In this podcast episode, you will learn how to read and understand the violent portions of Scripture in light of Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

On this cross, Jesus shows us how to properly read the Bible. If you struggle with the violent portions of Scripture, it helps to read them through the lens of Jesus Christ on the cross.

If you want to sponsor a reading of one of my books into audiobook format, please reach out to me through the contact form.

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Prior to that, however, we consider a question from a reader about the traditional teaching on hell.

Question from a Reader

Hi, Jeremy! I would just like to ask because I still get anxiety over hell. What are we to do with testimonies about hell? Sometimes I think that it may be from God redirecting us. But I also believe that there might be no hell. The only thing stopping me from holding that view are the testimonies and books saying it’s divine revelation.

I have written a book about hell titled (#AmazonAdLink) “What is Hell?” and in it, I challenge the three main views about hell and show what the Bible actually teaches regarding the doctrine of hell. It’s a shocking and surprising book, and I encourage you to read it.

Regarding the various testimonies and visions of hell that some people claim to have, I tend to be very skeptical about them, for three reasons.

First, we must always be skeptical of any vision, dream, or testimony that is not found specifically in Scripture. Scripture is the ultimate written revelation from God, and so all other forms of revelation must be filtered through the lens of Scripture. In my understanding of Scripture, there are no direct visions or revelations of hell as a place of suffering torture and everlasting burning, and so any dream or vision that a person today has which claims to have seen hell as such a place is suspect by default, for it contradicts the Bible.

Second, the human mind is quite susceptible to the power of suggestion. This is also true of dreams. I am sure you have noticed that quite often, your dreams somewhat follow the events or experiences or worries that have been most at the forefront of your mind during the previous few days. If you are worried about a test at school, or presentation at work, or some situation with your spouse, you are likely to have some dreams about these things.

I often find that when I am studying a particular text of Scripture and am struggling with it, I will have dreams about the text. If I am working on a problem with my car, I might have dreams about fixing my car. If I am preparing for a trip, I might have dreams about the upcoming trip.

The same thing happens with dreams about hell. I have found that when people have dreams about hell, it is usually because they have been thinking a lot about hell in the previous days and weeks. Maybe they have been reading and studying a lot about it. Maybe they have heard some pastors preach or teach about it. Maybe they have been extremely worried about it. Maybe a loved one passed away and they are afraid that their loved one is in hell. And so then they have dreams about hell. And since the concept of hell as a place of burning torture is so common, the dreams of hell as a place of torture are quite vivid. The more vivid your dreams are, the more you remember them. So people dream about hell, and the dreams are quite vivid, and so people will often tell others about these dreams. They might even write books about them.

But note that that the fact that they had these dreams does not prove that the dreams show what hell is really like. All it shows is that they were thinking or worried about hell, and so had a dream which helped their mind sort through and deal with some of the thoughts and worries that were on their mind. That is where most of these dreams seem to come from … not necessarily from God.

Third, and somewhat in support of the second point, any human can have these sorts of dreams and visions. I have frequently encountered non-Christian people who tell stories about visions or dreams of a place of suffering and torture in the afterlife. Muslims have these. Pagans (as in people who follow Norse mythology such as that of Odin and Thor) have these sorts of stories. The ancient Egyptians had these sorts of stories.

(#AmazonAdLink) This doesn’t mean that all such dreams and visions are correct or incorrect. It just means that stories of a place of burning and suffering after this life are not unique to Christianity, and so we have to wonder about the spiritual source of all such dreams and visions. And who is more likely to want people to live in fear about the after life? God or Satan?

Second Timothy 1:7 says that God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. God is a God of peace; not of fear, punishment, and torture.

So in my view, any human testimony about a dream or vision of hell which leads people to live in fear of God or fear for the after life is not something that comes from God. Therefore, I do not give any credibility to these visions of hell that some people claim to have. God does not threaten us into a relationship with Him, but woos us with love and promises of peace and safety.

This concept of God as a God of peace helps transition into our study of Ephesians 3:1-7.

A Prisoner for Jesus (Ephesians 3:1-7)

So far in Ephesians, Paul has explained the riches and inheritance that is ours in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1) and how Jesus revealed the way to live in peace with those people we used to hate (Ephesians 2). Now, in Ephesians 3, Paul goes on to encourage the Ephesians Christians to follow the example of Jesus and live in peace with each other also, so the world can learn from us and begin to live in peace with each other as well.

I want to remind you that many people read Paul’s letter to the Ephesians quite differently than this. As a result, they often don’t really know what to do with Ephesians 3:1-13 since these verses don’t really seem to fit with what they think Paul is saying. So when you read most commentaries or listen to pastors teach Ephesians 3:1-13, they often refer to it as an “aside.” It is thought to be one of Paul’s famous “rabbit trails” where he goes off onto some tangent that doesn’t really have much to do with anything else he is saying, and then finally returns to his main point in Ephesians 2:14.

One of the primary reasons people think this is because of those repeated words in Ephesians 3:1 and 3:14, “For this reason.” It is thought that Paul begins a point in Ephesians 3:1 by saying “For this reason” but then gets sidetracked to talk about being in prison and how the church is a mystery, until he finally returns to this main point in Ephesians 3:14 by repeating the phrase “For this reason.”

When I first taught Ephesians about twenty years ago, this is how I taught it.

But I have since come to a completely different understanding of the message of Ephesians, and in my new understanding, Paul’s words in Ephesians 3:1-14 are not a tangent, not a rabbit trail, but are rather a perfectly logical follow-up point from what Paul has written so far in this letter.

Paul’s primary point in Ephesians can be summarized in one word: “Peace!” Through Jesus, there is peace with God, peace with one another, and together, all of us are working toward universal peace (which includes bringing the principalities and powers back into their proper place).

So Paul’s point in Ephesians 3 is that he wants the Ephesian Christians to live at peace with each other. This follows naturally from what Paul has just written in Ephesians 2 about how Jesus showed us the way to live in peace with each other.

The reason we are to leave in peace with one another is because the world doesn’t know how to attain peace, and if we live at peace with each other, the world will learn how to live in peace by watching us and learning from us.

And Paul knows that before he can ask the Ephesian Christians to live in peace with each other, he needs to show them how he himself is following the example of Jesus. This is what Paul explains in Ephesians 3:1-13, how he himself is following the example of Jesus is seeking peace with others.

I am not going to be able to cover this entire section in this one study, so we will split it up into two, looking at Ephesians 3:1-7 this time, and Ephesians 3:8-13 next time.

Ephesians 3:1. For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles …

Paul begins by pointing out that his attempt to follow Jesus into the way of peace ended up with him in prison. As Paul writes this letter to the Ephesians, he is sitting in a prison in Rome.

Of course, even though he is a prisoner in Rome, Paul does not consider himself a prisoner of Rome. Paul says that he is a prisoner of Christ Jesus. Paul knows that he is right where Jesus wants him to be.

Indeed, prison is the natural and normal consequence for someone who seeks peace in a world filled with violence.

When Jesus sought peace, He ended up on a cross. So also, Paul’s quest for peace led him to prison, where he himself might die.

Yet when peace is the goal, imprisonment and possible death is better than violence and bloodshed. And in a world that is ruled and dominated by violence, those who seek peace are viewed as the enemies, who must be silenced, imprisoned, or killed.

So Paul is is prison because he followed Jesus into the way of peace.

Finally, Paul writes that he is a prisoner for you Gentiles. This does not mean that Paul was a prisoner because of the Gentiles. He is not blaming the Gentiles, especially not the Gentile Christians in Ephesus. Instead, Paul is saying that he is a prisoner “as an example” for the Gentiles, or as a way to reach the Gentiles with the truth that they too are now accepted into the family of God.

Paul is saying, “I’m in prison for your sake, to help you, to show you how this whole ‘peace’ thing works.”

We know this is what Paul means because he goes on in Ephesians 3:2-13 to explain how peace works.

Ephesians 3:2. … if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you …

The word dispensation is a word we don’t use very much anymore. We saw it previously though in Ephesians 1:10. The Greek word is oikonomia. Oiko means house, and nomia means law, so oikonomia means “law of the house.” It is the rules by which a house or business is governed. Synonyms could be “management, stewardship, or an orderly arrangement.”

In Ephesians 3:2, Paul says that a dispensation was given to him, and so we could say, as some of your translations do, that he was given a stewardship—he was made a steward or a manager over a certain task or responsibility. Paul was given specific guidelines from God by which he should live and function.

What were these guidelines? Well, the verse says that he was a steward of the grace of God which was given to me for you. Paul was sent by God to declare peace to the Gentiles. To declare that there are not more outsiders and insiders, but that all are “insiders” with God.

As the apostle to the Gentiles, Paul was the person God chose to take the message of peace to the Gentiles.

Ephesians 3:3-4. … how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ),

This message of peace to the Gentiles was something unknown to Jewish people prior to the ministry of Jesus and apostleship of Paul. Most Jews thought that God could accept Gentiles into His family, but only if they first became Jewish and kept the Mosaic Law. But Paul was showing that Jesus opened the door for all people, Jew and Gentile alike, to join the family of God. Everybody was on equal footing before God.

Now Paul says he already wrote to them about this, which he did in two places already: Ephesians 1:9-10 and Ephesians 2:11-22. We discussed this mystery there as well, so we can now move on.

Ephesians 3:5. … which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:

The reason Paul refers to this truth as a mystery is because few people saw or understood the truth of it until Jesus revealed it and Paul proclaimed it.

The idea that all people were on equal footing with God was a shocking idea for most people in Paul’s day (cf. Acts 10-15; Galatians). The idea that God wanted to love and accept all people is definitely taught all over the place in the Hebrew Scripture, but it was such a challenging idea, most Jewish people didn’t understand it or believe it. It was a hidden truth. It was a mystery to them.

In previous ages, humans have always operated under the “us vs. them” principle, which was a principle of rivalry, violence, and death (cf. Ephesians 2:1-3). But now we have a new revelation by the Spirit through the prophets and apostles, that all of us are one, and our struggle is not against each other (cf. Ephesians 6:12).

But Jesus revealed the truth of God’s love for all, and Paul has learned this truth as well, and so is now declaring it to the world. Jews and Gentiles can now live in peace with each other because both are equal footing before God. This is what Paul writes in Ephesians 3:6.

Ephesians 3:6. … that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel …

So instead of division, strife, and rivalry, we are all one family, fellow heirs of God, recipients of the promises (Ephesians 1:3-14; 2:11-22).

Previously, only the Jews were heirs. Only the Jews had promises and covenants from God. Only the Jews were allowed near to God. Only the Jews had forgiveness of sins from God.

But now they are being allowed in. Now they are being grafted into the body. Now they can partake—or share—in the promise of God! This is the mystery. It seems clear to us, but that is because it has been revealed to us.

Jews who lived prior to Paul did not see this clearly. “No one knew the full meaning of God’s promise to Abraham that “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen 12:3) until Paul wrote, “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘All the nations shall be blessed in you’” (Gal 3:8).

In Ephesians 3:7, Paul states that he effectively carried out this task of revealing the mysterious message of peace to the Gentiles.

Ephesians 3:7. … of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.

The word minister comes from the Greek word diakonos, which could also be translated as deacon. Many churches have deacons. This is where that title comes from. A deacon is someone who serves in the church. They are those men and women who have the God given ability to see what needs to be done and do it – no matter how menial. They are wonderful people to have in a church – deacons and deaconesses. That is Paul’s picture of himself in Ephesians 3:7. He calls himself a diakonos, a minister. He was a minister.

Paul is just saying that this ministry was a gift given to him by God. The term effective working is the Greek word energion from which we get our word energy, and the word power us the Greek word dunamis from which we get our word dynamite. God was working in Paul with energy like dynamite to carry out the task given to him.

And all of this divine energy and power to perform a ministry to the Gentiles led Paul directly into prison. A lot of times we think that when we have divine power and energy to perform our God-given ministry, we will be led into popularity and fame. But when Jesus followed God, He ended up on the cross. When Paul followed his calling, he ended up in prison.

Now, Paul is not done with this point about why he is in prison for following Jesus into the way of peace. He explains more in Ephesians 3:8-13, which we will cover next time. We will see that as a result of preaching peace to the Gentiles, this threatened the principalities and powers of this world, and so they put Paul in prison. However, by not fighting violence with violence, Paul was able to show the church, the world, and even the fallen powers of this world, that there was a better way to peace.

In Ephesians 2, Paul wrote to the Ephesian Christians (and therefore to us as well), that we, as the church, are to lead the world into the way of peace by being an example to them of how to live in peace with people who used to be our enemies. But Paul knows that this is easier said than done, and so in the first part of Ephesians 3, Paul is showing the church how he himself is an example to them about how to live in peace with others.

