Ephesians 2
RoseEphesians 2:1-22
Teacher’ s Notes for Chapter TWO 1. What has God done for Christians? a. To get the full impact of verse one we should read it along with verse 22 of chapter one. b. What has God done for Christ? “He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church.” c. “ And you—He made alive.” Do you see how it ties together? The Father has done great things for all of His children - the One who is the only begotten Son - and all of us who are adopted into His spiritual family. 2. Before we were made alive, how did we live? “ According to the course of the world” —YES! But what is that according to? “ According to the prince of the power of the air” . a. Who is the price of the power of the air? SATAN b. Where does Satan work? “ in the sons of disobedience.” Notice the word “ sons” in that reading. One who is not a child of God is a child of the Devil. i. Notice also that Satan is a spirit who works in the sons of disobedience. Every man and woman who has reached the age of accountability is a child in a spiritual family! The question is which spiritual family am I a child of? c. Look at John chapter eight: When the Jews argued with Jesus that they were descendants of Abraham, He aid in verse 37-38 “ I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you… I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you what you have seen with your father.” Jesus, in that short reading has just pointed out two spiritual fathers. His spiritual Father is the God of heaven; their spiritual father is the prince of the power of the air of whom we read in Ephesians 2:2. Then in John 8:44 He said that they want to do the desires of their spiritual father. d. Now look at Matthew twenty-three: In verse 13 Jesus say, “ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in” Through the remainder of this chapter He proceeds to pass all those “ woes” on them because of their failing to believe and follow the true teaching of God the Father. i. But notice verse 15: Jesus said they would “ travel land and sea to wine one proselyte” (that means to convert one Gentile to Judaism), but when they did reach one what did they make that person? “…you make him twice as much the son of hell as yourselves.” So, in the New Testament we find these two spiritual families. 3. Does Satan work in the same way today? Absolutely! 4. In what ways do we fulfill the lust of the flesh? (verse 3) in the lust of the flesh and of the mind. 5. What would the desire of the flesh include? The physical acts of sin. a. The works of the flesh mentioned in Galatians 5:19-21 lists such things as “ adultery, fornication, lasciviousness, murders, drunkenness and revelries,” These are things done physically, although some of them may be done mentally. 6. What would the desire of the mind include? Those sins that may be committed in one’s mind.a. In Matthew 5:27-28, what did Jesus say one does if he looks on a woman to lust after her? Commits adultery in his heart.” b. What is the heart in that verse?
The mind! c. In our study of Ephesians what did Paul say about fulfilling the desires of the mind? That’s what the sons of disobedience do. i. We must control our thoughts, rather than allowing our thoughts to control us. 2 Corinthians 10:5 admonishes us to “ …bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” ii. In Mark 7:21-22 Jesus stated that many sinful acts are first born in the heart (mind) before the physical act is committed. A good way to learn to control your thought is given in Philippians 4:8. “ Finally brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things.” 7.
How has God made us alive together with Christ? When we were dead in trespasses (verse 5) He made us alive with Christ when we were raised up, (verse 6). a. Romans 6:5-14 is a good commentary on verses Ephesians 2:3-6. (TURN AND READ). 8. By what, and through what have been saved? (Verse 8). “ By grace, through faith.” a. If we are not saved “by works” , how then are we “ created in Christ Jesus for good works” ? Not works of merit by which one “ earns” or “ deserves” salvation. When one obeys the gospel he is “ born again” (John 3:3-5). The American Standard of 1901 says, “ born anew.” The inspired apostle Paul indicates that one who is in Christ through obedience to God is re-created into a new, sinless person with the old sinful things passed away (2 Corinthians 5:17) We are thus, “ created in Christ Jesus to good works” (Ephesians 2:10). i. These are those works done by faithful Christians “ after” they have been “ born anew” ; not before. ii. Peter calls them “ works of righteousness” which are done by those who fear God (Acts 10:35). (See Ecclesiastes 12:13). 9. Who is the uncircumcision? A Gentile - Anyone not born a Hebrew. 10. Who is the circumcision? The Jews who were those born of the Hebrew nation. 11. What were the covenants of promise? The Old Testament law. 12. Why was there no hope for one who was not Israelites? The reason is recorded in Genesis 11:1-9 where we read that mankind became so sinful following the flood, even to the point of attempting to build a tower to heaven. a. The remainder of Gen 11:1-32 gives the genealogy of Abram, whose name Jehovah later changed to Abraham (Genesis 17:5). He was a man following after God, apparently the only one doing so at the time, and God chose his descendants to become the one nation of humanity whom He would guide and protect. b. Genesis 12:1-3 records God’ s promise to Abram that through his seed all families of the earth would be blessed See Galatians 3:15-18). c. Because of their sinfulness, all other nations (called Gentiles) were cut off from God’ s spiritual blessings when Abram was chosen. 13. Who were Abram’ s descendants? Jews, also called Hebrews and Israelite. 14. Abram’ s decedents, the Hebrew nation, later called Israel, was given God’s laws to guide them. These laws were “ the covenants of promise” mentioned by Paul. a. Under the Old Testament dispensation of Moses, how did God categorize humanity? One was either a Jew or Gentile. b. A Jew would be any person born a Hebrew (Israelite), or one could become a Jew by conversion from paganism to Judaism. These converts are called proselytes, such as Nicolas of Antioch (Acts 6:5). i. All males of the descendants of Abraham, and any servant from another nation owned by an Israelite were to be circumcised (Genesis 17:9-14). These are the circumcision of Eph 2:11. ii. Anyone of any other nation was Gentile. The uncircumcision of Eph 2:11. 15. Under the New Testament of Christ how are we categorized? Christian or sinner 16. How were the Gentiles brought near to God? By the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:13). 17. What was the middle wall separating Jew and Gentile? The Old Testament law of Moses which was given to the Jews only. (See Deuteronomy 5:1-3) 18. In what has Jesus reconciled both Jew and Gentile to God? In the body 19. What other name does Paul use for the body of believers? The Church (verse 22). a. Your notes instruct you to see Isaiah 2:2-3 and 1 Timothy 3:15.These two passages show the prophecy of the future establishment of the church, and it’s being fulfilled. b. Isaiah said, “ Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains. And shall be exalted above the hills: and all nations shall flow into it.” He goes on to say in verse 3 that “ the law would go forth from Jerusalem.” c. To see that this is speaking of the church we go to 1 Timothy 3:15 where we are told that there is a certain way one is to conduct himself “ …in the house of God which is the church of the living God. The pillar and ground of the truth.” d. When God’ s word tells what something is, there is no room for doubt or discussion. e. There can be no doubt that the Lord’s house to be established (Isaiah 2:2) is the church which came into existence during the lifetime of the apostles when they began to preach the gospel, which is the church of Christ today (Acts 2:47), and of which church Timothy was a member and told to behave in a Christ-like manner therein. f. No longer are we Jew or Gentile but Christians, “ Fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” (Ephesians 2:19). 20. Upon what is this spiritual house built? Upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets (verse 20). 21. What is this foundation? Their teachings. a. Remember, when the church was established on the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter two, those first Christians “Stood steadfastly in the apostles doctrine…” (Acts 2:42). The doctrine, (the inspired teachings of the apostles and prophets of the early church) comprise the ingredients of this foundation. b. This foundation is not to be altered, as is shown conclusively in Galatians 1:8-9. To do so is to bring the curse of God down on the one who preaches another gospel. c. Two other verses showing that this foundation is the teachings of those early, inspired men is Acts 8:35 where Philip “ began at that same scripture and preached Jesus Christ.” And 1 Corinthians 3:11 where Paul says, “ For no other foundation can any man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”