When God Goes XTreme—Ephesians 2:4-6
Jack Klumpenhower
10/6/2009

Do you ever need general encouragement? I do. I get to a spot where no particular worries or scandalous temptations threaten me. Such times are dangerous. I tend to stop praying and I coast along in comfortable sin. I take God for granted.

The other day I realized I was in such a rut when a friend asked how my life with God was going and I had no ready answer. No struggles or challenges. No particular joy either. It was as if life with God had become ordinary, which should never be. Given who God is and what he’s done for me, life with him must always skip along the edge. It must be extreme. Or as today’s marketers would put it, XTreme.

Ephesians seems to be a book written to believers in need of general encouragement. The approach is typical of the author, Paul. He starts by wowing his readers with how they have an XTreme God of XTreme goodness:

“God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4-6, NLT).

This passage shows us four ways our lives with God are extraordinary.

1. XTreme grace. God overflows in both mercy and love, Paul says. Mercy would be one thing; a little help to get us back on our feet. But since God also loves us, we can expect deep, ongoing care. For God to show mercy in saving us from sin and death and hell—great as this is—wilts in comparison to being loved, deeply loved, not just by a spouse or parent or child but by God himself.

2. XTreme transformation. The change God works in us is put in the most absolute terms: death to life. Coming to God is not a life adjustment but a total re-creation out of utter uselessness. Physical life already is a personal transfusion from God—“He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils” (Genesis 2:7, NLT). Now it will last beyond the grave, and added to it we have spiritual life. We used to be spiritually dead to the God-likeness we were created for, like garbage stinking up the universe. Now we’re shining lights that make God’s world glow.

3. XTreme honor and influence. We are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms. To be seated is to take the position of a judge or governor—one who rules, makes decisions, and has orders followed by underlings or advice heeded by superiors. We aren’t saved to sit around but to rule with Jesus. Our passage says we are seated already. This means we enjoy more honor and influence with God, and authority over his world, than most of us realize. We’re ordained to join in God’s work. We matter immensely!

4. XTreme assurance. All this is because we’re united with Christ. We have these things just as surely as Jesus enjoys the Father’s favor, because he died for us to fuse us to himself. So we never have to wonder if God is really listening, never have to fret over whether our work for him makes a difference. His love will never waver no matter how we mess up. Our life in him cannot be lost. And our value to the earth is beyond anything worldly achievement can muster.

Do you see why we need general encouragement? Why we need reminders of these things when we hit the Christian doldrums?

The celebration of God’s goodness goes on for three chapters in Ephesians. Only then does Paul tell his readers, “Lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God” (Ephesians 4:1, NLT). From there he describes radical behavior that overcomes class struggle, self-importance, dishonesty, sexual impurity, and bitterness. He calls for wild forays into prayer, worship, submission to authority, spread of the Good News, and battle with the devil.

He gets to the same point I reach when jolted out of ordinariness by the greatness of God—an XTreme life.

Jack Klumpenhower is a writer and communications consultant living in Colorado. He has authored Bible study lessons and a family devotional guide.