Ephesians (W3D2) Natural Born Sinners
Week 3. Tuesday: Natural Born Sinners
PRAY: Ask God to speak to you from His Word.
READ: Ephesians 2:3
All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
UNDERSTAND: get a deeper understanding of the key words
At One Time (Greek: pote): previously, formerly
This phrase refers to our previous life as unbelievers.
What follows this phrase is not true of genuine believers.
Gratifying (Greek: poieō): indulging, fulfilling (Galatians 5:16-21)
Before salvation we seek to please ourselves (our sin nature).
After salvation we seek to please God.
Cravings (Greek: epithymia): intense desire or lust for sin (Romans 6:12)
Before salvation we cannot help but to sin because we want to sin.
After salvation God gives us the ability to say no to sin (Titus 2:12)
Flesh (Greek: sarx): sin nature, devoid of desire for God (John 1:12-13; 3:6)
Flesh can be seen as both spiritual and physical.
Even our physical bodies pull us toward sin.
By Nature (Greek: physis): original state, who we were before salvation
Can also be translated, “by birth.”
This is why we need to be “born again” (John 3:3)
Deserving of Wrath (Greek: orgē): natural result of our sin nature (Galatians 4:8)
Sin naturally deserves wrath from God. And that’s a good thing.
We wouldn’t want God to be passive with evil.
APPLY: What is this passage calling me to do?
At one time we were unbelievers. We were sinners. Even worse, we loved sin. We craved the very things that were killing us. We followed our the desires and thoughts of our sin nature. Because of that we deserve God’s wrath. God would have every right to leave us in our sin and destroy us. We have to understand this before we can begin to understand God’s grace. Until we know how bad we are we cannot see how good God is.
How does an accurate understanding of your sin help you to understand grace?
Have you ever thought of yourself as deserving of God’s wrath? Why or why not?
What “desires and thoughts” do you still struggle with?
PRAY: Ask God to give you the power daily to overcome your sin nature.
