Was Mary Sister of Lazarus the Sinful Woman Mentioned in Luke 7:36-50?

 

WAS MARY THE SISTER OF LAZARUS THE SINFUL WOMAN MENTIONED IN LUKE 7:36-50? 

By Ezekiel Kimosop 

Martha and Mary are the two sisters of Lazarus, the man Jesus raised from the dead (John 11:1-44). Assuming that the narrative of Luke 10:38-42 relates to the two sisters, Mary appears to be an extrovert. She took time to listen to Jesus even as her sister focused on preparing to serve a meal. The biblical order of names suggests that Martha was the elder sister. Jesus loved the three siblings and was closely associated with them. This article seeks to establish from the study of the relevant passages of Scripture if Mary sister of Lazarus was the sinful woman mentioned in Luke 7:36-50. 

Bible scholars generally agree that the incident recorded in Matthew 26:6-13 is synonymous with the one described in John 12:1-8. The locations are similar but the host in John's case is not identified.  On both occasions, a woman anointed Jesus' feet in the presence of invited guests.  Under Luke's context, this intrusion by a sinful woman on a male guest was understood to violate the Jewish cultural code.

In Matthew's case, the incident took place in Bethany at the house of one Simon, the leper. (v.7).  The incident is elsewhere captured in Mark 14:3-9 where the woman broke an alabaster flask containing very costly oil worth more than three hundred denarii [about 15,000 USD] and poured it on Jesus' head. One distinction however stands out. In Matthew's and Mark's narratives, the woman who wiped and anointed Jesus' feet is unidentified. No mention of Lazarus' presence is made by Matthew and Mark. Jesus' reaction in Mark's account is unique. He commended the woman for anointing his body in preparation for burial. 

The scene recorded in John 12:1-8 captures John's narrative of the same event. John reports that the gathering took place at the home of Simon the leper and Lazarus was among those who welcomed Jesus in that home. Lazarus was perhaps a close associate of Simon the leper. 

The mention of Lazarus being raised from the dead in Bethany in John 12:1 is perhaps merely coincidental and serves to remind the Bible reader that the raising of Lazarus had taken place earlier. It is not necessarily evidence that it was a separate incident from the one described by Matthew. It is instructive that Lazarus is listed among those who sat with Jesus during the incident (John 12:2). 

My view is that the narratives captured by Matthew and John appear to focus on the same event from two distinct theological perspectives. While Matthew failed to mention the woman by name, John did. Curiously, Luke's account assigns a stigmatic title to the woman by identifying her as a sinful woman. This distinctive feature appears to significantly contrast Luke's narrative from the rest. 

Bible scholars acknowledge that Matthew's gospel was primarily intended for a Jewish audience under which the prominence of women was culturally suppressed. This could partly explain the anonymity of the woman in his context. It is instructive that all the four Gospel Books have captured this incident. A. M. Honore observes that three quarters of Mark's content is found in Matthew and Luke, and 97% of Mark is found in at least one of the other two Synoptic Gospels. [1] . This observation reveals that the narratives were of utmost importance to the Gospel writers.

The next question to address is thus: is Mary the sister of Lazarus the woman mentioned by Matthew?

Some scholars say the woman in Matthew's context may have been a different Mary. However, given the location of the incident and the presence of Lazarus among the guests, it is most likely that his sister Mary had accompanied him to the house of Simon the leper where Jesus was expected. 

In John's context, Mary's act of pouring expensive perfume on Jesus' feet was perhaps an expression of her deep gratitude to Jesus for raising her brother Lazarus under the incident described in John 11. She was possibly not the only woman to have expressed gratitude to Jesus in this manner during His earthly ministry. Charles Huddon Spurgeon notably observes thus: “It ought not to astonish you that there were two persons whose intense affection thus displayed itself; the astonishment should rather be that there were not two hundred who did so....” [2]. 

Jesus' statement in John 12:7-8 is evidence that Mary's sacrificial act received divine approval. Jesus commended her for the unusual honor. This incident serves as reminder to God's people that we should demonstrate our gratitude to God through sacrificial service that glorifies Him. God's grace in Christ is immeasurable but our response to this grace cannot escape God's attention. Mary's sacrifice was by all standards a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God (cf. Genesis 8:20-21; Philippians 4:18:20).

The incident captured in Luke 7:36-50 appears to be notably distinct from the two narratives conveyed by Matthew and John but Jesus' response in v. 40 is quite unsettling to the reader! The Pharisee's name is disclosed by Jesus at this point. He is Simon the Pharisee. His name readily connects with Simon the leper. Some consider the mention of Simon the Pharisee as evidence that Luke's narrative is synonymous with Matthew's and John's save for the additional details conveyed to the reader. Some scholars arguably pointed out that the similarity of names suggests that the Pharisee could be Simon the leper mentioned in Matthew's account. Still others insist that another Simon was contemplated in Luke's case notwithstanding the similarity of names. 

This brings to the fore the million dollar question: Is the sinful woman in Luke's context Mary the sister of Lazarus mentioned in John 12:1-8? If so, how should the Bible reader reconcile her sinfulness which is apparently not mentioned by Matthew, Mark, and John? Did the three Scripture writers deliberately decline to capture this significant feature in Mary's life?

