This passage contains some of the most amazing truths in the whole New Testament! If you could only read one passage in the Bible for the rest of your life, this wouldn’t be a bad one to choose.
“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph 2:1-10)
We’re in the third message of our fall series on the book of Ephesians. We’ve uncovered a few themes so far: the meaning of being In Christ, unity and the power of Christ that works in people. In chapter 1 Paul followed up his opening description of the blessings found in Christ with a majestic intercessory prayer. Now in chapter 2 Paul describes the sinful nature of people and God’s plan of salvation.
All people are born into sin and because of sinful nature, all people are spiritually dead, separated from God. Knowingly or unknowingly, people living apart from Christ are following the systems and values of the world around them. The devil will always try to influence the systems of the world to lead people away from Christ. Ultimately, people live apart from Christ because of an unwillingness to trust him.[1]
In verse 3 Paul clarifies that all people were at one time living in rebellion towards Christ. Here Paul uses the word flesh to describe the sinful nature of people. In living according to the flesh, people live apart from the Christ, “…under the domination of their own sinful natures.”[2] Here Paul has laid out a picture of the human condition apart from Christ. All people are born with a sinful nature. Sin leads to death.
This all seems pretty dark until we come across verse 4. “But…” Because of God’s love, because of his mercy, people are made alive in Christ. No longer are people stuck in sin and darkness. The life of Christ shines bright. The Bible tells us that God is love (I John 4:8). He is merciful. These are the qualities that moved God to save. Last week we discovered that the amazing power of God raised Christ from the dead and that same power is available for those who believe (1:19). Here Paul elaborates further. Believers were made alive in Christ; it is by grace people have been saved. Along with love and mercy, grace is the divine motivation for God to save people.[3] Death has been defeated and the sin nature vanquished. Not only did God raise Christ and seat him at his right hand, but all believers were raised and seated with Christ.
Though all people must still face physical death, spiritually those who are in Christ are made alive. They will not die spiritually. This illustrates part of the tension of the Christian life. On the one hand followers of Christ are spiritually alive and seated in the heavenly realms. On the other hand, they still inhabit physical bodies and walk among the temptations of life on earth. Yet, the power of sin and darkness has been broken and in Christ there is victory, even here in the fallen world. Christians must embrace the tension of the now and the not yet. Followers of Jesus are spiritually alive in Christ, but must still work out their faith.
These next few verses are probably among the most famous and most memorized in the Bible. While “God’s grace moved him to save”[4] people accept God’s gift of salvation through faith. Here we uncover another key theme in Ephesians: faith. By accepting God’s gift of salvation, people place their trust in God. They are practicing faith, accepting that they cannot save themselves and placing their trust and reliance fully in God.[5] Salvation is initiated only by God, but humans have the choice to accept it. I can offer you a gift, but you must decide to receive it. The receiving of the gift of salvation is through faith. Paul makes it clear that people cannot save themselves. No amount of works, good deeds, law keeping or effort can secure salvation. Thus, any personal boasting is completely misplaced. If one is to boast about salvation it can only be about Christ himself.
Paul brings it full circle. We are God’s workmanship! God himself created each person and loves us for who we are. This second part of this verse may cause some confusion. One could read that God has predetermined every good work of followers of Christ. This however is not the intent. Paul is teaching that it is God’s work in the follower of Christ that enables them to do good works, not that every good work is predetermined. Without God working in the world good works would not be possible. Thus, “Our good works owe to God’s work in us, not to our own efforts to be good.”[6]
What can we take away today?
On this thanksgiving Sunday, let’s be thankful for salvation by grace, through faith and a relationship with the God who created us!
[1] Klein, W. W. (2006). Ephesians. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians–Philemon (Revised Edition) (Vol. 12, p. 66). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[2] Klein, W. W. (2006). Ephesians. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians–Philemon (Revised Edition) (Vol. 12, p. 66). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[3] Klein, W. W. (2006). Ephesians. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians–Philemon (Revised Edition) (Vol. 12, p. 68). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[4] Klein, W. W. (2006). Ephesians. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians–Philemon (Revised Edition) (Vol. 12, p. 70). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[5] Klein, W. W. (2006). Ephesians. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians–Philemon (Revised Edition) (Vol. 12, p. 70). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[6] Klein, W. W. (2006). Ephesians. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians–Philemon (Revised Edition) (Vol. 12, p. 71). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph 2:1-10)
We’re in the third message of our fall series on the book of Ephesians. We’ve uncovered a few themes so far: the meaning of being In Christ, unity and the power of Christ that works in people. In chapter 1 Paul followed up his opening description of the blessings found in Christ with a majestic intercessory prayer. Now in chapter 2 Paul describes the sinful nature of people and God’s plan of salvation.
