TUESDAY-THURSDAY BIBLE STUDIES
EPHESIANS by Dr. L loyd T . Anderson*
*Dr. Anderson, a member of the Biola Board of Directors, is pastor o»f the Bethany Baptist Church of West
“By means of your trespasses and sins.” The word translated “trespasses” is from a verb which means to fall by the side of or from and “sins” from a verb which means to miss the mark. Verse 2 — “In which ye formerly walked.” The words translated “wher- in” mean in which and refer gram matically to sins; really, to both tres passes and sins. While the unsaved are dead to God and real life, yet they are alive and lively in sins, as is seen by the verb “walked,” which implies life and action. The unregenerate walk in sins. In what do the regenerate walk? (see verse 10). The adverb (pote) means once, formerly, at that time, be fore you were saved, but not now. It occurs four times in this chapter (verse 2, 3, 11, 13). “According to the age of this world.” There are three Greek words translated “world” (1) Aion, which means an age, a period of time (Matt. 24:3; 2 Cor. 4:4; Gal. 1:4; Heb. 1:2; 9:26, and many others) ; (2) Kos- mos, which means the physical world (Matt. 24:21; John 1:9, 10; 8:23; 1-2: 25, 31; 16:11; 18:36; I Cor. 1:20; I John 2:15-17; 4:17; and many others); (3) Oikoumene,. which means the in habited earth, referring to different parts of the earth, as indicated by the context (Matt. 24:4; Luke 2:1; 4:5; Acts 17:31; Rom. 10:18; Heb. 1:6; 2:5, and others). The first two are used in this verse, the first being well trans lated “course,” a period of time marked off from the world history. This pres ent age is an evil age (Gal. 1:4), Satan is the god of it (2 Cor. 4:4), the un- (continued on next page) 33
V erse 1—“And you, being dead, He made alive.” “You” are the per sons addressed, Christians. Paul has been telling them what they are and have in Christ; now he tells them what they were in sin; what they have been saved from. (1) They were “dead,” and when they were dead He (God) made them alive. No verb is expressed here, but “you” is in the aceusative case, the object of a verb understood. This verb and its subject, “He made alive,” is supplied from verse 5, where it is used in the same connection. 'Death, in Scrip ture is never annihilation. It is the separation of .a person from the pur pose or use for which he was intended. This definition fits everywhere. The three kinds of death are (1) physical, the separation of the soul, or life, from the body (I Cor. 15;21, 22; Heb. 9:27; Rom. 5:12); (2) spiritual, the separa tion of the spirit from God (2:1; 4:18); I Tim. 5:6; I John 5:12); (3) eternal, the eternal separation, or banishment, from God (2 Thess. 1:9; I Cor. 6:9, 10; Matthew 25:30, 41, 46). It is Spiritual death that is mentioned here. These saints were (not are) active physically (walking, v.s.), but dead spiritually; living in pleasure; dead while they lived (I Tim. 5:6). Spiritual death is a state in which real life in its proper sense, in goodness and purity, is en tirely lacking, and a state which has no power, in itself, to develop that life. Dead matter has absolutely no tenden cy or power to generate life. Life, if it comes at all, must come from without. And there is a real analogy between physical and spiritual death.
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