Follow“But God…”
© 2024 C. O. Bishop
Ephesians 2:4-22
Introduction: (v. 4-10) (read it)
This is one of the most precious two-word transitions in scripture: “But God!” He steps in and He changes things. God injects Hope where there was none, He calls the dead back to life, and He brings water in the desert—not just a trickle, but a torrent. He is the difference between Lost and Found, Darkness and Light, Grief and Joy, Death and Life. “But God…who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together with Christ (By Grace, mind you! We have done nothing by which to earn His favor.)
Notice that this also is past tense. He is not promising “pie in the sky,” but eternal life, now! He has already done it! God has not only “brought us to life” (spiritually re-connected us to Him, and made us capable of fellowshipping with him,) but it is an eternal relationship, and we are already seated with Him. God says we are seated with Christ —in Christ— in the heavenlies. I do not claim to understand this truth. I only know that this is exactly what he says. My position in Christ is literal. It is not merely mystic, (or, worse, imaginary.) This is the place to which God has moved us…past tense. It’s already done!
But Why? And How?
Regarding the “Why,” God says (verse 7) that we are eternally to be the trophies of His Grace—that He will be able to eternally show the exceeding riches of His Grace, in His kindness toward us through Christ. (Show to whom?) Apparently one of the eternal purposes of the Church is to demonstrate to the Holy Angels the justice of God’s judgment on the fallen angels, by showing the riches of his Grace toward human sinners who do not have the extreme intelligence of the angels, nor have they ever seen God face to face as the angels have (see Ephesians 3:10, 11.)
And the “How” is explained in one of the most-quoted verses in the Bible: “By Grace, you have been saved, through Faith, not of yourselves—it is the Gift of God—not of works, lest any man should boast.” He goes on the give a little more information that we usually forget to quote: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.”
The good works that naturally follow true conversion are symptomatic of being “in Him:” They are not “how you get there.” Keep that in mind. By the way, not all fruit is visible. Love, patience, hope, etc. are not things we can necessarily recognize. So, we do not become “fruit inspectors”, trying to determine whether someone else is “good enough” to be saved. We are saved by Grace, through Faith; plus nothing. The works should follow, but they will vary all over the board, and they usually become more evident with increased maturity.
What is the Result?
Last week we considered the impact of the transitional phrase, “But God!” That is the reason we are here today. The World was lost in Sin and hopelessness, but God, who is rich in mercy, sent his Son to die for our sins. Each of us, individually, was in his mind, as he deliberately sacrificed himself, as full payment for our sins. And each of us has to choose regarding His sacrifice: Is that the sacrifice that will pay for MY sins? Or is it for “the world” but I have “other plans”?
Whether his death will actually result in an individual person having eternal life depends entirely upon how he or she responds to the Good News of His death, burial and resurrection. Remember that, when Jesus died, he made out a “check” to the amount of “eternal life,” in the name of every individual who would ever live, or had already lived. He signed it in his own blood, at the Cross. But to “cash that check” one must “endorse it” by faith. If you choose to not place your faith in him as your Savior, then his death does you no good.
Remember Where You Came From
The book of Ephesians is addressed to those who have already trusted in Jesus as their Savior. He made some very clear statements regarding all that is and was true of us, in chapter one and the first half of two. But now God invites us to look back from the perspective of salvation, and see where we came from.
In Ephesians 2:1-7 he told us where we had been, and what God did to save us, and why. Then, in verses 8 and 9, he says how we were saved. In verse 10, he explains what the results are to be, as a general principle. But in verses 11 and 12, he confirms the change that has been made, and says for us to look back:
You Were Without Christ (v. 11, 12) (read it)
Looking back, as God directs our eyes that way, I can see that I was indeed a heathen (that’s what “Gentile” means.) I was a lost sinner, rejected by the Jews as unclean, but now made clean by God. I truly was without Christ; without any connection or any way to be connected to the God of Israel. No part of the promises of God was to me, except the coming judgment.
God says, “At that time, you were without God, and without Hope, in the World.” It is sad, but it is simply the truth. Remember this, as you consider the necessity of evangelism: Apart from the Gospel, which perhaps you alone will offer to them, the one with whom you share the Gospel is truly hopeless, and they are “as lost as a ball in high grass.”
The Gospel that God calls us to share with them is the only hope that God has ever offered! Remember that! It is a precious privilege, and a sacred trust. This is the true “State of the Union,” so to speak. It is “Where the whole World really is,” and it’s where we also were, regardless of what we may choose to think.
“But Now…” (v. 13-17) (read it)
Consider how important the transition is, here, in verse 13: Because of the earlier transition, “But God…”, there is another one—“But Now, in Christ Jesus.” Things have changed for you. All those ugly truths that applied to you have been nailed to the Cross. Now God sees you only in your new nature. He says we are no longer “afar off” from Him, and that even the barrier between Jew and Gentile has been broken down.