All people are born into sin and because of sinful nature, all people are spiritually dead, separated from God. Knowingly or unknowingly, people living apart from Christ are following the systems and values of the world around them. The devil will always try to influence the systems of the world to lead people away from Christ. Ultimately, people live apart from Christ because of an unwillingness to trust him.[1]
In verse 3 Paul clarifies that all people were at one time living in rebellion towards Christ. Here Paul uses the word flesh to describe the sinful nature of people. In living according to the flesh, people live apart from the Christ, “…under the domination of their own sinful natures.”[2] Here Paul has laid out a picture of the human condition apart from Christ. All people are born with a sinful nature. Sin leads to death.
This all seems pretty dark until we come across verse 4. “But…” Because of God’s love, because of his mercy, people are made alive in Christ. No longer are people stuck in sin and darkness. The life of Christ shines bright. The Bible tells us that God is love (I John 4:8). He is merciful. These are the qualities that moved God to save. Last week we discovered that the amazing power of God raised Christ from the dead and that same power is available for those who believe (1:19). Here Paul elaborates further. Believers were made alive in Christ; it is by grace people have been saved. Along with love and mercy, grace is the divine motivation for God to save people.[3] Death has been defeated and the sin nature vanquished. Not only did God raise Christ and seat him at his right hand, but all believers were raised and seated with Christ.
Though all people must still face physical death, spiritually those who are in Christ are made alive. They will not die spiritually. This illustrates part of the tension of the Christian life. On the one hand followers of Christ are spiritually alive and seated in the heavenly realms. On the other hand, they still inhabit physical bodies and walk among the temptations of life on earth. Yet, the power of sin and darkness has been broken and in Christ there is victory, even here in the fallen world. Christians must embrace the tension of the now and the not yet. Followers of Jesus are spiritually alive in Christ, but must still work out their faith.
These next few verses are probably among the most famous and most memorized in the Bible. While “God’s grace moved him to save”[4] people accept God’s gift of salvation through faith. Here we uncover another key theme in Ephesians: faith. By accepting God’s gift of salvation, people place their trust in God. They are practicing faith, accepting that they cannot save themselves and placing their trust and reliance fully in God.[5] Salvation is initiated only by God, but humans have the choice to accept it. I can offer you a gift, but you must decide to receive it. The receiving of the gift of salvation is through faith. Paul makes it clear that people cannot save themselves. No amount of works, good deeds, law keeping or effort can secure salvation. Thus, any personal boasting is completely misplaced. If one is to boast about salvation it can only be about Christ himself.
Paul brings it full circle. We are God’s workmanship! God himself created each person and loves us for who we are. This second part of this verse may cause some confusion. One could read that God has predetermined every good work of followers of Christ. This however is not the intent. Paul is teaching that it is God’s work in the follower of Christ that enables them to do good works, not that every good work is predetermined. Without God working in the world good works would not be possible. Thus, “Our good works owe to God’s work in us, not to our own efforts to be good.”[6]
What can we take away today?
- All people are born with a sin nature. Without Christ all people are lost
- But! God’s love, mercy and grace moved him to save people.
- How amazing that we can know a God who cares about people, as messed up as we are, that he offers redemption
- People are made alive in Christ
- Life is not hopeless and meaningless. In Christ there is life and hope and meaning
- People are saved by faith, not works.
- Because there is no way to earn salvation, there are no superior people. We choose to respond to God’s invitation.
- How are you responding to God’s invitation right now?
- You are God’s handiwork, created by the master craftsman. You can rest in his love for you.
- Your value lies in a relationship with Christ, not with your performance, skills or works.
On this thanksgiving Sunday, let’s be thankful for salvation by grace, through faith and a relationship with the God who created us!
[1] Klein, W. W. (2006). Ephesians. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians–Philemon (Revised Edition) (Vol. 12, p. 66). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[2] Klein, W. W. (2006). Ephesians. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians–Philemon (Revised Edition) (Vol. 12, p. 66). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[3] Klein, W. W. (2006). Ephesians. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians–Philemon (Revised Edition) (Vol. 12, p. 68). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[4] Klein, W. W. (2006). Ephesians. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians–Philemon (Revised Edition) (Vol. 12, p. 70). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[5] Klein, W. W. (2006). Ephesians. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians–Philemon (Revised Edition) (Vol. 12, p. 70). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[6] Klein, W. W. (2006). Ephesians. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians–Philemon (Revised Edition) (Vol. 12, p. 71). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
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