Eph 2:1-3
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 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. 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.
- Dead in trespasses and sins. We were dead in trespasses and sins (Col 2:13, Eph 2:5). This happened at the garden of Eden when God said that the day you shall eat of the fruit, you shall die (Gen 2:17). Spiritual death happened instantly, when Adam disobeyed. When Adam sinned at the garden, we sinned with Adam, because we were in Adam.
- By nature children of wrath. We were by nature children of darkness and by nature sons of the devil or disobedience. Since we were children of darkness, we walked naturally according to the lusts of the flesh, and indulging was normal. If we were by nature children of wrath, being now children of God, it is unnatural for us to continue in sin. If at all, we fall into sin, it is because of the unrenewed mind, even after being dead. Paul calls it “indulging in the desires of the flesh”.
- Desires of the flesh and of the mind. Paul says desires of the flesh and of the mind. He doesn’t say anything about the spirit. Because our spirit is completely recreated and new. See note on 1 John 3:9 on the inability of our spirit to sin. Even when man sinned at the garden of Eden, the disobedience or sin, separated man from God, which we refer to as “spiritual death”, but the knowledge of sin was provided by the fruit of the forbidden tree. The knowledge of good and evil by itself wasn’t evil, as God says in Gen 3:22 that “they have become like one of us, knowlng good and evil”, the problem was the knowledge of good and evil in a fallen man. The devil couldn’t just make the world depraved the very next day, even if he wanted to. He had to let the mind of fallen man fester in the knowledge of good and evil, and eventually it took the world to where it is right now. To utmost depravity.
- lived in the lusts of the flesh and indulging. According to Paul, we have been crucified with Christ and we are dead to sin. In Rom 5:7 he says that he who has died is freed from sin. However, It’s possible for us to let sin reign, according to Rom 6:12-13, not because we have been enslaved or suppressed, but because we allow it. It is something which we are letting ourselves do.
Eph 2:4-6
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
- Mercy and grace. Grace is when we get what we didn’t deserve, and mercy is when we don’t get what we deserved.
- Alive, raised and seated with Christ . This means that during the resurrection of Jesus, we were made alive to God (even though we were dead in our sins) and he made us alive together with Christ and made us sit together with Christ and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places. What are the significance of these?
- We are justified through the resurrection of Jesus. But God does not stop with us at resurrection. He takes us beyond resurrection to ascension.
- Through ascension, we are not just justified; we are glorified.
- This is why Paul says that if resurrection didn’t happen we are to be pitied (1 Cor 15:44).
- Notice how these three actions performed by God are all stated in the past tense: He made us alive together with Christ, He resurrected us with Christ, and He seated us with Him in the heavenly places. On what kind of a seat is Jesus sitting? He is sitting on the throne of God. If we are seated with Him, what are we sitting on? The throne of God. The New English Bible actually translates that: “He enthroned us with Him.” This translation truly brings out the truth. Through His resurrection, we are justified. But through His ascension, we are glorified.
- We were there. Many times, people find it difficult to comprehend that they were included the crucifixion, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. If you can comprehend that you were there when Adam sinned because you were in Adam. All God has to do is to place you in Christ, and hence you died with Christ, you rose from the dead with Christ, you have resurrection life in you, through Christ, and you are glorified in Christ. You are righteous through Christ Jesus.
- Saved… Greek: sozo is a contraction of the word “safe” and often translated as the verb form “to heal”. Grace heals us and makes us safe. It is not just physical healing, but also healing from mental hurt, from the systems of this world, and even from a performance mentality.
- When we were dead in trespasses. God made us alive, raised us up, and seated us in the heavenly realms, when we were still dead in trespasses, and were by nature children of wrath. As God’s children, we are to extend grace to people who we think doesn’t deserve any.
Eph 2:7
So that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
- Surpassing riches of His grace. What does ‘exceeding’ or ‘surpassing’ mean? It means to throw beyond the usual mark, to surpass, transcend, exceed, excel. We didn’t receive just enough grace to get by. The grace of God within us goes far beyond any need that may arise in our lives.
- In the ages to come. There are more riches of His grace to experience in the ages to come. It has infinite potential which keeps you experiencing it even beyond this age.
Eph 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
- Have been saved. We have been saved from our former way of life, and hence our life should show the inner sanctification which has already achieved in the spirit, into the natural. It is unnatural for us to continue in sin.
- Not by works. Keeping the law will not earn or maintain salvation for you. Some people say teach that this “law” means ceremonial laws, and that you are to keep the moral laws. This is incorrect interpretation because of these reasons. Firstly, the Bible doesn’t give such a distinction between moral and ceremonial laws. Secondly, Paul in Romans 7:7 talks against the law, and mentions a moral law there, which is “You shall not covet”. Thirdly, by saying we are not “bound” to keep the law doesn’t mean that you are to live lawless. It means that I don’t need a law that I should not commit adultery to stop me from committing adultery with my wife. If it is the law that is keeping me from committing adultery, then woe to me, and the marriage is already a sham. God ensured that the law is not applicable to us, by grace so that we can use the freedom we have, to live as our natural self, by the Spirit, as slaves of righteousness.
