Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ephesians 1:15
Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
15 23. Prayer, that the Saints may fully realize their Divine privileges and prospects in Christ
15. Wherefore, &c.]. The Apostle now passes from the adoring view of Divine Redemption to prayer that its treasures of grace may be realized in the whole experience and life of the saints. And this he does, as elsewhere (Colossians 1; 2 Thessalonians 1) in close connexion with thanksgiving for what they had already found [31] . “ Wherefore ” : because such is the greatness of Redemption, in fact and prospect.
[31] In Dean Howson’s admirable Lectures on the Character of St Paul (Lect. IV.) it is pointed out that St Paul always, in opening an Epistle, joins prayer to thanksgiving, except in Epistles (1 Cor.; Gal.) marked by a certain severity.
I also ] as well as others who have you in their hearts; a touch of gracious modesty.
heard ] in his Roman lodging, doubtless through Epaphras (Col 1:7) among others.
your faith ] More lit., the faith among you, la foi chez vous.
in the Lord Jesus ] Reposed on and in Him, as an anchor in the ground. It is questioned whether “faith,” “believe,” &c. with the preposition “in,” do not rather mean “faith, &c., maintained in and by connexion with Christ.” But there are passages which fully prove the possibility of the simple meaning given above (e.g. Mar 1:15, where lit., “believe in the Gospel;” and cp. in LXX. Psalms 77 (78) 26; Jer 12:6); and in most passages where the construction occurs a remote and elaborate meaning would in the nature of the case be unlikely.
and love unto all the saints ] Cp. Col 1:4 for an exact parallel. Here, however, the reading is disputed. Some very important MSS. omit “love,” and R. V. reads accordingly “ the faith which ye shew toward all the saints.” But the external evidence for the received reading is very strong. All the ancient Versions give it, as well as some of the oldest MSS., and the vast majority of others. And it is internally very much more likely than a phrase which is without any real parallel, and which couples together, under closely kindred terms, “faith in” Christ and “faith towards” Christians. And the parallel in Col 1:4 is strongly in favour of the received reading; for though it is likely enough that St Paul may have omitted in one Epistle a whole phrase which he used in the other (as in Eph 1:7 above, where the Colossian parallel omits “through His blood”), it is far from likely that he should have varied the easy and obvious phrase in the one for a curiously difficult one in the other. The true probability is that we have here an early mistake of transcription, due to certain phenomena in the Gr. words.
The Apostle has heard with joy of their personal trust in the Divine Redeemer, and their consequent love to all who are His; “faith working by love,” coming out, developing itself, in a life of holy love.
It is obvious that this “love to the saints” does not negative “love towards all men.” But it is love of another order, love of endearment, not only of good will; a necessary sequel of the family connexion of the saints; “ brotherly love.” The N. T. is full of this supernatural family affection. See 2Pe 1:7 for “love” (to all men) “ added to,” or rather “ supplied in, love to the brethren.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Wherefore, I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus – This is one of the passages usually relied on by those who suppose that this Epistle was not written to the Ephesians. The argument is, that he writes to them as if they were strangers to him, and that it is not language such as would be used in addressing a people among whom he had spent three years; see the introduction, section 5. But this inference is not conclusive. Paul had been some years absent from Ephesus when this Epistle was written. In the difficult communication in those times between distant places, it is not to be supposed that he would hear often from them. Perhaps he had heard nothing after the time when he bade farewell to the elders of Ephesus at Miletus Acts 20, until the time here referred to. It would be, therefore, a matter of great interest with him to hear from them; and when in some way intelligence was brought to him at Rome of a very gratifying character about their growth in piety, he says that his anxiety was relieved, and that he did not cease to give thanks for what he had heard, and to commend them to God in prayer.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Eph 1:15-16
Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and love unto all the saints.
Faith a chief characteristic of the Christian
I. It is the first condition of spiritual life.
1. Uniting the sinner with the Lord of life.
2. Restoring the spiritual outcast to filial relations with God the Father.
3. Interesting and exercising the renewed nature in things unseen and eternal.
II. It exhibits itself in the spirit and conduct of believers.
1. The life of the believer is in the greatest contrast to the life of unbelief.
(1) His own previous conduct.
(2) The general behaviour of the world.
2. It impels to the promotion of the well-being of others.
III. It ought therefore to be anxiously looked for and thankfully recognized by other Christians. But all Christians are not so deeply interested in the progress of Christs kingdom as Paul was! It requires an unworldly and generous spirit to be possessed by such an enthusiasm.
1. Awaking thanksgiving in him. As if it had been a personal advantage to himself. God is thanked as the Author of the spiritual life thus evinced.
2. Impelling to prayer. Because the fruits and spiritual outgrowth of faith were still to come. He who awakened faith in Himself alone can sustain and perfect it. (A. F. Muir, M. A.)
Christian faith and love
I. Faith is the first gift of God which He mentions in their praise, and truly in many respects it deserves the first place in our letters, in our hearts, and in our lives. What is faith? It is a holy resting upon the word and promise of God as true and faithful, so that the natural consequence is peace of conscience and spiritual joy; it is a taking of God at His word.
II. Now comes the next great gift for which the apostle praises them, love, brotherly love, love to all the saints. It has its fountain in the love of God as the Father of the whole redeemed family. His love to us produces corresponding love to Him, and in loving the common Father, we necessarily love one another. The bonds, indeed, which bind the saints together are very many and very strong. They are members of the same family, redeemed with the same precious blood, and filled with the same quickening Spirit. They have the same friends and the same enemies, the same hopes and fears, the same promises of good things to come, and the same living Head in heaven. How full, and deep, and strong should be their love to one another! The words of our text are instructive–Love to all the saints! (W. Graham, D. D.)
