The Divine Diagnosis

“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.”

Ephesians 2:1-3 ESV

---

The story goes that the writer G.K. Chesterton was asked, along with other notable authors, to respond to the question, “What’s wrong with the world?” Chesterton’s reply was concise: “Dear Sir, Regarding your article ‘What’s wrong with the world?’ I am. Yours truly, G.K. Chesterton.” There is debate over whether Chesterton wrote those exact words, but if you are familiar with his work, it’s easy to believe he could have.

It would seem that Chesterton took to heart what Christianity says regarding the human condition, for Chesterton’s assertion that “I am” the problem with the world is quintessentially biblical. Whatever your belief or worldview, we can all agree that our world is fundamentally wrong. Turn on any news channel, and you cannot go a few seconds without hearing about war, violent crime, inequality, poverty, mental health crises, suicide, death, environmental disasters and a host of other depressing things. We can all agree that our world is broken, but we might differ on why and the solution. It is an important question to answer correctly because an incorrect diagnosis will lead to wrong treatment.

Many blame the problems of our world on external things such as inequality, political ideology, corruption, lack of education, extremism, etc. As much as we should do whatever we can to correct external wrongs, such a diagnosis can only lead to treatment that is doomed to failure. Again and again, society proves that whatever it does, it cannot fix the brokenness of our world, ultimately because it misdiagnoses the root of the problem and treats it incorrectly. Society treats the symptoms, not the disease, like putting a plaster on a gaping wound. Christianity provides us with an alternative and accurate diagnosis of the human condition. A diagnosis that is both unpopular and uncomfortable. The identification of evil in the human heart, as Alistair Begg observes,

“Why is it that consistent attempts to tackle inequality and injustice, to deal with hostility and disunity, sooner or later flounder and fail? Because they do. And the answer to that is very straightforward—at least the answer the Bible gives to it. It is because we fail to recognize, we fail to accept, the gravity of our condition as human beings—human beings, as we consistently say, made by God for a relationship with God, and yet separated from God on account of the fact that we have doubted his goodness, we have rejected his wisdom, and we have rebelled against his authority. The superficial remedies for fixing things are inevitably destined to fail. Education is vitally important. Legislation is clearly necessary. But neither one nor both of them together are able to deal with the basic issues of the human heart.” (1).

In chapter two of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul, writing to the Christians living in Ephesus, contrasts the way they were before they believed and the way they are now. Paul begins by reminding the Ephesians that before, they believed they were dead in trespasses and sins (2:1). Just as a corpse is incapable of responding because it no longer has the biological necessities for life, so they and we, by nature, are spiritually dead. We are alienated from God and unresponsive to the things of God because of trespasses and sins. This alienation from our creator works through us and into the world, creating disaster (2:11-12).

Do you recognise this spiritual deadness within you? I would suggest that very few people do. On the contrary, people think of themselves as very much alive. As Sinclair B. Ferguson observes, “After all, we are able to think about God, assess him, judge whether we believe he exists or not. Furthermore, our lives – albeit not perfect – at least are ‘above average.’ Such self-deception is a basic human trait.” (3). Self-deception is one of the symptoms of the disease of spiritual death. As we live in rebellion against God and fail to glorify Him (which is what is meant by trespasses and sins), we testify that we are dead even though we fail to recognise it; as John Stott observes,

“This biblical statement about the ‘deadness’ of non-Christian people raises problems for many because it does not seem to square with the facts of everyday experience. Lots of people who make no Christian profession whatever, who even openly repudiate Jesus Christ, appear to be very much alive. One has the vigorous body of an athlete, another the lively mind of a scholar, a third the vivacious personality of a filmstar. Are we to say that such people, if Christ has not saved them, are dead? Yes, indeed, we must and do say this very thing. For in the sphere which matters supremely (which is neither the body, nor the mind, nor the personality, but the soul) they have no life. And you can tell it. They are blind to the glory of Jesus Christ, and deaf to the voice of the Holy Spirit. They have no love for God, no sensitive awareness of his personal reality, no leaping of their spirit towards him in the cry, ‘Abba, Father’, no longing for fellowship with his people. They are as unresponsive to him as a corpse. So we should not hesitate to affirm that a life without God (however physically fit and mentally alert the person may be) is a living death, and that those who live it are dead even while they are living.” (4).

It has been said that “The heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart.” (2). This diagnosis originates from the teachings of Jesus, who, when speaking to His disciples, said, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.” (‭Matt ‭15:19‬)‬. In other words sin is always an inside job! We all know deep down that there is something wrong within us. We are fascinated by the dark side of human nature. We make films about it, write books and sing songs about it. A friend once said to me that if she were to step foot into the church, she would burst into flames. Although the remark was tongue-in-cheek, it recognises that something dark within us renders us guilty before a Holy God. We require a new heart; as Jesus put it, we need to be “born again” (see John 3:1-21).

