Chapter 2, Verse 3 “…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.”
You have to admire Paul for being honest here. The ‘you’ of verse two is replaced by the we of verse three. Paul was no different from the Ephesians. They are no different than us. We can recite this verse and be just as accurate. It is important, however, that we are able to say the word ‘once.’
Let’s take a look at these three former statements one at a time. First, there is passions of the flesh. In other words, lust. Webster’s New World College Dictionary defines lust as “a desire to gratify the senses; bodily appetite,” and “sexual desire, esp. as seeking unrestrained gratification.” Second, there is desire. This desire comes from the lower part of mankind, the flesh and the worldly mind. These desires are not like the desires of the Spirit and the renewed mind. They focus on worldly things and the world has worked hard at making them attractive to the flesh and worldly mind. Third, there is nature. This nature is that of the children of wrath. Who are these children? The wrath of God is against the ungodly, the disobedient, the offspring of Satan.
“Like the rest,” Paul says. He divides the world up into two camps. Those who are under the wrath of God and those who are saved from the wrath of God (Rom. 5:9). Paul is just reminding the faithful saints about who they were so that they can appreciate who they are. Hopefully, we will be reminded as well.
Task for Today: Take a few minutes and think about your life before you became a child of God. Think about some family member or a close friend who is still caught up in that way of life. Thank God for saving you from the darkness of that disobedient life style and placing you in the kingdom of light.
Leave a Reply