Ephesians 2:1–10 Application for Today
Life application is possibly the most important aspect of researching a passage. Conveying God’s intended purpose for a particular audience in a memorable practical way is the moment of truth.[1] For this passage, the first question the reader may want to consider is, what does it mean to be dead? The Greek word for dead (νεκροὺς) is dead or corpse, in Hebrew, dye or dying is in Genesis (Gen. 23:3, 4, 8, 11). One metaphor example from Abbott-Smith; “of those immersed in worldly cares, Mt 8:22, Lk 9:60.”[2] Did the word dead bring to mind a corpse or a lifeless body not breathing? Death can happen suddenly from maybe a car wreck or an overdose, or maybe the clock has run out (Eccles. 3:1). If death happens abruptly, and the person does not know God, eternal separation from God might be the result. For this reason, it is vitally important that Christians share their faith. Another kind of death is the death of the soul (Eph. 2:1) which is eternal separation from God (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 20:15, and 2 Thess. 1:8-9). Death of the soul can happen quickly, but more often, death of one’s soul happens slowly. Even dead in sin, God continues to love the lost, extending grace to them, and sometimes he saves them (Eph. 2:5-7). As a non-believer continues in life, living however they please, the death of their soul can be subtle as Satan entices the lost with earthly desires, such as money, sex, lust, alcohol, or any “morally questionable activity” (Eph. 2:2; Gal. 5:16-17; Col. 3:5).[3] He drags them slowly and methodically farther away from God. Paul is clear; before salvation, all of mankind is separated from God, and dying because of sin (Eph. 2:1-3). Once Jesus came, died, rose, and ascended into heaven, people either believed or did not. God provides a choice, in the form of his grace, to the lost, each person must choose who they serve (Josh. 24:14-15) choosing Christ raises them up with Christ (Eph. 2:4-6). Salvation is a gift from God, a person cannot earn it themselves (Eph. 2:5, 8). The lost person may not even realize their soul is slowly rotting away. However, God continues to pursue the lost soul, and he uses his people to carry out that mission (Eph.2-10). After a person chooses salvation, God continues his work in them. He helps them realize he has preordained good works for them in service to his kingdom on earth. Zooming out to the greater context of Ephesians, the believer sees this preplanned work God has for them is made alive in the form of maturity in Christ and health of the body of Christ (Eph. 4:7-16).
[1]
Mike Bullmore, “Biblical Sermon Application,” Liberty University Corse
Presentation, 01:53-02:20.
[2]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon
of the New Testament (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1922), 301.
[3]
Craig L. Blomberg and Jennifer Foutz Markley, A Handbook of New Testament
Exegesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010), 211.
Comments
Post a Comment