1:18

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened like Jonathan was refreshed and revived and made alert in 1 Samuel 14:27 and like the men on the road to Emmaus eyes were opened by the revelation of to whom they were actually listening in Luke 24:31. The hope of our calling is Christ Himself (Hebrews 6:18), for He is the one who will meet us in the air (Titus 2:13), and fulfill the “hope” of Romans 8:20-24. (read Ephesians 4:4; Colossians 1:5, 23, 27). God the Father has an inheritance (read Psalm 28:9; 33:12; 68:9; 78:62; 78:71; 94:14; 106:5, 40: Isaiah 19:25; 47:6; 63:17; Jeremiah 10:16; 16:18; 51:19). We are Christ’s inheritance which He will receive to Himself at the rapture. He is our inheritance as is the consequence of believing in and on Him (Hebrews (9:15).

1:19

And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

1:20

Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

The power which raised Christ from the dead resides in the physical  body of each believer. AMEN! (Romans 8:10-11). The power that put Jesus Christ in His present geographical location (Colossians 3:1) resides in earthen vessels (1 Corinthians 3:16)

1:21

Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

Above, as in above the universe, in heaven and above, as in above all power (Matthew 28:18), sent to destroy the works of the Devil (1 John 3:8).

2

1:22

And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

1:23

Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Read Colossians 1:12-24

2:1

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Even though the sinner is dead spiritually he is still responsible for his actions (Acts 7:51) and he can accept (John 1:12), or reject (Mark 7:9; Luke 7:30).

2:2

Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

“Walked”, Read Galatians 5:16; This world, read Colossians 2:8. The prince, Daniel 9:26; John 14:30; 16:11; perhaps he will be this prophecy in the tribulation, a ruler over Israel? Ezekiel 21:25 since he is the Prince of John 12:31. The children of disobedience shows that the unclean spirit dwells in the unbeliever just as the Holy Spirit dwells in the believer (Matthew 12:43-45).

2:3

Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

In Galatians 5:19-21 Paul gives a brief expose’ of the kinds of things that characterize the life of an unbeliever until or unless he or she gets saved. Those people whose life is defined proudly by these things are not likely to accept Christ as they want to hold on so tightly to their own sin that it “rules over them”. Christians might commit any of these sins but their lives are not defined by them. We can be deceived. Conversation refers to behavior. “The desires of the flesh and of the mind” sums up the whole matter. 90% of all people in any generation do exactly what cats and dogs do; seek self-gratification, self-preservation, and self-propagation. People and animals share the same basic drives (Ecclesiastes 3:18) so its no wonder that Darwin and Anaximander got confused. Paul was driven by motives that had nothing to do with self-preservation as evidenced in

3

2 Corinthians, chapters 11-12, self-gratification (see Philippians 4:11), or self-propagation (1 Corinthians 9:5). Read 1 Corinthians 2:14. It is about as natural for a rattlesnake to understand logarithms as it would be for an unsaved person to understand this Book (point at the Bible).

Life with Christ

2:4

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

Most Calvinists forget that He loved the WORLD (John 3:16) and that His mercy extends to all of His works and His creation (Matthew 9:13; Romans 11:31-32). This is a great mystery. How does the Almighty Creator love such a one as us? (Psalm 8:4)? How does a Spiritual Being who had no beginning and will have no end find it within His attributes to love a creature that is fittingly described as a “worm” (Psalm 22:6; Job 25:6; Isaiah 41:14)?

Christ died for the ungodly and those without strength (Romans 5:6). Christ came to seek sinners (Luke 19:10). He came to save sinners (Luke 15:10).He died for transgressors (Isaiah 53:3-8), Christ died for murderers and blasphemers (1 Timothy 1:15). He died for His enemies! (Romans 5:10).

2:5

Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

Our spiritual resurrection is past, our physical resurrection is future. Those who taught that there was to be no physical resurrection in the future as many professing Christians do today, insisting that the first resurrection of Revelation  20:5 is only spiritual were turned over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh by Paul (2 Timothy 2:17-18; 1 Timothy 1:20). Spiritualizing of the resurrection began with an early church leader named Origen who lived from 184-254AD.

2:6

And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Some say that we are already there, just not able to realize it in our temporal mind, others say this is refers to what will be. Christ was aware of being in two places, literally, at once (John 3:13).

4

2:7

That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

Notice how all of this mercy comes through Christ Jesus. Any politician who claims to be born again in Christ and who says that all men are on their own path to God so he can appease violent thugs in other religions is a deluded liar and a fruitcake, born again or not. Also, read Ephesians 1:7; 3:16; and Philippians 4:19.

2:8

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Read Romans 1:17. Paul mentions faith 160 times in his letters.

2:9

Not of works, lest any man should boast.

A clear statement that turns upside down any works based salvation doctrine in this age. We don’t get to heaven by our own merits, and you can see what God knows that this would lead to. When we get to eternity with God we will know that we had nothing to do with it and will gladly lay our crowns at Christ’s feet.

2:10

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained  that we should walk in them.

A believer does good works because he is saved, not to get saved or stay saved and because God has ordained believers to good works.

1. God demonstrated His power by raising Jesus from the dead and seating Him at His right hand, subjecting all creation to Him.

2. Without Christ every person is spiritually dead, enslaved to sin, and the object of divine wrath.

3. We are not saved by good works, but saved for good works as a result of having been saved.