Ephesians (W3D1) Walking Dead
Week 3. Monday: The Walking Dead
PRAY: Ask God to speak to you from His Word.
READ: Ephesians 2:1-2
1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 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.
UNDERSTAND: get a deeper understanding of the key words
Dead (Greek: nekros): spiritually inactive, indifferent to God & sin (Romans 5:12)
Though we are physically alive, without Christ we are spiritually dead in sin.
We inherited our sin nature from Adam (Romans 5:12-21)
Spiritual death means that we cannot do anything righteous or even believe in Christ for salvation without God first making us alive. Paul explains this further in Ephesians 2:4-5.
Transgressions (Greek: paraptōma): fall beside or fall short (Romans 3:23)
Compared to a holy (perfect) God, we cannot measure up.
We might think of transgressions as missing the mark of holiness.
Sins (Greek: hamartia): offense, violation (James 4:17; 1 John 4:10)
Similar to transgressions but with a different connotation.
Sin is an intentional act. We sin because, in the moment, we want to.
Used to Live: we should not live in sin and the ways of the world anymore.
Ways of this World: refers to the lifestyle/worldview of unbelievers
Ruler of the Kingdom of the Air: this is a reference to Satan, our enemy
Disobedient (Greek: apeitheia): obstinate opposition to God (Ephesians 5:6)
This is even a stronger term than transgressions and sins.
Disobedience is a strong opposition or rebellion against God.
APPLY: What is this passage calling me to do?
You were dead. This sounds like really bad news. Many people don’t like this part of the Gospel. However, if we believe that Christ has made us alive, then we must first have been dead. Why is this important? Because dead people can’t take credit for their salvation. Dead people cannot save themselves. Dead people cannot believe. The good news is that God makes us alive so we can believe and be saved. That’s why God gets all the credit for our salvation! We’ll learn more about this in the next few days.
For now, consider these questions as you read over Ephesians 2:1-2 again:
What “ways of the world” did you follow before God changed your life?
What areas of your life still need to change?
PRAY: Ask God to forgive your sin and help you not to return to it.
