set the sinner free. I know the story inside-out; I can tell you all about the path that led Him up the Calvary. But ask me why He loves me, and I don’t know what to say. But I’ll never be the same because He changed my life when He became everything to me.”
#3: God is a God of kindness
Ephesians 2:7 says, “That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (New King James Version). God is kind. Titus 3:4-5 tells us, “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared…He saved us.” Once again, God didn't need us. He could have left us in our sinful state, but in His kindness, He didn't. I don’t know who said it, but I once heard someone declare that the child of God is “a trophy of His grace.” Isn’t that incredible to contemplate? God saved us to forever showcase that He is a God of mercy, grace, love, and kindness.
Kevin
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