Ephesians:2:1-3, The Condition Of Men Apart From Jesus Christ
By
1.
INTRO:
1.1.
In our last study, we looked
at verses 15-23 of chapter 1 and Pauls incredible prayer for the Ephesian
believers.
1.1.1. We saw that the prayer that Paul prayed for the Ephesians was a
representative prayer that corresponded to the greatest spiritual needs of
Gods people of all times. Thus, we
needed to study this prayer carefully to see how it applied our life.
1.1.2. The prayer that Paul prayed for the Ephesians was that they might
understand for themselves and for their own lives the things that Paul had
explained to them earlier in the chapter, things that are part of the
inheritance which all believers receive in Christ, and that they might wrap
their hope around these great promises for them.
1.1.3. The prayer that Paul prayed for the Ephesians was mostly a prayer that
they should come to know the Lord more intimately, that they would know
Him. It was not just head knowledge but
rather heart knowledge that he desired for them.
1.2.
In our study today, we are
going to look at the first three verses of chapter 2 in which Paul begins to
describe the life of a non-believer, that life which each person is born into
and which is only transformed and regenerated through receiving Jesus Christ as
Lord and Savior.
1.2.1. Paul will describe for us in the most graphic and compelling of terms
the condition of sinful men apart from Jesus Christ.
1.2.2. We will see how that understanding the condition of men apart from
Christ should encourage us to reach out and to share the gospel with people
whenever and wherever we are able to do so.
2. VS 1:1-2 - 1 And
you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly
walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the
power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of
disobedience. - Paul tells the Ephesians that they were dead
in their trespasses and sins
2.1.
In our previous studies in
this book of Ephesians we have seen that the apostle Paul has been teaching the
Ephesians primarily about the great riches that are their inheritance in
Christ. This phrase in Christ
we have seen appears all throughout this book and is used to explain that the
things that believers have because of their salvation have come to them not
because of any goodness or righteousness of their own, not because they have
arranged some sort of special deal or relationship with God on their own, not
because of their special achievements or desire to serve and honor the Lord,
not because of any of their self efforts, but simply because of their
relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Being adopted children of God through saving faith in Jesus Christ all
people become joint-heirs with Jesus Christ of all that He has.
2.2.
The list of things that
belong to Christians listed in chapter one is an incredible list. These things all which are from the grace
of God shown to us in Jesus Christ reveal to us both how greatly rich
we are as Christians and also the fact that Christ is our sufficiency
in every need and situation in life that we may find ourselves in. In fact, we have seen that in his letters
Paul always begins to speak ecstatically whenever he mentions Gods grace, and
this is because he realized that Gods grace to us in Christ is infinite
in its ability to provide all that we need.
2.3.
We saw that Gods grace has
not been given to us in a miserly way but rather God has lavished His grace
upon us and we have received grace upon grace. Paul prayed that the Ephesians would know the
riches of His grace.
2.4.
Finally, we saw that everything
that we have or are has come to us from the grace of God.
2.5.
Having enumerated and
expounded upon the great treasures that belong to every single Christian simply
because of their being in Christ, Paul now takes a diversion and begins
to talk about the condition of those who are lost in this world, those who are
not in Christ, the ones who are without God, without spiritual life, and
without hope in this life.
2.6.
One thing that we all need
to consider as we begin this study is that we need to set aside our own
philosophical ideas and opinions and look carefully at what the scriptures
themselves tell us about man. What we
are going to study is what the scriptures tell us about man and what they reveal
goes against what the vast majority of people in this world believe. The prevailing philosophies about the nature
of man which we see in movies, on television, in novels, in newspapers,
internet web sites, etc. are really in opposition to what the scriptures
clearly tell us about the nature of man.
The prevalent philosophies of men today consist of the following.
2.6.1. Man in his basic nature is good, this is the basis of humanism. Given the right circumstances, environment, opportunities,
and education men and women will choose to do good and right and utopian
societies will always pop up. For
example, I think of the Star Trek television series portrayals of life hundreds
of years in the future where mankind has finally chosen that which is good and
right and harmony exists throughout.