Paul is in prison as a result of his stand for peace, but Paul knows that this will only serve to prove the truth of what he is teaching. Paul leads by example, just as we, the church, are to be an example to the world. This is what we have begun to learn in this study of Ephesians 3:1-7, and we will pick back with Paul’s point next time in Ephesians 3:8-13.

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Before we get to that, I want to address a question from a reader about whether it is sinful or not for Christians to engage in New Age practices.

Question from a Reader about New Age Practices

I feel like a lot of Christians are against things like manifesting, meditation, and positive affirmations. I do believe Jesus died for my sins and he is the way to heaven. But most of my day is centered around these New Age practices because they help me clear up the doubt and fear in my life and bring me to a better mental state and ultimately so much more happiness. Is there anything wrong with this and should I feel guilty for it? Is this talked about in any of your books? I would love to hear more about what you have to say. I appreciate your response it was a weight lifted off my shoulders.

Great question! To my knowledge, I have not written about this anywhere.

Let me give you a principle that I use in my life that helps me often make tricky decisions about morality. There are two ways to approach life regarding biblical morality. They are this: First, some people think we should only do what the Bible commands. Second, some think we can do anything the Bible doesn’t forbid.

The first group thinks that we should only do what the Bible tells us we can do. Everything else is potentially sinful. This is why some extreme groups, like the Amish, don’t have electricity and won’t drive cars or have phones. That’s super simplistic, and there are other reasons also, but one reason for this approach to life is that the Bible doesn’t mention such things, and so we should avoid them.

The second approach is that we should only avoid what the Bible strictly forbids. This is the approach that most Christians try to follow, but even here, there is a wide diversity of opinion on what the Bible forbids. For example, lots of Christians in previous generations taught that playing cards was sinful. But the Bible doesn’t forbid this practice anywhere. So why did they think cards were sinful? I honestly don’t know, but they probably had their reasons.

These issues sort of go hand-in-hand with whether the Bible is prescriptive or descriptive, but that’s a slightly different issue, and so I’ll leave that one alone for now.

Anyway, I do follow that second option. For the most part, God gives us freedom to live life how we want, as long as we don’t go against the clear teachings of Scripture on moral issues. This is not a fool proof plan, because of course, the Bible never strictly forbids slavery, but we all know slavery is evil. I use a bit of trajectory hermeneutics to help make these sorts of conclusions.

So how can we apply this to New Age practices?

Well, I need to be honest. I am mostly ignorant of New Age practices and beliefs. I did a little reading and watched a few videos, but based on my extremely limited knowledge, it seems to me that many of the New Age practices are quite similar to some of the practices mentioned in the Bible, but the New Age approach sort of removes God from the equation.

So for example, many New Age practitioners talk about Manifesting or the Law of Attraction, where, which some positive thinking about yourself and the universe, you can bring good things to yourself and turn hopes and dreams into reality. Well, this is somewhat similar to prayer. Rather than trying to manifest your hopes and dreams into reality, why not have a conversation with God about your hopes and dreams instead?

What about positive thinking? Well again, why not think positive thoughts about who you are in Jesus Christ? Why not recognize all the truths from Scripture about what God thinks about you?

Does this mean that manifesting or positive thinking are sinful? …. Probably not. I just don’t think it is anywhere near as effective as prayer or as claiming the truths of Scripture about yourself.

Now look, I would avoid some of the New Age beliefs that teach we are all mini gods. That’s not true. Or that all roads lead to heaven. I am not a universalist and so don’t agree with that either.

Anyway, I am not an expert on any of this. I would love it if you weighed in below by leaving a comment. Let me know what you think about mystical beliefs and practices and how they line up with Scripture or contradict it.

By Grace are You Saved Through Faith … Ephesians 2:8-9

This study was difficult for me to prepare, because I could spend hours talking about Ephesians 2:8-9 and all the various ways of understanding this verse, and also the importance of understanding the key terms in this verse, such as grace, saved, faith, and the “gift of God” at the end of the verse. I have lessons on all these words in my Gospel Dictionary Online Course for those who join my discipleship group.

But let me just try to summarize everything for you. Let us begin with the traditional understanding of Ephesians 2:8-9. The verses say this:

Ephesians 2:8-9. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Traditionally, Christians believe that Ephesians 2:8-9 is talking about how to receive eternal life. I even taught this in the past, and you read my old teachings on Ephesians 2:8-10 here. Christians think this because of the word “saved.” Most Christians think that the word “saved” refers to receiving eternal life and going to heaven when you die.

Therefore, most Christians think that this verse is teaching that God offers eternal life to use solely by His grace, and we receive this free gift through faith … that is, by believing Jesus for it.

There is also an issue there at the end of the verse about the “gift of God” and what it refers to. What is the gift of God that Paul is referring to? Is it the grace? The faith? the salvation? I have taught about this frequently in the past, so I’m not going to dive deep into the question now. (See these articles: Faith is NOT a gift from God, Is faith the gift from God, Faith is Not a Gift from God) The answer to the debate, however, is that the Greek words have the entire “by grace are you saved through faith” package in view. The gift that Paul has in mind is all that God has done for us human to offer us salvation by grace through faith. That’s all I’m going to say about that, and you can read those other articles for a longer explanation.

Now, it is 100% true that we receive eternal life by grace through faith. The Bible teaches this everywhere (cf. John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47).

However, although the Bible everywhere teaches that we receive eternal life by grace along through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, Ephesians 2:8-9 is not one of the verses that teaches this idea.

The reason is because the word “saved” in Scripture does not ever actually refer to receiving eternal life. As I briefly explained in the previous study of Ephesians 2:5-7, the word “salvation” means “deliverance” and the context of the passage determines what kind of deliverance is in view. When you perform this study on every passage in the Bible (as I have done), you discover that the Bible never uses the words “saved” or “salvation” in reference to receiving eternal life.

Not even here in Ephesians 2:8-9.

Again, as we saw last time, the salvation of Ephesians 2 has in view the way God has delivered us from our bondage and slavery to the sin of blame, accusation, scapegoating, and violence that dominates and rules the world. Since Cain murdered Abel, the world has run on violence. We know of no other way to live.

But God, through the person and work of Jesus Christ, came and rescued us, delivered us, SAVED us from this way of living and showed us a completely different way of living. This new way of life is what we were made for originally, and what God has always modeled for us, and what we are now to walk in, as we follow Jesus.

God revealed this to us out of His grace, and as we follow this new way by faith, we will be saved from the death that has enslaved humanity.

In other words, Ephesians 2:8-9 is not about how to go to heaven when you die, but rather about how God stepped in to the human problem to rescue us from our slavery to death.

So with that in mind, here is how to read Ephesians 2:8-9:

God gave us an amazing free gift [by grace] in showing us how to live a different way than through violence and bloodshed [are you saved], and while this new way of living is counterintuitive and seems to contradict everything we think we know about life, if we believe that what we see in Jesus is the true way to properly live life [through faith], then God will lead us into this new way of life. This entire thing did not come from ourselves. We humans did not think it up and come to this new understanding on our own [and that not of yourselves]. This entire revelation of the new way to live life is a gift from God [it is the gift of God]. No one can boast that they thought this up on their own [not of works so that no one can boast]. Nope, it’s solely and only from God.

Does that way of reading these verses make sense?

This way of reading the verse fits perfectly in the overall context of Ephesians 2, where Paul has laid out the problem of humanity in Ephesians 2:1-3, the solution to this problem that has come from God through Jesus in Ephesians 2:4-10, and the application of how to live this new way in Ephesians 2:11-22.

Again, Ephesians 2 is not about how to go to heaven when we die, but is about how to bring heaven down to earth by living at peace with one another here on this earth, just as Jesus did during His life and just as God wants us to do in ours. And our world desperately needs this way of living right now, doesn’t it?

We will pick back up next time with Ephesians 2:10 as we continue to talk about this new way of living as revealed in Jesus.

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Before we look at that text, however, we answer a question from a reader about something I taught from Matthew 13 and the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares.

Before we get to that, however, I hope you took advantage of my offer to get some free Bitcoin and Dogecoin a few weeks ago. At the time, Bitcoin was at $32,000 and Dogecoin was at $0.19. Today, Bitcoin is at $46,500, up 45%, and Dogecoin is currently at $0.32, up 68%. I am not giving financial advice, but I am glad I bought a little bit of both (You don’t have to buy a whole Bitcoin, but can buy a tiny fraction of one coin like I did).

If you haven’t yet joined my discipleship group, I have a way for you to get about $60 in free cryptocurrency and use some of it to join my Discipleship group. If you are already part of my discipleship group, you can still get the free cryptocurrency. If you follow the steps I lay out, you really don’t have anything to lose. If you had followed these steps about a month ago when I provided them, that $60 in free crypto would now be worth almost $100. And don’t think you’ve missed out. I honestly think we’re just at the very beginning of the cryptocurrency adoption and growth. But do your own due diligence and make choices that are right for you.

Question from a Reader

My question was in the study of the wheat and the tares you say that the wheat are the ideas of God and the tares are the ideas of the evil one if I understand correctly. In Matthew 13:38 it refers to them as people. I’m confused. Thanks for your response.

The reader is referring to a previous study on the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares in Matthew 13:24-30.

This is a question! And good job noting the translation in the NIV.

Part of the problem is the NIV translation is pretty bad on this verse. The Greek word used twice in Matthew 13:38 should not get translated as “people.” It should be “sons” or “children.”

I went on to argue that the word for “sons” in both “sons of the kingdom” and “sons of wickedness” is better understood as “offspring,” which in the context, would indicate the behavior or results that come from living according to the ideas and teachings of the Kingdom of God vs. the kingdom of darkness.

Here is what I said:

Typically, a “son” is understood to be a child of someone else. But the word “son” can also be used metaphorically. When the word “son” is used in connection to a concept or idea, instead of to a person or family, it refers to the characteristics or inner attributes of someone, rather than to the person themselves. So “sons of this world” are contrasted with “sons of light” in Luke 16:8 (cf. John 12:36; 1 Thess 5:5). A student or disciple of the Pharisees could be called a “son of the Pharisees” (Matt 12:27; Acts 23:6). Scripture can also speak of “sons of the resurrection” (Luke 20:36), “sons of this age” (Luke 16:8; 20:34), “sons of disobedience” (Eph 2:2; 5:6), “sons of the devil” (Acts 13:10) and numerous other similar terms. Such descriptions are not literal (a son of the devil is not literally the biological offspring of the devil), but are instead figurative and symbolic ways of referring to someone’s character and behavior.

If this applies to the word “sons” in this parable, then Jesus is referring to the figurative offspring that comes from the teachings of the kingdom of God versus the kingdom of darkness. Throughout time, the results that come from the teachings of Jesus have always proven to be better than that which comes from any other source. Jesus’ words and teachings can therefore be trusted.

What is Salvation in Ephesians 2:5-7?

In previous studies of Ephesians 2, I have stated that Ephesians 2 is one of the most misunderstood chapters in the Bible. Most people think that the overall message of Ephesians 2 is about how to receive eternal life and go to heaven when you die. And while the first 10 verses of Ephesians 2 can be read this way, the “Application” section of Ephesians 2, found in verses 11-24, show that Paul does not have eternal life and going to heaven in view at all. Paul is concerned with a completely different issue in Ephesians 2.

One of the primary reasons that people misunderstand Ephesians 2 is because they have a faulty definition of the word “salvation.” If Ephesians 2 is one of the most misunderstood chapters in the Bible, the word “salvation” is the most misunderstood word in the Bible.

When most Christians see the word “saved” or “salvation” in the Bible, they think it means “being saved from sin and death so you can receive eternal life and go to heaven when you die.”

You might be surprised to know that this is not how the salvation word family (saved, salvation, save, Savior) is used anywhere in Scripture. A careful study of the various contexts of the words “saved” or “salvation” in the Bible reveals that the word simply means “delivered” or “deliverance.” And you can be delivered from a wide variety of things in Scripture.

In Matthew 8:25, the disciples are in a boat on the Sea of Galilee, and they cry out to Jesus, “Lord, save us!” Are they asking Jesus to forgive their sins so they can receive eternal life and go to heaven when they die? No! There is a great storm on the sea, and they are about to drown and so they ask Jesus to save, or deliver, them from drowning.

This is an easy example, but the rest of the uses of “saved” and “salvation” in Scripture follows a similar pattern. People can be saved from sickness, from enemies, from war, from financial ruin, from premature physical death, from the devastating consequences of sin and temptation, and from a wide variety of other things.

