In Which You Once Walked

Ephesians 2:1-7 ESV

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

1. What should our Christian lives look like?

2. What does it mean to “walk” in sin?

3. What is the course of this world?

4. What is the grace of God?

5. What are we saved from? Saved to?

Okay, so what is it saying here? If we are true followers of Jesus Christ, saved by God’s grace, through God-given faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-10), sinful practices and sinful lifestyles should now be in our past, not in our present. We once walked in sin (past tense). We once (past tense) followed the course of this world. We once (past tense) followed the prince of the power of the air (Satan, the devil), the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience. So we were once (past tense) living like that.

Does this mean we are perfect people? No! Might we still fail, at times? Yes! (1 John 2:1-2) But sin should no longer be what we practice. We should no longer be walking (in practice, in conduct) in sin. We should no longer be enslaved to sin because we died with Christ to sin that we might live to him and to his righteousness, if indeed that actually took place in our lives, i.e. if we are indeed of genuine God-given and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, and if we are not just giving the Lord lip service only.

So many people today are teaching a diluted half-truth altered gospel message which cuts out the teachings on sin, repentance, walks of obedience to the Lord, and holy living, etc. and which gives permission for its adherents to keep on living in sin like they did before they “believed” in Jesus, while promising them heaven as their eternal destiny and that God will not judge them for their sinful lifestyles. But that is not the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that is not what the NT apostles taught, either.

And please notice with me that these words spoken here in Ephesians 2:1-7 are what precede the words in Ephesians 2:8-10. And please read verse 10 with verses 8-9. If our faith in Jesus Christ is genuine God-given faith, we should no longer be walking (in practice, in conduct) in deliberate and habitual sin, making sin our practice. We should no longer be walking in the ways of this sinful world, but we should be different from the world because we are being conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ (see Ephesians 1:1).

For what is the course of this world? It is the way of sin, the way of death, not life, and it is darkness and not light. It includes making these sins our practice, our habit: adultery, homosexuality, evil, covetousness, malice, envy, murder, deceit, disobedience to God, faithlessness, sexual immorality, idolatry, impurity, sensuality, drunkenness, orgies, dishonesty, and the like. For if sin is our practice, and if righteousness and obedience to our Lord are not what we practice, we will not inherit eternal life with God.

[Matt 5:27-30; Matt 7:21-23; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10; Gal 5:16-24; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 3:5-11; 1 Thes 4:1-8; 1 Tim 4:7; Titus 2:11-14; Heb 12:1-17; 1 Pet 1:14; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10]  

But… God, being rich in mercy… and please do not misread these words which follow, for they have to agree with the words taught just prior to this. So many people are teaching from verses 4-9 that God made us alive together with Christ but that he left us still in slavery to sin. And they are teaching the grace of God as though it is just “fire insurance” which covers their continued evil deeds (practices). But the whole point of our salvation is to deliver us out of our enslavement to sin (Romans 6:1-23).

And God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, instructs (trains) us to renounce (say “NO” to) ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return. For Jesus Christ gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works, which are the works God prepared in advance that we should walk in them (see Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:10).

But, sadly, many people today professing faith in Jesus Christ are being convinced that they have believed in Jesus Christ with genuine faith, and now all their sins are forgiven, and now they are on their way to heaven, and that nothing can take that away from them, but regardless of how they live. And so they are continuing in deliberate and habitual sin, with sexual immorality definitely at the top of the list. For they don’t really want to let go of their sin. So they hold on to the lies which tell them that is okay.

And even though they know better, because we all know right from wrong, they want to hold on to the fantasy that tells them that they can still live in sin but that God’s grace covers it all and that he will not judge them because they verbalized a confession of him as Lord and Savior. And no matter how many times they are confronted with the truth, they will not let go of their sinful addictions. For they want their sin more than they want God or anyone or anything else in this life.

So, what are we saved from? We are saved out of slavery (addiction) to sin and from the empowerment of sin over our lives. And what are we saved to? To live holy lives pleasing to God. For Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness and that we might live for him and no longer for self. And he shed his blood for us on that cross to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our lives of slavery (addiction) to sin so we will now serve God with our lives as slaves of his righteousness.

[1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 6:1-23]

My Sheep  

An Original Work / June 24, 2012  

Based off John 10:1-18 NIV

My sheep hear me. They know me.

They listen to my voice and obey.

I call them and lead them.

They know my voice, so they follow me.

They will never follow strangers.

They will run away from them.

The voice of a stranger they know not;

They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that

I am the gate, so you enter in.

Whoever does enter

Will find forgiveness and will be saved.

Nonetheless whoever enters

Not by the gate; other way,

He is the thief and a robber.

Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,

Who laid his own life down for the sheep.

I know them. They know me.

They will live with me eternally.

The thief only comes to steal and

Kill and to destroy the church.

I have come to give you life that

You may have it to the full… 

They know my voice, so they follow me.

https://vimeo.com/114938263