The Apostle Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians

March

March 1

Chapter 1, Verse 19, con’t, “and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might“

Paul already made it abundantly clear that everything in existence is under the purview of God’s ultimate power. This phrase is clearly for emphasis. All God’s intentions are carried out “in accordance with” his power, here referred to as his “great might.” “Working,” ἐνέργειαν, energeian, “power in action,” describes efficient, effective work. It is used in the New Testament only to describe supernatural power. Were dunamis relates to potential power, energeia relates to actual power. This is the working power of the Holy Spirit that brought Jesus out of the grave. It is the same power that will rule when Jesus returns. Paul spoke about the first advent of the Second Coming of Christ in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. In verse 16, he wrote, “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.” That cry of command is a direct issuance of his great might, “the might of the strength of him.” ἰσχύος, ischyos, “might,” is inherent ability, power, or force. His might is always present and available. κράτους, kratous, “strength,” refers to that might in action. It is his power to overcome whatever stands in the way. That is why Paul could say, “Therefore encourage one another with these word” (1 Thessalonians 4:18). Nothing can or will prevent Jesus from doing everything God said he would do.

March 2

Chapter 1, Verse 20, “that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places”

ἣν ἐνήργηκεν ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ, hēn enērgēken en tō Christō, “which he worked in Christ.” Much of they mysterious nature of God is unknowable by humanity. It is not that God does not want us to know, i.e., understand; it is just that the nature and power of God are so immense, we cannot wrap out minds around it all. And so it is here. God, the Father, did something in God, the Son. How does that work? No idea. “That,” or “which,” is in reference to resurrection power. “He” is the Father who raised Jesus from death. “He worked,” or “He brought about” is energeo’, which we remember from verse 19 is “effective, efficient work” that is always supernatural. This phrase introduces four supernatural, effective works that the Father did for his Son: (1) He raised him from the dead, (2) He gave him the seat of authority at his right hand, (3) He put everything in subjection to him, including demons, (4) He gave him universal power and headship over the church, his body. The first part of the chapter dealt with the past, the second with the future, and the third part, in view now, deals with God’s actions toward believers in the present, those who are in Christ. Our God truly is an awesome God.

March 3

Chapter 1, Verse 20, con’t, “that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places”

ἐγείρας αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν, egeiras auton ek nekrōn, “having raised him out from [the] dead.” The verb ἐγείρω, egeiro’, means to awaken, to rouse, or to lift up. It is symbolic of the ressurection. The tense is aorist, and effective action (the raising), and it is active, meaning God did this of his own volition and it refers to a completed action in the past. The adjective nekron means “dead,” not swooning and not faking like a possum. Jesus physically died on a cross at Calvary, shed his blood, was removed after being nailed to that murderous device for hours, and was prepared for burial like anyone else who had died. The word of God (the Bible) and the God of the word (Jesus) are the two most attested and verifiable objects in human history. The subject and of Jesus and his Word are only controversial because of the demonic power of Satan. But the truth is even the power of darkness is subject to Jesus and final judgment is coming. The power of the resurrection saves those who believes and condemns those who reject it. Do not be found on the wrong side.

March 4

Chapter 1, Verse 20, con’t, “that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places“

καθίσας ἐν δεξιᾷ αὐτοῦ ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις, kathisas en dexia autou en tois epouraniois, “having set [Him] at [the] right hand of Him in the heavenly places.” The Lord Jesus Christ is seated, kathizo’, from kata = down, and hizo = sit. Being an aorist form, which is a completed action in the past, this could be rendered, “having caused him [Christ] to sit down.” “At the right hand,” doxios, just means right as opposed to left. The significance of position is found in history. Whoever was sitting at the right hand of a king received equal honor and possessed equal authority. The corollary to this is Ephesians 2:6, “and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” What does all this mean? First, Jesus is seated with the Father because the work of redemption is complete. Or, as the old song says, “Jesus paid it all.” Second, in his position, he is interceding for believers in heaven (Romans 8:34). And third, in light of 2:6, we are involved in “battle in the sky,” one that is spiritual, and also on earth as we confront and are confronted by the forces of evil (Jude 1:3; Philippians 1:27). Peter put it this way, “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). The consequences of our actions toward the world can be eternal.

