In the first
seven verses of Ephesians 2, Paul tells us about the spiritual status of a
person, before and after he or she had become a believer in Christ. What is a
believer’s status before Christ comes into his or her life?
Verses 1-3 describe
the lives of people outside of Christ. Paul said they are dead in their
trespasses. Although they seem to be alive physically, but they are actually
dead. They may be walking and breathing and seem to have the ability to make
decisions in their daily living, but in reality they are dead. Paul was talking
about spiritual death. A life unconnected to the life force of God is
spiritually dead. Much like a stalk of rose that is cut from the life-giving
stem. It may appear alive. But just give it a few days and soon everything
about it will wither. Paul wanted the Ephesians to know that they were once in
such a state; totally disconnected with God, who is the Source of life.
How did Paul
know? He knew it from the three evidences that he described in verses 2-3. Firstly,
they were walking according to the course of this world (the world); secondly,
they walked according to the prince of the power of the air (the devil); and thirdly,
they lived according to the desires of the body and mind (the flesh). The
world, the devil and the flesh are the three opposing forces that would come
against the children of God. Believers are daily exposed to the luring
temptations that confront them from these three avenues.
Notice here
the two things that Paul said about the devil. Firstly, he is known as the
prince of the air. He is unlike us, a physical being. Since he is not physical,
he has no physical limitation, but unlike God he is not omnipresent. The devil
has power and authority in the realm of the spirit, but again he is not
omnipotent. Secondly, he is working in the sons of disobedience. The sons of
disobedience can be defined as people whose lives are characterized by
disobedience. The devil is actively working to bring about that characteristic.
Paul called the followers of the devil, the children of wrath. Why are they “children
of wrath”? Wrath is simply God’s holy hostility against everything that rebels
against Him. Unlike man’s anger and rage that is often out of control, God’s
wrath is perfectly controlled, just and absolute. The term “children of wrath”
therefore defines people whose lifestyle of rebelliousness marked them out for
the wrath of God.
The
conjunction “but” in verse 4 is significant. It provides the contrast that while
we were dead in our trespasses and sins, walking in disobedience and rightly
deserved God’s wrath, He provided a way out. There are three reasons why God
did this: It’s because of His rich mercy (v.4), His great love (v.4) and His
graciousness (v.7).
Paul not
only provided the reasons for why God did what He did, but he also showed what
He had done for us believers. There were three things that God had done.
Firstly, He made us alive (v.5); then He raised us up (v.6); and then He seated
us with Him in the heavenly places (v.6). God did all these because He wanted
to make known that He had raised believers up from their spiritual death, and
granted them a triumphant life in Christ. Why? Verse 7 tells us that in the
ages to come, He will make known the great and immeasurable riches of His kind grace
to those who are in Christ.
God made us believers spiritually alive in our union with
Christ. In this union the effects of death are reversed. Know it or not we, who
believe in Christ, participate not only in His death but also in His resurrection.
Hence, we now share in the resurrected life of Christ. In union with Christ our
lives are indestructible, and God Himself leads us forward by His Spirit.
He took my sins and my sorrows,
He made them His very own;
He bore the burden of Calvary,
And suffered and died alone.
O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
Is my Savior's love for me!
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