A Crash Course in the Gospel

“But because of his great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions.” (Ephesians 2:4-5)

Bad News: Walking Dead (Ephesians 2:1-3)

• “dead in your transgressions and sins” (v 1)
• “the ways of this world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air” (v 2)
• “gratifying the cravings of the flesh” (v 3)
• “by nature deserving of wrath” (v 3)

Good News: Made Alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:4-7)

• “his great love for us” (v 4)
• “made us alive with Christ” (v 5)
• “it is by grace you have been saved” (v 5)
• “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him” (v 6)
• “in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace” (v 7)

Living Good News: Walking as Masterpieces of Grace (Ephesians 2:8-10)

• “it is by grace you have been saved, through faith” (v 8)
• “the gift of God” (v 8)
• “so that no one can boast” (v 9)
• “God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (v 10)
• “God prepared in advance for us to do” (v 10)

1. Have you ever experienced grace in your life from another person, through your circumstances, or from God? What happened? How did that change you?
2. As we continue our series on Ephesians, this week we look at Ephesians 2:1-10. Begin your study by asking God to help you know Him more through your study of Scripture. Then read that passage aloud.
3. With the beginning of chapter 2, Paul begins to lay the groundwork of important truths about what God has done in Jesus Christ. This passage can be divided into three sections: our past marked by sin and death (2:1-3), the change for believers through God’s work in Christ (2:4-7), and a summary of salvation and our present life (2:8-10).
4. How is our past life characterized in verses 1-3? Why do you think that might be described as ‘death’?
5. In verse 2, Paul says that our lives apart from God were influenced by the present world-age and the devil, who is the ruler of the kingdom of the air. What do you think this means? You may want to look ahead to Ephesians 6:10-12 or compare with Colossians 2:13-15 here.
6. What has God done for us through Christ Jesus according to verses 4-7? What does this tell you about who God is?
7. There are echoes in verse 6 of the raising and seating of Christ described in Ephesians 1:20-21. What do you think is significant about how our lives are connected with Christ’s life here?
8. What is the purpose for which this work of God has been done according to verse 7?
9. As we look at verses 8-9, take a moment to unpack the significance of the following terms in this sentence: ‘grace,’‘saved,’‘faith,’‘gift,’‘works,’‘boast’?
10. According to the beginning of verse 10, what are we through God in Christ?
11. If salvation is not by works, how do the ‘good works’ described in verse 10 fit in with that?
12. This passage begins and ends with a Greek word—peripatein—which means “to walk, to live, or to do.”You can find it in verses 2 and 10. This echoes a Hebrew concept (halakhah) of walking in the ways of God or taking on a way of living that leads into real life with God. Summarize the contrast between how we used to walk/live before Christ and how we walk/live now in Christ. Next, summarize how those general truths have played out in your own life story.
13. What is one thing that stands out to you or that you sense God is speaking to you today from this study? If you are in a group, share your experiences together, taking time to pray for one another. If you are studying on your own, write down some of the words God spoke to you in a journal or letter to yourself.