But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ; (by grace ye are saved.) – Ephesians 2:4,5.
My dear brethren in Christ, and thou, O my soul, one chief reason why at any time we have so little comfort and are so low in joy is, that we do not enough believe and live upon the love of God. Let us never think of or look for any mercy from God without considering that it flows from love. Is God. rich in mercy to any? It is because he loves them. Great love, everlasting, unchangeable love is the source and spring of rich mercy. It was rich mercy for God to give us his beloved Son to be our Saviour. This was because of his great love to us before time: he loved us from eternity in his Son: he loves us through time and under all states and circumstances: yea, when we were forlorn, helpless, hopeless, even "dead in sins," he loved us with great love, too great to be conceived or expressed: he manifested it by bestowing rich mercy upon us; mercy so rich, so free, so liberal, that it came to us unsought, unasked, undeserved.
His great love for us was the parent of his rich mercy to us. Mercy without love may be exercised by an enemy; but the mercy of God flows from the heart of a Father: he saw our souls dead in sin, dead under his law, dead to himself. Did he leave us? No. He loved us with great love, therefore in rich mercy he "quickened us." "Quickened us!" says one. "Is that all?" A quickened soul, some think, is in a very inferior degree of grace; it is neither justified nor sanctified–but such persons are great strangers to the rich mercy and great love of God; they do not consider that souls are quickened together with Christ. In Him is the sweetness of quickening mercy enjoyed. Quickened souls see their sinfulness, know their poverty, feel their misery and wretchedness, and groan under a body of sin and death: but here is their glory, joy, and comfort; they are one with Christ; his life is theirs, his death is theirs his righteousness is theirs, his holiness is theirs, his fulness is theirs. Though sin is not dead in us, yet being one with Christ, we are "dead indeed unto sin and alive to God." By grace ye are saved: not by your own deeds or righteousness. Therefore rejoice; "quickened together with Christ," your salvation is not precarious and uncertain; you shall reign with him. O, may love, mercy, and grace be the constant theme of our souls!