Mankind is now living contentedly, having set aside all selfishness and
self-centeredness, and is pursuing great altruistic goals of benefiting
mankind.
2.6.1.1. Just watching one television news broadcast or reading one daily
newspaper ought to be enough to blow away the concept that the character of men
is getting any better. Mankind is no
better today than during its early history when men are considered to have been
uncivilized.
2.6.2. Though men and women may sin that these offenses committed are atypical
of mankind and not representative of the real or true nature of men and women
since mans nature is basically good.
2.6.3. If there is a hell that only the very worst of people will eventually
end up there because God must surely realize that most people are basically
good and do good and therefore deserve to go to heaven.
2.6.4. Because God is a loving God He could never condemn or judge anyone
(except perhaps the most wicked), and because God is loving He could never be a
God of wrath or exact vengeance.
2.6.4.1. Those who would hold to this view today would see the traditional views
of the Bible concerning the nature of God as being outdated and rooted in the
cultural biases of less civilized people living hundreds and thousands of years
ago.
2.6.5. Though men and women occasionally may slip up and commit a sin here or
a sin there that they can have a relationship with God that is not dependent
upon Jesus Christ and the sacrificial work that He performed at the cross of
2.6.6. Men and women have in their own will power and desire the ability to
lift themselves up by their boot straps, change their life and do anything that
they want to do with their life, that they can do good and be righteous before
God if they truly choose and desire to do so.
2.7.
Let me say now that if you
simply study the Bible you will find from cover to cover the fact that
regardless of todays prevailing philosophies that the scriptures do not paint
a good picture of mankind apart from Jesus Christ. This is not my opinion which I am stating
here, this is a fact and can only be obvious to anyone who simply and honestly
studies the scriptures.
2.8.
The first thing that Paul
tells the Ephesians about mankind, and themselves, is you were dead.
2.8.1. Note that Paul doesnt say that some of them had at one time
been dead. He states that before coming
to Jesus Christ for salvation they all were dead.
2.8.2. The word dead here does not refer to physical death,
it refers to spiritual death.
The Ephesians had been spiritually dead.
2.8.2.1. There can be no more graphic picture portrayed concerning the nature of
man than that he was dead.
2.8.2.2. What does the concept of death imply?
2.8.2.2.1.
One who is dead does not move
and is not able to move for rigor mortis has set in.
2.8.2.2.2.
He does not feel or sense
anything, does not even think.
2.8.2.2.3.
After death decay begins to
occur.
2.8.2.2.4.
There is finality in death.
2.8.3. In 1968, a low budget movie was released called The Night Of The
Living Dead. It was a movie in
which seven people who are mostly strangers are trapped in a remote farmhouse
when the bodies of those who had recently died began coming back to life. These zombies (this word is defined
as a dead person who walks around) continue to multiply and soon begin to
surround the farmhouse. The intention of
the zombies is the eating of human flesh. When the people in the farmhouse try to
escape to flee to the next town they soon fall into grave trouble. Well, Paul tells us here that the people of
this world apart from Jesus Christ are really the walking dead. Non-believers are zombies.
2.8.4. Being spiritually dead, non-believers are not capable of searching
after God or having a spiritual sensitivity to the Lord. They are lifeless and spiritual rigor mortis
has set it. The decay non-believers
experience is moral decay and what occurs in their life is at a
minimum a gradual downward spiral of self-destruction and dehumanization, which
for some becomes a much quicker spiritual towards spiritual rock bottom.
2.8.4.1. Paul wrote
about the condition of people in this world in Romans 3:10-17 and that passage
supports the truth about people in this world being spiritually dead, 10 as
it is written, There is none righteous,
not even one; 11 There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; 12
All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There
is not even one. 13 Their
throat is an open grave, With
their tongues they keep deceiving, The
poison of asps is under their lips; 14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; 15 Their feet are swift to shed blood, 16
Destruction and misery are in their
paths, 17 And the path
of peace they have not known.
