Life Without God (Remastered)

Devotional

Day 1: Dead in Trespasses, Alive by Another’s Breath

Before grace, humanity exists as spiritual corpses—upright in form but hollow in purpose. Paul’s words cut deep: trespasses mark our deviation from God’s design, while sins expose the rot within. This death isn’t metaphorical; it’s a parasitic reality where breath mimics life but lacks divine spark. Every “good deed” apart from Christ is a reflex of decaying flesh, not true vitality. To grasp salvation’s power, we must first feel the grave’s cold walls. Only then does resurrection light pierce the tomb. [00:36]

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience. (Ephesians 2:1-2, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you mistaken mere moral effort for true spiritual life? How might acknowledging your past deadness deepen your gratitude for Christ’s breath in you?

Day 2: By Nature Children of Wrath, By Grace Heirs

The phrase “by nature” strips away illusions—no one graduates into sin; we’re born enrolled. Original sin isn’t a stain but an inheritance, a DNA of rebellion passed from Adam. This truth levels distinctions: the philanthropist and the thief share the same cursed root. Yet here, wrath and mercy collide—God’s holiness cannot ignore our state, but His love refuses to abandon us in it. Our pedigree of rebellion makes grace scandalous. [05:08]

And were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. (Ephesians 2:3, ESV)

Reflection: How does recognizing sin’s universality soften your judgments toward others? In what relationships do you need to replace comparison with shared dependence on grace?

Day 3: Flesh’s Desires—Body’s Hunger, Mind’s Arrogance

The flesh isn’t just skin and appetite—it’s the whole person warped by sin. Bodily cravings scream, but intellectual pride whispers more dangerously. A gourmand’s obsession and a philosopher’s hubris both flow from the same polluted spring. Even “noble” pursuits—art, knowledge, reform—become idols when untethered from worship. The mind’s lust to control God through reason mirrors the stomach’s demand to rule through appetite. [12:55]

For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other. (Galatians 5:17, ESV)

Reflection: What “respectable” craving—intellectual, emotional, or creative—has subtly become your master? How might surrendering it expose your need for the Spirit’s counter-desires?

Day 4: Discipline’s Delusion, Lust’s Relentless Grip

Moral reform fails because willpower cannot exorcise what’s woven into our nature. Budgets, diets, and self-help pledges crumble because lusts outflank resolve. Paul unmasks the lie of autonomy—we aren’t captains of our souls but hostages to desires. Political policies and personal resolutions alike founder on sin’s shores. Only a power outside us can break chains we’ve normalized as “personality.” [45:20]

For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind. (Romans 7:22-23, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you substituted self-improvement for surrender? What recurring failure reveals your need for a Deliverer beyond your resolve?

Day 5: Quickened—From Graveyard to Warfield

Salvation isn’t a gentle nudge toward betterment but a D-Day invasion. God’s power doesn’t reform—it resurrects, implanting a foreign life that wages war on death’s dominion. The quickened soul is no improved corpse but a new creation enlisted in liberation. Every lust overcome, every holy longing, testifies to this occupying grace. Our battlefield proves His victory. [47:30]

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3, ESV)

Reflection: What evidence of resurrection life—however small—can you celebrate today? How does this spark of quickening hope compel you to engage the darkness around you?

Sermon Summary

Paul sets Ephesians 2:1-3 in the light of that great prayer, that the saints may know “the exceeding greatness of his power.” The apostle teaches that this power is measured first by the depth out of which God has raised his people, and then by the height to which God has taken them. The doctrine of sin therefore becomes essential, for a shallow view of sin always produces a shallow view of salvation.

Paul first shows men as dead in trespasses and sins, outside the life of God, helpless, and under the dominion of the devil, “the prince of the power of the air.” Paul then traces that condition back to original sin, so that men are “children of disobedience” and “by nature the children of wrath.” Now the apostle presses the matter into daily life, showing how sin manifests itself in actual conduct through the world, the devil, and especially the flesh.

Trespasses and sins describe the whole life of men apart from grace. A trespass is a falling away from the true and upright, a deflection from what man was meant to be. Sins are the outward manifestations of the inward polluted principle called sin. Paul therefore says that men “walked” in these things, that their whole conversation, their whole manner and tenor of life, moved within them.

The flesh, in the wide spiritual sense, means the entire nature of men apart from the renewing grace of Christ. It is not merely the body. It includes the mind, the affections, the will, the whole man in sin. Paul proves this by saying that the lusts of the flesh show themselves both in “the desires of the flesh” and “of the mind.”

The desires of the flesh are not evil because hunger, sleep, pleasure, sex, or attractiveness are evil in themselves. God made these things good. Sin appears when these good things become imperious, when they say, “must have it,” and move from subordination into control. Then the creature is driven by inordinate affection.

