One of the truly precious words in the Bible is the word “once.” It is used twice in Eph. 2:2-3: we once walked according to the course of this world; and we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of the flesh. The word “once” reminds us that in Christ there is the possibility of real change in our lives. We are not bound in the chains that “once” bound us to sin and death. What a wonderful word of grace!
Verses 2-3 are one of the important Biblical
descriptions of the world into which we were born. It describes the powerful, systematic “mystery
of lawlessness” as 2 Th. 2:7 calls it.
Paul’s description here presents what are commonly called the three
adversaries of the believer: the world, the devil and the flesh. It shows how they are tied together. The “mystery of lawlessness” is a mystery in
the world; but believers can know what is going on in the world because it is
in the Bible.
·
The general description (the world). The mystery of lawlessness is the course
of this world. “World” is the Greek kosmos. The term can refer to the globe, all the
people who inhabit the earth, and it can refer to the way of life. In 1 Pet. 3:3 it is used of the adornment of
a woman. The connection is that it
emphasizes the appearance of the world in which we live. “Course” is the Greek aion and speaks
of the age or world order that characterizes the kosmos. In this context, it speaks of the lifestyle
of the world, the way everybody walks, except for those who through Christ “once”
walked in that way. “Peer pressure” has
much to do with this world’s course.
Those who follow Christ and turn from the course of the world experience
contempt from those left behind (Ps. 123).
·
The authority (the devil). The “course” is said to be according to
Satan. This person is described in two
ways.
o
The prince of the power of the air. “Prince” speaks of someone who has ruling
authority. “Power” should be translated “authority;”
it is not speaking of strength but authority.
Satan has authority from God; this is seen clearly in the opening
chapters of Job. Satan was cast out of
heaven, and will someday be cast to the earth.
He occupies the area between heaven and earth.
o The
spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience. Satan is a spirit being. He works in people, tempting them to sin, and
ultimately seeking to thwart God’s salvation through Christ. He “now” works in the sons of disobedience;
as Paul notes in 2 Thess. 2:7, the mystery of lawlessness is already at
work.
·
The specific description (the flesh). Satan has great authority and power. But he works with “willing slaves.” We are born into this world with a sinful
nature, a tendency to sin. That “tendency”
is explained by the word lust, defined as “desire, longing, passion,
lust.” 1 John 2:16 explains the lusts
and relates them to the world system, or the “course of this world:” For all
that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride
of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. People who live according to these lusts are
what Peter calls natural brute beasts (2 Pt. 2:12); it is the natural
way of mankind. In that sense, we were “once”
by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
Because of their nature, humans naturally have
a bent to the pleasure principle (lust of the flesh), materialism (lust of the
eyes) and pride (the pride of life).
Thus Satan has designed a “course” or world order that appeals to and
builds on these tendencies. The Ephesian
believers would have recognized this; it was at work in the Greek/Roman world
in which they lived. We should recognize
it as well; it is the Western world in which we live.
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