Ephesians 2:1-10

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 flesh and the mind,

and were by nature children of wrath,

like the rest of mankind. 

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. 

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus 

for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Comments:

You were dead (vv. 1 and 5) Made us alive (root is because of rich mercy and great love).

following the prince of the power of the air, - The air we breathe stinks with sin. and that is in you.

That which is born of the spirit is of the spirit (John 6:63) He made us alive.

This is covenant love - He doesnt love everybody like this (know yourself in this love).

Apart from new birth we are dead (lifeless) not physically not morally lifeless but walking/following the world… (spiritually dead). You are a rock, nothing. We are a rock! apart from grace

Our problem is not what we do but who we are. (I am a rock). I am my problem. What makes God angry us!

We are not Pelagians here (which says human beings are born without original sin and that their moral state is determined solely by their individual choices and actions) I am born good. I did bad things and now I am doomed!. We are dead. (David says - In sin did my mother conceive me).

Eph 4:18 Resistance, hardness.

Ezekiel 36

Eph 2:5-7 - why does he add the “by grace you have been saved” Eph 2:8 (Why Say it Twice?)