In Luke's case, the sinful woman's encounter with Jesus took place at the house of a Pharisee who had invited Jesus to dine with him. Luke 7:11 suggests that Jesus was possibly still within the precincts of the city of Nain at this point. Some say the sinful woman who kissed Jesus' feet and anointed them with expensive fragrant oil was possibly a well-known prostitute in the city of Nain. Given the chronological sequence in the Synoptic Gospels, and Jesus' relationship with Lazarus and his two sisters described in John 11, it is difficult to conclude that Mary the sister of Lazarus was a sinful woman of the kind contemplated under Luke's narrative. Besides, Simon the Pharisee would perhaps have treated Lazarus' sister with better decorum! His statement touching on the sinful woman would have bordered on a condescending attack on a section of his guests! 

The reaction by Simon the Pharisee in Luke 7:39 is consistent with the discrimination of social outcasts by the Jewish religious order.  This incident is one among many where Jesus broke the religious taboo and showed love and compassion to the downtrodden in society.  His encounter with the Samaritan woman in John 4:1-42 is perhaps a classic example.

He still does the same today...

In conclusion, it is plausible to suppose that Matthew 26:6-16, Mark 14:3-9, and John 12:1-8 describe the same incident from three theological standpoints. This inevitably ranks the incident described in Luke 7:36-50 as a separate event. I find no conclusive theological evidence that the sinful woman in Luke's context was Mary the sister of Lazarus.

The two incidents should therefore not be conflated merely on account of notable similarities. The theological implications of their exhortations are nonetheless of profound significance. They both reveal Jesus' humility and deep concern for the disadvantaged and ostracized members of His society. His saving grace cuts across the social class distinctions in any society of context.

The sinful woman's courage was by any standards astonishing, given the conservative Jewish culture  of Jesus' day. David Guzik rightly posits that "it was bold for a woman with a sinful reputation to come into the house of a Pharisee, but she was willing to do anything for the love of Jesus" [3]. Guzik's observation is consistent with the moral in Luke's account where the sinful woman is mentioned. 

We shall conclude this evaluation study by examining a moral question. How should the reader react to the sinful woman's conduct before Jesus? 

Some would perhaps consider the the sinful woman's act as culturally inappropriate in the context of a Rabbi of Jesus' standing. It was culturally and religiously inconceivable. that a woman would publicly touch a man's feet in the manner she did, let alone a Rabbi! However, one theological truth is inescapable - the condition of the sinful woman is representative of our sinful depravity and alienation from a holy and righteous God in Adam until God graciously reached out to us in Christ (Romans 5:8). The sinful woman's tears and her broken heart touched the heart of God. There are people who suffer the pain of social disgrace in silence but God hears the cries of their hearts. 

In our stench of sinfulness, we too were undeserving of God's grace. We learn that Jesus forgives broken-hearted sinners that dare to reach out to Him.  God gives us a new life in Him no matter how depraved we are (Psalm,51:10-17; 2 Corinthians 5:17,21). God's opinion counts far above the din and clutter of cultural exigencies. 

Morgan G. Campbell notes that "it is not easy for us to blot out a past, and to free ourselves from all prejudice resulting from our knowledge of that past. Yet that is exactly what the Lord does" [4]. 

Nothing, not even the most expensive resources on earth, can compare with God's grace in Christ Jesus. The sinful woman received the most precious gift from God. It was far greater than what she could offer to God. She was finally freed from her burden of sin and guilt. Our response to God's appeal in Christ Jesus is evidence of the working of God's effectual grace in our lives.

God edifies His saints even as He deals with the lost and broken of society. Neither task takes precedence over the other. Simon the Pharisee could not contemplate that a social outcast could reach out to God in the serene comforts of the nobility settings of his privileged social class. He was utterly mistaken. 

No cultural, religious or social class barrier, however venerable in a given society, can stand between us and God. The Pharisee and the sinful woman were both alienated from God until and unless they submitted to Christ. We should therefore reach out to God at any moment through Christ our High Priest and receive our healing and restoration.

Shalom.

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2024

Who is Jesus? - A Biblical Reflection on Jesus in Scripture

WHO IS JESUS? - A BIBLICAL REFLECTION OF JESUS IN SCRIPTURE

By Ezekiel Kimosop

How is Jesus Portrayed in Scripture?

Colossians 1:15-23; 2:9

Reflection: How is Jesus the image of the invisible God in v.15? The use of the Greek word icon for image demystifies this theological phenomenon. It implies that Jesus is the perfect projection of God’s divine essence in human flesh. There could not have been a better representation of God in human flesh than Christ. His divinity is asserted in v.16. The writer proclaims that For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth. This underscores His divinity as God the Creator who was with the Father from the beginning (Genesis 1:1-2; John 1:1). Notice the emphasis that all things were created by Him and for Him (v.16).  The preeminence of Christ is affirmed in vv. 17-18. He is before all things, was the first to rise from the dead, and is head of the church.

Colossians 2:9

 ⁹ For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; ¹⁰ and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power (NKJV).

Reflection: Jesus personified the fulness of the Godhead in His incarnation. He never lost an iota of His divine essence in His incarnation. Believers are therefore complete in Him by reason of His perfection in the atonement.

Reconciled in Christ

¹⁹ For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, ²⁰ and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

²¹ And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled ²² in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— ²³ if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. (NKJV).

