Tuesday, March 6, 2007

God Our Father - Part Two

Yesterday, I wrote some thoughts that I had about the words, God Our Father, which you can read here. I had been reading Ephesians 1:1-2.

Ephesians 1:1-2

1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:


1:2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.


When I think about the word Father, it brings to mind what a father does, or should do. I realize that not all have had earthly fathers who treated them well. An earthly father provides for our needs, he provides a roof over our heads, food on the table, clothes, a bed to sleep in.

As a child of God, adopted by Him, the best thing He has done for us is to save us. Do we really realize the impact of that? Read this from Ephesians 2:1-10:

Ephesians 2:1-10

2:1
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins

2:2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—

2:3
among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

2:4 BUT GOD, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,

2:5
even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

2:6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

2:7
so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

2:8
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

2:9
not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

He could have left us dead in our trespasses and our sins, as it says we were in verse 1. We were lost, and without hope in the world, and He could have left us in that state. But He didn't! Look at verse 4, it says BUT GOD! BUT GOD! Think about that! Mediate on those words, BUT GOD!

2:4 BUT GOD, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,

2:5
even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

2:6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

2:7
so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

BUT GOD, was rich in mercy towards His elect, because of the great love with which He loved us! EVEN while we were dead in our trespasses and sins, He made us alive together with Christ! It it by grace we are saved! It is all God's work!

I'm sure that many already know this, but it is something we should never forget. And, it is something that we should forever be grateful for.

SOLI DEO GLORIA!