But God…!
There are two very simple words that are life changing. They sum up the glory of salvation in an extremely concise, yet powerful way. To understand why the words “But God” are so significant, we must first understand how hopeless our condition was without God. Look at how Paul expresses our lives before God in Ephesians:
21-6 “It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah” [The Message Bible].
What an awful, hopeless picture. We weren’t just sort of dead in our trespasses and sins. We weren’t mostly dead with some hope of bringing ourselves back to life. We were completely and totally dead with no hope of ever having spiritual life. Because we were born with a wicked, sinful nature, the wrath of God was upon us from the moment we were born; “Job 14:1 Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble” [King James Version].
To say that we were in bad shape spiritually speaking is an understatement. We were in hopeless shape. There was absolutely NO way we could be saved by our own strength. Someone had to intervene on our behalf. We were in desperate need of God. We needed those amazing words, “But God.”
The Good News is that what is impossible for man, is not impossible for God. When God shows up, you never know what might happen. And something wonderful indeed did happen. Christ died for us when we were still sinners. As it says in Romans 5:7” For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Maybe a person might be willing to die for a righteous man. But God isn’t like us. God demonstrated His own love for all of us by sending Christ Jesus to die for our sins on the cross. As it says in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” [KJV].
We were dead in our sins, but God gave us new life in Him. We were hopeless until the Lord rescued us. We were willing slaves of Satan, but God set us free. As it is written in John 8:36, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” [KJV].
But God.
The words, “But God,” truly do change everything.
Once we were enemies of God. Now we are seated at his table as his children. Once we were slaves to sin. Now we have been set free from sin and can pursue righteousness and holiness. Once we were members of the kingdom of darkness. Now we are Kingdom citizens of heaven and joint heirs with Jesus. To be saved by God is truly a marvelous thing, isn’t it? If God had not saved us, we would be destined to hell. If God had not rescued us, we would have no hope.
Now that we have this new life, new hope, and freedom, what should we do?
Let’s look to Micah 6:8, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” [New International Version]. The message of Micah is still pertinent today. Religious rituals, no matter how extravagant, can never make up for a lack of love. Outward appearances to following God’s instructions are not as important in God’s eyes as a humble heart that simply does what is right. God’s people today must continue to desire justice, mercy, and humility before the Lord.
Minister Pamela Nance Johnson
There are two very simple words that are life changing. They sum up the glory of salvation in an extremely concise, yet powerful way. To understand why the words “But God” are so significant, we must first understand how hopeless our condition was without God. Look at how Paul expresses our lives before God in Ephesians:
21-6 “It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah” [The Message Bible].
What an awful, hopeless picture. We weren’t just sort of dead in our trespasses and sins. We weren’t mostly dead with some hope of bringing ourselves back to life. We were completely and totally dead with no hope of ever having spiritual life. Because we were born with a wicked, sinful nature, the wrath of God was upon us from the moment we were born; “Job 14:1 Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble” [King James Version].
To say that we were in bad shape spiritually speaking is an understatement. We were in hopeless shape. There was absolutely NO way we could be saved by our own strength. Someone had to intervene on our behalf. We were in desperate need of God. We needed those amazing words, “But God.”
The Good News is that what is impossible for man, is not impossible for God. When God shows up, you never know what might happen. And something wonderful indeed did happen. Christ died for us when we were still sinners. As it says in Romans 5:7” For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Maybe a person might be willing to die for a righteous man. But God isn’t like us. God demonstrated His own love for all of us by sending Christ Jesus to die for our sins on the cross. As it says in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” [KJV].
We were dead in our sins, but God gave us new life in Him. We were hopeless until the Lord rescued us. We were willing slaves of Satan, but God set us free. As it is written in John 8:36, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” [KJV].
But God.
The words, “But God,” truly do change everything.
Once we were enemies of God. Now we are seated at his table as his children. Once we were slaves to sin. Now we have been set free from sin and can pursue righteousness and holiness. Once we were members of the kingdom of darkness. Now we are Kingdom citizens of heaven and joint heirs with Jesus. To be saved by God is truly a marvelous thing, isn’t it? If God had not saved us, we would be destined to hell. If God had not rescued us, we would have no hope.
Now that we have this new life, new hope, and freedom, what should we do?
Let’s look to Micah 6:8, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” [New International Version]. The message of Micah is still pertinent today. Religious rituals, no matter how extravagant, can never make up for a lack of love. Outward appearances to following God’s instructions are not as important in God’s eyes as a humble heart that simply does what is right. God’s people today must continue to desire justice, mercy, and humility before the Lord.
Minister Pamela Nance Johnson
