Ezekiel Kimosop Supporter

How can someone be spiritually "dead"? (Ephesians 2:1).

Theologically speaking, a spiritually dead person is one who is lost in sinful condemnation and alienated from fellowship with God. Simply put, he is person trapped in sinful depravity from which he is incapable of escaping without divine intervention. He is under the dominion of Satan. 

In Ephesians 2:1-7 the writer of Scripture uses a number of metaphors to explain the sinner's alienation and separation from God. Some of these metaphors are recorded in vv.2-3 where Scripture says "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others." (NKJV). 

God rescues sinners in Christ who were trapped in sinful depravity and ostracized from God in Adam (Genesis 2:16-17). The use of allegorical language should be interpreted in context to permit the Scriptures to communicate the mind of God. Notice that the sinner who is here described as "dead in sin" also "walked according to the course of this world according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience" (v.2). It is logically contradictory that a "dead corpse", as some have described a sinner, can literally walk at the same time!

In Ephesians 2;1-3, Paul outlines what God had done for the believers, here personified by the Ephesian Christian community. God made them alive, transforming them from their pitiable position of sinful depravity to a community of God’s covenant people. Believers were previously dead in their trespasses and sins. They were lost in sinful transgression and were alienated from a holy and righteous God until they received Christ’s atonement which was proclaimed to them through the gospel. 

The statement in v.2 confirms that Paul’s reference to believers being previously dead in trespasses and sins was an allegorical phrase rather than a literal statement. A literally dead sinner could not again be deemed to have “walked according to the course of this world” or even “conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh”. The Pulpit Commentary rightly suggests that “a kind of life remained sufficient for walking; but not the true, full, normal life.” [see Pulpit Commentary on Ephesians 2:1-10].

Paul further observes that believers were rescued from the dominion of Satan, here described as “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience” (v.2). Satan is elsewhere described as “the god of this world” who blinds the minds of the disobedient (2 Corinthians 4:4). 

The status of the believers’ previous life of sinfulness under the kingdom of darkness is illustrated in v.3. They conducted themselves in the lusts of the flesh, and were therefore justly classified as children of wrath until Christ graciously saved them. They were part of sinful men who were deserving of God’s righteous condemnation. 

Elsewhere in Scripture, some of the imagery employed to describe the sinners’ condition include blindness (2 Cor. 4:3-4) and slavery to sin (Romans 6:7). Sinners are also projected as lovers of darkness (John 3:19-20); sick (Mark 2:17) and lost (Luke 15). That is exactly where we all were before we met Christ. We were not any different from those who are presently trapped in sinful depravity. They too require to be rescued from their moral ruin.

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