Ephesians
Chapter 2
In the first ten
verses Paul presents the past, present and future of the Christian:
what he was (verses 1-3); what he is (verses 4-6, 8-9); and what he
will be (verses 7, 10). Within this framework he gives six aspects of
salvation: it is from sin (verses 1-3) by love (verse 4); into life
(verse 5); with a purpose (verses 6-7); through faith (verses 8-9);
and unto good works (verse 10). The first aspect is in the past, the
next four aspects (except for the second part of “purpose,” verse
7) pertain to the present, and the last aspect, (including verse 7)
is in the future.
Ephesians 2:1
"And you [hath he quickened], who were dead in trespasses and sins;"
First, salvation is
from sin, which characterizes life before Christ. In the first three
verses there is perhaps no clearer statement in Scripture on the
sinfulness of man apart from Christ.
Quickened means
“made alive.” In 1:19 Paul prays for his readers to recognize
what God’s power has done in them. As part of the answer to this
prayer, verses 1-10 inform them of some of the effects divine might
has accomplished in them.
The wages of sin is
death. (Romans 3:23) Because man is born into sin he is born to
death. Man does not become spiritually dead because he sins, he is
spiritually dead because by nature he is sinful. When we are walking
in our sin unforgiven, we are marking time to death. Each day becomes
a little more hopeless, because it is one day closer to death.
Trespasses and sin bring physical and spiritual death.
Man’s principal
problem is that he has no right relationship to God, from whom he is
alienated by sin. It has nothing to do with the way he lives; it has
to do with the fact that he is dead even while he is alive.
He is spiritually
dead while being physically alive. Because he is dead to God, he is
dead to spiritual life, truth, righteousness, inner peace and
happiness, and ultimately to every other good thing.
Jesus took the
punishment of death on His body on the cross and marked their bill
paid in full, for all who would turn from their sin and accept Him as
their Savior.
Romans 8:2 "For
the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from
the law of sin and death."
John 5:21 "For
as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth [them]; even so the
Son quickeneth whom he will."
Men apart from God
are spiritual zombies, the walking dead who do not know they are
dead. They go through the motions of life, but they do not possess
it.
“Dead in
trespasses and sins”: A sobering reminder of the total sinfulness
and lostness from which believers have been redeemed. “In”
indicates the realm or sphere in which unregenerate sinners exist.
They are not dead because of sinful acts that have been committed but
because of their sinful nature.
Committing sinful
acts does not make us sinners; we commit sinful acts because we are
sinners. Jesus confirmed this when He said, “The evil man out of
his evil treasure brings forth what is evil” (Matt. 12:35)
A sinner’s doing
well is good, but it cannot change his nature or his basic sphere of
existence, and it cannot reconcile him to God.
Jesus is the Spirit
of Life. Though I was dead, yet shall I live in Him?
Before we were saved
we were like every other person who is apart from God – dead in …
trespasses and sins. We were not dead because we had committed sin
but because we were in sin. In this context, trespasses and sins do
not refer simply to acts but first of all to the sphere of existence
of the person apart from God.
Ephesians 2:2
"Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this
world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit
that now worketh in the children of disobedience:"
In the state of
spiritual death, the only walking, or living, a person can do is
according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the
power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of
disobedience.
“Ye walked”
means you lived. The “course of this world”, the word course
signifies all the tendencies, thoughts, pursuits, deeds and so on,
that characterize the present period of history. “This world”
(kosmos) means “world system,” that is, those philosophies,
values, and life styles that are opposed to God and hostile to Him.
As Paul makes clear,
the course of this world follows the leadership and design of Satan,
the prince of the power of the air. Sinful men have many different
ideas and standards, but they are in total agreement that the network
of things in this world is more important than the divine perspective
of God.
They are of one mind
because they have a common leader and lord, the prince of the power
of the air. Satan is now “the ruler of this world,” and until the
Lord casts him out (John 12:31) he will continue to rule. The power
(or authority) of the air probably refers to Satan’s host of demons
who exist in the heavenly sphere.
This world system is
characterized by three elements, humanism, materialism and illicit
sex. Humanism places man above all else, materialism places high
value in physical things, especially money and sexual perversion
dominates modern western society as it has no other societies since
the lowest periods of ancient Greece and Rome.
Before conversion
the Ephesians used to conduct themselves in accordance with such
ungodly values. The prince of the power of the air may be read “the
ruler of the kingdom in the air.” They also used to live by the
dictates and wishes of Satan.
