(1) В¶ And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; (2) Wherein 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: (3) Among 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. (4) В¶ But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, (5) Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) (6) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
However humbling, the subject is most blessed, with which the Apostle opens this Chapter, in reminding the Church, of her being quickened, when dead in trespasses and sins. There is nothing more profitable, than for a child of God, to have always in remembrance, the Adam-state of a fallen nature, in which we were all born. In Heaven itself, it must tend to heighten all the felicities of the place. And, sure I am, that to the last moment of life, when going to the throne, it will endear God the Father's love, and make precious the Person of Jesus, and his blood, while we keep in remembrance, the rock whence we were hewn, and the hole of the pit whence we were digged. Isaiah 51:1
It will serve perhaps, under God the Spirit's teaching, to give the Reader a more quick apprehension, of the importance of the thing itself, in the recovery of our fallen nature by grace, if we take a short view of the awful state, to which the Church of God, as well as the whole nature of man, was reduced, by the fall; in order to behold the greatness of divine love, in the redemption by Christ. The Lord the Spirit bless the review of both, to his glory, and to our happiness.
And first. The lost estate of man, and the whole Church of God, in that lost estate, by reason of the original sin of Adam. It is a blessed thought, that the Church of God, as chosen in the eternal act, and will, and pleasure, of God; was chosen, and created pure, and holy, in Adam, the head, and parent of all mankind in nature. But, it is as sure a truth, that all fell in him, the Church as well as the world, and became sinful before God. It pleased God, as if to marr the pride of nature, and the higher to extol free sovereign grace in Christ, to appoint things so to be. So that, when Adam fell, in that fall he spiritually died. And this was the death, the Lord threatened, and fulfilled, in his own Person and all his seed. He did not die in body: For he lived many years after, and had children. But he died in spirit. He lost all spiritual apprehension of divine things. And all his posterity, are literally born the same. Generation from father to son, is only in nature: and the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God. 1 Corinthians 2:14
Secondly. I beg the Reader to attend to this Scriptural statement, of this death in spirit. There is a death of the body, to which by sin, the whole race of man is subject, and which all fall under. But this is not the spiritual death, from which Paul tells the Ephesians they by grace were quickened. And, there is an eternal death, to which every unregenerated sinner is exposed. But neither is, this the death Paul had in contemplation. For, as the former consists in the separation of soul and body, for the body without the spirit is dead, James 2:26 : so the latter, consists in an everlasting separation of soul and body from God in Christ to all eternity. And this is the awful death of all Christless souls. For what the soul of a man is to the body, to give life to it; such is Christ to the soul. But the spiritual death which Paul had in view, and from whence he tells the Ephesians they were quickened; is a death in trespasses and sins. And, it was this which our first parents experienced, and in which their whole posterity are born a life of enmity and alienation to God. And from which none less than God the Holy Ghost, can quicken. John 1:13
Thirdly. From what has been said, it will be in some measure easy to infer, the vast work of regeneration; and what high views the Apostle had, of this act of grace in God the Spirit, when he said to the Church: And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins. I stay not in this place, to enter into the particulars of this gracious act of God. This would lead too far. And, indeed, I have already in this work, somewhat largely considered the subject, to which I refer. See John 3:8. and Commentary.
I beg, however, to detain the Reader one moment longer, just to call his attention to the expression of the Apostle, when speaking of the former state of the Church, before being quickened by the Spirit; he saith, that they were by nature children of wrath even as others. By which we may suppose, he could not possibly mean, that they were children of God's wrath, when he had before, in the preceding Chapter, said so many blessed things, of their being chosen of God, to be holy, and without blame before him in love; being, predestinated to the adoption of children, by Jesus Christ to himself, and accepted in the Beloved. See Ephesians 1:4-6. It is impossible that such could have ever been the children of God's wrath; though when born in the Adam-nature of a fallen state, were justly exposed, to God's wrath, and but for their sonship in Christ, and acceptation in him, must have suffered the punishment due to sin, But it should seem, that the Apostle's meaning is, they were by nature, children deserving wrath, even as others. And, moreover, by the fall, were also of wrathful, tempers, and dispositions; and, as Paul elsewhere said of himself, and all others like himself, while in a state of unregeneracy, were living in malice and envy; hateful, and hating one another. Titus 3:3. I thought it proper to state this to the Reader, for some, for want of attention to this grand feature of our holy faith, in our grace-union with Christ, by GOD's choice from all eternity; have been led away with the too common phrase of calling God's children as if once heirs of hell, and children of the devil. Blessed, be God! they never were so, though children deserving wrath; yet in Christ, saved with an everlasting salvation. And the gift of the Spirit is, because they are sons, and not to make them so. See Galatians 4:6. and Commentary.
It will not be necessary, for me to dwell, particularly, on what the Apostle saith in those verses, concerning Satan, whom he calleth, the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh, in the children of disobedience. I have at some length, made remarks on his delusions, in the hearts of men: Luke 22:46. and Matthew 12:30. I refer therefore the Reader to those Scriptures. And, in addition to what is there said, concerning the empire of Satan, it will only be necessary yet further to observe in this place, that when the Apostle calls him the prince of the power of the air, he doth not mean, that Satan directs the winds or storms, or hath the least influence over the natural air which men breathe. For this would be, to ascribe to him, acts of creation. The sense is, that his principality is over the malignant spirits of the air, devils like himself, for we are told of a legion. Mark 5:9. Those being airy spirits, live in the air: and over these, Satan reigns, as he doth in the children of disobedience, whose hearts he calleth his house, Luke 11:24. It is in this sense, I apprehend, Paul calls him the prince of the power of the air.
Having said thus much by way of preface, and for the better apprehension of the weighty subject the Apostle had in view, when he expressed himself in the opening of this Chapter, on quickening the dead in trespasses and sins; I now beg the Reader's attention, to this interesting point, of our most holy Faith.
