The Rich Mercy Of God
THE RICH MERCY OF GOD
EPHESIANS 2:1-7
Paul explains that you were dead in your sin, but God made you alive and he will show you kindness.
This section can be understood as a summary of the elementary facts of conversion that was taught in connection with baptism:
In 1:19 Paul spoke of the divine power that brought life to God’s people. Now in 2:1-3 he returns to that point in order to emphasize the contrast between the condition of death in which his readers had formerly lived and the life which they now enjoy. The evil character of the past of both Gentiles and Jews is set out categorically. Paul indicated that both Jews and Gentiles are included by his use of the words “you” and “us” (2:2,5) and by the strong expression “we all” (2:3). Whether Gentile or Jew, the believer’s past was marked by a condition of life-of-death, which means living life in a realm where the powers of death constantly have access to a person. The term also implies a total insensitivity to the claim of God and a willingness to adopt a course of life inspired by a spiritual power opposed to God—“the prince of the power of the air” (2:2; see also 5:6).
Paul’s picture of the hopelessness of his readers’ past serves to put into sharper focus the rich mercy of God’s intervention. The contrast between 2:1-3 and 2:4-7 is emphasized by Paul’s expression, “But God …” For no other reason than his infinite love, God rescued us from spiritual death and gave us life in the same way he rescued Christ from physical death and gave him life in the resurrection. In 2:5 Paul finally introduces the verb on which the whole sentence depends: He “made us alive together with Christ.” Paul’s statement combines two thoughts: first, Jews and Gentiles, who were previously separated, have become united in this new experience of life. Secondly, together they are united with Christ in his experience of resurrection (2:5-6). The apostle’s main emphasis, however, is not on the nature of the new life experienced in Christ, but on the immeasurable richness of God’s mercy and kindness in giving this new life to us (2:4-5,7).