So whenever you see the word “saved” or “salvation” in Scripture, you should substitute in the word “delivered” or “deliverance” and then look in the context to see what kind of deliverance is in view. This will help clear up a lot of confusing Bible passages for you. I will cover many of these passages in my Gospel Dictionary online course for the entry on “salvation” when it gets published.

This is what we will do today when we encounter the word “saved” in Ephesians 2:5-7. We will substitute in the word “delivered” and then consider the context to see what we are delivered from and what this deliverance looks like. When we do this, we will come to understand that Paul is not talking about how to receive eternal life and go to heaven when we die, but is instead talking about a pressing issue that involves the lives of all people on planet earth here and now.

So let’s jump in to Ephesians 2:5.

By Grace You Have Been Saved (Ephesians 2:5)

We are picking up from last time when we looked at Ephesians 2:4 and how God has stepped in to the problem of human violence to do something about it.

Paul continues this idea in the first part of Ephesians 2:5 when says. …because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses.

Again, Paul is showing that the activity of God which is described in Ephesians 2:4-10 is not because of how great we humans are, but is rather because of how much God loves us. God stepped in to act on our behalf while we were dead in our sins. While we were unlovely. While we were undesirable by any standard. Yet God’s love for us was so great, that He loved us anyway.

So what did God do? At the end of Ephesians 2:5, Paul says (by grace you have been saved). 

Here is the word “saved” that has caused so many problems in this text. So here is what we do. We see the word “saved” and since we know that this word is widely misunderstood in the minds of most Christians, we substitute in the word “delivered.” The word “delivered” is a fine translation for the Greek word, and it helps us better understand the passage, because it doesn’t carry the same theological baggage as the word “saved.”

So Paul is saying “By grace you have been delivered.”

Now we can look into the context to see what we have been delivered from.

And thankfully, since we’ve been studying Ephesians verse-by-verse, we already know what we have been delivered from, because Paul described it in Ephesians 2:1-4. In those verses, Paul describes the great human problem, which is that we are blinded by Satan so that we engage in a never-ending cycle of human violence that leads to death.

Back in our study of Ephesians 2:1, we learned that salvation in Ephesians is not about receiving eternal life so we can go to heaven when you die, but is instead about being rescued and delivered from our addiction to accusation, scapegoating, and violence, so that we are brought into the way of life, love, and liberty that God always wanted and desired for humanity.

So what is “salvation” is Ephesians 2? It is deliverance from our addiction to violence against other human beings. It is deliverance from how we justify our violence against other human beings. It is being shown what the real problem is and being shown how to handle this violence in a different way, a way that follows the heart of God and the example of Jesus.

This deliverance from the cycle of human violence is what Paul goes on to describe in Ephesians 2:5-7. He uses three descriptive terms to show how we have been delivered, or saved, from our blindness and slavery to violence.

These three descriptive terms are that we have been regenerated with Christ, resurrected with Christ, and are now reigning with Christ.

Regenerated with Christ (Ephesians 2:5)

First in Ephesians 2:5. He made us alive together with Christ. We were dead, and he gave us life. God couldn’t just do this by a wave of his hand, no matter how much he loved us, because – as I said earlier – that would violate his justice and his righteousness. So God made us alive together with Christ.

Paul doesn’t go into great detail here on what he means by regeneration, but this is because Paul has already gone into detail in Ephesians 1:13-23. In our study of Ephesians 1:13, we learned that regeneration is being given new life in Jesus Christ. We are brought back to life with Him.

Jesus not only showed us a different way to live life, He also has given brand new life to us so that we can live in it. It is like we were living in a desert, and Jesus not only showed us what life is like in the rich, lush mountains filled with rivers and streams, but also took us to the mountains so that we can actually experience new life living there.

Jesus didn’t just say “Let me show you a new way to live,” He actually gave us new life so that we can live in it.

Resurrected with Christ (Ephesians 2:6a)

Next in Ephesians 2:6, Paul reveals how we were given new life in Christ. We were raised us up together with Christ. We were resurrected with Christ.

Resurrection is different from regeneration. Regeneration is new spiritual life in Christ. Resurrection is new physical life in Christ. We have been spiritually raised with Him, and we will be physically raised. Life in Christ is not just a spiritual reality, but will also be an eternal physical reality when we are raised with Christ and given new, glorious, sinless bodies.

Now, physical resurrection with Christ is still a future event for us, but in regard to how we live in this life, it is a current reality that we can live in light of.

It is sort of like living with an inheritance that you have not yet received. If you know with absolutely certainty that when you turn a certain age, you will receive a million dollars, that is going to affect how you live your life now and the sorts of choices you will make about your finances. You can even start making investments or purchases with the expectation that in the future, you will gain your million dollar inheritance.

Resurrection is sort of like that. When we receive our resurrected bodies, we will be perfect. We will be sinless. We can start living in light of that reality now. We no longer have be enslaved to this present body of sin. We no longer have to live under the crushing debt of sin. We can instead live in light of the way we will be.

The third and final description of our salvation is related to this, and is found in the last part of Ephesians 2:6.

Reigning with Christ (Ephesians 2:6b)

Paul writes that were were made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

This is a reference to reigning with Christ. And remember, being seated with Christ in heavenly places is a theme that Paul brings up several times in Ephesians. We discussed it previously back in our study of Ephesians 1:3 and our study of Ephesians 1:20-23 and we will see it again later in Ephesians.

One of the key truths to remember is that this statement about sitting with Christ Jesus in heavenly places is not a reference to some future event when we are in heaven with Jesus, but is instead a reference to life here and now on this earth. One of the things Jesus sought to do during His earthly ministry, which is also the task that Jesus assigned to the church, is that we are to bring heaven down to earth. We are to carry out God’s will on earth, just as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

Heavenly places are the places on earth where the Kingdom of God is making inroads to life on this earth so that God’s rule and reign comes upon this earth, just as it is done in heaven.

So when Paul writes that we are seating with Jesus Christ now in heavenly places so that we can rule and reign with Him, he is talking about how we are to lead the world now into the way that Jesus wants the world to live.

And how is that? Not with violence and blame and hate and anger, where we accuse and demonize our enemies so that we can kill them in God’s name. No. Rather, we are to lead the world into the way of Jesus, into a life filled with grace, mercy, and forgiveness, where, like God, we love others even when they are dead in their trespasses and sins and seek to do us harm in return.

We reign with Christ by loving our enemies, just as He loved us while we were still His enemies.

When we live in light of our regeneration, resurrection, and reigning with Christ, it is then that we begin to experience the results of this sort of life, which is what Paul discusses in Ephesians 2:7.

Results: Riches in Christ (Ephesians 2:7)

In view of that, though, how should we act? How should we behave? We have been given new spiritual life and physical life in Christ, and have been seated with Him to rule and reign over this earth. We have infinite resources at our disposal. So how are we to live?

We should not be ashamed of whose children we are. We should be proud of our name and our family. We should not worry about worldly concerns because our Father the King is watching out for us. And if a new life, and being raised with Christ, and getting a royal position are not enough to get you excited to serve God, Ephesians 2:7 tells us the results of living in light of the deliverance Jesus has brought to us.

Paul writes in Ephesians 2:7… That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

With these words, Paul shows that the new life we have been given in Jesus Christ is not temporary or limited. It begins now, and continues through all the ages of our life, which includes all the ages of eternity. In all the ages to come, God will continue to pour out upon us the riches of His grace and kindness. He loves us and will always love us, and we are only beginning to see the height and depth of God’s love for us. We will spend all eternity exploring God’s love in greater detail.

So, what is the salvation, or the deliverance, that we have been given in Jesus Christ?

It is that we no longer have to live in the realm of death, where we condemn, accuse, and kill others. Instead, because of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ, we are able to truly live. We have new spiritual life (regeneration), physical life (resurrection), and powerful life (reigning) with Jesus Christ. We have been delivered from our old way of life and brought into a brand new way of life.

A life based on love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. A life that looks just like Jesus.

Paul is not done talking about this life. He continues in Ephesians 2:8 to show us how we can start living in this new way of life. That is where we will pick up in our next study. In Ephesians 2:8-10 we will see how we can start showing the world a better way to live. How we can fulfill our calling to reveal the life of Jesus to this dying world.

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How to Join My Discipleship for FREE and also get paid $50!

If you’ve been thinking of joining my discipleship group for a while, I have a way for you to get one month free and also get paid $50 extra in the process. If you’re already part of my discipleship group, you can do this also.

I now accept cryptocurrency as payment for my discipleship group. I am particularly excited to announce that I now accept Dogecoin. It’s my favorite Cryptocurrency. You may remember I talked about Dogecoin back in February, when Dogecoin was worth $0.07. Today it is worth $0.19. Bitcoin, by the way, is at about $32,000.

I want to make sure I tell you that I am NOT giving you financial advice. I am sharing what I did to buy a little crypto and get free crypto in the process, and how you can do it too.

If you don’t know what a cryptocurrency is, it is a digital form of money. You have probably heard of Bitcoin. It is the most famous cryptocurrency, but there are others as well. My favorite is Dogecoin. But anyway, just as you can pay with regular money to buy products and services from stores and business, you can also use digital money like Bitcoin or Dogecoin to buy the same products and services. And my website at RedeemingGod.com is one of the online stores that now accepts cryptocurrency as a form of payment.

Anyway, here is how you can get a free month of my Discipleship Group PLUS about $50 worth of free cryptocurrency. I have a link here that walks you through the process step-by-step of getting your free cryptocurrency, and then use some of it to join my discipleship group, but the basic steps are as follows …

1. Set up a free Coinbase account using my referral link. Setting it up and getting verified took me about 30 minutes.
2. Buy at least $100 of cryptocurrency and get $10 in free Bitcoin.
3. Take all the Cryptocurrency “educational” courses from Coinbase. There’s quite a few of them. Each one takes about 5 minutes, but will pay you about $3-$10 in other forms of cryptocurrency. When I did this, it took me about 30 minutes, and I received about $50 in a variety of cryptocurrencies.
4. So, after about an hour of work, I put $100 of cryptocurrency, and ended up with about $160 in cryptocurrency. Not a bad return for one hour of work.
5. Personally, I took all the various cryptocurrencies in my Coinbase account, and convert them into one. Conversion is free on Coinbase. I chose Dogecoin because it’s my favorite, but you might choose Bitcoin since it’s the king of crypto right now, or one of the others, such as Ethereum or Litecoin.
6. Anyway, at this point, you could do what you want with the cryptocurrency. You could sell it all and deposit it back into your personal banking account. Or, you could use $9 of it to join my discipleship group. My page on cryptocurrency shows you how to use crypto to join my Discipleship group. The process is about as simple as using your credit card.

Now, I know you have probably heard that cryptocurrency is risky and volatile. It is. So I am not giving you financial advice. However, one of the reasons I am interested in cryptocurrency is because I see the economic inflationary pressures that are in the world today, and believe that cryptocurrency is one way to protect against inflation. While the government can print trillions of dollars any time they want, there will only ever be 21 million Bitcoin. But of course, since Bitcoin is so scarce, that makes people unwilling to spend it. They would rather hold on to it. But Dogecoin was made to be spent. Many say that Bitcoin is like gold. You buy it and hold it. But Dogecoin is like dollars. You use Dogecoin for buying and selling.

Anyway, do your own due diligence and don’t invest too much into crypto, as it is volatile and risky. But if you wanted make a quick $60 in crypto and use some of it toward joining my discipleship group, that option is now available to you. You can, of course, use your crypto to get access to my Discipleship group for a full year, but it costs $89, so you wouldn’t be able to get the full year for free.

Anyway, let me know if you have questions about this. You can message me through my website or on Twitter.

Question About Calvinism

I found and read your explanation of John 6:41-47. I liked the way you explain it. Can I hear more about your ideas against the doctrines of TULIP?

Yes! I have a list of the articles I’ve written on Calvinism and the doctrines of TULIP.

I eventually want to finish that series of articles and turn them into a book, but I have about ten book projects that currently have higher priority… But eventually … Lord willing.

The Biggest But in the Bible (Ephesians 2:4)

Ephesians 2:4 contains the biggest “but” in the Bible. To see why this is, let’s quickly review what we have seen so far in Ephesians 2.

Ephesians 2 is all about how God solved the greatest problem in human history. The problem, as we saw in Ephesians 2:1-3, is that humans engage in endless cycles of violence against one another, and we do all of it in God’s name. These actions are the satanic spirit, the accusatory spirit, the spirit of this age. All of society and culture is based on violence against one another, and we humans know of no other way to live.

