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Trophies of God's grace

This past weekend, trophies were in the news a lot because of the NBA championships and other sporting events. When the NBA trophy was temporarily misplaced after the NBA championship game, LaBron James went on a desperate search to find the trophy and bring it to the locker room for the celebration.  A trophy is special, it is treasured, it is put on display to be admired and viewed.  Paul describes the gathered church as trophies of God's grace in Christ in the Book of Ephesians. Harold Hoehner in his commentary, introduces the theme of Ephesians as "sinners who deserve nothing but God's wrath but have become trophies of God's grace" through the gracious work of Jesus Christ.  A trophy is something that is displayed prominently and purposely so that others might see it.  It reveals something that has been achieved.   Throughout the Book of Ephesians, Paul talks about the Church as people who are trophies of God's grace and put on display.  In Eph 2:6-7, Paul says that believers in the Church are raised up with Christ and seated with Christ in the heavenly realms in Christ. It is all so that "he might demonstrate in the coming ages the surpassing wealth of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."   Hoehner says that the trophies of God's grace that are evidence in the Church are "God's cosmic lawsuit", using the Church as proof and evidence of God's goodness, love and mercy to a cosmic watching audience.  In a sense, God wants to use the Church to show his cosmic crowd his gracious generosity.  In the future age, only then, will God's grace be fully appreciated.  The Church will be fully on display and God's grace shown to sinners, trophies on display, will be fully seen by the full cosmic audience.  God's kindness, love, grace and goodness expressed in Christ is presently limited in view because of sin and fallness, but in the coming age, God's trophies of grace, "the surpassing wealth of his grace", will be seen by all.  Just as a trophy is treasured, put on display, and held up as special, so will be true of the Church. God's love in Christ brings about a purpose, the redemption of the Church. It is a beautiful picture of the result of God's love and grace accomplished in Christ.  Presently, the picture is dim, but in the future, the picture will be clear and unhindered.  The gathered Chruch will stand before God as trophies of God's grace purchased by Christ.

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