In verse 4 of Ephesians 2, Paul returns to the splendid theme which he began to develop back in chapter one – the exceeding greatness of the power of God toward us, as demonstrated in the raising of Christ from the dead. The Holy Spirit has purposefully delayed the main verb of this sentence, “made us alive,” until verse 5, but the subject of this main verb in verse 4, is God. It is God who saves – He does for us what we could not possibly do for ourselves. By His Spirit He unites us with Christ. The word ‘but’ is a conjunction; it links what follows to the previous sentence; it also suggests a contrast. In our text, God stands in contrast to man. While man is both dead in sin and a powerless slave, dragged along by the course of this world, God is powerful; He is able to raise us from spiritual death and cause us to live in Christ. Jesus is the resurrection and the life – His death grants us pardon so that we are forgiven, but then His life grants us liberation so that we might live for Him.
These two words, “but God,” in a sense contain the whole Gospel. They emphasize what God has done to initiate and secure the salvation of His children, because of His rich mercy and love with which He loved us.