Recognition of good points in others
Pauls thankfulness for what he heard about the faith and religious life of the Ephesian Christians is one of the many proofs that his nature was singularly ardent, generous, and sanguine. He knew that there were some, perhaps many, of them who were emerging only very slowly from the vices of their old heathen days, else he would not have thought it necessary to write what he has written in the later pages of this Epistle about the most elementary moral duties. But it was his habit to think of all that was fairest in the lives of Christian people. There were grave faults, there were gross sins, in the Church at Ephesus; but he had heard enough of the Church to be sure that it had not forgotten what he had taught it eight or nine years before. The faith of the Church in Christ was still steadfast, and the reality of that faith was still shown in their spirit and conduct to all saints. They themselves were loyal to Christ, and they regarded all Christians as comrades and brethren; and therefore he ceased not to give thanks for them. That is an admirable temper. We are too much disposed to impeach the sincerity and worth of a mans faith if we see in him a single serious fault. That was not Pauls way. He had a keen eye for goodness; whatever might be his sorrow on account of the sins of Christian men, and however sternly he rebuked them for their sins, he rejoiced ardently in every manifestation, however faint, of a genuine desire to do the will of God. He watched the beginnings of a nobler life in his converts, as we watch the conflict between the dawn and the heavy darkness of the night. In some of them the rising glory was almost concealed by the dense clouds of heathen ignorance, superstition, and vice; but he could see gleams of light trembling through the gloom. Here and there between the broken clouds there was the clear blue of a diviner heaven. He rejoiced and gave thanks that the light of God had risen upon the darkness; not in a moment, but gradually and certainly, the dim, cloudy, troubled dawn would be followed by a bright and glorious day. (R. W. Dale, LL. D.)
Observance of others religious progress
1.Ministers must labour to know how grace goes forward in those with whom they have to deal. It behoves shepherds to know their flock.
2. The Ephesians faith is occupied about the Lord Jesus Christ.
(1) Faith in Christ is not only to know but to rely on Him: an affair not merely of the understanding, but also of the will.
(2) Faith in Christ justifies and saves, inasmuch as it receives at His hand Gods pardon and grace.
3. Faith and love are never disjoined, but go hand in hand with each other. Faith without love is but a dead carcase; love without; faith is but a blind devotion. Neither is pleasing to God without the other. Let us try the truth of our faith by the presence or absence of love. We may more easily carry coals in our bosom without burning, than by faith apprehend truly this love of God, without finding our hearts burn in answering love to Him.
4. The love of true believers is set on the saints, yea, on all the saints. Every creature likes to be with those who are united with it in communication of the same nature: so sanctified Christians cannot but love and like to be most with those who have received the like divine nature in which they are themselves partakers. (Paul Bayne.)
Faith and love–immense affections
No one who knows what faith and love are, according to the New Testament, will ever doubt that they are the most human of all our capacities. They are distinct, yet essentially one. They are significant signs of our vast future. Give yourself to history, to geology, astronomy, physiology, chemistry, and you will correspondingly inform and expand your mind. But by faith, your spirit is at one with the wisdom and goodness, the power and glory, the infinity and eternity of God. Faith involves, therefore, the utmost enlargement of soul, and yet begets nothing like self-exaltation. We say nothing of nominal believers; but minds which are in actual sympathy with the Son of God, are in the condition to become the master minds of the universe. Nor can anyone doubt this, who understands the scope of Gods purpose in Christ Jesus. It is not possible that the power of God, and the wisdom of God, should establish their empire in certain men, without constituting them kings and priests unto God. The elements of essential precedency and power are rooted and grounded in them. By selfish thoughts of the gospel, as of a plan by which we are to be saved from misery and hell, we spoil it of its Divine glory. The gospel of God comprehends higher and broader reaches of thought, than any subject ever opened to the minds of angels or men. The noble-mindedness of faith is always associated with a corresponding noble-heartedness. Faith and love are inseparable bosom companions. I constantly thank God, writes Paul, for your faith and love. Your faith is a Divine expansiveness given to your understanding, and your love unto all the saints is a like vastness given to your affections. They are the double suns of your soul, sun within sun. Whole galaxies of wisdom are comprehended in faith, as in a mental firmament. And as to the new spirit of love, which is faiths associative soul, He that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him. Wherefore, I cease not to give thanks for you, that the goodness and the greatness which are everlasting are made sure to you. Your faith and love are of unknown value. They constitute your initiation into an endless progress. Infinite truth is the scope of your mind; and infinite love, the scope of your heart. (John Pulsford.)
Faith in Christ
I remember an old experimental Christian speaking about the great pillars of our faith; he was a sailor; we were then on board ship and there were sundry huge posts on the shore, to which the ships were usually moored by throwing a cable over them. After I had told him a great many promises, he said, I know they are good strong promises, but I cannot get near enough to shore to throw my cable round them; that is the difficulty. Now it often happens that Gods past mercies and loving kindnesses would be good sure posts to hold on to, but we have not got faith enough to throw our cable round them, and so we go drifting, down the stream of unbelief because we cannot stay ourselves by our former mercies. I will, however, give you something that I think you can throw your cable over. If God has never been kind to you, one thing you surely know, and that is, He has been kind to others. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Faith and love illustrated
Some naturalists desired to obtain the wild flowers which grew on the side of a dangerous gorge in the Scottish Highlands. They offered a boy a liberal sum to descend by a rope, and get them. He looked at the money, thought of the danger, and replied, I will go if my father will hold the rope. With unshrinking nerves he suffered his father to put the rope round him, lower him over the precipice, and to suspend him there, while he filled his basket with the coveted flowers.
Reflex benefit of charity
Where charity is, there doth God reside. Possess charity, and you will see Him in your own heart, seated as on His throne. (Augustine.)
Self-denying charity
John Howard, the philanthropist, having settled his accounts at the close of a particular year, found a balance in his favour, and proposed to his wife to make use of it in a journey to London. What a comfortable cottage for a poor family it would build! was her answer. This hint met with cordial approbation; and the money was laid out upon that purpose accordingly.
Brotherly love
As the spokes of a carriage wheel approach their centre, they approach each other; so also, when men are brought to Jesus Christ, the centre of life and hope, they are drawn towards each other in brotherly love and relationship, and stand side by side, supporting each other, as they journey on together to their heavenly home. (J. F. Serjeant.)
Love of our neighbour
Cultivate ever a spirit of love to all. Love is the diamond amongst the jewels of the believers breastplate. The other graces shine like the precious stones of nature, with their own peculiar lustre and varied hues; but the diamond is white; now in white all the colours are united (as a prism will show), so love is centred every other grace and virtue; for we are told that Love is the fulfilling of the law. (Rowland Hill.)
Faith in Christ
Faith looked at in reference to God is a spirit of quietude and repose. Nothing so full of conscious helplessness and simple trust. No little bird beneath its parents wing, no child upon its mothers lap, so gentle and confiding. A lion in conflict with the powers of hell, faith lies down like a lamb at the feet of the Lord of heaven. It returns and rests in quietness and in confidence. Indeed, in this way it obtains salvation and strength. The calm resting upon God makes it victorious over all beside. In truth, it is He who fights for the believer, with the believer, in the believer. Faith does nothing alone, nothing of itself, but everything under God, by God, through God. It is only in a qualified sense that faith makes war and gets victory. The excellency of power is of God, and not of us. Its humble dependence, its meek, child-like spirit, after all constitute its proper self. These are the essence and life of faith. (J. Stoughton.)