Paul refers to these
ideologies that are like fortresses in which people are imprisoned,
need to be set free and brought captive to Christ and obedience to
the truth.
Before we come to
Christ, we are living in sin. The life without Jesus is a life to
please the flesh of man. Satan appeals to the flesh of man. All have
sinned. We are first of the flesh. We live for pleasing our own self,
before we come to Jesus. These Ephesian were no different.
Not all unsaved
people are necessarily indwelt at all time by Satan or are demon
possessed. But knowingly or unknowingly they are subject to Satan’s
influence. Because they share his nature of sinfulness and exist in
the same sphere of rebellion against God, they respond naturally to
his leading and to the influence of his demons. They are on the same
spiritual wavelength.
World and air would
be almost synonymous, both of them representing a realm or sphere of
influence.
1 John 2:15-17 "Love
not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man
loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." "For
all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of
the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the
world." "And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof:
but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever."
Ephesians 2:3
"Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in
the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of
the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others."
Paul’s primary
purpose here is not to show how unsaved people now live, though the
teaching is valuable for that purpose, but to remind believers how
they themselves formerly walked and formerly lived. All of us once
lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh
and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the
rest.
We all had our
conversation means “we all conducted ourselves.” In contrast to
“ye,” in 2:2 which refers to Gentiles, note the “we” of this
verse, which refers to Jews. In essence Paul admits, “We Jews were
no better than you Gentiles, both ethnic groups were sinful.”
Children of wrath refer to people subject to divine punishment.
Our body of flesh
came from the earth and causes us to want to be of the earth. We must
crucify our flesh and put the Spirit of God in control of our life.
The carnal mind is an enemy of God. The battle that has been raging
since Adam and Eve, is the battle for the soul of man.
The flesh wants to
control the soul of man. If the flesh wins, then you are not a
Christian. The Spirit of God will come and dwell in you, if you
become a spirit person. The breath of life is the spirit of mankind.
The breath of life within us is of God. He breathed the breath of
life into us, and we became a living soul. The soul is like the will
of man.
God will not force
you to follow Him. We have a choice to choose whom we will follow.
The soul of man is the decision maker. The flesh of man, connected
with the earth, desires to sin.
The battle comes
between the flesh and the spirit over the soul. Which will rule in
your life, the spirit or the flesh? Flesh man brings death and hell.
Spirit man brings life and that more abundantly. Is there really any
choice?
Ever believer was
once totally lost in the system of the world, the flesh, and the
devil, who is the prince over the demons, who are the power of the
air. Those are fallen man’s three great arenas where he is in a
losing battle with spiritual enemies, yet they are enemies with whom,
by nature, he is not allied (1 John 2:16).
Rather than all men
being children of God, as most of the world likes to think, those who
have not received salvation through Jesus Christ are by nature
children of wrath, John 3:18. Apart from reconciliation through
Christ, every person by nature (through human birth) is the object of
God’s wrath, his eternal judgment and condemnation.
They are
characterized most accurately not only as sons of disobedience but
consequently as children of wrath, object of God’s condemning
judgment.
In verses 4-6,
“But” begins to disclose God’s response to man’s sin of
verses 1-3. This divine response is expressed in three main verbs:
(1) God … hath
quickened us. Because they were morally dead in sins, the Lord gave
them spiritual life;
(2) And hath raised
us up together, that is, God has not allowed these Christians to
remain in the grave of their old life with its sinful ways and
habits, but He brought them into a new life and demonstration of it;
and
(3) God made us sit
together in heavenly places, that is, He has brought us into His
presence and into an intimate relationship with Himself.
Ephesians 2:4
"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he
loved us,"
Salvation is from
sin and by love. The two words “but God” show where the
initiative was in providing the power of salvation. His great desire
is to be rejoined with the creatures He made in His own image and for
His own glory. The rebellion and rejection is on man’s side.
Salvation for God’s
glory is by the motivation and power of God’s great love. God is
intrinsically kind, merciful and loving. And in His love He reaches
out to vile, sinful, rebellious, depraved, destitute, and condemned
human beings and offers them salvation and all the eternal blessings
it brings. Man’s rebellion is therefore not only against God’s
lordship and law but against His love.
Though greatly
offended and sinned against (as depicted in the parable of Matthew
18:23-35), because of God’s rich … mercy and His great love He
offered forgiveness and reconciliation to us as He does to every
repentant sinner.
Though in their sin
and rebellion all men participated in the wickedness of Jesus’
crucifixion, God’s mercy and love provide a way for them to
participate in the righteousness of His crucifixion.
