Ephesians
Chapter
2
{Chapter 2 -
Introduction to Surpassing Grace}
{Verses 1-10,
The Grace Panorama}
{How Grace
found us - Verse 1-3; Grace Found Us Spiritually dead}
1~~And you all
{ALL believers}
being
{spiritually} 'deads'
{plural
- 1 spiritual death per person}
in the sphere
of your transgressions
{violations of divine law - evil}
and your sins
{sins of cognizance}.
{Note: Paul's thought continues from Chapter 1.}
{Grace found
us under the Control of Satan}
2~~In which
sphere
{of
spiritual death}
you formerly
{as an unbeliever}
walked/'had
your manner of life'
according to
the era of this world/cosmos
according to
the 'supreme ruler'
of the
authority of the {lower} atmosphere {aer} . . .
the 'ruler of
the spirit' {Satan}
which is now operational
in the sons of obstinacy.
{Note: Satan became the ruler of the earth replacing Adam after the fall. Aer is the Greek word for the approximately 90 miles of atmosphere closest to the earth. }
{Grace Also
Found Us under the Control of the Old Sin Nature}
3~~Among whom also
we formerly
had our behavior pattern
in the lusts
of our flesh {Old Sin Nature};
continually
doing the desires {volitional activities}
of the flesh {OSN}
and the
thoughts/mind {human viewpoint};
and we kept on being
by naturally
inherited endowment
{the
Sin of the Father - Adam's sin}
the child
under the authority of {divine} judgment/wrath,
as also the
rest
{of the
human race was found by grace}.
{Note: We were born with an Old Sin Nature. Adam's sin is passed from father to child in each generation and therefore we are born spiritually dead. By being born under condemnation, if we do not reach the age of accountability, God can forgive us and take us to heaven. Forgiveness can not come BEFORE condemnation!}
{Note: Grace found us ALL under the authority of Satan. Grace found us under the authority of the 'flesh'/ the control of the Old Sin Nature and helpless. But Grace will save us.}
{Verses 4-7 -
How Grace Provided for Us}
4~~But, in
contrast {to you!},
The God
{God
the Father - Author of the Plan},
keeps on being wealthy/rich
in the sphere
of mercy {grace in action},
because of His
great quantity of love {agape}
with which He
loves us.
{Note: God always has loved us in the past, loves us today, and will always love us! This is a dramatic aorist which in effect says ' He ALWAYS loved us . . . where were YOU???"}
{Strategic
Victory in the Angelic Conflict}
5~~Although we
all were {spiritual} dead
in the sphere
of our transgressions,
He has made us
alive . . .
together in
association with the Christ
{Positional Truth}
(by means
of grace
you
have been completely
and
permanently saved).
{Positional
Truth - In Union with Christ}
6~~And
{God
the Holy Spirit}
has both
raised {us} up together
and has
made/caused us
to sit
together {with Him}
in the
heavenlies . . .
in Christ Jesus.
{Exceeding
Riches/Wealth of His Grace - Phase III Grace in Eternity Future}
7~~For the
purpose that
in the
approaching ages
He {God the
Father}
might demonstrate
His surpassing
grace riches
in generosity
upon/toward us . . .
in Christ Jesus.
{How Grace
Saved Us - Efficacious Grace - Verses 8-9}
8-9~~ For you
see,
by 'the grace'
you have been
completely and permanently saved . . .
through faith
. . .
even this
{salvation} . . .
{is}
definitely not
out from the
source of you all . .
the free gift
is from the
source of The God . . . 9~~
not out from
the source of works . . .
that no one
should boast.
{Note: Efficacious means 'having the desired result' - being effective. The salvation work of Jesus Christ on the cross is called the 'efficacious grace'. He did all the work. All we do is the non-meritorious act of Faith in Him. The credit/glory goes to the object of faith.}
10~~OF
HIM . . .
FOR YOU SEE
. . .
WE ARE HIS PRODUCTION/
'manufactured
article',
having been
created in Christ Jesus {Positional Truth}
for the
purpose
of 'divine
good production'/works/achievements,
by which The
God
has pre-fabricated
{made
ready in eternity past}
that in the
sphere of them
{in
SuperGrace and production of resultant Divine Good Production}
we may
walk/'pattern our lives'.
{Note: In eternity past, God had made ready our SuperGrace blessings and resultant divine good production that is possible in our lives IF from our free will we choose for His plan - to walk in His Way - using divine viewpoint - doctrines in our soul as guided by God the Holy Spirit.}
{Verses 11-17
- Grace and the Barrier. Transitional - Jew and Gentile}
11~~For this reason
keep on remembering,
{recall
the doctrine resident in your soul}
that you all .
. .
in times past
. . .
{were} Gentiles
in the flesh
{physically born that way},
the ones being
called 'un-circumcism'
{derogatory phrase - foreskins of shame}
by the ones
being designated 'circumcision'
{the Jews}
in the flesh .
. .
accomplished
by human hands
{Jews
considered themselves superior}.