Not only is humanity spiritually dead by nature, but we are also held captive by a “trinity of tyrants.” (5). The flesh is an internal tyranny, the world is an external tyranny, and the devil is a supernatural tyranny. These three influences control and direct us. The non-Christian lifestyle is dominated by its cultural viewpoint, whether that’s traditional or emerging culture. We have a “here and now” horizontal worldview and live to find satisfaction in the things of this world. Spiritual wickedness dominates our culture, which is at work in the disobedient who are blind to its influence upon them (see 2 Cor 4:4). We live in the flesh, which can be described as “the fundamental alienated-from-God disposition of our inner being.” (6). The flesh describes our fallen human nature and slavery to the sinful desires of the body and mind (4:22).

The universal human condition, therefore, is to be “by nature children of wrath.” (2:3). Held captive by the flesh, the world and the devil. Condemned and under God’s righteous judgement. The wrath of God is rejected outright today. However, the sinful lifestyles of men and women reveal that those who live in such a way give evidence that they live under this wrath (5:6, John 3:36, Rom 1:24, 26, 28). Humanity is destined to face the wrath of God, which can be described as “God’s personal, righteous, constant hostility to evil, his settled refusal to compromise with it, and his resolve instead to condemn it.” (7).

The book of Revelation reveals that one day, God’s wrath will be experienced fully and finally (see Rev 6:15-17). We must remember that “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” (2 Cor 5:10). It can be shocking to take in and to face up to this reality but the good news which follows is made even more glorious because “a radical disease requires a radical remedy,” (8) and that is exactly what God has provided in His Son.

The Divine Cure

“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. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Ephesians 2:4-9 ESV

---

The letter to the Ephesians has been described as “truth that sings, doctrine set to music.” (9). If that is the case, the first three verses take us to a shallow note. We have seen that the divine diagnosis of the human condition is one of captivity to a trinity of tyrants which render us deserving of wrath. Man is not merely sick but dead to the things of God. There is no doubt that the bible reveals the plight of humanity to be desperate. Within the context of this desperation and the mystery of reconciliation, the Apostle Paul introduces the most significant words in the bible – “but God.” This is the sine-qua-non of salvation. Thus, the music of Ephesians begins to take us from low to high notes.

It is always important to study scripture in the context of what precedes and proceeds it. The word “mystery” appears several times in the letter (1:9, 3:3, 4, 6, 9, 5:32, 6:19). The Apostle Paul reveals this mystery, which is to unite all things in Christ (1:9). The evidence of this is seen in what Paul calls a “new humanity” which is his church – the body of believers (1:23, 2:15 see NIV). The cross has broken down the previous hostility evident amongst people groups. The church is evidence of the final reconciliation of all things in Christ by which God calls a renewed humanity after His image and by which God’s power of reconciliation is experienced as relationships are transformed. People prepared for Christ’s return (1:10-14, 2:11-22, 3:6, 9-11, 4:1-16, 32, 5:2, 5:22-32).

At the end of chapter one, we read that God raised Jesus “from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places.” (1:20). What is remarkable is that having made it clear in chapter two that humanity is spiritually dead, unresponsive to the things of God and incapable of change, we are told that God has done for us spiritually what He did for Christ physically. Those who believe have been “made alive, “raised”, and “seated” with Him (2:5-6). God intervenes because His character is one of great love for those who are by nature children of wrath. Thus, the radical remedy for our radical disease is the “but God” which is motivated by His love, grace and mercy (2:5, John 3:16-17, Rom 5:8). It cannot be of ourselves. Otherwise, the initial diagnosis would be incorrect. Dead people cannot do anything! God is in the business of rescuing us and reversing our natural condition, and it is the power that raised Christ from the dead that is at work in us, as Richard Coekin dramatically observes,

“The contrast between our past condition of spiritual death and our current condition of living by grace in Christ (v 4-7) could not be more dramatic. Imagine yourself as a decaying corpse (we were spiritually dead), trussed up in chains inside a coffin (we were captive to the world, the devil and the flesh), heading inexorably into the flames of the crematorium fires (objects of God’s wrath)! Suddenly, as your coffin is engulfed by flames, someone leaps into the flames, smashes open the coffin, and despite the most horrific burns that scar him for ever, retrieves your corpse, breathes life into your body, washes you and clothes you in his own clothes, tenderly carries you to his chauffeur-driven Bentley and takes you home to his father’s presidential palace, to stay in his rooms and feast at his table, enjoying the abundant hospitality of his father for ever. That is every Christian’s personal story, magnified both by the horrors of hell from which we’ve been rescued, and the privileges to which we’ve been exalted.” (10).

