But God: The Turning Point of Grace in Ephesians 2:1-10

I covered the texts for the Fourth Sunday of Lent this week and I will post today's sermon later today. For this morning I thought I would take a look at a text not in this week's readings: Ephesians 2:1-10. It is a text that has always spoken to me. It was the text assigned to me during my License to Preach course in 1979.

1 You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3 All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, doing the will of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else, 4 but God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— 9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we may walk in them.

This is one of those passages that gently but honestly tells the truth about us. Paul reminds us where we have been, who we are now, and what God is shaping us to become. During Lent, let these words help us slow down and remember that our life with God is always a gift of grace.

Paul begins by saying: You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once walked. While that is strong language, it is not meant to shame us. It is meant to wake us up. Without God’s grace, we drift. We get tangled in habits that pull us away from love. We forget who we are.

But then comes the good news: but God, who is rich in mercy… made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved. God does not wait for us to fix ourselves. God moves toward us with mercy. God brings life where there was no life. God raises us up with Christ and gives us a new beginning.

Look at that again! Paul describes the human condition with stark honesty—loneliness, hurt, exhaustion, and the quiet ache of trying to justify ourselves. Then, right in the middle of that bleak picture, two small words break through like a bright light: “But God.”

Those words mark the shift from a life lived in our own strength to a life held by grace. Before this turning point, Paul says we were dead through trespasses and sins, following the patterns of a world that often pulls us away from God’s heart. We were driven by impulses that never truly satisfied, and we lived as though we were on our own.

But God.

Because of Christ, we are no longer dead—we are made alive together with him. Instead of being swept along by the world’s currents, we are raised up and given a place in the life of God. Instead of being ruled by our old desires, we become recipients of the immeasurable riches of his grace. Instead of living under the weight of wrath or fear, we discover that we have been created in Christ Jesus for good works—works God has already prepared for us to walk in.

This is the heart of the “But God” intervention. Grace frees us from the exhausting work of proving ourselves. It gives us the courage to dream “God-sized dreams” without fear of failure, because the outcome no longer depends on our perfection. Grace fuels our mission, anchors our identity, keeps us from burning out.

When we know that our life in Christ is a gift—not something we earned—we can move through the world with a steadier heart. We can serve without needing applause. We can love without needing to be right. We can risk without being afraid of falling. And together, as a community shaped by grace, we become a living expression of Christ’s presence in the world.

Paul says we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we may walk in them. Grace is not only about forgiveness. Grace also gives us a purpose. We are shaped to reflect Christ’s love in the world. We are made to do good—not to earn God’s favor, but because God’s favor has already found us. We do these good things to bring glory and praise to God.

During Lent, this passage invites us to rest in God’s mercy and to walk in the new life God offers. We are God’s workmanship, God’s creation, God’s beloved people. And God is still forming us.

Questions for Reflection and Action:

• Where in your life do you most need a “But God” moment right now?
• How might receiving grace—rather than striving for approval—change the way you serve others this week?
• What “God-sized dream” have you been afraid to pursue because you felt unworthy or unprepared?

Let us pray...

Gracious God,
thank you for the mercy that meets us in our weakness and brings us into new life.
Where we feel tired, make us alive again in Christ.
Where we feel lost, lift us into your light.
Where we feel unworthy, remind us that your grace is a gift, freely given.
Shape us into a people who live with courage, humility, and hope,
so that our lives may reflect the goodness of Christ in all we do.
Amen.