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Ephesians Chapter Two
Commentary by Ron Beckham
Verse 1. “And
you were dead in your trespasses and sins,”
Our first
ancestors had just one prohibition – to not eat the fruit of
a certain tree, and they were told, “In
the day you eat of it, you shall surely die” (Genesis
2:17). They did eat of that tree and they did “die,”
except they kept walking around for many years after they
experienced that terrible moment. From the Genesis account
and verses like this one in Ephesians, we learn that “death”
is more than we usually understand.
Yes, Adam and Eve
were to die physically because of their sin, and yes,
physical death would plague mankind throughout human history
– “In Adam all die” (1
Corinthians 15:22). But even worse, as seen here, Adam and
Eve died in an unexpected way, the INSTANT they sinned. The
contact with God through His Holy Spirit that they knew and
took for granted was broken, and this separation from God is
the real “death.” Though they still walked around, talked
and had children, they were dead to God! And so are those
in humanity today who do not trust in the Son of God.
Verse 2. “in
which you formerly walked 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.”
Walking in “trespasses
and sins” (verse 1) is the state of humanity. If the
Lord is excluded from our lives, our noblest efforts are
hopelessly marred by the sin that rules us. The Ephesians
that Paul directly addressed had received Christ. Because
of the Lord in them, they no longer were swept along by the
whims and sins of this world, and they had become able to
resist the urgings of the satanic beings that continually
harass the human race.
The word “spirit”
is “pneuma” in the Greek,
a word which can also mean “wind”
– something that exists and is forceful, but cannot be
directly seen. The Holy Spirit manifested Himself as a
great “wind” in Acts 2:2 and
it should not be a surprise that those of the enemy are
essentially “spirits” (winds) that are “working
in the sons of disobedience” (those who do not know
Christ). A Christ-less person may seem to be something, but
any “power” they have is from the wrong source – the “prince
of the power of the air” (as in this verse).
Verse 3. “Among
them we too all formerly 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.”
“All
have sinned” (Romans 3:23) – that’s Paul, the
Ephesians, you, me and everyone who has ever lived! If you
don’t think you have sinned, your besetting sin is pride,
for you have been deluding yourself that you are better than
others. It’s not only the gross “lusts
of our flesh” that plague humanity, but also the
secret “desires of the…
mind” that are a deep and
very real problem. God knows our thoughts and we
are condemned by them.
It’s often the
“nicest” people who are suddenly arrested and charged with a
crime. Many you would never expect are living secret lives
that will place them in prison, if and when God deems it to
be the time for them to be in such a place. Note that we
are “ALL” by nature “children
of wrath.” But the good news is that “wrath”
is the FORMER state of all who trust in the Lord Jesus
Christ. We are made SAFE in Him.
Verse 4. “But
God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with
which He loved us,”
The verses
immediately before this one express imagery like falling
into a “river” of sin and being swept into the “rapids” of
this life, rushing inevitably toward destruction. “But
God, being rich in mercy,” thrust His own Capable and
Loving Son into the “river” with us. He died like the rest
of us, but the difference is that in His death, He became a
Bridge over the rapids of sin that beset us – we merely have
to TRUST in the Son of God, and He will bring us through.
It’s fascinating
that the Bridge above is real, the Lifeline is tossed to us,
and all we have to do is have FAITH in order to be RESCUED
through the Son of God. Our real problem is often a limited
perspective. Because we LACK real love, we don’t understand
“HIS great love with which He loved
us.” He is indeed “rich in
mercy because of His great love.” We don’t need to
fear His intentions – We merely need to TRUST. He really
and truly LOVES – you and me.
Verse 5. “even
when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive
together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),”
Most people think
that to be “alive” is to
perform functions like eating, walking around, doing
something we want, or receiving the admiration of others.
None of that is the whole truth, for what is important is to
become alive in the sight of GOD. We were “dead
in our transgressions,” our sins. We may have been
performing various functions, but we were not alive in God’s
sight, for He sees us for what we REALLY are.
It is our
relationship with Jesus Christ that makes us truly “alive”
in the sight of God. We have been wrong in more ways than
we thought and our greatest mistake is to feel we are “alive”
when God sees us as “dead.”
Whether or not we can see or walk or do the things this
world counts valuable, is less important than to recognize
that we were DEAD and now we can be “ALIVE
together with Christ.” Our only life is – in Him!
Verse 6. “and
raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the
heavenly places in Christ Jesus,”
This verse is
interesting in relation to the talk about “heaven” by
non-Christians. Atheists make fun of Christianity, calling
it a “pie in the sky” religion. Note, though, that atheists
have no “pie,” no “sky” and no hope at all; which is very
sad, but that’s a subject for another time. The fact is
that YES, those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ will go
to the place where He is and YES, we will be with Him
forever!