“I know what you
are and what you have done,” He says; but because of My great love
for you, your penalty has been paid, My law’s judgment against you
has been satisfied, through the work of My Son on your behalf. For
His sake I offer you forgiveness. To come to Me you need only to come
to Him.”
Not only did He love
enough to forgive but also enough to die for the very ones who had
offended Him. “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down
his life for his friend” (John 15:13). Compassionate love for those
who do not deserve it makes salvation possible.
“Mercy … love”:
Salvation is for God’s glory by putting on display His boundless
mercy and love for those who are spiritually dead because of their
sinfulness.
I want to cry, when
I see this. Why did He love us? We did not deserve to be loved. His
mercy endures forever. This love {agape} is that unconditional love.
It is above human love. He loved us in spite of all the wrong in our
life. The following familiar verse is the greatest proclamation of
love that I know of.
John 3:16 "For
God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting
life."
While we were yet in
sin, God loved us enough to save us. We were headed for total
destruction, and God blocked the way, and turned us to life
everlasting in His precious Son. God is love. What this was that
Jesus did for all of Christendom, is love in action.
Ephesians 2:5
"Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with
Christ, (by grace ye are saved)"
Above all else, a
dead person needs to be made alive. That is what salvation gives,
spiritual life. To encourage believers who doubt the power of Christ
in their lives, Paul reminds them that if God was powerful and loving
enough to give them spiritual life together with Christ, He is
certainly able to sustain that life.
The power that
raised us out of sin and death and “made us alive” (aorist tense)
together with Christ (Romans 6:1-7) is the same power that continues
to energize every part of our Christian living (Romans 6:11-13). The
“we” may emphasize the linking to the Jew with the Gentile “you”
in verse 1. Both are in sin and may receive mercy to be made alive in
Christ.
“We were dead in
sins … Made us alive”: Quickened means to make alive. Far more
than anything else, a spiritually dead person needs to be made alive
by God. Salvation brings spiritual life to the dead. The power that
raises believers out of death and makes them alive, Romans 6:1-7, is
the same power that energizes every aspect of Christian living,
Romans 6:11-13.
In Adam all die, In
Jesus Christ all live. Jesus is the Quickening Spirit which brings
life everlasting. He is the Resurrection and the Life. Because He
lives, we live also. Jesus took our sin upon His body on the cross.
Our sin died on the cross.
In the place of our
sin, Jesus clothed us in His righteousness washed in His precious
blood. We are saved in Jesus, not because we deserve to be saved, but
because He loved us. Grace is unmerited favor. Jesus offers this to
everyone. It is up to us to accept this free gift from Jesus.
1 Corinthians 15:45
"And so it is written, the first man Adam was made a living
soul; the last Adam [was made] a quickening spirit."
When we became
Christians we were no longer alienated from the life of God. We
became spiritually alive through union with the death and
resurrection of Christ and thereby for the first time became
sensitive to God. Paul calls it walking in “newness of life”
(Romans 6:8).
For the first time
we could understand spiritual truth and desire spiritual things.
Because we now have God’s nature, we now can seek godly things,
“the things above” rather that “the things that are on earth”
(Col. 3:2).
That is what results
from being alive together with Christ. “We shall also live with Him
(Romans 6:8) says the apostle, and our new life is indistinguishable
from His life lived in us (Gal. 2:20). In Christ we cannot help but
be pleasing to God.
Ephesians 2:6
"And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in
heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus:"
“Raised us up …
seated us with Him”: The tense of “raised” and “seated”
indicates that these are immediate and direct results of salvation.
Not only is the believer dead to sin and alive to righteousness
through Christ’s resurrection, but he also enjoys his Lord’s
exaltation and shares in His preeminent glory.
Salvation has a
purpose, in regard to us and in regard to God. The most immediate and
direct result of salvation is to be raised up with Him, and (to be)
seated with Him in the heavenly places. Not only are we dead to sin
and alive to righteousness through His resurrection in which we are
raised, but we also enjoy His exaltation and share in His preeminent
glory.
“In Heavenly
Places”: The supernatural realm where god reigns. In 3:10 and 6:12,
however, it also refers to the supernatural sphere where Satan
temporally rules.
This spiritual realm
is where believers’ blessings are, v.1:3, their inheritance is, 1
Peter 1:4, their affections should be, Col. 3:3, and where they enjoy
fellowship with the Lord. It is the realm from which all divine
revelation has come and where all praise and petitions go.
