Ephesians 2:1-10 Lesson 370

Ephesians 2:1-10
Lesson 370

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

Saved by Grace.
Once, we were spiritually dead and separated from God.
Now, we are alive and united in Christ.

What we are by nature versus what we are by Grace.

Study Tip:

Take notes.
Notes help us learn and remember.
They keep us focused and help us follow up on thoughts and ideas.
Plus, we can carry notes to review and meditate on as we go about our day.

The Epistle of Paul The Apostle To The Ephesians

The King James Bible

Ephesians 2:1-10
From death to life

1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Margin notes:

"You hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins." (2:1) - "You have been given life, you who were dead in transgression's and sins." (John 5:21).  Before Christ, mankind was spiritually dead.

"Ye walked according to the course of this world." (2:2) - "You lived according to the (sinful) ways of this world."  (Colossians 1:21).

Additional note: "We were dead, walking according to the course of a world steeped in sin.  Living in lust, filth, the gutter of the flesh. Practicing what the mind suggests. Following the desires of lust and of a mind totally depraved. By nature, the children of Satan." Harold G. Ihlefeldt (1920-1971)

"The prince of the power of the air." (2:2) - A reference to Satan and his demonic realm. Christians constantly "wrestle" with Satan (Ephesians 6:12).

"We all had our conversation." (2:3) - "We all had our way of life." And that way of life followed the sinful impulses that plague all humanity.

"The children of wrath." (2:3) - Because we sinned, we were the children of God's wrath.

"God, who is rich in mercy." (2:4) - Thanks to God's mercy, we no longer have to live under the power of sin.

"Quickened us together." (2:5) - Not only did God give Jesus life when He resurrected Him, He also gave us life (Romans 5:6; 6:4; Galatians 2:20).

"Grace." (2:5) - God's unearned gift of salvation to mankind through Jesus Christ. This gift is given freely out of God's infinite love, mercy, unmerited favor, goodness, and goodwill. Accepting God's grace frees us from the penalty of sin and reconciles us with God (Romans 3:23-24; 5:1-21; Ephesians 2:4-5; 1 Thessalonians 3:13; Hebrews 9:28). God's gift comes with no strings attached and was offered with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Thanks to God's grace, we no longer live under the merit system of the Mosaic Law. Since the crucifixion, salvation does not depend on our works, religious practices, rituals, feasts, or keeping the Sabbath, etc. (Romans 6:14). Salvation comes when we accept Jesus as our Savior (John 1:12-13; 3:36; 5;24; Hebrews 1:1-3; 1 John 5:10-12). We are saved or lost in this dispensation because we receive or reject Jesus. Good works have nothing to do with salvation. Good works are the fruit of salvation.

"Made us sit together in heavenly places." (2:6) - "Seated us together (with Jesus) in the heavens." Thanks to Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, believers will reside in heaven, where they will never weep, grow old, or be sick, hungry, thirsty, angry, jealous, vindictive, tired, bored, or unhappy.

"By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves." (2:8) - This is an important verse. We are not saved because of our kindness, good deeds, education, intelligence, position in life, money, charitable giving, or by anything we do. Our salvation is a gift from God. All we have to do is believe in Jesus Christ to accept the gift.

"Not of works." (2:9) - Salvation is not our reward for doing good.

"We are his workmanship." (2:10) - We were created by the hand of God (Genesis 1:26-28; Psalm 100:3).

"God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (2:10) - Even before God created us, it was ordained that Christians would be blessed.

New Living Translation

Ephesians 2:1-10
Made Alive with Christ

1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.

2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil-the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.

3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God's anger, just like everyone else.

4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much,

5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved!)

6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.

7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God.

9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

10 For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's question:

1. What has God done for us?

Let us know if your email address is changing.

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. In this passage, we learn that God loves us, shows us mercy (2:4), and gives us a chance (through His grace) to be spiritually reborn (2:5). If you accept God's grace, He will lift you from the grave and place you in heaven. There you will sit in everlasting glory (2:6). God has made this salvation available as a gift. A gift that can't be earned, just accepted. This is what God has done for us and all humanity.

Application thought for the day:

Salvation is not God's payment for our good deeds.
We are saved by God's grace.
There is nothing we can do to earn salvation. It is a gift.

"The fact that all people, without exception, commit sin proves that we have a sinful nature. Does this mean only
Christians do good? Of course not - many people do good to others. On a relative scale, many are moral, kind, and
law abiding. Comparing these people to criminals, we would say they are very good indeed. But on God's absolute
scale, no one is good. Only through uniting our lives with Christ's perfect life can we become good in God's sight."

(The "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois, page 2349)

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
© 2025 evolke

Subscribe for Free Bible Lessons