The Book of Ephesians

Chapter 2

Review

We ended chapter 1 in the midst of researching the 19 systematic promises of our keys to the Kingdom of God - our spiritual inheritances that we, as believers in Christ Jesus have at our disposal.  These keys are in reserve in heavenly places, of which God wants to avail to us here on earth while we serve Him as He has ordained for each one of us, as well as use when we co-rule and co-reign with Christ for 1000 years in the Millennial Kingdom.  So far, we have researched eight of them:

#1  God chose us "in Christ" before the foundation of the world:  Remembering that Adam in the fall fell from the grace of God.  God then chose the Jews to be a part of His family through Adam and reconfirmed through Moses.  The Jews rejected Christ - the Son of God, when He came, and as such God chose the Gentile people to come into relationship with Him through Christ. 

#2  God predestined us "in Christ" before the foundation of the world:  Not only did God choose the Gentile population to be a part of His Kingdom, He predestined them - even before the foundation of the world.  He purposed from the very beginning, seeing down the corridors of time that the whole world, no matter what ethic background they come from, salvation is offered to all of mankind.  As Gentiles, or any other ethnic group, you and I have been offered the gift of salvation through Christ Jesus.  We do, however, have to accept that offer through God's grace in our faith in Jesus Christ.

#3  "In Christ," God created us to be made acceptable in the beloved:  God knew who would accept Jesus as His Son, and for those who would, they are accepted as one of His.  We belong to His family - the Kingdom of God, entitled to all of the inheritance given to whoever is part of His Kingdom.  Again, all because of Jesus.

#4  "In Him (Christ)" we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.  Because of Jesus' shed blood for our sins, that is God's gift to us in that we have forgiveness from those sins.  We then have been saved from eternal condemnation that the world will experience.  We've been saved from the power of Satan because of all Jesus has done for us.  And that is only the beginning!

#5 - "In Himself (Christ)," God made known to us the mystery of His will:  It actually pleased God to have us know the mystery of His will - His great place for the ages to come - not just this life, which is powerful, but in the life come.  The Old Testament believers did not know this mystery - but it is given to us...and I will talk more on that as we go along!

#6 "In Christ" Jesus will gather together in one all things in the fullness of the times:  Systematically, the Apostle Paul has been walking us through God's grace upon us - starting from before the foundation of the earth, and the time of the Gentiles coming to Christ, and now in this verse, we are at the Rapture of the Church when Jesus will gather all of His believers into One and escort us into our heavenly home.

#7  "In Christ" we have obtained an inheritance:  While we are saved by grace through out faith, which is our entrance into heaven, it is how we serve the Lord through our obedience to His Word which gives us our inheritance, and how much we will receive.  Remember, the Old Testament was our teacher to show us right from wrong.  That's foundational to our belief system and never changes.  We, as believers, will stand before Christ at the Judgment Seat of Christ on what our rewards will be when we co-rule and co-reign with Christ for 1000 years, and it will be dependant on how much inheritance we will receive.

#8  "In Christ" we were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise:  When we first accepted Christ, the Holy Spirit came to indwell believers in Christ.  The Holy Spirit then became our comforter, guide, instructor and power as we serve Christ here on earth.  Then, it is the Holy Spirit that brings us to heaven - that same power that raised Jesus from the dead now lives within us to that we will spend our eternity with God. 

We Are Made Alive

The Apostle Paul ended the last chapter by teaching us about God’s power through the resurrection of Jesus.  Now the apostle is ready to teach the Ephesian Church (as well as us believers today) how Jesus’ resurrection power is utilized in our lives.

#9  "In Christ" we have been made alive even in our trespasses and sins. 

1. And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,

In its original manuscript, this verse read:  And you who were dead in trespasses and sins...  The words "He made alive" were italized and added, meaning they were omitted from the original manuscript.  It was added in for greater clarity in its meaning because throughout chapter 1, the Apostle Paul has been referring to those who have been made alive in Christ - the benefits and blessings that we have as believers in Christ. 