March 5

Chapter 1, Verse 21, “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.”

This ultimate description of the Lord Jesus Christ is the end of the sentence that began in verse 15. His position inside and outside the created order is not just above, it is ὑπεράνω, hyperanō, from huper = exceeding, abundantly, very chiefest, and ano = above, high, way up; hence, greatly higher (in rank and place). John 1:1-3, Colossians 1:15-20, Philippians 2:8-11, and 1 Corinthians 15:20-28, all tell us Jesus was before everything, after everything, and in control of everything. He has total authority over “all rule,” ἀρχῆς, archēs, “principalities;” i.e., temporal earthly rulers, “authority,” ἐξουσίας, exousias, “jurisdictions,” those with delegated power, “power,” δυνάμεως, dynameōs, “those who have great ability (seemingly miraculous) to get things done, and “dominon,” κυριότητος, kyriotētos, collective governments. AND, his name is far above any name that has or ever will be uttered in heaven and on earth. The power and authority of the Creator and Sustainer of all things, Jesus, who is Lord over all, and Christ, the anointed of God, is without compare.

March 6

Chapter 1, Verse 22, “And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,”

The last thing Jesus said before he died was, “It is finished.” What was finished. The Son of God completed the task of taking the sin of mankind upon himself, paying the ultimate price, his own death. But the story was not over. At the resurrection, he defeated death and all its allies. He arose having satisfied the demand for payment. His Father, satisfied, was pleased to make him mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5), and in doing so “put all things” under his feet, in complete subjection to him (Jesus) because of what he accomplished at Calvary and the tomb. “He put,” ὑπέταξεν, hypetaxen, is an aorist form (completed, efficient, effective action in the past) of ὑποτάσσω, hupotasso’, from hupo = under, and tasso = arrange. It was a military term meaning to line up according to rank and in order. Romans 10:12 says, “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.” Everyone is equal in the sight of God regardless of their “rank” in life. Jesus IS Lord whether or not people recognize him as God and Savior and accept him. Those who do are blessed. Those who do not are condemned to spend eternity separated from God and his love.

March 7

Chapter 1, Verse 22b-23, con’t, “And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”

The One who created and sustains everything, and the One who gave himself as a ransom for the souls of all who believe, is the One who is a gift from God to the church as its head. In this, we have the concept of the “Bride of Christ,” a prominent New Testament metaphor representing the Church, all believers in Jesus, sometimes referred to as the Church Universal, as his beloved, covenantally united, and faithful community. The bride consists of the collective body of believers, not just individuals. It illustrates the intimate, loving relationship between Jesus (the bridegroom) and his followers, showcasing his commitment and sacrifice to make her holy and blameless. As the bride, the church is called to be faithful, pure, and sanctified, looking forward to the final union at the end of time. Ephesians 5:25-32 directly compares the marriage of a husband and wife to the Jesus and the church (as reflected in Genesis 2:15-25, Corinthians 11:2, Revelation 19:7-9). The imagery often parallels the New Jerusalem in Revelation, representing the perfected dwelling place of God’s people. Upon Peter’s testimony of Jesus being Christ, the Son of God, Jesus declared, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).

Ephesians Chapter 2

March 8

Chapter 2, Verse 1, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins”

Καὶ ὑμᾶς ὄντας νεκροὺς τοῖς παραπτώμασιν καὶ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν, Kai hymas ontas nekrous tois paraptōmasin kai tais hamartiais hymōn, “And you being dead in the trespasses and the sins of you.” The adjective νεκρός, nekros is a descriptive term used to depict the lifeless condition of a corpse — dead. It does not mean almost or partly dead. It means graveyard dead. That is the estate of every person without Christ in their lives; they are the living, breathing, walking dead. The present tense of “being” or “were” indicates an ongoing, persistent, spiritual condition, pointing to the cause, Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden. Romans 5:12-14, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.” And Paul had already written “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10b-12), and “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). People do not sin because they learn to do so, they sin because they are born sinners after the disobedience of Adam. Those who do their best to live a Christian life without Christ are doomed to failure. It cannot be done. On our own, our best is simply not good enough to satisfy the demands of a holy God. That is why Jesus came, sacrificed himself, and defeated death. This can be summed up with Paul’s words in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The free gift of salvation is available to all who believe.

