Ephesians 2
Life without Christ describedverses 1-3
And you has HE quickened – who were dead in trespasses and sins
wherein in time past you walked
according to the course of this world
according to the prince of the power of the air
the spirit that now works in the
children of disobedience
Among whom also we all had our conversation in time past
in the lust of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh
and of the mind
And were by nature the children of wrath – even as others
Life with Christ describedverses 4-7
BUT God – WHO is rich in mercy
for HIS great love wherewith HE loved us
Even when we were dead in sins
has quickened us together with Christ
(by grace ye are saved)
And has raised us up together
and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus
that in the ages to come HE might show the exceeding riches
of HIS grace in HIS kindness toward us through
Christ Jesus
Salvation a gift from Godverses 8-10
FOR by grace are you saved THROUGH faith
and that not of yourselves – it is a gift of God – not of works
lest any man should boast
FOR we are HIS workmanship
CREATED in Christ Jesus to good works
which God has before ordained
that we should walk in them
Life of Gentile describedverses 11-13
Wherefore remember – that you being in time past Gentiles in the flesh
who are called Uncircumcision
by that which is called the Circumcision
in the flesh made by hands
That at that time ye were without Christ
being ALIENS from the commonwealth of Israel
and strangers from the covenants of promise
having no hope and without God in the world
BUT NOW in Christ Jesus you who sometimes were
far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ
Jews and Gentiles united in Christverses 14-18
FOR HE is our peace – WHO has made both one
and has broken down the middle wall of partition between us
having abolished in HIS flesh the enmity
even the law of commandments
contained in ordinances
For to make in HIMSELF of twain one new man
so making peace
And that HE might reconcile both to God in one body by the cross
having slain the enmity thereby
and came and preached peace to you which were afar off
and to them that were nigh
FOR through HIM we both have access by one Spirit to the Father
Citizens of heavenverses 19-22
NOW therefore you are no more strangers and foreigner
but fellow citizens with the saints – and of the household of God
And are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets
Jesus Christ HIMSELF being the chief corner stone
In WHOM all the building fitly framed together grows
to a holy temple in the Lord
In WHOM you also are builded together for a
habitation of God through the Spirit
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 2 Wherein in time past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience. (165 “course” [aion] means age, perpetuity, period of time, era, world system, the present life, or generation)
DEVOTION: There are only two types of people in our world. There are those who are followers of Jesus Christ and those who are not.
Those who are not followers of Jesus Christ walk in a way that is not pleasing to the LORD. They are following a world system or lifestyle that is displeasing to the LORD. They are not always immoral but they are just individuals who think that they are good without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. They really don’t understand that they are following a fallen angel who has lied to them about what is really necessary to be happy. He convinces them that they are happy without this relationship. They go out and party and think they are happy but at the end of the day they need another party fix to make them think they are happy again.
They are disobedient to the commands of God. They know that there are principles of right and wrong in this world but they don’t care.
Those who are willing to repent of their sins and turn to the LORD walk on a different road. They know that with the help of the LORD they can walk the road of the straight and narrow road that leads to life everlasting with God. It is not an easy road but they understand that through the ministry of the Holy Spirit they can walk this road until they go to heaven. They are promised the assurance of comfort and peace while they face each difficulty. They are promised strength for each battle. They are only given enough for what they are going to face in a given day. Each day is a new day in their relationship with the LORD. There should be steps of growth that make them aware that God is helping them through each step of each day.
CHALLENGE: To realize that nothing we face is too difficult for the LORD to overcome. We can do everything through Christ who gives us strength.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. (2744 “boast” [kauchaomai] means to display or proclaim publicly (and ostentatiously) a satisfied contentment with one’s own or another’s achievements, take pride in, to pride (oneself), glory, to exult, or brag about)
DEVOTION: If we could earn our own salvation without Christ dying on the cross we could brag about how good we are. We could tell others of all our good works. We could look God the Father in the face and say we don’t need Jesus to come down to the earth as a human and die for our sins. We have it all under control.
Paul states that we can’t make this boast. We can’t put down a list of all the good deeds that we have done and show them to God and HE would say well that is enough. Wrong!!!
Salvation is a gift from God to those who HE knew before the foundation of the world would make the right choice. This group is made up of people who are thankful for what Christ did on the cross. They were thankful enough to bring honor to the LORD by serving HIM gladly. This group would only care about what God wanted them to do and continue doing it for the rest of their life.
They would be like Paul and state that they were the chief of sinners that the LORD blessed with the gift of salvation and would continue telling their story until the LORD took them home to be with HIM in heaven.
