Fishers Of Men Study

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What does it men to be "dead in trespasses and sin"? Tonight I want to look at Eph 2:1

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Eph 2:1-5  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;  

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So what is Paul talking about when he says “And you… who were dead in trespasses and sin”?

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Well we first have to determine what the original word translated “dead” means.

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Thayer Definition: νεκρός G3498 1) properly 1a) one that has breathed his last, lifeless 1b) deceased, departed, one whose soul is in heaven or hell 1c) destitute of life, without life, inanimate 2) metaphorically 2a) spiritually dead 2a1) destitute of a life that recognizes and is devoted to God, because given up to trespasses and sins 2a2) inactive as respects doing right 2b) destitute of force or power, inactive, inoperative Part of Speech: adjective

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I want you to notice that Thayer describes the meaning of this word in a “proper” and a “metaphorically” aspect. But I think a more accurate aspect would be a “literal” or even “physical” aspect and a “spiritual” aspect  

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So is Paul saying to the saints at Ephesus and faithful in Christ Jesus that they were “dead” (literally / physically) ones who had breathe their last and are without life? NO! it is very clear that Paul is not saying that they had been physically dead

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So then what is Paul talking about? Paul is saying that they had been “spiritually dead” because of their trespasses and sins. Now let me explain why I do not like the use of the term “metaphorically” in the description of this definition. Metaphorically has the idea of being figurative or symbolical. So if we are to understand that Paul is saying that they were symbolically or figuratively dead then that means that they really were NOT but only symbolically dead in their trespasses and sins.

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So then in order to full grasp what Paul is talking about we need to look at a few more verse from God’s Word…

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Gen 2:16-17 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:  (17)  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. 

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So did Adam literally die that day? No because the Bible says in Gen 5:5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died. So Adam did not die until 930 years latter. So then what did God mean when He said thou shall surely die? Well let me share with you what one commentator says 

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John Gill- "in dying, die" which denotes the certainty of it, as our version expresses it; and may have regard to more deaths than one; not only a corporeal one, which in some sense immediately took place, man became at once a mortal creature… , Moreover, a spiritual or moral death immediately ensued; he lost his original righteousness, in which he was created; the image of God in him was deformed; the powers and faculties of his soul were corrupted, and he became dead in sins and trespasses; the consequence of which,…  must have been eternal death, or an everlasting separation from God, to him and all his posterity; for the wages of sin is death, even death eternal, So the Jews interpret this of death, both in this world and in the world to come.

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If we consider death in a general sense as being a separation; first as it relates to a physical death, the separation of spirit from the physical body and secondly as it relates to a spiritual death, the separation of the spirit from God.

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When we consider this understanding of death as referring both to a physical separation and a spiritual separation then what Paul is saying here in Eph 2:1 makes more sense.

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Now let us look some more at what the Bible says about death and sin…

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Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;  (Every human being has sinned) 

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Rom 5:12  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (As by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world and death (physical and spiritual separation entered into the world) by sin. And so death (physical and spiritual) passed upon all men. Death passes upon all men (mankind) because all men (mankind) have sinned)

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So here is the Big Question… Are you still dead spiritually? How do you know? Think on this and lets talk about on Monday!.  

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Bro. Brian