2.8.5. Since all people are spiritually dead and incapable of seeking God, if
anyone does come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior it is only because the
Lord has miraculously given them the ability to respond to Him and then
spiritually resurrected and regenerated them to new life.
2.9.
Notice in this description
of mankind apart from Jesus Christ in these first verses of chapter two that
Paul does not refer to the state of Jews or Gentiles. He tells the Ephesians that everyone of them
originally were in this state before they came to know Jesus Christ as Lord and
Savior and that being a descendant of Abraham or trying to live under the Old
Covenant made no distinction in regards to this. I wonder if the Jews in the congregations in
Asia Minor who received this letter were shocked and perhaps even offended at
first upon reading these things about themselves having once been dead in
trespasses and sins?
2.10.
Paul writes that we were all
dead in trespasses and sins.
2.10.1.
The Greek word translated trespasses
is paroptoma, and is found 23 times in the New Testament. It means to push away or deviate from
truth and righteousness.
2.10.1.1. The people in this world in their natural state apart from Jesus Christ
tend to push away or deviate from the truth and the commandments of God.
2.10.1.2. Though people in this world may believe in the concept of sin, they
usually tend to generalize the concept of sin and ignore or gloss over the Ten
Commandments. Doing this they really
redefine right and wrong and thus become in effect their own god. They tend to believe that if there is a God
that He really isnt so interested in the specifics of keeping His
commandments, the commandments are sort of looked at as being optional.
2.10.2.
The Greek word translated sins
is hamartia, a word that is found 172 times in the New Testament. It was a word originally used in archery for
missing the mark or target and was adopted by the early church to
refer to sin, which is the missing of the mark of Gods
righteousness.
2.10.2.1. By using this word, Paul is inferring that there is a standard of
righteousness by which God judges mankind, and that when men, women, and
children miss this mark they have committed a sinful offense against a holy
God.
2.10.3.
So, this was the state of
all people before coming to Christ, they were dead in trespasses and sins,
men, women, children, Jews, and Gentiles.
All were dead spiritually, unreceptive to God and incapable of doing
good or seeking God, and, they were living in this world committing trespasses
and sins against God.
2.11.
Paul tells the Ephesians
that they were dead in their trespasses and sins, in which you formerly
walked. This walked
indicates the manner in which they lived their lives. They were doing certain things and exhibiting
a certain kind of behavior.
2.12.
The doctrine of Original
Sin is revealed in these descriptions by Paul of the Ephesians. This is the doctrine that teaches that all of
us as human beings have inherited a sinful nature from Adam who is our federal
head and that when he sinned we were in him and thus sinned also. Therefore, we arent sinners because we sin,
we sin because we are sinners. Sin is in
our very nature, it is a fallen nature.
2.12.1.
Note that Paul doesnt tell
the Ephesians that it was only after a certain age that they began to be dead
or began to walk in this sort of way.
From the moment of conception the Ephesians, as well as every person who
ever lived, were the walking dead, spiritually speaking, and they lived their life
in trespasses and sins. King David had a
remarkable insight into this when he wrote Psalm 51:5, 5 Behold, I
was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.
2.12.2.
We will see in a moment that
Paul will begin to speak of the nature of the Ephesians, and this nature
is the sinful nature which they inherited from Adam.
2.13.
Paul tells the Ephesians
that being sinners with an inherited sinful nature in which they are dead in
trespasses and sins, that they have been walking according to two different
influences in their life:
2.13.1.
The course of this world.
2.13.1.1. The Greek word translated world here is kosmos, from
which we get our English word cosmology, and it refers not to the
cosmos as such but rather to the world that is presently in rebellion against
the Lord. There is a world system here
that is in rebellion against the Lord, for there is a prevailing ungodly
philosophy that we discussed earlier in this study.
2.13.1.2. This world is promoting a lifestyle that is in rebellion against
the Lord and His Laws and righteousness, and we see this underlying principle
and force operating in every secular movie, television show, music CD, sporting
event, civic club or membership, election of government officials, etc.