March 9

Chapter 2, Verse 1, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins”

Paul made sure to nail down this issue when he wrote, “you being dead in the trespasses and sin of you.” Sin in universal and inescapable, but it is also personal and individual. So what is the difference between trespasses and sins? “Trespass,” παράπτωμα, paraptoma, from parapipto, which combines para = aside, and pipto = fall, means veering from what is known to be the right direction, like following a road map. In life, it is stepping away from proper conduct, walking away from truth. It is willful behavior. The plural form indicates it is habitual. “Sin,” ἁμαρτία, hamartia, initially meant missing the mark with a bow and arrow while hunting for food. Eventually, it came to mean falling short of any goal or standard. Just like trespasses, here sin is plural meaning it is not one or a few simple mistakes. It indicates completely veering from the mark all the time. Sin rules in every heart where God is missing. Essentially, trespasses and sins are not so much about conduct as they are about the absence of God in life. The are the natural outcome of being spiritually dead. The only way to remedy this devastating spiritual condition is to be in Christ by faith.

March 10

Chapter 2, Verse 2, “in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.”

ἐν αἷς ποτε περιεπατήσατε κατὰ τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, en hais pote periepatēsate kata ton aiōna tou kosmou toutou, “in which formerly you walked according to the course the world of this.” Paul was reminding the Ephesian believers that, before they accepted Christ, they were dead in trespasses and sins, and so the natural course of their lives was to walk according to the ways of the world instead of the ways of God. The verb περιπατέω, peripateo’, combines peri = around, and pateo’ = to tread, or to follow a path. It is similar to the Old Testament הָלַךְ, halak, which generally means to come and go; hence, to walk around as a matter of habit. That is what Pau was talking about. Before being in Christ, their everyday walking around life was ruled by sinful behavior. Everything they did, everything they said, and everywhere they went was under the influence of godlessness — what is termed total depravity. The truth is almost no one intends to be sinful, but when it is part of their nature, they have no other choice — except to turn from their sin and trust Christ just as many of the Ephesians did.

March 11

Chapter 2, Verse 2, con’t, “in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.”

Every human being faces an unseen enemy who is actually in full view. We known him commonly as Satan. He is the head of the dominion of demons, the purveyors of evil in the world. Paul used the unlikely term “prince,” ἄρχοντα, acrhonta, from archo = to rule, to describe him. The title pertains to first in rank or power among a group of underlings. Also known as Lucifer, the light-bearer (Isaiah 19:12), he is the deceiver of humanity (2 John 2:7, Revelation 12:9), the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10), the father of lies (John 8:34), and the one who acts like a roaring lion against believers (1 Peter 5:8). He has delegated “power,” ἐξουσία, exousia, which he sought to use even against Jesus (Luke 4:4-5), and operates in the “air,” ἀέρος, aeros, from aer, commonly understood to be the region around, immediately above, and on the surface of the earth. The saddest part of his temporary reign is that people are “following” him and do not even realize it. In 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, Paul wrote, “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” The devil’s domain is the evil world system that seeks to turn people away from God. While his strategy is working for now, it will not, thank God, last forever.

March 12

τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ νῦν ἐνεργοῦντος ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς τῆς ἀπειθείας, tou pneumatos tou nyn energountos en tois huiois tēs apeitheias, “the spirit now working in the sons of disobedience.” The significance of this discourse cannot be overstated. This “spirit,” πνεῦμα, pneuma, from pneo = to breath or blow over, as in air moving freely in a breeze, here refers to Satan and the demons who serve him. They are “now,” νῦν, nyn, an adverb referring to present time, focusing on the moment, “working,” ἐνεργέω, energeo’, from en = in, and ergon = work. In the present active participle form, working means being effective and efficient at causing something to happen. These demonic forces are actively at work in the hearts of all who do not know Christ. To further clarify the significance of the statement, 1 John 3:8-10, says, “Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.” The verb “practice,” ποιέω, poieo’, to make or do, in the context, refers to habit, a settled, automatic behavior or routine that is repeated regularly, often without conscious thought. This “disobedience,” obstinate and rebellious disbelief, is what Satan used to destroy lives. The only antidote is repentance and faith in Jesus.

