The chapter begins with him telling his readers (which applies to us as well) that because we have been disobedient we were dead! That talk surely is not dancing around the truth. Because of that disobedience and the sins that disobedience led to, we are dead. Maybe we can think of it as committing spiritual suicide. We chose to do things that brought us death. The only thing that we can say is that perhaps we didn't know better. For some of us today, (I was trying to not be accusing but Scripture says all of us sin) even though we know better, we still allow sin to have a place in our lives.
Paul tells his readers that once they lived like the rest of the world. That is a good place to stop and check our lives today. Are we living like the rest of the world? Are our treasures and attitudes that same as worldly people? Do we treat one another just as the worldly do?
This next part hit me hard. We think of doing wrong as making a mistake now and again. We think of our pasts as a time when we didn't know better nor had the heart to try to please and honor God. But Paul makes what we were doing quite clear, he tells us that we were "obeying" the devil. To think that I ever "obeyed" the devil sickens me. How does that strike you? Obeying the devil, following the devil, taking orders from the devil who commands the dark powers in the unseen world? I hate the idea that I lived like that and that perhaps I still do. Does a day go by that any of us do not sin? When we refuse to obey God, apparently, it gives the devil an opening to work in our hearts causing us to obey him rather than God. So does a day go by that we do not give the devil an opening to work in our hearts? I don't know about you, but for me, that single thought makes me want to fall on my knees and thank God for His gift of mercy. That makes me realize that I cannot make it through one single day, let alone my lifetime, without inviting the devil to work on me. Our path of not following God but rather listening to the devil becomes clear when we follow the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature rather than following what we know to be right in God. Because of our nature we brought God's anger upon us and with that came the curse of death. Interestingly, we cannot take credit for causing our salvation, but can we think we can take credit for our destruction?
There is no getting around it. We messed up and what we get for living like that is death.
Paul continues by describing God. God is rich in mercy and love for us so much so that even though we had to die, He gave us life through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.
There is nothing we can or could do to change our destiny of death, nothing. But, God could and He did. He changed our destiny of death and gave us life by the sacrifice of Christ. When He raised Jesus from the dead, we as believers, were also brought back to life. Not only that but we are given a place in heaven. We did nothing to earn that. We did nothing to deserve that. Simply, because of His love and mercy, we are given that place in eternity with Him.
God saved all by His grace that He showered us with when we first believed in Christ as Savior. Again, what did we do to earn that? What did we change to be deserving of that? Nothing to both questions. We did nothing. Is there anything we could do today to deserve that grace? Still, no, nothing. His life saving grace was nothing except the greatest gift ever given humanity. Paul makes it clear that salvation is not some kind of reward for the good things we have done, because it is not. None of us can take credit for our salvation. None of us can claim having any part in deserving or earning any part of our salvation.
Why did God do that? Because He is full of mercy. Because He loves us. Because He has a plan for each of us. By making us new in Jesus Christ His plans for us to do good things in His name will come to life.
Paul reminds those in Ephesus that they are Gentiles and used to be considered outsiders, unworthy and heathens by the Jews. The Jews had a rich tradition and history. They had their roots as the chosen ones of God. In fact they were proud of who they were. They performed ceremonies and rituals to exhibit that past and connection. Circumcision was one of the biggest ones. Many mistakingly believed that circumcision was the key to salvation but that was wrong. Paul points out that for many, circumcision was just a physical act. That while the act was performed, the body had changed but it made no change in their hearts. The act was physical not spiritual.
He reminded the Gentiles that once they were far apart from Christ and had no citizenship in Israel nor the promises God had made to the Jews as the ones He called His chosen people. He reminded the Gentiles how they had lived in a world that God was not a part of. He reminded them that living as they lived, they would never know Him. But because of Christ and His life giving sacrifice, they are now close to God.
Christ rescued us and He brought peace to us all. His great sacrifice united Jew and Gentile into one new people - the people of God. Previously, the Jews and Gentiles stood against each other but Christ took away the things that created that hostility. He made one new people from those two groups. Not only that, but He reconciled both groups to God. Now there would be no reason for the Jews and Gentiles to hate each other. Now both groups are united in Christ's death on the cross and the salvation it brought.
Because of what Christ had done, both groups can now come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit.
So now the Gentiles are no longer outcasts, strangers or foreigners but are citizens along with all God's family. All of us together are joined in Christ as His house. This house that we are all part of is built on the foundation that was laid by the prophets. The cornerstone of that foundation is Jesus Christ Himself. This house that is spoken of is the temple. He is building a holy temple of Jew and Gentile where the very Spirit of the living God dwells. All this had been accomplished by what Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior has done. Remember not the smallest part of it was done by our work or effort. All of this was a gift of God. Period.