2.13.1.3. We as
Christians are warned in several places in scripture to beware of the influence
of this world in our life. In 1 John
2:15-17, the apostle John wrote the following warning about not getting caught
up in worldliness and the things and philosophy of this world that is in
rebellion against the Lord, 15 Do not love the world nor the
things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not
in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and
the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father,
but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and also its
lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
2.13.1.4. This world in rebellion against the Lord has been inspired by the Devil
and his angels and set in place in order to cause people to stumble spiritually
and fall into temptations and sin.
2.13.2.
The prince of the power
of the air.
2.13.2.1. There is an animating spiritual principle that is at work in the lives
of all people who do not know the Lord.
People may think that they are free to do whatever they want to do and
that they make all of their own choices however the scriptures tell us that
mankind is blinded to the truth and that their wills are in bondage to the
wicked spirits that are in high places.
Apart from Christ people cannot choose to do good even if they wanted to
do so.
2.13.2.1.1.
In 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 Paul wrote about how the Devil
has blinded the minds of all of those who do not believe the gospel of Jesus
Christ, 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to
those who are perishing, 4 in whose case the god of this world has
blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of
the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
2.13.2.2. When people rebel against the Lord and walk in sin they are being
compelled to do so by wicked spirits in the spiritual realm, and yet they have
no idea that they are really being incited and controlled to do these
things.
2.13.2.3. Though Satan can do nothing without the Lords permission, the scriptures
tell us that it is the case that this evil world in rebellion against God is in
the control of the Devil as 1 John 5:19, for instance, tells us, 19 We
know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the
evil one. When our judicial system
votes making abortion on demand legal, outlaws prayer in schools, outlaws the
displaying of the Ten Commandments at our courthouses, etc., we know that Satan
is pulling the strings.
2.13.2.4. To say that
Satan is the prince of the power of the air refers the realm of his
influence in this world. The world is
where he has his influence over mankind.
Perhaps this phrase should be translated, power of the age.
2.14.
Paul writes here, the
spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience and I want
to point a couple of things that this phrase indicates:
2.14.1.
Paul indicates the fact that
the Devil is working in the lives of the unbelieving.
2.14.2.
Notice what Paul calls all
of those who do not know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior: sons of disobedience.
3. VS 2:3 - 3 Among
them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires
of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the
rest. -
Paul tells the Ephesians that all of us once lived this sort of life he
has described so far in this chapter, and we have lived in and indulged the
lusts of the flesh and of the mind
3.1.
I point out to you what is
very important for you to realize here, namely, that Paul is saying that we all
were like the men he has just described in the first two verses. Then, as if to make his point absolutely
clear he adds at the end of this verse, even as the rest. Every man, woman, and child were once dead in
our trespasses and sins and walking according to this evil world in rebellion
against God, being inspired and led by the evil principle of wicked spirits and
their influence.
3.2.
Paul uses this Greek word sarx
which is translated flesh here, and as Lloyd-Jones points out, in the
New Testament this word can refer to our whole person, that which
covers our bones, as well as the sinful nature within us with all of
its desires and lusts. The word
used in this later case refers to that part of every person that desires to
rebel against the Lord and His will for our lives. The word is used 151 times in the New
Testament and the context of the word in the text tells us which of these three
possibilities it means.
3.3.
There are two types of lusts
that Paul states that the people of this world living apart from Jesus Christ
indulge:
3.3.1. The lusts of the flesh.
3.3.1.1. When Paul speaks of the lusts of our flesh here he is
referring to this evil sinful nature within us.
He is saying that in every persons life there once was a time when he
was giving in to this sinful nature and its desires in his life. The one who is a non-believer lives every
single day of his/her life being dominated by the flesh. They might try to cover this fact up and make
themselves look good on the outside, however they are doing this.
3.3.1.2. The word lust means desire. In the Old Testament one of the Ten
Commandments was, Thou shalt not covet. This word covet means to desire
things that are outside of Gods will for your life. This is what the lusts that Paul is
speaking of refers to. As people we all
have desires. These desires are the
result of living in this body. However,
when we harbor desires for things that are outside of Gods will for our lives
this is to sin the sin of coveting. This
is a lust of the flesh. Desire
for food is neutral in and of itself however if you do let that desire rule
your life and not be controlled by the Lord it is a sin. It is a lust of the flesh. Desire for sex is a natural desire arising
from the bodies we have however if you allow your self to harbor a desire for
sex that is outside of Gods will for your life, that is outside of monogamous
marriage, this is a sin. It is a lust
of the flesh.
