Continuing with our "in Him" Scriptures, we will look at Ephesians chapter 2 today:
Eph 2:1 (KJV)
1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
The word "And" here is connecting this verse with the verses ending chapter 1. Mediate on those to get the full picture of what this verse is saying. We will start with this verse, though, for our teaching today. "You" is a plural word here, referring to all believers (the church, referred to in the chapter before). "Hath He quickened" is a phrase added by the translators to make the meaning more clear. It has no corresponding Greek word in the text, but the first definition in Merriam-Webster's online dictionary is "made alive". So we see here that we have been made alive, or, reborn, who were "dead", the Greek word, nekros, which means: spiritually dead (destitute of a life that recognizes and is devoted to God because of trespasses and sins, destitute of force or power (inactive & inoperative) in "trespasses", the Greek word, paraptoma, which means: a side-slip, lapse or deviation; an unintentional error or a wilfull transgression; fault, offence or sin, and "sins", the Greek word, hamartia, which we have covered before on this blog and means: to miss the mark, to err, to be mistaken, to miss or wander from the path of uprightness and honor, to do or to go wrong, to violate God's law. The Amplified Bible says this:
Eph 2:1 (Amplified)
1AND YOU [He made alive], when you were dead (slain) by [your] trespasses and sins
This is the state in which each of us find ourselves after we make that first selfish decision or choice to do something our own way instead of God's way. When we choose to disobey God's law, His Word. Then we need a Saviour! The GOOD NEWS is:
Eph 2:4-6 (KJV)
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
But God, Who is "rich", the Greek word, plousios, which means: wealthy, rich, abounding with, abundantly supplied, abounding in material resources, in "mercy", the Greek word, eleos, which means: compassion, kindness or goodwill toward the miserable and afflicted (joined with a desire to help them), the mercy and clemency of God in providing and offering to mankind salvation through Jesus Christ, "for", the Greek word, dia, which is a primary preposition denoting the channel of an act: through, by reason of, by the means of, His "great", the Greek word, polus, which means: abundant, plenteous, many, much, large, love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins "hath quickened (us) together", the Greek word, suzoopoieo, which means: to reanimate conjointly with, to make one alive together with, "Christ", the Greek word, Christos, which means: anointed, the Messiah, the Anointed One (with His anointing!), ("by grace", the Greek word, charis, which means: good will, lovingkindness, favor, benefit, gift, ye are "saved", the Greek word, sozo, which means: to save, deliver, protect, heal, preserve, do well, make whole, to keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction, to restore to health).
And "hath raised us up together" the Greek word, sunegeiro, which means: to rouse from death in company with, and "made us sit together", the Greek word, sugkathizo, which means: to give or take a seat in company with, to cause to sit down together, in "heavenly places", the Greek word, epouranios, which means: existing in heaven, things that take place in heaven, in Christ Jesus! The Amplified Bible says this:
Eph 2:4-6 (Amplified)
4But God--so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us,
5Even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation).
6And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together [giving us joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
So what is our confession of faith? We should be saying:
I WAS crucified with Christ Jesus, my Lord. When He was quickened (made alive), I was quickened and made alive WITH Him! I was raised up together WITH Him and was made to sit together IN HIM in heavenly places! Today, positionally, I AM seated in the same heavenly places that Jesus is because I AM IN HIM! My citizenship is in Heaven! My home country is Heaven! I am an ambassador here on earth charged with representing Heaven to a lost and dying world. I am to present the Good News to all that will hear, so that they, too, can be raised up together and made to sit in those same heavenly places IN HIM!
We have been given a wonderful new life and a powerful ministry of sharing the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone we come in contact with! Don't be selfish with what you've been given! Make sure you buy up every opportunity to share Life with those you come in contact with. You'll be storing up rewards in Heaven and be very pleasing to your Heavenly Father, Who wants that NONE should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance! (2 Peter 3:9)
Shalom in Him!
