EPHESIANS CHAPTER 4 EPHESIANS 4:1 Paul exhorteth to those virtues which become the Christian calling, particularly to unity, EPHESIANS 4:7 declaring that Christ gave his gifts differently, that his body the church might be built up and perfected in the true faith by the co-operation of the several m... [ Continue Reading ]
WITH ALL LOWLINESS, or humility; submissiveness of mind, whereby we esteem others better than ourselves, PHILIPPIANS 2:3. A virtue peculiar to Christians, unknown to philosophers: see ACTS 20:19 COLOSSIANS 3:12,13. AND MEEKNESS; whereby we are not easily provoked, or offended with the infirmities of... [ Continue Reading ]
THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT; either unity of mind, or spiritual unity, as being wrought by the Spirit, and then he means that unity he spoke of, EPHESIANS 2:14, and EPHESIANS 3:6, whereby is intended the mystical body of Christ. IN THE BOND OF PEACE; i.e. in peace as the bond which keeps the members or... [ Continue Reading ]
THERE IS ONE BODY; i.e. the church of Christ, EPHESIANS 1:23: see COLOSSIANS 3:15. AND ONE SPIRIT; the self-same Spirit of Christ in that body by which all the members live and act, 1 CORINTHIANS 12:11,13. EVEN AS YE ARE CALLED IN ONE HOPE OF YOUR CALLING; one inheritance in heaven, to the hope of w... [ Continue Reading ]
ONE LORD; Christ, viz. as Redeemer, Head, and Husband of the church, to whom, by God's appointment, she is immediately subject, 1 CORINTHIANS 8:6 1 THESSALONIANS 13:13 ACTS 2:36. ONE FAITH; i.e. one object of the faith of all believers, viz. the doctrine of salvation, which is but one. ONE BAPTISM;... [ Continue Reading ]
ONE GOD; God is here taken personally for the Father, the other two Persons being before mentioned, EPHESIANS 4:4,5. AND FATHER OF ALL; of all believers. WHO IS ABOVE ALL; not only in the excellencies of his nature, but especially in his sovereign dominion over the church. AND THROUGH ALL; by his sp... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT UNTO EVERY ONE OF US IS GIVEN GRACE; either by _grace_ he means gifts which are not common to all believers, but proper to some, according to their various functions and places in the church, ROMANS 12:6 1 CORINTHIANS 12:11. Or rather, more generally, it comprehends also those graces which are c... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEREFORE HE SAITH; the psalmist. WHEN HE; Christ, God manifested in the flesh: and then what was spoken by the psalmist prophetically in the second person, is spoken by the apostle historically in the third. ASCENDED UP ON HIGH; Christ ascended up on high after his death, both as to place, in his h... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW THAT HE ASCENDED, WHAT IS IT BUT THAT HE ALSO DESCENDED FIRST? The apostle interprets the psalmist, and concludes that David, when he foretold Christ's glorification, or ascending up to heaven, did likewise foresee his humiliation and descent to the earth: q.d. When David speaks of God in the fl... [ Continue Reading ]
HE THAT DESCENDED IS THE SAME ALSO THAT ASCENDED: he saith not, he that ascended is the same that descended, lest it should not be thought that Christ brought his body with him from heaven; but, on the contrary, _he that descended is the same that ascended, _ to show that the Son of God did not by h... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE GAVE; distributed several gifts, (which are spoken of in general, EPHESIANS 1:7), according to his Father's appointment, who is said to set in the church what Christ is here said to give, 1 CORINTHIANS 12:28. OBJECTION. Nothing is here said of gifts, but only of offices. ANSWER. Christ never... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THE PERFECTING OF THE SAINTS; either for the restoring and bringing them into right order, who had been, as it were, dissipated, and disjointed by sin: or rather the knitting together and compacting them more and more, both in nearer union to Christ their Head by faith, and to their fellow membe... [ Continue Reading ]
TILL WE ALL COME, or meet; all we believers, both Jews and Gentiles, (who while in the world not only are dispersed in several places, but have our several degrees of light and knowledge), meet, or come together, in the unity of, &c. IN THE UNITY OF THE FAITH; either that perfect unity whereof faith... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT WE HENCEFORTH BE NO MORE CHILDREN; i.e. weak in the faith, unstable in judgment, _children in understanding,_ 1 CORINTHIANS 14:20; such as need teaching, and strengthening: see ROMANS 2:20 1 CORINTHIANS 3:1 HEBREWS 5:13. TOSSED TO AND FRO; light and unconstant, like ships without ballast, tosse... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE; or, following the truth in love: q.d. Not only let us not be seduced by the craftiness of men, but constantly adhere to, and persevere in, the belief of the truth, joining love with it, in which two the sum of Christianity consists; and this will be a means of our gro... [ Continue Reading ]
