JoshuaArlaus_LiteraryContext_NGRK505-D02
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Feb 20, 2024
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LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
JOHN W. RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Literary Context Assignment
Submitted to Professor Steven Waechter in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
NGRK 505-D02
Greek Language Tools
by
Joshua Arlaus
Nov 5th, 2023
1
Literary Context
Ephesians 2:1-10 was written by the Apostle Paul after the death of Jesus Christ to educate, reaffirm, and strengthen the faith of the Ephesian believers. This passage is part of an epistle or letter that was written to the Ephesian church in Ephesus. Ephesus was a coastal city in
Asia Minor that is now considered modern day Turkey. This is just one of the many epistles that Paul had written to help strengthen the children of God that needed it most in the surrounding areas because of their many habitual pagan practices. In this passage Paul reminds the Ephesians to stay focused on the teachings of Christ and resist the evil ways of their Roman and pagan environments by stating, “And you were dead in your offenses and sins, in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all previously lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the boundless riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace, you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Both this passage and this entire epistle tie into the connecting message found through out the New Testament to recognize and turn from our sins so that we can follow Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior who was sent to die for our sins and to show us the way to true eternal life by 2
the power of God’s love, grace, and mercy. It is believed that Paul has written 13 of the books that are found within the New Testament and each book is dedicated to educating, strengthening,
and reaffirming the faith of God’s children. Paul also utilizes these books to tell the truth to those
that do not believe as well. This is in hopes of creating more believers through the glory of Christ. The main message found in the New Testament is that Jesus Christ is the son of God who
is sent to save us from our sins if we believe in him. The content in the New Testament was written by Christ’s followers just like Paul that spent time with Jesus Christ both in flesh and spirit and can verify that his identity and work is both trustworthy and true. Jesus Christ is more than worthy of our acceptance, honor, love, and faith even if it costs us our lives. An eternity with God in Heaven is worth it even if it costs temporary pain, persecution, or confusion in this world. God can restore and give all things back plus more through the power he has given through the redeeming work of Jesus Christ. We can only have this gift by faith in God and by faith in his work through Jesus Christ to save us from our sins on the cross. We cannot earn this gift by good works or a change of character. We can only be saved by God’s gift through Jesus Christ because Christ was without sin and God in the flesh. God is both perfect and eternal which
makes him the only being qualified to clean us from our impurities and redeem us to himself in this way. This is why Ephesians explains, “For by grace, you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” We must be aware of this very important truth so that the Holy Spirit can guide us into living for him and respecting his work in the proper way. Living for God, respecting God, and participating
whole heartedly in God’s work is the formula for success in life no matter the circumstances. This passage, this epistle, and the rest of the New Testament illuminates these truths through the 3
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actions and words of Christ’s followers, even up until their last days showing that living the proper life through Christ can sometimes be very hard but Christ and his followers exclaim that it
is worth it! We would rather be found in our proper place of worship when God returns through Christ to finally end the Devil and his evil schemes instead of being found guilty and joining the Devil in his eternal punishment with all his followers. The gift of freedom and salvation is found through faith in Christ, not through our actions. What a beautiful gift that is. We should all do our parts to share that gift with as many people as we can. This is God’s will for all of us so that we can all be saved and truly know both him and ourselves. 4