CHALLENGE: Don’t ever think you received your salvation on the basis of your merit. Understand that but for the grace of God we would spend eternity in the lake of fire.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (4282 “ordained” [proetoimazo] means to fit up in advance, prepare before, or to make ready beforehand)
DEVOTION: Paul is comparing the life the Christians in Ephesus had before Christ with the one they had now. It was a great comparison. Before Christ they were under the influence of the prince of the power of the air which was Satan. Before Christ they were without hope. Before Christ they were on their way to Hell for eternity. Now they are in Christ.
Being in Christ that they received a gift from God. Being in Christ they were part of the household of God. Being in Christ they were raised up together with Jewish believers in heavenly places. Being in Christ there was no difference between Jew and Gentile.
God knew before the foundation of the world who would be HIS followers. HE knew HIS followers were prepared beforehand to produce good works, not for salvation, but as thank offerings to HIM for HIS salvation. Those who are blessed with salvation want to serve the LORD. Those who are followers of Christ enjoy being in HIS family. They know the joy of service to a wonderful Savior.
God is not surprised by current events in our world. God is not surprised that some people who claim to be a Christian don’t walk close to HIM. God has a one plan for our lives and HE is working HIS plan. There is NO secondary plan for our life. God prepared the life we are living before the foundation of the world. God has a path we are to walk in. HIS path has some trials in it but it is the path that leads us home to heaven. HE is working on us. HE is building us up. HE is strengthening us for the battles we are facing and going to be facing. Has HE been knocking off some rough edges in our lives lately? HE has in mine.
CHALLENGE: Trust Christ to lead you in the right direction as you yield yourself to HIM. Thank HIM for all your blessings.
: 12 That at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. (1680 “hope” [elpis] means expectation of good, joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation, anticipate with pleasure, prospect, pertaining to matter spoken of in God’s promises or favorable expectation.)
DEVOTION: This verse described a person before he/she becomes a follower of Christ. All those who are outside of the kingdom of God are described as aliens. They are not part of the world of God. They are from another planet.
They are also strangers to the promises of the Word of God. There are so many promises given to those who are followers of Jesus Christ. One of those promises is that HE will never leave them or forsake them. Another of those promises is that those the LORD loves HE chastens or corrects.
Hope is another gift that those who are followers of Christ has that those who reject HIM will never have throughout eternity. We look around at the rest of the world and see that they are in a hopeless situation. They are going to spend eternity in the lake of fire with the devil and his angels and don’t seem to care. They just live from day to day doing things that never make them truly happy.
Finally, they have no place to turn when they face the evils of this world. They have empty promises from false religion. They travel from one end of the world to the other looking for answers to all the wrong questions.
A genuine believer has promises that God is going to keep. He has membership in the household of God by adoption. He has hope that God will never leave him or forsake him. He has a place to turn when the trials of life come his way.
CHALLENGE: Which life would you rather have? Hopeful or hopeless?
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Covenants of promiseverse 12
Law of commandmentsverse 15
Ordinancesverse 15
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Godverses 4, 8, 10, 12, 16, 19, 22
Rich in mercyverse 4
HIS great loveverse 4
Exceeding riches of HIS graceverse 7
Kindnessverse 7
Gift of Godverse 8
Fatherverse 18
Household of Godverse 19
Habitation of Godverse 22
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
Christ verses 5-7, 10, 12, 13, 20
Jesus verses 6, 7, 10, 13, 20
Christ Jesus verses 6, 7, 10,13
Blood of Christ verse 13
Broken down middle wall of partitionverse 14
Abolished in HIS flesh enmityverse 15
Crossverse 16
Slain the enmityverse 16
Preached peaceverse 17
Jesus Christ verse 20
Chief corner stoneverse 20
Lordverse 21
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Spiritverses 18, 22
One Spiritverse 18
Holy Spirit gives access to Fatherverse 18
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
HIM – SPIRIT – FATHERverse 18
WHOM – GOD – SPIRITverse 22
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Prince of the power of the air (Satan)verse 2
spirit that works in children of disobedienceverse 2
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
spirit that works in children of disobedienceverse 2
children of wrathverse 3
Gentiles in the fleshverse 11
Uncircumcisionverse 11
Aliensverse 12
Strangersverse 12
Worldverse 12