Paul wants to tell us how to fix this problem. He explains the solution to this problem in Ephesians 2:4-10. And Paul begins talking about the solution to this problem of human violence with the two important words … “But God … ”

BUT God…

Sometimes the smallest words in Scripture are the most important. And this little word “But” is one of the biggest buts in Scripture. The word is a conjunction, and in this case, and adversative conjunction, showing a contrast between what Paul has just said, and what he is going to say next.

The contrast here is between how we behave as humans and how God does.

Remember, one aspect of the greatest problem we humans have is that when we engage in violence against others, we do it in God’s name. This means that when we march off to war, we do it with prayers and blessings from our pastors and priests. We engage in “Holy War” or “Just War” against our enemies. We think that when we seek to harm, stop, or even kill our enemies, we are doing God’s will.

Even when our enemy is just a neighbor or a coworker, we do this. Hopefully we don’t want to kill them or harm them, but when we have conflict with a neighbor, coworker, or even a family member, we tend to view the other person as morally inferior. They are the sinners. They are greedy and arrogant. We are the righteous ones. We are only standing up for truth and justice. Our stand for righteousness requires us to call them out, condemn their sin, and maybe even get them in trouble.

That is the way we all behave almost all of the time. Our actions are justified and righteous, and the actions of those who oppose us are evil and wicked.

And since our actions are righteous, this means that God is on our side. And since God is on our side, this means He is against our enemy, just as we are. We assume that God wants to see them punished just as much as we do. And sometimes, we might push things a little bit to see that our enemies do receive the punishment they deserve.

But God…

Do you see why these two words are so important?

But God.

This is the way we behave and we think God is on our side … but God.

You could stop right here and almost fill in the rest yourself. If we hate our enemies, condemn our enemies, and want to see our enemies destroyed, and we think God is on our side on this, … but God … what do you think comes after that?

But God is not on our side the way we think.

But God wants nothing to do with our violence and hatred against others.

But God loves our enemies and wants to see them rescued and loved just as much as we do.

But God views our enemies the same way He views us … as objects of His love and affection, worthy of nothing but grace, mercy, forgiveness, and acceptance.

And indeed, in Ephesians 2:4-10, Paul goes on to say very similar things as we have just guessed. Indeed, right here in Ephesians 2:4, Paul mentions that God is rich in mercy, and that He acted out of His great love for us.

We must be careful to recognize that these terms of mercy and love apply to everyone in the world. We must not think that God is only rich in mercy toward us, and that He only extends His great love toward us, while in the meantime, He hates our enemies. No, the love and mercy of God are universal in their extent. They apply to all of us. To the entire human race.

And the word for love that Paul uses here, by the way, is agape. So this is God’s unconditional love for all of us. We will learn next time that God loved us even while we were in our sin. God does not wait for us to become righteous and holy before He loves us. God loves us while we are still sinners (Ephesians 2:5, Romans 5:8). There are no conditions to God’s agape love. He simply loves because He IS love and because we are objects of His love. He loves all humans all the time, regardless of what they have done, who they are, or even if they love God in return.

Here is what this means:

We hate our enemies and want to see them ruined, but God loves our enemies and wants to see them succeed.

We want to see our enemies “face justice,” but God extends mercy to them.

This is the beginning of the radical message Paul outline in Ephesians 2:4-10. He explained the problem humanity faces in Ephesians 2:1-3, and now he begins to unfold the solution to this problem. And the first initial and shocking truth is that when it comes to how we view our enemies, God is NOT on our side. Well, He is on our side, but He’s on their side too, and He doesn’t have the same view of our enemies as we do. His view of our enemies is radically different.

Do you see why this is the biggest “But” in the Bible?

Paul has described the greatest problem we humans face, and now Paul says “But God … ” is not part of this problem the way we humans think He is. Quite to the contrary, God wants to bring an end to all the violence and hatred.

When Paul says But God, he is saying that God stepped in to initiate a process of brining an end to the problem that human face. That’s why these two words are so important. They are central to the good news message about why God sent Jesus to this earth. God sent Jesus to show the world the way forward out of the human problem of violent sin.

Martin Lloyd-Jones once preached an entire sermon on these two words (See (#AmazonAdLink) God’s Way of Reconciliation, 59). Near the beginning of the sermon, he said this:

With these two words we come to the introduction to the Christian message, the peculiar, specific message which the Christian faith has to offer to us. These two words, in and of themselves, in a sense contain the whole gospel. The gospel tells us what God has done, God’s intervention; it is something that comes entirely from outside us and displays to us that wondrous and amazing and astonishing work of God which the apostle goes on to describe and to define in the following verses.

Yes, these two words are a hand grenade thrown into everything we think we know about God and His role in our life when it comes to dealing with our enemies. God has a completely different plan for how to deal with our enemies than we do. And this plan was revealed in Jesus Christ, which Paul goes on to describe in the following verses. And that is where we will pick up in our next study.

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Question about Critical Race Theory

I listened to your recent discussions of Critical Race Theory, and while I agree that there might be some concerns with CRT, since the goal is to get rid of racism so that all people can live in love and unity with each other, shouldn’t we accept and embrace CRT, or at least allow it to have a voice in our schools and churches? CRT is part of an overall conversation about race relations, and is therefore a good thing. Right?

Everybody wants love and unity among all people. I completely agree that love and racial reconciliation are taught in the Bible and are godly goals.

The problem, however, is that while CRT claims to work toward unity, forgiveness, and reconciliation, it actually does the exact opposite. The reason it fails is twofold.

First, in the attempt to achieve racial reconciliation, CRT demonizes one particular race, namely, white people. Love, unity, and reconciliation can never occur when one group seeks to accuse and condemn another group. Such behavior does nothing but amplify the division and strife. Reconciliation can only occur when all parties agree that we are all equal in God’s image, and are all willing to view and treat each other in light of this equality.

But secondly, CRT does not lead to love and racial reconciliation because it seeks to achieve unity and love between the races through law, and specifically, through hedging around the law. Hedging around the law always leads to the opposite of what God wants. Let me explain what this is before I explain how CRT does this.

Law-hedging, or hedging around the law occurs when people take the commands and laws of God, and in an attempt to help people obey those divine instructions, create a secondary set of laws to keep people from breaking the primary law.

I talk about this in my sermon on Luke 6:1-5 and the Sabbath law keeping. “Don’t do work on the Sabbath” becomes don’t walk a certain distance on the Sabbath, don’t spit, don’t light a fire, and don’t rub heads of grain between your hands.

We have similar law-hedging rules today.

Don’t lust becomes don’t let women be beautiful (which is doubly sad, because the women get punished for the sins of men). If we really wanted to put up a hedge around the prohibition to lust, we should gouge out men’s eyes … as Jesus suggested (Matt 5:29).

Don’t get drunk becomes “Don’t drink.” Oh, let’s hedge that one too: “Don’t even have alcohol in your house.” But we can hedge that one too: “Don’t even have alcohol in your town. Let’s have dry town.” During the Prohibition Era, our country tried to really hedge around this one by banning all alcohol in the country. You know how well that turned out.

So that is hedging the law. And hedging around the law always results in catastrophe. It always leads to the exact opposite of what God wanted. Rather than result in love, law-hedging leads to hate.

Why? Because as soon as you build a hedge around the law in an attempt to keep the law, you are now using a standard which is not biblical to judge and condemn other people. And this standard based on human traditions leads to criticism and judgmentalism of people who may be engaging in behaviors that God is okay with, but you are not, because you use the standard of law-hedging while God uses the standard of love.

This is how hedging around the law leads to hate.

And this is exactly what happens with Critical Race Theory. CRT creates a system of laws and rules intended to “force” people to “do the work of antiracism.” I found a great article from Krista Bontrager called “The New Legalism” which explains how this works with CRT. After talking about how the Pharisees hedged around the law in the days of Jesus so that they could actually do the opposite of what the law required, Krista says that CRT advocates are doing the exact same thing today. CRT hedges around the biblical instructions against racism, not to end racism, but to do the exact opposite!

Here is a bit of what Krista writes in the article:

I have become persuaded that Social Justice and Critical Race Theory ARE the holiness codes of our cultural moment. “Doing the work” of antiracism has come to comprise the accepted values, language, and moral code—not just in our culture, but in many of our churches too.

“Social Justice Warriors” act as the new Pharisees. They are standing by watching, willing and ready to point out others’ moral shortcomings according to their human traditions—their hedge laws. The clear message: obey their “laws” or risk being cancelled. Within the church (or Christian higher ed), the sincerity of your faith may even be questioned!

This popular graphic is used all over the internet to explain the new definition of “White Supremacy.” The actions and attitudes listed here indicate what makes a person “unclean.” Ideas such as “White privilege” or “color blindness” are the new “holiness code” or “hedge laws” that are put forward to help prevent us from participating in covert racism.

But the question is: does this complex list demonstrate how I MUST live out God’s law of loving my neighbor? I would say no. Showing partiality, using slurs, or hating my neighbor in my heart because of her ethnicity would violate God’s standards of justice (Gal. 5:20). This graphic implies little more than a bunch of “hedge laws” that are intended to tell me how I must obey God’s commands. There is nothing about White privilege or White fragility in the Bible. There are no commands in Scripture about decentering Whiteness or performing the works of antiracism.

BUT many Christian leaders are talking as if there are!

I am opposed to racism. Racism is evil and must be purged from the world. Racism does the exact opposite of what God wants or desires, and in fact, has no place in the Kingdom of God, but rather belongs to the kingdom of darkness and the rule of satan. We must all work to bring love, healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation to all the people of the world.

But CRT does not accomplish this. Like the hedging-laws of the Pharisees, the laws and regulations of CRT accomplishes the opposite of what it claims. It does not bring love or reconciliation, but instead only amplifies hatred, discord, and jealousy among people, and thus, creates more racist feelings and tensions. Do not be led astray by Critical Race Theory. It does not help in creating unity. Instead, follow Jesus into love, grace, mercy, compassion, and forgiveness. These are traits of the Kingdom of God and these are the only way to restore unity and reconciliation to this world.

This all fits with what we learn in our study of Ephesians 2:3.

How Sinful Desires Lead to Wrath (Ephesians 2:3)

Ephesians 2 is all about the primary problem that humans face in this world, which is the problem of hatred, division, strife, and racism. Humans have always suffered from religious hatred, economic hatred, racial hatred, and cultural hatred. We use this hatred to accuse, condemn, and kill one another, and we do it all in God’s name.

In Ephesians 2, Paul describes this problem, shows what Jesus did to fix it, and then invites us to apply the example of Jesus to our world so that we can live in love and unity with each other. Ephesians 2:1-3 contains Paul’s description of the problem we humans face. We have already considered Ephesians 2:1 where were learned what the great problem of humanity is and how it leads to death, and then also Ephesians 2:2, where we learned that the accuser, satan, is behind this great human problem.

Ephesians 2:3 now shows how we humans have fallen prey to the lies of the accuser, and also shows how our actions lead to the destruction of humanity.

Ephesians 2:3. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

Here in Ephesians 2:3, Paul begins by saying All of us also lived among them at one time. There are no exceptions here. All means all. You, me, Mother Theresa, Billy Graham, everyone. Paul even includes himself in this. He says all of us. All of us at one time lived as the rest of the world lives, caught up in sin that leads to death (Ephesians 2:1) and under the control of the accuser, satan, which rules the kingdom of the air (Ephesians 2:2).

Paul says next in Ephesians 2:3, that all of us were gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts.

There are several things to note about these statements.

Sinful nature = Flesh

First, I am not fond of the term “sinful nature,” and it is not the best translation of the terms here that Paul wrote in the Greek. The Greek word is sarx, which is best translated as “flesh.” I argue in my Gospel Dictionary course that we do not have a “sinful nature” and should stop using that phrase. The biblical term is “flesh,” and it refers to the human tendency to use religious laws as a way to justify our violence against other human beings. It is “religious zeal carried out through religious violence.”

When Paul writes about “the flesh,” he is thinking the tendency of religious zealots to think that their faithful obedience to God’s commands (and more specifically, the manmade rules humans have constructed around God’s commands) puts them in better standing with God than others (cf. 2 Cor 10:3; Gal 2:20). This fits exactly with what we discussed above with Critical Race Theory.

Cravings = Lusts

Second, the term “cravings” could be translated as lusts. The word “lust” is a weighty theological word which reminds us of the three forms that sin takes … the lust of the eyes, the lust the flesh, and the pride of life. These are the three sins that Jesus was tempted with in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-13), and are also the three sins that Eve was tempted with in the Garden (Genesis 3:6).