Trespasses and sins actually mean two different kinds of sins:

 

• Trespasses are sins committed out of rebelliousness toward God, challenging His boundaries.  In other words, trespasses are when we deliberately sin against God as an act of disobedience to Him and His Word.
• Sins, on the other hand, are when we miss the mark of God's perfect standard, often being unaware that we have missed that mark.  While one is deliberate and one may be unintentional, either way, before coming to Christ, our trespasses and sins take us down a road of destruction and eternal death.  We are blind to our sins, living in a world of iniquity, a slave to sin - lost on a road to destruction without God.

2. in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, ³ among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

Before we came to Christ, we were living under the control of Satan in this world's system as we surrendered to our natural man, the world, and unbeknownst - the devil.  Satan, who is called the god of this world is also called the prince of the power of the air - meaning his area of authority extends to this earth and its atmosphere, known as the heavenlies.  Ephesians 6:12 tells us that the earth's atmosphere is the home of Satan's demonic hosts consisting of principalities, powers, rulers of darkness and spiritual forces of wickedness.  Here in these heavenlies, these evil forces rule over this world's system as well as do battle with God's angels who fight on our behalf. 

• Here is where we, as God's people, pray using our authority against Satan and his hosts, as God uses His angels to work on our behalf to fight the evil forces of Satan. 
• For unbelievers - sons of disobedience - they respond to Satan's guidance in their lives, living in the lusts of their own flesh and in rebellion against the things of God.   They are, just as we once were by our sinful nature, children of wrath.

But God...

⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 

Paul now explains God's reasoning behind reconciling man back to Himself.  It takes us back to our last chapter in how much God loves His beautiful creation of man.  Mankind, however, keeps going back to his sinful nature, as we know from the fall of man way back in Genesis, chapter one.  But God, in His rich mercy, loves us so much to where He keeps trying to reconcile man back to Him.  His love is relentless!

• Even though God knew everything before the foundation of the world, and made provisions for it, He knew the Jews would betray His Son, so He gave the Gentiles their chance - those who would come to believe and follow His Son.  They, in general, however, have proved to be wicked and rejected Him as well.  But He is still reaching to the Gentiles in this dispensation.  As wicked as all human beings are, God still loves us and wants us to come back to Him.  What a merciful God we serve.

#10.  We have been raised up to sit with Him in heavenly places "in Christ."

⁶ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 

Because Jesus sits on the throne of God, He also tells us here that as the Body of Christ, we too sit with Him on the throne, having authority.  Not physically yet, but spiritually, we have our authority in Christ over all of the powers of the enemy forces. 

I once had a vision that I will never forget.  I was up in heaven sitting with Jesus on His right side on the throne of God.  Jesus had His right arm around me and I was nestled up against Him on this gold throne that I remember had huge gold grapes and vines as part of the throne.  I felt so safe, loving, and secure.  To Jesus' left was God Almighty. 

• As I looked over to my left to look at God, He was so bright - a white bright to where I could not see Him at all - only the rays of the glow of Him.  The bright light was so powerful.
• Then I looked over to Jesus sitting right next to me.  I could see His feet and body, arms and hands, but I could not see His face, for it too shown like the face of God, but not as intense.  His face, however, had a golden light filled with rays springing from it. 
• Then Jesus spoke to me with His left arm and finger pointing down to my feet.  I looked at my feet and I saw a stool with Satan underneath it.  His head, like a bobble head was swaying back and forth, with his arms and legs bobbing uncontrollably.  Then Jesus, with His left finger pointing at my feet said, "see, I have given you power over him - pointing to Satan under my feet.  And my vision ended.

What Jesus was saying to me was that I, as part of His body, already spiritually sit with Him in heavenly places.  I have authority in the name of Jesus.   While Satan or his demonic spirits keep harrassing me, I must always remember the power I have from Jesus in that I rule from the throne of God over all the powers of Satan and his demonic spirits.  He is under my feet and that is where I need to keep him - under my feet.  Satan has no authority over me, but I have authority over him.

