Ephesians 2:1-22
1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
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:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desiresa of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in 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.
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.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordainedb that we should walk in them.
11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:c
17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
1 Compare the condition of the two classes with that of the individual believer in Rom_6:2. Such as have "died to sin" "together with Christ", "are vivified together with Him", and "are reckoning themselves to be dead, indeed, to sin" (Rom_6:8-11), so here the nations and some of the Jews, collectively, are dead to sins and offenses, and are roused conjointly and seated conjointly, in Christ.
5 We have not only been saved by grace, but salvation also introduces us into the sphere of grace's operation. Salvation calls for further favors of being vivified, and roused, and seated in Christ together with an election out of Israel. We are not risen with Christ, for rise refers particularly to the body.
7 The on-coming eons-themselves the scenes of the riches of God's grace-will be directed to God's favor lavished upon us as the supreme, transcendent achievement of His unassisted, unforced grace.
8 Salvation, in its beginning, is of faith, in order to accord with grace (Rom_4:16). As a state, or condition, it continues to preserve its gracious character. It is not of us; it is God's way of winning our favor. This is the force of the term "approach present," which was used of the corban, or approach offering (Lev_1:2; Lev_2:1; Lev_3:1,etc., Mar_7:11).
PARTICIPATION-BELIEVERS
THE NEW HUMANITY
11 This section deals only with the place that believers among the nations occupied in flesh, as physically uncircumcised, in the era before this epistle was penned. It is a complete contrast to the place occupied by the nations, as set forth in Acts, not as presented in Paul's previous epistles. Physically only may it be said that they had been apart from Christ, aliens, having no expectation, without God. Trophimus, the Ephesian, would understand this, for when he was in Jerusalem the mere rumor that he had approached as near to the reputed dwelling place of God as a Jew caused the whole city to rise up against Paul who, they supposed, had brought him into the sanctuary. What Paul was accused of doing then, physically, he does now, in spirit, and far more, for we have free access to the Father's presence.
Joint Participation
14 The central wall of the barrier was the so-called "soreg", a stone wall, for a partition, with inscriptions which forbade any foreigner to go in under pain of death. One of these was recently unearthed with the following inscription:
MHQENAALLOGENHEISPO
PEYESQAIENTOSTOYPE
RITOIERONTRYFAKTOYKAI
PERIBOLOYOSDANLH
FQHEAYTOIAITIOSES
TAIDIATOEXAKOLOY
QEINQANATON
No alien is to enter within the balustrade and embankment about the sacred place. Whoever is caught will be responsible for his death, which will ensue.
15 The decrees issued from Jerusalem by the apostles (Act_15:20; Act_15:16; Act_15:4).
15 The enmity in His flesh is the national or race hatred between Jew and Gentile. In His flesh He confirmed the promises which gave primacy to the Jew. This was figured by the barrier which shut the aliens out of the sanctuary.
15 The new humanity is quite a distinct matter from the one body. It can be put on (Eph_4:24-25) and is in contrast with the old humanity (Eph_4:22).
19 Here we have our relation to the saints of other economies defined. All saints, whatever their peculiar position, have three things in common. They all are under God's government; all belong to His family; all are His dwelling place. These do not define the blessings which are our special privileges, but those which we share with the saints of every other administration.
SUMMARY
1 Contrast Paul as a prisoner of Christ Jesus, summing up the doctrines of the secret administration with Paul the prisoner of the Lord (Eph_4:1), inculcating the deportment which adorns the doctrine.
1 Paul insists that he is the one through whom God's revelation to the nations is given. It can be found nowhere but in his writings.