Ephesians 2.5b-The Church Age Believer Was Made Alive with Christ at Justification
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday September 26, 2023
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 2:5b-The Church Age Believer Was Made Alive with Christ at Justification
Lesson # 82
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. 4 But because God is rich with regards to mercy, because of the exercise of His great love with which He loved each and every one of us, 5 even though each and every one of us as a corporate unit were spiritually dead ones because of our transgressions, He caused each and every one of us to be made alive together with the one and only Christ. Each and every one of you as a corporate unit are saved because of grace! (Lecturer’s translation)
Now, in this concessive clause in Ephesians 2:5, the referent of the accusative first person plural form of the personal pronoun ego (ἐγώ), “each and every one of us” is of course Paul and the recipients of the Ephesian epistle, who were Gentile Christians according to the contents of Ephesians 2:11.
This word is not only speaking of Paul and these Gentile Christians as a corporate unit but is also used in a distributive sense emphasizing no exceptions.
As was the case in Ephesians 1:1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, and 20 the proper name Christos (Χριστός), “the one and only Christ” here in Ephesians 2:5 emphasizes that Jesus of Nazareth, the incarnate Son of God delivered the believer from the sin nature, personal sins, the devil and his cosmic system, spiritual and physical death and eternal condemnation through His substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths and resurrection.
The articular construction of this word indicates that the referent of this word is in a class by himself and the only one deserving of the name since there were many individuals in the first century A.D. who claimed to be the Christ or were proclaimed to be the Christ and thus, this construction speaks of the incomparability of Christ.
Paul employs the third person singular aorist active indicative form of the verb suzōopoieō (συζωοποιέω), which appears only twice in the Greek New Testament, namely here in Ephesians 2:5 and also in Colossians 2:13.
In both instances, the word means “to raise to life with, to make alive with” someone since it pertains to causing someone to live again together with someone else.
The subject of this verb in both Ephesians 2:5 and Colossians 2:13 is God the Father.
In both instances, the word speaks of the church age believer’s identification with Jesus Christ in His resurrection.
This identification took place at the moment of the church age believer’s justification and was accomplished through the baptism of the Spirit.
In Ephesians 2:5, this verb suzōopoieō (συζωοποιέω) is expressing the idea of the Father “causing” Paul and each one of these Gentile Christians “to be alive together with” Christ when He declared them justified through faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ despite the fact that they were dead spiritually because of their transgressions.
This verb speaks of each of them being identified with Jesus Christ in His resurrection at their justification through the baptism of the Spirit.
The articular dative masculine singular form of the proper name Christos (Χριστός), “Christ” functions as a dative of association which indicates the person one associates with.
Therefore, this indicates that the Father caused Paul and each one of the recipients of the Ephesian epistle to be alive “together with” or “in association with” His Son, Jesus Christ.
The active voice of this verb suzōopoieō (συζωοποιέω) is a causative active, which means that the subject is not directly involved in the action but may be said to be the ultimate source or cause of it.
Therefore, this indicates that the Father is the ultimate cause of Paul and these Gentile Christians being identified with Jesus Christ in His resurrection but not directly involved in it because He accomplished it through the baptism of the Spirit, which is supported by the contents of Colossians 2:12 and Romans 6:1-13.
As we noted, the verb suzōopoieō (συζωοποιέω) appears not only in Ephesians 2:5 but also Colossians 2:13 and in both instances, the word speaks of the church age believer identification with Jesus Christ in His resurrection.
Colossians 2:11 Furthermore, because of your faith in Him, each one of you was circumcised by means of a circumcision which was not performed by human beings, by means of the removal of your body composed of that which is flesh, by means of this circumcision which is specifically your identification with the Christ. 12 Specifically each one of you were buried with Him by means of the baptism which is essential and superior. Correspondingly, by means of which each one of you were raised together with Him by means of your faith in God the Father’s exertion of power who caused Him to be raised out from the dead ones. 13 In other words, even though each and every one of you existed in the state of being spiritually dead ones because of your transgressions, specifically because of the uncircumcision which is your flesh, He caused each and every one of you to be made alive together with Him. Simultaneously for His own glory, He graciously forgave each and every one of our transgressions for the benefit of each and every one of us. (Lecturer’s translation)
Paul’s statement in Colossians 2:13 is epexegetical meaning that it explains from another perspective his previous statements in Colossians 2:11-12.
In verse 11, the apostle reminded the faithful Christians in Colossae that because of their faith in Jesus Christ, each and every one of them was circumcised by means of a circumcision which was not performed by human beings.
Then, he explains what he means by this circumcision by teaching them that they were circumcised by means of the removal of their human bodies and he then identifies specifically what he means by this circumcision by teaching that he is referring to their identification with Jesus Christ.
In verse 12, he explains what he means by this identification by teaching the Colossians that they were buried with Christ by means of the baptism, which is essential and superior to water baptism, namely the baptism performed by the Spirit at their conversion.
He then asserts that correspondingly that they were raised with Christ as well through the baptism of the Spirit.
This identification with Christ in His burial and resurrection came about when they exercised faith in the Father’s exertion of power who caused Jesus Christ to enter into the state of being raised out from those who are physically dead.
By exercising faith in Jesus as their Savior, they were at the same time expressing their belief that the Father’s omnipotence raised Him from the dead.
Now, in Colossians 2:13, Paul asserts that when the Colossians were dead spiritually in their transgressions and the uncircumcision of their human bodies, the Father made them alive together with Christ while simultaneously forgiving all their transgressions.
This assertion further explains what Paul means by his statements in Colossians 2:11-12 and this is indicated by the fact that the Colossians being made alive together with Christ in verse 13 corresponds to their being raised with Christ in verse 12.
The Colossians being dead in their transgressions and the uncircumcision of their flesh in verse 13 makes explicit what is implied in verses 11 and 12.
What is implied in verses 11 and 12 is that the Colossians prior to their conversion were uncircumcised spiritually.
What is also made explicit in verse 13 which is implied in verses 11 and 12 is that the Colossians were forgiven all their transgression because of being identified with Christ in His death and resurrection.
Their faith in Jesus Christ at their conversion changed forever their spiritual condition since it resulted in the Spirit identifying them with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection.
Since Christ’s death resolved their problem with their sin nature and personal sins, their identification with Christ in His death and resurrection which was the result of their faith in Christ resulted in their receiving the forgiveness of all their transgressions.
Now, the concessive clause which appears in Ephesians 2:5, echoes not only Colossians 2:13 but also Paul’s statements in Romans 6:4-6, 8 and 13 because the latter also speaks of the believer being identified with Christ in His resurrection.
A comparison of Romans 6:1-13 and Colossians 2:11-13 reveal that experiencing eternal life is inextricably tied to the church age believer’s identification with Christ.
They are experiencing eternal life because they are identified with Christ in His resurrection because this identification means that they are no longer spiritually dead but are now raised with Christ and because they are raised with Christ, they now have eternal life.
Christ has given them life from the dead and a life which is eternal.
Thus, in Colossians 2:13 and Ephesians 2:5, when Paul speaks of the church age believer being made alive with Christ, he is not only speaking of the church age believer’s identification with Christ in His resurrection but also that they are regenerated and now possess and are experiencing eternal life.
This is indicated by the fact that the Scriptures also teach that the believer is regenerated through faith in Jesus Christ at justification, which results in the believer experiencing eternal life.