Exploring the Text: But God ...
This text is one of the highlights, not only of Paul's writing, but of all of Scripture. Paul begins by talking about the state that we were in before Christ. He says that some of us were dead in our trespasses and sins, living according to the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of our minds and bodies, and were by nature the children of wrath. Then comes the the critical hinge pin of this passage and of all of human history, "but God." We had a destiny, our fate was determined, "but God." Those two words change everything. God intervenes in nothing is the same again. God rescued us from death and made us alive together with Jesus Christ and raised us up and seated us together with him. This was accomplished not by any work that we have done, but only by the grace of God that he freely gives us. "But God" changes everything.
No matter where we may be at, not matter what our circumstances are, not matter what we have done, not matter how our destiny seems fixed, there is always the promise of God's grace and of that great intervention, "but God!"
David W. Dalton
This text is one of the highlights, not only of Paul's writing, but of all of Scripture. Paul begins by talking about the state that we were in before Christ. He says that some of us were dead in our trespasses and sins, living according to the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of our minds and bodies, and were by nature the children of wrath. Then comes the the critical hinge pin of this passage and of all of human history, "but God." We had a destiny, our fate was determined, "but God." Those two words change everything. God intervenes in nothing is the same again. God rescued us from death and made us alive together with Jesus Christ and raised us up and seated us together with him. This was accomplished not by any work that we have done, but only by the grace of God that he freely gives us. "But God" changes everything.
No matter where we may be at, not matter what our circumstances are, not matter what we have done, not matter how our destiny seems fixed, there is always the promise of God's grace and of that great intervention, "but God!"
David W. Dalton