Scripture 11

God’s Love

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5)

Someone asked a question that got my mind stirring. “How do I know God loves me? I could think of lots of ways and answers, but there are two words that keep coming to mind.

Depravity & Election.

I have been meditating on Ephesians 2 and thinking on how it says “you were dead, but God made us alive”. I think until we truly understand the depths of our sin and just how sinful we truly are, it’s very hard to understand why we need to be saved from it. If we don’t understand that we were dead, we don’t understand that we need a Savior. If we don’t undertstand that we’re in bondage, we don’t understand why we need a Redeemer. Then, we think of God’s love only in our present circumstances. If God loves me, why is He letting this happen to me? If God loves me, why is this going wrong in my life? We can’t get past the present! We truly have to understand what we have been rescued from in order to understand our Rescuer and His love.

The other thing that brings me to my knees is election, knowing that I was chosen by God. Not only did He save me, rescue me, and redeem me, but He chose to do so before the foundations of the world! (Ephesians 1). God had me in mind and my redemption before he formed the earth. He predestined me for adoption! I can’t help but be grateful to our LORD for that! I think once we realize where we truly are before a Holy God, and think of Him as a Rescuer and Redeemer, we can’t help but fall on our face in gratitude and embrace is grace and love.

“He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters . . . He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.” (Psalm 18:16,19)

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9)