Philip Schaff's Popular Commentary (4 vols)

Ephesians 2:5

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 as in Ephesians 2:1; the E. V. unfortunately rendering the same word ‘trespasses' there and ‘sins' here. The article before ‘trespasses' has the force of ‘our.'

Quickened us together with Christ. Spiritual quickening is meant, since the contrast is with those spiritually ‘dead,' but the prominence given to the fact of Christ's resurrection leads us to include a reference to bodily quickening also. ‘Together with Christ' points to fellowship with Him. The tense in the original (both here and in Ephesians 2:6) indicates a single past act, and is properly explained thus: ‘When He was raised physically, all His people were raised ideally in Him; and in consequence of this connection with Him, they are, through faith, actually quickened and raised' (Eadie).

By grace ye are, or, ‘have been,' saved. A past act with permanent results is indicated. The emphasis rests on the word ‘grace,' love to the undeserving. ‘This emphatic mention of grace (grace, not works) is to make the readers feel what their own hearts might otherwise have caused them to doubt,

the real and vital truth, that they have present and actual fellowship with Christ, yea and even in the resurrectionary and glorifying power of God' (Ellicott).

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Philip Schaff's Popular Commentary (4 vols)

Ephesians 2:5

Old Testament

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