We are no longer of
this present world or in its sphere of sinfulness and rebellion. We
have been rescued from spiritual death and given spiritual life in
order to be in Christ Jesus and to be with Him in the heavenly
places. Here, as in 1:3, heavenly places refer to the supernatural
sphere where God rules, though in 6:12 it refers to the supernatural
sphere where Satan rules.
The Greek verb
behind seated is in the aorist tense and emphasizes the absoluteness
of this promise by speaking of it as if it had already fully taken
place. Even though we are not yet inheritors of all that God has for
us in Christ, to be in the heavenly places is to be in God’s domain
instead of Satan’s, to be in the sphere of spiritual life instead
of the sphere of spiritual death.
That is where our
blessing are and where we have fellowship with the Father, the Son,
the Holy spirit, and with all the saints who have gone before us and
will go after us.
It is finished.
Jesus did it all for all who believe in Him. He is seated at the
right hand of the Father. If I am in Him, I am seated there too. My
spirit soars to heavenly places in Christ Jesus. I can easily relate
to John, when he was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day. The door to
heaven {Jesus} is open to all who will enter in.
Colossians 3:1-3 "If
ye then be raised with Christ, seek those things which are above,
where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God." "Set your
affection on things above, not on things on the earth." "For
ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God."
Ephesians 2:7
"That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of
his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus."
It is not only for
our benefit and glory, but God’s greater purpose in salvation is
for His own sake, in order that in the ages to come He might show the
surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
That, too, is obviously for our benefit, but it is first of all for
God’s, because it displays for all eternity the surpassing riches
of His grace, 3:10.
Through His endless
kindness toward us in Christ Jesus the Father glorifies Himself even
as He blesses us. From the moment of salvation throughout the ages to
come we never stop receiving the grace and kindness of God.
That he might show
(or demonstrate): This denotes the ultimate purpose for all that God
did for the Ephesians in verses 4-6. It is that throughout eternity
He might make us understand more and more His goodness to us.
Salvation, of
course, is very much for the believer’s blessing, but it is even
more for the purpose of eternally glorifying God for bestowing on
believers His endless and limitless grace and kindness. The whole of
heaven glorifies Him for what He has done in saving sinners, 3:10;
Rev. 7:10-12.
Jesus Christ is the
mediator.
1 Timothy 2:5 "For
[there is] one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man
Christ Jesus;"
Notice in the next
verse, that the covenant He mediates is not of the law, but of grace.
Hebrews 8:6-7 "But
now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he
is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon
better promises." "For if that first [covenant] had been
faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second."
Our covenant with
God {Christians} is one that Jesus sealed with His own blood. It is
the free gift of grace.
Ephesians 2:8
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:"
Our response in
salvation is faith, but even that is not of ourselves (but is) the
gift of God. Faith is nothing that we do in our power or by our own
resources. In the first place we do not have adequate power or
resources. More than that, God would not want us to rely on them even
if we had them. Otherwise salvation would be in part by our own
works, and we would have some ground to boast in ourselves. Paul
intends to emphasize that even faith is not from us apart from God’s
giving it.
Some have objected
to this interpretation, saying that faith is feminine, while the word
“that” is neuter. That poses no problem, as long as it is
understood that “that” does not refer precisely to the noun faith
but to the act of believing. Every person lives by faith.
When we open a can
of food or drink a glass of water we trust that it is not
contaminated. When we go across a bridge we trust it to support us.
Life is a constant series of acts of faith. No human being, no matter
how skeptical and self-reliant, could live a day without exercising
faith.
When we accept the
finished work of Christ on our behalf, we act by the faith supplied
by God’s grace. That is the supreme act of human faith, the act
which, though it is ours, is primarily God’s, His gift to us out of
His grace.
“For” gives the
reason for this future demonstration of divine grace. It is because
man owes his salvation to this grace or undeserved divine favor. The
force of the Greek perfect tense “are ye saved” indicates that
the Ephesian were spiritually saved at some point in the past, and at
the present time of writing they remain in this state of salvation.
The grammatical
gender of the word “that,” occurring in the expression “that
not of yourselves”, is neuter, hence, “that” cannot refer to
the preceding “grace” or “faith,” both of which are feminine
nouns, nor can it refer to “are ye saved” which is a masculine
participle. Instead the neuter “that” refers back and embraces
the entire foregoing “grace, are ye saved,” and “faith."
This means that no
part of salvation is “of yourselves” or due to what we do, the
whole of salvation is the gift of God. Man is saved “by grace”
that is, by the kindness of God in having Jesus die for our sins. But
this grace is appropriated through faith, that is, man believes what
God has done for him and relies upon Christ’s atonement to blot out
his sins and bring him into a proper relationship with God.
