< Ephesians 1:15-23 | Ephesians 2:11-22 >
Note: This article is a study through this passage of scripture using the SIDL model. If you are unfamiliar with this, please read this summary, or this more in-depth walk through to understand what's being done here.
Ephesians 2:1-10 The Student
In Most Bibles chapter 2 starts clearly divided from chapter 1, maybe even with some kind of nice subject heading. In the NIV the heading is "Made Alive in Christ." But this is deceptive because chapter two is actually a direct continuation of chapter 1, expanding and explaining the ideas already laid out in Paul's opening prayer. In the text there is no break in structure, form or even content. This passage is simply a continuation of the thoughts we've already looked at in Chapter 1. In the same way as chapter 1, the bulk of this passage (2:1-7) is a single flowing cascading sentence, continuing the strange blend of prayer, worship and teaching.
The new element added in this passage is the first of several comparisons throughout Ephesians between the old life and the new life (between life "in Christ," and life "in Adam," or in the flesh.) In this passage the comparison is given as death versus life. Outside of Christ, life is simply death. Only in Christ is true life found.
(2:1) "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins..." Here we start with death. The death in this passage is the state of living outside of Christ. It includes both death (the ceasation of life) ultimately since that is where this kind of life leads, but it also includes a kind of living death. "The most vital part of man's personality--the spirit--is dead to the most important factor in life--God." God is the source of life and living disconnected from Him means living disconnected from real life.
The passage goes on, "...you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world..." (2:1-2) There is a very interesting word in this passage. The phrase translated in the NIV as "in which you used to live" all comes from one word in Greek, peripateo. This word means "to walk around in." So the phrase literally reads, "you were dead in your transgression and sins which you used to walk around in." This word is where we get the idea of "the walk"--that someone's way of life is a certain kind of walk. This concept implies motion, a certain direction and active participation. The use of this image in scripture always includes a moral sense. Either people are "walking" in the path God intends or they are "walking" away. These people were "walking in the way of the world." That is, they were fully moving down that path, toward the ultimate destination of that path, completely surrounded by that kind of life.
Paul described the life these people were living (their walk) in this way: "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. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts." (2:2-3) This description includes several factors:
This kind of life (which Paul calls being dead) is characterized by following the "ways of this world." Now this isn't a blanket judgement on everything non-Christian. When Paul talks about "this world" he always means the culture that prevails when people live with self as the highest value. This world is the realm of "the flesh' (sarx). By that Paul doesn't mean all things physical. He means all things derived from our selfish and sinful nature. So, this kind of life is characterized by following the way of selfishness.
This life is also characterized by following "the ways...of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient." The kingdom of the air was commonly understood in the Hebrew mind as the place where spirits, particularly demons, lived. So, the ruler of this kingdom would be the highest of these evil beings--Satan. His influence is as pervasive and surrounding as the air. Following the way of Satan would include outright occult activity, but also would include all the more subtle qualities that derives from this being's character--deception, manipulation, fear, control, etc. So, this kind of life is characterized by "walking in" the characteristics of Satan.
This life is also characterized by "gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts." Gratifying means pleasing or fulfilling. So living this way is defined by doing those things that please and fulfill the urges or cravings of our selfish nature. "Following its desires and thoughts" literally means "doing the demands" of our sinful nature (sarx). Paul is saying that before we are in Christ, we are enslaved to the cravings of our selfish and sinful nature. It was only natural for us to folllow this path. We are in a very real sense "at the mercy" of our tyrannical inner nature.
So this kind of life that Paul calls "death" is a life where self is the highest value and the actions of that life fall under the influence of and often bear the qualities of Satan--pride, deception, fear, manipulation and control. It is a life where the urges that spring from selfishness are easily and freely given into. In fact, they are so often given into that they can be said to be in complete control.
Then, just in case we start identifying other people in our lives who "clearly" live this way, Paul reminds us that this is the common state of all humanity: "You were dead" in this way, "You used to live" this way. "All of us lived..." This isn't talking about other people. It's talking about all of Paul's readers. (2:3b) "Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath." At this point, Paul turns the corner. This "dead" life is where all of us have come from and where all of us live, BUT! "But because of his great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus..." (2:4-6)
In this passage there are three things that Paul says God has done. Three things that God has done for Christ and--unexpectedly--for us as well. All three of these things originated in God's love and mercy.
- God "made us alive with Christ."
- God "raised us up with Christ."
- God "seated us with Him in the heavenly realms."
