“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” (Ephesians 2:1-3 ESV)
“There is something wrong with our world, and even with ourselves as human beings. But what is it? People have given different answers to that question. Some say the problems are primarily economic, others that they’re social, and still others that they’re psychological. Certainly, these answers may give some insight into some of the symptoms of our travail, but the Bible teaches that the disease is something far deeper and more profound. In a word, the problem is sin—rebellion against the creator God who created us,” explains Pastor Greg Gilbert.
The problem of sin is not superficial. Sin is ingrained deep within the individual’s soul. Mankind’s sinful condition began at each individual’s conception (Psalm 51:5). We are not sinners because we sin. Rather, we sin because we are sinners.
Today’s text explains that our sinful condition is called spiritual death. Sinners are separated from God because of their trespasses and sins. God’s wrath, or judgment, is set upon us (Rom. 1:18). Our spiritual death condition involves three specific areas: the world, the devil and our fallen, sinful nature the Apostle Paul called the flesh. An examination of each is necessary.
The world. “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world.” To walk (περιπατέω; peripateo) is a present, active reality of life and living. It is the sinner’s behavior that is in harmony with the course (αἰών; aion) or the age of a sinful system of thinking; a fallen worldview. The Bible calls this the world (κόσμος; kosmos) or the world order.
We witness the philosophy of the fallen world at home, at work, at school, in our neighborhoods, as we travel, and when watch the evening news or access the news on our mobile devices. The secular media, news and entertainment, embraces and advocates for the secular worldview and increasingly opposes biblical Christianity.
The Devil. “Following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.” While the name Satan, or the devil, is not explicitly referred, the text implicitly refers to our enemy. He is a ruler (ἄρχων; archon) who possesses authority and power (ἐξουσία; exousia). He is a created spirit being (πνεῦμα; pneuma) who is evil and who opposes God. However, the devil’s authority is delegated to him from almighty God.
The Flesh. “”Among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body.” The flesh (σάρξ; sarx) is the sinner’s human nature. It is not inherently good but rather inherently evil. This fallen nature displays itself by all manner of unrighteousness behavior and thinking (Romans 1:24-32).
The result of this sinful condition and behavior is that unconverted sinners are under the righteous wrath of God. The holy and righteous judge who is the Lord of the universe has condemned sinners and sentenced them to eternal damnation.
“The consequences of Adam’s sin were nothing short of catastrophic. God had promised that if the humans ate from the forbidden tree, they would surely die. What He meant was not just physical death, but also—and more horribly—spiritual death. This was a just and right punishment,” continues Pastor Gilbert.
“Even worse, when Adam sinned, he did so as the representative of every human being. So Paul wrote to the Romans, “Many died through one man’s trespass” (Romans 5:12-21). That is why each of us ratifies over and over again Adam’s act of rebellion against God with our own sin. We, too, long to be free of God’s authority and rule, and so we give ourselves to the pursuit of pleasure and joy in created things as ultimate ends. In the process, we declare that God is not worthy of our worship, and thus we prove ourselves worthy of the curse of spiritual death that God pronounced in the beginning.”
What hope is there for this sinful, fallen world? There only hope is that the One, True God would save sinners from the penalty, power and eventual presence of sin. Thanks be to God that He has sovereignly and graciously chosen to do so.
It is this gracious deliverance that we will examine when next we meet. Have a blessed day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
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