The desires of the mind are equally lusts. Jealousy, envy, malice, pride, clever talk, ambition, gossip, restless craving for novelty, argument for victory, reading without meditation, hobbies, art, philosophy, and even learning can become drives that master the soul. Respectability does not remove guilt. The lust may sit in the intellect rather than the body, but it is still opposed to God.

The doctrine of sin exposes the folly of merely telling men to discipline themselves. The lusts are powers, and men are captives. Only “the expulsive power of a new affection,” only the power of God in Christ through the Holy Spirit, can deliver from the control of the flesh.

Key Takeaways

1. Sin possesses the whole man. Paul will not allow sin to be confined to the body or to the outward scandal. Adam’s fall carried down mind, affections, will, and body together, so that the whole nature lies polluted apart from grace. A respectable intellect can be as enslaved as an undisciplined appetite, because both may be governed by the same flesh. [23:28]
2. Respectability can hide deep lust. The lusts of the flesh do not only appear in drunkenness, adultery, or open shame. The desires of the mind appear in pride, envy, cleverness, ambition, gossip, and the craving to be noticed or proved right. The man who has never fallen into public disgrace may still be driven by powers that are just as hostile to God. [32:36]
3. Good gifts become cruel masters. Hunger, sleep, pleasure, beauty, and sex belong to God’s created order and are not evil in themselves. Sin begins to show itself when these gifts cease to serve and begin to command. The phrase “must have it” reveals the moment when a proper appetite has become an imperious will. [25:32]
4. Moral appeals cannot break bondage. Political and social reform fail at the deepest point when they assume that men can simply choose restraint once the facts are explained. Paul’s doctrine of sin says that men are not merely uninformed but driven, captive, and mastered by lusts. A stronger natural instinct may suppress a lesser one for a time, but only divine power can make a man truly free. [45:57]
5. New affection expels old power. The answer to the flesh is not mere self-command, for the self is part of the captivity. Christ delivers by a greater power, what Thomas Chalmers called “the expulsive power of a new affection.” The soul is made safe only by looking unto him, receiving of his fullness, and relying upon the power of his might. [46:42]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:30] - Knowing the Greatness of God’s Power
[02:13] - Measuring the Depth and Height
[03:35] - Dead in Trespasses and Sins
[04:23] - Children of Disobedience and Wrath
[05:54] - The World, the Flesh, and the Devil
[07:26] - Trespasses and Sins Defined
[12:03] - The Universality of Sin
[13:36] - The Meaning of Flesh
[21:03] - Lusts as Strong Cravings
[25:32] - The Desires of the Flesh
[32:36] - The Desires of the Mind
[37:49] - Gossip, Novelty, and Restlessness
[41:54] - Knowledge, Culture, and Respectable Lust
[43:55] - Politics and the Failure of Self-Discipline
[46:42] - The Expulsive Power of a New Affection

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Ephesians 2:1-3
“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” [03:35]

Ephesians 1:19
“and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might” [01:30]

Galatians 5:17
“For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” [17:07]

Observation questions

In Ephesians 2:1-3, what words and phrases describe the condition and way of life of people apart from grace?
According to Ephesians 2:2-3, what three powers or influences shape life in sin: the world, the devil, and the flesh? [05:54]
In Ephesians 2:3, what two categories does Paul use to show how the lusts of the flesh work themselves out in daily life? [12:45]
What are some examples of “the desires of the flesh” and “the desires of the mind” that can take good things and turn them into controlling powers? [25:32]

Interpretation questions

Ephesians 2 begins by calling people “dead in trespasses and sins.” How does that language shape the way salvation should be understood: as a little improvement, or as a mighty act of God? [02:13]
Paul says that people carry out the desires of both the body and the mind. Why is it important to see that sin is not limited to bodily appetites, but also reaches the intellect, affections, and will? [23:28]
Many natural desires are good gifts from God. At what point does a good desire become sinful—what marks the change from proper enjoyment to bondage? [28:47]
If people are “driven,” “captives,” and unable simply to discipline themselves, what does that suggest about the limits of moral advice, self-help, or social reform? [46:20]