Jesus Christ now sits on the right hand of the throne of God.  As part of His Body, belonging to Him, that is also our position.  We also sit with Christ on the throne of God.

The Last Dispensation

As we go into the next verse, we see the Apostle Paul assuring us that in the ages (plural) to come, meaning, first of all, the last dispensation of the Millennium when God pulls all dispensations in one together, that God will show us the exceeding riches of His grace.  That is God's mercy and kindness toward us who believe and trust in Christ Jesus.

#11  During the Millennium, God has exceeding riches for us so we can co-rule and co-reign with Him for 1000 years.

⁷ that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

During the Millennium, as we co-rule and co-reign with Christ, we will use our inheritance (rewards) as we serve Christ over the 1000 year period.  Then God will continue to show His exceeding riches of His grace toward us as we enter into eternity, and will continue forevermore.

And the apostle now gives us the reason why all of these wonderful blessings come to us - God's grace upon us because we came to believe and trust in Jesus.

#12.  By God's grace, we are eternally saved through our faith in His Son Jesus Christ.

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast. 

The Apostle Paul reminds us that God's gift of grace is given to the undeserving.  We are saved by grace - God's unmerited  grace through faith.  Faith alone didn't save us, but God's grace given freely to us by faith. 

• There is nothing we could do to earn our salvation.  No amount of works could get us freedom from our sins and deliverance from hell.
• Eternal salvation - making it into heaven is a gift from God.

Yet, we do not have the ability to believe in Jesus unless God does a prior work in us, because we are blinded by Satan and our own sins (2 Cor 4:4). 

• It takes the power of God working in a person's life to believe and it takes the act of the person's heart to believe in Christ.  They are two different things. 
• Without the power of God working in a person's life to believe can one be able to act upon that power to believe. 

 That then brings the question of why would God work His power on certain people and not on others.

• Again, God is omipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient, meaning all knowing, all seeing, and His presence is everywhere.  God sees down the corridors of time and knows the heart of all men past, present, and future.  God knows who will and who will not accept Him.  For those He knows will accept Him, He does the work of power (or grace) in that person's life to be able to believe. 
• It will still take the act of the person's heart, however, to repent and come to belief and acceptance in Jesus.  Everyone has to come to Jesus on their own because we each have a free will to accept or reject Christ.  That's why we can say by grace are we save through faith.
• Because we have saved through grace by faith, and it is not of any works we can do, no one can boast.  In this, God alone receives the glory.

#13  "In Christ Jesus," we are His workmanship for good works.

¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

What we all need to understand:  As believers in Jesus, God knew and planned before you were born that you would be God's workmanship.  He has a plan and purpose for your life, giving you gifts and talents to be used for the Kingdom of God.

We must remember, regarding making it into heaven, we don't have to do anything outside of faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins!  Our behavior does not affect God's love for us.  God loves us and always will.  It is our belief determines WHERE we spend eternity.  Our behavior, however, determines HOW we spend eternity.  That is where "workmanship" comes into play.  How we spend eternity will be determined byour behavior in this life - and that is why righteous living becomes so important. 

• God saved you - He saved me - not only to save us from the wrath we rightly deserve, but also to make something beautiful in us.  That's why 1 Cor  5:17 tells us that we have become a new creation in Christ.  The old life is gone and the new life has come.
• Our old nature is gone, and God has this beautiful plan and purpose for your life.
• Your workmanship in you is good works that will glorify Christ Jesus.
  
  
  • Again, works have nothing to do with salvation, but once you come to Christ, your works - your right living - will then give glory to God.
  • And God wants us to walk in our workmanship so others can be saved and Jesus gets the glory.

¹¹ Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— 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. 

God’s work of reconciliation has and will be between the two groups of people throughout the world who have always been at odds with each other, meaning the Jews and the Gentiles. 

