At a Bible study held some years ago, the name of the Editor of The Berean Expositor

was being severely condemned for advocating this translation, when one reader rose and

said, "I believe a number of those present possess and use `Newbury's Bible'. Would

anyone kindly read the note appended to Eph. 2: 1 in that valuable edition?" The note

in Newbury reads "being-dead" and "or to-the" and the sign of the present participle an

inverted T is affixed to the words "being-dead". We add this note for the benefit of any

who are fearful of what may prove to be a private interpretation.

To resume, instead of Paul turning from the heights of heavenly places, and the

glorious calling of the church, to remind his readers that they were once dead in sins like

the rest of the human race, he reminds them of the miracle of grace that has happened,

that in Christ they were at the moment of writing not only dead TO sin as a root (this is

the foundation doctrine of Rom. 6:), but TO sins as the every day fruit, a line of

teaching to which he returns in Eph. 4: 22-25 where he speaks of the putting off

concerning the former conversation, the old man, and the putting on of the new man.

Shorn of all explanatory additions, Eph. 2: 1-5 reads "Even you . . . . . hath He

quickened together with Christ", but the necessary parenthesis holds up the actual

statement, so that we may perceive what a need there was for this quickening, and how it

fulfilled the reference to the power to usward who believe, for we are now to read of a

mighty spiritual power in direct antagonism to the working of grace. The Apostle's

primary intention is to place in correspondence with the raising and seating of Christ, the

raising and seating together of the believer, but as in Eph. 3: 1 and 14 the main

argument is held up while a most enlightening parenthesis explains the nature of the

dispensation of the Mystery, so here, in Eph. 2: 1-4, room must be provided in our

examination for a digression full of teaching.

Taking the hint from verse 1 as compared with verse 5 where the theme is resumed,

we see that the section before us falls into the following pattern:

A | 1. Dead ones to sins.

B | 2, 3. What was involved:

A walk . . . this world.

An energy . . . the prince of the power of the air.

A conversation . . . the wills of the flesh.

C | 4. Rich.

A | 5. Dead ones to sins.

B | 5, 6. What is involved:

A quickening together.

A raising together.

A seating together.

C | 7. Exceeding riches.

Before these believers died to trespasses and sins, they had walked according to the

course of this world. "Walk" is a term which belongs to practical truth. It is the outward