Why the ‘Little Words’ in Ephesians 2 Make a Big Difference

Just as the simple things in life matter, so do little words. And often, the little words in the Bible are the ones we need to notice most.

“Ephesians 2 actually has a whole bunch of those little words in it that we need to pay attention to,” says pastor and mentor Ruth Hendrickson on the Real Truth With Ruth podcast on the Charisma Podcast Network. “… I really want to encourage you that next time you open the Word of God, really pay attention to some of these little words.”

The first word Hendrickson points out is the word “all” in verse three of Ephesians 2, “among them we all also once lived in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and we were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.” “All of us used to live that way,” she says. “Now, what does the word ‘all’ mean? It means every single one of us. That means we can’t escape.

“And one of the things that that word ‘all’ does is it puts us on a level playing field. So all of us used to live that way,” Hendrickson continues. “What way? Following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature.

“So it’s really important to see that word ‘all,’ because as I already mentioned, it puts us on an even playing field,” Hendrickson says. “But the other thing I want to say is not only do some of us struggle—we can struggle with pride, and we can feel that we’re better than anyone else. We’ve been walking with the Lord for years, or we do good moral deeds, whatever. But the truth is, all of us have lived that way.

“And the other thing is, we have people who feel like they’ve done something so horrible that they can never measure up—that God can never forgive them,” she adds. “And so that even playing field is also very important because it says, ‘Wait a minute, we’ve all been there.’

“Our stories might look a little different. But truth be told, every single one of us used to live that way,” Hendrickson says. “And so [the word ‘all’] gives hope. It gives destiny. It gives purpose. It says that what I have walked through doesn’t have to define me and it doesn’t have to label me. Because all of us used to live that way.”

For more biblical teaching on the small words in Ephesians 2, listen to this podcast. {eoa}