March 13

Chapter 2, Verse 3, “among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

Over the course of the past five decades, I have noticed something — people have not changed much. I still vividly remember my first sermon from the summer of 1979; it was titled, “Something I Know A Lot About: Sin.” Only saved for about 3 months prior and already called of God to preach the word, my young Christian life was shallow; my knowledge of sin ran deep. Here, in verse 3, Paul wrote, “among whom.” He was clearly talking about the “sons of disobedience,” lost people. He included himself, “among whom we.” Believers must understand, remember, and be on guard because we are surrounded by sin and its consequences. We did once live “in the passions of the flesh,” and we still live among those ruled by those passions. The noun ἐπιθυμία, epithumia, “passions,” is more commonly translated “lust,” which is a longing for what is forbidden. It was something forbidden — the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil –that got us into this mess at the beginning of the human experience. And it should be noted that Satan was behind that confusion and a lie that pushed for lust. It seems if has always been easier to go after forbidden fruit than to pursue the fruit of righteousness.

March 14

Chapter 2, Verse 3, con’t, “among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

ποιοῦντες τὰ θελήματα τῆς σαρκὸς καὶ τῶν διανοιῶν, poiountes ta thelēmata tēs sarkos kai tōn dianoiōn, “doing the things willed of the flesh and of [its] thoughts.” “Carrying out,” ποιοῦντες, poiountes, the present active participle of ποιέω, poieo’, to do or make, can mean “to agree with” or “to band together with,” with the idea of holding onto something. Here, it is referring to indulgence, giving in to strong desires that excite the flesh through the worldly thoughts of the mind controlled by Satan. “Desires,” θέλημα, thelema, from thelo = to will, plus ma, combined means “a thing willed.” It refers to the desires that grow out of emotion. It is going after something with great zeal, good or bad. “Mind” or “thoughts” is διάνοια, dianoia, combining dia = separation, and noeo = to think over. The idea is not simply intellectual knowledge, but the processes of the mind that guide conduct. It actually touches on the idea of imagination. If something can be conjured in the mind, it can likely be carried out in real time — especially that which is evil and fulfills the rash impulses of the fleshly nature. Paul put it this way in Romans 1:21-23, “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.”

March 15

This is Paul’s summation of the spiritual condition of the Ephesian believers — and everyone else — before they trusted Jesus as Savior and Lord. By the inborn “nature,” φύσις, phusis, from phuo = to bring forth; properly, the inner nature or the underlying constitution or make-up of someone (their way of thinking that rules their actions), they were “children of wrath.” Speaking of children refers to relationship. Paul was pointing out that they (we) were all children of Adam who brought sin into the world and passed it on to everyone born in the future (Romans 5:12), (except Jesus!). All of us inherited his depraved nature and were born spiritually dead. The result was and is “wrath,” ὀργή, orge’, from orgao, to swell. This word represents God’s hatred of sin that demands divine retribution. In their unregenerate (unsaved) state, all of humanity faces the wrath of God. Paul wrote, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them” (Romans 1:18-19). And John closed chapter 3 of his gospel with these words, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36). There is a choice to be made.

March 16

Chapter 2, Verse 4, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us.”

Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς πλούσιος ὢν ἐν ἐλέει, Ho de Theos plousios ōn en eleei, “But God rich being in mercy.” “But,” δὲ, de, is a conjunction; think of it like the big steel couplers between railroad cars that make a loud noise when they come together. Sometimes they are pulling (continuative) and sometimes they are pushing (adversative). Here, “but” is the later because it is showing a great contrast to the last sentence. Once, we who believe were children of wrath — but God. The problem was not with God, but with us. It is always sin that, at some level, prevents us from accessing the love and peace of God. “Rich,” πλούσιος, plousios, wealth, abundance, riches, is an adjective that describes goodness or good things in great measure, something extremely valuable where there is more than enough to go around. “Mercy,” ἔλεος, eleos, is showing pity. It is directly related to the Old Testament word חֵסֵד, chesed, covenant loyalty, properly, mercy as it is defined by loyalty to God’s covenants. In other words, God never goes back or breaks his covenants (promises). It is one of, if not the most important words in the Bible. God is fully aware of our condition as sinners and he does not want to leave us that way. So, showing mercy, he sent Jesus to bring us into his covenant of love and forgiveness. Paul wrote, “I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost” (1 Timothy 1:12-15).

March 17

Chapter 2, Verse 4, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us.”

Oh, the beauty of grace. In is abundant mercy, his extravagant, limitless loyalty, he brought to us his magnificent, never-ending love. In Scripture, that which is described as love can be ἔρως, eros, romantic love. While not used in the New Testament, it is implicit in the context of marriage. Brotherly love, or deep, emotional affection between friend is φιλέω, phileo. And the highest form of love, used to describe God’s unconditional, sacrificial love for humanity, used twice in this verse, is ἀγάπη, agape’. This love is deliberate and intentional. It demands one to sacrifice self for the benefit of others. “He loved us,” is the form ἀγαπάω, agapao’, which describes the love God extends to us freely and unconditionally — regardless of our response. It is the love ethat is offered to everyone, even God’s enemies. After Israel, God’s chosen people, turned their back on God, he promised restoration despite their wanton, reckless faithlessness, saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting [עוֹלָם, owlam, ancient, continual, eternal] love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness [חָֽסֶד, chesed, loving-kindness, covenant loyalty] to you” (Jeremiah 31:3). God loves sinners. He pursued us all the way to Calvary. That is why Paul wrote, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8). God’s love truly is a great love.

March 18

Chapter 2, Verse 5, “even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved”

Paul reiterated what he stated in 2:1, this time adding himself into the mix (we), and establishing again that all people, Jew and Gentile alike, were born spiritually dead, νεκρός, nekros = dead, which is from nekus, a corpse. A dead body is one that completely lacks life and cannot in any way respond to impulses or perform action. This begs the question, “How can a living, breathing person at the same time be dead?” Just as man was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27) who is a triune being, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, so we, too, are created with body, soul, and spirit. The body dies for a variety of reasons, sickness, accident, old-age; the soul that sins will die (Ezekiel 18:20) [this is not speaking of ceasing to exist but, rather, being separated from the presence of God (Matthew 10:28)]; and the spirit of man died when Adam took the fruit from Eve and ate it. That was the original trespass in man’s long history of sin. “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). To further emphasize the sad state of people without God in their lives, John wrote, “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:5-10).

March 19

Chapter 2, Verse 5, “even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved“

“But God,” (vs. 4). . .”made us alive together with Christ,” is συνεζωοποίησεν, synezōopoiēsen, the aorist active indicative (pass action with ongoing effect) form of συζωοποιέω, suzóopoieó, from syn = together with (close union) combined with zoopoieo = to make alive (quicken). It means God is the direct and only cause that makes us alive with Christ and, thus, in Christ. It is completely stunning that God chose to give life to the spiritually dead and did so totally of his own accord. Some believe that God works with man’s free will to affect salvation, but man’s will, without Christ, is 100% in bondage to sin. He cannot and will not make a decision to follow God as a matter of self-will. Paul wrote, “as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God” (Romans 3:10-11), and finished the thought with “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Romans 3:18). Even Isaiah understood this more than 600 years before Jesus was born, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). He was fully aware that sin causes all people everywhere to flee from God and that is why our iniquity was “laid on him.” Certainly, we are saved by grace alone through faith alone. But we, being dead in trespasses and sin, cannot even conjure repentance and faith. It is totally the work of God that calls us to Christ, quickens our spirit, and allow repentance and faith to do their work in us. Anything else that is taught is part of a false gospel.

