Bible Truth #10 - Ephesians 2:1-10

Ephesians 2:1-10

1  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 sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects 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 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 workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

That passage is RICH with Spiritual Truths. For starters, just look at how many times Paul uses the word us & we, as compared with those, them, and “the rest.” There are two different groups or sets of people to whom Paul is referring, US and THEM. Remember that Paul is writing to Christians (Ephesians 1:1) ... “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins...” We were DEAD, we could do nothing spiritually good. We could not do anything righteous (Romans 3:10) because we were God’s enemy (Romans 8:7), we couldn’t please God (Romans 8:8), we couldn’t understand (Romans 3:11, 1 Corinthians 2:14), we didn’t seek God (Psalm 10:4, Romans 3:11); we couldn’t do any of those spiritually good things because we were (spiritually) DEAD!

As a side note - Verse 2 makes it clear that every lost person (those who are disobedient) is demon-spossessed. “Huh? Every lost person is demon-possessed?” Yes. Who is the ruler of the kingdom of the air? Satan. And verse two says that spirit (Satan) is at work IN those who are disobedient - emphasis on the word IN. Satan is not at work IN us, he or demons are working ON us, but not IN us. I could go into a lot more discussion on this topic, but... OK, moving right along.

While we were dead, Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

We were BY NATURE objects of wrath - that’s the old sinful nature. Consider those words very carefully - every person ever conceived of man is an object of God’s wrath, BY NATURE! This includes the unborn! Jesus said the same thing in John 3:6, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh...” and flesh cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. Simply because of Adam, every soul is a natural object of God’s wrath. Now do you think for one minute that a lost man who is an object of God’s wrath will be able to accept Jesus as their Savior? Do you think for one second that God will even allow someone upon whom His wrath rests to “accept Jesus?”

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...

But because of his great love for us, US, not every soul on the planet, but US! He made US alive while were were DEAD, and while we were not able to do anything spiritually good. So the first thing that happens in the salvation sequence is that He made us alive, He regenerated us, He quickened our dead spirit through faith, the faith that God gives us (Romans 12:3; Ephesians 2:8) as a gift. God simultaneously gave us belief (John 6:29; Philippians 1:29), repentance (2 Timothy 2:25), and understanding (Luke 24:45, 1 Corinthians 2:14, 2 Timothy 2:7). But look at what I italicized, while we were still DEAD in our transgressions He MADE us alive. Why didn’t He make all the dead alive? Why just us? I don’t know. I DO know that it was because of His good pleasure and will. (Ephesians 1:5)

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,...

RAISED - it doesn’t take an English major to understand that is past tense. And it is past tense even for those God has chosen who will be born next year! God has already raised up all the Elect with Christ. Christ died as substitution for us and God raised us up. US, those He chose before the foundation of the World (Ephesians 1:4), we were placed in Christ and raised up WITH Christ - it’s already done! There will be no one saved whom God hasn’t already chosen, and placed in Christ ALREADY! As Christ said on the cross, “It is finished!” He didn’t say, “It is ready!” Nor did He say, “It is available!”

...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.

Expressed in His kindness to US, not everybody - but US, those He has chosen.

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.

We have been saved by the gift of grace, through the gift of faith - and this not of ourselves! Not by anything we do; not by saying the rosary every day, not by deciding to “accept Jesus” (John 1:13), not by attending mass every week (or every day), not by prophesying or casting out demons or by doing many wonderful works all in Jesus' name (Matthew 7:22-23), not by walking the aisle, not by being baptized, and not by “asking Jesus to come into your heart.” All of these are WORKS (Ephesians 2:8-9). Anything we do or have to do before God saves us is a work of the flesh and they that are in the flesh can NOT please God (Romans 8:8).

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

We are not our workmanship, we are God’s. We aren’t involved in salvation in any way except being the recipient of God working in US (John 6:29). We didn’t ask for it and we can’t refuse it - because God is Sovereign, He gets what He wants, every time. We, not the lost, but WE, are created in Christ Jesus to do good works (and here’s the best part) - God has prepared these good works for US to do IN ADVANCE. He didn’t prepare them in advance for the lost to do, but only His Elect. Amen & Hallelujah!