These cravings, or lusts, are closely related to desire, which Paul also mentions in this text.

Desire

Third, the word “desire” is a key term in Scripture, as it summarizes the basic source of all sin. As far back as Genesis 3 and Genesis 4, we see that desire led Eve to eat from the forbidden tree, and desire led Adam to imitate her actions, and desire led Cain to murder Abel (Gen 4:6-7).

I previously recorded a video about the importance of desire in understanding … pretty much everything … including sin, Scripture, and human society and culture. Watch it to learn more:

So when these three terms are properly understand, Paul is saying that all people on earth used to live according to religious zeal that led us to engage in violence against our enemies. We did this because desire caused us to want what others have and destroy those who were different from us. This is the way all of humanity lives, because we didn’t know any other way to live. Sacred violence runs the world, and we all use this sacred violence to get what we want and justify the violence we use in the process.

The end result of this sort of living is wrath. But what is wrath?

What is Wrath?

Paul says … like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

When most people read about “wrath” in the Bible, they think of the “wrath of God.” They think of God’s anger directed toward sinful human beings.

But this is not what the Bible teaches about wrath. In fact, in Scripture, wrath does not come from God at all. Most of the time, when the Bible talks about wrath, it simply uses the word “wrath” as we see here in Ephesians 2:3, without any reference to God at all. There are a couple of texts in the New Testament that do indeed use the term “wrath of God,” but I am convinced that those references are not referring to the way God really is, but instead refer to the way some religious people think about God.

I know that’s a challenging idea, but let me put it this way. There are many Christians today who teach that God hates certain types of people. You will hear some preachers say “God hates Muslims,” or “God hates homosexuals.” When you hear a pastor say such hateful things, are you to assume that since a pastor says it, this is the way God really is? No! Instead, you are to realize that some people have really bad ideas about God, and our job as followers of Jesus is to recognize pastors who preach hate are not accurately representing God the way He really is. We are to refute such false teachers as not properly showing what God is like as revealed to us in Jesus.

So in the few places where the New Testament speaks about “the wrath of God,” those texts are not correct representations of what Paul thought. Instead, in those texts where Paul writes about the wrath of God, he is quoting some bad Christian teachers from his day who wrongly believed that God was wrathful. Paul quotes these bad teachers, not because he agrees with them, but because he wants to refute them. And that is what Paul goes on to do.

It’s called Epistolary Diatribe, and Paul engages in it quite frequently. Paul quotes someone he disagrees with so that he can go on to show how they are wrong. That is what is going on when Paul writes about “the wrath of God.” Paul does not believe that God is wrathful. Paul knows that God is not. Yes, wrath exists, but it does not come from God. I will eventually have an entry in my Gospel Dictionary online course on the word “wrath” which will explain more.

So what is wrath if it is not God’s anger directed toward humans?

Wrath is the devastating and destructive consequences of sin that fall upon humanity because we sin. Wrath does not come from God; wrath comes from sin. Sin bears its own punishment with it, and Paul calls it “wrath.” When we sin, there are natural consequences that result, and these consequences destroy, hurt, harm, kill, ruin, and damage humans, animals, climate, relationships, government, culture, society, economics, and every other aspect of this world.

Wrath is a fire that destroys everything it touches, and the fire of wrath is sparked by human desire that leads to human violence.

The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand led to Word War I, which caused the mistreatment of the German people, which led to the rise of Adolph Hitler and World War II. One act of human violence led to the death and misery of millions. This is wrath. It is a contagion that starts with a spark and spreads to destroy countless lives.

Do you see why this is the greatest problem that humans face? Wouldn’t it be nice if we could end all the violence? Wouldn’t it be great if we could fulfill the desire of every beauty pageant model and achieve world peace? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could bring an end to wrath?

Ah, well, that is exactly what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. And that is exactly what Paul goes on to begin describing in Ephesians 2:4.

Summary of Ephesians 2:1-3

We humans do not function properly in our roles as God’s image on earth. Instead, we were subject to the ways of this world and to the lies of satan. This led us to sin according to our desire, resulting in our own mutually-assured destruction.

More succinctly still: Because we did not follow God in the ways of love, unity, and peace, but instead followed satan in the ways of desire, sin, and death, humanity is doomed.

Ephesians 2:1-3 has explained the greatest problem that humanity faces, which is the universal human problem of desire that leads to accusation and blame, which results in a contagion of death and violence. Most humans have absolutely no idea how to break free from all this violence. Our only solution is to have more guns and bombs than the next guy.

But Paul has a better solution. And it is revealed to us in Jesus Christ. And as Jesus showed us how to solve the problem of human violence, we as the church can show the world how to solve the problem also, which in turn, can start to bring an end to violence.

This is what Paul goes on to describe in Ephesians 2:4, where we pick up next time.

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Ultimate Reconciliation?

Do you think the ultimate restoration of all things (not the same thing as universalism though people could get nervous and think so) is possible?

I address this question in my book, (#AmazonAdLink) What is Hell?, but let me briefly summarize what I write in the book.

First, let me state the 3 basic views on what happens to unregenerate people after they die.

The first view is Eternal Conscious torment. This it the view that unregenerate people go to a place of suffering where they spend eternity in pain and agony.

The second view is Universalism, which is the view that there is no hell of any kind, and all people go to spend eternity with God after they die.

The third main view is Annihilationism. This is the view that there is no afterlife at all for unregenerate people. When unregenerate people die, they simply cease to exist.

(#AmazonAdLink) Now, there are shades and variations on all these views. For example, some people believe that unregenerate people will go to a place of suffering and torment, but they won’t spend eternity there. Instead, they will eventually be annihilated. So this view is sort of a cross between Eternal Conscious torment and Annihilationism.

There is another view that is a cross between Eternal Conscious torment and Universalism. This view is often rereferred to as Ultimate Reconciliation. In it, unregenerate people who die will begin eternity separated from God in some form, but over time, they will see that they were wrong, and will repent and believe in Jesus and so will eventually and ultimately be reconciled to God. Over millions and billions of years (if such a term even applies to eternity), hell will be slowly emptied as more and more people are reconciled to God.

It is this last view that the reader is asking about. She wants to know if Ultimate Reconciliation is possible. In (#AmazonAdLink) my book on hell, I state that while I think it is possible, I do not think it is likely. This is not because God doesn’t allow it, but because human and stubborn and rebellious creatures. I believe that God will hold out the option for anyone who begins eternity separated from Him to be reconciled to Him if they so desire, I believe that while many may accept this gracious offer, there will be many other people who will eternally refuse the offer.

I would love to be wrong on this. I hope I am wrong.

But here’s the thing with humans. We make our decisions, and then our decisions make us. The longer a person remains in rebellion against God, the more likely they are to remain in that rebellion. This applies, I believe, not just for this life, but for eternity as well.

So do I believe in ultimate reconciliation? I do believe that God will extend such an offer to all of unredeemed humanity, but I do not believe that all of humanity will respond positively to that offer, so no, I do not think that ultimate reconciliation will ever occur.

By the way, this doesn’t mean that I believe that these unregenerate people will spend eternity suffering in the flames of hell. I don’t believe that the afterlife for the unregenerate will be a place of torment and torture at all. They will be in a place where they are allowed to be who they want to be, which for the unredeemed, will be an eternity of selfish, loveless, graceless, merciless living. As Scripture describes it, such an existence will be an eternal death. It will be sort of like this present life, but amplified in all the negative ways.

To learn more about what the Bible really teaches about hell, check out my book, (#AmazonAdLink) What is Hell?

Ephesians 2:2 is a text that sort of speaks to this issue. It is the verse we are looking at today in this Podcast study. It doesn’t talk about what happens to unregenerate people after they die, but is instead describing what happens to unregenerate people while they live on this earth. I believe that the way people live now is a bit of a foreshadowing of how they will exist in eternity as well. So let us look at Ephesians 2:2.

We were Subjects to Satan (Ephesians 2:2)

In our study of Ephesians 2:1, we summarized the entire message of Ephesians 2, and saw that it was divided into three sections. The problem (Ephesians 2:1-3), the Solution (Ephesians 2:4-10), and the Application (Ephesians 2:11-22). By reverse engineering the chapter, we discover that in Ephesians 2:1-3, Paul is describing the real problem with humanity, and this problem is far different and far worse than anything we thought or imagined or than what we hear in most of our churches and Christian books.

Ephesians 2:1 began to talk about this problem by saying that we were dead in trespasses and sins. This meant that we did not function the way God intended humans to function, but were instead dominated by sin, which is primarily defined in the Bible as violence against other human beings.

Ephesians 2:2 continues this train of thought. Paul writes:

Ephesians 2:2. … in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

Paul says here that we used to live in transgressions and sins. The actual term here is peripateo – to walk about. So rather than “used to live” we should read it “used to walk.”

Our former way of life was a death walk. We were on a walk – but not the kind of walk most of us go on during the warm summer evenings. This walk – in the words of John Stott – “was no pleasant promenade in the countryside.” It was a death walk; a walk of slavery to trespasses and sins. We were walking the plank, and didn’t even know it. We were walking the road to destruction, and didn’t know anything different.

In a way, we were a bit like lemmings. Lemmings blindly follow the crowd until they fall off a cliff or drown in the ocean. Like them, we were headed for destruction and didn’t even know it. It was who we were and what we did.

In the rest of Ephesians 2:2, Paul uses three phrases to describe the way we used to walk. But all three terms point to the same reality. Let’s discuss the three terms and then I will identify the single reality that Paul has in view.

The ways of this world

So the first is the ways of this world. This terms refers to how the world operates. It is a reference to the world domination system. How people seek to dominate, rule, and control other people through violence and threats of violence. It consists of the rules, both spoken and unspoken, which guide how all entities of this world work, including governments, militaries, institutions, and business.

As Hoehner writes “This world is the satanically organized system that hates and opposes all that is godly (John 15:18, 23)” (Hoehner, BKC, 622).

I will eventually have an entry on “world” in my Gospel Dictionary online course.

Followed the Ruler of the Kingdom of the Air

So we followed the ways of this world, and second, we followed the ruler of the kingdom of the air. Who is this ruler or prince? We saw this ruler mentioned in Ephesians 1:21 when Paul mentioned that Christ is above all rule, authority, power, dominion and title. In that list of five spiritual beings, the term rule (or ruler) comes first.

So the kingdom of the air can be none other than the demonic realm, which means that the ruler must be Satan (cf. 1 John 5:19; 2 Cor 4:4; Rev 12:9). We will discuss satan more in a bit.

What about this kingdom of the air? The kingdom of the air refers to the invisible and unseen forces that guide our thoughts and movements in this world. Since it is of the “air,” this means this kingdom surrounds us all the time, even though we don’t see it, can’t hear it, and don’t even know it is there.

I know … this is sounding a bit like Morpheus trying to describe The Matrix to Neo. But the analogy is actually a very good one. The kingdom of the air is like the Matrix. It enslaves us in ways that we cannot break free from on our own, and so that we don’t even know we are enslaved. It is around us all the time like the very air we breathe. We live by it, operate by it, and are governed by it, even though we don’t know it exists.

I will talk more about this kingdom next time when we look at Ephesians 2:3.

The spirit at work in the disobedient

The third thing we followed which resulted in transgression and sin is the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. This is the impersonal and immaterial force or nature or characterization that is present within this world which leads us into disobedience.

This spirit of disobedience is set in contrast to the spirit of wisdom and revelation in Ephesians 1:17. The spirit of wisdom and revelation guides us into the way God wants us to live, while the spirit at work in the disobedient guides people to live in ways that are contrary to God.

So we have three terms that Paul uses here.

But what is the single reality these terms point to?

Could it be … SATAN?

It’s not really a joking matter, but it is indeed Satan that Paul is describing here.

The Saturday Night Live sketch with the Church Lady was funny though, because many Christians do indeed see Satan around every corner and under every rock and bush, but the sad reality, is that far too few Christians really understand what Satan is and how Satan works.

Ironically, when most Christians blame the problems of the world on Satan, they are actually behaving in a satanic way. To see Satan under every rock and bush is to behave satanically.

Shocking statement, I know. Let me unpack it.

The word “satan” comes from the Hebrew term ha satan. It means, “the accuser.” The spirit of accusation. I will eventually have an entry on the word satan in my Gospel Dictionary online course. It’s not there yet.

The word does not refer to a being or entity that dresses in red and has a pointy tale and horns on his head. It also does not refer to an evil being who goes around trying to tempt people to sin. Oh yes, the spirit of satan brings temptation, but not exactly in the way we think.