March 20

Chapter 2, Verse 6, “and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,”

“Raised us up together is συνεγείρω, sunegeiro’, from sun/syn = “with” as in a close union, couple with egeiro’ = “raise” as in brought forth from death, resurrected. In secular Greek, it meant simply “waking up together.” Here, along with “made us alive together” in verse 5, this is clearly referring to spiritual resurrection in light of “dead in trespasses and sin” in verse 1. Colossians 3:1-2 says, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” In Colossians, Paul was exhorting his readers to “make sure” they were in Christ, and if so, recognize that what follows is a change in experience and habits. Here, in Ephesians 2:6, Paul is referring to a brand new quality of life that is the result of “being raised,” that is, being revived from death to new life in Christ. When that happens, the experience follows, i.e., a clear change in character and conduct. Once saved, life is different. It there is no change, there is no life. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19c-20), so we should recognize as believers that we have a great responsibility and calling to live righteously in a wicked world.

March 21

Chapter 2, Verse 6, con’t, “and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,”

It is interesting to note that “made us alive” in verse 5, as well as “raised us up” and seated us” in verse 6 are all aorist active indicative verbs, each one describing a completed action in the past. The finite human mind can barely understand the fact of the matter, but we need to know the implication is eternal. In the mind of God, it is a settled issue. It was accomplished long ago, even before the stars began to shine in the night sky. Revelation 13:8 tells us that Jesus was the “lamb slain from the foundation of the world” [KJV]. God’s sovereign plan for redemption was settled before Adam first sinned. And because God chose those who believe (Romans 8:28-30, the verbs in this passage are also aorist active indicative), we have the confident hope that one day we who believe will abide with God forever — because we have been made alive, raised up, and seated with Christ. How is this possible? Ephesians 1:18-20, “having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places.” It is because of the immeasurable greatness of his power.

March 22

Chapter 2, Verse 7, “so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus”

The spiritual position of a believer in Christ (made alive with Christ, raised with him, seated with him) is accomplished for a purpose, “so that,” or “in order that,” ἵνα, hina. Just about everywhere hina shows up in Scripture, something incredible follows. ἵνα ἐνδείξηται ἐν τοῖς αἰῶσιν τοῖς ἐπερχομένοις, hina endeixētai en tois aiōsin tois eperchomenois, “in order that he might show in the ages that [are] coming.” These three primary, eternal benefits, established before the beginning of time, are going to result in even more eternal benefits in the future. What is or are “the ages that are coming.” First, there is the immediate future, those things coming to us tomorrow and the next day and the next. god’s immediate blessings show his daily grace. Then, there is the millennial future, when Jesus reigns on the earth from David’s throne for a thousand years — and we get to be there. Finally, we must consider the eternal future when the universe we know is destroyed and a new heaven and earth are created. In that endless time and place we will experience “What no eye has seen, nor ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

March 23

Chapter 2, Verse 7, con’t, “so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus”

“He might show” is ἐνδείξηται, endeixētai, combining en = complete, and deiknumi = show or demonstration. The aim of this is to give outward evidence, as in establishing proof in a legal proceeding. The middle voice used here is significant because it shows that the subject of the verb (God) is acting in his own interest. God will show his generosity for his own glory and in that believers will be blessed. “Immeasurable,” or “surpassing,” is ὑπερβάλλον, hyperballon, hyper = above or with, and ballo = to cast or throw. This word is only used in the New Testament by Paul and each time it expresses that which is extraordinary, beyond belief and understanding. The things people find most precious now, gold and precious stones, will be the streets and gravel of heaven. At the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10), many rewards will be given to the faithful (2 Timothy 4:8, James 1:12, 1 Peter 5:4, 1 Thessalonians 2:19, 1 Corinthians 9:25). But all those rewards for faithfulness, endurance, and discipline will be cast a Jesus’ fee (Revelation 4:10-11) because the true richness of God’s grace for the believer is found in the mere presence of the Savior.

