… to the praise of his glorious grace …
Summary: Ever wonder why God does something? Today we take a brief look at how Paul sees God’s motivations.
Why does God do things?
Obviously, outside of what he tells us in his Word, the Bible, we can’t know unless he makes a point of telling us personally. But I can still wonder.
Does God get bored? Was he lonely? What good is being a loving God if there is no one to love?
Whatever the reason, God created us to be in a relationship with him. He created us to be loved and to love. He created us knowing that he would have to die on the cross to make things right and save his creation.
When Paul writes “to the praise of his glorious grace,” he is writing a kind of refrain that echoes through the next eight verses. Paul has a special relationship with the Ephesians and a very special relationship with our Lord. In this letter, both of these relationships work as a key to unlocking Paul’s inner heart and showing us what is there.
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians bubbles over with his love for our creator, God. Listing what God has done for us, Paul reveals both his knowledge of our Lord and his devotion to God.
Why has God saved us? Because of his grace! What kind of grace? Glorious grace! How do we know? Through Jesus, we are adopted into God’s family. How do we respond? We praise his glorious grace!
Nothing about our God is droll or ordinary in any way. Our God is the source of all light and life. He is the light of hope and the light of love. Every good thing that makes life worth living comes from our God and originates with Him.
When you read the words “to the praise of his glorious grace,” you can be sure that the writer is awestruck by God’s love.
Application: Strive to know God as Paul knows God.
Food for Thought: How would you describe God’s motives for saving us?
The primary motive seems clear. It is love. He loves those created in His image and we needed saving. It is hard to fathom that the perfect God loves this sin filled world of humanity, but He does. Thankfully He does and His love is the miracle we needed. God demonstrated His great love at the cross. Romans 5: 8; John 3: 16.
Rich,
Thank you! The thought crossed my mind yesterday that love is not reasonable. (I don’t know if that makes sense, but it did yesterday! 🙂 )
I agree with pastor Rich. Love. A kind of love that is powerful. The kind where someone willingly gives up their life for another. An ultimate sacrifice of love without the other even knowing who, what or why they did it. Even though we were still sinners. Such love this world doesn’t know. Yet I see a glimpse of that love sometimes, and I know that God taught us how. We are His creation.
Well said, Tim!
God’s love is … profound.
02-07-2023, How would you describe God’s motives for saving us?
What father would not dive off a bridge, into swift waters, to save his own child from drowning? As Rich writes, He loves us!
Ron,
Your words bring two scenes immediately to mind. One is me (not a strong swimmer) confronted with that horrible decision. I would hope I would at least try…
The second is the scene in Jimmy Stuart’s “It’s A Wonderful Life” movie where he is about to commit suicide and is saved by a funny ol’ angel who is thrashing around in the river. Jimmy (a strong swimmer) dives in to save him and it changes his life.
I guess that brings me to the observation that it is not just a matter of motivation, but also preparation and ability. God was prepared to die for us and he had the ability to make it count for everything.
I agree whole-heartedly with both Rich and Tim; God’s love for us knows no limits and He willingly gave His son’s life (Jesus, who is also God, and also willingly gave His life) for us so that we may be with Him for all eternity. God also wants to be loved by us. This means an awful lot to me, that my Creator WANTS to be loved by me. Not a relationship where I am towered over and crushed into submission, but a free love where I can develop and grow close to Him in a meaningful and spiritual relationship that is unlike any relationship I could have with another.
Jude 21 keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
Great point, Chris!
God isn’t guaranteed a positive response to his sacrifice for us. People still reject his offer of salvation. I guess as a writer, even God gets rejection notices…
But being God, he stays on task and keeps going. He wants to save us because he wants to love us.