Reflection: v.12 conveys a theological emphasis that amplifies the statement in v.9. In this context, the fact that it pleased the Father that in Him [Christ] the fullness should dwell is evidence that Jesus’ divine status in the incarnation had received the collective approval of the Godhead. It also points to the fact that the will of the Holy Trinity is divinely synchronized.  The divinity of Jesus is therefore affirmed in this context.   

The celebration of God’s redemption work in Christ is affirmed in vv. 21-22. Christ’s atonement reconciled sinners who had been alienated from a holy and righteous God in Adam (cf. Ephesians 2:11-22). Christ is here portrayed as the Redeemer, the exclusive source of atonement for lost humanity. The statement in vv. 22-23 is imperative. The writer indicates that Jesus desires “to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight, if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard. Notice the conditional phrase in the statement. The believers must therefore continue to grow in sanctification and stay in the narrow path in order complete their journey of faith (see Hebrews 10:26-39).

1 Peter 2:21-22

²¹ For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:

²² “Who committed no sin,
Nor was deceit found in His mouth”

Reflection: The suffering of Christ is ironical and in sharp contrast to His state of divine perfection. He was without sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus did not deserve to suffer and die at the cross. However, no other creature in heaven and on earth could qualify to take His place at the cross, He alone was worthy to atone for our sin. It was therefore imperative that He voluntarily forfeited His divine glory in heaven and gave Himself as the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the word (John 1:29; Philippians 2:1-10; Revelation 5). Jesus is our sinless Redeemer.

 1 Peter 3:18

¹⁸ For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring ^[a]us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,

Reflection: Jesus us our redeemer who suffered and died for our sins. His resurrection from the dead signifies His divine victory over sin and death. It is an assurance to those who are in Christ that they too will defeat death and rise at the coming of Christ.

John 14:6

⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Reflection: Jesus is the exclusive means to the Father. His atonement is the only cure for sin and the only means by which sinners are reconciled with God.

1 John 4:10

¹⁰ In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Reflection: Jesus’ incarnate coming and His atoning death on the cross was exclusively initiated by God by reason of His unmerited love for sinful men. Jesus is again projected as the Redeemer through whom the demonstration of God’s love for sinners was most profoundly asserted.

Hebrews 4:15

¹⁵ For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Reflection: The Priesthood of Jesus is amplified in this text. He is projected as a unique High Priest since, unlike His predecessors, He was without sin.  This was in sharp contrast to the high priests under the Levitical priesthood who had to atone for their sins before atoning the sins of the people. Jesus did not enter the sanctuary with the blood of another but with His own sinless blood (Hebrews 9:23-28).

In the Old Testament days (from 1100-400 BC) the Jews were waiting for the coming of the . List some characteristics of “the Messiah”. 

Characteristics of the Messiah

Isaiah 53:2 – He grew up in humble background

Isaiah 53:3 – despised and rejected by men. He suffered sorrow and grief.

Isaiah 53:5 – He suffered for our sins.

Isaiah 53:6-7 – He suffered in silence.

Isaiah 53:9 – He suffered unjustly because he was an innocent person.

Isaiah 7:14 – He came as God incarnate.

Micah 5:2 – He is eternal, without beginning or end.

Zachariah 9:9 – He is just and humble. He is the author of our salvation.

How does Jesus match the description of the Messiah in the following verses?

Matthew 1:18 – He was conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 1:22 – His coming was in accordance with prophecy.

Luke 2:4 – Jesus is the son of David by the ancestral lineage of his adopted father Joseph.

Luke 2:8-14 – Jesus was born as the divine savior. He is Christ the Lord. 

Luke 19:28-36 – Jesus is the Messiah King.

John 19:1-30 – Jesus suffered, was condemned to die on the cross to redeem us from our sins.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 – Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.

2 Corinthians 5:21 – Jesus knew no sin; He was without sin. 

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2024

 

Redeemed, Reconciled, and Founded in Christ - A Biblical Reflection on Ephesians 2:11-22

 

REDEEMED, RECONCILED, AND FOUNDED ON CHRIST – A BIBLICAL EXPOSITION OF EPHESIANS 2:11-22

By Ezekiel Kimosop

TEXT

Introduction

This passage is contextually tied to the message conveyed in the preceding passage of Ephesians 2:1-10 which we examined under our previous study. Paul’s flow of thought spills into the passage by reason of his use of the conjunctive adverb therefore in v.11. In Ephesians 2:1-10, Paul taught that salvation is by God’s grace and that the sinner should appropriate it through his exercise of faith. The apostle also took time to described the pitiable state of sinful depravity in which the Ephesians [and all sinners] were before God reached out to them in Christ (cf. vv. 1-3). In today’s study, we shall examine the passage of Ephesians 2:11-22. This will be done through three sections into which the passage is theologically divided. 

SECTION A

Brought Near by His Blood – Ephesians 2:11-13

¹¹ Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— ¹² that at that time you 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. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ (NKJV).

