Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)
Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
EPHESIANS 2
Made Alive in Christ
1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Jew and Gentile Reconciled Through Christ
11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
Application Notes
2:1-2 Immediately after his prayer, Paul reminds the Ephesians of the reality of personal sin. Like them, we must never forget our pasts, the conditions from which Jesus saved us. Those memories, though sometimes painful, will inspire us to thank Christ for all he has done on our behalf.
2:2 Paul describes Satan, the devil, as "the ruler of the kingdom of the air." Paul's readers believed that Satan and evil spiritual forces inhabited the region between earth and sky. Paul pictures Satan as ruling an evil spiritual kingdom. directing the demons and those who are against Christ and the rule of the kingdom of God. When Jesus was raised from the dead. he was victorious over the devil and his power because he demonstrated his own power even over death. Therefore. Jesus Christ is the permanent ruler of the whole world; the devil is only the temporary ruler of the part of the world that chooses to follow him.
2:3 The fact that all people, without exception, commit sin proves that everyone has a sinful nature. We have not loved God with our whole hearts, and we have not consistently loved our neighbours as ourselves. We are lost in sin and cannot save ourselves. Does this mean only Christians do good things? Of course not--many people do good things for others because all people are made in the image of God, whether they acknowledge it or not. On a relative scale, many people are moral, kind, and law-abiding. Comparing these people to criminals, we would say that they are very good indeed. But on God's absolute scale, no one is good enough to earn salvation ("dead in your transgressions and sins"; 2:1).
"Deserving of wrath" describes those who will experience God's judgment because they have rejected Christ. But God offers to unite us with Christ's perfect life so that we will be considered good in his sight.
2:4-5 The previous verses (2:1-3) highlight our old. sinful nature. Here, Paul emphasises that we do not need to live any longer under sin's power. The penalty of sin and its power over us were miraculously destroyed by Christ on the cross. Through faith in Christ, we stand acquitted--not guilty--before God (Romans 3:21-22). God does not take us out of the world or make us like robots; we will still feel like sinning, and we will still sin. The difference is that before we became Christians, we were dead in sin and were slaves to our sinful nature. But now we are alive with Christ and have his help to avoid sin and live with real joy and freedom (also see Galatians 2:20).
2:4 We were dead because of our sins (2:51, but God. We were rebels against him, but God. We were enslaved by the devil and our sinful natures, but God. These may be the two most welcome words in all of Scripture: "but ... God." God could have left us spiritually dead. in rebellion against him and in bondage to our sins. But he didn't. He did not save us because of, but rather in spite of what he saw in us. In addition to thanking him for what he has done for us, we should also show humble patience and kindness to others who seem unworthy or undeserving of our love and compassion. They may be spiritually dull, rebellious, and even antagonistic toward God. So were we. But God loved us anyway. Can we do less for fellow sinners?
2:6 Because of Christ's resurrection, we know that our bodies will also be raised from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:2-23) and that we have been given the power to live as Christ wants us to (Ephesians 1:19). Paul combines these ideas in the image of our sitting with Christ in "the heavenly realms" (see the note on 1:3). Even though we may feel that this current life has dealt us some heavy blows, our eternal life with Christ remains certain and secure because we are united with him in his powerful victory over death. sin, and shame.
2:8-10 We become Christians through God's unmerited grace. not as the result of any effort. ability, intelligent choice, or act of service on our part. Out of gratitude for this free gift, however, our hearts should overflow with a desire to help and serve others with kindness. love, and gentleness. While no action or work we do can help us obtain salvation, God intends for our salvation to result in acts of service. We are not saved merely for our own benefit but to serve Christ and to build up the church (4:12).
2:8-9 When someone gives you a gift, do you say, "That's very nice--now, how much do I owe you?" No, the appropriate response to a gift is "Thank you!" Yet how often Christians, even after they have been given the gift of salvation, feel obligated to try to work their way to God. Because our salvation and even our faith are gifts, we should respond with gratitude, praise, and joy.