Love the fruit of faith
When a rosebud is formed, if the soil is soft and the sky is genial, it is not long before it bursts; for the life within is so abundant that it can no longer contain it all, but in blossomed brightness and swimming fragrance it must needs let forth its joy, and gladden all the air. And if, when thus ripe, it refused to expand, it would quickly rot at heart, and die. And Christian love is just piety with its petals fully spread, developing itself, and making it a happier world. The religion which fancies that it loves God, when it never evinces love to its brother, is not piety, but a poor mildewed theology, a dogma with a worm in the heart. (Dr. J. Hamilton.)
Thanksgiving and prayer for others
1. The graces of God in others must move Christians, especially ministers, to thankfulness. If a schoolmaster brings a rude untoward boy to behaviour and forwardness in learning, we much commend him, that he has wrought so far on so ill-disposed a subject; how much more is He to be magnified who works such alterations in sinners, dead in their sins and trespasses?
2. Christians are to help each other with prayer, especially ministers their converted people.
3. We must perseveringly follow God in those things we pray for. Some things God gives us before we ask for them; others, immediately upon our prayer; for others, again, He will have us follow Him with continuance before bestowing them. Thus He sees fit to exercise our sanctity, faith, and patience; to test whether our requests proceed from the heart; and to prepare us to receive the things we ask in greater measure, for the wider the soul is enlarged in desire, the more abundantly God means to fill it in His time. (Paul Bayne.)
Intercessory prayer
Prayer, generally speaking, is the life of a Christian Church, and when it takes the forms of thanksgiving and intercession it is peculiarly blessed and attractive. (W. Graham, D. D.)
Prayer and thanks
Prayer and thanks are like the double motion of the lungs: the air that is sucked in by prayer, is breathed forth again by thanks. (Goodwin.)
Christian intercession
The great secret of the success of Harlan Page was, that he always aimed at the conversion of someone; wrestling in prayer with God, and in affectionate entreaty with the sinner, till he saw his wishes realized. By following this plan, though he was in a humble sphere of life, in active work, and often in deep poverty, he lived to see more than a hundred brought to God, as the fruit of his zeal and intercessions. (Howes.)
The meaning of intercession
The question, What is meant by intercession? being asked in a Sunday school, one of the children made a very apt reply, in the words, Speaking a word to God for us, sir.
Unceasing prayer
When a pump is frequently used, the water pours out at the first stroke, because it is high; but, if the pump has not been used for a long time, the water gets low, and when you want it you must pump a long while; and the water comes only after great efforts. It is so with prayer. If we are instant in prayer, every little circumstance awakens the disposition to pray, and desire and words are always ready: but, if we neglect prayer, it is difficult for us to pray; for the water in the well gets low. (Felix Neff.)
Intercessory prayer
A young lady heard voice as of one engaged in conversation, and distinguished the words, O Lord, have mercy upon the dear youth of this place! She was struck with the thought, Is this the way Christians go about the town, and mingle with the world? Do they pray thus for our souls? I have hardly ever prayed for my own. From that day, she began to pray, and became the first-fruits of a glorious revival.
A passion for prayer
When Dr. Bacchus (the President of Hamilton College), was upon his death bed, the doctor called to see him, and, after examining the symptoms, left the room without speaking, but, as he opened the door to go out, was observed to whisper something to the servant. What did the physician say to you? asked Dr. Bacchus. He said, sir, that you cannot live to exceed half an hour. Is it so? said the good man. Then take me out of my bed, and place me upon my knees; let me spend that time in calling upon God for the salvation of the world. His request was complied with; and his last moments were spent in breathing forth his prayers for the salvation of his fellow sinners. He died upon his knees. So also did Drs. Krapt and Livingstone.
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 15. Faith in the Lord Jesus] Cordial reception of the Christian religion, amply proved by their love to all the saints-to all the Christians. Perhaps love here implies, not only the kind affection so called, but also all the fruits of love-benevolence, and kind offices of every description.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
After I heard; he was an eye-witness of their first believing, but here he speaks of their increase and constancy in the faith since, of which he had heard by others.
Of your faith in the Lord Jesus; i.e. not barely a belief of Christs excellencies, but a belief of his being their Saviour, their receiving and relying on him as such, and so a believing in him as the immediate object of their faith, and him by whom they believed in God, 1Pe 1:21.
And love unto all the saints; this is added to show the truth of their faith, which works by love.
Love to the saints is mentioned, as an evidence of their love to God; and to all the saints to show the sincerity of that love, in its not being partial, but respecting all saints, and therefore saints as saints.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
15. Whereforebecause ye arein Christ and sealed by His Spirit (Eph 1:13;Eph 1:14).
I alsoon my part, inreturn for God’s so great benefits to you.
after I heardeversince I have heard. Not implying that he had only heard oftheir conversion: an erroneous argument used by some against theaddress of this Epistle to the Ephesians (see on Eph1:1); but referring to the report he had heard since hewas with them, as to their Christian graces. So in the case ofPhilemon, his “beloved fellow laborer” (Phm1), he uses the same words (Phm 1:4;Phm 1:5).
your faithrather, asGreek, “the faith among you,” that is, which many(not all) of you have.
love unto all the saintsofwhatever name, simply because they are saints. A distinguishingcharacteristic of true Christianity (Eph6:24). “Faith and love he often joinstogether. A wondrous pair” [CHRYSOSTOM].Hope is added, Eph 1:18.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Wherefore I also,…. As well as others:
after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus; who is the immediate object of faith, and a very proper and suitable one; having every thing in him that is agreeable to the case and circumstances of those that trust in him. And the grace of faith, which terminates on him, is a seeing him, a beholding the glory of his person, and the fulness of his grace; a going to him, and venturing on him; a laying hold upon him, and embracing of him; a committing all unto him, and a leaning and depending on him, and a living upon him, and a walking on in him.
And love unto all the saints: whether Jew or Gentile, rich or poor, greater or lesser believers, of meaner gifts, or larger abilities; and which love was unfeigned, fervent, active, and laborious; and which is the evidence of regeneration, and without which a profession is in vain. These two graces, faith and love, are inseparable; they always go together, and are to be found in the same persons; and where they are, they cannot be hid, as they were not in these Ephesians; their faith was professed by them, and was made public, and their love showed itself in deeds, as well as in words, to the saints: hence the apostle came to hear of them both, upon the certain relation of others; for these things were come abroad, and were talked of; [See comments on Col 1:3].
