JASON MARTIN / General Adult
Ephesians / Ephesians 2
This chapter moves in 3 phases;
1. Vs. 1-3 Shows us our past - dead in our sins
2. Vs. 4-10 Shows God’s intervention in our lives - salvation by grace
3. Vs. 11-22 Is the result ‘in Christ’ - One unified people (the Church)
Ephesians 2:1 “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins”
• We are spiritually dead in our sins until the LORDs forgiveness makes us alive;
• Colossians 2:13 “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,”
• Notice it’s in the past tense. We were dead in our sins..
Ephesians 2:2–3 “in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince (NOT KING) of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 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.”
• Before our hearts were regenerated and we are born again into the new creation, we were NOT neutral. We are all serving and working for somebody. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, we are working for either God or the enemy. There is an active spiritual influence of rebellion that is in those that are not ‘in Christ’;
• In Genesis, mankind was given authority and dominion over God’s good creation. When Adam sinned, he conceded that authority over to the enemy, where it remains to this day.
• John 14:30 “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me,”
• 2 Corinthians 4:4 “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
• But when we come to Christ and make Him our LORD, the enemy loses any supposed power over us. For us, that enemy is already defeated at the cross!
• Colossians 2:15 “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”
• Hebrews 2:14 “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,”
• 1 Corinthians 15:55 ““O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?””
Ephesians 2:4 “But God (A couple of the best words found in Scripture), being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,”
• He loved us even when we were His enemies - serving the god of this world
• Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Ephesians 2:5 “even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with (IN) Christ—by grace you have been saved—”
• Not after we improved or got ourselves cleaned up - He met us where we were while we were still dead.
• This is resurrection language. We were dead in our sins. Not sick, not struggling. Dead. And our dead spirits were born again into a new life ‘in Christ’.
• Justice = getting what we deserve
• Mercy = not getting what we deserve
• Grace = getting the good that we don’t deserve - undeserved or unearned favor
Ephesians 2:6 “and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,”
• Even though we weren’t even born yet - when He came out of the grave - we came out with Him.
• His death was our death to sin....
• His resurrection is our new life
• Being seated means the work is finished and He is in a position of authority and rest.
• Notice that it is past tense - already done
• Notice we are included in that. Even while we are here, our identity is there - with Him - resting in His finished work.
• We weren’t just forgiven - we were raised
• And we weren’t just raised - we were seated
Ephesians 2:7 “so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
• His grace is immeasurable. We can’t even comprehend it - it’s overflowing beyond measure.
• He didn’t just save us to keep us from destruction - though we’re eternally grateful for that....
• He saved us to put His grace on display and be glorified through it. We are the evidence of how kind God is
• He is the Main Character - not us
Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,”
• Faith does not create or earn the gift of salvation - faith simply receives the gift
• Salvation is a gift;
• We can’t be good enough to deserve it
• We can’t pay for it
• We can’t even maintain it once we get it....
• We can only receive it
• If we are ‘in Christ’, we have already received it - past tense again
Ephesians 2:9 “not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
• Only God gets the glory. We didn’t earn anything except condemnation. “BUT GOD”......
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
• workmanship = a work of art / something made intentionally
• We are NOT random - we were fearfully and wonderfully made for a purpose.
• After He raised us and seated us - He’s shaping us to His will ‘in Christ’
• And His will for us? Good works
• We don’t do good works to be saved - we do them because we are saved
• He didn’t just drop us here and leave. He designed and prepared a path for us beforehand to do good works and we should be walking (daily living) in that path.
• So we are not saved by good works...
• But we are absolutely saved for them..
Ephesians 2:11–12 “Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.”
• Paul wants to remind the Gentiles in Ephesus where they came from spiritually;
• The Gentiles were thought to be excluded from all of these things. Jesus reversed that....
Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”
• Past tense again - if we are ‘in Christ’
• Did we work ourselves into relationship or were we “brought near’?
• Brought near by;
• the law?
• being a jew?
• trying real hard?
• By the blood of Christ..
Ephesians 2:14 “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility”
• God called the Jews to be holy (separate) from the Gentiles and gave them instructions (commandments) on how to live for Him.
Ephesians 2:15 “by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,”
• How did He make us both (Jew and Gentile) into one?
• He summed up all of the Law in one word....love. Love God - and love your neighbor. If you do these things perfectly, no ordinance can ever be broken.
Ephesians 2:16 “and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.”
• Two reconciliations happens at the cross;
• Mankind was reconciled to each other - no more division
• Mankind was reconciled to God - no more division
Ephesians 2:17 “And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.”
• far off = Gentiles
• near = Jews
• peace = both
Ephesians 2:18 “For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.”
• TRINITARIAN THEOLOGY
• Through Jesus, we have access to the Father, in the Spirit
• Jesus is the key that connects us. In His own words, He is the ladder that connects Heaven and Earth;
• Genesis 28:12 “And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it!”
• John 1:51 “And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.””
• John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Ephesians 2:19 “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,”
• From foreigners to citizens of a Heavenly Kingdom
• From outsiders to family members
Ephesians 2:20 “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,”
• The apostles refers to the new testament
• The prophets refers to the old testament
• Christ is the cornerstone that all of Scripture (and thus, our faith) is centered around
Ephesians 2:21 “in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.”
• The structure here is the Church - the new Temple - the body of Christ made up of the body of believers
Ephesians 2:22 “In him (‘in Christ’) you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”
• TRINITARIAN THEOLOGY
• The Spirit of God lives in us if we are ‘in Christ’
Exported from Logos Bible Study, 8:44 AM July 14, 2026.