All three of these are clearly things God did for Christ. God brought Jesus back from the dead (#1--the resurrection). God brought Jesus back to be with Him. (#2--the ascension). God seated Jesus in authority over all things (#3--the glorification). All three of these are actual events that took place in the life of Jesus. But here Paul says that these things also happened to us.
Each of these three words is a compound word beginning with the preposition "syn" which means "together with." or "co-." So it wasn't just Jesus who was brought back to life. We were brought back to life along with Him. (synezoopoiesen--made alive with). Jesus wasn't raised alone when He ascended. We ascended with Him. (synegeiren--raised up with). Jesus wasn't seated alone in heavenly places. We were seated with Him, at God's right hand (synkathisen--seated with). These three amazing things happened "even when we were dead in transgressions" (2:5) They happened to humanity at the same time that they historically happened to Jesus. This sense of the event already having happened and all the benefits already being available is seen even in this well known phrase (1:5b)--"It is by grace you have been saved." The tense of the Greek "you have been saved" (sesosmenoi) indicates that this has already happened. It happened at one point in the past and the effects or benefits continue until now and into the future. You are now in the position of having been saved.
All of this has been done for one reason. (2:7) "...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." This reiterates the point of 1:10. Our salvation, our blessing, our inclusion in God's plan is bigger than just us. It is for a cosmic purpose. God saves us, God blesses us so that we can be included in his ultimate will of restoring everything "under one head, even Christ." God's plan is for the universe, not just for me.
Here we come to one of the most famous passages of scripture since the reformation, Ephesians 2:8-9. "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast." The first phrase is critical to understand. "It is by grace you have been saved through faith." This is often read as "saved by faith," as if faith is the instrument of our salvation. But Paul is not suggesting that faith is what saves us. Paul says that God's grace is the instrument of our salvation. Faith is only the means by which we lay hold of what God is giving to us through His sovereign grace. Then, just in case this is not clear enough, we get this addition: "and this not from yourselves." No part of this process--the grace, or even our faith--is initiated by us. The whole thing is God's gift.
But Paul keeps elaborating, just to avoid confusion. It's by grace. It's not from yourself. It's God's gift. Not your work. Then Paul gives a reason, "so that no one can boast." This ties us back to 2:7, 1:6 & 1:12. It's all for God's glory, not ours. Then Paul shatters our "self-made" myth. 2:10. "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." This reiterates 1:4. We are not saved in a vacuum. We are saved so that we can participate in God's plan for restoring everything under the headship of Christ. We have been saved so that God can make us holy and blameless. Here Paul defines that as "God's workmanship" and "to do good works." We are not self-made. We are God's workmanship.
Here's an interesting thing from the Greek. The word translated as "wrokmanship" is poiema. While "workmanship" is correct, it could just as accurately be translated as "poem" or "work of art." Thus, the saved lives that God has created for us are actually a creative expression of God's own character. This new life, Paul says, has been "prepared in advance for us to do." The "to do" that ends this phrase is the same word that starts off 2:2--peripateo. This is a life that God has prepared for us "to walk around in." So not only has Paul compared death and life, he is also comparing one way of walking with a whole new way of walking.
Ephesians 2:1-10 The Interpreter
The meaning of life.
Paul clearly states that life outside of Christ is the same as death. But this raises a question. Aren't there good people who aren't Christians? Aren't there people who build meaningful lives? Certainly. But Paul is saying that everything we build is ultimately meaningless. And meaninglessness is the same as death. So true meaning, Paul suggests, comes in seeing our truthful identity in Christ and letting that identity form us. If we don't learn about this identity, our lives are ultimately meaningless. If we learn of this identity and reject it, our lives are ultimately meaningless. If we learn of this identity and choose to not let it form who we are and what we do, our lives are meaningless. Our meaning is found wholly in Christ.
This life that Paul calls "death" is found everywhere--even among Christians. This way of living or "walking" is not so much about bad moral behavior (although that is certainly an expression of it) as it is about the interior of a person. A "righteous act" that arises from pride is just as satanic in origin as an obviously evil act that arises from the same source.
What world are we walking around in?
The idea found in 2:2 and 2:10 in the word peripateo (to walk around in) illustrates Paul's underlying "sphere of influence" theology. This concept provides the supporting framework of much of Paul's writing, but is particularly visible in in Colossians and Ephesians. Paul puts it simply. Living "in Christ" is one environment where people live. Living "in Adam," in the flesh (sarx) is another. The sphere that one lives in shapes that person, creates the framework with which they view the world and creates the boundaries they naturally inhabit. Their "spiritual geography" influences them just as certainly as their physical geography.
