WHAT DOES EPHESIANS 2:1-10 REALLY TEACH?...............
Preachers who think that the KJV is the real Bible, are reluctant to change the words of the KJV when speaking about the verses. Example: Ephesians 2:1 “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in your trespasses and sins;” They of course read the verse, but then when explaining this verse, will not say anything other than “quickened.” What would be a shock to their thinking would be to learn that “quickened” is not in the original Greek. Here is the verse: “and you being dead in the offenses and the sins:” What happened to “hath he quickened” which they say proves other translations are not the Word of God.
Paul began by reminding believers of their wretched condition before God performed the miracle of redemption. “Were dead” comes from a combination of a participle and an adjective, so it literally means”being dead” and refers to spiritual death, which is the state of separation from God.
These first ten verses in this chapter are among the most evangelistic in the Scriptures, explaining beautifully the actual steps which occur in salvation. Paul began by reminding believers of their miserable position before God accomplished the miracle of redemption.
If you understand these verses correctly, you just might get the actual steps which occur in salvation! In theological terms, it’s called “the order of salvation” or to impress you “ordo satutis” in Latin. This is the biblical doctrine that deals with the logical sequencing of the benefits of Salvation worked by Christ which are applied to us by the Spirit. This doctrine is dealing with the order in which redemption (saving grace) is applied to the believer through a series of acts or defines the order of decrees by God in the redemptive process. Berkhof said this: “the process by which the work of salvation wrought in Christ, is subjectively realized in the hearts and lives of sinners.” There is a process that God uses in bringing about salvation to sinners.
There are two perspectives of God’s order in carrying out His redemptive work.
Preachers who think that the KJV is the real Bible, are reluctant to change the words of the KJV when speaking about the verses. Example: Ephesians 2:1 “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in your trespasses and sins;” They of course read the verse, but then when explaining this verse, will not say anything other than “quickened.” What would be a shock to their thinking would be to learn that “quickened” is not in the original Greek. Here is the verse: “and you being dead in the offenses and the sins:” What happened to “hath he quickened” which they say proves other translations are not the Word of God.
Paul began by reminding believers of their wretched condition before God performed the miracle of redemption. “Were dead” comes from a combination of a participle and an adjective, so it literally means”being dead” and refers to spiritual death, which is the state of separation from God.
These first ten verses in this chapter are among the most evangelistic in the Scriptures, explaining beautifully the actual steps which occur in salvation. Paul began by reminding believers of their miserable position before God accomplished the miracle of redemption.
If you understand these verses correctly, you just might get the actual steps which occur in salvation! In theological terms, it’s called “the order of salvation” or to impress you “ordo satutis” in Latin. This is the biblical doctrine that deals with the logical sequencing of the benefits of Salvation worked by Christ which are applied to us by the Spirit. This doctrine is dealing with the order in which redemption (saving grace) is applied to the believer through a series of acts or defines the order of decrees by God in the redemptive process. Berkhof said this: “the process by which the work of salvation wrought in Christ, is subjectively realized in the hearts and lives of sinners.” There is a process that God uses in bringing about salvation to sinners.
There are two perspectives of God’s order in carrying out His redemptive work.
1A election, predestination, gospel call, inward call, regeneration, conversion (faith & repentance) and justification, sanctification, and glorification. (Romans 8:29-30)
or
2A outward call, faith/election, repentance, regeneration, justification, perseverance, glorification.
So these verses in Ephesians 2 will help you know which order God uses in bringing about the spiritual change that is wrought in the heart of man. You will believe that man has the ability, or moral capacity to receive or reject the gospel of his own power, or you will believe man does not have the power to receive the gospel on his own because he is “spiritual dead” and unable to respond until God gives him life. To say it another way: “Is the saving grace of God irresistible or resistible? Moreover, is the regenerating power of God installed in the believers’s life before or after the decision is made to receive Christ as Savior?”
The shock to my system was to hear for the first time, “regeneration precedes faith.” I had always thought that in order to be saved, we first had to believe in Christ in order to be born again. We are talking in this post about “the order or steps that must be taken in one’s salvation.” Actually it’s how we understand Ephesians 2. I had always thought that I could with a little faith be able within my heart to respond to the Gospel on my own. If I believed by faith that Jesus would save me, it would be possible to cause God to save me.
Then Ephesians 2 came along. “And you who were (spiritually) dead in your sins were made alive in our souls to spiritual life. This I came to learn meant, we were born again first, and then we responded by faith to the inward call of God. Which is what Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Unless a man is born again first, he cannot possibly see or enter the kingdom of God. “
This is why I think we should carefully “teach” the Scriptures word by word, verse by verse in its context rather than just preach our thoughts.
It’s okay I believe to even explain the KJV. As a matter of fact, I like teaching from the KJV because it takes me much longer to explain the meaning of text correctly.
Preaching seems to mean, ‘here is my thoughts’ , to teach means ‘here is what the verses really is teaching us theologically.’
Postscript: Charity is proof reading this post
