What was our condition before God's mercy?
Before God's mercy, we were children of disobedience, following the prince of the power of the air and living in the desires of the flesh and mind. By nature we were children of wrath, disobedient, enemies of God, sinners, ungodly, dead in sins, and filthy before Him.
Les explains that this passage describes the believer’s past condition: they once walked according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit working in the children of disobedience. All had their manner of living in times past in the desires of the flesh and mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as others. He stresses that this is where we came from—disobedient, enemies of God, sinners, ungodly, dead in sins, and filthy before Him. Then verse 4 introduces the contrast “But God,” who is rich in mercy because of His great love; He loved us and quickened us, made us alive together with Christ, which pictures His resurrection.