{Note: This verse emphasizes the Jews distorting the true significance of circumcism in favor of false superiority over the Gentiles. The Jews were using superficial standards in thinking themselves superior to Gentiles.}
{Opposite
Point - Right Side of the Barrier - Right Standards}
12~~Remember
that . . .
at that period
of time
{as an unbeliever}
you were
separated from Christ {REAL issue},
having been alienated
from the
ultimate source
of the
citizenship of Israel,
and foreigners/aliens
from the
covenants of the {divine} promise
{of
grace and blessings},
not having
future expectation
{absolute confidence in phase III} . . .
Godless in the
"devil's kingdom"/cosmos/world.
{Note: Paul is telling the Gentiles that the Jews who are judging them are using wrong standards, but for thousands of years the Jews have had something these Gentiles did not have! So, remember we are not that far from our ancestors who 'were barbarians almost hanging from trees! The Jews are a unique and superior race.}
{Means of
Reconciliation of Man to God}
13~~But, in contrast,
at the present time
{you are} in
Christ Jesus
{Positional Truth at the point of Salvation}
you all . . .
the ones being
formerly far away
{on the
wrong side of barrier}
have
become/'been brought' near . . .
by means of
the blood of Christ.
{Note: This is NOT literal blood of Christ. While still alive, He said 'It is finished'. The 'blood of Christ' is figurative blood - substitutionary and efficacious. It represents the spiritual death of Jesus Christ on the cross.}
{Removal of
the False Standards of Religion By Reconciliation}
14~~For He
Himself and only He Himself
{Jesus
- the Unique One}
keeps on being
our
harmony/tranquility/peace/unity/blessing . . .
the One having
made both
{Jew
and Gentile} . . .
one
{no pseudo-distinctions},
and having abolished/destroyed
the
middle/'dividing wall'
of the partition/barrier.
{Note: This is the path to SuperGrace. When you truly understand that JESUS CHRIST keeps on being our source of blessing, of inner peace, of unity, and our source of tranquility.}
{Note: 'The middle wall of partition' is one of the best-attested records from the ancient world of class distinction and of racial distinction. It is actually a wall that the Jews built around the temple. Gentiles could be around the outer court but never past the middle wall. Why the 'middle' wall? Because the temple had walls. Then it also had an outer wall. So then the wall in between was called the middle wall. This was a visible difference between a Jew and a Gentile. The penalty for any Gentile going past the middle wall was death.}
15~~Having
abolished/'wiped out'
in His flesh
the state of enmity/alienation
{barrier between God and Man} . . .
the law of the commandments
{codex
1 only - the Decalogue and moral commandments}
by means of
the ordinances
{codex
2 of Mosaic Law - shadows of Jesus Christ} . . .
with the
result that
He {Jesus}
might create
{a new species}
in Himself . . .
the two
{the
Jew and Gentile} . . .
resulting in
one
new 'in
species'/'category of' man . . .
causing peace/harmony/blessing/reconciliation.
16~~ And that
{continuing the new species concept},
He might
reconcile/'restore to favor'
'the both'
{Jews
and Gentiles}
to The God . . .
in one
body/flesh . . .
through the cross;
by it {the
cross} . . .
having put to death
the enmity
{barrier between God and sinful man}.
{*Note: verse
17 is a Continuation of Verse 14}
17~~Also
{Jesus} having come . . .
He communicated/preached/proclamation
the 'good news'/gospel'
of reconciliation/peace
{fulfillment of Isaiah 57:19}
to you . . .
the far away
ones {Gentiles}
- to your
advantage -
and
reconciliation/peace to you . . .
the near ones
{the Jews}.
{Verses 18-22,
Grace and the Church}
18~~Because
{of reconciliation}
through Him {Jesus}
we 'the both'
{Jew and Gentile}
keep having
access/'freedom or right to enter'
by means of
one Spirit
{God
the Holy Spirit}
face to face
with God the Father.
19~~Consequently,
therefore you {Gentiles}
keep on being
. . .
no longer . . .
aliens and foreigners
{'those
who live beside us but not part of us'},
but you keep
on being fellow-citizens
of the saints
and 'members
of the Family'
or 'members of
the dispensation'
from the
source of God.
20~~Having
been built/constructed
on the
'foundation' . . .
by means of
the apostles and the prophets . . .
Christ Jesus, Himself,
keeps on being
the 'corner
foundation stone'.
21~~In the
sphere of Whom {Jesus} . . .
an entire
building {the Church} . . .
in the process
of being perfectly constructed/'fitted together' continues to grow .
. .
resulting in a
holy temple
in the Lord.
{Note: Each person who is saved is one more brick in the building of the Church. When all the bricks have been put in place, the church will be complete and the rapture will occur.}
{Positional
Sanctification of the Church}
22~~In the
sphere of Whom {Jesus}
you also {all believers}
are being
constructed together . . .
resulting in a
permanent dwelling place
of the God
{God
owns the building!}
by means of
the Spirit.
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