We all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind. – Ephesians 2:3
The first two words of Ephesians 2:3 are crucial to our understanding of the pervasiveness of sin in all human beings, “We all…”
Notice how Paul moves from you in verse 1 to us in verse 3: “You were dead in the trespasses and sins… among whom we all once lived [that is, among the sins mentioned]” (2:1, 3). So, Paul includes himself in the group of sinners he is addressing.
Paul was about as religious, conservative, moral, and disciplined as it is possible for a person to be. For years he had thought of himself as righteous. But when he came to know Christ, he discovered how far from righteous he really was. His religion had blinded him to his own sin. But when Christ opened his eyes, he realized for the first time how lost he really was.
Have you come to the place of confessing that apart from Jesus Christ there is absolutely no hope whatsoever for you, even at your best? This is what a true Christian believes. And unless you see this fact about yourself, you will never come to Christ for salvation. Jesus says in Matthew 9:13, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
When did you see for the first time that you really are a sinner by nature and practice? Is it clear to you now?