But there is even
more. We are ALREADY there “WITH”
Him in “the heavenly places.”
He is in our hearts and lives right now! Most do not have
“eyes” to see this, but read this verse and ask the Holy
Spirit to let you UNDERSTAND – we are ALREADY “raised”
up “WITH Him in the heavenly places
in Christ Jesus!” Yes, we should be glad we are
going someplace wonderful! But this is right now – we are
already “with Him in the heavenly
places” by merely trusting in Him.
Verse 7. “so
that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches
of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
“The
ages to come” denotes a time that began with Christ’s
first advent. It will continue until He returns to this
world and we literally SEE His “surpassing
riches” in eternity. An example of His “riches”
includes FORGIVENESS for those who trust in Him. Consider
the woman who was a “sinner”
(Luke 7:36-50). Think about Peter who denied the Lord (Luke
22:54-62). Reflect on Saul of Tarsus who hated the Lord’s
people and murdered them (Acts 8:1, 3). If those three were
forgiven, rest assured there is forgiveness for you and me.
The Bible is FULL
of God’s forgiveness, the certain hope He generates within
us, and His love. And when you are considering the “riches”
He gives, think of the DURATION of them, expressed as His “kindness”
toward humanity. All this and much more will last FOREVER!
Note there is only one clear, simple way to have God’s “riches,”
and that is “in Christ Jesus.”
The time to receive His “kindness”
is right now. Will you trust in Him?
Verse 8. “For
by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves, it is the gift of God;”
In English and
many other languages, the meanings expressed are often the
result of word ORDER. However, in the original Greek
language of these verses, meaning was more often expressed
through word RELATIONSHIPS found in gender and tense. The
word for “saved” in this
verse is not directly related to “faith”
as you might expect, but instead it is linked to the word
for “grace.” The active
force in salvation (being made right with God) is actually
God’s GRACE. He GIVES us salvation – It’s not something we
can earn.
“Faith”
is our part in all this, and it is indeed a bargain, for He
utterly paid the price with His blood and to us it is the
free gift of God. Incredibly, even the “faith”
we are expected to have is God’s gift as well. As we learn
in places like Hebrews 12:2, “Jesus
Christ is the AUTHOR and FINISHER of OUR faith.”
Even the ABILITY to believe is His “gift”
to you and me. Truly we should “give
THANKS” to Him (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Verse 9. “not
as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
The Lord, our
Creator SPEAKS loudly to all those who are willing to “hear”
Him. Here’s what He says: 1) God is very real. 2) Our sins
have destroyed us and Godless humanity is doomed. 3) He
loves us so much, in spite of what we have thought and done,
that God the Father sent His Son to die in our place for our
sins. 4) We only need to BELIEVE in what HE has done.
There is no way
that you, me, or anyone else could “deserve” the great Gift
of His Son. There is NOTHING; there are no “works”
we could do in order to be saved. If we thought we had done
something to “deserve” it, we would “boast””
about it forever and ruin eternity for everybody else. ALL
we can do, the BEST that anyone can do is to TRUST in the
One who died for you and me. There is no other way.
Verse 10. “For
we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good
works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk
in them.”
There are some who
have read Paul’s words in Ephesians and other places, and
have concluded that if you are “saved,” you can do anything
you want! Paul puts the lie to that idea in places like
Romans 6:1, where he asks, “Shall
we continue in sin that grace may abound?” And then
he answers his own question in verse 2 – “Certainly
NOT!” It is intended and we are being enabled to
live holy lives here on earth (and for all eternity),
performing the “good works”
that HE has “created” for
us.
God intends “good
works” (of His own creation in Christ Jesus) to pour
out of us into the lives of all those we encounter.
Something wonderful happens to us when we are re-“created”
in Christ Jesus. We become “alive” through His Holy Spirit,
who enables us to do “good”
instead of the merely human ideas of goodness that were the
best we could do before. We are to “walk”
in the “good works” of God
in Christ – forever.
Verse 11. “Therefore
remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who
are called ‘Uncircumcision’ by the so-called ‘Circumcision,’
which is performed in the flesh by human hands--”
The Jews of Paul’s
time, referred to the “Gentiles”
(non-Jews) with contempt, calling them the “Uncircumcision.”
“Circumcision” was the
cutting away of the male foreskin, instituted by God for
Abraham and his descendents (Genesis 17:9-14). It was a
recognition of Abraham’s faith in God and it symbolized the
“covenant” between him and
God, that not only “spoke” of Abraham’s faith, but it also
was his promise to share that faith with his descendants.
Specific promises
were made by God to this man, both for him and those who
would come after him, and Abraham’s part in this was to
BELIEVE the promise of God. His belief was reflected in his
subsequent action – He and everyone “in
his house” (a considerable number of boys and men)
were circumcised (Genesis 17:26-27). Abraham had FAITH in
the Lord which was received as “righteousness”
in the sight of God, as it is for all who BELIEVE, whether
circumcised in the flesh or not (Romans 4:11 & context).
