The Priesthood of the Believer
Expository Studies through the Epistle
to the Ephesians
Chapter Sixteen
Appreciating
God’s Loving Grace
As we move from Ephesians 2:1-3 into the next few
verses in Ephesians 2:4-10, the words “but God” in Ephesians 2:4 begin a juxtaposition (placing two statements
side by side for comparison or contrast). The Church Age
believers have so many new privileges that they take for granted. This is especially true of Gentile believers
who are ignorant of the obligations of the ceremonial and sacrificial aspects
of the Mosaic Covenant (the Law). The
contrasts between Ephesians 2:1-3 and Ephesians 2:4-10 are radical.
“1
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according
to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the
children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our
conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of
the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as
others” (Ephesians 2:1-4).
1. We were “dead in trespasses and sins”
2. In the past, “ye walked according to
the course of this world”
3. Ye were once led by “the prince of
the power of the air”
4. Our lifestyles were corrupted by
yielding to “the lusts of our flesh”
5. We were “the children of wrath”
As we
read Ephesians 2:4-10, we see the extreme contrast in the believers’ new
position “in Christ Jesus.” According to
my count, Paul uses this phrase at least forty times in his epistles, six times
in the first three chapters of Ephesians alone.
The phrase is theologically significant as it reveals the believer’s
security in his new eternal position in “the regeneration” (Matthew
19:28).
“4
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ,
(by grace ye are saved {perfect, passive,
participle};) 6 And hath raised us up together,
and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his
grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8
For by grace {God’s provision} are {present tense} ye saved {perfect, passive, participle} through
faith {man’s response}; and that not
of yourselves: {salvation} it is
the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10
For we are his workmanship, created {aorist,
passive, participle} in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath
before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:4-10).
This juxtaposition begins with the answer to
man’s dilemma – “but God.” Into this
horrible and devastating spiritual darkness of humanity’s fallen state bursts
forth the wondrous light of the mercy of God’s grace. All of humanity is hopelessly lost in the
condemnation by the righteousness of God.
It is an overwhelming and supernatural problem that requires an
overwhelming and supernatural solution.
Man cannot save himself. He is
“condemned already” (John 3:18). No one
can work himself out of the depth of his fallen and condemned state. There is no ritual that can cleanse him of
the filth of his sin. There is but one
hope – the grace and mercy of God.
We
would think we would find mankind’s history riddle with accounts of men
pleading with God to be saved. Instead,
we find God pleading with man to receive His gift of salvation. This is true because we are blind to our
condition before God. We are blind to
the holiness of God and the perfect righteousness of God. Only God truly understands the totality and
depth of our fall into sin and condemnation.
Only God understands what is necessary to our rescue from that fallen
state. God requires a supernatural
solution. Only God can supernaturally
provide that solution. Men foolishly
think that they can somehow earn God’s favor and pardon. Men foolishly think that some ritual or
sacrifice can take away our sin and cleanse us before God. That is what apostate Israel had come to believe
by the time of the prophet Isaiah and just before their captivity. God has always had but one way to reconciliation with Him –“by grace through faith.”
“10
Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our
God, ye people of Gomorrah. 11 To what purpose is the
multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt
offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of
bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. 12 When ye come to appear
before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? 13
Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons
and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is
iniquity, even the solemn meeting. 14 Your new moons and your
appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear
them. 15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide
mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands
are full of blood. 16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of
your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; 17 Learn to do
well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the
widow. 18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD:
though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be
red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 19 If ye be willing and
obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: 20 But if ye refuse and
rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath
spoken it” (Isaiah 1:10-20).
The
sacrifices and holy days of the Mosaic Covenant were intended as reminders to
Israel of the means of their promised redemption. The thrust of God’s rebuke of the children of
Israel was that they had gradually made the sacrifices and holy days merely
mechanical. They participated in their
continual worship rituals without any real thought of Who God is, what those
rituals meant, or any real worship being offered to God. Worship is the primary offering of everything
a believer does. Worship declares our
view of God’s worth in our redemption and our daily life in fellowship with
Him. The rituals of worship soon
replaced worship. God hates this
nonsense.
This is what always happens when doctrine is
corrupted. When doctrine is corrupted,
people proportionately begin to become the focus of worship rather than
God. True doctrine is always
God-centered (Theocentric). The focus is
always upon the worth of God in our lives.
