How God puts the riches of His grace on display

Made Alive in Christ 2 1 And you 1 were a dead 2 in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you a formerly walked according to the 1 course of b this world, according to c the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in d the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all a formerly lived in b the lusts of our flesh, 1 indulging the desires of the flesh and of the 2 mind, and were c by nature d children of wrath, e even as the rest. 4 But God, being a rich in mercy, because of b His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were a dead 1 in our transgressions, made us alive together 2 with Christ ( b by grace you have been saved), 6 and a raised us up with Him, and b seated us with Him in c the heavenly places in d Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing a riches of His grace in b kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For a by grace you have been saved b through faith; and 1 that not of yourselves, it is c the gift of God; 9 a not as a result of works, so that b no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, a created in b Christ Jesus for c good works, which God d prepared beforehand so that we would e walk in them.

Block Diagram

Ephesians 2:1-10

byz04

And

Καὶ ὑμᾶς ὄντας νεκροὺς τοῖς παραπτώμασι καὶ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις,

Progression

you were dead

in your

Locative

a) trespasses

[s +] and

Idea-Explanation

b) sins,

formerly

ἐν αἷς ποτε περιεπατήσατε κατὰ τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, κατὰ τὸν ἄρχοντα τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ ἀέρος, τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ νῦν ἐνεργοῦντος ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς τῆς ἀπειθείας·

Temporal

in which you ... walked

Idea-Explanation

according to the course of this world,

Action-Manner

according to the prince of the power of the air,

Idea-Explanation

of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

Idea-Explanation

Among them

ἐν οἷς καὶ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἀνεστράφημέν ποτε ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῆς σαρκὸς ἡμῶν, ποιοῦντες τὰ θελήματα τῆς σαρκὸς καὶ τῶν διανοιῶν, καὶ ἦμεν τέκνα φύσει ὀργῆς, ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποί· –

too

Comparison

all

Idea-Explanation

a) we ... ... ... lived

in the lusts of our flesh,

Action-Manner

indulging the desires

Idea-Explanation

a) of the flesh

[s +] and

Idea-Explanation

b) of the mind,

[s +] and

by nature

Ground

b) were ... children of wrath,

even as the rest.

But

ὁ δὲ Θεὸς πλούσιος ὢν ἐν ἐλέει, διὰ τὴν πολλὴν ἀγάπην αὐτοῦ ἣν ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς,

Concessive

God (did something),

Action-Purpose

being rich in mercy,

because of His great love with which He loved us,

even when we were dead in our transgressions,

καὶ ὄντας ἡμᾶς νεκροὺς τοῖς παραπτώμασι συνεζωοποίησε τῷ Χριστῷ· χάριτί ἐστε σεσωσμένοι·

a) made us alive

together with Christ

Action-Manner

(by grace you have been saved),

[p +] and

καὶ συνήγειρε καὶ συνεκάθισεν ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ,

Idea-Explanation

b) raised us up with Him,

c) seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

in the ages to come

ἵνα ἐνδείξηται ἐν τοῖς αἰῶσι τοῖς ἐπερχομένοις τὸν ὑπερβάλλοντα πλοῦτον τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ ἐν χρηστότητι ἐφ᾽ ἡμᾶς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ.

surpassing

Idea-Explanation

so that ... He [God] might show the ... riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

τῇ γὰρ χάριτί ἐστε σεσωσμένοι διὰ τῆς πίστεως· καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐξ ὑμῶν, Θεοῦ τὸ δῶρον,

by grace

[For] you have been saved

through faith;

Action-Manner

and that not of yourselves,

(+) it is the gift of God;

Action-Purpose

(-) not as a result of works,

οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων, ἵνα μή τις καυχήσηται.

Negative-Positive

so that no one may boast.

Action-Purpose

For we are His workmanship,

αὐτοῦ γάρ ἐσμεν ποίημα, κτισθέντες ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ ἐπὶ ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς, οἷς προητοίμασεν ὁ Θεὸς ἵνα ἐν αὐτοῖς περιπατήσωμεν.

created in Christ Jesus

Idea-Explanation

for good works,

Grounds

which God prepared

Idea-Explanation

beforehand

so that we would walk in them.

Action-Purpose

Paul was telling the Ephesian believers that God wanted to show the riches of His grace in kindness toward them. In order to do this, he made them alive together with Christ, raised them up with Christ, and seated them with Christ in the heavenly places. He did this - making them alive - even though (in spite of the fact) that they were utterly dead in the trespasses and sins in which they formerly (past-tense) walked, just like the "sons of disobedience." Just like them, they used to live in the lusts of their flesh, and were children of wrath (past-tense).

phrasing

notes

Step 1 - Grasp the text in their town

Question: What did the text mean to the original audience? Paul was telling the Ephesian believers that God wanted to show the riches of His grace in kindness toward them (this is the main point). In order to do this, he made them alive together with Christ, raised them up with Christ, and seated them with Christ in the heavenly places. He did this - making them alive - even though (in spite of the fact) that they were utterly dead in the trespasses and sins in which they formerly (past-tense) walked, just like the "sons of disobedience." Just like them, they used to live in the lusts of their flesh, and were children of wrath (past-tense).

Step 2 - Measure the width of the river to cross

Question: What are the differences between the biblical audience and us?

Step 3 - Cross the principlizing bridge

Question: What is the theological principle in this text? 1. Even though God loves us, He did not act because "we are so special" or because He "needs us." God acted - making us alive with Christ, raising us up with Him, and seating us with Him in the heavenly places - for the main purpose of putting on display the riches of His grace. He acted for His own glory, not for our glory. Any benefit we get out of it, is a secondary result that happens after the primary result - God getting glory for the riches of His grace.

Step 4 - Consult the biblical map

Question: How does our theological principle fit with the rest of the Bible?

Step 5 - Grasp the text in our town

Question: How should individual Christians today live out the theological principles?

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