In vv. 11-13, Paul introduces one area of cultural contention that separated Jews from Gentiles. Jewish Christians insisted that Gentile believers were incomplete and unacceptable before God unless they submitted to Jewish ritual circumcision. The Gentiles were therefore derogatively referred to as the Uncircumcision by ethnic Jews. Uncircumcised Gentiles were not permitted to enter the Jewish synagogue. We learn from Acts 16:1-5 that Paul was compelled to circumcise Timothy so that he could be effective in reaching out to the Jewish community because he was of Greek heritage, a society that never practiced circumcision.  Those called the Circumcision in v. 11 were the radical Jewish group in Ephesus that insisted that Gentile believers must be circumcised. This divisive issue was not unique to Ephesus. Paul emotively confronted the circumcision issue in his address to the Galatians where radical Jews insisted that circumcision was a means to justification for a believer (cf. Galatians 3:1-9). Scripture however teachers that circumcision or the lack of it is immaterial to the Christian faith. It does not earn anyone God’s favour. Obedience to Christ is all that counts.

In the Ephesian context, we learn that for three months, Paul had unsuccessfully attempted to engage the Jews in a theological discourse in the synagogue at Ephesus (Acts 19:8-9). He finally gave up and founded an independent theological school known as the school of Tyrannus (Acts 19:9-10). It is possible that the Gentile believers in Ephesus were shunned by radical Jewish Christians. This sorry state of affairs may have continued for a number of years. Paul was therefore compelled to address this simmering conflict in his Epistle to the Ephesians. Bob Utley observes that the use of the perfect passive participle in v.12 for “excluded” (NASB, NJB) or “being aliens” (NKJV, NRSV) or “foreigners” (TEV) is evidence that the Gentiles “have been and continued to be excluded” from God without Christ.[1] They were previously alienated from the commonwealth of Israel under the old covenant and from a holy and righteous God under Adam.  In v. 13, the reference to Gentiles being brought near to God by the blood of Christ is evidence of the impact of the atonement on sinners who were previously alienated from God in Adam.

A second theological observation that can be drawn from this passage relates to the distinction between the new covenant in Christ and the Old Covenant under Moses from which radical Jews drew their religious inspiration. The Mosaic covenant excluded and alienated Gentiles while the New Covenant in Christ brought Gentiles into the fold of God’s household. The former is therefore a unifying covenant that obliterates the racial prejudices that kept the two societies apart. It is instructive that Jews and Gentiles were all alienated from God and that the Old Covenant was unable to break the curse in Adam until Christ.

Reflection point: Can you point out some of the ethnic or religious prejudices that separate Christians communities today? Sometimes ethnic language is deliberately used in an urban church to technically keep out Christians from certain/other communities from joining the church. Have you come across religious groups that insist on some ritual initiation process that is not commanded in Scripture? In some contemporary societies, the sophistication and nobility of the influential social class is asserted in a Christian community to separate the affluent from the materially disadvantaged members of the society. This practice is ungodly in our Christian context and is expressly condemned in Scripture (James 2:1-13).

Paul speaks of the experience of Gentile believers in the past, saying that they were isolated from God’s covenant people until Christ (v.12). Jesus bridged the racial divide through His atonement that placed Gentiles and Jews on one divine platform – the unified church (v.13). Elsewhere in Scripture, Paul confronts the racial divide that separated Jewish and Gentile believers. The Gentile believers should therefore not suffer from an inferiority complex. They should pride in their heritage in Christ.

Galatians 3:26-29 says, “²⁶ For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷ For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (NKJV).

SECTION B

Christ Our Peace – Ephesians 2:14-18

¹⁴ For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, ¹⁵ having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶ and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. ¹⁷ And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. (NKJV).

Christ is revealed as a peacemaker who reconciled peoples and nations that were historically separated by racial and religious distinctions. The middle wall of separation is an allegorical reference to the deep racial divide that kept the two societies apart. Christ abolished the law of commandments in ordinances by His incarnate coming so that He could create a new, universal religious order though his atoning death. The gospel was meant for those afar off (Gentiles) and those near (Jews) so that the two diametrically opposed societies were ultimately united in Christ. Notice that the reference to the law of commandments contained in ordinances (v. 15) is illustrative of the negative impact of religious legalism in keeping the two societies apart. Christ abolished this on the cross. A “new man” [a symbolic reference to the church of Christ] was ultimately created by the fusion of the two distinct societies so that neither should pride in or be constrained by those cultural and religious obstacles again.

Three dimensions of peace can be deduced from v.14 – peace between God and mankind (Colossians 1:20); peace with God through Christ (John 14:27; Philippians 4:7) and peace between peoples and nations (Ephesians 2:11; 3:13). The text of vv. 16-18 is a rephrase of what has already been taught in vv.14-15. It serves as a theological emphasis in this context.

Believers are therefore primarily Christians before they are members of an ethnic or racial community. This is not to suggest that ethnic identity is irrelevant and offensive per se. Offensive and prejudicial cultural exigencies or practices should not be embraced or accommodated in a cosmopolitan Christian society. They should be discarded in our engagement under the newfound relationship with Christ and with fellow believers.

Reflection Point: There are Christian sects that place inordinate emphasis on certain divisive practices or doctrines informed by their traditions but which contradict the fundamental truths of Scripture. These include:

i)                   Overemphasis on particular sets of Christian liturgy or patterns of worship.

ii)                 Insisting that a certain day of the week is more appropriate for worship.

iii)               Venerating church leaders to divinity.

iv)               Observing dietary laws that are not commanded in Scripture.

v)                  Over shepherding their flock – exerting too much control on believers or followers.    

