Free Bible Commentary
“Ephesians 2:1-3”
Categories: Ephesians“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”
--- End of Scripture verses---
As Christ arose from the dead and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God in heaven (1:20), His powerful display over death has also produced a resurrection in the lives of His followers. Paul said that his brethren in Christ “were dead” in their trespasses and sins (verse 1). In the Bible, death always indicates separation. When the spirit is separated from the fleshly body it results in physical death (James 2:26). When sin enters our lives, our spirits are separated from God, which is the equivalent of spiritual death (Isaiah 59:1-2).
When we were dead in sins, we “walked according to the course of this world” (verse 2). The Walking Dead may make for an interesting bit of science fiction (although I honestly don’t understand the fixation on that ridiculous show!), but conducting our lives as dead men walking in sin and estranged from the Father in heaven is certainly not the slightest bit amusing. I think John summed up quite well what it means to walk “according to the course of the world” in 1 John 2:15-17:
“Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” Living a life of lustful, fleshly indulgence that is given over to pride and arrogance is walking with the devil (the god of this world – 2 Corinthians 4:4), and succumbing to his “power”, and that is a sinful, destructive walk.
Paul distinguishes “you” from “we” to demonstrate that all people, both Jews and Gentiles, at one time or another, “lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind” (verse 3). We can become so comfortable with and accustomed to sin that it just becomes second “nature”. But, as children “born again” of God (John 3:3), “born of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5); buried through baptism into Christ’s death, and raised in the likeness of His resurrection (Romans 6:3-6); we are to walk in newness of life in the light of His word and love (1 John 1:7-9).
Please read Ephesians 2:4-7 for tomorrow.
- Louie Taylor
