Series 3 - Made Alive by Grace / Ephesians 2:1-10

Ephesians 2:1-10 ESV

Key Verse: 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

1.  What characterized our old lives (1–3)? What does it mean to be “dead” (1b)? What and who were we “following,” and what does this mean (2)? What does it mean to be living “in the passions of our flesh” (3a)? To be “by nature children of wrath” (3b)? Why do we all need reminding of this? (see also 4:22–24)

2.  Who changed our hopeless situation, and why (4)? How were we “made alive together with Christ” (5–6; cf. 1:19–20)? What can we learn in verses 4–7 about the nature of God’s grace, and why do we need to know this?

3.  In our new lives, why does Paul repeat that we are “saved by grace” (8a; 5b)? What is the role of faith in this? How and why does Paul emphasize that our salvation is “the gift of God” (8b–9)?

4.  What practical change does God’s grace produce in our lives (10; compare with 1–2a)? What does it mean that “God prepared in advance” the “good works” we do? How can we see ourselves as “his workmanship,” and why is this so important?