Bible Study 16th May, 2008

Ephesian Ch. 2 vs. 1-10

Our Condition – vs. 1-3

¹As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
²in 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.
³All of us also lived among them at one time,
gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature
and following its desires and thoughts.
Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
Ephesians 2:1-3 (NIV)

What word does Paul use to describe the condition of his readers
before they came to know Christ?

• Dead !
  (A corpse cannot hear what is being said and has no appetite for food. Just as a physically dead person can not respond to physical stimuli
  so a spiritually dead person cannot respond to spiritual things)

What two influences guided the Ephesians’ lives in the past?

• The standards and conventions of the world in which they lived
• The spirit of Satan “the ruler of the kingdom of the air”.

God’s Love – vs. 4-7

⁴But because of his great love for us,
God, who is rich in mercy,
⁵made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions -
it is by grace you have been saved.
⁶And God raised us up with Christ
and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
⁷in order that in the coming ages
he might show the incomparable riches of his grace,
expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:4-7 (NIV)

What two attributes of God motivated Him
to do something about our spiritual deadness?

• His love and mercy (v. 4).

Is God’s intention to keep his work of salvation secret?

• No

What is he going to do?

• He is going to display the “incomparable riches of his grace” throughout the coming ages (v. 7).

Our Faith – vs. 8-9

⁸For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -
and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -
⁹not by works, so that no one can boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)

In this familiar passage, what four things does Paul say about salvation?

• Salvation is a) by grace, b) through faith, c) God’s gift
  and d) not obtained by works.

 

God’s Purpose – v. 10

¹⁰For we are God’s workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

What purpose does God have in mind
when he makes us new creatures in Christ Jesus?

• That we will live a new life of good works according to his will.

 

Respond

Why is it tempting to try and base acceptance with God
upon our own efforts – both before and after becoming Christians?

• It is natural to want to take credit for achieving something-but salvation is not a task to be accomplished; it is a gift to be accepted

What part do good works play in the Christian life?

• They should follow salvation in gratitude for God’s grace

How can we as a church and as individuals
further demonstrate God’s grace through good works.