[Exegetical Paper on Ephesian 2:1-10 Prepare By:- Elias Girma] ኤፌ 2:1-10 የትንተና ጥናት በኤልያስ ግርማ (2024)

Introduction

The Apostle Paul wrote 13 of the 27 books in the New Testament of the Holy Bible. His theology and the topics he wrote on were divinely inspired and have, in-turn, inspired Christians for almost two millennia. Many Christians have opened the Bible and read Paul’s letters for reasons such as learning pure doctrine, studying how Christians ought to live, finding comfort, seeking correction, or to study Paul’s letters in comparison with other books in order to get a bigger picture of the theology found in the Bible. The letter to the Ephesians discusses the work that God has done through Christ in his earthly ministry, and the redemption that Jesus assured for the elect who place faith in Him.

This exegetical Paper will focus on Ephesian 2:1-10 in which Paul specifically mentions that how they were live before the redemption of GOD is revealed, how this redemption saves them, for what reason GOD did this thing and what is currently expected from them. This information applies to Christians of all times, places, and cultures. Therefore, it is important and beneficial for Christians to take a look at these verses, and to learn what Paul was trying to convey to the Christian reader in writing the words found in them.

Ephesians 1:10-12 says, “In [Christ] also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to [God’s] purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.”1 The goal of the gospel is that those who will listen and believe the message of the truth will glorify God.Ephesians 2:1-10 broadly says that we were all dead in our sins and transgressions against God, but those who believe have been made alive in Christ by God’s grace and for his glory. It is a transformation that should shake our hearts and minds to cherish God and to live our lives in a pleasing manner toward him.

Background of Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians

The letter to the Ephesians was written by “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus . . . a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles” (Eph 1:1, 3:1) 2, probably while he was a prisoner in Rome (see 3:1, 4:1) toward the end of his life.3 When Paul first arrived in Ephesus, he met a few disciples who were baptized into “John’s baptism” (Acts 19:3); he spoke in the synagogue to the Jews until they “became stubborn and continued in their unbelief” (Acts 19:9); he also did extraordinary miracles, and his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, caused a riot because Paul “persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not

Historical and Cultural Context

The Apostle Paul has generally been accepted as the author of the letter to the Ephesians, though there has been some disagreement on Pauline authorship. Paul, however, is most likely. The author of Ephesians and even identified himself as the author in theletter. It is best to view the letter to the Ephesians as a genuine work of Paul, which is assumed in this expositional paper.

Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ. He was probably born in the middle to late 60’s A.D. in the city of Tarsus in Cilicia. Prior to Paul’s conversion to Christianity he was a Jewish Pharisee who descended from the tribe of Benjamin. Paul, however, converted to Christianity after an encounter with Jesus on his way to Damascus. He proclaimed and taught the gospel to many individuals, and assemblies. The Christians as Ephesus are one group of people that He proclaimed the truth of God to.

The Christians at Ephesus were the recipients of the letter in focus in this essay. Ephesus was the capital city of the Roman province named Asia (Modern day far west Turkey). In the first century, Ephesus’ population was nearly five hundred thousand. Ephesus was also a worship center of pagan goddess Artemis (Diana). Ephesus was also known for occult practices and contained a temple for worship of the emperor (Elwell; Yarbrough, 308-309, 2005). There were those in Ephesus that did not worship the emperor, Artemis, or any other unseen spirits, but worshiped the living God and embraced Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Literary Context

In Ephesians 1:3-23, Paul writes that we have been chosen in Christ for adoption by the Father (1:3-6), redeemed by the Son (vv. 7-10), and were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit (vv. 11-14).Ephesians 2:1-10 is actually the first half of Paul’s reminder that the readers have passed from death to life—from bondage to their sin to freedom from their sin.The second half (vv. 11-22) describes both their previous separation from God’s covenant promises to Israel and their present unification with God and all of God’s children—both Jews and Gentiles.

