Writing:
Ephesians 2:3: «All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.»
Supporting verses:
John 3:36, Romans 1:18, Romans 5:9
MEDITATION
«"I didn't do it on purpose."»
«"It was a mistake."»
«"I don't know what came over me."»
«"It happened, I don't know how."»
From childhood, we utter these phrases. We seek to absolve ourselves, if not deny, then at least justify our actions, feigning innocence, unconsciousness, claiming the absence of bad intentions, asserting that it was merely a mistake. They all have one thing in common: they dissociate the act from the person. Sin becomes an incident, something external that "happened" to us.
But Paul rejects this escape route. In Ephesians 2:3, he paints a complete portrait of man before Christ with two inseparable aspects: what we did and what we were.
What we were doing
«"We lived according to the desires of our flesh."»
In Scripture, the flesh does not simply refer to the body or physical instincts. It describes the self-centered, autonomous human being, guided by their desires rather than by God. To live according to the flesh is not necessarily to live in visible or scandalous excesses. It is to live according to one's own criteria, priorities, and reasoning, without any real reference to God's will.
The respectable man who builds his life on personal ambition lives according to the flesh. The woman devoted to her family but who has no room for God lives according to the flesh. The serious student who plans his future without ever consulting his Creator lives according to the flesh. The flesh doesn't always look rebellious. Sometimes, it wears a suit and tie.
But Paul goes further: "fulfilling the desires of the flesh" and our thoughts »
«"fulfilling the desires of the flesh" and our thoughts »
Sin is not limited to actions. The intellect is involved. Our reasoning, our justifications, our seemingly logical choices, are fueled by this hostility toward God. Indeed, beyond his actions, a person without God may be cultured, moral, brilliant, but he thinks according to a logic that excludes God.
We understand why the Word of God urges us to renew our minds. It also urges us to take every thought captive to obey Christ.
What we were
Paul further clarifies: "And we were by nature children of anger, like the others."«
It is no longer a question of behavior, but of condition. Certainly, our actions were corrupt, but so was our state before God.
By nature. The Greek word phusis refers to what we fundamentally, essentially are from birth. A fish is aquatic by nature. A bird is aerial by nature. And man without Christ is by nature… under the wrath of God.
This anger is not an outburst of uncontrolled rage. The word "anger"—orgē in Greek—refers to God's righteous, holy, and constant opposition to all that violates his perfect nature. A judge who does not oppose crime is not a good judge. A doctor who tolerates cancer is not a good doctor. A God who turns a blind eye to evil is not a just God.
Paul concludes as follows:
«"Like the others.".
Paul is not referring to a particular category of great sinners. He is encompassing all of humanity, Jews and Gentiles alike, religious and rebellious. All shared the same condition, walked in the same direction, and were subject to the same verdict.
The anger remains
Thus, those who are not in Christ are always under God's wrath. In John 3:36, the fate of those who do not believe is addressed, and we are told this: "The wrath of God remains on him." The Greek verb menō is in the present continuous tense. This wrath is not future. It does not wait for the day of judgment to begin. It remains presently upon every person without Christ.
Millions of people today unknowingly live under this wrath. They believe they are in a neutral zone. They think God is indifferent, that He will understand, that they will deal with this later. But there is no neutral zone. The wrath remains, while they live according to the flesh.
The full portrait
This, then, is the picture that Paul paints of the human condition without Christ:
- Universal sinners, deprived of the glory of God (Day 1)
- Spiritually Dead (Day 2)
- Under Spiritual Domination (Day 3)
- Children prone to anger by nature (Day 4)
The cross takes on its full meaning
So this is the good news of the Gospel. Romans 5:9 proclaims: «Through him we shall be saved from wrath.»
God did not ignore his wrath. He did not minimize it. On the cross, it was poured out entirely upon Christ. He, who was not by nature a child of wrath, became a curse upon us. He absorbed what was meant for us. This is where love and justice meet.
And what about us who have been rescued from this condition? We know people who still live in it. They do what their flesh desires. They think according to a godless logic. And they are children of wrath without knowing it. Are we going to tell them?
PRAYER
Father, I do not want to water down your gospel. Help me to understand the reality of your righteous wrath against sin—not to condemn others, but to fully appreciate what Christ has saved me from. During this fast, may the reality of this wrath that remains upon the lost create in me a holy urgency. Give me the courage to present the full gospel—the danger AND the deliverance. In Jesus' name, amen.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
- Am I tempted to present a "softened" Gospel that avoids talking about God's wrath? Why?
- How does the reality of God's wrath make the cross more precious in my eyes?
CONFESSION OF THE DAY
«"I understand that without Christ, people are not 'neutral' before God but under his wrath — and this truth motivates me to proclaim reconciliation."‘
