Featured Which is worse?

Ephesians 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

God makes us Spiritually alive when we were dead, how were we dead? Not Physically, we were dead Spiritually we were natural human beings who understood not spiritual things. We were dead in our tresapasses and sins that can from our nature to sin.

2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

We were dead and walked in the ways prince of the power of the air (satan), no matter how good you were theat good had no intrinsic value. We were in disobedience to God.

3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Living in the lust of the flesh fulfilling our fleshly desiresx and were by nature (sin nature) the children of wrath just as every human being is. Jesus was the only exception to being born in sin and with a sin nature.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

God loved us He loved all mankind.

5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved

Yes He loved us when we were dead (Spiritually) dead in sins. Yet He quickned Us together with Christ by His Grace.

6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

He has raised us up together from Spiritual death in Heavenly places with Christ Jesus.

7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

He is shewing His Grace to us. And why?

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Because we placed our Faith in Jesus Christ, by Grace we are saved THROUGH Faith, not that we are regenerated and then Faith comes, but are Saved by Grace because of our having placed our Faith in Jesus Christ. Not by doing good or anything we did other than placing Faith in Christ.

Paul in Romans 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

Abraham believed God, what did He believe that a savior would come, Abraham's salvation came through his Faith.

13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

The seed Jesus would come through Abraham because of Abraham's Faith.

Paul in Colossians 1:4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints

First came Faith, then came:

8 Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.

The Christian Love.

Then Paul said"
9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

He prayed that they would gain knowledge, Spiritual knowledge came after Faith not before. Time upon time scripture says Faith came before Spiritual knowledge, then the command 2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen
We are to grow that is a command, we cannot grow in Spiritual knoledge untill we have been regenerated (made Spiritually alive) and that at Salvation.

Titus 3:4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.

Verse 7 we are justified by his Grace, we are saved by Grace through faith, our faith in Jesus Christ is the key to it all, but no one haqs spiritual understanding until they call upon the name ofthe Lord for salvation. An unbeliever looks at the believer and thinks us foolish to believe, they don't unfderstand how we can believe that religious stuff, until the Holy Spirit convicts them and draws tehm to salvation but they feel His conviction and must make a choice, when on chooses positively then they are quickened Spiritually, regenerated and understand spiritual things.

 

You are right when you say that we were spiritually dead in sins when God regenerated us to a spiritual life, but then you say that faith came to us before we were regenerated (still spiritually dead). How can the natural man have faith when he is spiritually dead, according to 1 Cor 2:14? Faith is a fruit of the Spirit, Gal 5, without the Spirit man cannot have spiritual faith. God puts his Spirit within us when we are regenerated.

 

The natural unregenerate man cannot understand the things (spiritual truthes) of the Spirit of God they are foolishness to him. A young child doesn't understand fire is hot but once burned they know not to touch it again, just by common sense. When one is saved they don't understand the process, they don't understand that Christ blood was an atonement, or that God looks upon those who have received Christ and sees His righteousness covering them. What do they understand at the point of salvation, that they are a sinner in need of Salvation and they place their Faith in the One who died on the cross to save them. They don't understand the process they just realize they are sinners and need salvation. They can then grow and understand the Spiritual things, first the milk then the meat of the word. That is 1 Corinthains 2:14 they have no understanding of salvation or the doctrines of God words it is all foolishness to them. They don't learn the Spiritual things until they become spiritually alive at salvation.

1 Corinthians 2: 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.

Why do we have the mind of Christ as verse 16 says? Because the Holy Spirit indwells us and teaches us, He doesn't indwell us before salvation that comes at the point of placing our faith in Christ, it occurs at the point of faith as does regeneration. Salvation comes to all who call upon the Lord in Faith and not one of them knows how the process works they just have the conviction of the Holy Spirit and react in Faith.