The Letter to the Ephesians and the Purpose of God

God has added the gospel (that declares the redemptive love of God and his justice) to both creation (that declares the knowledge of God) and the Law (that declares the precepts and character of God). He has revealed himself as the Savior of sinners through Jesus Christ. He accomplished it in history, and it has been written in Scripture that we might know life and salvation by God’s grace through Jesus Christ. He has made himself known to sinners; he has done it to revive their souls and save them from hardness of heart, sin and rebellion. Ephesians 2:11-22 makes it clear that God is gathering to himself a church, and his purpose is to save her (the bride), and discipline her to walk in good works, and to serve Christ while looking and preparing for the approach of her bridegroom (see 5:22-32).

We Were All Dead in Our Sinfulness (Ephesians 2:1-3)

1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Before Christ, we were dead in our sins and trespasses (2:1).
We were spiritually dead to all the things that are pleasing to God.
We were spiritually dead because we have sinned and trespassed against God.
Before Christ, we were all walking according to and under the influence of Satan (2:2).
We actively walked in our sins according to the course of the world.
We actively walked in our sins according to Satan.
Satan is actively working in the “sons of disobedience”.
In our sinful corruption, we were sons of Satan.
In every way, we walked according to corruption rather than according to God.
Before Christ, we indulged in our sinful desires and were all by nature children of wrath (2:3).
We actively lived in the lusts of our flesh.
We actively indulged in the desires of our fallen flesh and minds.
We were all by nature children of Satan and wrath.
Both Jews and Gentiles are equally sinful.

Expositional Commentary (2:1-3)

We are undeserving sinners saved by grace; there is nothing good in our hearts, and there is nothing good coming out of us toward God. Our sinful worship is motivated by selfishness. And this all pointedly says, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked . ..” (2:1-2). Without Christ, we are dead.

The Bible says this several different ways: we are in darkness (1 John 1:5-10), we are children of wrath and sons of disobedience (Eph 2:2, 3), our hearts are hardened like stone (Mark 6:51-53), we have eyes and ears but can neither see nor hear (John 12:39-41; Deut 29:3-5, Rom 11:7-9). Interestingly, Paul says that we were dead in the things in which we once walked; effectively, we were all like dead men walking. This does not mean that we were simply “in danger of death”; instead, Paul makes it clear that we were actively laboring in our spiritual death. In the Old Testament, there are a couple of instances that indicate that one could be both biologically alive and spiritually dead at the same time. For example, 1 Samuel 25:37-38 (NASB) says, “But it came about in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, that his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him so that he became as a stone. And about ten days later, it happened that the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.” Also, while in the belly of a great fish, Jonah says that God “brought up [his] life from the pit” (Jonah 2:1-9 NASB). With that in mind, separation from God, including having a heart of stone, is much like death. In other words, “The verb ‘live/walk’ speaks of the pre-Christian way of life in [Eph 2:2]” along with ‘dead’ in v. 1 in order to colorfully insist that our unresponsiveness to the things of God is caused by our sinfulness and active rebellion.

We actively sin and trespass against God because we have turned our love away from God and have given it to the things he has made and to ourselves.“. . . 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 . . .”(v. 2). Our condition has overwhelmed any ability for us to do good works and cleanse our hands of the sins we have willfully committed. To make matters worse, we were following the natural course of this fallen world, following Satan who actively works “in the sons of disobedience.” To put it plainly, our radical corruption in our sin is influenced by the power of Satan and our willingness to indulge in sinful things.“. . . 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” (v. 3). The passions of our flesh have both outweighed and destroyed our passion for God. Our position before God is complete depravity, and our hearts are dead to any Good News; and we do not deserve any Good News.

