Ephesians 2.3a-The Contrast Between the Gentile Christians in the Roman Province of Asia and Unregenerate Gentiles
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday September 12, 2023
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 2:3-The Contrast Between the Gentile Christians in the Roman Province of Asia with Unregenerate Gentiles
Lesson # 76
Ephesians 2:1 Now, correspondingly, even though, each and every one of you as a corporate unit were spiritually dead ones because of your transgressions, in other words, because of your sins. 2 Each and every one of you formerly lived by means of these in agreement with the standard of the unregenerate people of this age, which is the production of the cosmic world system, in agreement with the standard of the sovereign ruler, namely the sovereign governmental authority ruling over the evil spirits residing in the earth’s atmosphere. Specifically the spirit who is presently working in the lives of those members of the human race who are characterized by disobedience. 3 Among whom, each and every one of us also formerly for our own selfish benefit conducted our lives by means of those lusts, which are produced by our flesh. Specifically, by indulging those inclinations which are produced by our flesh, in other words, those impulses, which are the product of our flesh. Consequently, each and every one of us caused ourselves to be children who are objects of wrath because of our natural condition from physical birth. Just as the rest correspondingly caused themselves to be children who are objects of wrath because of their natural condition from physical birth. (Lecturer’s translation)
The contents of Ephesians 2:3 continues Paul’s thought from the contents of Ephesians 2:1-2 because the former like the latter describes the recipients of the Ephesian epistle who we noted were Gentile Christians living in the Roman province of Asia prior to their justification or in other words, their conversion.
However, in Ephesians 2:1-2, Paul is describing these Gentile Christians in the Roman province of Asia from the perspective of their relationship to Satan and his cosmic system prior to God the Father declaring them justified through faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ.
On other hand, in Ephesians 2:3, Paul is describing both himself and these Gentile Christians from the perspective of their relationship to their indwelling old Adamic sin nature prior to the Father declaring them justified through faith in His Son.
This is indicated by the fact that in Ephesians 2:1-2 Paul employs the second person plural form while on the other hand in Ephesians 2:3 he uses the first personal plural.
The former would mean that Paul is describing only these Gentile Christians in the Roman province of Asia while on other hand, the latter would mean that he is describing both himself and these Gentile Christians.
Prior to his justification, wasn’t he like the rest of his fellow unregenerate Jewish countrymen enslaved to Satan and his cosmic system?
This would seem to indicate that he is identifying himself with his readers in Ephesians 2:3 but not in Ephesians 2:1-2 implying that he was not enslaved to Satan and his cosmic system.
The contents of Ephesians 2:2 give the reader the answer to these questions.
Notice in Ephesians 2:2 Paul asserts that each and every one of these Gentile Christians formerly lived by means of committing sin which was in agreement with the “standard” of the unregenerate people of this age, which began with the fall of Adam and ends with the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.
This “standard” he asserts is the production of the cosmic world system and specifically it is in agreement with the “standard” of the sovereign ruler, and governmental authority ruling over the evil spirits residing in the earth’s atmosphere.
This sovereign ruler and governmental authority ruling over the evil spirits residing in the earth’s atmosphere is of course Satan, the devil.
The Jews on the other hand however did “not” conduct their lives according to the same standard as the Gentiles because they were given the Mosaic Law, which was to govern their lives (cf. Rom. 9:4-5).
So therefore the Mosaic Law was the standard by which Paul and his fellow unregenerate Jewish countrymen were conducting their lives.
Of course, they could not live perfectly by this standard set by a holy God as Paul taught in Romans chapter two.
Thus, the need for the Son of God to become a human being and accomplished this task for the Jewish people as well as on behalf of every unregenerate Gentile.
Interestingly, unlike the Gentiles who are governed by Satan and his angels, the Jews have the elect angel Michael, who presently is the highest ranking archangel in God’s kingdom, governing and protecting the nation of Israel from the attacks of the devil according to Daniel 10:13, 21 and 12:1.
Ephesians 2:3 begins with the declarative statement en hois kai hēmeis pantes anestraphēmen pote en tais epithymiais tēs sarkos hēmōn (ἐν οἷς καὶ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἀνεστράφημέν ποτε ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῆς σαρκὸς ἡμῶν), “Among whom, each and every one of us also formerly for our own selfish benefit conducted our lives by means of those lusts, which are produced by our flesh.”
It is followed by a participial clause, which is poiountes ta thelēmata tēs sarkos kai tōn dianoiōn (ποιοῦντες τὰ θελήματα τῆς σαρκὸς καὶ τῶν διανοιῶν), “Specifically, by indulging those inclinations which are produced by our flesh, in other words, those impulses, which are the product of our flesh.”
