1. _Redemption in Christ as Deliverance from Death through a New Creation._ The Apostle applies to his readers the great truths set forth in chap. 1, having in mind ‘the mighty working of the Father, through the Resurrection and Ascension of the Son, done once for all, and yet taking place in every... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 2:1. YOU ALSO, or, ‘and you.' The latter simply joins this to what precedes; the former gives emphasis to ‘you.' There is, however, no contrast with other Christians, but an application of what precedes to their case, probably with a suggestion of the resemblance to the Resurrection of Chr... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 2:2. WHEREIN YE ONCE WALKED. In the sphere of these sins they habitually moved; ‘in this sleep of death there is a strange somnambulism' (Eadie). ACCORDING TO THE COURSE OF THIS WORLD. The word ‘course' is that usually rendered ‘age' or ‘world,' and in various forms employed to express t... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 2:3. AMONG WHOM, _i.e.,_ ‘the sons of disobedience,' not ‘among which,' referring to ‘trespasses' (Ephesians 2:1). WE ALSO ALL, etc. ‘Also,' or ‘even,' is to be connected with ‘we all,' but the main question is respecting the exact reference of the latter phrase, whether it means ‘all Jew... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 2:4. BUT GOD. ‘But' resumes the main thought, yet not without an implied antithesis between those described in Ephesians 2:1-3, and ‘God.' BEING RICH IN MERCY, ‘Being as He is,' not = ‘who is,' and not so strongly causal as ‘because He is.' ‘Rich in mercy; comp. similar expressions in 1 C... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 2:5. EVEN WHEN WE WERE DEAD BY (or, ‘on account of') OUR TRESPASSES. The word rendered ‘even' might mean ‘and,' but seems to have an intensive force here. ‘We' is to be taken in its widest sense, else the force of what follows is weakened. ‘Dead on account of our trespasses' is precisely a... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 2:6. AND RAISED US UP TOGETHER, etc. The thought of Ephesians 2:5 is carried out in detail: ‘Together' is = ‘with Him,' Christ, whose Resurrection and exaltation have already been set forth as the exhibition of Divine energy in accordance with which God's power is exerted to usward who bel... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 2:7. THAT HE MIGHT SHOW FORTH. More than ‘manifest,' or, ‘make known;' implying an active, effective, demonstration. This is the purpose of the redeeming facts (Ephesians 2:4-6). In THE AGES TO COME. In the successive periods of time between the resurrection of Christ and His Second Adven... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 2:8. FOR BY GRACE, etc. The Apostle now reverts to the means by which deliverance has been wrought, repeating the clause introduced parenthetically in Ephesians 2:5. Here, however, the article is used with ‘grace,' pointing to God's grace, already defined in Ephesians 2:7. ARE, or, ‘have... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 2:9. NOT OF WORKS. This resumes the negative side, asserting that salvation does not proceed from works, as a meritorious ground. Comp. on Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:16, etc. It is obvious that we cannot supply ‘faith' here, and this is a strong argument for the view taken of the latter part... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 2:10. FOR HIS HANDIWORK ARE WE. This is the reason there should be no human glorying. The rendering we adopt brines out the emphasis which the original places on the word ‘His,' and brings the word ‘we' closer to ‘created' which agrees with it, not with ‘handiwork.' This term, meaning ‘tha... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 2:11. WHEREFORE. Since you have been blessed, as set forth in Ephesians 2:1-7, ‘the declaratory portion of the foregoing paragraph' (Ellicott). REMEMBER. The exhortation, as is evident, is to recall both their previous and present condition, since the contrast is to heighten their gratit... [ Continue Reading ]
2. _Redemption in Christ as Reconciliation between Jew and Gentile_, _because both are reconciled with God._ The Apostle bases upon his previous statement (especially Ephesians 2:1-7) an exhortation to recall what redeeming grace in Christ had done for them. He recalls their previous condition witho... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 2:12. THAT YE WERE AT THAT TIME. This is what they should remember; Ephesians 2:11 being an explanation of ‘ye.' The emphasis rests on ‘were;' the fact that this _was_ their condition being made more prominent by the added phrase ‘at that time,' which is stronger than ‘once.' APART FROM... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 2:13. BUT NOW. This too is what they should remember, but the Apostle continues the contrast in an independent sentence. IN CHRIST JESUS, in fellowship with Him, contrasted with ‘apart from Christ.' ‘Jesus' is added, because the personal Messiah, who had come, is referred to. The phrase... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 2:14. FOR. This introduces a confirmatory explanation of the preceding verse. HE IS OUR PEACE. The subject is emphatic: ‘He and none other'; the personal Christ, whose blood was shed, is Himself our peace, not simply our peacemaker; for in His person, as God man, the reconciliation took... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 2:15. TO WIT, THE ENMITY. The order of the original favors the view that ‘enmity' is in apposition with ‘middle wall' (Ephesians 2:14); but the reading of the E. V. is not an impossible one. The other is, however, preferable for a number of other reasons. ‘Enmity' is then an explanation of... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 2:16. AND MIGHT RECONCILE THEM BOTH. Parallel with the clause, ‘that He might create,' etc. The compound verb here used occurs elsewhere only in Colossians 1:20-21. It may either be a strengthened form, or mean ‘reconcile again.' The former is preferable, since the context speaks of ‘one n... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 2:17. AND HE CAME AND PREACHED (‘brought good tidings of') PEACE. This verse is not dependent on what precedes, but is connected in thought with, ‘He is our peace' (Ephesians 2:14), which is explained by what intervenes. The reference in ‘came' cannot be to His coming in the flesh, since n... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 2:18. FOR THROUGH HIM. The truth of Ephesians 2:17 is proven from the effect of Christ's thus coming and preaching peace. ‘Through Him,' which is more than ‘through His blood,' is the emphatic phrase. Only through the mediation of this Person, Jesus Christ, WE BOTH, Jews and Gentiles, HA... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 2:19. SO THEN. A favorite phrase in the writings of the Apostle. It sums up and infers. YE ARE NO LONGER; in contrast with Ephesians 2:12, and in consequence of the saving facts detailed in Ephesians 2:13-18. STRANGERS AND SOJOURNERS. The same class is designated by both terms, which to... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 2:20. BUILT UP UPON THE FOUNDATION. The figure naturally passes over into that of a house in which God dwells (Ephesians 2:22). The participle expresses the notion of a _superstructure,_ in accordance with the mention of ‘the foundation.' Of the apostles and prophets. The latter term refer... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 2:22. IN WHOM. Either parallel to ‘in whom' at the beginning of Ephesians 2:21, certainly not to ‘temple,' or more naturally referring to ‘Lord.' Ye also, as included in the previous declaration (Ephesians 2:19-21). ARE BEING BUILDED TOGETHER, as a continuous process. The verb is slightl... [ Continue Reading ]