The past few days I've had the song
"But God" by the Village Church Worship Band stuck in my head. My mentor showed it to me a week ago and I've
found it fits in well with the scripture I've been memorizing of late, which
just happens to be Ephesians.
Specifically Ephesians 2, which is in fact the inspiration for the
song. I'm fairly familiar with this
piece of scripture as I went through Ephesians a few months ago in a bible
study I lead, and put simply this is possibly the clearest and most lucid
presentation of the gospel in all of scripture.
However
this time reading and meditating on this piece has stirred up new thoughts on
the words of the Apostle Paul. I know it is probably surprising that I could
see something I hadn't seen before in a inexhaustible book, but somehow it
happened (Bazinga). This go around the
part that has really clicked in my mind has been the beginning of verse 4 with
these two little words, But God (Ephesians 2:4).
Sometimes translated as And God (Ephesians 2:4) with the Greek
word δε (de) being either
adversative, meaning "but" and presenting an idea contrary or in
opposition to the previous topic, or as being continuative and meaning
"and" thus carrying on the natural progression of the idea. I think that while the two translations
appear to convey different ideas, both fit together smoothly to express Paul's
point in his presentation of the gospel.
On
the side of "but" we have who Paul had previously discussed, the
sinful, wicked, children
of wrath (Ephesians 2:3) juxtaposed with God, who we know to be righteous and
holy. Therefore this translation makes
clear sense in that while we were sinful God, through his riches of mercy,
grace and love, which manifested themselves in Christ, God made a way for us to
be reconciled to Him. That although we
were dead in the trespasses and sins in which we once walked (Ephesians
2:1), God loved us and sought after us to bring us to the complete opposite
end of the spiritual spectrum, that is to be brought to the perfection
God. For by grace you have been
saved... (Ephesians 2:8).
On
the other hand, for let us remember that this word has two hands, there is also
the continuative
meaning of the word. Upon looking at
this meaning I am brought back a chapter to Ephesians 1, where we learn that
God chose us before the foundation of the world and predestined us
for adoption as sons through Christ (Ephesians 1:3-4). Thus God as He chose us before there was even
a beginning, knew that we would live in the passions of our flesh (Ephesians
2:3) that is contrary to the expressed will of God. That is knowing that we
would fall short of his glory like the rest of mankind (Ephesians 2:3),
God made a way for us to know Him, that we might be saved through faith...
the gift of God (Ephesians 2:9).
With this knowledge we put together that the natural order of events for
God was that although we would turn to our own wicked ways, He being rich in
mercy would grab hold of our hearts and transform them to see his goodness and
glory. To boldly proclaim that Christ is
Lord, that he lived, died on the cross for our sins and that God rose Him on
the third day, to the praise of His glorious grace (Ephesians 1:6).
In
the end we see what we see in all of scripture: the gospel. It is seen through different themes and
stories but here it appears clear to us, that we were lost and without God, and
while His nature was contrary to ours, and His actions contrary to what we
rightly deserved, He carried out His plan in Christ, that flowed perfectly into
our lives to save us from our sins and justify us before God.
But
God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by
grace you have been saved... -Ephesians 2:4-5
Ephesians 2:1-3
Ephesians 2:1-3
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