Ephesians 1:1-6
Our Riches in Christ
Ephesians 1:7-14
Redemption For The Believer in Christ
Ephesians 1:15-23
Prayer For Knowledge And Power
Ephesians 2:1-3
How we Were ’Before’ Salvation
Ephesians 2:4-10
How He Works in Us ’After’ Salvation
Ephesians 2:11-13
My Position in Christ As a Gentile
Ephesians 2:14-18
We Are One Body in Christ
Ephesians 2:19-22
Fellowship Needs to Be a Priority
Ephesians 3:1-6
Missionary to The Gentiles
Ephesians 3:7-13
Mystery of God’s Grace
Ephesians 3:14-21
Prayer For God’s Power And Love
Ephesians 4:1-6
Spiritual Unity
Ephesians 4:7-16
Gifts From The Risen Messiah
Ephesians 4:17-22
Walk As a New Person in Christ
Ephesians 4:23-29
Be Holy And Not Sinful
Ephesians 4:30-32
Grieving God’s Spirit by The Way we Live
Ephesians 5:1-7
Who do You Try to Imitate?
Ephesians 5:8-14
Walk as Children of Light
Ephesians 5:15-21
Evidences Of a Spirit-filled Life
How we Were ’Before’ Salvation
Ephesians 2:1–3
» View this passage in NIV (Bible Gateway)
Have you seen the popular advertising tactic of “before” and “after” pictures? They are probably most common for diet products, but I’ve also seen them for hair and make-overs. The “before” picture is almost always the least flattering picture possib … More
This passage uses a similar tactic but to a different end. Paul does paint two pictures for us – one “before” Christ (vv. 1-3) and one “after” (vv. 4-7). He then brings it all together (vv. 8-10) and tells us what the goal of this comparison is.
In these first three verses Paul gives us the “before” picture of an unsaved person:
With these influences there is little wonder that the unsaved person is disobedient to God. There is no way that he can overcome these three great enemies of God by Himself. He had made God angry, and he was going to be punished like everyone else (v. 3b).
Application
Lord, I thank you so much for the way you changed my life and thinking when I was saved.
Ephesians 2:1-3 (English Standard Version)
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.
View this passage in NIV (Bible Gateway) »