Passage: Ephesians 2:1-10 (Structural & Expositional Outline)
Main Idea: We were dead in sin but God saved us by grace through Jesus
1. And you were dead (1-3) A passage reminding Christians about their past. Paul always wants to remind the Christian (and the church) of where he/she comes from. The moment you forget what you have been saved from, you either become arrogant in your faith, fall back into works based salvation, or completely fall prey to playing some weird church game.
a. Dead in the trespasses and sins: To be dead is the simple fact that you are completely unable to do anything about it. You have no power to get out. It’s not that you’ve been injured or you have the ability but choose not to…you are completely helpless. Then notice that Paul says what you’re dead in…both trespasses and sins
Trespasses are the violation of moral standards. There are all these times when we know that we ought to be doing something but we either ignore it or justify us not doing it. We also continue to fall into the same trespasses over and over again.
Sin is the departure from human or divine standards. The first thought is the Ten Commandments. But more than that, we fail constantly to ever attain to God’s standard of holiness. We constantly fall short of ever attaining this standard.
i. Following the course of this world: we do this the way we pattern our thoughts, our time, and our worldviews. The world seems so much more attractive than anything else so we go ahead and chase after it. We buy into different philosophies and ideologies that in the end aren’t glorifying to God in any way.
ii. Following the prince of the power of the air: Paul is making it very clear that Christians were once disciples of Satan. He doesn’t say that some people were…but everyone was at one point (or currently)
1. The spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience: Satan is currently at work in our world today. In people today. We don’t recognize it because it’s subtle in our culture. We don’t want to admit that Satan is currently working in our friends, family, neighborhoods…and at one time, in us.
a. Among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh: Again, Paul is reminding the Christian that we are guilty of absolutely gratifying our selfishness at any cost. Whatever our hearts could justify…we were going to go after it
b. Carrying out the desires of the body and the mind: we did whatever our body and mind wanted to do. This relates to the previous phrase…but whatever our hearts desired, we had no restraint and we just did it physically, emotionally, and sexually…and we justified it mentally.
2. Were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind: He again reminds us of the consequences of being dead in sin and following Satan. He explains that we were born into sin and as result enemies of God. It is inherent in our nature to sin and it is our reality that we do so without any hope of getting ourselves out.
2. But God (4-7) Remember that we were dead without any hope of getting out. Remember that we followed the pattern of this world without any knowledge of anything better. Remember that we didn’t want anything to do with God and instead wanted to fulfill our own selfishness and our own wants and because of all that…we were enemies of God. But God, out of nothing man could possibly do…
a. Being rich in mercy: Interesting to note that God is described as being “rich” in mercy. Meaning God has more than enough and it is actually his character. His mercy is juxtaposed with verses 1-3.
b. Because of the great love with which he loved us: The focus has drastically shifted from our sins, our futility, to now God’s mercy and love. Again, the verse highlights God’s character of love.
c. Even when we were dead in our trespasses: Scripture reminds us God has come to save sinners, not morally clean religious people. Romans 5:8 says that God showed his love for us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. If Christ died for us while we were still sinners, then 1) he knew the nature of our sin; 2) he knew the path that follows afterwards; 3) he went willingly to the cross
i. Made us alive together with Christ: God is the one who actually takes what is dead and gives it new life. We have evidence that God can and does do this because we see what happened with Jesus. We are no longer bound to sin and the gnawing frustrations of the flesh. Our purpose and worldview has now been completely made new.
1. By grace you have been saved: It had nothing to do with us. We were the passive (receiving) agents in this transaction. God’s grace was the thing that saved us.
ii. And raise us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus: Not only has God saved us, but now he gives us a secure place of honor because of Jesus Christ.
d. So that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus: because of Jesus, God has more in store for his children. Scripture says that he does this on earth through sending pain and joy to strip away our idols and give us the true fullness of life. He does this by using his children to reach the nations with his Gospel. He does this by redeeming culture by the preaching of his word
3. Summary (8-10)
a. For by grace you have been saved through faith: A final reminder that it is God who saves us. He adds in here ‘through faith” to reiterate the fact that our salvation is through faith in Christ…nothing else. Our faith is placed in the atoning work of Jesus on the cross and the implications of his life.
b. This is not your own doing: You think Paul is trying to make a point here?
i. It is a gift of God: salvation and even faith itself is a gift from God. Remember, we were dead…so even the faith to believe in God in the first place was a true gift.
ii. Not a result of works: we did nothing to earn our salvation, we weren’t good enough, smart enough, or religious enough to earn our salvation.
iii. So that no one may boast: nobody stands in front of God and justifies himself. We had nothing to boast about. We have nothing that God wants. God doesn’t need us to further his kingdom. We rely solely on his grace for salvation. You answer the question, “Why should I let you into my Kingdom?” with “Jesus paid it all” not “well I…”
c. For we are his workmanship: the fact that Paul uses the Greek word “poema” to characterize God’s people is astonishing. We are created in the “imago dei” the image of God unlike all of creation. We have all been wired differently to show his glory. After all this explanation of how we’re dead and doomed, but God saved…Paul breaks into a poem of his own.
i. Created in Christ Jesus for good works: Paul doesn’t drop the fact that Jesus is the creative conduit. All the children of God has good works for their end
ii. Which God prepared beforehand: and those good works were predestined before we were created. If we truly understand that God had in mind to save us, use us, and bless us before we were created as enemies of God…then how much greater is this grace?
iii. That we should walk in them: may our purpose be changed once God has saved us. Let us not fall back into verse 1-3 where we gratified the natural self.
No comments:
Post a Comment