Joh 3:16, Eph 2:4-8 | PNT | STEP | For God so loved the world , etc. There is no sweeter verse in the Bible. It declares: (1) That God is love. (2) That he loved the world instead of hating it. (3) That he "so" loved that he gave his Son. The Son did not come to appease the Father's wrath, but the Father sent him because he loved so well. (4) That he came to keep men from perishing.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, etc. There is no sweeter verse in the Bible. It declares: (1) That God is love. (2) That he loved the world instead of hating it. (3) That he "so" loved that he gave his Son. The Son did not come to appease the Father's wrath, but the Father sent him because he loved so well. (4) That he came to keep men from perishing.

Ephesians 2:4-8

God, who is rich in mercy. Having shown that both Jews and Gentiles were spiritually dead, Paul now declares the spiritual resurrection of the saints. This lifting up from death to a new life is due to God, "rich in mercy", and on account of the "great love wherewith he loved us". Eph 2:5 affirms the fact. Hath quickened us together with Christ. As he quickened Christ and raised him, so when we were dead in sins he gave us spiritual life by the gospel and lifted us to a new life. "We were planted in the likeness of his death and resurrection" (Ro 6:5).

By grace ye are saved. Not by works of the law, as he has shown so fully in the Galatian letter. And hath raised [us] up together. Buried into the death of Christ, we are risen with Christ (Col 2:12). We are risen as new creatures to walk with the Risen Christ, with our minds on heavenly things (Col 3:1).

And made [us] to sit in heavenly [places]. In our present state, to have our minds above (Col 3:2). That in the ages to come. In all coming time.

The exceeding riches of his grace. In saving, purifying and blessing his children. For by grace are ye saved through faith. Lest they might forget the doctrine that he ever preached, he reminds them that works of the law never saved them; that they were saved by God's grace shown in the gospel; that this salvation was obtained through the faith. The definite article is found before faith in the Greek, showing that "the" faith, or the gospel, is meant. [It is] the gift of God. The salvation is not due to ourselves, but is God's gift. The grammatical construction of the Greek does not allow us to make "faith" the subject of the last clause. It is not "faith", but salvation through the faith, which is the gift of God. So says John Wesley in his Notes: "This refers to the previous clause, 'That you are saved,' etc".