Verse 12. “remember
that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded
from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the
covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the
world.”
Paul is speaking
to “Gentiles” (non-Jews) and is reminding them of a time,
not long before his words were written, when they had no
real “hope” in God
whatsoever. The God of Israel is the REAL God, the One who
created us all and at just the right point in time, sent His
Son to die for our sins. The world had previously looked at
Israel with envy, and Israel had looked at the world through
their pride.
EVERYTHING changed
when God sent His Son to die for you and me. God’s promises
were to the nation Israel, and the rest of the world felt
like “strangers” to God and
the promises that were made. Do you ever feel like you have
“no hope?” The Lord allowed
the whole WORLD to feel that way, and it was into a setting
of false pride on the part of Israel and hopelessness on the
part of every one else, that the Messiah (the Christ) came
to save us all.
Verse 13. “But
now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been
brought near by the blood of Christ.”
Does God seem “far
off” to you? Does He seem far away from your hopes,
your dreams, your prayers? You don’t need to feel that way
any longer – “In Christ Jesus you
who formerly were far off have been brought NEAR by the
blood of Christ!” It is TRUE that we were “far
off.” It is OUR SINS that separated us from God, but
“the blood of Jesus Christ His
(God’s) Son cleanses us from
all sin” (1 John 1:7).
What we could not
do, GOD HIMSELF has done through the “blood
of Christ.” “Blood”
in Scripture represents LIFE. Leviticus 17:11 says this: “the
life of the flesh is in the blood.” That verse
continues: “I have given it to you
upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is
the blood that makes atonement for the soul.” Only
LIFE can GIVE us life, and Jesus gave His life for you and
me.
Verse 14. “For
He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and
broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,”
The world talks a
lot about “peace,” but knows
nothing about it. That is because most on this earth do not
know the Lord who “IS our peace.”
There are basically two kinds of people in the world: Those
who create and/or enforce on themselves and others a system
of rules that we “MUST” live by, and those who trust in the
Lord. The specific reference is in verse 15 – the “Law
of commandments” became a “dividing
wall” between people everywhere.
The literal
reference is the system of commandments governing the Jewish
religion at the time Paul wrote these words in Ephesians.
The Jews felt that because the Law of God had been given to
and through them, they were somehow righteous and others
were not. The Gentiles (non-Jews) felt hopeless and
insufficient in relation to God. The one group had false
pride and excluded the others. Jesus is our peace with one
another, and in Him, there should be NO walls between us –
ever.
Verse 15. “by
abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of
commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He
might make the two into one new man, thus establishing
peace,”
“In
His flesh” refers to the fact that Jesus was
sacrificed, crucified for the sins of the world – yours and
mine. The “Law” was not
necessary for salvation because He personally did what the
Law could not do – bring forgiveness to people like you and
me. One group of people might think they keep the Law of
God and that they have His approval because they do. The
Book of Ephesians and indeed, the whole of Scripture shows
that NONE of us can keep God’s Law.
Note that God’s
intention in Christ Jesus is not only that we might be made
one with Him, but also that we will become one with each
other. That was precisely the Lord’s prayer in John 17,
that we might be “one”
(17:11, 21). And yet, a look inside the business section of
any phone book will reveal that there are many churches who
disagree on – a lot! His will is to prevail in the matter,
and what we cannot do, He WILL do – we’ll be “one”
with one another, for He IS “our peace” (verse 14).
Verse 16. “and
might reconcile them both in one body to God through the
cross, by it having put to death the enmity.”
The “Cross” of
Jesus Christ is a great light, illuminating much that we do
not ordinarily understand. For instance, it shows us that
we are all sinners, because Jesus died on the cross for OUR
sins. If we weren’t sinners, He wouldn’t have needed to
die. It shows us our need of a Savior – we cannot save
ourselves. It reveals to us that, at our best, we are
divided from one another; separated from God and man because
of our sin, as reflected in words like “enmity”
and “selfishness.”
There is great “enmity”
between people, as mentioned in this verse, and as shown by
the cross. This involves the Law that was given to us; the
one we could not keep. Many have their own version of that
Law, in which THEY keep it and others don’t. The fact is
that everybody must keep God’s Law and nobody can! When
Jesus died on that cross, our sins died with Him. WE died
with Him. To BELIEVE in Him is to get a new start, to be
reconciled and given the opportunity, in Him, to love one
another.
Verse 17. “and
He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and
peace to those who were near;”
Does God seem “far
away” to you? Actually, the problem is not Him at
all. The problem is you and me – the Lord who loves us is
here right now. As David observed in Psalm 145:18, “The
Lord is near to all who call upon Him.” And as Paul
said in this verse to the Ephesians, Jesus came from
eternity and “preached peace to you
who were far away” (the Gentiles) and “peace
to those who were near” (the Jews).
