2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
2:2 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.
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.
2:4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
2:5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressionsit is by grace you have been saved.
2:6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
2:7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faithand this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God
2:9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
2:10 For we are Gods handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
2:11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called uncircumcised by those who call themselves the circumcision (which is done in the body by human hands)
2:12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
2:14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,
2:15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace,
2:16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.
2:17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.
2:18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
2:19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with Gods people and also members of his household,
2:20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.
2:21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.
2:22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
Lesson:
Emphasizes the theme of salvation by grace through faith in Christ Jesus. First, Paul describes the process of salvation as the result of God’s grace through faith (Ephesians 2:1–10). Human effort, and human goodness, are completely ineffective in our salvation.
You belong to the group of God’s people that he rules. You belong to God’s family, as all God’s people do. 20 You are like a house that God is building for himself. God’s apostles and his prophets are like the foundation under the house.There is nothing stingy about Him. He willingly shares with us abundant spiritual (and often material) blessings. Application: God wants us to learn from His model of generosity. As He has graciously shared with us out of His immeasurable riches, so we should generously share with others.In chapter 2, Paul tells the Ephesian Christians: You were once spiritually alienated from God; but now, because of God’s grace, you have been spiritually united with him. Paul elaborates on the theme of salvation. By God’s grace, we were freed from the power of sin and Satan, reconciled to God, and saved to do good works (2:1-10). Paul describes salvation as a journey from spiritual death, or separation from God, to spiritual life, or connection to God (2:1-5). But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. He ends with a powerfully concise summary of salvation “by grace you have been.
Prayer for renewing faith
Heavenly Father, I’m asking You to give me eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to receive Your correction and guidance, as I seek a faith revolution in my life—a dramatic turnaround in my thinking, believing, speaking and acting. I ask You to give me the strength to hold strong in the days ahead.
Closing Prayer:
I pray to you, the Father of glory, that you may grant me a spirit of wisdom and revelation a deep and intimate knowledge of you, that the eyes of my heart be enlightened, that I can know and understand the hope to which you have called me, and the richness of your glorious inheritance in the saints
Jesus take complete control of my life and help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for saving me and I know you will answer my prayers. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
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