3.3.1.3. In the fifth chapter of the book of Galatians, the apostle Paul
describes both the life lived in the power of the Holy Spirit as well as the
life lived in the flesh, and in Gal. 5:16-20 Paul describes the life
of a person when he/she is allowing the flesh to dominate, 19 Now the
deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20
idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger,
disputes, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing,
and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you,
that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
3.3.2. The lusts of the mind.
3.3.2.1. Paul also writes here that the
people in this world have their lives also dominated by the lusts of the
mind, and I believe that this refers to sins that affect in particular our
thought life and heart attitudes. Pride,
jealousy, envy, hatred, anger, greed, hypocrisy, for instance, are sins that
originate in the mind.
3.3.2.2. Many times in the church sins of the flesh such as immorality,
adultery, stealing, etc. are looked at as being horrible and yet there is a
tolerance for sins of the mind.
3.3.2.3. The Pharisees in Jesus day tried to keep the Law of Moses to the
letter however their observance of the Law was all on the external while
internally they were filled with all of these sins of the mind, and
worst of all they didnt seem to be bothered that they were allowing these
things to take up residence in their life.
They saw themselves as the leaders of the blind, spiritual guides of the
people. However, to the Lord the
Pharisees were white washed tombs full of dead mens bones.
3.4.
Paul speaks of all men here
and says that at one time they were by nature this way he has
described. Again, we see the sinful nature
inherited from Adam and Eve in view, or Original Sin. It was the very nature of the people
that was the problem to the apostle Paul, it was not individual acts of sin
committed by them that was the issue.
Every person by their very nature was condemned by the Lord and
they were at enmity with the Lord even from birth.
3.5.
Finally, Paul calls them
(that is all people apart from Jesus Christ) children of wrath. Every single person before coming to Christ
was under the wrath of God because of their very nature and
the sinful acts that they were continually committing.
3.6.
People today dont want to
hear that God is a God of wrath.
Many today say that God cannot be a God of love if He also is wrathful
therefore that those who say that the Lord is God of wrath are old
fashioned in their thinking. However, I
would point out to you several things concerning Gods wrath and the
scriptures:
3.6.1. Gods wrath is seen all throughout the scriptures, Old
Testament and New Testament.
3.6.1.1. Old Testament instances:
3.6.1.1.1.
Early in the book of Genesis
the Lord destroyed all but eight people in the flood because of His wrath
against rebellious mankind.
3.6.1.1.2.
The cities of
3.6.1.1.3.
Both the northern and
southern nations of
3.6.1.1.4.
All of the Old Testament
prophets prophesied and pronounced judgment after judgment against all of the
nations because of their rebellion against the Lord, and the Lord powerfully
judged all of those nations.
3.6.1.2. New Testament instances (Many today say that the Old Testament God is different than the New
Testament God and that in the Old Testament that men misunderstood God and saw
Him like the other tribal gods of the nations, however the real God is revealed
in the New Testament and that He is not a God of wrath but rather of love and
mercy only.) :
3.6.1.2.1.
Then, in the New Testament
John the Baptist preached a message of repentance to escape the wrath that is
to come (see Matt. 3:7 and Luke 3:7 for instance).
3.6.1.2.2.
Jesus spoke more about hell
than He did about heaven, and even in that verse that people always speak about
because of its mention of the love of God, John 3:16, Jesus mentioned that you
must believe in Jesus or you will perish, 16 For God
so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes
in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
3.6.1.2.3.
Romans 1:18, For the wrath of God is revealed from
heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the
truth in unrighteousness.
3.6.1.2.4.
Romans 4:15, 15 for the Law brings
about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation.
3.6.1.2.5.
Romans 5:9, 9 Much more then, having
now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God
through Him.
