Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 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. 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. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 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. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
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)—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. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 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, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

• Ephesians 2:1-22

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Ephesians 2:1 ‘we must believe’: “Spiritual resurrection may be understood in theory; but it cannot be really comprehended until we ourselves have been raised out of spiritual death. In the things of God, knowledge is only to be gained by personal experience. To understand regeneration, one must be born again. To understand faith, simple as it is, one must believe.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

Ephesians 2:5-7 ‘Seated with Christ in Heaven’: “By Grace the Lord Jesus Christ saved us ‘when we were dead in our transgressions’ (Ephesians 2:5). We have been made alive in Him, and spiritually, we have been raised up with Him and seated ‘with Him in the heavenly places’ (verse 6). Because of this new relationship ‘in the ages to come,’ Christ will someday ‘show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us’ (verse 7). Prophetically speaking, believers will be trophies of His matchless grace. This salvation came about ‘because of His great love with which He loved us’ (verse 4).
“What are the ‘ages to come’? Since the Greek word for ‘ages’ is plural (aiosin), this could mean many periods of time that lead on into eternity. It could begin with the resurrection of the saints who have died and are asleep and the believers who are alive on earth, all of whom will be transformed and meet the Lord in the air at the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). It would certainly also include the period of time when believers are in glory and awaiting the revelation of Christ as king upon the earth. The book of Revelation has the church saints in mind when we read about the great company in heaven ‘from every tribe and tongue and people and nation’ (Revelation 5:9) who are ‘thousands of thousands’ (verse 11) crying with a loud voice, ’Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and wisdom glory and blessing. (verse 12).”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

Ephesians 2:5 ‘when we were dead … made us alive’: “Far more than anything else, a spiritually dead person needs to be made alive by God. Salvation brings spiritual life to the dead. The power that raises believers out of death and makes them alive (cf. Rom. 6:1-7) is the same power that energizes every aspect of Christian living (cf. Rom. 6:11-13).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Ephesians 2:6 ‘heavenly realms’: ”The heavenly realms are the seat of God’s authority and power.“

• Ray C. Stedman, Adventuring Through the Bible

Ephesians 2:8-10 ‘God changes our to-do list’: “Craig Groeschel, an Oklahoma pastor, described how in Ephesians 2:8-10 the apostle Paul was not emphasizing being saved by good works-it’s by God’s grace, the free gift of His Son, of course-but the need to do good works. And when we do, God has something in store for us.
“Paul, before the Lord struck him with a blinding light on the Damascus road, was the same guy-then known as Saul-whose ‘doing’ for years and years was the persecution and execution of the Lord’s disciples.
“From the moment he was converted, Paul’s ‘doing’ changed. God transformed Paul’s to-do list in that experience when He demonstrated how much He loved Paul, who had openly defied Him. God sought Paul much like the ‘hound of heaven’ described in the poem by Francis Thompson. And Paul, in that life-changing moment, went from being a Jewish zealot named Saul, who mercilessly persecuted the followers of Christ, to a fervent missionary and evangelist who would preach the gospel of Jesus Christ unashamedly to Jews and Gentiles alike.”

• Tony Dungy, Uncommon Life – Daily Challenge (excerpt from devotion for 3 August)

Ephesians 2:8 ‘Grace is the fountain, faith the aqueduct with a flood of mercy’: “Grace is the first and last moving cause of salvation and faith. Important as it is, it is only an important part of the machinery which grace employs. Faith occupies the position of a channel or conduit. Grace is the fountain and the stream; faith is the aqueduct along which the flood of mercy flows down to refresh the thirsty sons of men.“

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

Ephesians 2:8 ‘by grace through faith’: “There is a mistaken notion abroad that in the Old Testament salvation came by obedience to the Law, while in the New Testament it comes by faith. The truth is that since the beginning of the world no one was ever saved in any way other than by grace through faith.
” ‘The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ’ (John 1:17). But grace and truth came by Jesus Christ long before the incarnation. When God slew those beasts (presumably lambs) and gave the skins to Adam and Eve for clothing, He was telling them in symbolic language that the redemption of the race would be by the merit of innocent life laid down. Not by law but by atonement would they and their descendants be ransomed from the Fall.
This idea was never wholly lost to mankind. When the Law was given it was accompanied by a system of sin offerings and atoning sacrifices leading straight to the Savior who was to come. When John pointed to Jesus and exclaimed, ‘Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world’ (John 1:29), he was identifying Christ with all the sacrificial lambs that had been offered for sin from the time of Abel to the appearance of Emmanuel.”

