Here are some notes on Ephesians 2. Again, these notes could be used as a basic study guide for your personal study or a study with your family and friends.
Ephesians 1 provides an eternal perspective on trinitarian salvation. It gives us an outside-looking-in angle of salvation. Ephesians 2 provides a historical perspective on salvation. It gives is an inside-looking-out angle on salvation.
In simple terms, Ephesians 1 depicts salvation from God’s point of view, and Ephesians 2 depicts salvation from a spiritual man’s point of view.
CONVERSION – EPH. 2:1-9
The story-line in Ephesians 1 begins in eternity before creation. The story-line in Ephesians 2 occurs after creation in the context of space-time history. Paul contemplates humanity in a fallen state. He depicts God’s elect as starting out in a degenerate condition but ending up in a regenerate condition. (Compare Romans 5:12-21.)
Nature and Grace -
A natural man does not accept the things that come from God and he cannot understand them. He is blinded by the god of the world and hostile to God. The reason: he is unregenerate (born of the flesh). 1 Cor. 2:14; 2 Cor. 4:3-4; Rom. 8:7-8; Eph. 4:17-19
A spiritual man accepts the things of God and evaluates them spiritually. He has a new heart and mind. The reason: he is regenerate (born of the Spirit). 1 Cor. 2:15-16; 2 Cor. 4:5-7; Eph. 4:20-24
We are all children of wrath by nature and only become children of mercy by grace. Out of the one mass of human clay God has the right to make vessels for honorable use and vessels for dishonorable use. Rom. 9:21-24; 2 Tim. 2:20-21
Wages and Gifts -
Wages are what a person deserves on the basis of work he performs. Sin is the work of the flesh. The wages of sin is death. Rom. 3:23; 4:4; 5:12; 6:23
Gifts are what a person receives on the basis of love someone else desires to show him. Gifts are unmerited favors bestowed by another. The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. Rom. 3:24; 4:5; 5:8; 6:23
Works and Faith -
Works are all the deeds performed by a person whether good or bad. They are based on human desire and effort. Since all have sinned and continue to fall short of God’s glory, works cannot make us right with God. We cannot perform or achieve our way out of sin and into righteousness. Rom. 3:9-12, 20
Faith is a gift of grace. It does not arise from within our sinful hearts, rather it comes to us as a gift from God. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. The gospel creates faith in all God’s elect. Heb. 11:1; Phil. 1:29; Rom. 10:17; 12:3
Graves and Glory -
Before we were transported to celestial realms we were stone-cold dead in the graveyard because of our trespasses and sins. God resurrected us with Christ and seated us in celestial realms. God removed the rags of sin and replaced them with the riches of grace. See Ezekiel 37:1-14
Conversion is more than a change of behavior or habit. Conversion is resurrection from death to life, rebirth from flesh to Spirit, reformation from dust to glory, and recreation from chaos to order.
CREATION – EPH. 2:10
The church is God’s work of grace, created in Christ Jesus for good works.
God is the Potter. He is both creator and redeemer. He forms and reforms human clay (individuals and nations) according to his own purposes for the praise of his glory and grace. Jer. 18:1-8; Rom. 9:21-24
We are the clay. We were formed by God at creation, deformed by sin in the fall, and reformed by God in redemption. Like the rest of humanity we were once vessels of wrath, deformed by sin. But we became vessels of mercy, reformed by grace.
God the Potter creates vessels of mercy for divine purposes. We are jars of clay, firepots sent out to illuminate the dark places of the world with the light of the glory of God. 2 Cor. 4:5-7; 2 Tim. 2:20-21
COMMUNION – EPH. 2:11-22
The Church is a divine work of grace and peace, created in Christ to be a covenant community. God created the church for communion. Ethnic diversity gives way to evangelical unity. Through the blood of the cross Christ makes peace. Rom. 5:6-8; Col. 1:21-22
Horizontal peace between Jews and Gentiles — that is, between all the races, red, yellow, black, and white.
Vertical peace between God and sinners.
The covenant community was created to serve as the Body of Christ, Household of God, and Temple of the Holy Spirit.
Body of Christ – 2:14-16
Christ redeems us by his blood. reconciles all things in heaven and earth. He reconciles Jews and Gentiles into one body. And he reconciles the one new body to God.
(Note: The whole body of Christ was/is circumcised by the crucifixion of Christ not by human hands. Water-baptism (not bloody-circumcision) is the sign of the new covenant. At the cross Christ and his church body were circumcised – the flesh (Col. 2:11-12), sin (Rom. 6:1-3), and the world (Gal. 6:14) were cut off and stripped away.)
Household of Father God – 2:17-19
Father God adopts his redeemed children into his family. God’s elect are not rejected as orphans, but reconciled as sons and daughters. “In love he predestined us for adoption as sons” into his family. Rom. 8:15; Eph. 1:5; Gal. 4:5
Temple of the Holy Spirit - 2:20-22
The Spirit structures and sanctifies individuals and congregational as worship centers. Christ is the foundation, the apostles and prophets are the infrastructure, christians are the building materials, and the church is the temple. 1 Cor. 3:16-17; 6:18-20; 2 Cor. 6:14-18
The church is a covenant community chosen, called, converted, and created by the triune God for the praise of his glory and grace.
Listen to sermons on Ephesians 2 here.
Appendix: I encourage you to read Ephesians 2 and Colossians 2 side-by-side. The texts compliment each other.