Were far offverse 17
No more strangers or foreignersverse 19
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Deadverses 1, 5
Trespasses verse 1
Sinsverse 1
Walked according to the course of this worldverse 2
Walked according to the prince of the powerverse 2
Children of disobedienceverse 2
Past lifestyleverse 3
Lust of the fleshverse 3
Desires of the fleshverse 3
Desires of the mindverse 3
Dead in sinsverse 5
Human worksverse 9
Boastverse 9
Without Christverse 12
Aliensverse 12
Strangersverse 12
No hopeverse 12
Without Godverse 12
Far offverse 13
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Quickenedverses 1, 5
Mercyverse 4
Lovedverse 4
Grace verses 5, 7, 8
Saved verses 5, 8
Raised us up verse 6
Sit together in heavenly placesverse 6
Kindnessverse 7
Faith verse 8
Not of ourselvesverse 8
Giftverse 8
God’s workmanshipverse 10
Created in Christverse 10
Walk in ordained good worksverse 10
Nighverse 13
Peaceverses 14, 15
New manverse 15
Reconciledverse 16
One bodyverse 16
No more strangers and foreignersverse 19
Citizensverse 19
Saintsverse 19
Household of Godverse 19
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Circumcisionverse 11
Aliens from the commonwealth of Israelverse 12
Covenants of promiseverse 12
Them which were nighverse 17
Church (New Testament people of God)
One bodyverse 16
Preach peaceverse 17
Foundation of the apostles and prophetsverse 20
Building fitly framed togetherverse 21
Growthverse 21
Holy Temple in the Lordverse 21
Building togetherverse 22
Habitation of Godverse 22
Last Things (Future Events)
Ages to comeverse 7
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QUOTES regarding passage
To “live” (peripateō) is literally “to walk about.” It is the customary word in LXX for manner of life, particularly in the Psalms. The usage is carried over into the NT and is prominent in Paul’s writings. It recurs in this letter in 2:10, 4:17, 5:2. The Ephesians’ former walk-about, Paul adds, was in accordance with the age (aiōn) of this world (kosmos). He combines two expressions that elsewhere he has used separately. They are found in successive verses in 1 Corinthians 3:18, 19 but only here compositely. The terms represent the same idea from the standpoints of time and space respectively.
Houlden (p. 281) wonders whether aiōn is intended to represent the devil, as it might well have done for the Jews (cf. 1 Cor 2:8). Whether this is so or not, the evil one is certainly identified in the two clauses that follow. He is the “ruler” (archōn) of a realm said to be “of the air” (tou aeros). Taken literally, this would signify the atmosphere around the earth, which, according to ancient cosmology, is the abode of demons. Is Paul here adopting the traditional scheme of the rabbis or employing a figure of speech to suggest the sphere of Satan’s dominion? Hendriksen (p. 114) has strongly argued that the literal meaning is basic, without assuming that Paul has accommodated his thinking to current belief.
Satan is the unholy spirit (1 Cor 2:12) who apes the operations of his divine counterpart by being constantly at work. The verb (energountos, “operating”; NIV, “at work”) is deliberately chosen to imply rivalry with the Holy Spirit (cf. Eph 1:19, 20). “Sons of disobedience” (NIV, “those who are disobedient”) is a Hebrew turn of phrase disclosing the fact that rebellion against God and refusal to believe in him is inherent in man (Eph 5:16; cf. Col 3:6 mg.). (Wood, A. S. (1981). Ephesians. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon (Vol. 11, p. 34). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
The unsaved person orders his behavior within the sphere of trespasses and sins “according to the course of this world.” “According to” is kata (κατα), a preposition which in its local and root meaning has the idea of “down,” which latter word speaks of domination and control. His act of ordering his behavior in the sphere of trespasses and sins is dominated or controlled by “the course of this world.” “Course” is aiōn (αἰων), which Trench defines as “All that floating mass of thoughts, opinions, maxims, speculations, hopes, impulses, aims, aspirations, at any time current in the world, which it may be impossible to seize and accurately define, but which constitutes a most real and effective power, being the moral, or immoral atmosphere which at every moment of our lives we inhale, again inevitably to exhale,—all this is included in the aiōn (αἰων), which is, as Bengel has expressed it, ‘the subtle informing spirit of the kosmos (κοσμος), or world of men who are living alienated and apart from God’ ” (Trench). The Germans have a word for it, zeitgeist, “the spirit of the age.” “World” is in the head, his demons are his emissaries, and all the unsaved kosmos (κοσμος), which here refers to the system of evil of which Satan are his slaves, together with the purposes, pursuits, pleasures, and places where God is not wanted. To distinguish the words, one could say that kosmos (κοσμος) gives the over-all picture of mankind alienated from God during all history, and aiōn (αἰων) represents any distinct age or period of human history as marked out from another by particular characteristics.
