Some translations decline to add a form of words on mankind being made alive: the New Revised Standard Version, for example, reads: The verb is missing from the text, supplied by inference from verse 5 (" made us alive"). "And you hath he quickened …" in the King James Version. Verse 1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sin. Reminder of God's Grace (2:1–10) Īccording to theologian James Dunn, this section contains "one of the most forceful statements in the Bible" about the human condition when separated from God's grace and the work of God's grace for salvation. Codex Freerianus (~450 extant verses 15-18).Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (~450 extant verses 19-22).Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter contains the well-known verse For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith: and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.
The better to set out the grace of Christ, he (Paul) useth a comparison, calling them to mind, that they were altogether castaways and aliants, that they are saved by grace, and brought near, by reconciliation through Christ, published by the Gospel.
The 1599 Geneva Bible summarises the contents of this chapter: Traditionally, it is believed to have been written by Apostle Paul while he was in prison in Rome (around AD 62), but more recently it has been suggested that it was written between AD 80 and 100 by another writer using Paul's name and style. You have no more requirement to earn your salvation.A fragment showing Ephesians 4:16-29 on recto side of Papyrus 49 from the third century.Įphesians 2 is the second chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Your acceptance of Jesus as your Savior is the only task you have because Jesus did all the work on your behalf. Memorize this verse and use it to remind yourself continually that Jesus' work is already done. He knows man's innate ability and desire to elevate himself even to the point of earning a bigger or better stake in heaven through his own actions. Paul even highlights God's motivation for designing grace as a gift - ".that no one can boast". We receive this gift not by anything we have ever done or could ever do. Paul reminds us that God's grace is a gift - and nothing else. This verse from Paul in his letter to the Ephesians is designed to hold us accountable to the gospel truth. In the Church setting, it can be easy to think we are "doing good" in ways that qualify us for a seat in heaven. That alone qualifies us for eternity with Him in heaven.Īs we grow in Christian maturity, we start to serve others as a response to that gift. Christians have a single "do" which is to accept Jesus as our Savior. Jesus did all the work for us - work we couldn't even accomplish if we wanted to - and simply asks us to accept Him as our Savior. The law was given to Moses to help us all better understand just how Holy God truly is and why we are cut off from such holiness.Ĭhrist established a radically different order. For example, they knew something seemed wrong or bad about killing or stealing, but there wasn't any explicit rule. You see, before "the law" was given to Moses, people only had their gut instincts. You have to understand that those rules were provided by God for the benefit of better understanding what righteousness really means.
#EPHESIANS 2 8 FULL#
As such, it can turn secular people away from the rich promises it holds.Īfter all, the Old Testament is full of specific rules by which God's people were expected to abide. Unfortunately, Christianity is often misrepresented with a similar list of do's and dont's. You have a long list of do's and dont's that count as credit towards your seat in heaven. You see, most of the world's religions adopt a philosophy that one has to work to earn a place in paradise after death. In fact, the concept of a specific path to heaven that is defined by our behaviors is so popular that most of the world's organized religions have adopted some form of it.īut there is one RADICAL difference for Christianity compared with every other organized religion. The idea of a route to paradise, our ultimate home for eternity with perfect bodies and perfect lives. The idea of a specific path upwards to heaven. What do you picture with that phrase? What do you think about?Ī very tall staircase rising from the earth?
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