The word satan is the single word which Paul has in view here. The three phrases in Ephesians 2:2 describe satan. “Satan” refers to the course of this world … the way the world runs. It refers to the ruler of the kingdom of the air, which means that this way of ruling the world is around us all the time like the very air we breathe. It is the spirit at work in the disobedient. The spirit of the accuser leads people to be disobedient, to do the things that God does not want us to do.

So satan is spirit of this age, the spirit of accusation and blame. We all think everyone else is guilty and we ourselves are innocent. The spirit that leads us to condemn others in God’s name and to call for violence and bloodshed against others in God’s name.

And sadly, religious people are guilty of living by the spirit of this age just as much – if not more – than non-religious people. Religious people are adept at using our Scriptures and our rules to condemn and accuse others and to call for “holy war” against our enemies. We view our enemies as the enemies of God, and so we use our religious zeal for God to call for the death of our enemies.

This the same concern Jesus had. This is why Jesus instructed us to love our enemies. Paul is concerned here with the same thing that Jesus was most concerned with, which is the religious sins which people commit in God’s name. Rather than hate and accuse our enemies, we need to turn away from the spirit of accusation and turn instead to the Holy Spirit of love and acceptance. Paul is not just pointing out how unbelievers live, but how we believers live as well.

This is why, when Paul uses the term “disobedient” there at the end of Ephesians 2:2, he didn’t use some other term like “unbelievers” or “unregernate.” Why not? Because followers of Jesus can be disobedient also. We too can fall prey to the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit of accusation that dominates this world. And we often do.

When we Christians engage in accusation and condemnation, when we call for the death of enemies, when we encourage violence in the name of God, it is then that we are not following the Holy Spirit, but rather the spirit of this age, the satanic spirit of blame and accusation. It is then that Christians are in fact satanic.

Strong words. I know.

But are you seeing why Paul’s description of the problem in Ephesians 2:1-3 is so important to properly understand? This is not just a description of what “they” do, but is also a description of what we do. Yes, Paul says that this is the way in which we used to walk, but sadly, far too many Christians (myself included) still walk in the old ways. So Paul is going to eventually show what Jesus did to call us to a different way of living, and then also show us how we can do that practically in our world today.

But before we can get to the solution and the application, there is one more verse to go in the description of our problem. This is found in Ephesians 2:3, which we will consider next time.

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Israel and the Palestinian Conflict

I recently received this question from Aaron:

Just listened to your recent podcast about Ephesians and with the comments as to the situation in Israel and Palestine. I found the two particularly contrasting – you seem to be so close and yet so far. Theologically, you are on the side which understands the immediacy of the kingdom of God and our participation in it in the here and now through loving our neighbors, and your understanding of deliverance and heaven on earth are testament to that (I thank God you’re not a fundamentalist).  Yet your discourse about Israel and its right to occupy, or in your words defend, was seemingly of stark contrast to your theological position. I’m not sure the argument that the subsequent occupation after the six day war ‘for defensive purposes’ holds much water at all.

Specifically, I wonder what your response is towards the following two videos. Some Israelis seem to be in less denial about what they are doing to Palestinians than the west in general. And for the second video, just provides more context than just the immediate aftermath of six day war.

First of all, let me clarify that I am a fundamentalist, at least, according to the original definition of the term. Originally, the term referred to a set of 90 essays titled (#AmazonAdLink) The Fundamentals published by R. A. Torrey and A. C. Dixon between 1910 and 1915, published in 12 volumes. But that’s not what the question is about.

I watched both videos, and I don’t disagree with the overall message of either video. There is a history of problems between Hebrews and the Arabs living in Israel, and there are extremists on both sides that want to see the other side destroyed. I have never taught otherwise.

The first video however, with Assaf Harel on Haaretz.com, made some claims I want to challenge. He said, for example, that Israel is an Apartheid state. But it isn’t. At least, not according to the political and dictionary definition of Apartheid. As I stated earlier, Israel is a true democracy and is the only democracy in the Middle East. Israel affords its Arab citizens full rights. Arab Israelis are full participants in Israeli society. They vote in elections and Arab parties sit in parliament. There are Arab justices on the Supreme Court. About 20% of doctors in Israel and about half of pharmacists are Arab. Now, 20% is clearly not a majority, and so I agree that it is difficult for that 20% to rule over the other 80%, but 20% numbers make perfect sense when you realize that Arabs represent 20% of the population, which is exactly what you would expect in a representative democracy. So no, Israel is not an apartheid state.

He went on to indicate that Israel is withholding water, energy, and basic food necessities from the Arab Israelis. But they aren’t. It is Hamas doing that. The Arab Israelis have received billions and billions of dollars in aid from the United States and other countries. In fact, Israel herself has given tens of millions of dollars to the Palestinian Authority. But rather than use that aid to upgrade their infrastructure or provide for the basic necessities of the people, the Palestinian Authority gives most of the money to Hamas who then uses it to buy weapons and train soldiers. Here’s an article from Forbes which shows this and another from the Wall Street Journal which shows the problem persists to this very day. More detailed facts and figures are found here.

If someone is poor and I give them $1000 to buy food and clothing for their children, but they use the money to buy guns and ammo to attack me, I am not going to be too keen about the idea that they are only attacking me because I am starving their children.

Then his whole argument about violent extremists was quite illogical. He basically argued that there was no such thing as violent extremists because the it was only the right wing extremists who were accusing their opponents of being violent extremists, which proves that it is really the right wing extremists who are the violent ones. Assaf Harel is correct in that we tend to accuse others of that for which we ourselves are guilty, but this doesn’t mean that one side is violent and other is peaceful. It means both sides are violent and both sides need to own up to their contributions to violence.

Which brings me to the best line in the entire video. He said this: “If only for once we could be smart enough to reach a peace agreement before the war.”

Yes. But the solution to this is twofold. It requires truth and forgiveness.

First, truth. Peace does not require truth about our enemies, but truth about ourselves. Finger pointing always leads to war. But it is only we can look at our own face in the mirror that we can own up to our own violence and bring an end to it.

Second, forgiveness. We must learn to forgive those on the other side. Whether they ask for it or not. Whether they own up to their part in the problem or not.

The sad reality in the Middle East, and indeed, in most human conflict, is that the two opposing sides refuse to perform either of these two requirements. And so there can be no peace.

As for me, I am not blaming the Arab people in Israel for the problem. But I will also not blame the Jewish people. Neither will I let either side off the hook. Both sides are at fault, and both must own up to their own faults and also extend forgiveness to the other side if there is to be peace.

Now, again, they will never do this because it is not what nations do. It is, however, what individuals can do, and maybe, just maybe, as we who follow Jesus learn to love one another with truth and forgiveness in our own lives, we can lead the nations to follow in our example.

Which is a perfect transition into the text we are studying today … Ephesians 2:1.

The Big Picture Message of Ephesians 2

Ephesians 2 is one of the most misunderstood chapters in the New Testament. This is largely due to our tendency to read everything in the Bible through “heaven-colored glasses” so that every passage about sin and salvation is thought to be about going to heaven when we die. So when most people teach and write about Ephesians 2, they see the references to death, sin, and satan in Ephesians 2:1-3 and then the references to grace, faith, and salvation in Ephesians 2:4-10, and think that this passage is about avoiding the consequences of sin so we can go to heaven when we die.

As a result, the text of Ephesians 2:8, “… for by grace you have been saved through faith …” is almost as widely known as John 3:16. So when you hear pastors or Bible college professors teach about Ephesians 2:1-10, the message you usually hear about this passage goes something like this:

We humans are evil sinners, under the control of the devil and our sin nature. We were dead and unable to do anything to change. Worse yet, because of sin, God’s wrath burns against us, and He wants to send us all to hell. But thankfully, God sent Jesus to help us get to heaven and if you believe in Jesus, you can go to heaven when you die.

Now honestly, I don’t truly have much a problem with those statements. In general, I agree with the basic facts as stated. However, I am convinced that this is NOT what Paul is writing about in Ephesians 2. Though the statements above are taught in Scripture, they are not taught in Ephesians 2.

In the next several podcasts studies, I am going to present a radically different understanding of Ephesians 2 which will help you see what Paul was really talking about, and how his message makes much more sense in the overall flow and structure of Ephesians. You will also discover that Ephesians 2 becomes much more applicable to our lives and to the church today.

But before we start looking at the text, let me just tip my hand and give you a preview of where we are headed. Here are some of the key truths which impact our understanding of Ephesians 2.

1. Ephesians 1 has just ended with a statement by Paul that he is going to show the church how the church, as the body of Jesus in this world, is the only solution to all of the problems in this world. In Ephesians 2, Paul addresses the GREATEST problem in the world, and shows how Jesus calls the church to fix it.
2. The central truth of Ephesians 2 is discovered by reverse engineering the chapter. Paul has a clear progression in Ephesians 2, following the “Problem (Ephesians 2:1-3) – Solution (Ephesians 2:4-10) – Application (Ephesians 2:11-22)” format. If all the “sins” we Christians like to focus on were really the issue for Paul, Paul’s train of thought would conclude with an application about how we must stop lusting, lying, stealing, etc. But Paul does not go there at all. Instead, Paul ends his train of thought by talking about how Jews and Gentiles, who used to hate each other, are now brought together in peace and unity as one family. Therefore, since this is the application Paul aims for, then the problem and solution must logically lead up to this application. The problem in Ephesians 2:1-3, then, cannot be about the “sins” we Christians often focus on, but rather, the “sins” we tend to ignore and overlook, which are the sins that create disunity and enmity between ourselves and other people in the world. These are the sins of hatred, accusation, blame, scapegoating, and rivalry. These are the sins that dehumanize us and dehumanize others. In other words, the sin that Paul is concerned with is the bigotry, racism, and hatred that exists between various people groups on earth. Paul wants all such hatred to end, and for there to be unity and love in the world, and Ephesians 2 shows us how to do this.
3. So, with this in mind, the word “dead” in Ephesians 2:1 does not mean “non-existent,” nor does it refer to “total inability”. Instead, it refers to powerlessness, weakness, corruption. It is to be understood in light of Genesis 3–5 where sin leads to death, which is primarily physical death, and especially the death of murder.
4. The spirit of the power in Ephesians 2:2 is a reference back to Ephesians 1: 21 and points to the rule and dominion of satan. But satan is best understood in light of what his name means, which is accuser. The course of this world, the spirit of this age, is the spirit of accusation and blame. Religious people are quite guilty of engaging in these activities, which means that the trespasses and sins in view is not the “sins” we Christians often condemn in others, but is actually the true “sin” of accusing and condemning others. Paul is most concerned here with the same thing that Jesus was most concerned with, which is the religious sins which people commit in God’s name. When these things are corrected by God (Ephesians 2:4-10), peace and unity result (Ephesians 2:11-22).
5. We know this because Paul includes himself in the description of engaging in these practices, and yet he kept the law perfectly. So what sins did Paul engage in along with everybody else? The sin of accusation and blame, which leads to scapegoating violence and murder. These things all come from desire, which Paul also mentions in the context, and also takes us back to Genesis 3–4.
6. There is no mention of “the sinful nature” in Ephesians 2:1-3. This phrase from the NIV is a tragic mistranslation of the Greek text. Paul is talking about the lusts and desires of the flesh. The “flesh” refers to our physical body, and it is from our flesh that lusts and desires rise, as we imitate and covet what other people have.
7. Wrath, then, is not God’s wrath toward us, but human wrath directed toward one another (which we then justify by blaming it on God). Wrath is when we engage in violence against others, and do so in God’s name. It does not come from God, nor does it have anything to do with hell or eternal punishment.
8. The solution to this great problem is found in Ephesians 2:4-10, and is based entirely on the grace of God and accepting by faith what Jesus has revealed on the cross about the problem of humanity and how to fix it.

The bottom line summary of Ephesians 2, then, is this:

We humans live in a world of sin and death, which we inflict upon ourselves by accusing, condemning, and killing one another, and justifying it all by doing these things in God’s name. We did these things because in our flesh, we knew no other way to live. We religious people killed and were killed, just like everyone else. But Jesus revealed the way to peace, and if we believe and follow the way of Jesus, then the church can lead the world into the way of peace as well.

That summary is very different than the first summary above!

I know that’s a lot of information, and is a challenge to comprehend all at once. So over the course of the next several podcasts, I will unpack all of this in much more detail. We begin today with a brief look at Ephesians 2:1

Dead in Trespasses and Sins (Ephesians 2:1)

In Ephesians 2:1, Paul says this:

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins … 

This is the beginning of Paul’s description about how our life used to be before we were Christians. Before we learned the truth that Jesus revealed (which Paul will discuss later).

