Ephesians 2 (Part 1)

To understand Ephesians 2 you need to read the rest of the Bible.

v 15  -  One new man - the Christian.
Christ died on the cross to fulfill the Old Testament and bring in the New Testament.

v 8 & 9 - learn these two verses.  You cannot save yourself;  Christ saves us.  We come through faith - faith in Christ.

v 10 - if you get saved and nothing happens,  you're a liar.   It's not about what you get right; it's about what God molds you into by what you do through your life  journey.

This passage speaks of what we were like before we came into the kingdom of God.   By faith in Christ Jesus we are saved.  We are citizens of God's kingdom now. 

v 1-3 - Pauk used 4 ways to describe how we were before coming to Christ:

- dead to Christ (spiritually dead);
- followed the ways of the world;
- followed the ruler of this world  (devil);
- gratify the cravings of the flesh.

Sometimes we go back to these things.   Life is a journey and we walk (or run) this journey.

We were lost to God, spiritually dead; now we are alive. 

v 4-10 

-  even when we were dead in our trespasses God shows how much he loves us;
- we need to make sure we are seeking God's grace, seeking His face;
- Ephesians 1: 3-4  spiritual blessings;
- the things of this world will pass away;
- God saves you to show the world God's morality /God's way of doing things.
- God loves us, even in our state of sin, being and living opposite to God.

We were strangers once to this covenant;  but now we the one new man.

v 11 fwd -
- belonging  (baptism) to let people know that we are circumcised  (spiritually )  and we belong in the family of God;
- before no hope and no God;  but now in Christ we have hope and God;
- far away but now brought near.  We can go to God Himself;
- peace of God in your life.  Even when we do something wrong,  we can come and confess to God our wrong and have peace of God in us;
- citizens and members of God's household,  no longer a stranger or separate from God;
- look for these words as you read this chapter - formally / no longer.

Verses to memorize: Ephesians 2:8-9