_Address and Greeting._ The Apostle, in all his Epistles, follows the custom of the times, which named the writer first, then the person or persons addressed, adding a brief greeting. All his designations of himself and of his readers have a distinctive Christian tone, quite as much as the Apostoli... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 1:3. BLESSED. The word here used is applied to God only in the N. T., and with a few exceptions in the LXX. also. The primary signification is that of speaking or promising good; our blessing God is praise and thanksgiving; His blessing us includes doing us good also. Both senses occur in... [ Continue Reading ]
I. _Praise for Spiritual Blessings in Christ._ Ephesians 1:3-14 form but one sentence, so heaped up in thought and so involved in construction as to well-nigh baffle all attempts at exact analysis. The passage, as a whole, has a triumphant liturgical tone, the key-note being found in Ephesians 1:3.... [ Continue Reading ]
I. THE CHURCH CHOSEN IN CHRIST, THE HEAD OF THE BODY. This chapter is made up of two parts: the _first_ (Ephesians 1:3-14), an ascription of praise for spiritual blessings in Christ; the _second_ (Ephesians 1:15-23), a thanksgiving for the faith and love of the readers, passing into a supplication... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 1:4. EVEN AS. The blessing corresponds with the choice. ‘These spiritual blessings are conferred upon us, not merely because God chose us, but they are given in perfect harmony with His eternal purpose' (Eadie). HE CHOSE, or more fully rendered, ‘chose out for Himself.' The choosing was... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 1:5. IN LOVE HAVING PREDESTINATED US. The tense here used does not imply that the predestination preceded the election; the two may be regarded as synchronous. There is no grammatical objection to the former view, but there seems to be no instance in the N. T. which establishes the priorit... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 1:6. UNTO THE PRAISE OF THE GLORY OF HIS GRACE. This is the refrain of the passage. The election and predestination were not only in accordance with God's freedom, but also for this end: that those who become sons of God by adoption (and with them all sinless creatures) should praise the D... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 1:7. IN WHOM WE ARE HAVING. In Christ, as the living sphere of redemption, the purpose already set forth (Ephesians 1:4-5) finds its present accomplishment ‘He it is without whose Person and work we were not redeemed' (Meyer). ‘Are having' points to the continued possession; it should not... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 1:8. WHICH HE CAUSED TO ABOUND TOWARD (lit, ‘into') US. ‘Which' is preferable to ‘wherein,' or, ‘wherewith'; the grace itself was made to flow abundantly to us, in fact into us as the subjects of it IN ALL WISDOM AND PRUDENCE. This phrase can scarcely be applied to God, for ‘all wisdom' d... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 1:9. HAVING MADE KNOWN TO US. This explains what precedes. Ellicott: ‘in making known to us'; Alford: ‘in that He made known.' Hence this takes place at the same time with the causing to abound (Ephesians 1:8). THE MYSTERY OF HIS WILL. The mystery concerning His will, rather than belongin... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 1:10. UNTO; not ‘until,' nor, ‘in,' but with a view to, setting forth the end or aim of the purpose (Ephesians 1:9). THE DISPENSATION. The article is wanting in the original, but the idea is made definite by what follows. The word itself is that from which our word ‘economy' is taken, fir... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 1:11. IN WHOM YE ALSO. Gentile Christians, not the local church over against Christians in general. The construction of the original is peculiar, and has been variously explained. The simplest view is that ‘ye also' is the subject of the verb ‘were sealed.' but the length of the intermedia... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 1:11. IN WHOM. This is to be closely connected with ‘in Him,' and here has the full sense of the Pauline phrase, ‘in Christ;' it is not equivalent to ‘through whom.' WE WERE ALSO. ‘We,' _i.e.,_ all Christians; the distinction between ‘we' and ‘you' is first made in Ephesians 1:12. ‘Also'... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 1:12. THAT WE SHOULD BE. The final aim of the predestination to become God's heritage is that the subjects (‘we') should be UNTO THE PRAISE OF HIS GLORY; comp. Ephesians 1:6. ‘Grace' is not named here, showing that ‘glory' is the prominent idea. As persons are more directly connected with... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 1:14. WHICH IS AN EARNEST, _i.e._, the Holy Spirit ‘Earnest' is a part of the purchase-money paid as a pledge of full payment afterwards. The present gift of the Spirit is such a pledge of fuller blessing; comp. 2 Corinthians 1:22. OF OUR INHERITANCE. ‘Believers obtain the certainty that... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 1:15. FOR THIS CAUSE. ‘Wherefore' is the usual rendering of another Greek word. Because of the grace for which the Apostle has made his ascription of praise (Ephesians 1:3-14), but especially on account of what is stated in Ephesians 1:13-14, where the Gentile readers are addressed. I AL... [ Continue Reading ]
2. _Thanksgiving and Supplication for the Church as the Body of Christ, who is the Head._ The Apostle naturally passes from praise to thanksgiving, on behalf of the Church, which as naturally becomes supplication. The thanksgiving is for their faith and love, and is uttered in his prayers (Ephesians... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 1:16. CEASE NOT TO GIVE THANKS FOR YOU. Eadie: ‘As one giving thanks I cease not.' In the O. T. confession precedes thanksgiving, but the Apostle almost invariably begins his Epistles with thanksgiving, which befits the privileged condition of Christians. ‘For you,' lit, ‘over you,' with t... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 1:17. THAT. The word here used means, as a rule,' in order that,' not ‘so that,' except as the latter is involved in the former. But, as in later Greek it became equivalent to simple ‘that', we find in N. T. usage a sense which may have prepared the way for the transition. After verbs of a... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 1:18. HAVING THE EYES OF YOUR HEART ENLIGHTENED. The correct reading substitutes ‘heart' for ‘understanding.' The construction of the original is peculiar, and has been variously explained. The only question which affects the English form is whether we have here a further _explanation_ of... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 1:19. AND WHAT THE EXCEEDING GREATNESS OF HIS POWER, etc. The third object of knowledge is God's _power,_ but as manifested, both in present redemption and future glorification, not in the latter alone, which, however, is included: ‘There is thus a kind of climax, the _hope_ which the call... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 1:20. WHICH HE WROUGHT, or, ‘hath wrought.' Good authorities support the latter reading, which presents the matter as an accomplished fact with permanent results. ‘Which' necessarily refers to ‘working' (Ephesians 1:19). IN CHRIST; both as the first-fruits and as the Head of the Church.... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 1:21. FAR ABOVE. Simply local (Ellicott: ‘over above'); the ideas of dominion and eminence are, however, suggested by the context. The verse is to be connected with ‘making him sit,' as an explanation of the phrase, ‘at his right hand, etc.' ALL PRINCIPALITY, etc. These four terms occur f... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 1:22. AND HE SUBJECTED ALL THINGS. Here the construction changes, although logically this verse continues the description of the ‘working of the might of His strength' (Ephesians 1:19). The unlimited Sovereignty of the exalted Christ is now set forth: ‘all things' sums up what has been det... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 1:23. WHICH. ‘Which indeed,' or, ‘by which I mean;' explaining the word ‘church.' IS HIS BODY. The thought occurs repeatedly in Paul's writings; see references. The relation of Christians to Christ is that of vital union, akin to, yet in reality and intimacy exceeding, that existing betw... [ Continue Reading ]