Enjoying the fireworks... reflections on Ephesians 2:1-7

[Mary Elmore]

A few months ago I was complaining to God about something I felt I needed but didn't have. (Not proud of it, but honestly, that’s what was happening). No sooner had the words spilled from my mouth then Ephesians 1:3 came to my mind. I have been blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. No room for grumbling, there!! I decided to commit that passage to memory, and a month later, I realized that I wanted to study, really study, the book of Ephesians. My study through the first chapter was a good reminder of my identity in Christ. I saw with fresh eyes how the Trinity is so deeply and significantly involved, each in a different way, in the miracle of salvation. I was challenged by the prayer Paul prayed for the Ephesians, and started praying that for myself, my teammates, and for my Bible story groups. I started combating a complaining attitude with thanksgiving for the blessings listed in those verses.

And then last week I started working on 2:1-10, and I felt like fireworks began going off in my soul. I admit, whenever I’ve read Ephesians 2:1-3, I wouldn’t linger there. Who wants to remember who we were without Jesus? It’s a bleak picture, painted with the darkness of death and sin and wrath. But this time, I stopped there.  I wanted to memorize the whole passage, and I needed to do it a few verses at a time.  My regular motorcycle rides between villages and town gave me ample time to reflect on these truths, and to see 2:4-10 in light of 2:1-3. 

Because in verse 4, God comes to the spiritually dead, rebellious children of wrath.  This mighty Creator God comes, full of mercy and the great love with which he loved us - even in our wretched and helpless state. He made us alive together with Christ, raised us together with Christ, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. And why would he do this? So that in the coming ages He could show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ. Because He is so full of mercy. Because of the great love with which He loved us. This, then, is the picture of grace. It is as if 2:1-10 is a more detailed explanation of 1:3-14, where redemption, election, adoption and inheritance are all listed as our blessings in Christ, for the praise of his glory. But to see the beauty and the wonder of it, we need the stark contrast. Fireworks exploding brilliantly against the darkness of the night sky.

Verses like Eph 2:8 that I memorized from an early age shine with a fresh newness and light. Like precious jewels, these truths I have known, believed and taught others have new light shining on them, to show off another facet of their brilliance. Oh, yes, the Word is alive. I still can’t move past 2:7, that He has done all this, saved us by His grace, at cost to Himself, “so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” In fact, I’ve decided that I won’t be moving far from this passage for the next week or so. I’m looking forward to reading what the commentaries have to say about this passage, the Greek words chosen, and the insights they give… but more than that, I want to bask in the light of this truth. No, it's nothing new.... but God has graciously given me a fresh understanding, a fresh glimpse of the Father-heart of God at stirs my own heart to adore Him more.

[Mike Phipps]

It is truly amazing grace without limit! For the word translated immeasurable in v7 my dictionay says; to attain a degree that extraordinarily exceeds a point on a scale of extent. Another dictionary says; There are obviously a number of problems involved in attempting to render an expression of extraordinary degree, but it is sometimes possible to express such a degree by building up a series of intensive markers. For example, in Eph 2:7 one might translate ... as ‘his very, very great grace,’... Such expressions, however, may not do full justice to the intensity of degree expressed...