Included in the image of "walking" is the idea of direction, intention, and active participation. Which direction are we walking? To what destination do we set out? Are we walking with intention (to get somewhere) or without intention (to simply be moving)? And as we walk, do we understand that each step we take (each decision?) is moving us in one direction or another?
What About Satan?
The "Ruler of the air" mentioned in 2:2 is Satan. Paul says in 2:1-2 that when we live outside of Christ we live under the influence of this ruler. But while we might like to hear more about this being, that's really all Paul says. Paul's emphasis is that this ruler is already defeated and falling under his influence once we are "in Christ" is largely a matter of our choices.
The NIV Application Commentary summarizes the issue well: "...any overemphasis on the role of the devil is wrong. This passage intends to remind its readers of their former plight, not to magnify the illegitimate ruler...In the New Testament the devil is not presented as the problem for which we need a solution. Our own sin and this evil age are... To overemphasize the devil is to underemphasize Christ... The Bible does not present a cosmological dualism, as if God and the devil were virtual equals wrestling for humanity. Only one supreme being exists--God. The force of this whole passage is to underscore God's triumph in Christ. Ephesians does recognize another power at work, but not as a threat to God's purposes or, at least as far as 2:1-3 is concerned, even to Christians. Fear or anxiety about the devil and his forces does not derive from Scripture, nor does fascination or preoccupation. Paul does see a threat here, but he is more concerned that people have aligned with the ruler of this world than that they will be overpowerd by him." So, while there is much more that could be said about Satan and certainly much more we would like to know, this passage ofscripture doesn't give us any more information.
Is it wrong to "live among them?"
Some people have read 2:3 in this way. The "all of us" refers to Christians. The "them" refers to non-Christians. We They take this to mean that as Christians we used to live among the non-Christians, but now we no longer do. This has been taken as a challenge to stay away as much as possible from non-Christians. Perhaps the motive here is good--to avoid as much as possible influences that might steer us away from the life God is calling us to. However, the exegesis and interpretation of the passage is quite wrong.
The "all of us" is Paul identifying himself along with the believers he has just addressed in 2:1. He reminded them that they "were dead in their transgressions." Before he goes too far, he includes himself in the mix. We all--"all of us" were in the same state. The "them" is all the people around us--inside or outside the church--who live their lives according to the way of death, life "in Adam," the flesh, etc. The "at one time" indicates that when we received our inheritance of life "in Christ" we are then no longer under the tyranny of the life of death. We can now choose to live another way. The intent of the passage is not to set Christians apart with some kind of spiritual pride. Just the opposite. It is to remind believers where they came from and that it is only through God's grace that they have a new and different kind of life.
Obey Your Thirst?
Our culture tells us regularly to follow our desires, follow our heart, obey our thirsts. While the Bible doesn't teach that every desire of our heart is wrong, it strongly cautions us against following our desires uncritically. This is the reason. Every one of us has an inherited nature that wants to set itself up as God. This is the selfish core that has corrupted everything good in us. That selfish core has desires. Here Paul even uses stronger language. He calls them cravings or urges.
He says that life outside of Christ can clearly be identified by this principle. People who live this kind of life so frequently satisfy these selfish cravings that they seem to be controlled by them. Once we are "in Christ" we have access to the power necessary to say "No" to these demands of our self, but outside of Christ there seems to be no reason to say, "No." But a habit of satisfying the cravings or urges of the selfish nature never seems to satisfy those urges and only serves to strengthen the desire itself. This cycle ultimately leads to death. First relational death, then spiritual death, often to physical death and ultimately to the final death of separation from God. A character that can accept nothing but the satisfaction of its own desires stands in blatant opposition to the character of God who is in His nature a servant.
By Nature Objects of Wrath?
The idea of God's wrath is a difficult one for us. It comes up in this passage in verse 3, but can be found in many of Paul's other writings as well. (especially Romans 1-2) We have a hard time stomaching the idea. How can a loving God be wrathful? Because of this tension we've mistakenly created a picture where God is just and in His justice is going to angily execute judgement on all sin, but Jesus is merciful and in giving Himself he appeased God's justice and removed God's anger from us. Somehow the cross gained back God's favor for us.
But this is not scriptural. Romans 5:8 reminds us that God's favor was the basis of the cross. John 3:16 says that Jesus came to earth because of God's love. As difficult as it may be for us to grasp, love is not the opposite of wrath. "As difficult as it is to conceive, the wrath of God is an expression of his love and deep attachment to his people." A third-century theologian named Lactantius wrote in regard to this issue, "he who does not get angry does not care."
"Having been saved?"
