"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins"
- Ephesians 2:1
"Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)"
- Ephesians 2:5
"And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses"
- Colossians 2:13
What does "dead in sin" mean?
Notice that in all three of the above Biblical references to the phrase "dead in sin" that the solution to spiritual death is God's quickening (or regeneration). This means the concept refers to man's natural state in original sin, apart from the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. To be unspiritual, dead in sin or "of the flesh", then, refers to man's natural fallen condition of bondage to corruption prior to the intervention of the Holy Spirit. In 1 Corinthinans 2, it teaches us that persons in this state cannot understand spiritual truths when spoken to them, until the Spirit renews them and gives them understanding.
There are over 400 Protestant denominations who will fight over every jot in their statement of faith. What doctrines you believe is very important but more important is following all the commands of Jesus and the NT with the hope of countless eternal rewards for faithful and loving service.
Jesus commands us to make disciples of all nations teaching them to obey **EVERYTHING** I commanded in Matthew 28:18-20.
Their will be 2 comings of Jesus on the Last Day. The first will be *FOR* His saints and the second will be with his saints just after the marriage Feast of the Lamb as per Revelation 19:8-20 and Revelation 17:14: :They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings--and with Him will be His **CALLED*, **CHOSEN** and **FAITHFUL** followers.
God only calls and chooses those He knows will be *FAITHFUL**who are born of God.
God Has Promised "You will Find Me When You Seek Me With All Your Heart." {Jeremiah 29:13}and "We Will Make Our Home With You!"
John 14:23: Jesus says, �If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching, My Father will love him, and We will make Our home with him.�
Matthew 28:19,20: Jesus commands, �Go and make disciples of all nations... teaching them to *OBEY EVERYTHING I have commanded you!�
I John 2:3-5: �We know that we have come to know Him **IF** we obey His commands. The man who says, �I know Him,� but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the Truth is not him. But if anyone **OBEYS HIS WORD**, God's **LOVE** is truly made complete in Him!!�
So let us read God's Word daily {Acts 17:11} and then *DO WHAT IT SAYS*! {James 1:22,25}
Acts 17:11: �The Bereans were of noble character, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures *EVERY DAY*!�
James 1:22,25: �Do not merely listen to the Word. *DO WHAT IT SAYS*!... and he who continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but *DOING IT*�will be blessed in what he does.
2 Peter 1:3-11: �His Divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
For this reason, make every effort to add to your faith {a 100% Free Gift}; goodness, and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness, LOVE. For if you possess these qualities in **INCREASING MEASURE**, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a **RICH WELCOME** into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!!�
Matthew 16:27; Jesus says, �The Son of Man is going to come in **HIS FATHER'S GLORY WITH HIS ANGELS** {See Matt 24:30,31 & 2 Thess 1:6-10}, and *THEN* He will reward each person according to what he has done.�
Revelation 22:12: Jesus says, �Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done!� {When Jesus comes in His Father's glory with His angels}
2 Corinthians 5:10: For we must all appear before the Judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, {When Jesus comes in His Father's glory with His angels} whether good or bad.�
Ephesians 2:8-10: It is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is NOT from yourselves, it is the GIFT of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
So Salvation is the ***FREE GIFT*** of God's grace and good works with eternal rewards can only be performed by the saved.
Salvation is a 100% Free Gift and REWARDS are 100 % earned.
Matthew 5:14,16: Jesus says, �You are the LIGHT of the world...Let your LIGHT shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
I Corinthians 3:6-9: Paul says, �The Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed. Apollos watered it, but God made it grow... The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers!�
Daniel 12:3: �Those who impart wisdom will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever!!�
So let our lights *SHINE* with the many gifts God has given us and we can have a REVIVAL with the hope of countless eternal rewards for faithful and loving service.
I Corinthians 1:7: For �You do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be *REVEALED*!�
Peter 1:13: �Therefore, prepare your minds for ACTION, and set your hope {*FULLY*} on the grace to be given YOU when Jesus Christ is {*REVEALED*}!!:applause::angel::peace:
The way that we glorify God if we love Him is to obey all the commands of Jesus and the NT with love; just as Jesus loved us with the Hope of countless eternal rewards for faithful and loving service.
John 14:23: Jesus says, "If anyone loves Me, he:rolleyes: will *OBEY MY TEACHING*. My Father will love him, and We will make our home with him!"
I Peter 1:22-25: " Now that you:rolleyes: have purified yourselves by obeying the Truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again...through the living and during Word of God and the Word of the Lord stands forever. And this is the Word that was preached to you."