[See comments on Col 1:4].
[See comments on Phm 1:4].
[See comments on Phm 1:5].
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
| The Apostle’s Prayer. | A. D. 61. |
15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, 16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; 17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
We have come to the last part of this chapter, which consists of Paul’s earnest prayer to God in behalf of these Ephesians. We should pray for the persons for whom we give thanks. Our apostle blesses God for what he had done for them, and then he prays that he would do more for them. He gives thanks for spiritual blessings, and prays for further supplies of them; for God will for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them. He has laid up these spiritual blessings for us in the hands of his Son, the Lord Jesus; but then he has appointed us to draw them out, and fetch them in, by prayer. We have no part nor lot in the matter, any further than we claim it by faith and prayer. One inducement to pray for them was the good account he had of them, of their faith in the Lord Jesus and love to all the saints, v. 15. Faith in Christ, and love to the saints, will be attended with all other graces. Love to the saints, as such, and because they are such, must include love to God. Those who love saints, as such, love all saints, how weak in grace, how mean in the world, how fretful and peevish soever, some of them may be. Another inducement to pray for them was because they had received the earnest of the inheritance: this we may observe from the words being connected with the preceding ones by the particle wherefore. “Perhaps you will think that, having received the earnest, it should follow, therefore you are happy enough, and need take no further care: you need not pray for yourselves, nor I for you.” No, quite the contrary. Wherefore–I cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, v. 16. While he blesses God for giving them the Spirit, he ceases not to pray that he would give unto them the Spirit (v. 17), that he would give greater measures of the Spirit. Observe, Even the best of Christians need to be prayed for: and, while we hear well of our Christian friends, we should think ourselves obliged to intercede with God for them, that they may abound and increase yet more and more. Now what is it that Paul prays for in behalf of the Ephesians? Not that they might be freed from persecution; nor that they might possess the riches, honours, or pleasures of the world; but the great thing he prays for is the illumination of their understandings, and that their knowledge might increase and abound: he means it of a practical and experimental knowledge. The graces and comforts of the Spirit are communicated to the soul by the enlightening of the understanding. In this way he gains and keeps possession. Satan takes a contrary way: he gets possession by the senses and passions, Christ by the understanding. Observe,
I. Whence this knowledge must come from the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, v. 17. The Lord is a God of knowledge, and there is no sound saving knowledge but what comes from him; and therefore to him we must look for it, who is the God of our Lord Jesus Christ (see v. 3) and the Father of glory. It is a Hebraism. God is infinitely glorious in himself all glory is due to him from his creatures, and he is the author of all that glory with which his saints are or shall be invested. Now he gives knowledge by giving the Spirit of knowledge; for the Spirit of God is the teacher of the saints, the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. We have the revelation of the Spirit in the word: but will that avail us, if we have not the wisdom of the Spirit in the heart? If the same Spirit who indited the sacred scriptures do not take the veil from off our hearts, and enable us to understand and improve them, we shall be never the better.–In the knowledge of him, or for the acknowledgment of him; not only a speculative knowledge of Christ, and of what relates to him, but an acknowledgment of Christ’s authority by an obedient conformity to him, which must be by the help of the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. This knowledge is first in the understanding. He prays that the eyes of their understanding may be enlightened, v. 18. Observe, Those who have their eyes opened, and have some understanding in the things of God, have need to be more and more enlightened, and to have their knowledge more clear, and distinct, and experimental. Christians should not think it enough to have warm affections, but they should labour to have clear understandings; they should be ambitious of being knowing Christians, and judicious Christians.
II. What it is that he more particularly desire they should grow in the knowledge of. 1. The hope of his calling, v. 18. Christianity is our calling. God has called us to it, and on that account it is said to be his calling. There is a hope in this calling; for those who deal with God deal upon trust. And it is a desirable thing to know what this hope of our calling is, to have such an acquaintance with the immense privileges of God’s people, and the expectations they have from God, and with respect to the heavenly world, as to be quickened thereby to the utmost diligence and patience in the Christian course. We ought to labour after, and pray earnestly for, a clearer insight into, and a fuller acquaintance with, the great objects of a Christian’s hopes. 2. The riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. Besides the heavenly inheritance prepared for the saints, there is a present inheritance in the saints; for grace is glory begun, and holiness is happiness in the bud. There is a glory in this inheritance, riches of glory, rendering the Christian more excellent and more truly honourable than all about him: and it is desirable to know this experimentally, to be acquainted with the principles, pleasures, and powers, of the spiritual and divine life. It may be understood of the glorious inheritance in or among the saints in heaven, where God does, as it were, lay forth all his riches, to make them happy and glorious, and where all that the saints are in possession of is transcendently glorious, as the knowledge that can be attained of this upon earth is very desirable, and must be exceedingly entertaining and delightful. Let us endeavour then, by reading, contemplation, and prayer, to know as much of heaven as we can, that we may be desiring and longing to be there. 3. The exceeding greatness of God’s power towards those who believe, v. 19. The practical belief of the all-sufficiency of God, and of the omnipotence of divine grace, is absolutely necessary to a close and steady walking with him. It is a desirable thing to know experimentally the mighty power of that grace beginning and carrying on the work of faith in our souls. It is a difficult thing to bring a soul to believe in Christ, and to venture its all upon his righteousness, and upon the hope of eternal life. It is nothing less than an almighty power that will work this in us. The apostle speaks here with a mighty fluency and copiousness of expression, and yet, at the same time, as if he wanted words to express the exceeding greatness of God’s almighty power, that power which God exerts towards his people, and by which he raised Christ from the dead, v. 20. That indeed was the great proof of the truth of the gospel to the world: but the transcript of that in ourselves (our sanctification, and rising from the death of sin, in conformity to Christ’s resurrection) is the great proof to us. Though this cannot prove the truth of the gospel to another who knows nothing of the matter (there the resurrection of Christ is the proof), yet to be able to speak experimentally, as the Samaritans, “We have heard him ourselves, we have felt a mighty change in our hearts,” will make us able to say, with the fullest satisfaction, Now we believe, and are sure, that this is the Christ, the Son of God. Many understand the apostle here as speaking of that exceeding greatness of power which God will exert for raising the bodies of believers to eternal life, even the same mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him, c. And how desirable a thing must it be to become at length acquainted with that power, by being raised out of the grave thereby unto eternal life!