SECTION C

Christ Our Cornerstone – Ephesians 2:19-22

19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. (NKJV)

Paul concludes the passage of Ephesians 2 by exhorting Gentile believers in Ephesus [and us] not to consider themselves strangers but fellow citizens and members of God’s household of faith founded on Christ and the apostolic tradition which is distinct from Judaism. The cornerstone of Judaism was the Mosaic tradition and the law. The unified church is metaphorically depicted as God’s holy temple in Christ that grows (v.21). This leaves no doubt that racial prejudices under Judaism should be a thing of the past. Those who are in Christ are a new community of God’s people.

CONCLUSION

The passage of Ephesians 2:11-22 reveals that our Christian faith is complete in Christ and no additional ritual is required from believers. It confirms that racial or ethnic prejudice is ungodly and should not be embraced in a Bible-centered Christian community. All believers irrespective of their racial or ethnic distinctions are one in Christ. Believers have been drawn into reconciliation and communion with God by the blood of Jesus Christ which broke the walls that previously separated them. God has therefore reconciled all men in Christ. Jesus is the cornerstone of our faith, the foundation on which the church is built and by which she grows (1 Corinthians 3:5-17). 

 

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2024

 

---

[1] Bob Utley, Ephesians 2 in Bible.org., https://bible.org/seriespage/ephesians-2-0 accessed 17 September 2024.

Transformed from Sinners to Saints - Reflections from a Study of Ephesians 2:1-10

 

TRANSFORMED FROM SINNERS TO SAINTS: REFLECTIONS FROM A STUDY OF EPHESIANS 2:1-10

By Ezekiel Kimosop

Introduction

Ephesus was an ancient Greek city located in present day Turkey. Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians is believed to have been written between 60-62 AD. It was among Paul’s final writings. The Letter does not appear to address any specific issues or questions from the recipients. Paul may have initiated its authorship in keeping with his theological discourse in the school of Tyrannus. It was more of a doctrinal treatise which was perhaps meant to strengthen the spiritual knowledge of the Ephesians. Some scholars consider the Letter as a Pauline writing at its best. It captures Paul’s theological views on critical issues of Christian doctrine including the implication of Christ’s redemption work of the cross on the faith and future of believers. F.F. Bruce describes the Epistle as “the quintessence of Paulinism” while C. H. Dodd identifies it as “the crown of Paulinism”.[1]  William Hendriksen considers the Epistle as “the most authoritative and most consummate compendium of the Christian faith”. [2] These statements are not without merit. They celebrate the rich theology conveyed in the Epistle.

The church of Ephesus was founded during Paul’s second missionary journey recorded in Acts 18:18-28. Paul spent some time engaging the Jews in the synagogue at Ephesus but later founded an independent ministry school known as the school of Tyrannus where he preached the gospel with amazing impact (Acts 19:8-10). During his third missionary journey, Paul was unable to make it to Ephesus. Instead, he summoned the Ephesian elders to the port of Melitus from where he bade them farewell as he headed back to Jerusalem (Acts 20:17-38). Paul never got another opportunity to return to Ephesus. His final correspondence to the Ephesians is conveyed in his Epistle to the Ephesians which he wrote from his prison cell in Rome. The Letter may have been delivered to the Ephesians by Tychicus (cf. Ephesians 6:21-22). Other Epistles authored from Paul’s prison confinement include Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, and 2 Timothy. Onesimus the runaway slave whom Paul met in prison is believed to have delivered some of the prison letters to their respective recipients. 2 Timothy is believed to be the last Epistle by Paul which written shortly before his martyrdom in Rome.

Transformed from Sinners to Saints (vv. 1-3)

Ephesians 2:1-3 says, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 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.” (NKJV).

The opening statement in v.1 above is actually a carryover from the previous passage. Paul continues to outline what God had done in Christ and in the lives of believers. In the closing text of Ephesians 1:22-23, Paul extolls the pre-eminence of Christ, saying, “And He [God] put all things under His [Christ’s] feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, ²³ which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (NKJV). This is a Christological affirmation of Christ’s exalted reign and his headship over the church that He bought with His sinless blood (Acts 20:28).

Dead in Trespasses and Sins

In Ephesians 2;1-3, Paul outlines what God had done for the believers, here personified by the Ephesian Christian community. God made them alive, transforming them from their pitiable position of sinful depravity to a community of God’s covenant people. Believers were previously dead in their trespasses and sins. They were lost in sinful transgression and were alienated from a holy and righteous God until they received Christ’s atonement which was proclaimed to them through the gospel. The statement in v.2 confirms that Paul’s reference to believers being previously dead in trespasses and sins was an allegorical phrase rather than a literal statement. A literally dead sinner could not again be deemed to have “walked according to the course of this world” or even “conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh”. The Pulpit Commentary rightly suggests that “a kind of life remained sufficient for walking; but not the true, full, normal life.”[3]

Paul further observes that believers were rescued from the dominion of Satan, here described as “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience” (v.2). Satan is elsewhere described as “the god of this world” who blinds the minds of the disobedient (2 Corinthians 4:4). The status of the believers’ previous life of sinfulness under the kingdom of darkness is illustrated in v.3. They conducted themselves in the lusts of the flesh, and were therefore justly classified as children or wrath until Christ graciously saved them. They were part of sinful men who were deserving of God’s righteous condemnation. Elsewhere in Scripture, some of the imagery employed to describe the sinners’ condition include blindness (2 Cor. 4:3-4) and slavery to sin (Romans 6:7). Sinners are also projected as lovers of darkness (John 3:19-20); sick (Mark 2:17) and lost (Luke 15). That is exactly where we all were before we met Christ. We were not any different from those who are presently trapped in sinful rebellion. They too require to be rescued from their sinful depravity.