But not only does the sinner order his behavior as dominated by the spirit of the age in which he lives, which spirit is just part of that kosmos (κοσμος) human-history-long alienation of the human race from God. He is dominated or controlled by the “prince of the power of the air.” The word “prince” suggests the son of a king. We use the word in the expression “he is a prince of a fellow.” The Greek word is archōn (ἀρχων) which refers to the first in an order of persons or things. It speaks here of Satan who is the first one in power and authority in his kingdom. “Power” is exousia (ἐξουσια), “authority,” and refers to the demons. The word “air” here is aer (ἁερ), “the lower, denser atmosphere” as against the aithēr (αἰθηρ), “the rarer atmosphere above the mountain tops.” The kingdom of Satan is in this lower atmosphere where we human beings are, in order that that sinister being, filled with a bitter hatred of God and the human race, might with his demons, prey upon humanity. Satan is the leader of the authority (demons) of the lower atmosphere. The unsaved order their behavior according to his dictates and those of his demons. It is significant that Paul ascribes the origin of the false religions to the demons (I Tim. 4:1).
In the a.v. translation, one would naturally think that “spirit” is in apposition with “prince” and in the same construction as that word is to the words “according to,” interpreting as follows: the prince is the spirit who works in the children of disobedience. That is, Satan is that spirit. Now, it is true that Satan is an angel, and in that sense could be called a spirit. It is true that he works in the unsaved. But according to the rules of Greek Grammar, it is impossible to so relate the words. “Prince” is in the accusative case, “spirit” in the genitive. They could not therefore be in apposition. The connection is as follows: the prince of the power of the air is also the prince of the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience. The question now is as to what this spirit is? It is the principle or power that comes into men from Satan, the spirit that is operative in the unsaved. The word “spirit” is used here as in the expression, “the spirit of Antichrist.” The word refers to one’s way of thinking and acting. We say, “the spirit of that man is beautiful.” It is an evil tendency, a way of living, a characteristic of the unsaved, the spirit of the unsaved. Satan is the one who dominates and controls this spirit in man. This spirit or disposition is said to work in the children of disobedience. “Worketh” is energeō (ἐνεργεω), “to be operative, to be at work.” “Children” is huios (υἱος), “sons” and is a Hebrew idiom in which one calls a person having a peculiar quality, or subject to a peculiar evil, a son of that quality. The unsaved are called sons of disobedience in the sense that they have the character of being disobedient. The word “disobedient” is the translation of apeithēs (ἀπειθης), “impersuasable, uncompliant.” Stephen called Israel stiffnecked in heart. This gives the picture of a person who is impersuasable and uncompliant. The definite article before “impersuasable” seems to point to a particular act of that character, possibly the original sin of Adam. (Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest’s word studies from the Greek New Testament: for the English reader (Eph 2:2). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.)
2:2–3. Mankind’s unregenerate condition is further delineated in three ways: (1) The unregenerate follow the ways of this world. Unbelievers follow the lifestyles of other unbelievers; they experience the world’s peer pressure. “This world” (kosmos) is the satanically organized system that hates and opposes all that is godly (cf. John 15:18, 23).
(2) The unsaved follow the ruler of the kingdom of the air, that is, Satan. “The whole world is under the control of the evil one” (1 John 5:19), also called “the god of this Age” (2 Cor. 4:4). In the middle of the Tribulation he will be cast down to the earth, no longer to rule the world or have access to God’s presence (Rev. 12:9). The unsaved are now in the clutches of this “ruler” and follow in his opposition to God.
(3) The additional description, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient, may be a further elaboration of the distant antecedent, “ways of this world,” but this seems too remote. Some (e.g., niv) suggest that it refers to “the ruler,” meaning that Satan personally works in sons of disobedience. However, it seems that “the spirit” is the same as “the kingdom (exousias, lit. ‘authority’) of the air.” This is the nearest antecedent and makes sense grammatically. This “spirit” then refers to the impersonal force or atmosphere, which is controlled and directed by Satan (1 John 5:19). This spirit is presently “at work” (energountos) in unbelievers. “In those who are disobedient” is literally, “in the sons of disobedience.” The word for sons (huiois) has the idea of a distinctive characteristic. “A son of disobedience” is one who is a distinctly disobedient person. The Greek word translated “disobedience” and “disobedient” is used several times in the New Testament (Rom. 11:30, 32; Eph. 2:2; 5:6; Heb. 4:6, 11). It suggests conscious and active rebellion and opposition against God.
