EPHESIANS 2
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. – Ephesians 2:1-10
EPHESIANS 2 DEAD IN TRESPASSES AND SINS THROUGH CHRIST
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
Once you were by nature children of wrath, like all humans
But Christ freed you and changed your nature to please God
You are now dead in your trespasses and sins because of Christ
You are not slaves to sin anymore but are now dead from it
Walk in the guidance of the Spirit and never follow your cravings
Instead, aim to focus your mind and heart to what is righteous.
In this account, Paul explains the concept of being in control of the believers’ bondage to sin. He says that since Jesus died for them already, there is no reason for them to live sinful lives anymore. The grace given to them through their faith is not based on what they do and how they perform but on the gift of God when He sent his son to die on the cross. Because of this, no believer can boast about any of these gifts of grace since they received them from God even while they were still sinners and don’t deserve to be given such privileges.
Paul focuses on God’s being rich in mercy and love for mankind. Because we are loved by a faithful God, Paul wants the believers to learn the way of living free from the bondage of sin. This means that we follow that which is the opposite of the systems of the world. We aim to live under the law of love and liberty instead of the systems of greed and covetousness. It also means living a life of starving the passions and desires of our flesh which are all against God.
In verse 10, he points out how we are the workmanship of God. In Genesis 1:27, we know this to be true since he made both man and woman in his own image. The problem lies in the fall when sin twisted the purpose of our make. Sin changed the trajectory of our love from God to ourselves. So, Paul teaches the believers to go back to the way God made us for. It was for us to bring him glory and not ourselves.
REFLECTION
· How can we live a life of freedom from sin instead of bondage to it?