Reflection Point: Consider the state of sinfulness from which God delivered you in Christ. Can you think of some of the sinful acts and works of darkness associated with your previous life of disobedience?

The Impact of the Transforming Power of God’s Love and Mercy (vv. 4-8)

⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (NKJV).

The conjunction “but” in v.4 is significant to the contrasting position that Paul is about to describe. God, through His immeasurable grace and mercy, did the unthinkable in transforming lost men from their sinful depravity to a covenant relationship with God in Christ Jesus. The statement captured in vv. 6-7 is metaphorical and should be interpreted with this literary context in mind. The transformation of believers in Christ is metaphorically depicted for theological emphasis. The believers are projected as having been raised up together and made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ. Paul employs these figures of speech to portray the venerable impact of the believer’s transformation in Christ. The statement also mirrors the futuristic transformation and raising of believers to the glorified heavenly life upon the coming of Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). The reference to “the ages to come” in v.7 is instructive of this fact. The believer’s citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). The splendour of the believer’s life in the presence of God in heaven is presently incomprehensible to our finite minds. It will be unveiled in its glorious fulness at God’s appointed time. This is where the “exceeding riches of His grace” will unfold in all divine fulness. 1 John 3:2 says “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. ³ And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” (NKJV).  This text reveals that our spiritual experience in Christ is twofold – the now and the yet to come. There is a residual manifestation of the splendour of God’s blessing in heaven that awaits those who are in Christ.

Reflection Point: Have you ever taken time consider God’s amazing grace that we have received in Christ Jesus and the future life that awaits us in heaven?

Salvation by Grace Through Faith (vv. 8-10)

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (vv. 8-10, NKJV).

Paul proceeds to illustrate how salvation is received by believers. We learn from this closing section of our passage that we have been saved through faith rather than by any works of righteousness that we did. Salvation is also described as “the gift of God”. It is an unmerited favor that God graciously extended to us while we were yet sinners (cf. Romans 5:8). Dean Alford underscores that it is salvation rather than faith that is the gift of God.[4] It is instructive that a gift must be received by the sinner in a manner that agrees with God’s purposes. The sinner, having heard the gospel proclaimed and having been convicted of sin, must direct his faith towards God by repenting of sin and turning to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, in order to be forgiven his sin and to receive the gift of salvation (John 1:29, 3:16-17; Acts 16:30-31; Romans 10:6-13). This is the sinner’s responsibility marked out in Scripture. Adam Clarke rightly observes that “God never believes for any man, no more than he repents for him; the penitent, through this grace enabling him, believes for himself.”[5]

I must place a theological caveat at this point. Some Christian traditions and soteriological groups have attempted to discount the sinner’s role in the process of salvation at the exigency of vouching for divine sovereignty. They insist that God sovereignly and causatively chooses to save a limited number of sinners and that the sinner has no responsibility or input in the process. My view is that the exercise of faith by the sinner does not amount to earning salvation by works. Faith is God’s ordained method by which the sinner can receive forgiveness and redemption from God (cf. John 3:16-17; Romans 10:6-13). It is also important to observe that God does not forcibly save some sinners while excluding the rest from His saving grace! Salvation is therefore 100% by God’s grace but the sinner must exercise his responsibility in receiving it. David L. Allen aptly posits that the cross itself, unapplied, saves no one and that salvation is effected not only through the death of Christ on the cross but also through the application of the benefits of His death by the Holy Spirit.[6] A sinner who rejects God’s grace therefore stands condemned (John 3:17).

 

 

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2024

 

REFERENCES

---

[1] F. F. Bruce in The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians (Grand Rapids, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1984), p. 229.

[2] William Hendriksen, Exposition of Ephesians (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1967), p. 32.

[3] Pulpit Commentary on Ephesians 2:1-10, https://biblehub.com/commentaries/pulpit/ephesians/2.htm. Accessed 26 August 2024.

[4] Dean Alford, Henry, The Epistles of St. Paul - The Epistle to the Ephesians: The New Testament for English Readers, Volume 2, Part 1 (London: Rivingtons, 1869) cited by David Guzik, Blue Letter Bible, https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/guzik_david/study-guide/ephesians/ephesians-2.cfm. Accessed 23 August 2024.

[5] Adam Clarke, Clarke's Commentary: The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments with a Commentary and Critical Notes, Volume 6 (Romans-Revelation) (New York: Eaton and Mains, 1832).

[6] David. L. Allen, Excerpts from A Biblical, Theological, and Historical Study of the Cross of Christ, B & H Publishing Group, 2019) https://drdavidlallen.com/excerpt-from-my-new-book-on-the-atonement/. Accessed on 27 August 2024.

The Journey with God - Seven Steps from the Calling of God to Eternal Glory with God

THE JOURNEY WITH GOD - SEVEN STEPS FROM THE CALLING OF GOD TO ETERNAL GLORY WITH GOD 

By E. Kimosop, Ph.D. 