Eph 2:10
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
- Created in Christ Jesus. 2 Cor 5:17 says that we are a New Creation, and the old has passed away. 1 Cor 6:17 says that we are ONE spirit with Christ Jesus, our Lord. We are a special creation, of the type of Christ Jesus. In our spirit, we are one with the Lord. That means in our spirit, we are unrecognizable. When we refer to our spirit, it doesn’t matter if we write it as Spirit or spirit, because of the unity.
- Created for good works. We mentioned in the notes of the previous verse that we are not saved because of our works. But we have works prepared for us, after we are saved. The difference is that doing this doesn’t maintain our salvation, and not doing it doesn’t make us lose our salvation. This is the work, we do, in Christ Jesus, as Jesus Himself had done, with the motivation of love. It means that you are a path, to someone else’s salvation. As Paul says “how will they hear unless someone goes”. God has set us in places, jobs and countries to strategically reach that believer, but many either go according to their preferred call, and become less fruitful. We see the same phrase or usage in Matt 5:16 where Jesus says Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. The good works are our light shining among men.
Eph 2:11-13
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— 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. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
- Formerly you, Gentiles in the flesh. Why formerly? Because Paul makes it clear in Gal 3:28-29 that there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. There is no point in differentiating them by their origin, race, gender, skin colour, because if you are in Christ, you are all one one body.
- Called uncircumcision by those who were circumcised in the flesh by human hands. Paul is saying to those of the circumcision – you who think that you are so special that you have to call others uncircumcision, know that you yourself were circumcised in the flesh.
- Circumcision of the heart by the Holy Spirit, which was God’s idea from the very beginning (Deut 10:16, Deut 30:6, Jer 4:4, Acts 7:51, Col 2:11) and it is superior to the circumcision of the flesh, with human hands, which is worthless.
- Separate from Christ. Every promise and blessing was available to the commonwealth of Israel, and Gentiles were out of it. Though from the very beginning the blessings towards Israel was not because they were special but so that through them the nations would be blessed (Gen 12).
- Strangers to the covenant of promise. The Gentiles did not have a covenant with God, and that is why Jesus was hesitant when the Syrophoenician woman asked Jesus to do something which would be a normal thing for anyone in the covenant of promise to ask (Mark 7:24-29).
- Having no hope. They had no hope, but being in Christ, they were born into a living hope, a hope that never dies away.
Eph 2:14
For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,
- Both groups. Circumcised and uncircumcised.
- Peace…King Jesus is our peace. He pulled down the enemy walls that made us the enemies of each of other.
Eph 2:15-16
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, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.
- Abolished in His flesh the enmity. Jesus abolished the enmity.
- Abolished…The Greek word here is katargeo which means “to reduce to inactivity, to render unemployed.”. So whatever God wrote down as the law, has been rendered unemployed in Christ. So the law can no longer be used as a separation of righteousness.
- Why does He do it?… So that He creates in Himself one new Man, the new creation mentioned earlier.
- Cross or resurrection… We can figure out the level of revelation of a person, when we see what his Christianity is about? Is it about the cross?- then they are going to live a certain way. Is it about the resurrection, then they are going to live in a certain way.
- The New man. We are a new creation as mentioned in 2 Cor 5:17 and hence he made us and Christ one and also this new self is in the likeness of God and has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. There is no distinction of Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised among the new species.
Eph 2:17-18
And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.
- Far away. The Gentiles were far away.
- Those who were near. The Jews were near, but could never get in.
- Peace. There is peace between the Jews and Gentiles, and also there is between God and the Jews who had the law, and the Gentiles, who didn’t have the law, and God. The peace was attained through the circumcision of the heart, by the Holy Spirit, creating one New Man, through which we have access to the Father.
- Access to the Father. It is by this Spirit, we have access to the Father, and we can cry to Him, “Abba Father”. The law couldn’t give Jews the access, and the Gentiles were not even given the possibility of access. But now, through Christ, we have not only access, we are one with each other merged into Christ.
Eph 2:19-22
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
- Citizens and household. We are in fact God’s children and hence we are in His household. We are fellow citizens with the saints and the citizenship is in heaven (Phil 3:20 ).
- Individual and Corporate. In the corporate set up as a whole Christ will have to grow in us. We will have to grow as a holy temple in the Lord. This growth is also mentioned in Eph 4:13 where the whole church and the grace that has been given to the church has been used to build the church. Our goal is to make sure that the whole church goes to the unity of faith, and of the knowledge of Son of God, to a perfect man, Christ, according to His fullness. Is it the same thing that we have received according to Eph 1:16. Have we received the whole thing individually. Can we still be lacking corporately?