Great Love

 Great Love

Ephesians 2:3-7

Ephesians 2:1-3 (NKJV) 1 And you [He made alive,] who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

We were dead in our trespasses and sins, walked according to the course of this world, and were under the power of the evil one. On top of all this, we conducted ourselves in keeping with our sinful desires.

I came to know Jesus Christ at an early age. But, even at an early age, my heart was sinful, and I knew it. I have since found that I must take up my cross daily and follow Jesus, which means dying to my evil desires and walking by the Spirit. 

Before we came to know Jesus, we were children of wrath; in other words, the wrath of God was directed toward us. Even in this state, God loved us. It seems like a contradiction to say the wrath of God was directed toward us at the same time He loved us, but as children of wrath and under the control of the evil one, the inclinations of our hearts were only evil continually.

This is where God’s love comes in. Ephesians 2:4-5 says:

Ephesians 2:4-5 (NKJV) ⁴But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

Here we see that God loved us with a great love, which is why He made us alive together with Christ. God is described as “rich in mercy.” Mercy means not to treat someone as they deserve. We were children of wrath deserving of death, but God did not treat us as we deserve. Instead, He poured out His kindness on us through Christ Jesus.

We were dead in our trespasses, meaning we had no connection or inclination toward God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. We did not have the Holy Spirit, and we were blind. 2 Corinthians 4 speaks of the blindness of the unbeliever. 

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (ESV) ³And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. ⁴In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Once again, we face the fact that the person without Christ is under the power of the evil one. He is the father of lies and blinds people from the truth by filling their minds with lies. We can be deceived as well. Satan roams about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. He is relentless, attacking from our earliest days until we go to the grave. If we did not have the Holy Spirit from God, we would not stand a chance.

Praise God, Ephesians 2:6 tells us that not only did God make us alive together with Christ, but He seated us in the heavenly places with Christ Jesus.

Satan would not have us live with this reality. He throws all of his attractions, distractions, and tricks at us to keep our minds off the truth. 

Jesus talked about the sower sowing seeds. He spoke of seed that fell on the path. The seed is the word of God, and the path is a hardened heart where it is easy for the devil to “snatch away” any seeds that are sown. The second type of soil is rocky soil. This person eagerly and joyfully accepts the word of God, but they are shallow. Jesus said they have no root in themselves. They are like those “tossed about by every wind of doctrine.” (Ephesians 4:14 (NKJV) that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting.)The devil has his agents teaching in pulpits, writing books about faith, and drawing people away from the truth. If we are to be good soil, we must submit to the Holy Spirit and receive the word implanted. 

By seating us in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, God gives us a position and a place where we are safe from the attacks of the evil one. Colossians 3:1 says:

Colossians 3:1-3 (NKJV) ¹If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. ²Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. ³For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

We are to set our minds on things above. But notice here that it says, “You died.” We were dead in our trespasses and sins, so how did we die if we were made alive?

We died to the flesh and to sin. However, we can still live under the control of the flesh. We can do things to help us stay free of the flesh. We might have to cut off things like television, fleshly music, or anything that pulls our hearts and minds away from Jesus and our place in the heavenlies. 

God has given us everything we need for life and godliness, but it is up to us to walk in those things. Ephesians 2:7 tells us that God does this to show the exceeding riches of His grace and kindness toward us.

The grace and kindness that God has poured out on us in Christ Jesus are immeasurable. If while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, is there anything God will withhold from us? Our position and place in Christ Jesus are privileged beyond what we can comprehend.