2:10 We are God's handiwork (work of art, masterpiece). He alone masterminds our salvation. He works powerfully and creatively in us. He uses us as hls canvas. If God considers us his masterpiece, we dare not treat ourselves or others with disrespect or as inferior work.
2:11-16 Before Christ's coming. Gentiles and Jews kept apart from one another. Jews considered Gentiles beyond God's saving power and therefore without hope. Gentiles resented Jewish claims. Christ revealed the total sinfulness of both Jews and Gentiles, and then he offered his salvation to both. Christ breaks down the walls of prejudice. reconciles all believers to God, and unifies us in one body.
2:11-13 Pious Jews ("the circumcision") considered all non-Jews (the "uncircumcised") ceremonially unclean. They thought of themselves as pure and clean because of their national heritage and religious ceremonies. Paul pointed out that Jews and Gentiles alike are unclean before God and need to be cleansed by Christ. In order to realise how great a gift salvation is, we need to remember our former, natural, unclean condition. Have you ever felt separate, excluded, hopeless? These verses are for you. Christ's love overcomes all feelings of alienation and brings outsiders into the body of believers.
2:11-13 Jews and Gentiles alike could be guilty of spiritual pride-Jews for thinking their faith and traditions elevated them above everyone else. Gentiles for trusting in their achievements. power. or positions. Spiritual pride blinds us to our own faults and magnifies the faults of others. Be careful not to become proud of your salvation. Instead, humbly thank God for what he has done, and encourage others who might be struggling in their faith.
2:14-22 Christ has destroyed the barriers people build between themselves and others. Because these walls have been removed, we can have real unity with people who are not like us. We have true reconciliation with God and with each other. Because of Christ's death, we are all unified, on the same side, citizens of the same kingdom (2:14); our hostility against each other has been put to death (2:16); we can all have access to the Father by the Holy Spirit (2:18); we are no longer strangers or foreigners to God (2:19); and we are all being built into a holy temple with Christ as our chief cornerstone (2:20-21).
2:14-22 There are many barriers that can divide us from other Christians: age, appearance, intelligence, political persuasion, economic status, race, theological perspective. We stifle Christ's love when we befriend only those people whom we like or with whom we share similar characteristics. Fortunately, Christ has knocked down the barriers and has unified all believers in one family. The Holy Spirit helps us look beyond our potential barriers to the unity we are called to enjoy. Focus on the cross, which unites all believers.
2:15 By his death, Christ ended the reason for angry resentment between Jews and Gentiles, caused by the Jewish laws that favoured the Jews and excluded the Gentiles. When Christ died, he accomplished the purpose of that whole system of Jewish laws. Then he took the two groups who had been opposed to each other and made them parts of himself. "One new humanity" refers to the single entity that Christ made out of the two. Thus, he fused all believers together to become one in himself.
2:17-18 The Jews were near to God because they already knew of him through the Scriptures and worshipped him in their religious ceremonies. The Gentiles were far away because they knew little or nothing about God. Because neither group could be saved by good deeds, knowledge, or sincerity, both needed to hear about the salvation available through Jesus Christ. Both Jews and Gentiles are now free to come to God through Christ. You have been brought near to him (2:13).
2:19-22 We sometimes refer to a church building as God's house. In reality, God's house is not a building but a group of people. He lives in us and shows himself to a watching world through us. People can see God's love in us when we serve Christ as Lord and when we live in harmony with each other according to God's Word. We are citizens of God's kingdom and members of his household.
2:20 What does it mean to be built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets? It means that the church is not built on modern ideas or recent trends but rather on the spiritual heritage given to us by the early apostles and prophets of the faith. Their knowledge of how God worked in the events of the Old Testament, their experience with the risen Christ, and their clear recollection of Jesus' teaching ensured that Christ would be the cornerstone of our faith for all generations.
Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)