We indulge in sin whether we say we like it or not. Donald Westblade, in his chapter on divine election in Pauline literature, in Still Sovereign, says that sin “has killed the human capacity for passion toward anything else but the flesh(v. 3). . . The incapacitation is a moral one that does not hinder us physically but clouds ‘the eyes of the heart’(1:18).” Paul is not simply saying that a few people are dead in their sins and trespasses; he is saying that all people are “by nature children of wrath” (v. 3). This does not mean that we cannot create wonderful things (e.g. arts, sciences, literature), but J.C. Ryle rightly says, “the fact still remains that in spiritual things [we are] utterly ‘dead,’ and [have] no natural knowledge, or love, or fear of God.” Even our best things are tainted by our fallen, sinful corruption. Both Jews and Gentiles—the first readers of Paul’s letter—and all peoples everywhere today—indulge in their sin. We are all without excuse, and we are all in desperate need of Good News.

Practical Application (Ephesians 2:1-3):

In our sin, we cannot possibly respond to the gospel on our own.
In our sin, we are all against God and for Satan.
In our sin, we are all radically corrupt sinners.

Our Position before God by Grace through Faith is Salvation (Ephesians 2:4-7)

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

But God is rich in mercy and loves his children very much (2:4).
But is an important word.
God has mercy on his sinful children.
God loves his children despite their sin.
Even when we were dead, God made us alive with Christ (2:5).
God makes us alive with Christ.
By grace, God makes us alive even though our sin had made us dead.
We are made alive together with Christ.
Salvation is by grace.
We are raised up with Christ and seated in heaven with him (2:6).
We are raised from death to life by God.
Christ was raised from death to life by God.
When we are saved, we are seated in heaven in Christ, with Christ.
We are raised with Christ because God wants to show us his amazing and abundant grace (2:7).
God saves his children because he wants to show them grace.
God’s grace is immeasurable.
God shows his grace in kindness to those in Christ Jesus.

Expositional Commentary (Ephesians 2:4-7)

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved . . .”(2:4-5). Our position before God by grace through faith is different than our position in corruption. “But God” . . . thankfully, God’s rich mercy and his great love for his children has given us Christ—“by grace you have been saved” (v. 5). F.F. Bruce, in his commentary on Ephesians, says “there is a way of release from the hopelessness of existence in alienation from God—an existence which is no better than death” and it comes from God.

We should certainly be quicker to admit that we are undeserving sinners, saved by the grace of God through Jesus Christ. If we are undeserving sinners, then we have sinned against God’s common grace and have provoked his wrath to his face. We deserve righteous judgment.

As a result, the mystery of the gospel is this: though we were corrupt and unrighteous, and in every way against God and without any love for God, he gives us ears to hear the gospel and love it. God’s grace the mystery of his mercy—saves us for his glory despite our willful corruption. “. . . And raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (v. 6-7). Christ’s obedient death on the cross satisfied justice and exhausted God’s wrath against our sin (2 Cor 5:21, Rom 3:21-26). And by that, God “raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace toward us”(v. 6-7).

In Ephesians 2:1-3, we were lost in our own sin and disobedience. We were willfully children of wrath through and through. But Ephesians 2:4-7 says that God changed that in his children. He made us alive together with Christ. God raised Christ and also raised us in him and seated us with him. Steve Lawson adds that “this enthronement is a present reality in the mind of God . . . [God’s children] will display the grace of God throughout all ages to come.” We were once dead in our trespasses and sins, but now, by the gospel of Jesus Christ, we have been made alive and new. Our position before God in Christ is righteousness and family. In other words, “what God has accomplished in Christ, he has also accomplished for believers” and it changes our lives from being objects of God’s wrath to sharing in God’s joy in what Christ has done.

Practical Application (2:4-7):

God is abundantly loving and gracious.
We were dead, but God made us alive.
We were raised with Christ and are with Christ and will be with Christ.
God wants to show his love and grace to those in Christ.

The Purpose of God in Salvation (Ephesians 2:8-10)

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Salvation is by grace through faith (2:8).We are saved by grace through faith.
Salvation is not our work.
Grace and faith are the gift of God.
Salvation is not a result of works, so that no one may boast (2:9).Salvation is a gift of grace alone.
It is a gift of grace alone so that no one may boast.
God is glorified by giving us grace through Christ alone.
With Christ, we are God’s workmanship created by him, for him (2:10).We are God’s workmanship.
We were made alive in Christ for good works.
God did all of this beforehand, that we should walk in good works.
We are saved that we should walk in good works because good works glorify God.