March 24

Chapter 2, Verse 7, con’t, “so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus“

Over and over, the writings of Paul remind us that, as believers, we are in Christ, and this is always because of grace. In this phrase, God’s grace is expressed in kindness, χρηστότητι, chrēstotēti. The root verb χράο, chrao’, = to lend, becomes χράομαι, chraomai, = to furnish what is needed, which in turn yields the adjectine χρηστός, chrestos, = well resourced and useful, or good and beneficial together. God is both toward us, his goodness aimed in our direction for our benefit. As lost sinners, we were dead. As saved saints, we are alive and blessed with all the benefits that come form knowing God, in Christ. When kindness is shown/expressed, especially by God, it contains a special tenderness and beneficence toward us. Paul wrote about this to Titus, “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:3-7). Because we are in Christ, we are totally surrounded and submerged in grace, covered by kindness, and embraced by righteousness. How blessed we are.

March 25

Chapter 2, Verse 8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God”

Τῇ γὰρ χάριτί ἐστε σεσῳσμένοι διὰ πίστεως, Tē gar chariti este sesōsmenoi dia pisteōs, “The for by grace you have been saved through faith.” For by grace, is literally “by the grace (te is typically omitted), and gar is that expression of explanation often used by Paul reminding his readers to stop and consider something very important. The phrase chariti este sesōsmeno, “by grace you have been saved,” is exactly the same as in verse 5. If it was important enough to repeat, it bears close examination. “By grace,” — by the means of grace, God’s unmerited, undeserved favor and love toward humanity. It is that which supplies all-encompassing forgiveness, salvation, and empowerment for godly living. Grace replaces punishment for sin with the presence of God in a believer’s life that never ends. Flowing from God’s character, grace is rooted in his love, mercy, and compassion. When I think about what grace has done for me, I remember the words of James, “Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (James 4:5-8). Stay close and enjoy the peace of God.

March 26

Chapter 2, Verse 8, con’t, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God”

The whole issue of grace and salvation is bound up in the person of Jesus, who is the Christ and Lord over all creation. At Calvary, God’s plan to save mankind was on full display as Jesus hung on that cross and just before he died, said, “It is finished.” But what was actually finished? The demanded debt of sin was completely paid, Jesus having become the substitute for and bearer of sin. If it ended there, Jesus would just be another dead prophet. It did not. Three days later, he came back to life defeating death and hell. The resurrected Christ is God’s means of salvation (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), the only way to God (1 Timothy 2:5). Believing with the heart that Jesus did this to save me, I must accept him as my personal Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9-10). Faith, then, is the mechanism that connects me to God’s grace. And what does this yield? Eternal salvation. “You have been saved, este sesōsmenoi, emphasizes the word σῴζω, sozo, rescuing someone who is in great peril. Here, it is used in the perfect tense, pointing to the permanance of our salvation. (In Greek, the perfect tense refers to a initiated in the past with ongoing, unending effect.) In John 10 we read the words of Jesus, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one” (John 10:27-30). The gospel is simple, yet profound. Religion tries to add to it. Do not be fooled. Sola Gratia, by grace alone, Sola Fide, through faith alone, we are saved.

March 27

Chapter 2, Verse 8, con’t, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God“

Biblical faith should not be confused with sincerity of intention, fidelity to a promise made, nor to belief. In the bible, faith is the confident assurance and trust in God and his promises, even when no physical evidence is present. Hebrews 11:1-3, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” Clearly, biblical faith involves believing certain facts about God (intellectual ascent), but it also involves complete reliance on him (trust). Faith results in action, but is not responsible for the action; hence, it is not a work of the flesh. Why not? Paul wrote, καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐξ ὑμῶν, kai touto ouk ex hymōn, “and this not of yourselves.” What is this? This is faith. On our own, and of ourselves, humans cannot and will not understand nor exercise true faith. This is because faith is a gift from God. Paul wrote, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). It God and his word that draws us to Christ by the Spirit. A gift is something offered by someone who has already paid a price for that being offered, is offered from their good will, and is simply accepted or rejected. No work is involved. No one can earn what God has freely offered.

