Seated in Heavenly Places - Week 3

Ephesians 2:1-10

Note: The study related to these questions may be found at Catholic Exchange. Please go to their site for the complete material concerning this study. Below are my thoughts on the questions presented for the given study (Please see disclaimer at bottom).

From Death to Life With Christ

Read Ephesians 2:1-10

1. In what sense are we "dead in trespasses and sins" before our baptism? Is spiritual death more or less real than physical death?
(a) We were still in the bonds of original sin as stated in Romans:

Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, (Rom 5:14, RSV)

(b)Spiritual death is more "real" than physical death in the sense the physical death is a temporal event, where as spiritual death is an eternal event.

2. What is the "course of this world"? (See 1 John 2:15-17). Who is the "prince of the power of the air"? Who are the "sons of disobedience"?
(a) The "course of this world" is death.

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If any one loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides for ever. (1 John 2:15-17, RSV)

(b) Satan is the "prince of the power of the air". (c) The "sons of disobedience" are those who follow the ways of Satan (i.e. the world) instead of the ways of God.

3. What does Paul mean by the "passions of our flesh"? By "children of wrath"? Why are "following the desires of body and mind" condemned? We know (since Jesus himself had a human body) that Paul does not mean the body is intrinsically evil, so what does he mean?
(a) The "passions of the flesh" Paul speaks of are a reference to what we gernally term concupiscence.

Etymologically, "concupiscence" can refer to any intense form of human desire. Christian theology has given it a particular meaning: the movement of the sensitive appetite contrary to the operation of the human reason. The apostle St. Paul identifies it with the rebellion of the "flesh" against the "spirit."302 Concupiscence stems from the disobedience of the first sin. It unsettles man's moral faculties and, without being in itself an offense, inclines man to commit sins. (2515, CCC)

(b) By "children of wrath", Paul means those who willingly succomb to these "passions of the flesh". (c) The reason that "following the desires of body and mind" are condemned lies in the fact that our bodies and minds have been weakend and damaged by sin. (d) Since Paul obviously cannot mean that the body is itself intrinsically condemned, we know that he is referring to this damaged nature as a result of sin.

4. What does it mean to say God is "rich in mercy"?
(a) To say God is "rich in mercy" is to acknowledge that God is abundantly merciful. In other words, we cannot exhaust the mercy of God.

5. Paul says that even though we were dead in trespasses God "made us alive together with Christ". Did God do so because of our sincerity, love or niceness? If not, then on what basis did he make us alive with Christ?
(a) It was through no deed of our own that God "made us alive together with Christ". (b) God did this by grace, and mercy "out of the great love with which he loved us".

6. According to v. 6, where are Christians at the present moment? What does that imply about the dignity of the Church and the ultimate point of the Christian life?
(a) Christians, at the present moment, are seated with God "in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (b) Since to be in Christ is to be part of the Body of Christ (i.e. the Church), this implies a dignity and sacredness that is imparted to the Church. The ultimate point of Christian life is to live in unity with Christ, and God has given us this opportunity through His Church.

7. What does Paul expect to come in the life of the Church?
(a) Paul expects "immeasurable riches of his grace" to come in the life of the Church.

8. What is grace?
(a) Grace (gratia, Charis), in general, is a supernatural gift of God to intellectual creatures (men, angels) for their eternal salvation, whether the latter be furthered and attained through salutary acts or a state of holiness (CE). Grace must further be distinguiehsed between the transient help to act (actual grace) and the permanent state of grace (sanctifying grace). Actual grace derives its name, actual, from the Latin actualis (ad actum), for it is granted by God for the performance of salutary acts and is present and disappears with the action itself. For a definition of sanctifying, also known as habitual, grace, we wonce again consulte the Catholic Encyclopedia:

Since the end and aim of all efficacious grace is directed to the production of sanctifying grace where it does not already exist, or to retain and increase it where it is already present, its excellence, dignity, and importance become immediately apparent; for holiness and the sonship of God depend solely upon the possession of sanctifying grace, wherefore it is frequently called simply grace without any qualifying word to accompany it as, for instance, in the phrases "to live in grace" or "to fall from grace" (CE)

9. What does Paul mean by "works"?
(a) When speaking of works, Paul is referring to the precepts of the Mosaic Law.

10. What are we, according to v 10? If we are not saved by "because of works" why are we "created in Christ Jesus for good works"? What does Paul mean when he says "God prepared beforehand" the good works we are to do in Christ?
(a) We are God's workmanship. (b) We are "created in Christ Jesus for good works" in order to be co-workers with Christ.

For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. (1 Cor 3:9, RSV)

(c) When Paul states that God prepared good works "beforehand", he is referring to all of creation. All of creation is God's "good work". Therefore, we, in trying to restore creation to God, are performing God's good works. In other words, by spreading the Gospel of Christ, in our words, and in our actions, we are restoring creation, especially man, to God.

Disclaimer: I do not wish to present myself as an expert in either theology, history, or scriptural interpretation. I am merely someone who is attempting to answer the call of Christ. The ultimate authority and interpreter of scripture is our Holy Catholic Church. If at any point I deviate from the teachings of the Church, please correct me, alfredo@nevarez.net, as this is my shortcoming and in no way meant to be an expression of my views superceding those of the Church founded by Jesus Christ.

San Jose Bible Study
Alfredo Nevarez
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