He says that the “One New Man”, whom He is calling out from all nations, includes Jews and Gentiles. The same Gospel was preached to both Jews and Gentiles, and the ground is truly “level at the foot of the Cross.” Both Jewish sinners and Gentile sinners were reconciled to God through the same blood sacrifice. We were all under the same condemnation. God is Holy, and He hates sin. He cannot accept sin at any level. God the Father piled all our sin on Jesus at the Cross, so that Jesus literally “became Sin” for us. He did not become “a sinner,” nor “sinful”…He “became Sin.”
2nd Corinthians 5:21
Turn to 2nd Corinthians 5:21, please; this is an important concept. Jesus “became Sin,” so that we could do what? Do good deeds? Work great works? Change our lives? No! It was so that we could become the Righteousness of God, in Him. There’s that “position clause” again! We are In Christ! And, in Him, we are the Righteousness of God. That does not excuse our sins as Christians: God still hates sin…this is simply a statement of how God sees us, in Him.
Ephesians 2:18…God says that we are not only “in Him,” in some theoretical sense, but we “have access to the Father” through Christ, by the Holy Spirit. Hebrews 10:19, 20 sheds more light on this truth: “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest (the inner sanctum of the temple—where no one but the High Priest could ever go, and that only once a year), by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he has consecrated for us, through the veil that is to say, his flesh…”
The veil in the temple, torn when Jesus died, was a picture of the final barrier between us and God, being broken down, by God! (It was torn from top to bottom: not the other way around. We have full access to the throne of Grace, all the time, through his death, burial and resurrection. The only thing that can hinder us is Sin.
Now Therefore (v.19-22)
Paul is about to draw a conclusion, but it is still a positional truth: He says, “Now, therefore, you are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the Saints…part of the household of God.” The “saints,” the “ones God has declared Holy:” That group includes us now. God says you are now as holy as they are. Give that some thought. “Holy” means “Set apart for God’s purpose.” Is that how you see yourself? Is that how you respond to life? Do you see His priorities as being first in importance? Or does God get the “leftovers,” so to speak?
The Living Temple of God
Notice what Paul says about us, in verses 20-22: he says we are part of a general structure, in which, collectively, we are becoming a “temple of God.” (Notice, please, that this is different than the fact that your physical body (See 1st Corinthians 6:19) is now a “temple of the Holy Spirit”—this verse says the whole body of Christ, together, throughout eternity, is one “holy temple in the Lord”…it is also so called in 1st Corinthians 3:16, 17.
This is where we hear the warning against “defiling the Temple of God,” It is not in reference to our mortal bodies which are destined to fail, and wear out, and are being destroyed by the using of them, but rather to the Body of Christ, collectively—the Church.
The passage in 1st Corinthians 6 states that “your body (singular) is the temple of the Holy Spirit, which is in you….” The one in 1st Corinthians 3 says “ye” (plural “you”) “are the temple of God:” That is an entirely different idea. Give some thought to that idea: how would one “defile” the Church, the body of Christ? And what does God say (in 1st Corinthians 3)that He will do to those who “defile the Church?” Study that one out, and think about it. God takes the Church very seriously. We need to do the same.
Every Part is Called to Function
But Paul says we are being “fitly joined together” (not fragmented, but knit together in Christ), and collectively, we are growing together into a habitation of God, through the Spirit.
If we look forward to Ephesians 4:16, we see a bit more about that idea: it says we are “fitly joined together, and compacted, by that which every joint supplieth according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, making increase of the body unto the edifying (that means building up) of itself in Love.” (Doesn’t that sound like Evangelism? “Increasing” the Church? “Growing” the Church? Not just this little church: It is the Body of Christ at large!)
And notice that he says it is the collective work of “every part”—every member! “Only sheep make baby sheep.” Only Christians lead people to Christ. Did you know that the Angels do not have the privilege of sharing the Gospel with unbelievers? The only time an Angel does anything even close to that is in Revelation, during the Great Tribulation…and He is not preaching the Gospel of Christ: Rather, it is the “Everlasting Gospel:” that Men should worship the Creator.
So: Now What?
If you are in Christ, the facts are clear: you were “created in Christ unto Good works.” We will see more and more of what those “good works” entail, but one thing we have already seen is that because we are members of the Body of Christ, we are expected to function as such…to the “building up” of the Body of Christ…the “increasing” of the Body of Christ: We are to be helping to Build the Church; a habitation of God, through the Holy Spirit.
As we continue through the book of Ephesians, we will see what the “Normal Christian Life” is supposed to look like. For the moment, I would just like to say: If you belong to Him, it makes sense that you work for Him. If you are really His, you should be serving Him! (Not “self.”)
Give this some thought and prayer as you seek God’s direction for your own life, and ask Him how you can serve.
Lord Jesus, we hear Your call, and we know that it is us You are calling. Help us to break free from the shackles of this world, and stand before You, saying, “Here am I, Lord: send Me!”