And first. When Paul tells the Ephesian Church, that the Lord had quickened them, who were, by nature, dead in trespasses and sins; it is evident, that he ascribed the Almighty agency to God the Holy Ghost. It is, indeed, his special, and personal office, in the Covenant of Grace. And before we go further, I beg the Reader to pause, and consider with me, the beautiful order, and harmony, in the gracious acts of love, manifested in the Persons of the Godhead, towards the Church. To God the Father, peculiarly belongs, the sovereign act, of choosing the Church, predestinating the several per sons of the Church, into the adoption of children, by Jesus Christ, and accepting them, in the beloved. To God the Son, his province of love, and favor, manifested to the Church, is ascribed, in marrying to himself the Church before all worlds; and redeeming the Church, in the time-state of her being, from the ruin into which she had fallen, in the Adam-nature of sin and corruption. To God the Holy Ghost, in an especial manner, from his office engagements in the Covenant of grace, belongs the glorious act of regeneration: or, as Paul here expresseth it, quickening the dead of Christ's people, which by nature, are dead in trespasses and sins. Think, Reader! what a beautiful order, and harmony, is here shown, in those equal acts of grace, by the several Persons of the Godhead, as they relate to the Church of Christ!
When the Reader hath duly pondered the blessed subject, in this point of view, I would desire to call his attention to another; namely, that those acts of each Person of the Godhead, are once done, and done forever. When God chose the persons of, the Church, to make up the whole body of Christ, the act, and the will, were instantly together. No alteration could evermore take place, in this purpose, and decree, of an unchangeable God! Hence Jesus, in the days of his flesh, called off his disciples' minds, from being elated with their momentary triumphs over devils, to rejoice at what could never alter, but last forever. Rejoice, said Jesus, that your names are written, in heaven! Luke 10:20. What a precious consideration is this, to a child of God.
In like manner, when Jesus married his Church, before all time; the deed once done, neither death, nor hell, could after disannul. See Hosea 2:19-20; Isaiah 28:15-19. And when, during the time-state of the Church, Jesus redeemed his Church; by that one offering of himself once offered, he perfected forever them that are sanctified. Hebrews 10:14, There are a multitude of scriptures to the same amount, which I must not stay to write down at large; but the Reader may refer to. Romans 6:9-11; Hebrews 9:25-26. And, it is in this sense, that sweet Scripture is to be read 2 Corinthians 5:14-16
Now let the Reader behold, the sweet and blessed office-work of God the Spirit, in regeneration; which like those of the Father and the Son, when once done, is done forever. You hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins. And, being quickened, the spirit can die no more. For it is made a partaker of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 2 Peter 1:4. It is born again, not of corruptible seed, but of in corruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. 1 Peter 1:23. Behold; Reader! what a beautiful order, and correspondence, there is here again also, in relation to those gracious acts of the divine Persons; and the everlasting nature of them. As the Father's choice, once done, can never be lost; so the Son's marriage, and redemption, is but once done, and is forever; and the regeneration of the spirit by the Holy Ghost, is but one act, and which can never be liable to any possibility of dying, or death, forever. So precious, so very precious, are those great truths of God!
One word more. This quickening of the child of God, who by nature in the Adam-fall, was before dead in trespasses and sins, though the last in point of order, from the gracious acts of the Godhead; (the being chosen in Christ, and redeemed by Christ having before taken place), is nevertheless, the first in point of discovery, of our high privileges, either of the Father's love, or the Son's grace, towards his Church, and people. Until my soul by regeneration was quickened, into this new, and spiritual life; I had no consciousness of my high birth-right, leading to my high calling, in Christ Jesus. But no sooner did the Lord the Holy Ghost call me out of nature's darkness, and the shadow of death, by breaking my bands asunder; than I discovered, whose I was, and to whom I belonged, in Christ Jesus. Reader! think of those mercies; and may both you and I have grace, rightly to value them. If, as an Apostle saith, he that converts a sinner, from the error of his way, shall save a soul from death; though in all this, he can only act as an instrument, and not the principal, to do this: what multitudes of souls doth God the Spirit save from everlasting death, who is both the principal, and cause, in every instance, where this mercy is wrought, and the great source of spiritual life to every sinner that He quickened ? James 5:20. Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift!
Reader! let me only and from the whole, how blessed it is, when God's children prove their being chosen by God the Father in Christ; and their being both married to Christ, and redeemed by Christ; when God the Spirit hath quickened them, to this new and spiritual life, who were before dead in trespasses and sins! Peter the Apostle, in allusion to this change, (and a wonderful change it is, the greatest ever made, in time, or in eternity;) saith, that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. And what can be more suited to a truly regenerated soul? In time past, (saith the Apostle), ye were not people; but are now the people of God. Which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10. Not that the Apostle means, that before regeneration, they were not a people in Christ. For they were always his people: God from the beginning having chosen them to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit. 2 Thessalonians 2:13. But the sense is, that before they were regenerated, they knew it not. So, in like manner, they had always mercy, but had no consciousness of that mercy; nor a consciousness of the want of that mercy, while they remained dead in trespasses and sins. But, all these blessings were discovered, and enjoyed by them, after the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared: not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost. Titus 3:4-5. So that, this saving act of God the Holy Ghost, brings the child of God into life, and the enjoyment of those vast privileges, which God the Father appointed, in choosing him, and adopting him in Christ; and God the Son bestowed upon him, in uniting him to himself, and redeeming him from the ruin of the present time-state of his Church. Of such unspeakable moment it is, in the life of every child of God, to be quickened, from the death of sin in Adam, to the life of righteousness in Christ. Well may we again exclaim, with the Apostle: Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift!