Ephesians #3 – Study Questions
God’s Work in Us
Ephesians 2:1:10 (CGS#3)
INTRODUCTION: As we move into chapter two of Ephesians, we will watch and hear Paul continue building on the theological foundation that he laid in chapter 1. Let’s review that foundation. He first told us that it was God who had blessed us, revealed himself to us, saved us, sealed us, and all of this was according to his will and purposes. Then, Paul gave thanks for the Ephesian believers not because of what they had done for God in their own strength but because of who they are in Christ. In his thanksgiving, Paul models for us the importance of prayer that comes from a Christlike posture. His prayers for the Ephesian believers are in awe of God’s grace and for their strengthening in faith. Then Paul, in a densely worded sentence, reminds us of who Jesus is, as the one who has all authority, is above all things, and is greater than all names in this age and the age to come. The simple truth that Paul sets forth in chapter one is that God is strong enough, gracious enough, and determined enough to redeem broken humanity, and that is praiseworthy!
The theologian Karl Barth sums up the first half of chapter two this way. “This section is clearly the counterpart of 1:20–23. There, Paul’s concern is to supply his readers with the widest and most extensive survey of the blessings of God that they received in the gospel. There, the themes of the resurrection and the ascension of Christ effectively remind them that as believers, they are engaged not with mere human matters but with God, not with time but with eternity. Here, it becomes clear that speaking about the mystery of Christ means speaking the mystery of human life. Like Christ, we too were dead. And we were following the course of this world and under the influence of the spirit of the world. Our nature was essentially disobedience and therefore the object of God’s wrath (vv. 1–4). However, God has also made us alive with Christ, together with him (vv. 5 and 6). That is the paradox of our existence. This fundamental shift remains absolutely hidden from us. Its effects (v. 7) are in the future, temporally speaking; its origin and grounding (vv. 8–10) are in God. However, the relation of our life to this hidden renewal really does exist. In Christ, almighty God, the giver of life and source of all blessings, becomes the basis of our existence in the past as well as the future. In the power of his resurrection, Jesus is the midpoint, which separates time, making the past truly the past and the future truly the future. The power of the resurrection is neither a contingent historical truth nor an eternal rational truth. Rather, it is God’s truth in action and the expression of his will. It is not contingent. It is not a fact. It is not an idea. It is most emphatically revelation.” [1]
I love the way Barth states that Jesus is the giver of life and is the one who now defines our past and our futures. That reality is not contingent upon anything except God’s ability and will, which we have already heard about in chapter one. This all means that we are given new life in Christ by grace. And in our new lives, we are saved for God’s purposes. In other words, our new life is to be purposeful and not passive.
GETTING STARTED – As a group, take time to answer this question. What do you think are the key qualities or characteristics of a purposeful life?
IN THE WORD – Let’s dig back into the passage(s). It is important to strengthen our muscles in reading God’s Word. On Sunday, we walked through the passage in the sermon. Hopefully, that helped you to see the landmarks of the passage with fresh eyes. Now, with your group, go back through it and see what God is saying to you specifically.
First, before you read the passage, take a moment to ask God’s Spirit to quiet your mind and heart and to illuminate the text to you. Second, read the passage aloud to the group. Then, follow the simple method below. (O.P.A)
Observe: Make 8-10 observations from the passage. Pay close attention to observe and note repeated words and phrases, names, places, and themes.
Principles: From your list of observations, what patterns or big ideas do you see emerging? Can you distill it down into 2-4 big idea truths?
Apply: Moving from your list of principles, it is time to apply God’s Word. Remember, we believe that God’s Word is living and active and that it can change the way we live Monday- Friday. What is one tangible way to apply a truth from your list above?
Note: Another way to approach your time together is to talk through the following questions.
- What has stood out to you about the character and nature of God in these passages so far?
- The Bible offers us truth and hope. This passage offers truth about our nature. What does it say? And how does this truth actually give us hope through the gospel?
- When you look at the rhythms of your spiritual life, would you define them as purposeful or passive? Or, perhaps, have old purposeful rhythms grown passive?
- If God has prepared good works for us, are there things you are doing that you need to let go of? Are there things you are not doing that you need to step into?
- How does the grace we’ve received from God through Christ motivate you to be about God’s work?
[1] Karl Barth, The Epistle to the Ephesians, ed. R. David Nelson, trans. Ross M. Wright (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic: a division of Baker Publishing Group, 2017), 139–140.