• A. W. Tozer, The Price of Neglect

Ephesians 2:10 ‘glorify God, not yourself’: “The push for power has come to shove. And most of us are either pushing or being pushed.
“I might point out the difference between a passion for excellence and a passion for power. The desire for excellence is a gift of God, much needed in society. It is characterized by respect for quality and a yearning to use God’s gifts in a way that pleases him …
“But there is a canyon of difference between doing your best to glorify God and doing whatever it takes to glorify yourself. The quest for excellence is a mark of maturity. The quest for power is childish.“

• Max Lucado, The Applause of Heaven

Ephesians 2:13 ‘far off’: “A common term in rabbinical writings used to describe Gentiles, those who were apart from the true God (cf. Is. 57:19; Acts 2:39). brought near. Every person who trusts in Christ alone for salvation, Jew or Gentile, is brought into spiritual union and intimacy with God. This is the reconciliation of 2 Corinthians 5:18-21. The atoning work accomplished by Christ’s death on the Cross washes away the penalty of sin and ultimately even its presence.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Ephesians 2:14-16 ‘Makers of Divine Peace’ : ”Blessed are the peacemakers, for they, will be called children of God (Matt. 5:9). Jesus followers are called to peace. As Jesus called them, they found their peace. Jesus is their peace. Now they are not only to have peace, but also to create it. This means they renounce violence and revolution. These have never helped the cause of Christ. The kingdom of Christ is a kingdom of peace, and members of the church of Christ greet each other with the passing of the peace and the kiss of peace. The disciples of Jesus keep the peace because they would rather suffer themselves than cause others suffering. They preserve fellowship where others break it; they renounce self-assertion and are not provoked by hate and injustice. Thus they overcome evil with good (Rom. 12:21). Thus they are makers of divine peace in the midst of a world of hate and war. Nowhere, however, will their peace be greater than where they meet evildoers in peace and are ready to suffer from them. The peacemakers will carry the cross with their Lord, for peace was made on the cross (Eph. 2:14-16). Because they are thus drawn into Christ’s work of peace and called to the work of the Son of God, they themselves will therefore be called children of God.”

• Dietrich Bonhoeffer, I Want to Live These Days with You, devotional compiled from several of his writings

Ephesians 2:14 ‘source of peace’: “The Lord Jesus is the great cause of peace between people. As soon as we become Christians, we cannot hate anybody. It is utterly inconsistent with grace in the heart to harbor malice against others. Through our weakness we may be, and sometimes are, quick of temper and sharp­and this we ought to regret and mourn over-but to carry in our soul any enmity against others is contrary to the spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ.“

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

Ephesians 2:16 ‘live like heavenly ones here’: “Especially among Christians there must not be anything like a shadow of division or discord. And I do pray that we would lay aside everything like enmity, hatred, variance, strife, and jealousies. We will have to live in heaven together. We ought to live like heavenly ones together here.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