However, the unconverted not only are under the pressure of the world system and Satan’s control but they also enjoy it. All of us also lived among them at one time is Paul’s reminder to his Gentile readers that the Jews (“all of us”) also joined in this disobedience. The word “lived” (anestraphēmen; “conducted themselves”) differs from “used to live” (periepatēsate) in Ephesians 2:2. The conduct of the unsaved is in the sphere of the cravings of their sinful nature, in which they follow the desires and the thoughts of the flesh. “Sinful nature” translates “the flesh” (sarkos), which is unregenerated nature. This nature can manifest itself in a respectable form as well as in disreputable pursuits. The “thoughts” (dianoiōn, here pl., but usually sing.) suggest that even unbelievers’ reasoning processes (or calculations formed by a thinking mind) are perverted. Such false reasoning directs their wills and acts (cf. Rom. 1:21).
Like the rest, we (i.e., both Jews and Gentiles) are by nature (naturally and innately) the objects (lit. “children”) of wrath. tekna, the word for “children,” suggests a close relationship to one’s parents (in contrast with huioi, “sons,” which speaks of distinctive characteristics). Unbelievers have a close relationship, not with God, but with His wrath! Disobedience and unbelief lead to the wrath of God (Rom. 1:18–2:29; John 3:36).
Ephesians 2:1–3 presents a hopeless picture of an unregenerate person who deserves nothing but God’s wrath. (Hoehner, H. W. (1985). Ephesians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, pp. 622–623). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
He is disobedient (vv. 2–3a). This was the beginning of man’s spiritual death—his disobedience to the will of God. God said, “In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Gen. 2:17). Satan said, “Ye shall not surely die” (Gen. 3:4), and because they believed this lie, the first man and woman sinned and experienced immediate spiritual death and ultimate physical death. Since that time, mankind has lived in disobedience to God. There are three forces that encourage man in his disobedience—the world, the devil, and the flesh.
The world, or world-system, puts pressure on each person to try to get him to conform (Rom. 12:2). Jesus Christ was not “of this world” and neither are His people (John 8:23; 17:14). But the unsaved person, either consciously or unconsciously, is controlled by the values and attitudes of this world.
The devil is “the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” This does not mean that Satan is personally at work in the life of each unbeliever, since Satan as a created being is limited in space. Unlike God, who is omnipresent, Satan cannot be in all places at one time. But because of his demonic associates (Eph. 6:11–12), and his power over the world system (John 12:31), Satan influences the lives of all unbelievers, and also seeks to influence believers. He wants to make people “children of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2; 5:6). He himself was disobedient to God, so he wants others to disobey Him too.
One of Satan’s chief tools for getting people to disobey God is lies. He is a liar (John 8:44), and it was his lie at the beginning of human history, “Ye shall not surely die,” that plunged the human race into sin. The unsaved multitudes in today’s world system disobey God because they believe the lies of Satan. When a person believes and practices a lie, he becomes a child of disobedience.
The flesh is the third force that encourages the unbeliever to disobey God. By the flesh Paul does not mean the body, because of itself, the body is not sinful. The flesh refers to that fallen nature that we were born with, that wants to control the body and the mind and make us disobey God. An evangelist friend of mine once announced as his topic, “Why Your Dog Does What It Does,” and, of course, many dog lovers came out to hear him. What he had to say was obvious, but too often overlooked: “A dog behaves like a dog because he has a dog’s nature.” If somehow you could transplant into the dog the nature of the cat, his behavior would change radically. Why does a sinner behave like a sinner? Because he has the nature of a sinner (Pss. 51:5; 58:3). This sinful nature the Bible calls “the flesh.”
