Bound By Truth

Barefooted, when I was a kid, that was my favorite way to run, especially when the garden that my dad planted had just been tilled and plowed and ready to be planted. The dirt was always soft under my feet and it seemed like I could fly. Contrary to my early years (The Six Million Dollar Man was a personal favorite and I liked to run the bases like Steve Austin did…in extreme slow motion) when I had my shoes off and racing through the garden and the yard I was pretty quick, but not always quick enough. I well remember the day that some of our family was over at our house and we were running through the yard while an older “step-cousin” cut grass. At some point, for whatever reason, I darted in front of the lawn mower…and fell.

I don’t really remember what it felt like as the deck of the lawn mower rode over my right leg, all the way to my thy, because God intervened through my “step-cousin” and he was able to snatch the deck adjustment lever up and stop the blade quickly. Amazingly, and I am sure terrifyingly so to my parents, I walked away with nothing more than a scrape where the edge of the deck and the leading part of the blade hit my thigh. Like most kids, I am really not sure I had a true appreciation at that point of how dangerous and perhaps deadly those events could have been, except for the grace of God.

I think about that moment sometimes and when I do, what I think about is not what could have been, but the reality of what was, and for me, that reality is the truth of “But God.”

You see, many people raised and from this area (the buckle of the Bible belt) acknowledge that God is “in control” but do not actually believe that He is in control. In the Bible, there are many places where we see the phrase “But God” and if you will notice, those times are in contrast, usually, to something happening in the text. Probably the most famous example of “But God” is found in Ephesians 2 when Paul writes:

“And you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all also formerly conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. BUT GOD, being rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved…” (Ephesians 2:1-5, LSB)

I want to point out a few things regarding this text that are extremely important for our understanding and recognition of just how great the grace of God truly is!

First, let’s take a look at what Scripture defines as your previous (or if you are not a believer, your current) position. Notice it is described in general in the opening statement with the word DEAD. Now this dead does not correlate to physical death, after all you are reading this article, but to the fact that we are spiritually dead. In Genesis when God gives Adam the command regarding the tree of life He promises that result of breaking that command would be death and while Adam did not die a physical death, he was removed from the garden and his nature was changed so that he no longer had the capability to “choose any spiritual good” (1689 LBCF; Chp 9.3). In other words he was spiritually dead and because he was the federal head and representative, all of humanity’s nature changed and we lost that capacity as well.

Paul doe not just pronounce our death and move on, he includes some additional descriptions so that we, tempted as we may be to lessen the impact of this death, must either acknowledge the reality of this (that dead truly means dead) or continue in the lie. He adds that we “walked according to the course of this world”, “according to and under the influence of Satan”, “who is still working in unbelievers”. In other words, we truly were followers and sons of Satan, enslaved to sin, and loving the world (the God hating system of human society). So, you were dead, so spiritually separated from God that you literally loved who you were, the life you lived and sought after the things of this world.

The picture Paul paints here stands in stark defiance of the picture that is painted so often in churches of people who are not believers, where God is waiting to through us a life line if we will only reach out to Him. You weren’t (or aren’t) reaching out, you like your life, you love the world, you see nothing wrong with your sin and transgressions. Notice how he says you were (are) doing the things that were the greatest lusts, or cravings, of the flesh. That we were (you are) doing what ever your flesh and mind desires, and just like the world, just like the God hating system of human society, you were under wrath, just like the world.

Now, one last thing to note here, if you. have not gotten the picture that is being painted in everything that Paul says up until this last statement, “that you are by nature children of wrath, even as the rest”(all of fallen humanity), this picture of being under wrath really should seal the deal. Imagine for just a moment, a situation where you fall under the most frightening vengeance or punishment that you can imagine and let me share two truths with you: 1. That will not even begin to compare with the vengeance or punishment of the righteous, just God. and 2. This wrath will continue for eternity. I have heard Hell described as the absence of God, but let me assure you that Hell is not the absence of God but the abiding presence of the wrath of God for all eternity.

Hopefully, the picture is getting clearer, we were (or you are) in a state of spiritually death without any ability or desire to come to God. If you truly can understand that statement, then listen to the words of the Word of the Living God!!

“But God…made us alive together with Christ Jesus”

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

We were (you are, hopefully you have moved into the were category at this point) dead, but God, made us alive. He did not and He does not wait for you to decide to come down and aisle, sign a card, waive a flag, pray a prayer, He MOVES. Now, there are some who may want to point out that there are some additional clauses in between But God and made us alive, but the truth is that they are: 1. Descriptive of the reason God moved and 2. Reminding of our previous (or current) situation because we have extremely short memories and do not change or negate the truth that this is ALL of God and none of us.

As we begin to bring this to a close, I need to address one more profound truth regarding this text, and all of the letter to the church at Ephesus. It is imperative that we know and understand the context of Scripture as we study it. We must ask ourselves the who, what, when, where, why of the passage and we must understand the passage in relation to the rest of Scripture and the overarching plan of God redeeming man for His glory and our good. The reason that I bring this up is that it is imperative that we understand that these texts are written to believers. In this article I have made an attempt to help the reader reconcile the truth claims with his/her on situation. As you read this you are in one of two places, you have either been effectual called by God the Father to faith in Christ or you have not.

As Paul writes this letter he is writing it “to the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus”. This statement from verse one immediately limits the text to being specifically written for believers and before you think that this means it is only limited to believers at Ephesus, re-read the statement above, it could also be written in this way “to the saints who are at Ephesus and to the saints who are faithful in Christ Jesus”. So, this letter, written by Paul who was carried along in the Spirit was written both for the believers at Ephesus and for all other believers who are faithful in Christ Jesus.

Since this letter is written for them, the promises and truths contained within are also for the believers only. This is important as we seek to understand fully what is being said in the remainder of the letter, but also to assure us as believers that we can rest on His word, after all “He (God the Father) chose us (believers, elect) in Him (God the Son, Christ Jesus) before the foundation of the world, that we (believers, elect) would be holy and blameless before Him (God the Father) in love, by predestining us to adoption as sons through Christ Jesus to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will”.

Why is this helpful? Take a look at the first clause after “But God” where it says “being in rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us”. Here is why it is important, as believers this truth of mercy and love is for us.

For believers, the promise of God’s sovereignty means we can confidently face whatever comes our way, knowing that “But God” was/is the turning point in our story.

Whether you’re standing firm in faith or still seeking, God’s love and mercy are extended to all who trust in Christ. If you have questions or want to learn more, reach out—we’d love to talk with you about the life-changing power of “But God.”

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

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