We begin chapter 2 of Ephesians by having to go back to 1: 19, in which Paul asserts that he prays that they might come to see the exceeding greatness of God’s power. “and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength. (Eph 1: 19 NIV) Christ’s resurrection, exaltation and headship of the Church are ways in which we see that power. Paul declares in this section of Ephesians the spiritual renewal of all people! The theme is verse five itself; “made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.”
What we find in this short section is the apostle contrasting verses 1-3 and 4-10.
Spiritual death which is separation from God caused by sin (trespass). Understand, Paul isn’t just saying that man apart from God is “subject to death or even under a sentence of death” he’s actually dead. This makes me think of the scene in “Princess Bride” where they take the hero to the magician and say, “help us he’s dead” and Billy Crystal says “no, he’s not dead, he’s mostly dead.” WE ARE DEAD IN OUR SINS/TRESPASSES, actually, completely dead. The reason in this passage that we see the word trespass used here rather than sin (and in the NIV that is significant). It is because in this passage Paul asserts both – trespass (GK paraptoma) and sin (GK hamartiai) to emphasize the total nature of this death. Trespass alludes to “the desires of the flesh, open, gross, and palapable”; sin alludes to “the desires of the mind, sins of thought and ideas, of purpose and inclination” absolutely everything is included in this thought.
In verse two the idea is that these people conducted their lives in conformity to the thoughts and pursuits of their day. In other words, spiritually dead folk have forsaken the rules of God for the rules of man. Instead of being oriented to the life of the age to come and the heavenly realm, the past lives of the readers had been dominated by the present norms and values of their day wholly hostile to God. Now the phrase the “ruler of the kingdom of the air.” W. Wink in Naming Powers says, “that power of the air is not the locale of demons but the world atmosphere, the spiritual matrix of inauthentic living. FF Bruce says this means that the devil is the leader of those ‘spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places’ of whom we are told in Ephesians 6: 12. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” The Ephesians once bowed to the god of this world and their rewards were temporary. But Christ brought them liberation from the devil and his powers. If you are interested in a book about spiritual warfare I can recommend an EXCELLENT resource, “What About Spiritual Warfare” by Doug Rumsford. I have this in my library and have given away more copies than I can count. Every person interested in spiritual things really should read it.
In verse three the thought is that the readers were once under the full control of the flesh. Its desires dominated their lives and had to be fulfilled. Sin was in every part of them, there was no inner place not affected. Their thoughts were corrupt and controlled their actions, senses and impulses. They lived their lives in total absorption with self. They were deserving of wrath and death. This “objects of wrath” phrase not a personal thing with God but His active judgment against all forms of sin and evil, and is evidence of his absolute holiness. This is a Hebrew thought process/understanding, which is given in this verse and used often in the Old Testament. Therefore, “children of wrath/objects of wrath” are those who are doomed to God’s wrath because through their condition of sinful rebellion, they deserve his righteous judgment. The wording in this section is not only directed to the Ephesians but Paul makes it universal, taking in all of humanity.
These first three verses carry an attitude of hopelessness, but there is good news. Verse 4 begins with BUT and it might be the biggest but in the New Testament. (I just couldn’t help myself J) This little word presents a contrast, showing the situation and expected results are not necessarily final, “God made us alive with Christ.” It is by love and mercy we are saved. This incredible thought and truth comes from God who has done everything on our behalf, and all that He has spared us from, is NOT because of who we are, but in spite of who we are! GRACE, no other word describes God better, grace is undeserved merit. God, by His mercy and love, pardoned us and made us alive through Jesus. It is good to be reminded when we feel ugly and our past haunts us, or if today we feel dirty and empty, we are saved by grace. It’s not based on what we have or have not done, it’s based on who we know - Christ. Now that is good news, which is what the word gospel means. Information obtained from “Ephesians: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition” by Mark A. Holmes; “Word biblical Commentary” by Andrew Lincoln; and Beacon Bible Commentary (Ephesians) by William H. Taylor.