• The Jews began as God's people through Abraham, and later re-established through Moses whom they believed and followed after God.  God covenanted with them by having all males circumcized as a sign.  As such, the Jews were also known as the circumcized.
• Gentiles, on the other hand, because they had no covenant with God, following after other idols and gods were aliens and strangers to God - without hope.  They were spiritually dead and not part of God and His promises.  As such, they were called the uncircumcision. 
• When the Jews rejected Jesus when He came to earth to save all of mankind, God then turned His back on the Jews and turned His heart toward the Gentile people instead. 

This began the Dispensation of Grace or the Church, in which God was given the Gentile people a time when they too were offered God's gift of salvation - IF they came to believe in His Son Jesus the Christ and follow after Him.  This offer will continue until the fullness of the Gentiles is complete, which will march in the Rapture of the Church and the Tribulation Period.  God's purpose is to remove all believers in Jesus from the terrible things to come, which God purposes to wake up the Jews in God's last ditch to bring His people - the Jews - back to Himself before Christ comes back to earth at His 2nd coming.  As a result, our Bibles tell us that many Jews will come to believe in Christ during this seven-year period of time.  When Christ comes back, He will then join both the Jews and Gentiles - all who believe in Jesus in the Dispensation of the Millennium, which will last for 1000 years.

#14  "In Christ Jesus" you have been made near by the blood of Christ.

¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

The Apostle Paul is now saying that these Gentiles who have come to believe and follow after Christ are no longer aliens or strangers to God.  They have been brought near to the things of God because the blood of Jesus was shed for the sins of all mankind.  This reconciliation only comes by the blood of Jesus.  

Many people have claimed their nearness to God by keeping of the Law, as the Jews claimed for so many centuries, or even in this dispensation, claiming to belong to a church.  Being part of a group does not bring a person to Christ, but getting near to God only comes through the sacrificial blood of Jesus in which Jesus died for the sins of all mankind.  All God asks is that we believe and follow after Him through His Son, which is offerred to all mankind. This is what brings us near to God.

Christ Is Our Peace

¹⁴ For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, ¹⁵ having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶ and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 

Jesus is the One who broke down the wall of division and separation between the two groups of people in the world.  For thousands of years the Jews and the Gentiles had been hostile toward one another in their beliefs regarding Who God is, how to have a right relationship with their Creator, as well as any works of mankind.  You see, coming to God has always been about our relationship with our Creator, and now He wants us to come to Him through His Son Jesus.  

The Gentiles had their beliefs regarding God, referring to Him as many gods, having a whole misunderstanding of Who God is, and the Jews failed to understand that in the mindlessness of keeping their laws, they made a relationship with God into a dead dry religion; therefore, losing whatever relationship they once had with Him.  Both were wrong regarding God, so God was now providing a way for both Gentiles and Jews to come into right relationship with the One true God.      

God, however, so desires a relationship with all of His creation.  In His perfect timing, God sent His Son Jesus to be our peace - the One Who could save not only His own people, the Jews, but to save all of mankind - Jews and Gentiles alike. 

• His very own people, the Jews, however, rejected the very person that would draw them closer to God.  Instead, they nailed Him to the cross to die.  While this was all a part of God's plan to bring all of mankind together, the Jews rejected Christ as their Messiah, not wanting to leave their dead dry religion, so they killed Him.   
• So God centered His heart on bringing the Gentiles into a relationship with Him through His Son, making covenant with them.  Thus, we entered into a new dispensation - the Dispensation of the Church, Grace, or even the Dispensation of the Gentiles.  God, however, never forgot His own people - the Jews as He temporarily - allowing the opportunity for the Gentiles to come to Christ over the last 2000 years.  The times of the Gentiles, however, is about to expire and God will again come back to His own people, giving the Jews one last chance for their hearts to return to God through His Son Jesus the Christ.
• God simply wants all of mankind to love and worship Him through His Son Jesus.

Jesus came to end the source of contention between the two groups of people - becoming what the early Christians called a new or third race of people - all through Jesus Christ bringing the two groups of people together into One.  The Jews, however, hated Jesus and their contention toward the Gentile people grew worse. 