Is it any wonder that the unsaved person is disobedient to God? He is controlled by the world, the flesh, and the devil, the three great enemies of God! And he cannot change his own nature or, of himself, overcome the world and the devil. He needs outside help, and that help can come only from God. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 18). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
Ver. 2.—Wherein aforetime ye walked according to the course of this world. The idea of a dead creature walking is not altogether incongruous. It implies that a kind of life remained sufficient for walking; but not the true, full, normal life; rather the life of a galvanized corpse, or of one walking in sleep. The figurative use of walking for living, or carrying on our life, is frequent in this Epistle (ch. 4:1; 5:2, etc.). “The course of this world,” elsewhere “the world,” denotes the present system of things, as conducted by those who have regard only to things seen and temporal, and no regard to God or to the future life. Where there is spiritual death there is insensibility to these things. According to the prince of the power of the air. It is obvious that this is equivalent to “the god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4), but the explanation of the term is difficult. Allusion is made to a corporate body, “the power [or, ‘government’] (ἐξουσία) of the air,” and to one who is “prince” of this government. There is no difficulty in identifying the evil one and his host, of whom Milton gives such graphic pictures. But why should they be specially connected with the air? The notion, entertained by some of the Fathers and others, that storms and disturbances of the atmosphere are caused by them, is preposterous; it is unscriptural (Ps. 148:8) and quite unscientific. The term seems to denote that evil spirits, who have some power of influencing us by their temptations, have their abode in the atmosphere, or at least haunt it, being invisible like it, yet exercising a real influence on human souls, and drawing them in worldly directions, and contrary to the will of God. The spirit which is now working in the sons of disobedience. The fact that this spirit is still working in others makes the escape of the Ephesians from him the more striking. He is not destroyed, but vigorously at work even yet. Though Jesus beheld him fall from heaven as lightning, and though he said that the prince of this world had been judged, these expressions denote a prophetic rather than an actual condition. This spirit energizes in the “sons of disobedience.” This designation is striking; it denotes persons born of disobedience, bred by disobedience, having disobedience in their very nature; comp. Rom. 8:7, “The carnal mind is enmity against God,” and passages where fallen man is called a rebel (Isa. 1:2; 63:10; Ps. 68:6; Jer. 5:23, etc.). It denotes the essential antagonism of man’s will to God’s, arising from man’s devotion to this world and its interests, and God’s regard to what is higher and holier—an antagonism often held in check and suppressed—but bursting out wildly at times in fierce opposition, as at the tower of Babel or the crucifixion of Jesus. The devil inflames man’s inherent dislike to God’s will, and encourages outbreaks of it.
Ver. 3.—Among whom we also all once spent our life in the lusts of our flesh. The apostle here brings Jews and Gentiles together. “We also,” as well as you—we were all in the same condemnation, all in a miserable plight, not merely occasionally dipping into sin, but spending our very lives in the lusts or desires of our flesh, living for no noble ends, but in an element of carnal desire, as if there were nothing higher than to please the carnal nature. Fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. Desires of the flesh, the grosser and more animal propensities (the flesh, in Scripture, has often a wider sense; see Gal. 5:19–21); and of the mind or thoughts, διανοιῶν, the objects that we thought about, whatever they might be,—the waywardness of our thoughts seems to be denoted, the random roaming of the mind hither and thither, towards this pleasure and that, sometimes serious, sometimes frivolous, but all marked by the absence of any controlling regard to the will of God. The life indicated is a life of indulgence in whatever natural feelings may arise in us—be they right or be they wrong. And we were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. This is a substantive clause, standing on its own basis, a separate fact, not merely an inference from the previous statements. The life described would have exposed us to wrath; but beyond and before this we were by nature children of wrath. “By nature” denotes something in our constitution, in our very being; and “even as the rest” denotes that this was universal, not a peculiarity affecting some, but a general feature applicable to all. “Children of wrath” denotes that we belonged to a race which had incurred the wrath of God; our individuality was so far absorbed by the social body that we shared the lot under which it had come. If there be something in this that seems contrary to justice, that seems to condemn men for the sins of others, we remark (1) that in actual life we constantly find individuals suffering for the sin of the corporation, domestic, social, or national, with which they are identified; (2) that apart from this altogether, our individual offences would expose us to God’s wrath; and (3) that the moral and legal relations of the individual to the corporation is a subject of difficulty, and in this case makes a strong demand on our faith. We should accept the teaching of the Word of God upon it, and leave our righteous Judge to vindicate himself. “Wrath,” as applied to God, must be regarded as essentially different from the same word when used of man. In the latter case it usually indicates a disorderly, excited, passionate feeling, as of one who has lost self-control; when used of God, it denotes the holy, calm, deep opposition of his nature to sin, compelling him to inflict the appropriate punishment. (Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Ed.). (1909). Ephesians (pp. 61–62). London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company.)
