Chapter 2: God's Grace

•VERSE 1 “Sin” means to miss the mark. It's not necessarily willful; sometimes it's an omission. A “trespass” is a deliberate sin (transgression).

•VERSE 2 “Walked” means meandered. Meandering is aimless sauntering.

“Course” here comes from the Greek word for weather vane.

Before Christ, we followed the tide of the world wherever it took us; Satan was in control of our lives.

•VERSE 3 “Conversation” means manner of living.

•VERSE 6 This is our position in Christ.

•VERSE 7 God is going to take all eternity to show us how much He loves us.

•VERSES 8-9 Our salvation is a gift of God through faith, not a reward for any works we've done; for God wants the glory.

•VERSE 10 “Workmanship” comes from the Greek work poiema, which means handiwork or a careful work of art.

As the artist seeks to express himself in his work, so God expresses Himself in us. God goes before us and prepares the path in which we walk.

•VERSES 14-15 Christ has made both Jew and Greek into one and has broken down the walls of race, class, occupation, or whatever separates people. He is the common denominator, making us all equal.

•VERSES 20-22 Our bodies are now the temples of God.

key word

hamartia = sin, to miss the mark (2:1)

key word

poiema = workmanship From this Greek word we get a direct transliteration into English the word poem. A poem is a work of art, and an artist is seeking to express himself in his work. You are His workmanship. God wants to express Himself in you (2:10).