The Clash of Two Worlds: Ephesians, Romans 8, and the War of Two Realities

by Jeff Rowland

Christians live with a constant pull between what we can see and what we can’t. One world is physical, measurable, and loud. The other is spiritual, often quiet, and easy to ignore until conflict forces it into view. Scripture does not treat that unseen world as symbolic. It treats it as real.

This teaching connects Romans 8 with the book of Ephesians to show how the Holy Spirit shapes your walk, your mindset, and your ability to stand in spiritual warfare. Romans 8 opens with a strong conclusion, “no condemnation,” and Ephesians explains the spiritual position behind that reality, including what happens in “the heavenly places.”

The setting for this study was a Wednesday night series at the Grace Place, with follow-up teaching planned for Friday night meetings. The goal is simple: hear what God says, believe what God says, and learn to live from that place.

Why Romans 8 and Ephesians belong together

Romans 8 and Ephesians read like companion texts. Romans 8 puts the Holy Spirit front and center in a way that the earlier chapters don’t. The Holy Spirit is mentioned about 19 times in Romans 8, while the chapters leading up to it mention Him only a few times. That shift matters because Romans 8 is not only about doctrine, it’s about lived reality.

Romans 8 begins with a verdict:

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1)

“No condemnation” is not only a comforting thought. It is a spiritual position. It changes how a believer relates to God, to self, and to accusation. It also touches the emotions, because condemnation often shows up as heaviness, fear, shame, or endless self-correction. Romans 8 starts by shutting the door on that voice and turning the believer toward the Spirit-led life.

Ephesians then brings language to what that position means. If Romans 8 declares life in the Spirit, Ephesians explains where that life is seated and how it functions in spiritual conflict. Ephesians is not just a book about “warfare.” It is also about the equipping of the saints, the reality of other spiritual beings around us, and the place believers occupy in Christ.

That combination matters because a believer can accept the idea of “no condemnation” and still live as if accusation has the final word. Ephesians answers that problem by showing what God has spoken over those who are in Christ, and where that speech is anchored.

The heavenly places, the battleground Ephesians keeps naming

Ephesians repeats a phrase that acts like a map legend: heavenly places (sometimes translated “the heavenlies”). This is not poetic filler. It’s a repeated marker that tells you where key realities are taking place. Ephesians describes a constant clash between two realities, the physical and the spiritual, and it refuses to treat the spiritual as less real.

Five anchor passages that frame the theme

Ephesians 1:3, blessings are located “in Christ”

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3)

This is where Ephesians begins: God has already blessed His people, and the location of those blessings is “in Christ,” in heavenly places.

Ephesians 1:20, Christ is seated there

“Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 1:20)

Christ’s authority is not theoretical. He is raised and seated in that realm.

Ephesians 2:6, believers are seated there too

“And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:6)

This verse forces a decision. Either believers accept Scripture’s claim of shared seating with Christ, or they keep living as if only earth-level pressure is real.

Ephesians 3:10, the church speaks to powers

“To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.” (Ephesians 3:10)

The church is not only taught in private, it is also observed. God intends His wisdom to be made known through the church to principalities and powers.

Ephesians 6:12, the conflict isn’t with people

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12)

Ephesians names the real opponents. People may be involved, but people are not the enemy. The war is spiritual, and it touches real life.

This framework changes how a believer interprets struggle. Some battles are not solved by stronger willpower or better circumstances. Ephesians points the reader to the heavenly places, because the conflict and the supply are both described there.

For a related study on the church of Ephesus and the call to spiritual discernment, see Ephesus’s message in Revelation 2:2 and its relevance today.

Ephesians 1:3 and the “language” God speaks over believers

Ephesians 1 does more than list doctrines. It portrays God as speaking. The focus is not self-talk, it’s God’s talk. The teaching emphasized that Ephesians 1:3 uses “blessed” language in a way that highlights speech and praise.

Three uses of “blessed” in one verse

Ephesians 1:3 uses the idea of blessing three times. The point is not repetition for style, it’s emphasis for understanding.

1. “Blessed be the God…” This “blessed” carries the sense of “praiseworthy” or “adorable,” a word connected to a speech-root (the idea behind a eulogy). It points toward worship expressed through words.

2. “Who hath blessed us…” This form is connected to speaking well of someone. The emphasis is that God is not silent about His people.

3. “With all spiritual blessings…” The teaching tied this to the idea of “fine speaking” or “elegant speech.” In other words, the blessings are not just items on a list, they are part of what God has spoken and is speaking.

This is why Ephesians 1 has been praised for its language and structure, even by readers who are not committed to Christian faith. Yet for the believer, its beauty is not only literary. It is personal. Ephesians 1 shows what God is saying about those who are “in Christ.”

This also explains why spiritual position matters. A person must be “in Christ” to receive what is spoken “in Christ.” And walking in the Spirit tunes the believer’s heart to hear and agree with what God has already declared. When that agreement becomes steady, the believer starts to speak the same “language,” aligning confession with Scripture instead of accusation.

The spoken blessings God declares “in Christ”

Ephesians 1 does not flatter believers. It declares what God has done and what He calls true. These are not self-help labels. They are spoken blessings grounded in Christ’s work, and they shape how a believer stands in spiritual conflict.

Ephesians 1 names a cluster of realities. The teaching summarized them as: chosen, holy, without blame, predestinated, adopted, accepted, redeemed, and forgiven. Each one pushes back against condemnation in a specific way.