FROM WHOM; Christ the Head, EPHESIANS 4:15. THE WHOLE BODY; the mystical body, or church of believers, whereof every true saint is a member, ROMANS 12:4,5. FITLY JOINED TOGETHER; viz. in the right place and order, both in respect of Christ the Head, and of the members respectively. Some are eyes, so... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS I SAY THEREFORE, AND TESTIFY IN THE LORD; I beseech or adjure you by the Lord: see the like, ROMANS 12:1 PHILIPPIANS 2:1. THAT YE HENCEFORTH WALK NOT AS OTHER GENTILES WALK, IN THE VANITY OF THEIR MIND; their minds themselves, and understandings, the highest and noblest faculties in them, being... [ Continue Reading ]
HAVING THE UNDERSTANDING; the mind as reasoning and discoursing, and so their ratiocinations and discourses themselves. DARKENED; as to spiritual things. BEING ALIENATED FROM THE LIFE OF GOD; not only strangers to it, (for so are those creatures which are not capable of it), but estranged from it; i... [ Continue Reading ]
WHO BEING PAST FEELING; having lost all sense and conscience of sin: a higher degree or effect of the hardness before mentioned, 1 TIMOTHY 4:2. HAVE GIVEN THEMSELVES OVER UNTO LASCIVIOUSNESS; voluntarily yielded themselves up to the power of their own sensuality and lasciviousness, so as to be comma... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT YE HAVE NOT SO LEARNED; so as to walk as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of your minds, &c. CHRIST; the doctrine of Christ, or rule of life prescribed by him.... [ Continue Reading ]
IF SO BE THAT YE HAVE HEARD HIM; either heard Christ speaking to you in the gospel, HEBREWS 12:25, and then the sense will be the same as in the following clause; or heard him preached to you, and then it may refer to the outward hearing of the word. AND HAVE BEEN TAUGHT BY HIM; or taught _in_ him;... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT YE PUT OFF; a usual metaphor, taken from garments (implying a total abandoning, and casting away, like a garment not to be put on again): it is oppesed to putting on, EPHESIANS 4:24, and is the same as mortifying, COLOSSIANS 3:5, crucifying, GALATIANS 6:14. CONCERNING THE FORMER CONVERSATION; t... [ Continue Reading ]
AND BE RENEWED; viz. more and more, being already renewed in part. IN THE SPIRIT OF YOUR MIND; i.e. in your mind which is a spirit: see 1 THESSALONIANS 5:23 2 TIMOTHY 4:22. He means the superior powers of the soul, where regeneration begins, and which the philosophers magnified so much, and thought... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THAT YE PUT ON; the same metaphor of a garment as before, to show the intimateness of the new man with us, and its being an ornament to us. THE NEW MAN; i.e. a new disposition or constitution of the whole man, called the _new creature,_ 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17, and a _divine nature,_ 2 PETER 1:4. WHI... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEREFORE PUTTING AWAY LYING; all fraudulency and dissimulation, and whatever is contrary to truth. SPEAK EVERY MAN TRUTH; not only speak as things are, but act sincerely and candidly. FOR WE ARE MEMBERS ONE OF ANOTHER; i.e. to or for one another, and therefore must be helpful to each other.... [ Continue Reading ]
BE YE ANGRY AND SIN NOT: by way of concession, rather than by way of command: q.d. If the case be such that ye must be angry, yet see it be without sin. LET NOT THE SUN GO DOWN UPON YOUR WRATH; if your anger is excessive, (for so this word signifies, being different from the former), yet let it not... [ Continue Reading ]
Do not give advantage to the devil to possess your hearts, and put you upon more and greater evils: see LUKE 22:3 1 THESSALONIANS 13:27 ACTS 5:3.... [ Continue Reading ]
LET HIM THAT STOLE STEAL NO MORE; stealing is understood largely for seeking our own gain by any way, defrauding others, whether by taking away, or unjustly detaining what is theirs. BUT RATHER LET HIM LABOUR; i.e. diligently and industriously, as the word imports. Idleness is condemned as tending t... [ Continue Reading ]
LET NO CORRUPT COMMUNICATION; unprofitable, unsavoury, not seasoned with the salt of prudence, COLOSSIANS 4:6: see MARK 9:50. TO THE USE OF EDIFYING; Gr. to the edification of use, by an hypallage, for, _to the use of edifying, _ as our translators render it, implying, that the great use of speech i... [ Continue Reading ]
AND GRIEVE NOT THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD; viz. by corrupt communication. The Spirit is said to be grieved when any thing is done by us, which, were he capable of such passions, might be matter of grief to him; or when we so offend him as to make him withdraw his comfortable presence from us: see ISAIAH... [ Continue Reading ]
LET ALL BITTERNESS, AND WRATH, AND ANGER; these all seem to relate to the inward affection, as the two following to the effects of it in the words. BITTERNESS may imply a secret lurking displeasure at another, or rather a confirmed and permanent one; WRATH, the first boiling up of the passion, which... [ Continue Reading ]
AND BE YE KIND; sweet, amiable, facile in words and conversation, LUKE 6:35. TENDER-HEARTED; merciful, quickly moved to compassion: so we have _bowels of mercies,_ COLOSSIANS 3:12. FORGIVING ONE ANOTHER, EVEN AS GOD FOR CHRIST'S SAKE HATH FORGIVEN YOU; be placable, and ready to forgive, therein rese... [ Continue Reading ]