“That not of
yourselves”: “That” refers to the entire previous statement of
salvation, not only the grace but the faith. Although men are
required to believe for salvation, even that faith is part of the
gift of God which saves and cannot be exercised by one’s own power.
God’s grace is preeminent in every aspect of salvation, Romans
3:20; Gal. 2:16.
You cannot earn your
way to heaven. Just as any gift, to have it, you must reach out and
receive it unto yourself. Faith was counted unto Abraham as
righteousness. Our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is what gives us
our righteousness in God's sight.
Jesus put us in
right standing with God, when He paid our debt in full with His blood
at Calvary. We must say, thank you Jesus for dying for me. That is
why we are saved. Jesus is our Savior. The gift of God, to all
mankind who will accept it, is eternal life in Jesus Christ, our
Lord.
The grace of God is
the expression of His goodness toward the undeserving. Grace means
“unmerited favor”, and can be expressed by the acrostic. “God’s
Riches At Christ’s Expense.” This
grace is the basis of our salvation.
Ephesians 2:9
"Not of works, lest any man should boast."
Obviously, if it is
true that salvation is all by God’s grace, it is therefore not as a
result of works. Human effort has nothing to do with it (Romans 3:20;
Gal 2:16). And thus, no one should boast, as if he had any part. All
boasting is eliminated in salvation. Nevertheless, good works have an
important place, as Paul is quick to affirm.
The reason, in part
that salvation is not achieved by works is to prevent men from
bragging of having earned a place in heaven by them.
There is no room for
boasting. The only thing we might consider boasting of is the
greatness of God and His plan of salvation. Works will not get you to
heaven. If we love God, and appreciate what He has done for us, we
probably will work for Him, but our work does not save us. It just
tells Him we love Him.
Ephesians 2:10
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good
works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
“For” verifies
the assertion of man’s good works having no part in obtaining
salvation. Workmanship refers not to our original or physical birth,
but to our spiritual birth: what we are spiritually in the good sense
is due to God, not ourselves.
Before we can do any
good work for the Lord, He has to do His good work in us. By God’s
grace, made effective through our faith, we become His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good works. God has ordained that we then
live lives of good works, works done in His power and for His glory.
Although they have
no part in gaining salvation, good works have a great deal to do with
living out salvation. No good works can produce salvation, but many
good works are produced by salvation. “By this is My father
glorified,” Jesus said, “that you bear much fruit, and so prove
to be My disciples” (John 15:8). Read John 15:1-8.
These good works are
expected because God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in
them, and that is why James says faith is illegitimate if works are
not present (James 2:17-26.
Created in Christ
Jesus unto good works means “having been (morally) recreated by
Christ Jesus for good works”; that is, Jesus remade our spiritual
lives so that we could then do good works. The same power that
created us in Christ Jesus empowers us to do the good works for which
He has redeemed us. These are the verifiers of true salvation.
The apostle’s
thinking is this: since the Christian has been given spiritual life
for the purpose of doing good works, there could have been no good
works by him prior to conversion that would merit salvation? Good
works follow, do not precede, salvation.
Good works do not
bring discipleship, but they prove it is genuine. When God’s people
do good deeds they bear fruit for His kingdom and bring glory to His
name. Good works cannot produce salvation but are subsequent and
resultant God-empowered fruits and evidences of it.
This is the picture
then. We are saved by grace and grace alone. The fruit of our
salvation shows in our actions after we are saved. As I have said so
many times, we must walk in the salvation Jesus provided for us.
These works are in Christ Jesus. In the works that you do, the world
should be able to see Jesus.
Even Jesus Himself
said in John 14:11-12 "Believe me that I [am] in the Father, and
the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake."
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the
works that I do shall he do also; and greater [works] than these
shall he do; because I go unto my Father."
Are you fulfilling
this Scripture in His own Words? Matthew 5:16 " Let your light
so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify
your Father which is in heaven."
Titus 3:8 "[This
is] a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm
constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to
maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men."
There are many more
Scriptures on this. Look up good works in your Strong's Concordance.
“Which God hath
before ordained”: Like his salvation, a believer’s sanctification
and good works were ordained before time began. Romans 8:29-30.
Salvation does not
come from knowing about the truth of Jesus Christ but from intimately
knowing Christ Himself. This coming alive can be accomplished by the
power of God because of His love and mercy.