Ephesians 3:16-19: "I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you:rolleyes: with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in **LOVE**, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the LOVE OF CHRIST**, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God!"
I John 2:3-5: "We know that we have come to know Him {Jesus} **IF** we obey His commands. The man who says, "I know Him," but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone **OBEYS HIS WORD**, God's **LOVE** is truly made complete in him!" And then we may "Grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the **LOVE OF CHRIST**!!"
2 Peter 1:10: "Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you:rolleyes: will receive a **RICH WELCOME** into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!"
Matthew 16:27; Jesus says, �The Son of Man is going to come in **HIS FATHER'S GLORY WITH HIS ANGELS**:angel::angel: {See Matt 24:30,31 & 2 Thess 1:6-10}, and *THEN* He will reward each person according to what he has done.�
I Peter 1:13: "Therefore, prepare your minds for **ACTION** and set your hope **FULLY** on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is **REVEALED**!!":applause::angel::peace:
Ephesians chapter 2: verses 1-4: And you He (God) has quickened (made alive) who were dead in traspasses and sins therefore in time past you walked (lived) according to the course (ways) of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air (influenced by the devil) the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience. James, I think its imortant to use the whole passage for content and context, so people who do not know, will know with better understanding as to what you're speaking about.
1. (1) Christians are alive (quickened) from the dead. And you He made alive (quickened), who were dead (without Christ) in trespasses and sins,
a. The words He made alive are in italics, which indicates that they are added to the text but implied from the context. Paul writes to believers who have been made alive by God's work.
i. Paul ended the last chapter by considering that the ultimate example of God's power was the resurrection of Jesus. Now Paul considers what the implications of Jesus' resurrection power are for our life.
b. Who were dead in trespasses and sins: Though Christians are now alive, they must never forget where they came from. They were dead in trespasses and sins. Not merely sick or injured, but spiritually dead.
i. The death described is not figurative. By nature, apart from the spiritual resurrection of God, man is truly spiritually dead. "The most vital part of man's personality - the spirit - is dead to the most important factor in life - God." (Wood)
ii. Gaebelein speaks of cards signed during an evangelistic campaign, which read "From now on I promise to lead a better religious and Christian life." He then asks: "How is it possible for a person to live a better life, when that person has no life at all?" The Christian life is not a vow to do better. It is a transformation from death to life.
c. This touches on one of the most controversial areas in theology - in what manner, and to what extent, is a person dead before conversion? Must a person be converted before they can believe, or is a prior work short of conversion necessary?
i. Beyond the dispute is the fact of our spiritual death - both an inherited condition, received from Adam, as well as a condition chosen by our own embrace of trespasses and sins.
ii. The idea behind trespasses is that we have crossed a line, challenging God's boundaries. The idea behind sins is that we have missed a mark, the perfect standards of God.
Trespasses speaks of man as a rebel, sins speaks of man as a failure. "Before God we are both rebels and failures." (Stott)
2. (verses 2-3) The life of death.
In which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
a. In which you once walked: At one time, we lived in trespasses and sins, according to the course of this world, which is orchestrated by Satan. Satan (the prince of the power of the air) is still very much active among those in rebellion against God - the sons of disobedience.
b. The self that once walked is the old man, now crucified with Jesus at the time of conversion. The old man is influenced by Adam's inheritance, but also by the world and by Satan.
c. Who now works in the sons of disobedience: In sin we respond to Satan's "guidance." The same ancient Greek verb is used in Ephesians 2:2 for the work of Satan in unbelievers as is used in Ephesians 3:20 for the power of God that works in believers.
d. The prince of the power of the air: This unique title for Satan speaks of his authority (prince) and his realm (the air, a way of referring to Satan's "environment").
i. "The domain of the air, in fact, is another way of indicating the heavenly realm, which, according to Ephesians 6:12, is the abode of those principalities and powers, world-rulers of this darkness and spiritual forces of wickedness against which the people of Christ wage war." (Bruce)
e. We all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh: We once we among the sons of disobedience, proven by our conduct. We embraced the lusts of the flesh, which are primarily perversions of the legitimate desires of human nature.
f. Because of our surrender to the old man, the world, and the devil, we were by nature children of wrath. We rightfully deserved God's wrath, and deserved it because of who we are by our heritage.
i. The Bible knows nothing of the idea that all men are "children of God," except in the sense that He is our common creator (Acts 17:28). Here Paul says that there is a "family" of wrath that has its children, and Jesus called the Pharisees "a family of snakes" (Matthew 3:7, 12:34, and 23:33) and said that their father was the Devil (John 8:44).
ii. We must take seriously the idea that the children of wrath rightly deserve God's wrath. They are not "victims" of anything except God's justice.
