One may have riches, and yet not use them, or use them only upon self. What is the

motive cause that places the riches of God at the disposal of mercy? "Because of His

great love wherewith He loved us". The word "great" here draws attention to the

abundance of the love rather than the quality of greatness; it was because God so loved

that He saved us sinners of the Gentiles. This is what He is, rich in mercy as the God of

love. What will such a God do? Verse 5 takes up the theme of verse 1, "Ye being dead

to trespasses and sins. . . . we also being dead to trespasses, He made us alive together

with Christ". The apostle has more to say than this, but before he goes further he is

constrained to ejaculate, "by grace are ye saved".

It is well to pause at this N.T. Selah. Over and over again we have heard brethren

speak of these blessings, death with Him has been remembered, being raised and seated

with Him has been gratefully acknowledged, but being made alive together with Him has

often been forgotten. It may be true that to be raised necessitates life, nevertheless God,

who is rich in mercy, calls our attention to the blessed fact of life in Christ. The apostle

who was dead to the law, and crucified with Christ, knew this life: "the life I NOW live

in the flesh, I live by faith of the Son of God", "Christ liveth in me", "I live, yet not I, but

Christ", "always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also

of Jesus might be manifest in our body, for we which live are always delivered unto death

for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh". The

life now lived in the mortal flesh does not refer to that blessed time of resurrection glory.

Once we were under the dominion of death by reason of indwelling sin; now we have

passes from death unto life by reason of the indwelling Spirit (Rom. 7: 20, 8: 11, "He

that raised up Christ from the dead shall also make alive your mortal bodies because of

His Spirit that dwelleth in you"). To this same truth Eph. 1: 19, 20 refers, when it speaks

of the mighty power which was wrought in Christ when He was raised from the dead as

being directed "to usward who believe".

We have not died with Christ and been buried with Him merely to await in sleep for

resurrection, we have been "made alive", we have been raised to walk in newness of life.

The spirit that once energized us as sons of disobedience has left us, but we have not been

left lifeless, for the body without the spirit is dead, the Spirit of Him who raised up Christ

now energizes us to live, to will, and to do; "the living, the living, shall praise Thee"; and

unless we realize that life is ours even now, in Christ, how can we "live unto God"?

Before therefore the consummation is reached, the apostle exclaims, "by grace are ye

saved". Let us not forget the grace that enables us now to live unto God. In the

contemplation of the future glory in the ages to come, life now is a pledge of life then

("and raised us up together, and seated us together in the heavenlies, in Christ Jesus").

The mystery of Christ is indeed the basis of the mystery of the church. He was raised

and seated in the heavenlies, so are the members of His body.  Before a word of

exhortation is given, before even a reference to walking worthy is mentioned, the believer

is spoken as being "seated". He starts from a finished work. The nature of his new walk

and conflict cannot alter this fact, the highest place in glory is his by grace, the question

of prize and crown does not enter the subject here. Quickened, raised, seated, "in order

that in the ages to come His might show the exceeding riches of His grace in kindness