Paul's grammer here indicates that salvation has already been accomplished for everyone. This echoes the teaching we've already studied throughout chapter 1 and it has some very significant ramifications for us. The question "are you saved?" is theologically incorrect. Every human being has already been saved. They were predestined to be saved (1:5) by God and saved in fact when Jesus was crucified and resurrected (2:4-5). The blessings and inheritance of salvation are already available to them. However, they must choose to receive that inheritance and let it form them. (1:13) The question rightly put is "Do you know that you're saved? And if so, have you allowed being 'in Christ' to form and guide your life?"
How Could We Be Included WITH Christ In These Things?
The very idea of something that happened to one individual many years ago equally happening to another individual today in the same instance is completely alien to our individual-oriented western world-view. But it was standard and common to the mindset of the Bible. Each of these three key words starts with the preposition syn. It translates as "together with" or "co-". Paul is saying clearly that each of these things happened to both Jesus and us when it was done. Each of the three words remind us of Jesus' past (the actual historical events) and hint at our future (being resurrected from death, ascending to be with God, ruling with Him). But Paul is adamant that these events have also already happened to us. We were included "in Christ" when they happened and thus they happened to us as well.
This complicated thought is the central framework for understanding Paul's writing, especially in Ephesians and Colossians. In our modern westernized culture the individual reigns supreme and we can barely even comprehend the connection between an individual and the community--let alone between one individual a long time ago and another individual today. But this was the common viewpoint the Bible was written from. While Jesus was an individual in a certain time and culture, the early church also saw Him as the beginning of a new order, a whole new race of humanity. Jesus wasn't just an individual they learned from. They weren't just individuals acting out ethical principles Jesus taught. They saw themselves as individuals caught up within and intimately connected to Jesus and thus to each other. They saw the life of Jesus, particularly His death and resurrection as historical events that happened to Him, but they also saw them as inclusive events that happened to everyone caught up "in Christ."
Much of our theology and practice has at its roots this corporate concept. When Jesus came to earth He incorporated into Himself all of humanity. We call that the incarnation. His death made a difference for us because in Him, all our sin was incorporated and put to death. When He was raised, all of us were raised anew as well. When we experience baptism, we are symbolizing our inclusion in His death (going under the water) and our inclusion in His resurrection (coming out of the water.) Paul's language emphasizes that over and over. "I've been crucified with Christ." "It is not I who live but Christ who lives in me." "For me to live is Christ."
Understanding this will make it clear that Christianity has never been a religion based on believing certain ideas. It has always been a statement about identification or solidarity--Christ's identification with us and our identification with Him. Our daily practice then either illustrates that we have truly been identified with Christ, or that we have not. "To be in and with Christ means that ours is no longer an individual identity. We are in solidarity with Christ, or as 5:31 puts it, 'we are members of his body.' Life is relational, and our primary relatinship is with Jesus Christ."
Saved By Grace!
2:4-10 repeats over and over this foundational element of Paul's understanding of our relationship with God. We are brought into
relationship with God because of His great love (2:4a) and because of His mercy (2:4b). We were made alive even while we were dead (2:5a), so it began at God's initiative. It is by God's grace that we have been saved (2:5b). God raised us with Christ and seated us with Christ. His doing, not ours. (2:6) Again, it is by grace we have been saved (2:8 ) . It's not from ourselves. (2:8b). It's God's gift. (2:9) We didn't make it ourselves (2:9b-10). Once again, as in all of chapter 1, the star of the show is God and what He is doing in our lives through Jesus.
God's Poem.
We are God's workmanship, created to do good works. As indicated above "workmanship" could accurately be translated as "poem" or "work of art." We are God's poem; we are God's work of art. Our lives rightly ordered under Christ (which is God's goal. 1:10), expressed in holiness and blamelessness (which God wants to create in us. 1:4) and good works (which God has prepared for us to do. 2:10) is God's creative expression of his own character. This echoes 2:7, that in the coming ages his incomparable grace might be clearly seen. Our lives "in Christ" are God's expression of Himself to us, to the world, even to the universe and to "the coming age." That's awesome!
Ephesians 2:1-10 The Disciple
Note: The Disciple role looks at the passage for what it says about how to live. As I look at this passage, some of what I reflect on may be subjectively directed at me--since I'm looking at the issue of how to live my life. Hopefully much of this is transferrable to you.
