And he hath quickened you — In Ephesians 1:19, St. Paul spoke of God's working in them by the same almighty power whereby he raised Christ from the dead. On the mention of this he, in the fulness of his heart, runs into a flow of thought concerning the glory of Christ's exaltation in the three follo... [ Continue Reading ]
According to the course of this world — The word translated course properly means a long series of times, wherein one corrupt age follows another. According to the prince of the power of the air — The effect of which power all may perceive, though all do not understand the cause of it: a power unspe... [ Continue Reading ]
Among whom we — Jews. Also, formerly had our conversation: doing the will of the flesh — In gross, brutal sins. And of the mind — By spiritual, diabolical wickedness. In the former clause, flesh denotes the whole evil nature; in the latter, the body opposed to the soul. And were by nature — That is,... [ Continue Reading ]
Mercy removes misery: love confers salvation.... [ Continue Reading ]
He hath quickened us together with Christ — In conformity to him, and by virtue of our union with him. By grace ye are saved — Grace is both the beginning and end. The apostle speaks indifferently either in the first or second person; the Jews and gentiles being in the same circumstance, both by nat... [ Continue Reading ]
And hath raised us up together — Both Jews and gentiles already in spirit; and ere long our bodies too will be raised. And made us all sit together in heavenly places — This is spoken by way of anticipation. Believers are not yet possessed of their seats in heaven; but each of them has a place prepa... [ Continue Reading ]
The ages to come — That is, all succeeding ages.... [ Continue Reading ]
By grace ye are saved through faith — Grace, without any respect to human worthiness, confers the glorious gift. Faith, with an empty hand, and without any pretence to personal desert, receives the heavenly blessing. And this is not of yourselves — This refers to the whole preceding clause, That ye... [ Continue Reading ]
Not by works — Neither this faith nor this salvation is owing to any works you ever did, will, or can do.... [ Continue Reading ]
For we are his workmanship — Which proves both that salvation is by faith, and that faith is the gift of God. Created unto good works — That afterwards we might give ourselves to them. Which God had before preprepared — The occasions of them: so we must still ascribe the whole to God. That we might... [ Continue Reading ]
Wherefore remember — Such a remembrance strengthens faith, and increases gratitude. That ye being formerly gentiles in the flesh — Neither circumcised in body nor in spirit. Who were accordingly called the uncircumcision — By way of reproach. By that which is called the circumcision — By those who c... [ Continue Reading ]
Were at that time without Christ — Having no faith in, or knowledge of, him. Being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel — Both as to their temporal privileges and spiritual blessings. And strangers to the covenants of promise — The great promise in both the Jewish and Christian covenant was the Me... [ Continue Reading ]
Far off — From God and his people. Nigh — Intimately united to both.... [ Continue Reading ]
For he is our peace — Not only as he purchased it, but as he is the very bond and centre of union. He who hath made both — Jews and gentiles, one church. The apostle describes, The conjunction of the gentiles with Israel, Ephesians 2:14. And, The conjunction of both with God, Ephesians 2:15. Each de... [ Continue Reading ]
Having abolished by his suffering in the flesh the cause of enmity between the Jews and gentiles, even the law of ceremonial commandments, through his decrees — Which offer mercy to all; see Colossians 2:14. That he might form the two — Jew and gentile. Into one new man — one mystical body.... [ Continue Reading ]
In one body — One church. Having slain — By his own death on the cross. The enmity — Which had been between sinners and God.... [ Continue Reading ]
And he came — After his resurrection. And preached peace — By his ministers and his Spirit. To you — Gentiles. That were afar off — At the utmost distance from God. And to them that were nigh — To the Jews, who were comparatively nigh, being his visible church.... [ Continue Reading ]
For through him, we both — Jews and gentiles. Have access — Liberty of approaching, by the guidance and aid of one Spirit to God as our Father. Christ, the Spirit, and the Father, the three — one God, stand frequently in the same order.... [ Continue Reading ]
Therefore ye are no longer strangers, but citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem; no longer foreigners, but received into the very family of God.... [ Continue Reading ]
And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets — As the foundation sustains the building, so the word of God, declared by the apostles and prophets, sustains the faith of all believers. God laid the foundation by them; but Christ himself is the chief corner — stone of the foundation.... [ Continue Reading ]
On whom all the building fitly framed together — The whole fabric of the universal church rises up like a great pile of living materials. Into an holy temple in the Lord — Dedicated to Christ, and inhabited by him, in which he displays his presence, and is worshipped and glorified. What is the templ... [ Continue Reading ]