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y nature children of wrath, just as the others.
In a later verse, Paul reminded those Ephesians of their spiritually
hopeless state. He urged them to remember “that at that time you were
without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and
strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without
God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12).
Once they became Christians, however, Paul said, “Now, therefore,
you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the
saints and members of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19). When
we become Christians, we cease to be people without God and without
hope and become members of the family of God!
Becoming a Christian is a new birth. The Lord Jesus said, “Most
assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the
kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born
when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and
be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is
born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That
which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit
is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again’ ”
(John 3:3–7).
Becoming a Christian and being born again brings newness of life.
Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through
baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory
of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have
been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall
be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was
crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we
should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from
sin (Romans 6:3–7).
Paul further said, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new
creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become
new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Though one is lost and a slave to sin, once one becomes a Christian
he is freed from sin and becomes a servant of God.
Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you
are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of
obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you
were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to
which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became
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