Ephesians 2:17 ‘preached peace’: “The Greek word for preached literally means ‘to bring or announce good news;’ and in the NT is almost always used of proclaiming the Good News that sinners can be reconciled to God by the salvation which is through Jesus Christ. In this context, Christ, the One who ‘Himself is our peace’ (v. 14), also announced the good news of peace. afar off and … near. That is to Gentiles and Jews alike.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Ephesians 2:18 ‘access by one Spirit to the Father’: “No sinner has any right or worthiness in himself for access to God, but believers have been granted that right through faith in Christ’s sacrificial death (cf. 3:12; Rom. 5:2). The resources of the Trinity belong to believers the moment they receive Christ, and the Holy Spirit presents them before the heavenly throne of God the Father, where they are welcome to come with boldness at any time. See … Romans 8:15-17; Galatians 4:6, 7; Hebrews 4:16.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Ephesians 2:19-22 ‘The Components of a Sound Structure’: “For anyone who has built a home, you know that the foundation is critical. It must be built to fit the ground it will sit on-sand, rock, clay, or other types of soil-and support the weight of the house when it is finished. The foundation determines the structural integrity of the house, and the better it is designed, the longer the house will stand. …
“In a masonry foundation, the cornerstone is the first stone laid on the foundation, the stone that orients the building. The alignment of the cornerstone gives the entire building its proper dimension and alignment, and the other stones are set in reference to it.
“We can have a strong foundation of faith, but we also need to have perfect alignment with the only person who truly matters-Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of our lives.When the storms come and beat against our lives, even if we are battered and knocked down, the foundation and cornerstone stand securely. With them still in place, we can rebuild again and be even stronger.
“Don’t scrimp on your spiritual building materials. Stay connected with people whose faith strengthens your foundation. And every day, align yourself with Christ, your cornerstone.”

• Tony Dungy, Uncommon Life – Daily Challenge (excerpt from devotion for 6 August)

Ephesians 2:21-22 ‘building blocks of His temple’: “Next, Paul uses the metaphor of a temple to describe the nature of the church.
“When all the worthless products of human endeavor have crumbled to dust, when all the institutions and organizations we have built have been long forgotten, the temple that God is now building-His church-will be the central focus of attention through all eternity. That is what this passage implies.
“We are God’s building blocks. He is shaping us, edging us, fitting us together, placing us in His design, using us in His plan, positioning us in His temple in places where we can be most effective for His purpose. We are His temple, His house, His dwelling place. Let’s make ourselves a welcoming temple where God can enter and say, ‘This is my home. This is where I am pleased to dwell.’”

• Ray C. Stedman, Adventuring Through the Bible

Ephesians 2:22 ‘living stones’: “The house of God is built with the living stones of converted men and women and the church of God, which Christ has purchased with His blood-this is the divine edifice and the structure wherein God dwells even to this day.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

My Thoughts

I just saw a television show where they discussed this.  Without God instilling within us the need for salvation, we are dead to sin.  We cannot approach God.  We do not even have the inclination to approach God.  But God knows His elect and God knows that once we see ourselves in our sinful state, we will want to accept God into our lives.

The discussion on the television show had just discussed predestination and this Scripture was interpreted that if someone who was not of God’s elect was made aware that there was a gulf between them and God, they would not respond in kind.  This, in the concept of the panel of pastors reconciles the need for us to only believe to be saved and each person having free will while God has His elect, predestined, prepared in advance for the good works God has in store for us.

And in these verses, it is clear that salvation in first.  No amount of good works can save us.  We are saved, and then God has good works for us to do.  I have met people who were doing good works on their own when God made it clear to them that their good works meant nothing without accepting Jesus.  So, doing it the other way means that the good works mean nothing, and the pride, which God does not like, gets in our way.  We think that we’ve done enough to show God how good we are, but that is not the way it works.

Then Paul again speaks of the Judaizers and circumcision.  Circumcision is an act of man, thus not needed for salvation.  And the peacemaking and atonement provided by Jesus makes the Good News available to near and far away people, to the Jews and the Gentiles.

This is a spiritual peace that is offered between all believers.  Both Jews and Gentiles can sit at the same table before God.

This passage also clarifies that God’s salvation was always a matter of grace.  Even in Old Testament times, it was not the following and obeying of Laws, but the Grace freely afforded by God that was effective for salvation.

Some Serendipitous Reflections

Ephesians 2:1-10 Made Alive in Christ 1. Spiritually, do you feel more dead or alive now? Why?
“2. What has God prepared for you to be and to do?
Ephesians 2:11-22 One in Christ 1. What relationship in your life still has walls to be knocked down? How will that happen?
“2. Although God’s grace is personal (2:8), what social barriers should it be affecting in your community? Your church? What is your role in that process?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

Ephesians 2 has two sets of questions.

Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.

If you like these Thursday morning Bible studies, but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Thursday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.