Trophy Room
so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:7
He Might Show – Why are you being saved? Did you think that you experience redemption so that you can go to heaven? Not so. Of course, redemption will result in a place in the new creation, but heaven is an after thought, a by-product, of your relationship with God. Salvation is not about heaven. Did you think you were being saved so that you could demonstrate obedience to the Lord? Certainly that is also true. Salvation is the prerequisite of obedience. We are redeemed in order that we may obey, since obedience without redemption is simply impossible. Our hearts must be transformed prior to active obedience. On our own, we could never follow Him. But this is not the purpose of God’s benevolent grace either. Did you think you are being saved so that you can carry the message to others? Is salvation the initiation into the Great Commission? Jesus clearly commands us to make disciples as we travel life’s journey, but once again, redemption is not really about your commission. God is quite able to reach the lost without you.
Paul tells us that God’s infinite mercy shown to us through Christ Jesus is not really about us at all! It’s about Him. The purpose of your redemption is so that God may be glorified. You are His trophies of grace. You are the display of the riches of His grace. You see, in the end, it is not about my citizenship, my obedience or my commission. It is about the glory of Who He is. I am the living proof of God’s goodness so that He may be glorified.
Paul’s word, endeizetai, is quite revealing. First, it is in the middle voice. That means it has particular importance for the subject, not the object. You and I are the object of God’s mercy, but He is the subject. This demonstration is most important to Him. It is the display, the outward proof, of His grace. He proudly walks through His trophy room, pointing out one life after another that He has redeemed, every one a magnificent validation of His grace. Second, this word combines two Greek words, the preposition en and the verb dikenumi. The preposition means “rest in place” and the verb means “to show as proof”. God’s trophies are fixed demonstrations of His infinite mercy.
Now what do you think about your redemption? Do you see yourself as a living trophy of God’s grace? Do you realize that your salvation is first and foremost about His character and actions, not about you? Do you see yourself as God’s proof that love conquers evil?
God is the Great Hunter. He always planned to gather trophies of His love and display them for all to see and acknowledge that He may be glorified. You are one of those glorifying displays. You are proof positive that God’s plan works. Live accordingly.