1. THE CALLING OF GOD. 

The journey with God begins with the calling of God through the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the sinful world (Matthew 28:19-20). This is the critical stage through which God reaches out to sinful men by His saving grace in the blood of Jesus Christ. The church is charged with the noble task of preaching Christ crucified. Every believer has an obligation to witness for the Risen Christ to draw men to Him.

2. SALVATION IN CHRIST. 

The next step involves the repentance of the sinner who turns from sin to Christ. The Holy Spirit convicts sinners when they hear the gospel proclaimed. This is the entry point for admission to God's household of faith. Paul's response to the jailor concisely captures the sinner's appropriate response to the gospel: "Sirs, what must I do to be saved? ....,“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household (Acts 16:30-31). 

In coming to Christ, the believer is assured of his identity in God's household as a child of God (John 1:12). Salvation is by God's grace through faith  (Ephesians 2:8-9).

3. CHRISTIAN FOUNDATION 

The young believer should be inducted on the basics or fundamental truths of God's word. This includes their instruction on basic Christian doctrine. Paul adjudged the Corinthians as spiritually immature because they had not been adequately weaned through this important foundation as a Christian community. Notice Paul's lament in 1 Corinthians 3:3-4 in response to the sectarianism in Corinth. 

4. CHRISTIAN SANCTIFICATION. 

This is a critical stage in the life of the believer. It centres on Christian obedience and growth. The believer is edified and adequately equipped through solid instruction in the truths of God's word in order to grow in the knowledge and discernment of the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 3 3:5-17; Hebrews 11; Ephesians 4:22-16).  The consciousness of the believer's special relationship with Christ and his separation from the sinful world continues to grow in earnest.

The process of Christian sanctification progresses throughout the believer's journey on earth. No believer outgrows the Christian sanctification stage. They continue to be build up in the holy truths in Scripture. They consistently submit to Christ in love, supplication, Christian fellowship, and devotion. 

5. CHRISTIAN SERVICE. 

Every believer who has attained a reasonable level of Christian maturity should be introduced to Christian service under initial supervision. They should be afforded an opportunity to serve God with their spiritual gifts and talents and fulfil God's purposes for their life in Christ (Acts 6-11; 13; 1 Corinthians 12-13). Those who stand out in Christian service should be empowered to lead and mentor others. The call to Christian service is a call to Christian empowerment, stewardship, and accountability (Matthew 25:14-30; 1 Corinthians 4:1-2)

6. CHRISTIAN GLORIFICATION. 

Christian glorification is the final stage that concludes the believer's life on earth. Our time on earth is for a defined period that God permits. Psalm 90:10-12 recognizes the brevity of the earthly journey and exhorts us to prudence and diligence while the window of God's grace is open. 

When the believer dies, he will have fulfilled God's purposes for his life on earth. The authority of Hebrews 9:27 is theologically conditional to the believer dying before Christ's coming. This is because Scripture elsewhere reveals that those who will be found alive at Christ's coming shall not taste death. They shall be transformed into glorified beings at the twinkling of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:52). 

Being glorified is being united with Christ upon the resurrection of the dead in Christ or the transformation or rapture of believers who shall be alive at the sounding of the last trumpet, whichever be the case. This is the exit stage for the church. For believers who die before Christ's coming, their souls are preserved by God in heaven (2 Timothy 4:7-8). They shall be united with Christ upon the resurrection of saints (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). 

Elsewhere in Scripture, we learn that God is glorified by the deaths of His saints. Psalm 116:15 says "precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints." Believers do not experience premature death when the time comes to depart this world. God takes them to be with Him at His appointed time (cf. Acts 13:22,36). Those who die in Christ are therefore celebrated by their Master (cf. Revelation 6:10).

7. ETERNITY WITH CHRIST. 

This is the final stage of our Christian journey. The resurrected or raptured believer is adorned with a glorified body and is ushered into the glorious presence of God and of Christ in heaven. This is the final state of the bride of Christ, the redeemed church, before the presence of God and of the Lamb of God (1 Corinthians 15; Revelation 20:11-15, 21-22).

Which steps or stages define your present positioning in your journey with Christ? We should keep pressing on towards our ultimate goal to the glory of God (Philippians 3:14).

Shalom 

Is the Gift of Tongues Available to the Church Today?

IS THE GIFT OF TONGUES AVAILABLE TO THE CHURCH TODAY?

By Ezekiel Kimosop

I received two questions from a reader on the above topical question. Please find below my reflection answers for each of the questions.  

QUESTION ONE

Why is it [that] today's preachers always ask for an altar-call to fill people with the Holy Spirit?

My question is based on my reading in acts 2 and acts 10 verses 44 going down I need to understand.

MY REFLECTION ANSWER

Under Evangelical Christian tradition, altar calls are usually done to invite people to Christ at the close of the preaching session. Sections of the Pentecostal/charismatic traditions are known to invite believers to come forward to receive the Holy Spirit through special prayer. They believe that a person who turns to Christ must be filled with the Holy Spirit and demonstrate evidence of the same by speaking in strange tongues. They argue that the charismatic events recorded in Acts 2:1-13 and Acts 10:44-48, are evidence of a continuing charismatic experience for the church throughout its history. Evangelical traditions disagree with this view. They insist that the gift of tongues ceased with the New Testament Church. They cite a number of passages of Scripture in support of their view (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:8-10).

