Apollo Stuckey
Hey there! It’s been a minute, and I hope you’ll forgive the little break I took to spend time with family over the holidays. Things got a bit hectic when we rolled into December, but I’m back, and I’m so glad you’re here. Let’s dive into something that’s been on my heart lately.
I want to be upfront: this journey through the Bible is as new for me as it may be for some of you. I’m just documenting my reflections and learnings here on the blog, so we’re learning and growing together. My prayer is that through this process, you’ll develop your own deeper connection with God, not just take my word for it. So, with that said, let’s explore Ephesians 2 together.
Saved by Grace
Right from the start, Ephesians 2 reminds us of the transformative power of God’s grace. In verse 1, Paul writes, “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.” That word quickened stood out to me, so I looked it up. It means to bring to life, to stir up, or awaken. Honestly, that made me excited just reading it. We were spiritually dead, but through Jesus, God stirred us to life.
Paul doesn’t sugarcoat things—before Christ, we were following the “prince of the power of the air” (verse 2). That’s a reference to Satan, who operates in the unseen realm and manipulates the desires of the flesh. Also, I want to say this really speaks to not only his limited power but his power in comparison to God and for that, that gave me comfort. It’s a reality check to think about how easily we’re misled when we live outside God’s will, and makes me think about how more aware we need to be of how we move on this earth.
But here’s the good news: through Christ, we’ve been raised up TOGETHER (verse 6). We’ve been given a place in heavenly realms, not because of anything we’ve done but purely because of God’s grace. Verse 8 makes this real clear to us: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”
Living in Grace
During a recent Bible study with friends, we talked about how grace isn’t a free pass to live however we want. Instead, it inspires us to live in reverence to God, just like we respect loving parents. It’s not about earning salvation—it’s about showing gratitude and love for the gift we’ve already been given.
Unity in Christ
The second half of the chapter dives into the unity that Christ brings. Paul talks about Gentiles being “uncircumcised” and Jews being “circumcised,” which can feel a bit confusing. In simple terms, circumcision was a physical sign of the Jewish covenant with God, separating them from Gentiles. But through Jesus, those divisions no longer matter. His sacrifice brings us all together into one family under God.
Verse 14 says it like this: “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us.” Christ didn’t just save us—He united us. Which is a prophecy fulfilled from Isaiah 49:6, where God speaks of bringing salvation to the Gentiles.
Takeaways
This chapter left me with a deep appreciation for God’s grace. It’s a powerful reminder of His unconditional love—not based on what we do, but rooted in who He is. Through Jesus’s sacrifice, we’re brought into a relationship with God and united as one body of believers.
That said, we must not take God’s grace for granted. Just because it’s freely given doesn’t mean we should abuse it. Out of love and reverence for Him, we’re called to honor His laws and commandments. Paul addresses this in Romans 6:1-2, where he asks:“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid.”
This rhetorical question hits hard. God’s grace isn’t an excuse to keep sinning—it’s a call to live in obedience out of gratitude and love. And the warning in Hebrews 10:26 is sobering: “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.”
That’s a terrifying place to be. For me, it’s like my relationship with my parents. Because I love and respect them, I do my best to follow their rules. But I’ve also faced serious consequences when I knowingly disobeyed them. Even worse than the punishment, though, is the disappointment I could see in their face and feel it in their hearts. Even know it brings my heart to tears. That feeling stays with me, and I think it’s a small reflection of how we should feel when we disobey God—our loving Father who has done everything to bring us into a relationship with Him.
Let’s strive to honor God not out of fear of punishment, but out of love and reverence for who He is and all He’s done for us.
One lingering question I had was, “Why weren’t we united from the start?” The answer, I think, lies in God’s promise to Abraham ’s lineage—Jesus was always meant to come through that line to fulfill His plan for salvation. The promise to Abraham that his family would bless all families of the Earth and it has. But the beauty is, His plan has always been for all of us, Jew and Gentile alike.
What about you? What stood out to you from Ephesians 2? I’d love to hear your thoughts or what God revealed to you in your own study. Let’s keep growing together!
I Like that Word you pointed out "Quickened" (to bring to Life, to increase of life, to come to life) this speaks greatly when I think about how the word of God literally illuminates when you come in to the acceptance of Christ and continue to be fed by the Word. He is the Word he is Life; we have a different outlook on life, people, and ourselves when we come in to the knowledge of who he is and allow his spirit to move in and through us. I fell like when I’m in his word consistently I feel more alive. When I slack and when I can truly feel a draining of my spirit.
John14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Being aware is vital I definitely agree with this.. We come into this world at a disadvantage and get caught up in the worldly things we forget who we are, whose we are, and why we are here. That’s why a lot of fail and a lot of us get set back because we don’t seek the one who created us instead we rather depend people who seem to have answers and on the things we can see instead of having the Faith in the things we cannot see understanding this is a spiritual battle and how to really walk in that spiritual authority of which we have more power than we can understand.
Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
"Grace isn’t a free pass to live how we want” that there is powerful when we think about how we have to unlearn what we have been taught because it’s incorrect. It’s easy to live how we want because we think it’s the right way to just go with the flow of things. Our lives must represent that of Christ. This is why it’s so important to seek him and his ways, laws, statues and decrees so we are always aligned in all our ways that we represent him to its fullness.
Isaiah 55:8
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
Psalm19:8
The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
Psalm 119:112
I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes alway, even unto the end.
Overall for me the fact that Jesus was the ultimate repairer of the breach for mankind, for those who were afar off and those who were nigh we have been redeemed and have the same access by his spirit to the Father. I say this often that we don’t have to depend on one particular person, pastor, bishop, minister, etc to go to the father for us we each Individually have the same access. The question is to the people is do you believe it? It’s a lot of tearing down this flesh to access in the spirit to see, fasting correctly and praying is so important and not easy when you’re comfortable, it will cause you to become uncomfortable the flesh will act up but the results are amazing when you follow through. Thank you for sharing this was great read. 😊