Key Verse: “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you previously lived according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also.” (Ephesians 2:1-3 CSB)
“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me; I once was lost but now I’m found, was blind but now I see.” These well-known words are from the hymn that was published in 1779 by John Newton, a minister from the Church of England, as part of a reflection of his life-changing encounter with the grace of Jesus Christ.
What makes grace so amazing? Why is it so glorious? The Apostle Paul helps us answer this question, in where he turns his attention to next in his letter to the church in Ephesus. His words are all about God’s amazing grace!
According to Paul, one of the reasons why God’s grace is so glorious or amazing is because of where we found ourselves when we first encountered it. Paul wrote, “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins” (v.1). This is not a reference to physical death. Rather, Paul is pointing to our spiritual human condition apart from Jesus. To be “dead” in this sense means to lack spiritual life. It’s what Paul later described as being “excluded from the life of God” (Ephesians 4:18).
What is the reason for this all-encompassing human condition? Paul tells us that it is because of our “trespasses and sins” (v.1). Generally speaking, people tend to think of themselves as inherently good. But according to the Scriptures, every person has rebelled against God (Romans 3:23), whether through sins of commission or omission. All of us have turned from Him and gone our own way (Isaiah 53:6). As a result, we have forfeited the life of God and are now dead in our sins.
Why has this occurred? What lies behind the sin that destroyed our life with God? Paul tells us that it is first because we “previously lived according to the ways of the world” (v.2). Before Jesus, we were completely influenced and controlled by the value system of the world around us. Furthermore, we also lived “according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient” (v.2). This is a reference to Satan who vehemently opposes Jesus and all who would follow Him.
Finally, behind the sin that has caused spiritual death are our own sinful desires. Paul writes, “We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts” (v.3). Sometimes we are our own worst enemy. The world, Satan, and even our own selves have contributed to the spiritual condition in which we find ourselves apart from Jesus.
What is the result of all of this? Paul tells us that, “we were by nature children under wrath” (v.3). One writer describes God’s wrath as, “His personal, righteous, constant hostility to evil, his settled refusal to compromise with it, and his resolve instead to condemn it” (John Stott). God’s wrath is the result of spiritual death because of sin.
Stop and reflect on this for a moment. All that the Apostle Paul has just described is true about every single person apart from the saving and transforming grace of Jesus Christ. We are dead in sin and under God’s wrath. This is the state in which we find ourselves apart from Jesus. Pretty depressing to think about, isn’t it?
Well, not necessarily! If you are in Christ today, this is not where you are now. Rather, it is the place where God in His grace first reached out to you. If you have put your faith in Jesus, God’s grace has now saved you from spiritual death and God’s wrath against sin. This is what is truly so amazing. This is why God’s grace is so glorious!
Prayer: Jesus, apart from you I was dead in sin. I was controlled by the world, the devil and my own sinful desires. As a result, I was under God’s wrath. But because of your love, you chose to save me and give me life in you. I praise you today for your amazing and glorious grace! Amen.
Author: Jonathan Miller has served in pastoral roles for more than 13 years in churches in Barrie, Oakville and Burlington, Ontario. He currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Prison Fellowship Canada, a ministry that mobilizes and equips local churches to engage in the restorative work of prisoners, ex-prisoners, their families, and victims across Canada. Jon holds degrees from McMaster University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He and his wife Adrienne have been married since 2004, and live in Burlington, Ontario with their 4 children. Jon’s greatest passion is to know Jesus and to see lives transformed by Him and for Him.