Therefore, being made alive, raised and seated in Christ is a gift, not a reward for religious performance. We must constantly remind ourselves that spiritually dead people cannot please God. The Christian’s utter dependence upon the grace and kindness of God silences all human boasting (2:7-9). It is vitally important to contrast what we are by nature and what we are by grace. There is no transaction between us and God in which we contribute to our salvation. It is through Christ alone that “we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.” (1:7, 2:13). However, God does not do the believing for us. We must believe it! As Ferguson observes,

“The gospel calls for a faith response. That faith is our activity. But it is not ‘in us’ by nature to believe. Faith needs to be effected in us by God. In that sense it is his gift. The genuis of God’s plan of salvation is that he has devised a means by which we are actively engaged in faith, and yet contribute nothing towards salvation. It is a free gift to which faith adds nothing. Salvation is all, and always, of grace. It is never resourced in what I am by nature; it is not dependent on my works. It comes from God; therefore no one can boast about it! This is divine genius indeed! (11).

The Divine Walk

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Ephesians 2:10 ESV

---

The Apostle Paul uses the word “walk” several times in the letter (2:2, 10, 4:1-3, 17, 5:2, 8, 15). Translated from the Greek verb peripateo, the word means “walk around,” Paul uses it here to denote the sphere of one’s existence, or in other words, one’s “pattern of living,” either negatively or positively. We have seen that by nature, our pattern of living directly opposes the “new humanity” God is creating. So it is logical that when a person is “made alive in Christ”, that negative pattern of living is abandoned, and by contrast, the Christian now lives positively in the good works that God has prepared. This suggests a whole new lifestyle by which Christ is seen in us by a watching world and by which people are called into His kingdom. Thus, Paul continues his argument that salvation has nothing to do with us. Once dead in trespasses and sins but made alive in Christ, we are God’s workmanship – His “work of art” or “masterpiece.” The creator is re-creating us (2:10, 4:1-3, 17-32, 5:8).

Good works are often misunderstood and reduced to “doing something good for God because He has done something good for us”, but that would be to misunderstand grace completely. The works we are called to do as Christians are grace-driven, prepared in advance, and do nothing to merit salvation. Our good works are the fruit of salvation, not its cause. Understanding this distinction liberates us from thinking we can save ourselves and the inevitable failure of that mindset. It frees us from feeling insignificant as we realise that God has gifted each of us to benefit the world’s needs and the church we belong to (4:7-16). However, there is also a warning by implication. If we do not have good works, the danger is we show that we do not have saving faith because one cannot exist without the other (see Rom 6, James 2:14-26).

Thus, the section ends with our peripateo. Formally, we walked following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, held in captivity by a trinity of tyrants and, by nature, children of wrath. But now, made alive by God’s love, grace and mercy, we walk in the good works God has prepared for us. The contrast between two lifestyles and two masters is complete. I can do no better than to finish with the words of John Stott,

“Paul was under no illusions about the degradation of mankind. He refused to whitewash the situation, for this might have led him to propose superficial solutions. Instead, he began this paragraph with a faithful portrayal of man as subject to three terrible powers, namely ‘sin’, ‘death’ and ‘wrath’. Yet he refused also to despair, because he believed in God. True, the only hope for dead people lies in a resurrection. But then the living God is the God of resurrection. He is even more than that: he is the God of creation. Both metaphors indicate the indispensable necessity of divine grace. For resurrection is out of death, and creation is out of nothing. That is the true meaning of ‘salvation’.” (12).

Notes

1. Alistair Begg – Ephesians 2:1-22, All One in Christ Jesus, preached, June 14, 2020
2. This quote is often attributed to Oswald J. Smith or Blaise Pascal
3. Sinclair B.Ferguson – Let’s Study Ephesians, Banner of Truth Trust, 2011, p37
4. John Stott – The Message of Ephesians, Inter-Varsity Press, 1989, p101-102
5. Richard Coekin – Ephesians For You, The Good Book Company, 2015, p32
6. Sinclair B.Ferguson – Let’s Study Ephesians, Banner of Truth Trust, 2011, p41
7. John Stott – The Message of Ephesians, Inter-Varsity Press, 1989, p108
8. Ibid, p113
9. John Mackay
10. Richard Coekin – Ephesians For You, The Good Book Company, 2015, p37
11. Sinclair B.Ferguson – Let’s Study Ephesians, Banner of Truth Trust, 2011, p52-53
12. John Stott – The Message of Ephesians, Inter-Varsity Press, 1989, p122-123

All scripture quotations are from the ESV unless otherwise stated.