Cheryl Schatz

Mark you said:

Note also that verse 1-10 are two greek sentences 1-7, 8-10. Thus verse 1-7 fall into 2 parts, 1-3 and 4-7. The former is called an ‘anacoluthon’ and verse 4-7 give a contrast. Thus verse 1-3 highlight the sinful nature in the past, and verse 4-7 contrasts a new nature.

This is not true. The connection between God’s resurrection power shown through Christ’s death and resurrection in Ephesians chapter 1 is carried forward to the power of our own sin. His death is therefore not a contrast to our sin, but a means of grace to overcome that sin. This way of understanding the text ties chapter one together with chapter 2 and the topic of God’s great power flows from chapter 1 to chapter 2 flawlessly.

If we take verse 1 as a contrast then God’s power is not a connection between the two chapters and instead of us being dead with Christ (which manifests as being dead to sin) and raised to a place of having all things under our feet, we would have to take Eph 2:1 as a negative and helpless place of our being dead rather than a powerful place of death to sins in Christ’s resurrection.

The other thing that makes your interpretation to be problematic is the connection to Col. 2:13

Colossians 2:13 (YLT)
13 And you—being dead in the trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh—He made alive together with him, having forgiven you all the trespasses,

Here the “being dead” is attached to being made alive AND having our sins forgiven. They are completely attached together so that “being made alive” means that our sins are forgiven. But in the Calvinistic system, “being made alive” is not a state of having our sins forgiven. Rather it is a bringing to life so that one can hear the gospel, then be given a gift of faith so that one can believe and then comes the being forgiven. Therefore for the Calvinist “being made alive” is the start of the process of salvation but it isn’t forgiveness yet. Forgiveness cannot come until the person exercises faith. The “order” of the process of salvation is very important to the Calvinist and the process does not include forgiveness at the time of “being made alive”.

So the passages of Romans 6:11, Col. 2:13 and Ephesians 2:1 all show that “being dead to sins” is a positive thing and happens at the same time as “being alive with Christ”.

to be continued….