From Death to Life – Ephesians 2:1–10

Many non-Christians accuse Christianity of presenting a view of humanity that is too dark and negative. If we look at verses 1–3, it is easy to understand such accusations. But that is not the whole truth, for verses 1–3 are followed by verses 4–10. In the Bible’s view of humanity, it is always important to consider both humanity in and of itself and humanity in relation to God.

Paul’s view of humanity is dark and bleak, even hopeless. Man is dead in his sins (verse 1). There is no longer any life in the dead, nor can the dead improve their living conditions or their circumstances. Dead is dead! Paul is describing "original sin" here. The Epistle to the Romans also says the same:

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
(Romans 3:23)

Although the Bible does not contain the phrase “original sin,” the concept itself is clearly present in many of its books. A person’s spiritual death means that they do not naturally feel any attraction toward God. God must act first. God must reach out to a person; only then can a person find God.

Many people say they are agnostics, skeptics, and say: “I don’t take a definitive stance on the question of God. It may be that God exists, or it may be that He does not. We cannot know anything for certain.” But the Bible rules out such a possibility, for there is no “neutral ground” between God and Satan. This world is Satan’s world (Luke 4:6, 2 Cor 4:4). If a person has not been saved by God, he inevitably belongs to this world and is under the rule of its ruler (cf. Luke 16:13

Although the term "original sin" does not appear in the Bible, many books of the Bible clearly teach it. A person’s spiritual death means that, by nature, they feel no interest in God. God must act first. God must reach out to the person; only then can the person find God.

Many people say they are agnostics or skeptics, and say, "I don't take a definitive stance on the question of God. It may be that God exists, or it may be that He does not. We cannot know anything for certain.” But the Bible denies that it is possible to remain “neutral” between God and Satan. This world is Satan’s world (Luke 4:6, 2 Cor 4:4). If a person has not been saved by God, he inevitably belongs to this world and is under the rule of its ruler (cf. Luke 16:13).

Paul speaks of the godlessness of both the Jews (“we,” verse 3) and the Gentiles (“you,” verses 1 and 2). Not even the chosen people were able to remain within God’s realm; they, too, had fallen under Satan’s dominion just as the Gentiles had.

If things had remained this gloomy and dark, the Christian faith would be a pessimistic religion. But the description of humanity’s wretched condition is followed by God’s great “but.”

When reading the Bible, it is good to pay attention to various “turning points.” They usually contain a word expressing cause and effect: “but…,” “therefore…,” “for that reason…,” “even though…,” etc. The same can be expressed with words indicating time: “then—now,” “before—now,” “now—in the future,” etc.

Because of their spiritual death, human beings could not save themselves, so God had to intervene in the course of events. Because of His mercy and love (verse 4), God saved us by His grace (verse 5).

“Saved” (verse 5) is in the perfect tense in Greek. This signifies something that has been completed. Salvation was made complete at Golgotha. There is nothing more to add to it; it is utterly complete.

Paul repeatedly emphasizes that salvation is solely God’s work. Human beings have absolutely no merit in it (verses 8–9).

Paul points out that just because a person is saved without good works does not mean that a person’s actions and omissions are meaningless. He writes similarly in the sixth chapter of Romans. A person is not saved by or through good works. A person is saved in order to do good works, to walk in the works God has prepared (verse 10).

Paul began this passage by describing the hopeless journey of a person living apart from God, and he concludes the passage with a description of Christ’s own journey toward heaven. Indeed, the Church has often been called God’s pilgrim people. A person is always on a journey toward something, either heaven or perdition.

God’s Family – Eph 2:11-22

Due to the influence of Marxism, “alienation” has become a common term. Karl Marx borrowed the word from the German theologian Ludwig Feuerbach. But the Bible already speaks of alienation: it is the state of having drifted far away from God.