Which Way Will I Walk? Paul is saying that I can walk in the way of the world, being influenced by evil and motivated by self, or I can walk "in Christ," letting Him form my inner life and guide my actions. In fact, not only is Paul saying that I can walk this way, but that I am walking one way or the other. Each step in my life--each action, each nurtured thought, each relationship interaction--is taking me one step in a direction. Each path has a natural and logical destination and whether I like it or not, I am moving toward one destination or the other. But the image of my "walk" also implies that I can choose where to step or even to change directions. This passage of scripture is a challenge to choose to walk "in Christ." Am I doing that?
Do I Gratify the Cravings? Paul shows that one of the main identifying marks of life outside of Christ is when I am living compelled by the cravings and urges of my selfish nature. These desires push me and pull me. My selfish nature and my deceitful heart conspire to create justifications so that my desires seem only right and fair. But in the end careful analysis reveals that these desires are all about me, about feeding my pride, about pampering my ego, about assuring my security and demonstrating my power. The little god in me is running rampant. Each time I satisfy his cravings I make him stronger, but--ironically--I don't take away the cravings. And so I end up a slave to this vicious little god.
But Paul suggests that "in Christ" I have access to the power necessary to say "No!" to this little God. In another passage Paul refers to this as a crucifixion of self. This passage reminds me that "obeying my thirst" is not always the best way to satisfy my real desires. Am I living in a way where I regularly "gratify the cravings of my sinful nature?" Or do I find myself able to say "No!" to that little spoiled god of self within me? God is calling me to exercise this ability in His power.
Have I Received This Gift of God's? It might seem a little basic to ask, but it's a foundational question. Paul has laid out that my salvation, my inclusion "in Christ" is a gift made available to me by God which I can lay hold of through faith. Have I done this? Interestingly, "faith" in Paul's vocabulary never means simply agreeing with some fact and believing it to be true. It starts there, but "faith" in Paul's vocabulary always includes the natural results of belief which is choosing to live in a way that aligns with that belief. Not choosing to live according to the belief is to betray the fact that I don't believe it to begin with. So, the question again: Have I accepted God's gift and allowed that gift to begin forming my everyday life?
Is There Any Boasting In My Spiritual Life? Paul goes out of his way to make sure I understand that all of this comes to me from God. Throughout Ephesians 1 & 2 the spotlight is fully on God and never once deviates. In the end Paul says this is so "no one can boast." So here's the question. Do I boast in my spiritual life? Do I consider myself better than others? Do I consider that I have attained whatever spiritual insight I have on my own? Do I in any way look down on others in any spiritual way? This pasage is a reminder that there is simply no room for this "in Christ."
Am I "Walking In" the Good Works God's Prepared For Me? Paul says that God saved me for a reason and that He prepared good works in advance for me. Am I seeking them out? God's very nature is that of a servant. Am I expressing God's character by serving others? If I'm not "walking in" good works, then I'm probably "walking in" the desires of my selfish nature. One of the ways I can choose which direction I want to walk is by choosing to pursue the good works God has for me.
Ephesians 2:1-10 The Lover
Note: The Lover role looks at the passage for what God is saying to me personally, about Him, about me and about our relationship. As such, I will just reflect on my own experience in this area.
To begin, Father, I am overwhelmed by how far You've gone to reach me as I read this passage. It is so clear that You are the initiator in my life. You reached to me in love. You "made me alive" because of Your mercy. You saved me by Your grace. You've offered this new life "in Christ" to me as a gift. You created a new life for me--not a dry and spartan life, but a poem, a work of art! Thank You so much for this new life and all You've done to bring me into it.
Thank You that even while I was "dead in my transgressions" You sought me out and long before I ever responded to You with belief or love had already made me alive, raised me and seated me in heavenly places. It was all just waiting for me to accept. Forgive me for being disobedient. Forgive me for so easily giving in to the cravings and urges of my selfish heart. Forgive me for my pride that leads me to boast about my accomplishments. Thank You for reaching to me even when You saw all this about me. Amazing!
Thank You for Your mercy and Your grace. I can't even begin to explain the reaction of my heart to this overwhelming truth. I can only say I love You. On top of all that, thanks for expressing Yourself creatively through me, making my life into a poem that expresses Your character. I invite You to do what You must to form me to this end. Give me insight to see the good works You're calling me to so I can more easily participate in what You're doing in and around my life. Thanks for the reminder of Your grace. Thanks for the reminder that all I have that matters is found in You. Help me to walk in Christ in every way, so that I can be a part of Your glory.
This text is (C) 2003 Marc Schelske. All Rights Reserved, and is reprinted here with permission. This material can be printed or copied for personal use and may be distributed for use in study groups, but it cannot be reproduced for any other reason without permission.
Comments (0)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.