Some scholars have suggested that the incident recorded in Acts 10:44-48 qualifies as the Gentile Pentecost. Luke reports that Peter was speaking to Gentile believers in Caesarea when the Holy Spirit fell upon them and they spoke in tongues. Notice that these Gentile believers had not been baptized despite having previously converted to Christ. The reaction by those of the circumcision (radical Jewish Christians) in vv. 45-46 and Peter's statement in v. 47 suggest that this dereliction may have been informed by racial/ethnic prejudice against Gentiles.

God used the incident to demonstrate to Peter that the gospel was not exclusive to ethnic Jews.

Now back to our question of context: Is the Holy Spirit altar-call a legitimate Christian practice? Should preachers pray for believers to receive the Holy Spirit?

Under Evangelical tradition, we believe that the two charismatic incidents above were never replicated after the New Testament church period since no further Scripture evidence is available on the same. We insist that the theological purposes for the gift of tongues were therefore served and dispensed with during the New Testament period. Notice also that the two incidents relating to the raising of the dead by Peter (Acts 9:36-43) and Paul (Acts 20:7-12) were never replicated in any subsequent church periods. These were among miracles that were exclusive to the apostolic age. Don Stewart argues that they were intended to authenticate the supernatural message of Jesus (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:21-22). 

We also believe that every person who turns to Christ is led and indwelt by the Holy Spirit right from the point of conversion (John 14:15-18). At no time does the Holy Spirit depart from the believer. We are further persuaded that the gift of tongues was intended to authenticate the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ during the apostolic period. The gift therefore ceased thereafter. The cessation of tongues does not suggest that the Holy Spirit does not operate in the life of the believer! The Holy Spirit continues to lead the believer in the walk of faith and to inspire for them the holy Scriptures for their edification and the proclamation of the gospel.  

Pentecostal/charismatic groups disagree with this view. They argue that the gift of tongues continued throughout the church age and will be prominently demonstrated in the last days. They cite Joel 2:28-29 in support of their view. There is however no historical evidence in support of the charismatic view throughout the church ages prior to the late 18th century.  Early church theologians such as Justin Martyr, Origen and Augustine testified that the gift of tongues ceased.[1] 

It is instructive that the Pentecostal/charismatic movement is historically rooted in the American Pentecostal revival of the early 1900s. The Azusa Street revival meetings of 1905 at Los Angeles, California, were led by William Seymore, a charismatic African American preacher.[2] There is no record of the activities of Pentecostal/charismatic groups in church history prior to the advent of this revival movement. 

My concluding answer to this question from the Evangelical standpoint is that an altar-call for receiving the Holy Spirit is not informed by the revelation and authority of Scripture. 

QUESTION TWO

These days pastors preach and people pretend to speak in tongues but I've never heard any translation of tongues in there.   Where did we children of the Most High go wrong?

MY REFLECTION ANSWER

As earlier explained, Evangelical tradition holds that the gift of tongues was restricted to the apostolic church period that ended in the first century AD. We believe that once the sealed canon of the Holy Scriptures became available to the church following the canonization of Scripture by the Council of Carthage in 397 A.D, this was sufficient for the proclamation of the gospel and the instruction of believers in truth. We also hold that the apostolic age ended with the New Testament and that the apostolic foundation was laid by the apostolic writings in the New Testament Scriptures. On the authority of Acts 1:21-22, we affirm that apostolic offices ceased at the close of the New Testament church period and that there are no living apostles today. 

2 Timothy 3:16-17 says "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (cf. Ephesians 4:11-16). While this statement contextually concerned the Old Testament Scriptures at the time it was written by Paul, its theological application consolidates the New Testament Scriptures as well. 

When sinners are convicted by the Holy Spirit at the preaching of God's word, this is evidence that the revelation of Scripture is sufficient, authoritative, and final for the church. We believe that the Holy Spirit illuminates the Scriptures for the church.

We do not therefore require evidence of tongues to back the preaching of the gospel today. This does not suggest that God's power is absent from the church! His presence is evidence by the transforming power of the word of God through the preaching of the gospel and the illumination of the Holy Spirit.

I am aware that Pentecostal/charismatic groups will disagree with this view. It is also important to recognize that the differences of opinion between Pentecostal and Evangelical traditions on the gift of tongues are not fundamental to the Christian faith. It does not suggest that one side is heretical or apostate. If the two sides are agreed on the fundamental truths of God's word touching on the sinfulness of humanity and Christ's redemption work at Calvary, the application of God's saving grace on sinners, the purpose and future of the church, this would be the basis for our Christian brotherhood notwithstanding our theological disagreement on the gift of tongues.

I hope these reflection answers are helpful.

 

 

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2024

 

For more articles by this writer, visit www.ezekielkimosop.blogspot.com

---

[1] Don Stewart, “Why do Some Believe that the Gift of Tongues has Ceased?” in Blue Letter Bible, https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/stewart_don/faq/speaking-in-tongues/03-why-do-some-believe-the-gift-of-tongues-has-ceased.cfm. Accessed 23 May 2024.

[2] Michael Corcoran, "How a Humble Preacher Ignited the Pentecostal Fire" in Cox News Services. Archived from the original on December 7, 2011. Retrieved November 19, 2011.