Ver. 2. Wherein in time past ye walked, &c.] Sins and transgressions are a road or path, in which all unconverted sinners walk; and this path is a dark, crooked, and broad one, which leads to destruction and death, and yet is their own way, which they choose, approve of, and delight to walk in; and walking in it denotes a continued series of sinning, an obstinate persisting in it, a progress in iniquity, and pleasure therein: and the time of walking in this path, being said to be in time past, shews that the elect of. God before conversion, walk in the same road that others do; and that conversion is a turning out of this way; and that when persons are converted, the course of their walking is altered, which before was according to the course of this world; meaning this world, in distinction from the world to come, or the present age, in which the apostle lived, and designs the men of it; and the course of it is their custom, manner, and way of life; to which God’s elect, during their state of unregeneracy, conform, both with respect to conversation and religious worship: great is the force that prevailing customs have over men; it is one branch of redemption by Christ, to deliver men from this present evil world, and to free them from a vain conversation in it; and it is only the grace of God that effectually teaches to deny the lusts of it; and it is only owing to the prevalent intercession and power of Christ, that even converted persons are kept from the evil of it: according to the prince of the power of the air: which is not to be understood of any supposed power the devil has over the air, by divine permission, to raise winds, &c. but of a posse, or body of devils, who have their residence in the air; for it was not only the notion of the Jews, that there are noxious and accusing spirits, who fly about באויר, in the air, and that there is no space between the earth and the firmament free, and that the whole is full of a multitude of them; but also it was the opinion of the Chaldeans, and of Pythagoraso, and Plato, that the air is full of demons: now there is a prince who is at the head of these, called Beelzebub, the prince of devils, or the lord of a fly, for the devils under him are as so many flies in the air, Matt. 12:24 and by the Jews called, רבהון דרוחיא, the prince of spirits; and is here styled, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience; by which spirit is meant, not the lesser devils that are under the prince, nor the spirit of the world which comes from him, and is not of God; but Satan himself, who is a spirit, and an evil, and an unclean one; and who operates powerfully in unbelievers, for they are meant by children of disobedience, or unbelief; just as בני מהימנותא, children of faith, in the Jewish dialect, designs believers; and over these Satan has great influence, especially the reprobate part of them; whose minds he blinds, and whose hearts he fills, and puts it into them to do the worst of crimes; and indeed, he has great power over the elect themselves, whilst in unbelief, and leads them captive at his will; and these may be said in their unregeneracy to walk after him, when they imitate him, and do his lusts, and comply with what he suggests, dictates to them, or tempts them to.
Ver. 3. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past, &c.] What the apostle says of the Gentile Ephesians before conversion, he says of himself and other Jews; and this he does, partly to shew that it was not from ill will, or with a design to upbraid the Gentiles, that he said what he did; and partly to beat down the pride of the Jews, who thought themselves better than the sinners of the Gentiles; as well as to magnify the grace of God in the conversion of them both: the sense is, that the apostle and other Jews in the time of their unregeneracy, had their conversation according to the customs of the world, and to the prince of the air, and among unbelievers, as well as the Gentiles; and that they were equally sinners, and lived a like sinful course of life: in the lusts of our flesh; by flesh is meant, the corruption of nature; so called, because it is propagated by natural generation; and is opposed to the spirit, or principle of grace; and has for its object fleshly things; and discovers itself mostly in the body, the flesh; and it makes persons carnal or fleshly: and this is called our, because it belongs to human nature, and is inherent in it, and inseparable from it in this life: and the lusts of it, are the inward motions of it, in a contrariety to the law and will of God; and are various, and are sometimes called fleshly and worldly lusts, and the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life: and persons may be said to have their conversations in these, when these are the ground of their conversation, when they are solicitous about them, and make provision for the fulfilling of them, and constantly employ themselves in obedience to them, as follows: fulfilling the desires of the flesh, and of the mind; or the wills of them; what they incline to, will, and crave after: various are the degrees of sin, and its several motions; and universal is the corruption of human nature; not only the body, and the several members of it, are defiled with sin, and disposed to it, but all the powers and faculties of the soul; even the more noble and governing ones, the mind, understanding, and will, as well as the affections; and great is the power and influence which lust has over them: and were by nature children of wrath, even as others; by which is meant, not only that they were wrathful persons, living in malice, hateful, and hating one another; but that they were deserving of the wrath of God, which comes upon the children of disobedience, among whom they had their conversation; and which is revealed from heaven against such sins as they were guilty of, though they were not appointed to it: and they were such by nature; really, and not in opinion, and by and from their first birth: so a Jewish commentator on these words, thy first father hath sinned, Isa. 43:27 has this note; “how can’st thou say thou hast not sinned? and behold thy first father hath sinned, and he is the first man, for man מוטבע בחטא, is naturally in sin;” or by nature a sinner, or sin is naturally impressed in him; and hence being by nature a sinner, he is by nature deserving of the wrath of God, as were the persons spoken of: even as others; as the rest of the world, Jews as well as Gentiles; and Gentiles are especially designed, in distinction from the Jews, the apostle is speaking of; and who are particularly called in the Jewish dialect אחרים, others; see the note on Luke 18:11. (Gill, J. (1809). An Exposition of the New Testament (Vol. 3, pp. 70–71). London: Mathews and Leigh)
FROM MY READING:
Ephesians 2: 10
Twice this word, here translated “workmanship” is used in the epistles of Paul. In Romans 1: 20 it is translated “things that are made.” It is the Greek word poima, from which we get our English word “poem.” A poem is a well-constructed literary piece – the work of a master mind. In Romans 1 we see the creation as God’s great epic poem. In Ephesians 2 we have the poem of redemption. (H. A. Ironside)
Mary and Joseph flee with Jesus to escape Herod’s murderous attack.