God, however, saw our condition and came to our aid by adopting us as His children in Christ. We are therefore no longer strangers and foreigners—a term that referred to someone who had the right to reside in a certain area but lacked the civil rights of its citizens. We are God’s family (verse 19), members of God’s people. The church can be called God’s family or temple (verses 19 and 21).

It is very difficult for us today to grasp the great divide that existed between Gentiles and Jews in Paul’s time. The Jews taught that God loved only them and that the Gentiles were created solely for perdition.

Verse 12 lists the problems of the Gentiles: They were
1. without Christ
2. outside the people of Israel
3. strangers to the covenants and their promises
4. without hope
5. without God in the world

Romans 9:3–5, on the other hand, lists the privileges of the Jews. They had:
1. the status of God’s children
2. the glory
3. the covenants
4. the Law
5. the worship in the temple
6. the promises
7. the patriarchs
8. Christ according to the flesh

These lists could be summarized by saying that the Gentiles were far from God and the Jews were close to God:

"For what great nation is there
that has a god so near to it
as the Lord our God is to us,
whenever we call upon him?"
(Deuteronomy 4:7)

"He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all his saints,
for the people of Israel who are near to him.
Praise the Lord!"
(Psalm 148:14)

But even in the Old Testament there were prophecies that this separation would come to an end in the last days:

"It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it, and many nations shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord , to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."
(Micah 4:1-2)

The distinction between Gentiles and Jews was clearly evident in the Temple in Jerusalem. The outermost area was the Court of the Gentiles. Between it and the next area — the Court of the Women — stood a wall one and a half meters high, beyond which Gentiles were forbidden to go under threat of the death penalty.

Archaeological excavations have uncovered two of the warning and prohibition signs that were affixed to the sides of the wall gates. This was further emphasized by the fact that the pagans’ forecourt was lower than the other forecourts. Thus, the pagans were forced to look up at the Jews.

If a Gentile had entered the temple grounds, he would have defiled the entire temple, and it would have had to be purified. That is why the accusation that Paul had brought a Gentile into the temple precincts was very serious (Acts 21:27–31). The Romans had taken away the Jews’ right to impose the death penalty, but one exception remained: the Jews were allowed to execute a Gentile who had entered the temple grounds. Not even Roman citizenship would have saved Paul if the accusation had been true. Judaism, therefore, gave pagans no part in the kingdom of God.

But (verse 13) now the situation was different. Christ had torn down the dividing wall. Soon after (in A.D. 70), Roman troops also destroyed that stone wall in the Temple in Jerusalem. Its time had passed, for Christ had begun a new era.

Christ brought peace between people and God (verses 14–16). As a result of Christ’s work of reconciliation, peace also comes between people. Christ’s work thus has both a vertical and a horizontal dimension: it brings peace between people and God, and forgiveness to people’s relationships with one another.

A Warning Example

It is worth noting here that the Jews had abused their special position before God. In a truly chilling way, Paul describes this in Romans 2:17–24, which concludes: “…because of you, the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles.”

Do we know how to properly rejoice in the privileges of being God’s children? We have no reason for pride or boasting (verse 9), for we have received our citizenship in heaven as a gift.

Relying on Christ

The Bible often speaks of the cornerstone (verse 20), for example:

“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone"
(Ps 118:22)

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
(1 Peter 2:6)

It is not known for certain which stone in the building is being referred to. It may be the stone located at the corner of the building. In this context, one might think that Paul had in mind two walls—the Jews and the Gentiles—which the cornerstone unites. It may be that the stone refers to the capstone on the top, the final stone placed at the top of an arch, upon which the entire structure stood. If the stone were removed, the whole building would collapse.

Regardless of which stone is being referred to, the idea itself is clear: without that stone, the building cannot stand. Only a church founded on Christ (Matt. 7:24–27) and built upon His work can endure. Spirituality built by human effort may appear to flourish for a time, but at the gates of heaven, at the very latest, it will become clear who has built on the right foundation.