False doctrines corrupt worship making it man-centered (anthropocentric). It is not that man is actually
worshiped. It is that man’s needs and
wants become the focus of worship. True
worship is right doctrine that leads men to the throne of grace to humble
themselves at the feet of God. True
worship exposes man for what he is in the eyes of God. True worship brings that sinner to see and
understand all that God is and then offers that sinner God’s benevolent
provisions of His grace. Then that
sinner enters into the true worship being offered to God. To receive what God’s benevolent grace offers
without returning worship to God is to completely corrupt worship. This was the corruption of the Mosaic
Covenant by the priesthood that God addresses in Isaiah 1:10-20.
Isaiah
1:10-20 has similarities to the statement in Ephesians 2:1-10. The ultimate point of the difference between
Ephesians 2:1-3 and 2:4-10 is that God’s intent in everyone’s life (“whosoever”) is to restore them to full fellowship
with Him. This begins by offering the
free gift of salvation to all “by grace through faith” and continues in their
progressive sanctification “by grace through faith.” In other words, God is universally benevolent
(“the world,” John 3:16). He wants to bless people. He wants
to walk with us and talk with us. God wants us to pray and He wants to answer our prayers. If we will repent of sin and “dead works,”
understand and believe the Gospel, confess Jesus to be Jehovah incarnate, and
call on the Name of Jesus to save us from Hell, God will indwell us in the
Person of the Holy Spirit. He will then
begin a supernatural work of progressive transfiguration in our lives from
within. We are literally God’s
“workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works.” Wow!
If you cannot find something to praise God and worship Him in that
truth, you probably better reinvestigate the reality of your understanding of
what God has done for you. God deserves
to be worshiped. Worship should be the
preoccupation of every moment of the life of a believer.
God is “rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he
loved us” Ephesians 2:4. What a
remarkable statement. Look into the
infinite depth of these few words. See if
you can find a place where the riches of God’s mercy and love do not touch your
life. You will never discover such a
place, because God loves us “even when we were dead in sins” (Ephesians
2:5). God loves you “even when.”
You can put anything
after those two words. These are two
words that come together in context with overwhelming significance to the
expression “God is love.” These two
words define the infinite depth and breadth of God’s love for you. God’s love cannot be measured. This is exemplified by the extreme extent to
which He was will to go to provide humanity a way of escape from the
condemnation of their sin.
“6
For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure
for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his
love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans
5:6-8).
Can we even comprehend such love? We cannot touch an understanding of God’s
love for fallen sinners until we try to grasp the depth of the contradiction we
are against the righteousness of God and against His holy character.
“1
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of
witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily
beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy
that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down
at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider {evaluate or estimate} him that endured
such contradiction of sinners against himself {His character, nature, and attributes}, lest ye be wearied and
faint in your minds {in the ongoing
struggle to be faithful unto death as
exemplified by those already described in Hebrews chapter eleven}” (Hebrews
12:1-3).
What should be involved in our considerations of
Jesus? The infinite, omniscient,
omnipresent, omnipotent God put on a body of human flesh to become one of us in
order to take our death sentence upon Himself and open a door for our
salvation. The purpose of the
consideration is appreciation. The
purpose of the consideration is to understand the infinite love of God towards
us. The purpose of the consideration is
to generate true worship, praise, adoration, and faithfulness. Without this consideration, contemplation,
and understanding, our worship of God will always be merely intellectual. Without this consideration, contemplation,
and understanding, our worship will never be anything more than ritual mechanics. Worship that is not birthed from right
doctrine will never produce the depth that God deserves. Right doctrine births worship from the heart
as an offering to God.
Once you are “born again,” you are immersed in the
loving grace of God to the degree that nothing can ever separate you from God’s
grip again. Paul expands upon these two
words “even when” in Romans 8:31-39.
“31
What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up
for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33
Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that
justifieth. 34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ
that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of
God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us
from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution,
or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written,
For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the
slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors
through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither
death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things
present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other
creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ
Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:31-39).
When we correctly understand the infinite depth and
breadth of God’s love, then right doctrine will also generate loving
obedience. Learning Scripture to know
and then do God’s will becomes a priority in those that want to truly worship
God “in Spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).
Salvation is intended to do much more than merely give us a fire escape
from Hell. Salvation is intended to open
a door to fellowship with God that is immersed in our adoration, praise, and
worship of God. Every aspect of Bible
study answers the question, is God worthy of worship? If every aspect of your Bible study does not
arrive at that conclusion, your understanding is corrupted. That is the intent of the emphasis on the
word “truth” in Christ’s teaching in John 4:24.
