In Ephesians chapter 2 Paul is talking about the riches of God’s grace toward the human race in sending His Son to save us.  However, before a person will appreciate the riches of God’s grace toward them and receive God’s gift of salvation they must first be convinced of their own sinfulness.

Let’s put it this way—say you have a terminal disease and yet you don’t realize you are infected with this disease. And say I recognized the symptoms you have because I too was once infected with that same disease. And so I came to you and told you that I have a cure for the disease you are infected with—a miracle cure, the only one in the world that could save your life. You would probably say to me, “Get lost, I don’t have a disease, I feel fine.”

As long as you’re convinced that you’re healthy you wouldn’t appreciate the cure I was offering to you because in your mind you would not see your need for it. But now let’s imagine that I began to tell you the symptoms of this disease, and as I did you began to realize that you did have those symptoms. If I could eventually convince you that you were, in fact, infected with this deadly disease—then how do you think you’d appreciate the cure?

You see that’s in essence what Paul is doing here in Ephesians 2:1-3.

Ephesians 2:1-3 (NKJV) 
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,  in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,  among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

In the first three verses of Ephesians chapter 2 he is basically telling us that many centuries ago; our forefather Adam infected himself with a deadly disease called ‘sin.’

It’s a terminal disease that he has passed down to all of his children since—“In Adam all die…” 1Cor.15:22

If left untreated the result is spiritual death forever—without exception. The only cure is the blood of Christ which is applied through faith. The problem is that most people don’t feel ‘sick’, they don’t feel like there’s a problem—why, because they’ll tell you, “I’m a good person. I don’t rob banks or murder people…”

In Proverbs 20:6 we are told that “most people proclaim that they are good” and yet in Romans 3:23 Paul the apostle said, “…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.

Jesus can only help those who know they’re sinners and in need of a Savior. Just like a doctor can only help those who realize they’re sick.

Luke 5:29-32 (NKJV) 
Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them.
And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Don’t misunderstand-Jesus isn’t saying that the scribes and Pharisees were ‘well’ spiritually speaking, they were sinners like everyone else. It’s just that they didn’t think they were sinners. They believed, because of all their religious works, that they were righteous (spiritually healthy) and therefore didn’t need a ‘doctor’ (Jesus the Savior).

Paul understood this principle-that before people will seek out the Savior to heal them of the disease of sin that has infected them, they must first understand that they are sinners who manifest the symptoms of sin. That’s why Paul, in the first three verses of Ephesians chapter 2, starts out by telling us the disease we had before we knew Jesus—we were dead in trespasses and sins (spiritual death).

He then proceeds to tell us what some of the symptoms of this condition were—

Ephesians 2:2-3 (NKJV) 
in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind…

Paul listed some of these “lusts of the flesh” in Galatians 5—

Galatians 5:19-21 (NLT) 
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

And once again, these are all the symptoms of the terminal disease that has infected the human race.

The consequences—

Ephesians 2:3 (NKJV) 
among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

That is the hopeless condition the human race apart from Christ finds itself in—it’s hopeless because man is helpless to change his condition. To put it another way—man has a bad heart—it’s been infected by sin and if left untreated he will die—spiritually and eternally.

The cure— Man needs a new heart—a heart transplant if you will.  The problem is that man can’t change his own heart only God can do that.

“Who can say, “I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin”? (Proverbs 20:9)

David cried in Psalm 51, “Create in me a clean heart—O God!”

Ezekiel 36:26 (NKJV) 
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

How does God do this? He does it when you put your trust in His Son, Jesus Christ. Without putting your faith in Jesus there is no hope of ever having eternal life and you will die in your sins. The N.T. tells us that we can never earn our salvation it is a gift that God is offering to us by His grace. Look, many people who have a serious disease like cancer, often have it months if not years before the first symptom shows up.

By that time the disease has often progressed to the point where permanent damage or even death is inevitable—that’s why early detection is critical.  The same is true with sin—a person can go a long time before the symptoms start to catch up with them and by that time irreparable damage could have been done to them physically (siroccos of the liver, lung disease, HIV), mentally (chronic depression) or outwardly (a broken marriage, the inability to maintain a job or friendships etc.)

The Bible says that the “way of the transgressor is hard”.  Sin will beat you up, wear you out and eat you away like a cancer—how much better to repent and receive God’s cure by accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and living in obedience to what God has commanded?  The Great Physician is ready to perform a heart transplant on you today—if you’re willing!

May the Lord richly bless you as you walk with Him day by day!

Pastor Phil