“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.” Ephesians 2:2
”I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7
In highlighting the saving work of Christ, the apostle Paul reminded the Ephesian believers of what they were before they came to Christ, what happened to them when they came to Christ, and what they would eventually become because they came to Christ. In effect, he outlined their spiritual past, present, and future.
Regarding their past, Paul described their pre-conversion days as having walked “according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air” (v.2). Though they did not realize it at the time, they were blinded by the prince of darkness. As the hymn states so well, they were “guided by his artful treachery, hurrying on to endless pain”. They were unwittingly led by a sinister, unseen adversary, who led them down a certain course in which they fulfilled all “the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature, children of wrath, even as others” (v.3). It was (and is) a path of depravity, darkness and disobedience to the laws of God (v.2). It promotes covetousness, arrogance, rebellion, and, at times, various forms of perversion. It shows no regard for the things of God. It has a penchant for the morose, and the macabre, and anything opposed to what is good, holy, and true, manifesting itself in different ways. Its influence is reflected in the culture through the media and communicated by subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) innuendos in music, movies, and through the world’s extensive entertainment industry. It is driven by the world of advertising, the clothing industry, and other facets of society. It is pervasive and permeates nearly every aspect of daily life and its influence are effects are seen everywhere. Children, who seem so innocent in their younger years, begin to show the evidence of a steady diet of the world’s attitudes and underlying philosophies as they grow older. It is a broad path, and one that majority of people travel on. The Word of God declares that it is a path that leads to destruction (Matt. 7:13) and unless a person turns from this course—a road that may seem right to them, God’s Word declares it will ultimately end in spiritual disaster.
The phrase “the course of this world,” however may have another appearance. It is certainly a harrowing one described by Paul it in Ephesians 2. Anyone who has come from a similar background can certainly identify with these Ephesian believers. They were so desensitized by sin that they “being past feeling”, they were given over to lewdness to work “all uncleanness with greediness” (Eph. 4:17-19). What a horrible condition! In Titus 2:12, we also read that the grace of God teaches us to deny two things: ungodliness and worldly lusts. The first description seems to accurately characterize the Ephesians before they came to Christ. But the other – “worldly lusts” depicts the other side of the coin. These “lusts” are contrary to what some may think. Instead, they manifest themselves not in a life of debauchery or dissipation but rather in worldly ambition and a craving for success and riches, for fame and fortune. These “lusts” could in some ways look quite respectable. But underneath a thin veneer of respectability is the underlying evidence of a “me first” attitude fueled by the same selfish and sinful attitude that characterizes the person whose life is “in the gutter”. After all, gutters can be in two places: down low along the curb or up high along the roof. Without Christ, no matter what a person’s position is in life whether good or bad, can indeed be a life “in the gutter”.
Apart from the Lord, this was – and is – the plight of men and women who do not know the Savior. As Paul reminded Titus, people outside of Christ can be “living in envy and malice, hateful and hating one another” (Titus 3:2) – impure lives, living for self and surely stepping on and over anyone who was in the way. They were walking according to the course of this world, that is before they found the Savior by Whom they were wonderfully and miraculously saved, to the glory of God. If it were not for His mercy and grace, and the ministry and testimony of the faithful servants like Paul, they like us would have continued to walk according to the course of this world on a path that would led to their demise.
For the Ephesians, everything changed for them when a person with an unimpressive appearance and contemptible speech (2 Cor. 10:10) broke through and without compromise, boldly proclaimed the life-giving message of the Cross. Upon the power of the Word, they went from darkness to light in a moment, from walking according on a downhill course to a course led by the good Shepherd of the sheep. Fortunately for these Ephesians, this dedicated and faithful servant named Paul, was God’s ambassador and agent who was used by Him to help get them off this dreadful course. He penetrated their sphere by stepping in the way and pointed to Another who had said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6). This forever changed their lives, leading to a much narrower way, a better course and one that granted spiritual life and blessing from the God of Heaven.
What did this mean for them, and for us who are no longer on this course? First, it means that all Christians have been “raised up” spiritually and are “seated” with Christ. In Christ, we are viewed by God as sitting with Him in heaven (2:6). Secondly, it means that they can look forward to a future time when we will be on display as a testimony to the magnificent grace and mercy of God (2:7). Until then, all those who know and love the Lord are to do good works, to which they are appointed (Eph. 2:10). What a contrast exists then between these two courses: the course of this world and God’s course for us. The one focuses on self and resists the Lord, whereas the other lives for the Savior and delights to do His will and yields to Him. The world’s course resembles the raven sent out by Noah after the flood, feeding on the “dead” things of this world. In contrast, the believer’s course resembles the dove, seeking and feeding on that which is clean. Furthermore, the world’s course is wide, but the believer’s course is narrow and leads to life everlasting, not to destruction (Matt. 7:13–14). More than simply a path leading to a glorious future, it is a path overseen by the Bishop and Shepherd of our souls (1 Pet. 2:25), who guides us “by the skillfulness of His hand,” Ps. 78:72.
God has appointed a unique path for all of us in Christ, a personal path that leads to glory and is tailor-made. Think about the words of David in Psalm 139:16: “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.” In other words, God has planned all our days in advance. He knows our beginning of days beforehand, and He knows our end of days, even though we do not. He knows the path we will take through life; the days He has appointed for us. Consequently, after we have come to know Him, we need to live for Him by faith and serve Him acceptably with reverence and godly fear. We need to be aware however, that it can be easy even as believers to revert to living according to the course of this world even as Christians instead of living by God’s Word. Don’t do it! Paul understood this principle when he said to the Ephesian elders (Acts 20); that he might finish his course with joy (v.24). Indeed, what he had hoped for came to pass, as later he gratefully proclaimed from his Roman prison, that he had finished his course with joy (2 Tim. 4:7).
As believers in Christ, we recognize that we have been divinely redirected from one course to another, which Scripture calls the “path of the just” (Prov. 4:18; Isa. 26:7). It is a path that “shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.” (Prov. 4:18). As we reflect on this, we should make every effort to avoid being influenced by those who walk according to the course of this world. As James 1:27 says, we are to keep ourselves “unspotted from the world.” Because our lives are different now, we are to walk in newness of life. We are to follow the steps of our Savior and walk as He walked and in a way that is pleasing to Him who called us by His own glory and virtue. May we always remain grateful for the change of course that has taken place in our lives and for how He has redirected our steps and our eternal destiny.
Mark Kolchin