To properly understand this verse, we must grasp what Paul means when he describes humanity as being “dead” and then also what he means when he refers to trespasses and sins.

I will cover both of these terms at great length in my Gospel Dictionary online course, but they are also discussed in my book, (#AmazonAdLink) Nothing But the Blood of Jesus.

What does it mean to be “dead”?

Many Christian leaders say that the word “dead” means non-existent or completely powerless to do anything. It is not uncommon to hear pastor says, “A dead person can’t do anything. The body just lies there. It can’t talk. It can’t think. It can’t walk or move. So also, a person who is spiritually dead is unable to do anything that helps them move closer to God. They can’t think properly about spiritual matters. They can’t believe in Jesus. They are totally unable to do anything spiritually good.”

This sort of teaching is completely wrong. It is not true and it does not fit with the biblical understanding of the word “dead.”

In my online course and my book, I teach that the word “dead” refers to something that is not functioning properly.

Theologically, the words death and dead refer to that which is inactive, powerless, not properly functioning for life as God intended. The words refer to that which is separated from its God-given purpose. To be dead is to be deprived of power. For example, Paul writes in Romans 4:19 that Abraham was dead, even though he was very much alive. What does Paul mean? He means that Abraham was powerless to perform. He was not functioning properly (cf. Heb 11:12). This is the way the words “dead” and “death” can be understood in all the contexts they are used.

So when someone physically dies, they are no longer functioning properly in life the way God planned and intended. Death was never supposed to touch human beings. Similarly, when someone who is alive is described as being dead, it means that something about them is not functioning properly the way God intended. Such a definition fits with all forms of death, no matter what kind of death is in view.

It is important to note that the words dead and death do not mean “non-existent” or to “total inability.” The words never carry these sorts of ideas. A dead body does exist; it is just not functioning properly. Abraham could be described as dead, even though he was alive, because his body was not functioning the way God intended. Similarly, dead plans or dead faith do exist, they just are not being carried out properly.

So when Abraham was described as being dead, even though he was alive, this was a symbolic form of death, in which his body was not functioning the way God intended. Physical death is similar. God never intended for humans to die, and so when our life leaves our bodies, we physically die. We are no longer functioning physically in our bodies the way God wanted or planned.

Then there is spiritual death. When we think of someone being spiritually dead, it means that although they do indeed have a spirit, the spiritual side of them is not functioning the way God intended. They are separated from the God-given functions for which they were created.

Eternal death speaks of the idea that people fail to function in eternity the way God desired and intended. Then the Bible can also use the word dead in reference to inanimate or intangible items, such as faith. In such cases, the words dead or death simply mean that the object under discussion is not properly functioning or being carried out as planned.

So when Paul writes here about us being dead, he is not thinking about total inability or any such thing. He is simply saying that we were not functioning properly as God intended. We did the opposite things God wanted and desired. Paul doesn’t mean we couldn’t think about spiritual things or do anything good.

He is saying that, as humans, we are not functioning as humans should. We are failing to live up to our calling and purpose as humans. The word “dead” here has nothing to do with spiritual death or physical death, but to humanity’s death. The death of the human race as God’s image in this world … and specifically, the death of the church as the body of Jesus in this world. That is the “death” Paul has in mind.

We are dead in that we fail to live up to what God wanted us to do and be. We are alive (Ephesians 2:2), but are flunking at life.

Why did we fail? Rather than do what God wanted, what did we do instead?

Trespasses and Sins

Our failure at life is described in the last half of Ephesians 2:1 with the terms “trespasses and sins.”

This is two different words for the same idea. Again, the term “sin” is a word I will cover at great length in my my Gospel Dictionary online course, and which is already covered in my book, (#AmazonAdLink) Nothing But the Blood of Jesus. I also covered an explanation of sin in great detail in my podcast studies on Genesis 3-4.

In brief, while sin can be understood as disobeying God, the Bible is much more specific than that about the nature and character of sin. In the Bible, sin is specifically the pattern of rivalry and scapegoating other people that leads to humans committing violence in God’s name.

Sin is a failure to live as fully human beings in the image of God. This is why sin is so closely connected with death here in Ephesians 2:1.

When we sin, we are not functioning properly as humans. We are not living up to God’s standard of us living in love toward one another, but are instead doing the exact opposite by living in hate, anger, and violence.

Sin is not so much about pride and rebellion or thinking we know better than God as it is about living as less than human. Sin is the dehumanization of ourselves and others. It is the problem of broken human relationships between God and one another. Relationships are key to being human, and when we are living as less than human, it surfaces in how we interact with God and with others.

So what is Paul saying in Ephesians 2:1? He is describing the human condition, but in ways that few people have ever really considered before. Paul is saying that the great problem with humanity is that we have failed to function properly as the image of God on earth. Or, to put it in terms related to the church, we have failed to function properly as the body of Jesus Christ on earth.

Instead of live up to what God desired and intended for us, we did the opposite. We have lived in sin. Rather than love one another, we hate one another. Rather than serve and build up one another, we kill and tear down one another. Rather than function as one family of God, we live in bigotry and racism, seeking to portray our enemies as monsters and as less than human, so that we might justify our violence against them, so that we might kill them in the name of God.

To go back to the question from the reader about the problem of peace in the Middle East, one of the big problems is that everyone want to blame and accuse someone else of the problems that exist in Israel. The Arabs blame the Jews and the West, and the Jews blame the Arabs and the Muslims. All groups seek to dehumanize the other groups so that they can attack and kill them or just ignore and abuse them. And since this conflict is religious in nature, all sides claim that God is on their side.

This is the exact problem that Paul addresses in Ephesians 2. Right now, he is just laying out the problem, but he will soon address the solution to the problem and how to apply this solution to the problem of the world. In this way, Ephesians 2 address one of the most significant and long-lasting problems in human history … the problem of two or more groups of people who hate each other and want to see the other group destroyed.

Are you beginning to see that Paul is talking about something much different, and much more practical, than the teaching about how to go to heaven when we die?

Yes, and in fact, Paul’s description here of the problem of humanity is not just about unregenerate unbelieving non-Christians, but is also about those who claim to follow Jesus.

Far too often, it is we Christians who seek to dehumanize our enemies so that we might accuse and condemn them in God’s name, and even call for their death and destruction in God’s name. When we do this, we are living in death. We are living in sin. We are, as Paul will say next, living satanically.

Did you know that Christians can be satanic? Yes, that is what will begin to see next time when we look at Ephesians 2:2.

For now, though, I just want to leave you with a word of caution.

Be careful about accusing and condemning others. If you are into politics, it is very easy to start seeing your political opponents as monsters. As less than human. It is easy to start calling them names and wishing for their death. That is the sin Paul has in view here in Ephesians 2:1.

Or maybe it’s a group of people from another religion. The Muslims. Or the Atheists. Or … more close to home … the liberal Christians … or the evangelical Christians. When we start condemning and accusing them and thinking of them as our enemies, we are falling into sin.

The same applies for issues of race. Hopefully you don’t hate people who have a different skin color than you, but we’re starting to see more and more of this now, especially in the area of accusing other people of being racist simply because they have a certain skin color.

All such things must stop for all such things are sinful and cause us to live in death. We will discuss this concept more next time when we look at Ephesians 2:2.

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Are Evangelism Crusades Effective?

Here is a question from a listener:

What do you think of crusade revivals like Billy Graham or Greg Laurie outreaches? Don’t you think there are many ways to evangelize?

Yes, there are many, many ways to evangelize. Evangelism crusades like those of Billy Graham and Greg Laurie are only one way … and in my personal opinion, maybe the least effective form of evangelism.

(#AmazonAdLink) I have a large section devoted to evangelism in my giant book (1275 pages!!!), (#AmazonAdLink) Close Your Church for Good, and in it, I argue that while crusade evangelism has indeed done a lot to help spread the gospel and bring people into the family of God, crusade evangelism does a terrible job of follow-up discipleship and helping make long-term, faithful, and committed followers of Jesus Christ.

Crusade evangelism gets a lot of media attention and glory because of the crowds it attracts, but relational evangelism is far more effective because it builds an actual, loving, and ongoing relationship with someone so that you can be there for them in the trials and problems that come with following Jesus.

When you develop a long-term friendship with someone, they see the struggles and challenges you face. They watch you deal with lost jobs, broken marriages, and moral failures. But through it all, they also observe your faith and commitment to following Jesus and serving others.

It’s not perfect. It’s not glorious. But it’s real. There are no jumbotrons and spotlights, but there are small acts of love. There are no news headlines, but there are daily commitments to faith and hope in God, even when God doesn’t act like we think He should.

God brings people into His family in all sorts of ways, and Crusade Evangelism is one of them. But it is not the only way of evangelism, nor (in my opinion) is it even the best.

You can read a bit more about crusade evangelism in these two posts:

• Is crusade evangelism effective?
• Is the Gospel really preached at Evangelism Crusades?

Better yet, just get my giant book, (#AmazonAdLink) Close Your Church for Good, to get pretty much everything I have written about evangelism.

You have the Power! (Ephesians 1:20-23)

Everybody wants power. Kids want power. Adults want power.

Some seek it through getting lots of money. Some people seek power through political office. Many presidents, senators, congressman are where they are simply because they have a lust for power.

Of course, power is not a bad thing. Power is not evil. It is like food or money or possessions. These are not bad things, but if they become our obsession, they become idols. If we want too much of these things, they become perverted from what they were designed for. Power is not a bad thing, as long as it comes from the right source, and is used correctly.

In fact, what the world longs for—ultimate and all-consuming power—guess what?—Christians already have.

It is interesting, is it not, that most of the things the world longs for—never-ending life, overwhelming joy, unconditional love, satisfaction, power—all of these things are already found … and only found … in the Christian life.

Today we are just looking at the power that we have as Christians.

We briefly talked about power already in Ephesians 1:19, but Paul spends the next four verses (Ephesians 1:20-23) explaining more about the power we have as Christians. Let’s look briefly at the end of Ephesians 1:19 as a way of introducing this power.

Ephesians 1:19. …That power is like the working of his mighty strength,

Paul uses three terms for power here. The first term in the Greek is working. It is the Greek word energion. It is from this that we get the English word energy. Energion is supernatural energy. It is the powerful working of God.

The second word is kratos. It means power. This word is used 12 times in the New Testament and in eleven of those it refers to power that belongs to God alone. The twelfth time, found in Hebrews 2:14 shows that Satan has a similar kind of power—but it is only the power of death. Satan gained this power by rebelling against God, but at the end of time, the power of death will be destroyed.

The third word in this verse is iskus. It means might or strength.

Now, why have I gone into so much detail about this power? I went into detail because Paul used three different words to describe God’s power, and whenever Scripture says something three times in a row, it is worth noting. Scripture says elsewhere that God is “Holy, Holy, Holy” (Isa 6:3; Rev 4:8), which means that He is perfectly holy. It is one of His supreme attributes.

So here, when the Bible says (cf. also Ephesians 6:10) that God is powerful, powerful, powerful, we know that He is completely powerful. It also is one of His primary characteristics. In theological terms, we say that God is omnipotent – all powerful.

But what does that mean? Power is a little abstract, right? It’s hard to get a grasp on how powerful God is. So Paul gives us in the next four verses some concrete examples of how great this power is. Let us begin with Ephesians 1:20.

Ephesians 1:20. … which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,

How great is this power of God? Well, first of all, God used it when He raised Jesus from the dead. Do you know any power of this world that can do that? There are many powers in the world that can take life. In fact, as I just mentioned, that is the kind of power Satan has.

But God has the kind of power that gives life. The power that raised Jesus from the dead, as the verse says. But Ephesians 1:20 says even more than that.

It also says that Jesus Christ was given a seat at the right hand of God in the heavenly realms. He was not just raised from the dead; He was also given the right to rule at God’s right hand!

Remember when we looked at Ephesians 1:3, we learned that the phrase “in heavenly places” does not refer to some otherworldly location where only God and the angels dwell, but instead refers to this present earthly location.

As stated in that study, while the phrase “in the heavenlies” does refer to a spiritual reality, it refers to the spiritual reality as it is carried out in the physical realm, here on this earth, during our lives now.

So when Jesus ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God, what this really means is that He ascended to His throne to rule and reign over this earth, so that He could bring the reality of heaven down to this earth. The rest of the letter of Ephesians explain exactly how Jesus does this … but Paul gives a foreshadowing of how this occurs right here in Ephesians 1:21-23.