B. The process of personal reconciliation to God.
1. (verse 4) God's motive in reconciliation. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
a. But God . . . because of His great love: With but and because, Paul explains God's reason behind reconciling man to Himself, and the reasons are found totally in God. The reasons are His rich mercy and His great love, which He has focused on us.
b. With which He loved us: We might imagine a God of rich mercy and great love who did not focus that mercy and love upon us. But behind the good news of God's salvation offered in Jesus is the fact that this mercy and love is extended to us.
c. Some have warped the idea of God's great mercy and love into something that justifies our pride. Some imagine that we must be so lovable that God has decided to give us this great love! Instead, the truth is that God's love is so great that it extends even to the unlovely - to the children of wrath.
i. Every reason for God's mercy and love is found in Him. We give Him no reason to love us, yet in the greatness of His love, He loves us with that great love anyway.
ii. Therefore, we must stop trying to make ourselves lovable to God, and simply receive His great love while recognizing that we are unworthy of it - this is the grace secret of the Christian life.
2. (verse 5a) When the work of reconciliation begins. Even when we were dead in trespasses,
a. When we were dead: This is when God started loving us. He did not wait until we were lovable. He loved us even when we were dead in trespasses, providing nothing lovable to Him.
b. This is the requirement for being saved - you have to be dead, dead to every attempt to justify yourself before God. He who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me . . . has passed from death into life (John 5:24).
3. (verses 5b-7) The past, present and future of God's work of individual reconciliation. Made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
a. In the past, we have been made alive together with Christ. He shared in our death that we could share in His resurrection life. The old man is crucified and we are new creations in Jesus with the old things passing away and all things becoming new.
i. By grace you have been saved: Paul is compelled to add here that this is the work of God's grace, in no way involving man's merit. Our salvation - our rescue - from spiritual death is God's work done for the undeserving.
b. In the present, we sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. We have a new place for living, a new arena of existence - we are not those who dwell on the earth (as Revelation often calls them), but our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20).
i. We don't sit in the heavenly places with Christ Jesus (yet); we sit in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Since our life and identity is in Christ, as He sits in heavenly places, so do we.
c. In the future, God will continue to show the exceeding riches of His grace to us. God will never stop dealing with us on the basis of grace, and will forever continue to unfold its riches to us through eternity.
d. All this is a heritage that the believer should cling to - this is God's work on our behalf, and we should lay claim to it in Jesus.
...Since Calvinists do not Believe that Baptism Regenerates -- what do you Believe Regenerates us (Christians) and if you could point to Scripture...it would help us "see" your point.
ARCH said: just what was meant by that Article? In as few words as Possible.
Ella says: Arch, if you had read the whole commentary you would know and understand what it means. Its speaks very clearly what is meant by being dead in sin, BEFORE salvation... but then again there must be spiritual insight into God's word by REVELATION and not interpretation as Paul speaks. These things we also speak, not in words which man�s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. I Corinthinas chpater 2.
Dead in sin means we were sinners before salvation. Dead to sin means when we became born again we put away the sin in our lives, we are now no longer sinners but are alive in Chirst brn again from above filled with the Holy Spirit.
You seek less words, this is why maybe you have no clear udnerstand no one likes to READ to full information of a matter, and only read the first three or four sentences and then thhink oyu have become expret in the word of God, and have not a clue as to what God is speaking... hope this is not too long for ya:rolleyes::laugh:
Arch, you still don't understand even after all that has been written, that unless the Holy Spirit comes to live on the inside of a person who has received Christ, there is no regeneration. Only HE can make you alive regenerate us, bonr again from above, cleanse us from the inside out.
Only the Holy Spirit can regenerate a person, you need to go back and read the threads on the topic of regeneration and what it means to be regernated and learn the meaning even of the definition of regeneration, which ONLY MEANS TO BE BORN AGAIN BY THE FILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT...
The Holy Spirit regenerats us when we receive Christ, why is this so hard for you to understand... maybe you have need to be born again????... quickened/made alive from above in Christ???? heeeeeeeee-lo:glow:...unbelievable if you say your are a born again Christian yet you don't have a cle as to how all this takes place and what it means to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit... (walkin away shaking my head in disbelief):rolleyes: How can you possibley be converted?...hhhhmmmm:rolleyes:
