“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins…But because of his great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2v4-5).
How often do you use the word ‘but’? It’s an every day word, used countless times often in an insignificant way; “I’d love to help but I’m busy right now”, “You can have that chocolate button but first you need to tidy your toys away”, “I forgive you but I’m still cross inside.” In this passage in Ephesians the word ‘but’ becomes a hugely significant turning point; hope is restored with that one word. Man disobeyed God and so we have come under His judgement and anger BUT because of God’s enormous love for us, He sent Jesus to die for us and so opened up the way for us to have eternal life. I’m so thankful that that ‘but’ is there! This passage has spoken to me hugely this week. I have been in London learning about different religions, and had the opportunity to visit a Mosque, a Sikh Gurdwara, and a Hindu Temple and listen to religious leaders talk about their faith. The thing that struck me the most was their lack of certainty that they would be forgiven and go to heaven; a common feature with all was that they had to do good works or make offerings to their god in order to be in with a chance. It felt so hopeless. BUT what good news we as Christians have! We are forgiven and given hope and life in abundance and nothing we can do can change that. We should really pray that we know the power of the word ‘but’ in our lives every day.