God has done His
part of it. And His intention is that we will find peace
with Him and peace with one another. Way down deep inside,
that’s what you WANT. So many want to quibble about
inconsequential matters with co-workers, spouse, neighbors,
and yet, down DEEP inside, we all want PEACE. Jesus said, “Peace
I leave with you, My peace I give to you” (John
14:27). It’s time to trust in Him – He has everything you
need and more.
Verse 18. “for
through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the
Father.”
The “Spirit”
in this verse is the Holy Spirit of God. He Himself is God
and a Person in His own right. The Father is God and the
Spirit is God, and they are “One” in a way beyond our
ability to comprehend. We are merely human, but They, along
with the Son, Jesus Christ, are Almighty God. My computer,
modem, and keyboard somehow are one in what they accomplish
for me. God is like that, but infinitely more.
Whether we are Jew
or Gentile, slave or free, male or female, we are “one
in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28. “Through
Him,” through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, we are
given God’s Holy Spirit. A part of us that was always
supposed to exist, but never was, is becomes alive and is in
the Presence of the Lord! We are complete for the first
time. We have “access in one
Spirit to the Father.”
Verse 19. “So
then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are
fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household,”
Have you felt left
out? Did they pick somebody else for the team? Do you
wonder why THEY are popular and you are not? Did somebody
get what you wanted? Were you born into the “wrong”
family? I have good news for you. Almighty God, Maker of
heaven and earth has chosen YOU for HIS family! You are not
“left out” at all, but are of God’s very “household,”
when you trust in His Son.
So many in this
world have felt like “strangers and
aliens,” but you are a citizen of the kingdom of God,
accepted by the Lord alongside all the “saints”
of history, through FAITH in Jesus Christ. There are many
in the world who have fame, riches, position, and good
looks, but none of that will last. It is time to take up
your citizenship in heaven and be a part of “God’s
household.” Nothing else will satisfy your soul.
Verse 20. “having
been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,”
Paul (and the Holy
Spirit through him) loved to use visual imagery to help us
understand who (and what) we are in Christ Jesus. In that
time, just like now, buildings were being built just about
everywhere, and almost everyone understands SOMETHING about
how buildings are constructed. Every building needs a good
foundation and we stand on one that was created by God. We
look to the words of the apostles (the sent ones) and
prophets (God’s spokespersons) as the source, the foundation
of our understanding.
The apostles were
eyewitnesses of the words, miracles, death and resurrection
of Jesus Christ. The prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit
and spoke as He directed them. Their words, their actions
are like evidence in a court of law, forming the basis of
our belief, our trust in the Lord, who is Himself the “Corner
Stone,” the source of our faith in God. Notice that
we are built on something more solid and true than an actual
building – We can TRUST in our Lord. He will not let us
fall.
Verse 21. “in
whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing
into a holy temple in the Lord,”
This is no
ordinary “building” that you
and I are being built into. This is His “holy
temple,” in which we are taken from our former lost
condition and made useful to the Lord. Just as a loose
stone has no business lying in a farmer’s field and will
eventually be picked up and tossed aside, that
“out-of-place” feeling you have is actually a true one –
until you trust in the Lord. And then you have a purpose, a
secure place indeed. One that will last forever!
To use the
construction terms of Paul’s time, you are being properly
fit together (made one) with others, a process in which the
surfaces of the stones are reshaped. Dowels and dowel holes
are prepared to further secure us to the whole, and there is
a fitting together of the dowels with molten lead. Our
building is, in a sense, already complete, except we live in
a time of growth, when individual stones are still being
added. Only the Chief Architect knows the final outcome,
but we do know that He makes all things wonderful.
Verse 22. “in
whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of
God in the Spirit.”
We are made new in
Christ Jesus. Each of us were like rocks in the middle of a
farmer’s field, useless for any good purpose. But then the
Lord came to the field, the place we call “earth.” He
picked us up, began the process of reshaping us and is
building us together into a holy temple, a beautiful
structure fit for God. The continuing process of being “being
built together into a dwelling of God,” as in this
verse, can only be accomplished in one way – through God’s
Holy Spirit.
There is an odd,
but very common problem with mankind. We want to be the
finished product, and yet we often resist the process that
will get us there. So many want to do it themselves, or
feel they have already arrived when they are just beginning
to grow. The Holy Spirit sees you as you really are, and He
has the Father’s blueprint for you in hand. Will you yield
to Him? Let Him do His work – you’ll be glad you did!
Ron
Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
The First Church On The Net
www.FridayStudy.org
www.FirstChurchOnTheNet.org
"While
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
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