This week in Facing Prometheus: A Letter to the Ephesians and the Future Church Dilemma, Pastor Jason Parrish opened Ephesians 2, a chapter that marks one of the most dramatic theological turning points in Paul’s letter.
For the first five weeks, Paul has been establishing a framework:
who Christ is, what God has done, and the power that now belongs to believers through Him.
Now Paul shifts from theology about Christ to a brutally honest diagnosis of humanity.
And he does it with a contrast that changes everything.
Two words.
“But God.”
The Gospel Begins With an Honest Diagnosis
Paul begins with language that forces self-reflection.
“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins…” (Ephesians 2:1)
Paul isn’t speaking in metaphors or philosophical abstractions. He is addressing something deeply personal.
“And you.”
This phrase locates the reader in the story. The gospel requires that we confront the truth about our condition.
The gospel requires that we come face to face with the truth of our human condition.
Before Paul explains salvation, he first explains the problem.
Spiritual Death Is the Real Crisis
Paul describes humanity as dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1).
Early church father John Chrysostom explained that there are two kinds of death:
- The death of the body, which happens naturally after the fall.
- The death of the soul, which happens through human choice and sin.
Physical death is tragic.
But spiritual death is far more serious.
The body dies by nature, but the soul dies by choice. Dealing with the soul is the greater miracle of God’s grace.
This is the condition Paul is describing. Humanity is not simply struggling or wounded.
We are spiritually dead.
Sin Begins Long Before the Action
Paul uses two words to describe humanity’s condition:
- Trespasses
- Sins
Early theologian Jerome described the difference this way:
- Trespass begins as a thought or inner compromise
- Sin is when that compromise becomes completed action
The thought that leads to action.
Sin isn’t just behavior. It begins in the heart and mind long before it shows up in our lives.
This is why Paul makes the problem feel heavy. The gospel cannot be understood without first recognizing the depth of our need.
Two Ways to Walk
Paul continues:
“…in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world…” (Ephesians 2:2)
The word “walked” is intentional.
It describes a pattern of life.
Paul uses the same language elsewhere when he writes:
“Walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16)
There are ultimately two directions a life can take:
- Walking in the ways of God’s Kingdom
- Walking in the ways of the world
These two paths are completely opposed to one another.
As Tertullian once summarized:
The world is unlike God, the creature unlike the Creator.
We either walk in the goodness of God’s design or according to the brokenness of the world.
The Reality of Spiritual Powers
Paul goes even deeper.
“…according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient.” (Ephesians 2:2)
Paul isn’t describing a purely psychological struggle.
He is describing spiritual powers.
Scripture consistently refers to Satan as:
- The ruler of this world (John 12:31)
- The god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4)
- The ruler of demons (Matthew 9:34)
Paul is making something clear:
Salvation is not simply adopting a moral lifestyle. It is liberation from a governing power.
Humanity is not only dealing with personal weakness.
We are living under spiritual influence.
But Paul also reminds us that another power exists.
The same Greek word used for the spirit working in the disobedient (energeō) is also used for the power of God that raised Christ from the dead (Ephesians 1:20).
In other words, supernatural power is always at work.
The question is which power we walk with.
No One Is Exempt
Paul then shifts from “you” to “we.”
“We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires…” (Ephesians 2:3)
Paul includes himself.
Everyone is part of the same human condition.
No one is precluded from the reality of sin.
Left to ourselves, humanity cannot fix the problem.
As theologian Grant Osborne explains:
Humanity cannot remove its own depravity or pay for its own sins.
The tragedy of sin is not only that we have sinned.
It is that we are trapped in a condition we cannot repair.
If humanity is left to itself, our condition is not merely difficult but hopeless.
Which leads to one of the most powerful moments in Scripture.
The Divine Reversal
After describing humanity’s condition in full weight, Paul writes two words that change everything.
“But God…” (Ephesians 2:4)
This is the turning point.
The gospel does not begin with human improvement.
It begins with divine intervention.
Salvation is not humanity reaching God.
It is God stepping into the story.
Every believer has a “But God” story.
A moment when God interrupted a direction our lives were heading.
The Church Is Full of “But God” Stories
Pastor Jason shared several stories from people within The Well community.
Each story carries the same turning point.
A life moving one direction.
Then…
But God.
Why the Church Matters
Pastor Jason closed by reminding us that these stories don’t happen in isolation.
They happen through the church.
Partnerships with organizations and ministries matter.
But the local church is where many people first encounter:
- Grace
- Community
- Truth
- Salvation
Parking teams.
Coffee.
Kids ministries.
Worship.
Small groups.
Prayer.
All of it creates the environment where someone’s life can change.
The church becomes the place where people encounter the living hope found in Jesus.
Because behind every act of service is the possibility of another story that begins the same way:
“You were… but God.”