3.6.1.2.6.
1 Thessalonians 1:10, 10 and to wait
for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who
rescues us from the wrath to come.
3.6.1.2.7.
The book of Revelation is a
book that describes judgment after judgment that is going to come upon the
nations during the seven year Tribulation period, and also of the Great White
Throne judgment of condemnation for non-believers (see Rev. 19-20).
3.6.1.2.8.
Revelation 6:16, 16 and they said to
the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the presence of
Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb
3.6.1.2.9.
Etc., etc., etc.
3.6.2. Gods wrath is not like the wrath of man. Mans wrath arises quickly and is often
unjust and carried out rashly. However,
Gods wrath is constant, controlled, and gradually growing against all of those
who are living their lives in rebellion against Him. Gods wrath is always a justified wrath, a
righteous anger.
3.6.3. You cannot understand the gospel, much less Gods love, grace, and
mercy, unless you understand first His wrath.
The fact that God is a God of justice and wrath and that sin has to be
judged has to be the background for understanding how incredible His love is to
then be willing to send His only begotten Son to come to earth and suffer the
horrors of crucifixion in order to pay the price for our sins which each of us
deserved to pay. Without understanding
Gods wrath Jesus sacrifice at
3.6.4. Many people say that they believe in God, however they deny the
existence of His wrath and justice. They
in effect have created their own god, and their god is a mere figment of their
imagination. Either you believe the
scriptures or you do not, and it is abundantly clear to all who are willing to
take an honest look that God is a God of justice and wrath, as well as a God of
love.
4. CONCLUSIONS:
4.1.
Time does not permit us to
continue our study at this point, however we have seen in these first three
verses that Paul has described mans condition apart from Jesus Christ. We will see in our next study how the gospel
is introduced as Paul after this incredible description of sinful man says, But
God. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says that
this phrase is the gospel in a nutshell.
In it, Paul introduces the fact that in spite of mans condition of
being dead in trespasses and sins, of walking according to this sinful world in
rebellion against God, and of being influenced by demonic spirits into further
wickedness, that God in His love, mercy, and grace reached out to mankind and
provided the way that they could come to salvation. Again, the God the Father sent His only
begotten Son to take away our offenses, to pay the sin debt men owed to God,
and provided for the means that men could be resurrected and regenerated to new
life.
4.2.
As we have considered
previously the incredible inheritance that all of us as believers in Christ
have as our inheritance in Christ, and now having seen the horrible,
pathetic, and hopeless condition of men apart from Jesus Christ, we Christians
ought to be moved to share the good news of the salvation and new life that is
available to every man, woman, and child through the cross of Calvary. How could we not be filled with compassion
for those who do not have a clue about the great hope and treasures that we
know and experience in Christ?
4.3.
Until 1885, the dreaded disease, rabies, was unchecked
by man. But that year an experiment by Louis Pasteur gave to the world the
rabies vaccination. Pasteur began in
1882 to study the disease, a disease that destroys the nerve cells of part of
the brain. He had worked many hours in the laboratory seeking a vaccine to
prevent the disease. His long hours in the laboratory were slowly wearing down
his health, yet he labored on. Then in
July 1885, a peasant boy, Joseph Meister, was bitten by a mad dog. The boy was
brought to Pasteur by his parents. They begged Pasteur to save their son.
Pasteur hesitated to use his new vaccine on the boy because it had never been
used on a human. Finally, he gave in. And then after several weeks of
treatment, the vaccine proved successful and the boys life was saved. You and I as Christians have a vaccination
available to us which we can share with others who are dying all around us
every single day. Since I began sharing
this message with you this morning almost 9,000 people in our world have died
and passed out of this life, most of these people did not know the Lord and will spend eternity in
hell. This vaccination we have is the
gospel message of Jesus Christ and if people will receive Him into their life
as Lord and Savior they will never die but spend eternity with God in
heaven. Plus, here in this life they
will be saved from their sins and begin to experience the glorious regeneration
of new birth through the Holy Spirit.
How can we hold back from sharing that which will save someone for eternity?