Having said something of Christ and his resurrection, the apostle digresses a little from the subject he is upon to make some further honourable mention of the Lord Jesus and his exaltation. He sits at the Father’s right hand in the heavenly places, &c., Eph 1:20Eph 1:21. Jesus Christ is advanced above all, and he is set in authority over all, they being made subject to him. All the glory of the upper world, and all the powers of both worlds, are entirely devoted to him. The Father hath put all things under his feet (v. 22), according to the promise, Ps. cx. 1. All creatures whatsoever are in subjection to him; they must either yield him sincere obedience or fall under the weight of his sceptre, and receive their doom from him. God GAVE him to be head over all things. It was a gift to Christ, considered as a Mediator, to be advanced to such dominion and headship, and to have such a mystical body prepared for him: and it was a gift to the church, to be provided with a head endued with so much power and authority. God gave him to be the head over all things. He gave him all power both in heaven and in earth. The Father loves the Son, and hath given ALL things into his hands. But that which completes the comfort of this is that he is the head over all things to the church; he is entrusted with all power, that is, that he may dispose of all the affairs of the providential kingdom in subserviency to the designs of his grace concerning his church. With this therefore we may answer the messengers of the nations, that the Lord hath founded Zion. The same power that supports the world support the church; and we are sure he loves his church, for it is his body (v. 23), his mystical body, and he will care for it. It is the fulness of him that filleth all in all. Jesus Christ filleth all in all; he supplies all defects in all his members, filling them with his Spirit, and even with the fulness of God, ch. iii. 19. And yet the church is said to be his fulness, because Christ as Mediator would not be complete if he had not a church. How could he be a king if he had not a kingdom? This therefore comes in to the honour of Christ, as Mediator, that the church is his fulness.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
And which ye shew toward all the saints ( ). The words “ye show” do not occur in the Greek. The Textus Receptus has (the love) before supported by D G K L Syr., Lat., Copt., but Aleph A B P Origen do not have the word . It could have been omitted, but is probably not genuine. The use of the article referring to and the change from to probably justifies the translation “which ye shew toward.”
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Your faith [ ] . The Greek phrase is nowhere else used by Paul. Lit., as Rev., the faith which is among you. Expositors endeavor to make a distinction between this and Paul ‘s common phrase hJ pistiv uJmwn your faith, but they differ widely, and the distinction is at best doubtful.
Love. Omit.
Unto all the saints [ ] . Lit., that which is toward all, etc. Love being omitted, this refers to faith : faith which displays its work and fruits toward fellow Christians. See on Phl 1:5,
Eph 1:6Compare work of faith, 1Th 1:3. Though love is not mentioned, yet faith works by love. Gal 5:6.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
PRAYER FOR THE CHURCH AT EPHESUS
1) “Wherefore I also” (dia touto kago) “On account of this I also.” The divine nature of redeemed men responds to a recognition of divine love and grace bestowed on believers, 2Co 5:14-15; 1Jn 4:19.
2) “After I heard of your faith” (aksousas ten kath humas pistin) “Hearing of the faith among you (all),” members of the church at Ephesus, to whom the letter was written. The faith or fidelity of believers is communicated as a blessing to other saints, 1Th 1:2-3; 1Th 1:7-8; 2Th 1:4.
3) “In the Lord Jesus” (en to kurio iesou) “(located or placed) in the Lord Jesus.” The gift of the believer’s faith in Jesus Christ is to be used, exercised in deeds of service, so that others may profit and be helped. by it 1Co 13:13; Gal 5:6; Jas 2:1; Jas 2:17.
4) “And love unto all the saints” (kai ten agapen ten eis pantas tous hagious) “And (including) or also the love (of you all) to or toward all the saints (holy ones).” True faith in Jesus Christ manifests itself in- love, compassion, and care for others, in such a manner that even unsaved men can see Christ in such believers, Joh 13:34-35. The one saved, sealed, and secured in Christ Jesus to the redemption of the body in the resurrection, should also serve the Lord in the church which He purchased with His own blood. For it was to the church, each congregation that our Cord gave the commission to go into all the world; and make; baptize, and. teach believers to observe all things commanded by Him, Mat 28:18-20; Mar 16:15; Act 1:8.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
15. Wherefore I also. This thanksgiving was not simply an expression of his ardent love to the Ephesians. He congratulated them before God, that the opinion which he had formed respecting them was highly favorable. Observe here, that under faith and love Paul includes generally the whole excellence of Christian character. He uses the expression, faith in the Lord Jesus, (117) because Christ is the aim and object of faith. Love ought to embrace all men, but here the saints are particularly mentioned; because love, when properly regulated, begins with them, and is afterwards extended to all others. If our love must have a view to God, the nearer any man approaches to God, the stronger unquestionably must be his claims to our love.
(117) “‘Having heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus.’ It is wrong to argue from this expression, with Olshausen and De Wette, that the apostle had no personal knowledge of the persons whom he addressed. This was an early surmise, for it is referred to by Theodoret. Some, says he, have supposed that the apostle wrote to the Ephesians, ὡς μηδέπω θεασάμενος αὐτοὺς, (as having never seen them.) But some years had elapsed since the apostle had visited Ephesus, and seen the Ephesian Church; and might he not refer to reports of their Christian steadfastness which had reached him? Nay, his use of the word may signify that such intelligence had been repeatedly brought to him.” — Eadie.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES
Eph. 1:15-16.St. Paul is always ready to give a prompt acknowledgment of all that is best in his readers and to pray for something better. Cease not to give thanks.My thanksgiving knows no end.
Eph. 1:17. That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ.The connection or unity of the Father and the Son is the basis of the plea for those who are in the Son. Christ said, I ascend unto My Father and your Father, to My God and your God (Joh. 20:17). The Father of glory.Compare the phrases, the Father of mercies (2Co. 1:3), the Father of lights (Jas. 1:17), our Lord Jesus Christ, the glory (Jas. 2:1). The spirit of wisdom and revelation.The wisdom which is from above is the heritage of all the redeemed in Christ (1Jn. 4:20); but this day-spring, which gladdens the eyes of the heart, grows to mid-day splendour by successive apocalypses. In the knowledge.The word means a complete knowledge. It is a word characteristic of the four epistles of the first Roman captivity.