No one can truly worship God until he truly understands his condemnation,
the Gospel, and the overwhelming wonders of the gift of salvation. God’s love reached into the cesspool of
humanity to rescue sinners drowning in the filth of their own degradation. We will never grasp that analogy until we
grasp God holiness and purity along with His hatred of impurity. That is what the story of Christ talking with
the harlot of Samaria in John chapter four is about. Jesus said, “He must needs go through
Samaria” (John 4:4). Aren’t you glad
that the love of God met you in your Samaria?
Jesus went to her!
“19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou
art a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye
say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. 21
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither
in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 Ye
worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the
Jews. 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers
shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to
worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him
must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:19-24).
People
just cannot seem to grasp the concept of what it means to take up our cross and
follow Him. The point is that taking up
the Cross of Christ fills our hands. We
must let go of everything else before we can take up that Cross. It is an empty-hands
commitment that empties our hands of everything worldly and then fills our
hands with everything that is important.
“Even
when we were dead in sins” (Ephesians 2:5a).
Most people view sin as a mere sickness or a deadly disease. This view of sin is completely corrupt. When sin entered into humanity through Adam,
it did not make Adam sick. Sin slayed
Adam. The words “dead in sins” portray a
vivid word picture. The word “dead” is
from the Greek word nekros (nek-ros’). The root word for
this is nekus, which refers to
a corpse. Therefore the word picture is that of a dead corpse. In Ephesians 2:1 God tells us we were dead in
trespasses and sins. Now He repeats
Himself and tells us we were “dead in sins.”
Both the words “trespasses” and “sins” are in the locative case. That is why
we have the word “in.” The words
“trespasses” and “sins” describe the location of this dead corpse. The word picture is more than a dead corpse
in a grave. The word picture is that of
a dead corpse buried in a death of eternal separation from God in a place
called Hell. All of this physical life
is just part of the journey to that ultimate destination. God’s love provides an escape and a new
pathway that leads to a new destination.
“1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye
believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many
mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to
prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there
ye may be also. 4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. 5
Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we
know the way? 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and
the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:1-6).
Just
like Jesus met the woman of Samaria on the road to Samaria, Jesus meets you on
the road to death and eternal separation from God. However, when He meets us on that road, it is
His intent to take our destination upon Himself and bear the full penalty for
our sins in His body on the tree. He
wants to change our destination.
“22
Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 23 Who,
when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not;
but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: 24 Who
his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to
sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 25
For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and
Bishop of your souls” (I Peter 2:22-25).
Satan essentially murdered Adam and all of humanity
when he deceived Adam. Satan is the
Destroyer and his murder weapon has always been sin. However, Satan just offers the weapon through
temptation. Adam took that weapon into
his own hands and, by his disobedience to God, killed himself and all of
humanity.
“12
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin;
and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 13 (For
until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no
law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over
them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is
the figure of him that was to come. 15 But not as the offence, so
also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead,
much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man,
Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 16 And not as it was
by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was
by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences
unto justification. 17 For if by one man’s offence death reigned by
one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of
righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)” (Romans 5:12-17).
God is not unjust because He gives humanity exact
parameters in which they are to live.
The boundaries for obedience were almost boundless in the Garden of
Eden. What did Adam and Eve have for
food resources compared to the single item that was forbidden? How can righteousness be tested by obedience
if there is no choice for disobedience?
Satan’s deception merely misrepresented the consequences of disobedience
(“Ye shall not surely die,” Genesis 3:4) and lied about its potential with a
false promise (“ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil,” Genesis 3:5). Eve was deceived. Adam chose to willfully disobey. From that point forward every person born
into this world was born “dead in trespasses and sins.” Without salvation, we all are nothing more than
walking corpses.
“13
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be
tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is
tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then
when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished,
bringeth forth death” (James 1: 13-15).
There
is no possible way any man, saved or unsaved, can ever comprehend the love of
God. I do not think it is even possible
when we see Him in Heaven. God’s love is
even beyond our imaginations. God’s love
saves us, keeps us, and promises us a future we cannot even imagine. He deserves to be worshipped.
“But
as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into
the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (I
Corinthians 2:9).
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Numerous studies and series are available free of charge for local churches at: http://www.disciplemakerministries.org/
Dr. Lance Ketchum serves the Lord as a Church Planter, Evangelist/Revivalist.
He has served the Lord for over 40 years.
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