Ephesians 3:15

the whole family. every (Greek. pasa) family. No article.

family. Greek. patria. Only here; Luke 2:4.Acts 3:25.

heaven-the heavens. See Matthew 6:9; Matthew 6:10.

earth. upon (Greek. epi) earth (Greek. ge. App-129.) See Ephesians 1:10.

named. See Ephesians 1:21.

LONGER NOTE on Ephesians 3:15. " The whole family in heaven and earth. ". 1. The word "family" is an unfortunate rendering of the Greek patria. Our English word takes its derivation from the lowest in the household, famulus, the servant, or slave. The Latin familia was sometimes used of the household servants, and sometimes of all the members of. family under the power of. pater familias. But the idea of patria is Hebrew,. group or class of families all claiming descent from one pater (father), e.g. the twelve tribes of Israel. "Joseph was of the house and lineage (family, Greek. patria) of David" (Luke 2:4). The word occurs only in Luke 2:4.Acts 3:25.Acts 3:15, and denotes. clan all descended from. common stock. 2. To apply this: God has many families in heaven and earth, both in this age and in that which is to come. But with selfish disregard of this fact we see only the family, and that of course must be the "church", for that is the family to which we belong. Thus we claim everything for ourselves, especially if blessing, mercy, or glory is attached, and so we completely ignore the fact that many of these families of God are named in Scripture. in Ephesians 1:21 we have "principality", "power", "might", "dominion"; the first two being again mentioned in Ephesians 3:10, the principalities and powers in the heavenlies to whom God is even now manifesting His manifold wisdom by means of the church (His body) as an object-lesson. Others are mentioned in Colossians 1:16; 1 Peter 3:22. What these heavenly families may be we do not know. The Greek words reveal to us no more than the English do, because they pertain to the unseen world of which we no nothing.

To limit this verse to the "church" as many do, and to interpret it in wholly unscriptural terms of the "church militant" and the "church triumphant", and in hymn-book diction to sing. One family we dwell in Him, One church, above, beneath; Though now divided by the stream, The narrow stream of death is not only to lose the revelation of. great truth of God, but to put error in its place. Rightly divided, the families of God named in the N.T. are: in heaven, principalities, powers, might, dominions, thrones, angels, and archangels. Among the families on earth are Israel, the Israel of God (Galatians 1:6; Galatians 1:16), and the church of God (1 Corinthians 10:32).