March 28

Chapter 2, Verse 9, “not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

οὐκ ἐξ ἔργωνk, ouk ex ergōn, “not as a result of works.” This is a very precise statement. The negative particle ou(k), affirms absolute negation, “it cannot be.” The preposition ek, literally, “out of” or “from,” in this context, along with ouk means “it cannot emanate from” or “it cannot finds its origin/source in.” Then, there is ergōn, “works,” which properly should be understood as “works of the flesh;” i.e., anything accomplished as a result of self-will and/or personal effort. We must understand that we are totally powerless to do anything to produce or procure salvation for ourselves. Paul made this plain over and over: “by the works of the Law no flesh shall be justified” (Romans 3:20), “who [God] saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began” (2 Timothy 1:9), “He saved us, not on the basis of works done by us (Titus 3:5). In Romans 9:29-33, he wrote, “for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” And as Isaiah predicted, “If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah.” What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” People continue to stumble over and miss salvation because they try to work their way into heaven instead of accepting Christ by faith–alone.

March 29

Chapter 2, Verse 9, con’t,”not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

ἵνα μή τις καυχήσηται, hina mē tis kauchēsētai, “so that not anyone may boast.” Here again we see hina, “so that” — pay attention to what follows, it is important. It shows purpose. Salvation is through faith alone, by grace alone, in Christ alone, so that no one can brag about what they have done. Boasting is generally understood as vain pride exhibited over a privilege or possession, placing the focus on the one bragging about their personal accomplishment. So, boasting is always wrong, right? Not necessarily. Psalm 20:7, Some nations boast of their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of the LORD our God” [NLT], Psalm 34:1-3, I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the LORD; let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the LORD’s greatness; let us exalt his name together” [NLT], 1 Corinthians 1:30-31, “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord,” 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Boasting is the right thing to do when God is the focus and it is understood that he alone is responsible for everything good in our lives, especially salvation. Remember, salvation is a free gift to all who believe, but it cost God everything.

March 30

Chapter 2, Verse 10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

αὐτοῦ γάρ ἐσμεν ποίημα, autou gar esmen poiēma, “Of him for we are workmanship.” “For,” γάρ, gar, is like hina in that when it begins a thought we should ask “What for?” Here, “for” is looking back to verse 9, “not a result of works.” So, we are saved by grace through faith (vs. 8) — and we did not do any work to accomplish salvation, because (for) we are his workmanship — not the result of our own effort. “Workmanship,” ποίημα, poiēma, is from poieo = a product, like fabric, something that is made; with the suffix ma, making it mean the result of work. We get poem from this word, a composition, something designed by an artist. The pronoun autou comes first in the sentence making this an emphatic statement, “His for we are workmanship.” Every believer is a product, a masterpiece, from the creator’s hands. He loved us, he died for us, he defeated death for us, he drew us to himself, he gave us faith to believe. And when he did, he created in us a new, living spirit of his own design that will last forever.

March 31

Chapter 2, Verse 10, con’t, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

In Genesis, God created, בָּרָ֣א, bara = make, shaped, caused to exist, everything from nothing. Six times, in Genesis, God call his creation good. After creating Adam and Eve, he declared everything to be very good. That did not last long because Adam sinned. His sin (and subsequent spiritual death) was passed to everyone who followed (Romans 5:12). Jesus came to set thing right. His sinless life, sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection made it possible for all who believer to be saved (1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Romans 10:9-10). Jesus did not come to “fix” us. He came to make us new. When we receive Jesus as Savior and Lord, spiritual rebirth happens, or, as Jesus said to Nicodemus, “you must be born again” (John 3). This is what Paul was talking about when he wrote “created in Christ Jesus.” “Created,” here an aorist participle of κτίζω, ktizo (κτισθέντες, ktisthentes), means to bring something into existence that did not exist beforehand. The tense tells us this was a creative act occurring sometime in the past. The new creation, a born again believer, has purpose, “created. . .for good works.” Paul wrote to the Corinthians “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Being created in Christ came at a great price — Jesus, who died for sin. Our response should be to do good works–not to be saved, but because we are saved.

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