“But God . . . raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:4a, 6-7, NASB95)
In his book Amazing Grace, published in 1984, author Charles B. Hodge, Jr. includes in the opening paragraph of each chapter this sentence, “Tell men what God did before you tell men what to do.” At the beginning of chapter five he includes these words, “AMAZING GRACE! Tell men what God did before you tell men what to do. The only permanent motivation in Christianity is grace. What draws sinners keeps Christians.” (p. 33)
I believe Paul seeks to communicate this sentiment in the passage quoted above. After writing about our spiritual condition, “you were dead in your trespasses and sins . . . we . . . lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:1, 3), Paul then informs his readers of God’s richness “in mercy” and “great love” (v. 4). He reminds us of God’s actions toward us “in Christ.” He “made us alive together with Christ” and “raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places” (vv. 5b, 6). God’s purpose in all of this? “So that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (v. 7).
“The surpassing riches of His grace” is a powerful phrase. The word “surpassing” is from the Greek, hyperball?, and is translated by the various English translations as “exceeding”, “immeasurable”, “incomparable” and “incredible”.
Haldor Lillenas, in the first stanza of his hymn “Wonderful Grace of Jesus”, challenges us to contemplate such grace.
Wonderful grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin;
How shall my tongue describe it? Where shall His praise begin?
Taking away my burden, setting my spirit free;
For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.
I agree with Charles Hodge, “the only permanent motivation in Christianity is grace.” When we consider “the incomparable riches of [God’s] grace” how can we not, along with the apostle Paul, say “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15)!
— Jeff