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Are even Semites evil from their youth on? (Ephesians 2:3)
Ephesians 2:3
2:3 “Among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others” (Eph. 2:3).
After Paul had shattered and overcome the pride and arrogance of the Greeks and Romans in the church circles of Ephesus, he turned to the Jewish-Christian church members, himself included. He unsparingly confessed that they, too, without exception, were enslaved by the influences of the cunning deceiver and that they, in the lust of their fleshly desires, continued to sin. They had not lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Law of Moses was not able to save a single Jew; rather, it condemned every last one of them. In his letter to the Romans, Paul also went on to denounce the transgressions of the Jews (Rom. 2:17-3:20). In the end, however, it is not only our deeds and intentions that prove our depravity. Much more, the sin of a person lies in the fact that he does not live in and to the glory of God. He does not reflect His divine likeness – the very thing for which he was created to do.
The lustful appetite of man and his corrupt sub-conscious do more to determine his behavior than his own heart intends. With absolute finality Paul had confessed the incapability of natural man to live a blameless life: “For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do….For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice” (Rom. 7:15, 17-19). Happy is the person who humbles himself, and who, together with Paul, confesses before God the things written of himself. This becomes the beginning of his renewal, the beginning of a spirit-led repentance and a new faith.
Whoever is not prepared, however, to admit the truth about his life and thought, and who is not willing to make humble confession before God, falls under the wrath of his Creator. He remains caught up in the category of “the children of wrath”.
God loves all sinners but hates their sin. The Holy One waits for every sinner to repent and flee to his Creator, imploring Him for mercy. He will not cast aside the penitent, but embraces and kisses him as the father did his wayward son come home (Luke 15:11-32). And should the penitent one, contrary to his own will, sin again, he remains, through sincere repentance and faith, kept in his Savior and Redeemer (Rom. 7:18-8:4; 1 John 1:8 – 2:2). The one who refuses to repent and continues to live a life of godlessness wastes away under the wrath of the thrice Holy One. His life passes from one misfortune to another. He possesses no peace in his heart and knows no hope following his death.
This is the situation of the great majority of people today. Their despairing situation should spur us on to offer them hope, to tell them that God waits for them to return home, like a father does his lost child! At the beginning of his introduction to the Christian faith, Paul made clear to the saints in Ephesus that they could only help their churches if every one took off the mask from his own face. Each person needed to freely confess that he was lost and condemned, provided he did not immediately repent and seek God´s mercy.
Prayer: Father in heaven, we worship You, for You love all sinners. You offered Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, for our salvation and justification. Help us so that we might be honest and confess what we have done, and that we might recognize the evil thoughts that rise up in us. Forgive us our trespasses and help us to find Spirit-led ways to show our friends and families the way to eternal peace with God. Amen.
Questions:
- How corrupt is man?
- What can save us from the wrath of God?