In Ephesians 1:21, we see the beginning of what it means for Jesus to rule over the earth.

Ephesians 1:21. [Jesus is seated] … far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

In Paul’s day, these five words—rule, authority, power, dominion and title—described different levels of spiritual beings. It is kind of like a spiritual hierarchy. But guess what? It is not just a spiritual reality. The Bible reveals that the terms Paul uses here refers to spiritual realities that govern, guide, and direct the earthly rulers, governments, and political leaders of our world.

(#AmazonAdLink) The terms “rule, authority, power, and dominion” refer to earthly rulers, nations, institutions, and powers that dominate this world (cf. Dan 4:35, 10:13). Walter Wink’s book, (#AmazonAdLink) Naming the Powers, is the best available study on this subject if you want to learn more. (His “Powers Trilogy” should be required reading for all Christians, so also get (#AmazonAdLink) Unmasking the Powers and (#AmazonAdLink) Engaging the Powers.)

A proper understanding of these terms is critically important for understanding spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6:10-20, and so we will discuss the terms more when we get there.

For now, just understand that Paul’s words here can be understood this way: Paul is saying, “Hey, I know that you have concerns about your government and what they are doing, your local and national leaders and how they seem to only make policies and laws that benefit themselves, the police and how they abuse their power, the financial institutions and how they steal from the poor, the power structures at your job and how they endanger your income, and the social and cultural issues of racism, sexism, and inequality … but all these powers, rulers, and authorities are under Jesus Christ. He has dominion and power over them. So don’t worry about them too much. Jesus is in control.”

Paul’s point here is that we don’t have to worry about these things. He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world. Christ is far above all rule, authority, power, dominion and title.

This is exactly what Paul says in Ephesians 1:22…

Ephesians 1:22. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything

God took all the things that are wrong about this world, and placed them under the feet of Jesus. That is, Jesus was given authority over them. Jesus, as Paul writes, was appointed to be the head over everything.

But this leads to a problem, doesn’t it?

As we look around at the world, does it look like Jesus is in control of everything?

Are governments, and politicians, and banks, and leaders, and educational institutions, and all the other power structures of our world doing things in the way Jesus would do them?

Hardly!

So how is it that all such things have been placed under the authority of Jesus? How can all such things be brought under the control of Jesus so that they do what Jesus wants done in this world?

The answer is found in Ephesians 1:23.

Ephesians 1:23. … which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

What is Paul referring to here? What is the body to which Paul refers?

It is the church.

Though Jesus is the answer to the problems of the world, the church is the solution. The church is how Jesus accomplishes changes in the world. 

Jesus is in control of the power structures of this world by calling and leading the church to make the changes in this world that Jesus wants.

In other words, to the same extent that the church steps up and does what we are called to do, to that same extent Jesus exerts authority over the world.

Alternately, when the power structures of this world are doing things contrary to the ways of Jesus, this only means that the church is failing in our task to show the world and lead the world into the change Jesus wants to bring into the world.

Let me put it bluntly … all the failures in the world are due to a failure by the church to step up with the power of Christ and lead the world the way Jesus wants.

Sadly, the church often follows the world into the satanic ways of power and greed, when in reality, the church should be leading the world into the ways of Jesus Christ. As goes the church, so goes the world.

When the church steps up as the body of Christ, we, as the hands, feet, and voice of Jesus Christ, will fill everything in every way, and the power of God will flow through us to transform this world in ways that Jesus wants and desires.

Jesus is the head of the world and the head of the church, and as such, the church fills the world and transforms it into the ways of the Kingdom of God.

Pretty exciting concept, right? The rest of the book of Ephesians goes on to explain how exactly the church can step up and be the church in this world that Jesus calls us to be. We will begin looking next time in Ephesians 2:1 about one of the primary power structures of this world and what God has done in Jesus Christ to defeat this power structure, and how we Christians, as members of the body of Christ, can work to achieve this important change in the world.

And by the way, just as one last plug for my book, I have written extensively about all my views about the church in my giant book, (#AmazonAdLink) Close Your Church for Good. The book is almost 1,300 pages, so it is not a quick read. But in it, I explain what the church is and how the church is supposed to function in this world. If that is something you want to learn more about, get your copy today and start wading through it.

Join me again next week when we pick up in Ephesians 2 with one of the most important truths about how God wants to powerfully work in the church to change one of the greatest problems in this world.

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Does Changing My Beliefs Make Me an Apostate?

I have been reading your posts about Calvinism with much interest. For a while now I think I don’t believe it to be true. I have to say, the church we are members of is not very heavy on this, they never or rarely use the TULIP lingo I have been raised in a classic reformed, heavily legalistic family. I have always been afraid of not being chosen. What if I thought I believed in Jesus but just kidded myself? It hampers my own life and my witness to others. I would love to see many come to Christ, but the line: “God loves you,” is nearly impossible, because I cannot see in the counsel of God. Also, changing my view on for example Sunday being the Sabbath, makes me panic, because does changing my view on such an important matter mean that I am on my way to become apostate (or in Calvinistic terms, to have the proof that I wasn’t one of them after all). Does it make sense?

This does make sense, and is exactly one of the reasons I write. I have faced many of these identical fears in my past, and I know that millions of other Christians are facing the same fears as well. I want to write to help liberate people from their bondage to bad ideas about God and bad theology that creates fear in the minds of so many.

Here are a few principles I have learned along the way that helps with these sorts of questions, issues, and fears:

1. God has not given us a Spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). If you have beliefs that lead you to fear for your future or fear that you might not have eternal life, then that belief is not of the Holy Spirit.
2. God invites us to reason together with Him (Isaiah 1:18). Questions are invited and welcomed by God! Going back to 2 Timothy 1:7, God wants us to be of sound mind. This means that He gave us a mind and wants us to use it. It is wrong to avoid questions and doubts. Look, if what you believe is true, then that truth can stand up to any and all questions. But if what you believe is not true, then the only way you can discover the truth is by questioning what you believe. Either way, you will come to know the truth and the truth will set you free.
3. Until we come to realize #1 and #1 above, we will NEVER progress as a disciple of Jesus because we will always be afraid to doubt or ask questions. Learning that we are fully loved and fully free is the first step in true Christian discipleship.

None of this really answers the questions about Calvinism of the Sabbath, but the three principles above will free a person up to begin thinking clearly about these two topics. And if you want to know what I have taught on the two subjects, here are some links for further study:

• Calvinism: The Words of Calvinism and the Word of God
• Genesis 2:1-3 – The Sabbath (Part 1)
• Genesis 2:1-3 – The Sabbath (Part 2)
• Should Christians Observe the Sabbath?
• Luke 6:1-5 – Going Against the Grain on the Sabbath
• Luke 6:6-11 – Jesus Gives a Hand on the Sabbath

What is the Sealing of the Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14)?

In the previous study of Ephesians 1:13, we discussed the differences between the sealing of the Holy Spirit and the filling of the Holy Spirit. In this study, we will take a closer look at what exactly the sealing of the Spirit is.

So what is this sealing of the Holy Spirit that Paul writes about in Ephesians 1:13? Paul says we have been marked with a seal.

In Paul’s day seals were used in at least four ways. First, seals were sometimes put on letters to guarantee that it was genuine and that it was written by who it claimed to be written by (1 Kings 21:8; Esther 8:8). Kings might seal their letters with a signet ring. We do something similar when we get a document notarized.

A seal was also sometimes placed on goods or merchandise that was traveling from one place to another to indicate who they belonged to and where they were going. It indicated ownership (2 Corinthians 1:22; Revelation 7:2; 9:4). Again, we do this with our possessions today all the time. We write our names in our books, or on our kid’s clothes when they go to camp. Ranchers brand their cattle. They are placing a mark on it to show ownership.

The third way seals were used in Paul’s day was to show something was authentic and approved (John 6:27). Sometimes when we buy clothes, in one of the pockets will be a little piece of paper saying it has been inspected and approved by someone.

The fourth type of seal was for protection or warning. Remember when Jesus was put in the tomb, Pilate told the soldiers to put his personal seal upon the tomb (Matthew 27:66; Ephesians 4:30). This was to protect the tomb and warn everyone to stay away and keep out!

So Paul says here that God has placed a seal upon us as well. It is to guarantee that we are genuine, it shows ownership, who we belong to, it shows that we are approved, and it provides us with protection or security.

Now, is this mark visible to you and I? No. We cannot see it. We cannot put our finger on it and say “Here it is.” Neither is it revealed by some sort of spiritual manifestations like being slain in the spirit or speaking in tongues or laughing hysterically. The sealing of the Spirit is invisible to us in the physical realm.

According to Galatians 5:22, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. So if a person has some or all of these, it is a good indication that they also have the Holy Spirit. We cannot see the wind, but we can see what the wind does. It is the same with the Spirit.

So this sealing of the Spirit is an invisible mark. We cannot see it or feel it, but we can know we have been sealed.

We can know this by learning a bit more about the sealing of the Holy Spirit.

The Seal and Deposit

The only other book in the New Testament that talks about the sealing of the Holy Spirit is Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 1:22) So the question arises, “Why did Paul only mention this sealing in these two letters?”

The reason has to do with the towns of Ephesus and Corinth themselves. Both Ephesus and Corinth were great centers of the lumber industry in ancient times.

A raft of logs would be floated from the Black Sea and when they got to Ephesus or Corinth, the different lumber merchants would come and look over the logs and make their selections of which ones they wanted. One would say, “I will take these,” and another, “I’ll buy those over there.”

Then they would do two things. They would cut a certain wedge upon each log that they had bought which marked that log as bought and paid for and to show who it belonged to. This was called the seal.

The second thing they would do was to put a down payment on the logs – a deposit – and when the logs were delivered or picked up, they would then pay the rest of the money.

Paul talked about this seal in Ephesians 1:13, and look what he mentions now in Ephesians 1:14.

Ephesians 1:14. who (this is the Holy Spirit) is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

The Holy Spirit is a seal and a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance. It is just like those logs.

The Holy Spirit will provide us with new bodies and an inheritance when we finally get to heaven, but we have a sealing in the Holy Spirit right now which promises and guarantees that this inheritance is ours and is waiting for us.

It is like a deposit, says Paul. God has made a purchase, and just to prove that He is going to follow through on His purchase. He has made a down payment. He has given a deposit in the form of the Holy Spirit.

When we buy a car or a house, we make a deposit. We give a down payment. This tells the seller that we are promising to buy it. That is what God has done here. He has given a deposit to us. He has promised that what He has begun, He will finish.

It is also interesting to note that the Greek word here for deposit is the modern Greek word for an engagement ring. And we all know what an engagement ring means. it is like a deposit. It means that two people are promised to each other or pledged to be married. God has promised to come for us and make us heirs of Himself. This deposit guarantees our inheritance in heaven. The deposit is a little bit of heaven here on earth.

Also in Ephesians 1:14, there’s the inheritance that awaits us in heaven, and there’s the redemption of our bodies. We looked at redemption previously when we considered Ephesians 1:7, and Paul is just reminding us of the similar idea here. We are heirs of God and co-heirs with Jesus Christ. We have been redeemed from our captivity to sin, and because of the sealing of the Holy Spirit, we will also experience the redemption of our bodies. We have been delivered from the penalty of sin, the power of sin, and ultimately, finally, eventually, when we receive our new bodies in eternity, we will be delivered from the presence of sin.

As great as the gift of the Holy Spirit is, He is only a deposit, a foretaste, a small glimpse of the beauty, glory, greatness, and majesty that awaits us in eternity with the redemption of our bodies.

So how do we receive the sealing of the Spirit, and how can you know that you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit?

We looked briefly at both of these questions last time in our study of Ephesians 1:13. When we believe in Jesus for eternal life, we are instantly and permanently sealed by the Spirit. The sealing happens the moment you believe in Jesus for eternal life. And though you cannot see it or feel it, you can nevertheless know you have been sealed by the Spirit because God does not lie.

Just as you can know that you have eternal life because Jesus does not lie to us, we can know we have been sealed because God does not lie to us. If you have believed in Jesus for eternal life, then you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit. You can take it by faith because it is a promise of God and God does not lie. The indwelling Holy Spirit is a deposit in your life that God has given to you in advance of your final glorification, redemption, and new resurrected body in eternity.

God has placed His mark on you, His seal of ownership, and has guaranteed that you will be glorified with Him in eternity. This is something to be grateful and thankful for.

This is the end of Paul’s one long sentence which opens Ephesians. So next, in Ephesians 1:15, Paul begins to explain what he hopes we will do with the blessings, riches, and inheritance we have received from God. This is where we will pick up in our next study.

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