Ephesians 2:3

The Text: Among whom ye also all once lived in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath even as the rest.

The Meaning Given To It: Due to the influence of the teachings of John Calvin many believe that man "by nature" is sinful. That is, he is born into this world a sinner having inherited the "sinful nature" of his ancestors who got their sin from Adam. This is the "T" in "TULIP" (Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, and Perseverance of the saints.) The Confession Of Faith Of The Presbyterian Church says, "They being the root of all mankind, the guilt of this sin was imputed, and the same death in sin and corrupted nature conveyed to all their posterity, descending from them by ordinary generation. From this original corruption, whereby we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil, do proceed all actual transgressions", pp. 42-43.

The Context is a contrast between what the Ephesians had been, vss. 1-3, and what they were now, vss. 4-10 and what was responsible for those respective conditions.

Since the misuse of this verse is a consequence of believing that people are born sinners, let us briefly outline our objection to this position.

It is a contradiction of such Old Testament statements as But everyone will die for his own iniquity; each man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be set on edge, Jeremiah 31:30; Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die. Ezek 18:4; The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son's iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself. Ezek 18:20.

Similarly, in the New Testament, the "inherited sinful nature" position contradicts James' definition of sin which assigns responsibility for that condition to those who can be tempted, Jas. 1:13-15; John's affirmation that sin is a violation of law, 1 Jo. 3:4; and Paul's very clear statements in our context that sin was a consequence of a certain "walk", Eph. 2:2; and because the Ephesians did what they wanted to do, Eph. 2:3; and Paul's warning that all are personally accountable for their actions, Rom. 14:12. Clearly, these verses place the responsibility for sin upon the individual who sins, not upon someone else or some prior condition over which the person had no control. In other words, sinners are those with the maturity and ability to act in violation of what they've come to know is wrong and who can be held responsible for such attitudes and conduct.

The Meaning: Since the question concerns whether or not this "nature" is inherited (like blue eyes) or acquired (like a bad habit), let's take a brief look at the possible ways to define "nature" as found in Thayer's Lexicon, pp. 660-661:

a) the nature of things, the force, laws, order of nature

1) as opposed to what is monstrous, abnormal, perverse

2) as opposed what has been produced by the art of man: the natural branches, that is, branches by the operation of nature

b) birth, physical origin

c) a mode of feeling and acting which by long habit has become nature

d) the sum of innate properties and powers by which one person differs from others, distinctive native peculiarities, natural characteristics: the natural strength, ferocity, and intractability of beasts

The context demands, then, that we classify this verse as Thayer does under "c". The manner of life of the Ephesians had "by long habit become nature" to them because they had "once lived in the lusts of (their) flesh, doing the desire of the flesh and of the mind", vs. 3. They had "walked according to the course of this world" and consequently had acquired a "nature" or manner of life that fit them for the wrath of God. They were sinners because they, not someone else, sinned and the same is true of all who are sinners today.

David Smitherman