INSIGHT
When Herod asks the scholars where the Messiah is to be born, they answer without hesitating: “Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet.”
The odds against anyone other than Jesus being the Messiah are staggering. There are 60 major prophecies that are fulfilled in the life of Christ.
Josh McDowell writes in Evidence That Demands a Verdict that, by using the science of probability in reference to all 60 major prophecies, the chances that any man might have fulfilled all 60 is humanly impossible. Reason demands that we accept Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah. (Quiet Walk)
WHY OUR LORD PRAYS FOR THESE PEOPLE
I pray for them. John 17:9
Why does our Lord pray for these people at all? He is facing His own death, the greatest and most terrible moment in His life is at hand, and yet He pauses to pray for them. Why does He do it? The answer is all here. He does it first and foremost because of His great concern for the glory of God. While He is on earth, the glory of God is, in a sense, in His hands. He has come to glorify His Father, and that is the one thing He wants to do above everything else. And now as He is going to leave these people, over and above His own concern about dying is His concern about the glory of God; it is the one thing that matters.
Second, He prays for them because of who and what they are. They are the people to whom He has manifested the name of God, the people who have been given to Him, the people to whom He has given the Word, people who believe certain things. That is the definition of a Christian, and they, and they alone, are the people for whom He prayed.
Then He prays for them because of their task, because of their calling. He is going away, and He is leaving them in the world to do something; they have work to do, exactly as He had been given work to do. You see the logic of it all? God sent Him, He sends them, and He prays for them especially in the light of their calling and their task—the work of evangelizing. There are other people who are going to believe on Him through their word, and so they must be enabled to do this work.
He also prays for them because of their circumstances, the circumstances in which they were placed in the world. He says that they are going to have trouble in the world (verse 14).
A Thought to Ponder: Over and above Christ’s own concern about dying is His concern about the glory of God.
(From Safe in the World, pp. 11-12, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Personal Greetings
“Salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren which are with them.” (Romans 16:14)
An interesting phenomenon occurs in the closing chapter of many of Paul’s epistles, which may at first seem incongruous with the biblical doctrine of plenary verbal inspiration. This phenomenon is the recital of various names of individuals—people in the churches from which, or to which, he was writing. Most of them are people about whom we know nothing except their names, as listed by Paul. There are 11 people mentioned by name in Colossians 4:7-17. In Paul’s final epistle to Timothy, right after he had written the great passage on the inspiration of the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17), he mentioned no less than 18 names. In the last chapter of Romans is listed 35 names, five of which are included in the one short verse of our text!
The question is, why did the Holy Spirit inspire Paul to include so many personal names of people who were of only local interest, in epistles which God intended to be used by Christians everywhere? And, of course, these lists of names are dwarfed in comparison to the very extensive lists in the Old Testament (e.g., Numbers 7 and 26).
Perhaps the main reason for their permanent inscripturation in this fashion is simply to illustrate the great truth that God knows and cares about every one of His children. We do know that each of our names is written in “the book of life of the Lamb” and in God’s “book of remembrance…for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon His name” (Revelation 13:8; Malachi 3:16). Perhaps, as a small token and assurance of these great lists in heaven, God has listed a few of these names in His Book here on Earth. They were ordinary people just like us, and it will be our privilege, as Paul instructs in our text, to “salute Asyncritus” when we can, and all the other believers who have gone before us! (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
However, as we examine Scripture, we discover that the emphasis for biblical leadership is not on the exercise of authority and power but on the responsibility to serve.
(p.23, Developing Leaders for the Small Church by Glenn C. Daman)
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