Chosen, God breaks His silence with a call

“Chosen” carries the idea of God’s selection being made known. The teaching tied this to the idea that God has broken silence about His choice, and that His choice is expressed through His speech and call.

Related passages were referenced to support this theme of divine choice and calling: Deuteronomy 7:6-7, Romans 9:23-24, 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14, and 1 Peter 2:9. The aim was not argument for its own sake, but clarity. God has spoken about His people, and that speech matters in the heavenly places.

When a believer hears “I chose you,” it confronts rejection at the root. It also challenges the idea that faith is built on human initiative alone. God speaks first.

Holy and without blame, seen as clean in God’s sight

Ephesians says believers are holy and without blame before Him in love. “Holy” was explained as sacred, clean, pure, and set apart. “Without blame” was linked to being faultless, without spot or blemish.

Two references were given to reinforce the idea that believers are seen through God’s prior intention: 2 Timothy 1:9 and Colossians 3:12. The teaching stressed a striking point: believers are now seen as they were in the heart of the Father before they were created. That does not erase growth or maturity, but it does locate identity in God’s purpose, not in past failure.

This perspective also connects to hope. The reason there will be a future glorified “us” is tied to God’s eternal view. God is not trapped in time. What He starts, He finishes.

Additional supporting passages were noted for this blameless calling: Ephesians 5:27 and Philippians 2:15.

Predestinated, a declared destiny that ends in glorification

“Predestinated” was explained as God’s decree set beforehand. The teaching insisted that foreknowledge comes first, because Romans 8:29-30 lays out an order:

foreknew, predestined, called, justified, glorified

And Romans 8 also states what predestination is aimed at: being conformed to the image of God’s Son. The end point is not confusion or fatalism, it is Christlikeness completed in glorification.

Ephesians 1:11 was referenced as a supporting text for this theme of purpose and decree. Predestination, in this framing, is not a weapon for debate. It is an anchor for endurance. God’s plan is moving toward a finished end.

Adopted, moving from minority to maturity

The teaching made a careful distinction: believers are born again into the family of God, and then adoption describes something additional. Adoption was explained through a Jewish cultural picture: a ceremony that moved a child from minority status into recognized adulthood. It was described as removing the code of minority and placing the code of majority.

That meaning shifts adoption away from insecurity. It points toward spiritual maturity, responsibility, and full standing. Romans 8:15 and John 1:12 were referenced in connection with this new family reality and the Spirit’s witness.

Adoption, in this sense, speaks to believers who feel spiritually stuck as “less than.” God is not only saving, He is bringing His people into mature standing.

Accepted, made graceful and favored

“Accepted” was defined as being made graceful, agreeable, and favored. It was also described as being honored with blessings. The teaching connected this acceptance to the Father’s attitude toward the Son, and by extension, to those who are in the Son.

Several supporting references were named: Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5, John 3:35, John 10:17, and Colossians 1:13. The point was simple: acceptance is not earned by performance. It is received in the Beloved.

This speaks directly against the drivenness many people carry, always trying to prove worth. God’s language says, “You are accepted.”

Redeemed and forgiven, the blood-paid freedom from sin

Redemption and forgiveness were treated as the means by which these blessings are applied. Redemption was defined as a paid ransom, a paid price for deliverance. The teaching connected this deliverance to bondage, separation from God, and the cost required to bring a sinner home.

Supporting references included Exodus 6:6, Matthew 20:28, Hebrews 9:15, and 1 Peter 1:18-19, pointing to redemption through Christ’s blood.

Forgiveness was tied to the blood as well, with references including Matthew 26:28, Acts 20:28, Romans 3:25, Romans 5:9, Revelation 5:9, Titus 2:14, and Colossians 1:14. The teaching stressed that the New Testament connects the blood with expiation of guilt, ransom, and covenant. That message may be unpopular in some circles, but it remains biblical.

Redemption and forgiveness shut down condemnation at the legal level. Accusation loses its claim when the ransom is paid.

Why hearing God’s language equips you for spiritual warfare

Ephesians is not only explaining identity. It is preparing the believer for conflict in the heavenly places. If the war is real, then the believer’s strength cannot be based on mood or circumstance. It has to be based on what God has spoken.

When a believer stays tuned to condemnation, warfare becomes exhausting. The fight turns inward, and the enemy’s accusations start to sound like the believer’s own thoughts. Ephesians answers that by filling the mind with God’s declared truth: chosen, holy, blameless, predestinated, adopted, accepted, redeemed, forgiven.

This is also where Romans 8 and Ephesians lock together again. Walking “after the Spirit” is not vague. It is a Spirit-led agreement with the Father’s words, and a refusal to live as though the flesh and the visible world are the highest authority.

Spiritual warfare is not fought against people. Ephesians 6:12 names the arena and the opponents. That means the believer must fight from a place of spiritual blessing, not to earn blessing. The war does not create identity. Identity equips the believer to stand through the war.

Conclusion

The clash of two worlds is not imaginary, it’s part of daily Christian life. Romans 8 announces “no condemnation” for those who walk after the Spirit, and Ephesians explains the heavenly position and the spoken blessings that make that walk possible. When God’s language becomes the loudest voice in your life, accusation loses ground. Stand where you’ve been seated, and keep your heart anchored in all spiritual blessings in Christ.