Eph. 1:18-19. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened to us-ward who believe.Three pictures for heaven-illumined eyes:
1. The hope of His calling.Meyer says the hope is not here (nor anywhere) the res sperata, the object on which hope fastens, but the great and glorious hope which God givesa statement too sweeping for other scholars, though here they agree that it is the faculty of hope which encourages and animates.
2. The riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.What a copious and grand accumulation, mirroring, as it were, the weightiness of the thing itself! (Meyer). Riches of the glory must not be watered down into glorious riches.
3. The exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward.The amazing and wholly unexpected working of the same Hand that wrought our first deliverance: the Power that smites the oppressor with dismay opens the path through the sea (see Isa. 40:10-11). According to the working of His mighty power.This may be regarded as a specimen of the divine power, the norm or standard by which we may gain an idea of the exceeding greatness of itthat from the tomb of His humiliation Christ was raised by that power to an unrivalled dignity in Gods throne. The R.V. gives working of the strength of His might: workingthe active exertion of power (Meyer); strengthmight expressing itself in overcoming resistance, ruling, etc.; mightstrength in itself as inward power.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Eph. 1:15-18
Prayer for Higher Spiritual Knowledge
I. Thankfully acknowledges the grace already possessed (Eph. 1:15-16).The possession of some grace prompts the prayer for more. The apostle recognises the faith of the Ephesians in the person and work of Christ and the love they displayed towards the saints. Knowing the source of that grace and that the supply was unlimited, he thanks God and is encouraged to pray for its increase. How slow we are to see the good in others and to thank God for any good found in ourselves! Ingratitude dulls our sensibilities and chills the breath of prayer. If we were more thankful, we should be more prayerful. The way to excite gratitude is to interest ourselves in the highest welfare of others.
II. Invokes the impartation of additional spiritual insight (Eph. 1:17-18).The apostle prays, not for temporal good or for prosperity in outward things, or even for the cessation of trouble and persecution, but for an accession of mental and spiritual blessings. He prays for the opening of the eye of the mind that the vision of spiritual realities may be more clear and reliable, and that the soul may be possessed with a fuller knowledge of Christ. The highest wisdom is gained by a more accurate conception of Him in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Sin enters the heart through the avenue of the senses and passions, grace through a spiritually enlightened understanding. Pride, prejudice, and error are expelled from the mind not so much by the repression of evil tendencies as by the entrance and maintenance of superior moral truths. The revelation of the Spirit in the word will not suffice, unless the light of the same Spirit shines through every faculty and power of the inquiring soul. Mans knowledge is not perfect within the domain of creation, still less can he know the things of the invisible world. Only by living in a sphere does he gather knowledge of what is found there: knowledge comes from experience of occurrences. Without a disposition of the heart the sense of the understanding is not enlarged and sharpened. Sensible, mental, spiritual knowledge refers to life spheres in which he who knows must move. Only the believing, loving, longing one knows and grows in knowledge unto knowledge. We need, therefore, continually to pray for the Spirit of wisdoma keener spiritual insight.
III. Unveils the grandeur of the divine inheritance in believers.That ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints (Eph. 1:18). The increase of spiritual knowledge is an ever-widening revelation of the value and splendour of divine blessings already possessed and in prospect of possession. Faith enjoys the inheritance now, and hope anticipates an ampler revelation and richer experience of its unspeakable blessedness. The phrase the riches of the glory of His inheritance indicates how utterly inadequate human language is to describe its boundless spiritual wealth. It is an inheritance implying union to Him who only hath immortality and is eternal. Rust cannot corrupt it, nor decay consume, nor death destroy. We have not only an inheritance in Christ, but He has also an inheritance in us. He finds more in us than we find ourselves, and we should never know it was there but for the revelation of Himself within us.
Lessons.
1. Prayer and thanksgiving go together.
2. The soul needs a daily revelation of truth.
3. The highest spiritual truths are made known to the soul that prays.
GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES
Eph. 1:15-18. Clearer Discernment in Divine Things desired.
I. The things for which the apostle commends the Ephesians.Their faith in Jesus and love to the saints (Eph. 1:15).
1. Faith is such a sensible, realising belief of the gospel in its general truth and in its particular doctrines and precepts as gives it a practical influence on the heart and life; it looks up to God through Christ; it is made perfect by works.
2. Faith is accompanied with love. Viewing and applying the examples and doctrines of the gospel, it purifies the soul unto unfeigned love of the brethren. The gospel requires us to love all men, sinners as well as saints, enemies as well as friends. If we love God for His moral perfections, we shall love the saints as far as they appear to have these divine qualities wrought into their temper. Our love is not to be confined to a party, to those who live in the same city and worship in the same sanctuary, but embraces all.
II. Paul expresses his great thankfulness to God for the success of the gospel.I cease not to give thanks (Eph. 1:16). He rejoiced in the honour which redounded to the crucified Jesus. He rejoiced to think how many were rescued from the power of Satan, and in the consequences which might ensue to others. If the prevalence of religion is matter of thankfulness, we should spare no pains to give it success.
III. He prays for the future success of the gospel (Eph. 1:16).The best Christians have need to make continual improvement. Paul was no less constant in his prayers than in his labours for the spiritual interest of mankind. He knew that the success of all his labours depended on Gods blessing; he therefore added to them his fervent prayers. When ministers and people strive together in their prayers, there is reason to hope for Gods blessing on both.
IV. He prayed for spiritual enlightenment (Eph. 1:17-18).That they may seek wisdom from God to understand the revelation He has given, and such an illumination of mind as to discern the nature and excellence of the things contained in this revelation. Christians must not content themselves with their present knowledge, but aspire to all riches of the full assurance of understanding.
V. He prayed for power to appreciate Christian privileges (Eph. 1:18).To know the hope of the divine calling, the possibility and assurance of attaining the heavenly kingdom. To know what a rich and glorious inheritance God has prepared for and promised to the saints. Though we cannot comprehend its dimensions nor compute its value, yet when we consider the grace of the Being who conveys it, the riches of the price which brought it, and the divine preparation by which the heirs are formed to enjoy it, we must conceive it to be unspeakably glorious.Lathrop.
The Apprehension of Spiritual Blessings.
I. Further spiritual blessings are to be apprehended by the saints, therefore their condition is a relative one.The Ephesians had already received spiritual blessings (Eph. 1:11-15). How much more is here. The possessed bears some proportion to what is to be received. Without this relative view the estimate is vague and erroneous. The further gifts consist specially in the clearer sight and the more certain and enlarged experience of what they already saw and possessed. Him, His calling, His inheritance, His mighty powerthese were to be theirs in a degree of exceeding greatness and glory.
