I Am Not Perfect . . . But I Am NOT That Bad!

Ephesians Series: Ephesians 2:1-3

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Traits of nonbelievers

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
Ephesians 2: 1-3

This passage presents a very dark picture of people without the Lord. Let’s take the words apart and see what we can discover.

Dead in trespasses and sins

Dead, of course, can mean lifeless. It can also mean mortal and subjected to death or dying prematurely.

We learn in Genesis 2:17 that God told Adam he would surely die if he ate of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Then, we find Satan repeating these words, only turning them around: Surely you will not die (Genesis 3:4).

It seems that both were correct. Man’s physical body did not die that day, for Adam lived 930 more years. However, the part of him that was immortal, his spirit, the very Breath of God, did die. Man was no longer holy and pure and was therefore cast out of God’s direct presence.

Because of disobedience, physical and spiritual death as the wages of sin enveloped Adam and all people after him (Romans 3:23, 5:17, and 6:23).

Controlled by evil forces

The course of this world, the prince of the power of the air, and the spirit . . . working in the sons of disobedience all refer to the devil and his dominion. At the fall, Adam and Eve gave up their birthright as God’s children and put themselves under the rule of His enemy.

Everyone who is without Christ is under the control of all the forces of satan and evil. This sounds like a gut punch for a self-deterministic society that believes we are in control of our lives and destinies.

Following a different parent

Sons of disobedience and children of wrath are labels that grate on the soul. We need to assume we are as good as we choose to be and we determine our own parameters for good and evil. Most of us would assess ourselves as “basically pretty good”.

Like the Pharisees, we believe we still live according to God’s ways, even when Jesus points out that they are like their father the devil (John 8:33-45). There are truly only two choices: God is our Father and we follow Him into freedom and life, or we follow the father of sin and lies into bondage and death.

Focus on self and my desires

Lived in the lusts of the flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind are the outcomes of being under the dominion of satan. From the seeds of Adam and Eve’s fall, mankind bears the fruit of dynamics that keep us separated from God:

Not fully trusting God’s word when someone turns His word around, even slightly and subtly
Believing that God is withholding something of great value from us (“God knows . . .your eyes will be opened, and you will become like God–Genesis 3:5)
Entertaining the emotions and thoughts generated by the lie (Eve realized the tree was good for food, a delight to the eyes, and desirable to make one wise–Genesis 3:6)
Justifying this thinking and the ensuing action (Perhaps Eve thought, “I so want to be more like my Creator. He is wonderful beyond words and I am just a frail human.”)
Taking independent action to benefit one’s self
Encouraging others to join in our deeds

This soulish behavior is rooted in pride that I know best and can determine my own course and in doubt that God will come through with my best interests. I become the central focus and I am stuck in an earthly, time-bound perspective. In short, I feel entitled to what I want and I will have it without delay.

Satan’s role

Satan and his deceptions are always behind man’s sin as we see in the garden. Adam and Eve were innocent at first, and they had a clear choice. Once we are born of the seed of Satan through Adam’s sin, our choice is not so clear nor so easy to manifest.

This is the reason the Israelites continued to break God’s Covenant all through the Old Testament. With only a dead spirit and the continual influence of Satan, that is all we can expect.

This could bring us to despair until we read the next chapter in the story.