Why is Satan given the title of prince in Ephesians 2:2?
Satan is called a prince because he is a ruler in charge of a specific domain. Prince is a title of leadership. The word is also used to mean ruler, commander, captain or chief, king, lord. He is ultimately not king, but he is a prince in that God has allowed him to rule over demons, and to influence those who are not saved. The word “prince” is used to refer to Satan who is the prince of demons (Matt. 9:34; 12:24-26 and Luke 11:15-18) and ruler of this world, whose power has been broken by Christ (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11).
Why doesn’t God save us all? Are there only a few chosen for him?
There is no easy answer to this question. God desires for all men to be saved and has in fact made it possible for all men to be saved (Titus 2:11). Why he does not skip all that and just do it all himself is something we will not know for certain this side of heaven. However we do know from scripture that God’s plan included the sending of his son to demonstrate his love for all men. In other words, Christ died for all. God has chosen those who will have eternal life but it is hard to say whether this number is a few or many. Revelation seems to suggest that there will be multitudes who will enjoy eternal life.
Explain “faith without works is dead” as it relates to having a seat and letting God do the work.
When James 2:17 states “Faith without works is dead”, it is referring to evidence of a person’s salvation. That passage is telling us that a faith that doesn’t produce good deeds or good works is not a saving faith. The faith that is strong enough to save a person will always produce fruit or evidence.
However, that passage does not explicitly tell us how those works are accomplished or whose works are being accomplished and that’s where Ephesians 2:1-10 comes in. In this passage, both of those questions are answered. How do we produce good works? Being seated in Christ and allowing the power of God to work through us is the only way we are able to accomplish these good works. Whose good works are we producing? Verse 10 tells us that we are accomplishing God’s good works. We are achieving the plan God has for us – not our own agenda.
So both statements are true. Faith without works is dead. Likewise, we are to accomplish the works God has planned for us by being seated in Christ.
How can we act in Christ (not the enemy) on our job when others control what we must do to keep our jobs and provide for our families?
As Christians we have a responsibility to love our neighbors in the same way that we vigorously love ourselves (Matthew 22:37). That may take on a number of different forms. So no matter how much someone controls what you do on your job, it may be helpful to keep in mind that they do not control your ability to love them back. Additionally, Galatians 5:22-23 tells us “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control…” The truth is, the less control we have over a situation the more opportunities we have to demonstrate these characteristics. So remember that, regardless of the situation, we can always show more patience, joy, kindness, peace, etc. and we know that demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit is evidence of our place in Christ.