When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemene praying to the Father before He went to the cross, He prayed that His death on the cross would bring both the Jews and the Gentile together as one. 

John 17:20-21  I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; ²¹ that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  

Even though God in His foreknowledge was fully aware of all of this, His purpose was to allow mankind, as individuals and groups of people, the free will to choose or reject God.

A day will come in the next dispensation of the Millennium where the Jews and Gentiles will come together as one; and this dispensation was meant as a foretaste, or partial fulfillment of what is to come.  Again, Ephesians 1:10 tells us that God will gather together in one in all things in Christ. 

Access to God 

#15  "Through Him" we have access by one Spirit to the Father.

17  And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.  

Jesus, Who is our peace, preached the same Gospel to the Jews, whom He claims were near to Him, as well as the Gentiles, who have always been far away from Him.  Each group now has the same access and ability through the same Holy Spirit to come to Christ, because only through Christ can we now come to the Father - God Almighty.  One group is no longer more privileged than the other.  

Because we have the indwelling Holy Spirit in us, we not can we come near to God, we also have access to be in His presence.  Everyone of us all have the same access to God through the same Holy Spirit to come to Christ.  We have our Bibles to give us truth and direction for our life, so none of us are without excuse.  Again, Jesus is that peace, or bridge between all denominations or groups of people. 

• Today, we have over 1500 different Christian denominations - each stating they have the full truth, looking down on other denominations as being less superior.
• Jesus, however, preached the same Gospel then as He is preaching through His Word to us today. 
• No one group then or now is anymore superior than the other - because we are all one in Christ.  All God asks of us is that we believe what the Word of God tells us about Jesus  - Who He is and what He has done for us.

Jesus Christ, Our Chief Cornerstone

¹⁹ Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, ²⁰ having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,

The apostle was emphasizing that the Gentiles were not second-class citizens in God's kingdom.  Gentiles are not strangers or foreigners, but fellow citizens with ALL the saints and members of the household of God.  In that, all of God's people - Jew or Gentile are full and equal members of God's household. 

• Those Jews who came to Christ, believed He would come one day, and it came through the revelation of the prophets.  They laid the foundation.
• The Gentiles, however, are now given that same privilege of coming to Christ that was offered to the Jews - for He has already come.  

The foundation has been set.  The apostles or prophets of God today are joined together through Christ Jesus.  Jesus is that cornerstone, meaning the capstone that holds the whole structure together.  Jesus is the most important stone, holding the very foundation together.

This whole building that Jesus is now the cornerstone which has been joined together into a holy temple.  This temple is not made of stone, but of human flesh - the human flesh of God's people together as one - referred to earlier as the new or third race of people, known as believers in Christ Jesus - the Church.

#16  "In Whom" you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

 ²¹ in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, ²² in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

We are, individually, each a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.  The Holy Spirit lives within us; furthermore, our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.  The whole church of God's people are growing together as a holy temple, both individually and corporately where the Holy Spirit dwells within the hearts of believers in Christ.

I Cor 6:19 tells us that our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.  We are from God and we are no longer our own.  We belong to Him because we were bought at a great price - the price of the blood of His Son for our sins.

1 Cor 6:16  Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?  20  For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

1 Peter, chapter 2 tells us that the Church is a chosen generation (or dispensation) by God, and as being a temple of God, having Jesus as the cornerstone of our foundation, we are a royal priesthood, a holy nation - God's own special people.  As such, we can proclaim the praises of God who called us out of darkness into the marvelous light of God's people. 

1 Peter 2:9  But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light  10  who once were not a people but are now the people of God who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

Again, a heavy chapter - one that needs to be meditated on over and over again. 

That's it for chapter 2 of Ephesians.

Click here for Galatians, Chapter 3
Galatians (Epistle) - Chapter 3 / Galatians (Epistle) / Bible (NT) / Believers Bible School

Pastor Joyce Erickson
Believersbibleschool.com