Ephesians / 2

  • Separated from Christ

    Ephesians 2:12a

    In the modern world, it can be easy to think our non-Christian neighbors are not really all that bad off because many of them enjoy a high standard of living. Yet, to be separated entirely from the covenants of promise ...Read More

  • Strangers and Aliens No Longer

    Ephesians 2:19

    Though we may lose our homes in this world for any number of reasons, including persecution for the sake of Christ, we can be assured that in Jesus we have an eternal home in His kingdom. We are to look ...Read More

  • The Apostolic Church

    Ephesians 2:18–22

    It may be important to know the historical succession of church leaders, but it is more important to preach the gospel faithfully. A church can be built on the Apostles only if it loves what the Apostles loved and affirms ...Read More

  • The Cornerstone and Foundation

    Ephesians 2:20

    Without the Word of God, we do not have access to the teaching of the Savior, and so Christians must always be known as people of the Book: men and women who believe and proclaim the teachings of the Old ...Read More

  • The Divine Initiative

    Ephesians 2:1–10

    If we use the doctrine of election as an excuse to do no evangelizing in the world, we have perverted the Word of God. No one but Paul more clearly explained the Lord’s gracious election, and no one was ...Read More

  • The Lord’s Holy Temple

    Ephesians 2:21

    Because every believer is a stone in God’s temple, to sin against another Christian is to assault His holy dwelling place and thus a most grievous act. We must therefore strive not to harm other Christians with our words ...Read More

  • The One New Man

    Ephesians 2:15-16

    John Chrysostom, the ancient bishop of Constantinople, writes, “The Greek does not have to become a Jew. Rather both enter into a new condition. His aim is not to bring Greek believers into being as different kinds of Jews but ...Read More

  • The Preaching of Peace

    Ephesians 2:17

    Peace between God and humanity is not a given. It took the sacrifice of God the Son to achieve it, and it requires personal faith in the Son of God for us to enjoy it. Are you at peace with ...Read More

  • The Richness of God’s Mercy

    Ephesians 2:4-7

    As the sovereign, independent Creator, God is not obligated to save anyone, to show goodness and mercy toward sinners who deserve only condemnation. Since we are not autonomous but are governed by God’s law, however, He can demand that ...Read More

  • The World, the Flesh, and the Devil

    Ephesians 2:2-3

    Paul makes a subtle shift in Ephesians 2:1–3 from “you” (the Gentile Ephesians) to “we” (Jews like Paul and the Gentiles), indicating the universality of sin. John Chrysostom writes, “All are included. It is not possible to say ...Read More

  • Trinitarian Salvation

    Ephesians 2:18

    Adherents of other religions confess belief in one God, but orthodox Christianity alone affirms the existence of one God who exists eternally as three persons who all share the same essence. The love shared between the three persons of the ...Read More