Ephesians 2

The Dead are Given Life in Christ Jesus

God doesn’t take bad people and make them good people. He takes dead people and makes them alive! – Pastor Jeff Miller

The Walking Dead
There was a time when God’s people were dead. Not physically dead, because the passage says that they are ‘walking’. They walked around clueless of spiritual realities, living an unfruitful life according to the course of this world; their desires and appetites being driven by the system of worldly affairs set up by ungodly men. This system is opposed to the things of God and is indeed hostile toward Him and His people.

People engage in this worldly system because it has a strong fleshly attraction to it. They ‘indulge’ in it (v.3). To indulge here, means to be of the same mind and purpose. They agree with the system and participate in it and even promote it because it aligns with their very nature. But it is a fatal attraction. These people are under the wrath of a holy God (v.3)!

God’s Great Love
God is full of mercy! He didn’t plan to just sit back and let people indulge in their fleshly desires. He acted upon His great love by making us objects of compassion, uniting us to Christ.

United to Christ
1). Made us alive IN Christ Jesus (v.5) – The original phrase in the Greek means that we have been conjoined to Jesus in a one-time, momentary, completed action in the past. At the moment we went from being dead to being alive, we were united to Christ in an inseparable bond.

2). Raised us up WITH Him (v.6) – In a similar root word, this phrase conveys the idea that we have been ‘awakened from the dead’. This is possible because of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Christians are raised together with Him!

3). Seated us WITH Him (v.6) – Again, a similar root word but a variation on it’s meaning. God has caused us to sit down with His Son! Sitting down with Jesus is a place of rest and fellowship. Seated in His presence gives us confidence in our position with Him and confidence to tell others of our relationship with Him.

Results of Being United With Christ
1). Our lives are a visual testimony of God’s kindness (v.7). This verse indicates that some time in the future (ages to come), He will show the riches of His kindness THROUGH US. It is amazing that God would use us for this purpose! By means of argument or acts, God will demonstrate His kindness through us.

2). We are saved by grace alone through faith (v.8). Our salvation is entirely a work of God. He lavished His grace upon us, accomplishing through His Son what we could not do ourselves. It is truly a gift that must be received by means of faith in Jesus Christ.

3). There is no boasting (v.9). Because salvation is a gift from God, there is nothing to brag about on our part. No amount of good works could accomplish what God has already done in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. In fact, the Bible says our righteous deeds are like filthy garments (Isaiah 64:6). Even our good works are tainted with sin, and so there is no room for boasting of any kind.

4). We are God’s workmanship (v10). Workmanship literally means ‘that which has been made’. The Greek word is the word from which we get ‘poem’. God is an artist. He’s written millions of ‘poems’ in the form of the great work that He’s doing in the lives of His children.

5). We have peace with God, being reconciled to Him through the cross (v.14-17). To be ‘reconciled’ here means to be brought back into a state of harmony. No longer is there enmity between us and our Creator. The relationship with Him that was fractured by sin has been restored to what it was meant to be.

6). We have access to God the Father (v.18). Access means that we’ve been favored by Him and He has accepted us. Therefore, we have the assurance that we can approach Him with bold confidence, just as a child goes to his own father (see also Hebrews 4:16). MacArthur’s commentary on Ephesians says that ‘in ancient times, a related word was used to describe a court official who introduced persons to the king’. Instant access to the sovereign God of the universe is a priceless gift from Him to His children.

7). We are citizens of God’s household (v.19-22). Citizenship implies certain duties, of which unity is essential. Just as a society is pulled apart by partisanship and individuality, so is a community of believers who do not live in unity. On more than one occasion Paul stressed the importance of this truth. He implored the Philippian believers to be ‘of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose’ (Philippians 2:2). To the Colossians, he said that love is the perfect bond of unity (Colossians 3:14).

Discussion Questions

Can an unbeliever understand spiritual realities from God’s Word?

In what ways do we indulge in the flesh and why is it such an attraction to us?

What responsibility do we have in fighting against the sinful desires of the flesh? (see Romans 8:13). How does being united in Christ help with this?
It is God who saves us (v.8). Do we have anything in this transaction?

In what ways do Christians put God’s workmanship on display? In other words, what do people see in us that make them KNOW that we belong to the Great Artist God?

What ‘avenues’ do you explore, having instant and full access to God (i.e., how do you pray? what is your quiet time like? etc).

What causes disunity in the church?