Expositional Commentary (2:8-10)

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (2:8-9). Amazingly, we have been saved by grace through faith. We had nothing to do with our change in position before God. We had nothing to do with our stone hearts coming alive again. Grace and faith are not of our own doing; they are a gift of God, not a result of works, because “we are his workmanship, created in Christ for good works” (v. 10).

Ephesians 2:8-9 makes it clear that salvation is not a result of works, therefore it is important to unpack these verses in order to define the role of grace and faith in salvation. First, Calvin writes that Paul “does not say that the will is prepared, and is then left to run by its own strength . . . to make our own choice.” Paul simply says that we have been saved by grace through faith, not by works. Both ‘grace’ and ‘faith’ are feminine, and both ‘this’ and ‘gift’ are neuter, so the reference to faith also being a gift from God is not necessarily plain. However, Ephesians 2:8-9 does tell us that God does not save sinners by their works. Therefore, “Faith is something other than a work.” Second, it is also important to affirm that God does not want faith to be of our own doing. If it was, we would be able to boast that salvation, in part, was our own work. In view of that, faith is a response that is only made possible by God’s grace in salvation—“It is simply breathing the breath that God’s grace supplies.” This does not mean that we are being treated like machines; rather it means that God has made our dead hearts alive by reviving us in Christ, and our most natural response to that is faith.

Paul mentions faith at least eight times in his letter to the Ephesians, always referring either to faith that gives us confidence in knowing God, or faith that shields us from Satan (Eph 3:12, Eph 6:16), or faith as an outward response that accompanies grace for salvation (Eph 1:15, Eph 4:5) “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (v. 10). The reality in our experience is that each of us continues to fail regarding worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24, Rom 7:19). But the gospel is for God’s children, and through Christ our worship is acceptable and pleasing to God. Although we are still sinful, our position in Christ cannot be changed, and God does not want to change it. But there is more to it. We may still be sinful, but Christ has still saved us. Our boasting must be boasting in Christ. That should be our response of love toward God, and that is proper worship. God is renewing our hearts and minds in Christ “that we should walk with them” (v.10).

The concept of worship and works in light of Ephesians 2:8-10 cannot be legalistic moralism. If it were, we would be trying to make our position of grace before God a result of our own works. But instead, it should be a response of love toward God that says, “I am so sinful. But by the grace of God through Christ, I am so thankful that God has forgiven me and made me clean. And now I want to live my life in a pleasing manner of worship as best I can by God’s grace, because I love him.” Ephesians 2:1-3 must not be separated from Ephesians 2:4-10. There is a big contrast between the way we formerly walked in our sins and the way we should presently walk in the good works God has “eternally planned for us to do.” And, it should give us great joy and confidence toward God, because we are the work of his hands, and we are being molded to be more like Christ day by day, until he completes it—and he certainly will.

Practical Application (2:8-10):

God saves us by his grace alone through our faith alone.
We cannot claim that we have added anything to God’s grace for salvation.
With Christ, we have been made to serve and love God, for his glory.

Conclusion

Paul says that even our good works were prepared beforehand by God. When we endeavor to please God by our works, we must accomplish the work He has appointed for us. If we accomplish other work of our own choosing, we labor in our flesh and we do not please the Lord. Therefore, only those works He has purposed beforehand for us constitute “good works” done in faith. In this passage we can get at least three applications. First, we are sinners saved by the grace of God through Jesus Christ, our Savior. Second, we have been chosen by God for nothing we have done. Finally, we should not go a day without thinking about the gospel and praising God with our joy that we have hope, because we would all be spiritually lost, dead, and condemned without it.

Prepare By:- Elias Girma