This participial clause is followed by a result clause, which is kai ēmetha tekna physei orgēs (καὶ ἤμεθα τέκνα φύσει ὀργῆς), “Consequently, each and every one of us caused ourselves to be children who are objects of wrath because of our natural condition from physical birth.”
Lastly, this result clause is followed by an elliptical comparative clause, which is hōs kai hoi loipoi (ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποί), “Just as the rest of unregenerate humanity correspondingly caused themselves to be children who are objects of wrath because of their natural condition from physical birth.”
So therefore, the declarative statement en hois kai hēmeis pantes anestraphēmen pote en tais epithymiais tēs sarkos hēmōn (ἐν οἷς καὶ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἀνεστράφημέν ποτε ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῆς σαρκὸς ἡμῶν) is making an assertion about Paul and by implication his fellow Jewish countrymen as well as these Gentile Christians.
This statement asserts that each and every one of them formerly for their own selfish benefit conducted their lives by means of those lusts, which are produced by their flesh.
The referent of the dative masculine plural form of the relative pronoun hos (ὅς), “whom” appears in Ephesians 2:2 and is the articular dative masculine plural form of the noun huios (υἱός), “those members of the human race,” which is modified by the articular genitive feminine singular form of the noun apeitheia (ἀπείθεια), “characterized by disobedience.”
This is indicated by the fact that the relative pronoun hos (ὅς) here in Ephesians 2:3 agrees in gender (masculine), number (plural) and case (dative) with the noun huios (υἱός), which we noted appears in Ephesians 2:2.
Therefore, here in Ephesians 2:3, the dative masculine plural form of the relative pronoun hos (ὅς) refers to those members of the human race who are characterized by disobedience to God or in other words, it refers to all of unregenerate humanity who are under the wrath of God.
This word is the object of the preposition en (ἐν), which functions as a marker of location among other persons or objects.
Therefore, this preposition is marking those members of the human race who are characterized by disobedience to God as the people the recipients of the Ephesian epistle were living “among” prior to the Father declaring them justified through faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ.
The conjunction kai (καί), “also” is adjunctive, which means that it is presenting these Gentile Christians living in the Roman province of Asia as an addition to those members of the human race who are characterized by disobedience to God.
The nominative first person plural form of the personal pronoun ego (ἐγώ) refers to Paul and these Gentile Christians living in the Roman province of Asia as a corporate unit.
The nominative masculine plural form of the adjective pas (πᾶς) means “each and every of” since the word is used in a distributive sense emphasizing no exceptions.
This word is in the anarthrous fourth attributive position (noun-adjective), which indicates that it expresses an attributive relation to the nominative first person plural form of the personal pronoun ego (ἐγώ), “all of us as a corporate unit.”
Therefore, this word is emphasizing the idea that prior to God the Father declaring them justified “Paul” and “each and every one of” the recipients of the Ephesian epistle lived just like those members of the human race who are characterized by disobedience to God.
In other words, “each and every one of” them lived their lives just like those members of the human race who are characterized by disobedience to God.
Thus, Paul is reminding these Gentile Christians that they were unregenerate prior to their justification by faith.
The use of the nominative first person plural form of the personal pronoun ego (ἐγώ) here in Ephesians 2:3 is unnecessary in Greek since the form of a finite verb in this language indicates the person, number and gender of the subject.
When the personal pronoun is used therefore, it may serve to clarify the subject or contrast the subject with someone else or for emphasis.
In Ephesians 2:3, the nominative first person plural form of the personal pronoun ego (ἐγώ) is used for emphasis as well as contrast.
First, it is emphasizing that prior to their justification, Paul and each one of these Gentile Christians living in the Roman province who are the recipients of the Ephesian epistle for their own selfish benefit conducted their lives by means of those lusts, which are produced by our flesh.
Secondly, it is marking a contrast between Paul and these Gentile Christians prior to their justification and those members of the human race who are characterized by disobedience to God.
The contrast is with the expression tois huiois tēs apeitheias (τοῖς υἱοῖς τῆς ἀπειθείας), “those members of the human race who are characterized by disobedience,” which appears at the end of Ephesians 2:2 and refers to unrepentant, unregenerate humanity.
Therefore, the contrast is between God the Father saving Paul and these Gentile Christians from enslavement to the sin nature and Satan and his cosmic system through faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ and the rest of unregenerate humanity who are not saved because they have rejected Jesus Christ as their Savior.