II. Unless saints apprehend blessings now attainable, they live below their privilege.If thou knewest the gift of God, thou wouldest have asked of Him. Without some knowledge there is neither faith nor desire. With these unveilings the heart is deeply moved with the sense of obligation to possess, it is attracted and filled with desire and animation. Otherwise, with an ignorant satisfaction, the condition must remain relatively lean and impoverished.
III. The spiritual apprehension of these blessings is the gift of God.This is needed because of their divine nature. As we cannot properly see what the sun has called into life and beauty without his light, so these blessings are truly seen only in the light of the Sun of Righteousness. Through the Redeemer the Spirit is given. He gives the Spirit to enlighten both the object and the eye, to testify, to show, to glorify, to reveal, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Thus these blessings are seen, not distantly and dimly, but in their nearness and unveiled glory, whilst He creates in the heart corresponding sympathy, desire, and assurance. Nothing can compensate for this giftno mere intelligence, no reflection upon past experience, no mere help from others.
IV. This gift is bestowed in answer to prayer.This particular bestowment comes under the promise of the Spirit to believing prayer. This is a gift. Gifts are asked for, not made ours in any other way. This gift is awaiting and challenging prayer, importunate prayer. That an ever-deepening desire for these spiritual gifts may be ours, let us often askWhat truths are given to me, which, if the eyes of my understanding were enlightened, would now exert the most positive influence over me, lifting me into the clearer light of Gods relations, thus empowering me to live above the standard of natural strength, and so to fulfil His present designs? Think of the alternative.J. Holmes.
Eph. 1:15-16. True Religion self-revealing
I. In its moral results.Faith and love (Eph. 1:15).
II. Is evident to others.I heard of your faith (Eph. 1:15).
III. Is the occasion of constant thanksgiving.Cease not to give thanks for you (Eph. 1:16).
IV. Calls forth a spirit of prayer.Making mention of you in my prayers (Eph. 1:16).
Eph. 1:17-18. Spiritual Enlightenment.
1. The wisdom which Christians are to seek is not that carnal wisdom which is emnity to God, nor natural wisdom or knowledge of the hidden mysteries of nature, nor the wisdom of divine mysteries, which is only a gift and floweth from a common influence of the Spirit, but that whereof the Spirit of God by His special operation and influence is author and worker, and is more than a gift, even the grace of wisdom, which is not acquired by our own industry, but cometh from above.
2. It is not sufficient for attaining this grace of wisdom that the truths be plainly revealed by the Spirit in Scripture. There must be the removal of natural darkness from our understandings that we may be enabled to take up that which is revealed, as in beholding colours by the outward sense there must be not only an outward light to make the object conspicuous, but also the faculty of seeing in the eye. A blind man cannot see at noonday, nor the sharpest-sighted at midnight.
3. Though those excellent things which are not yet possessed, but only hoped for, are known in part, yet so excellent are they in themselves, and remote from our knowledge, and so much are we taken up with trifles and childish toys, that even believers who have their thoughts most exercised about them are in a great part ignorant of them.
4. As the things hoped for and really to be enjoyed in the other life are of the nature of an inheritance not purchased by us but freely bestowed upon us, so they are properly Christs inheritance, who has proper right to it as the natural Son of God and by virtue of His own purchase; but the right we have is communicated to us through Him, in whom we have received the adoption of children and are made heirs and coheirs with Christ.
5. It is a glorious inheritance, there being nothing there but what is glorious. The sight shall be glorious, for we shall see God as we are seen, the place glorious, the company glorious, our souls and bodies shall be glorious, and our exercise glorious, giving glory to God for ever and ever.Fergusson.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Previewing in Outline Form (Eph. 1:15-23)
B.
Pauls prayer for his readers enlightenment. Eph. 1:15-23.
1.
Basis of the prayer. Eph. 1:15.
a.
The blessings of Eph. 1:3-14.
b.
Having heard of the Ephesians faith.
c.
Having heard of their love toward the saints.
2.
Thanks given always. Eph. 1:16.
3.
Requests. Eph. 1:17-23.
a.
That God would give them a spirit of wisdom and Rev. 1:17-18 a.
1)
Based in the knowledge of Himself. Eph. 1:17 b.
2)
Having the eyes of your heart enlightened. Eph. 1:18 a.
b.
That they would know these things. Eph. 1:18 b Eph. 1:23.
1)
The hope of Gods calling. Eph. 1:18 b.
2)
The riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. Eph. 1:18 c.
3)
The exceeding greatness of His power toward us. Eph. 1:19-23.
a)
This power used to raise Christ. Eph. 1:20 a.
b)
This power used to exalt Christ. Eph. 1:20 b Eph. 1:21.
c)
This power used to subject all things to Christ. Eph. 1:22 a.
d)
This power used to make Christ head over the church. Eph. 1:22 b Eph. 1:23.
The church is His body. Eph. 1:23 a.
The church is His fulness. Eph. 1:23 b.
In the foregoing section (Eph. 1:3-14) we found a marvelous list of spiritual blessings that God has given us. But often Christians do not appreciate these spiritual blessings. Many church members actually appreciate material blessings (such as money) more than they do their spiritual blessings. But actually the spiritual blessings are greater than all others because they have the promise of both the life that now is, and that which is to come (1Ti. 5:8; 2Co. 4:18). No person who seeks first the kingdom of heaven will lack any necessary thing in this life. And only those who seek first the spiritual things have the promise of salvation in the life to come.
In this section we therefore find Paul praying that his readers might know and appreciate the spiritual blessings. Paul prayed every day for this. Many church members today are lukewarm, unconcerned, and unmindful of spiritual things. We should pray for such people, even as Paul did.
Fact Questions
71.
What is the title of the section (Eph. 1:15-23)?
72.
Why are spiritual blessings greater than material blessings?
73.
What three things did Paul pray that we would know?
Text (Eph. 1:15-16)
15 For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you, and the love which ye show toward all the saints, 16 cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
Thought Questions (Eph. 1:15-16)
38.
For what cause was it that Paul did not cease to pray for them?
39.
Would you infer from the fact that Paul said he had heard of the faith of the Ephesians that (1) either Paul did not write the epistle, or (2) that it was not actually written to the Ephesians? Why or why not?
40.
What was the attitude of the Ephesians toward all saints?
41.
How regularly did Paul pray for the Ephesians?
42.
Did Paul pray for them by name? Give a reason for your answer.
Paraphrase
15.
