EPHESIANS: But God
EPHESIANS Number 21:
But God
Ephesians 2:4–6 (KJV 1900)
“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
We were alienated from God. Dead to Him.
But God
“was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them” 2 Corinthians 5:19a (KJV 1900).
But God
“is rich in mercy.” Ephesians 2:4a (KJV 1900)
But God
“commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (KJV 1900)
But God
“so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (KJV 1900)
I heard a preacher who had become enamored of some poor doctrine teach that God does not love sinners. That God does not love any in whom His Spirit does not dwell. To support this claim, he used John 3:16, which we have just read. His argument was that the Greek word (kosmos), which is translated “world” can also refer to the entirety of a specific set, all the inhabitants of a certain place, the known world, and so on.
Ephesians 2:4 is crystal clear. What God did for us, He did because of “His great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins.”
I want to stress this point.
God is Love.
God Loves every single person.
There is no one God does not Love.
We may wonder if someone is beyond hope. We may find their attitudes and actions repulsive. What they do might turn our stomachs. It might make us furiously angry. We may be hurt by their obstinate and stubborn refusal even to hear the truth.
But God
Loves them.
When we get to Ephesians 6:12 we will find this. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (KJV 1900)
We share an enemy with those who are not in Christ. They are slaves to him. We are merely harassed by him. But God is rich in mercy and just as He loved us with a vast and expansive Love, so He loves them. We are acting in accordance with the Spirit when we too Love others and extend mercy and grace.
