The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Ephesians 2:4-5,
"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved."
Paul speaks of God's "great love" in this passage. This great love of God is, as I have often said, something I struggle to wrap my mind around. It isn't that I don't understand that God loves us, but it is the depth, the full dimension of that love that is hard for me to fully comprehend. Perhaps I will not ever attain a full understanding of it in this life, a full appreciation for it. In the next chapter of this book Paul prays his readers might do just that with the expected result they would be "filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.", Ephesians 3:17-19. I suspect a full appreciation of God's love lies with those who have grown in a full and deep measure of faith and closeness with our heavenly Father.
What I do know is this: God loves all people, the whole world, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16. This love prompted him to give his Son as a ransom for all us lost and fallen sinners. "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." 1 John 2:2. Jesus died a miserable and horrible death as a sacrifice of atonement to our God, to satisfy his justice, a satisfaction that will always and without fail find its complete fulfillment. On this Paul says, "God presented him [Jesus Christ] as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus." Romans 3:25-26.
This giving of his Son is a manifestation of love beyond none other. Of it, the apostle John says, "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." 1 John 4:9-10. The astonishing thing to me is that this love of God was expressed by him to me while I was living a sinful and rebellious life. "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8.
What can we say of such a love as this? Beyond measure!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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