In Ephesians 2:1-131And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. 11Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:1‑13) we learn that we are brought into a wonderful position as believers, but outward position does not change what we are by nature. Further down in the chapter we read of some that were far off and some that were nigh; then we read of one thing that was needful for them both—that is, to be reconciled to God. So we “were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” We find that God is still at work today, and He is working to accomplish the same results.
Death, in Scripture, does not always mean the same thing. We have, “You hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins” (vs. 1). Then we have, “The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live” (John 5:2525Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. (John 5:25)). This is spiritual death and spiritual life.
Physical Death
What is death, and how came death into this world? “By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin” (Rom. 5:1212Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (Romans 5:12)). God connects these two things: sin and death. They go together, in the ways of God. And when the man opened the gate and let sin in, he could not keep back death. The simplest definition of death that I know of is separation. What takes place in what we just referred to as physical death? The body is in one world, and the spirit is in another. The individual has gone into another world, into eternity, and the body is here. Death has caused the separation. We have that thought frequently in the Word of God.
The Second Death
What is the second death? There is a death that will never be done away with, and there is a death that will be done away with. “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” — the physical death. But what is that death that will never be done away with? The second death, which will take place in “the lake of fire.” Why is it called the second death? Because it is the eternal, unchangeable condition of all the lost. They are separated forever from God and confined under His judgment. There is no end to it. I refer to that because people talk about hell as having literal fire. That is not the point. Eternal confinement is the point. It does not say a “sea of fire,” but a “lake of fire.” Fire is the judgment of God.
One part of the gracious work of God in this day is saving souls — those who, if left to go on in their own course, would find themselves, forever, not only excluded from the presence of God, but confined under His judgment.
Dead in Trespasses and Sins
As we have already mentioned, there is another kind of death: “You hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.” What kind of death is that, to be “dead in trespasses and sins”? It is separation from God by sins. That is not eternal death, however. Thank God, there is a remedy for it and He is delivering people from it, and this is part of His work in this portion of Scripture. “You hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world” (vss. 1-2). What is the course of this world? It is a system, under Satan as its prince, led on by him, and will end under judgment. When did the Lord Jesus own Satan as the prince of this world? When the Lord was in Gethsemane and the crowd came to take Him, He said, “This is your hour, and the power of darkness” (Luke 22:5353When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness. (Luke 22:53)). People little think of who it is that is leading them on in their separation from God!
Now into such a scene God comes, and He works in it. What leads Him to work in it? Verse 4 tells us: “God, who is rich in mercy.” That is what leads God to work in this poor world, so estranged from Himself, and all pursuing a course that separates them from Him, and which must eventually, as was said, if not interrupted, end in His judgment upon them.
How rich is God in mercy? We learn that as we realize what it is to be dead in trespasses and sins. By that I mean, we learn it in communion with God — what it was to be separated from Him, and what it is to be brought to Him. We find a little further on—and our soul meditates on it with adoration — “for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins” (vss. 4-5). There we bring in the well-known verse, John 3:16,16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) which brings eternal life to us when in our dead condition.
W. Potter, St. Louis General Meetings, 1925