Ephesians 2:1,2: Who We Were, Part 1

"And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Ephesians 2:1,2

Having detailed the wondrous privilege of salvation through Christ Jesus from the heavenly point of view in chapter 1, Paul now turns to view the same process from the vantage point of earth. Chapter 1 gave us God's perspective; here we begin with the perspective of sinful mankind. And the view is pretty ugly.

For centuries Christians have discussed the essential question: "How does a sinner gain acceptance before a holy God?" But if Paul were to answer the question the way it is framed here he would say boldly "A sinner can never gain acceptance before a holy God because he is spiritually dead; any 'gain' must come about through the gracious activity of God." This is the point Paul is making in Ephesians 2:1,2.

When Paul declares that his readers were "dead" in their trespasses and sins he is saying they are completely devoid of any spiritual life. This is one of 3 illustrations that are used in the New Testament to describe the state in which unregenerate people find themselves. Perhaps the most common one is that they are blind. Paul knew this one first hand. As a Pharisee he believed he knew the truth. After all, he was so zealous that he travelled far and wide to find the enemies of God and put them in jail. Consequently, it was the height of irony that Christ, in order to show him just how spiritually blind he was, struck him with physical blindness! It was only after the scales fell from his eyes that he could truly see clearly. And when he did, he realized that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, and the only Savior of the soul.

The third illustration was used by Jesus Himself when He told Nicodemus that He had to be "born again." Here the picture is of the process by which a baby is conceived, matured, and finally born. It is the picture of a new life coming into this world. Obviously, this one aligns nicely with the first one (being dead) in that both speak of a new life coming into being.

If we look carefully at these three illustrations we find that they all have at least one essential trait in common. In all three, the necessary action comes from outside. That is, the dead cannot raise themselves, the blind cannot bring about their sight, and the unborn cannot cause themselves to be born. All need the power and action of something outside of themselves. And so it is with salvation. Being dead, we are wholly dependent upon God to initiate and consummate our spiritual rescue.

Paul starts his explanation of the cure (salvation) with a direct assessment of the disease (sin and its effects on the human animal). And, as we will see next time, our spiritual "deadness" is more than a mere characteristic; it actually determines how we live our lives.

Hope this helps,

David