Application questions

Which side of Ephesians 2:3 feels more searching right now—the desires of the body or the desires of the mind? Where is there a pattern of “must have it” in life at present? [26:26]
Respectability can hide deep bondage. Are there inward sins—pride, envy, bitterness, the need to be thought clever, the need to win, the craving to be noticed—that are easier to excuse because they do not look scandalous? [34:55]
Are there good gifts—food, rest, pleasure, appearance, learning, hobbies, work, or success—that have started to move from being enjoyed thankfully to becoming too important? What signs would show that they are beginning to rule the heart? [41:43]
In conversation, reading, or online life, where is there a pull toward gossip, novelty, argument, or constant stimulation? What would it look like to slow down and seek truth, prayer, and meditation instead? [37:40]
When facing a repeated sin or strong craving, is there a tendency to rely mainly on willpower? What might it look like instead to seek the greater power of Christ through prayer, faith, and dependence on the Holy Spirit? [46:42]
A deep view of sin leads to a deep gratitude for salvation. How does remembering the depth from which God raises his people enlarge love for Christ and confidence in his power? [02:19]
What is one practical way this week to keep “looking unto him” rather than negotiating with a ruling desire? [48:03]

Sermon Clips

There is only one thing that can deal with a situation like this. It's the thing I mentioned at the beginning. It is the exceeding greatness of his power toward usward that believe. It's what Thomas Chalmers called the expulsive power of a new affection. So if you are thinking simply of this country and its immediate crisis, the direct route to the answer is to be found in this scripture. [00:46:37]

The whole fallacy of mere political thinking is based upon a failure to realize the biblical doctrine of sin. It isn't enough to tell men what's right and what's wrong. They can't help it. They're slaves. They're victims. The lusts, the passions, the desires control them. [00:46:10]

That is man's life without the grace of God in Jesus Christ. It's polluted. It's a life lived in the lusts of the flesh. And the thing that the apostle emphasizes, and which I'm anxious to emphasize, therefore, is this, that this is true of all men without exception. This is universally true of the whole of mankind, not only of certain bad people, but of all people. [00:11:28]

There is the natural men controlled by strong and urgent cravings after that which is opposed to God and his holy laws. But you see, the apostle is so anxious that we should get this clearly, that he doesn't leave it as a general statement. He wants us to see how complete this pollution is. He wants us to see and to realize how it affects the whole men and every part of men. When Adam fell, the whole men fell. [00:23:01]

We must know the depths from which we've been raised if we are to understand this power. And again, I suggest that it's because of the neglect of this doctrine of sin, the biblical doctrine of sin, and a failure to understand it truly, that so many have such a totally inadequate conception of the greatness of this great salvation. [00:02:38]

Now, this is tremendously important. Let me give you further definitions of it. Therefore, flesh in this sense means human nature in a state of sin, or if you like, it means men in sin. That's the flesh. Or let me give you a more comprehensive definition of it. It is the entire nature of men apart from the renewing grace of Christ. [00:17:38]

And it doesn't matter whether the lust is in the mind, the intellect, or whether it's in the animal part. It's the same thing. Exactly. And it's equally opposed to God. And there is this lust, this quest for mere knowledge of knowledge and understanding. It's pervasive. It runs right through the whole of life. There is not a living creature, but is guilty of this lust of the flesh. [00:42:56]

Anything which tends to control and to absorb and govern your attention and your activity. Is a desire of the mind. Anything for which you live apart from God is a desire of the mind. This kind of lust of the mind, if you like. [00:34:01]

Man's life, apart from the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, is just a life of trespasses and sins. That sums it all up. You can sum up the life of the whole world this morning in those two words, trespasses and sins. [00:07:15]

These things are in us. They're there. They're put there by God. But they're meant to be subordinate. They're meant to be kept in order. We are meant to be in control. What's happened to men is that they have become controlling. They've entered into a position of authority, and they're driving us and urging us. We all know all about it, don't we? [00:31:50]

Take ambition. What a driving force ambition is. It's as great a power as is a lust of the body, the animal part of our nature. The lust for wealth, the lust for money, the desire for position, the desire for a given social status, the desire for importance in life, the desire for power, the desire for success. [00:36:38]

Jealousy, envy, malice, pride, hatred, wrath, bitterness. What are they? They are nothing but manifestations of the desires of the mind. Every single one of them. And you see the lust element coming in. Haven't you seen people literally shaking in a rage, trembling in a passion, in anger and wrath? Have you seen malice and jealousy and envy? It'll stop at nothing. [00:34:55]

Any falling away from the true and the right and the upright and the righteous, any outward manifestation of this evil principle that is within us, there you have trespasses and sins, and according to the apostle, that is the life of men apart from the grace of God. [00:09:02]

In other words, you see, we are here in these three verses, in the very midst of the greatest profundities of christian doctrine. And all I say, with an object to enable us to see the greatness not only of the power of God, but of his love and of his grace and of his mercy, that he's ever looked upon such people and ever troubled about us at all. [00:06:38]

That's the main trouble with all of us who are christians, that we don't realize those three things, and especially perhaps this third one. So the apostle is helping us to come to such an understanding, and he says, what we need to do is to measure this great power. [00:02:00]

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