For this reason, that ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit, and made recipients of many other blessings, I also, having heard of the commendable faith in the Lord Jesus which continues among you, and the love which you have toward all the saints, both Jew and Gentile,
16.
do not cease to be giving thanks in behalf of you, making mention of you by name in my daily prayers.
Notes (Eph. 1:15-16)
1.
The Interpreters Bible says about Eph. 1:15 that these words belong to the literary fiction by which the epistle is represented as a message from Paul. Such conclusions are not supported by any evidence, only by personal opinion.
The mere fact that Paul said that he had heard of the faith of the Ephesians, does not prove that he had never been with them, He wrote the same way to Philemon (Phm. 1:4-5), and similarly to the Thessalonians (1Th. 3:6). Certainly Paul knew these people intimately. (See Introduction, sec. VIII for further information.)
2.
Paul was glad to hear (perhaps from Tychicus) about the faith which the Ephesians had steadfastly held in the Lord Jesus, and their love for one another. The church at Ephesus was unusual in that it had both Jews and Gentiles in it, and they really loved one another. But Paul still prayed for them, thanking God for them, and asking God to further enlighten them.
Fact Questions
71.
What two things had Paul heard about the Ephesians?
Text (Eph. 1:17)
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him;
Thought Questions (Eph. 1:17)
43.
What does the phrase, the Father of glory, mean?
44.
Did Paul pray that God would reveal His truth directly to the Ephesians? Would not such a prayer contradict Eph. 3:3-4? What exactly did Paul want them to have that he calls a spirit of wisdom and revelation?
45.
Why is a spirit of wisdom and revelation needed by the saints who have all already accepted Christ?
46.
What is the significance of the spirit of wisdom and revelation being in the knowledge of Him? Who is the Him?
Paraphrase
17.
Requesting that God, the glorious Father in heaven, who is adored as God even by our Lord Jesus Christ, and who originates both the glory we now enjoy and that greater glory we shall have hereafter, that He may give unto you a wise spirit and a spirit of revelation, that is, a disposition which will make you able and ready to receive that which He has revealed concerning the precise knowledge of Himself.
Notes (Eph. 1:17)
1.
See notes on Eph. 1:3 concerning the expression, God of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2.
The apostle did not pray that God would give to all the Ephesians the knowledge of the doctrines of the Gospel by an immediate revelation made to themselves, But that he would enable them to understand the revelation of these doctrines which was made to the apostles, and which they preached to the world. (Macknight)
3.
The spirit of wisdom and revelation is described in Eph. 1:18 as having the eyes of your heart enlightened. How greatly Christians need to have a heart which is responsive to God and spiritual things: Many are like blind men standing in a lovely park in broad daylight. All around them lie riches of beauty, but they cannot see, There are treasures of wisdom and knowledge revealed in Christ (Col. 2:3). But many cannot see. They need to be taught the first principles over and over. Oh God, grant that throughout our churches a spirit may sweep which will cause our brethren to grasp the riches of Thy revelation.
4.
God is not interested in anyone being wise and receptive to revelations unless they are revelations that are in the knowledge of God Himself. If He felt otherwise, He would have to deny Himself. (2Ti. 2:13)
Fact Questions
72.
How does Paul describe God in Eph. 1:17?
73.
What did Paul pray that God would give to the Ephesians?
74.
In what must this spirit of wisdom and revelation rest?
Text (Eph. 1:18-19)
18 having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19 and what the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might
Thought Questions (Eph. 1:18-19)
47.
What connection is there between the spirit of wisdom and revelation mentioned in Eph. 1:17, and the phrase having the eyes of your heart enlightened in Eph. 1:18?
48.
So the heart has eyes! What is this heart that has eyes?
49.
What is the hope of his calling that we are to know? Who is being called? By whom? How is the calling done? Doesnt every person who knows enough to accept Christ know the hope of His calling?
50.
Who has an inheritance in the saints? What does He inherit? Why does this inheritance contain riches of glory?
51.
What will be the benefit of knowing the exceeding greatness of Gods power toward us?
Paraphrase
18.
I pray that you may have a spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that the eyes of your heart (mind and understanding) may be enlightened with lasting illumination. Being thus enlightened, you may know what blessings are contained in the hope to which God has called you by the Gospel, and may know what are the riches of the glory of Gods inheritance, which is His saints,
19.
and that you may also know what is the exceeding greatness of the power which God employs toward us who believe, that power which is so great that it can be described only by saying that it is according to the working of the power of His strength.
Notes (Eph. 1:18-19)
1.
There is a great need for all of us to have the eyes of our hearts (understanding) enlightened. Many people are like Adam and Eve. They have had their eyes opened to sin by disobeying God. But it is usually much harder to have our eyes opened to good than to evil. We must learn fully about Gods promises, glory, blessings, etc. Then we must live by what we know. Head knowledge without heart enlightenment is not good enough.
2.
Paul lists three things we need to know through having the eyes of our heart enlightened:
1)
The hope of His calling. This refers to that living hope which we have in Christ of a heavenly inheritance that fades not away (1Pe. 1:3-4), God called us by the gospel, that good news about Christ which was preached to us (1Th. 2:14). Some people accept Christ much as they buy fire insurance, as a matter of protection. Christ is truly your protection. Nonetheless we do not follow Christ just because we must, but because we cherish and seek after the hope of His calling.
2)
The riches of the glory of His (Gods) inheritance in the saints.
As stated in Eph. 1:11, the saints (Christians) are Gods inheritance, His heritage. Naturally this brings great benefits to the saints, as well as pleasure to God. It is a rich and glorious arrangement. Christians can well apply Moses words to themselves:
The eternal God is thy dwelling place,
And underneath are the everlasting arms;
Happy art thou, O Israel (O church of God);
Who is like unto thee, a people saved by Jehovah?
(Deu. 33:27; Deu. 33:29)
3)
The exceeding greatness of His power toward us that believe.
Gods people often act like they think that God cannot or will not do anything for them, We need the eyes of our heart enlightened to grasp the truth that the same power that God used for Jesus, He can and does put to work for us. This thought almost staggers the imagination. But it is true, Study the notes on Eph. 1:20-22 to see how God used His power in the life of Jesus, and remember that this is an illustration of the power he uses to deliver us from evil, rule providentially in our lives, and to raise us from the dead.
Fact Questions
75.
According to Eph. 1:18, what needs to be enlightened?
76.
What are the three things Paul prayed that we would know?
77.
In what is Gods inheritance?
Eph. 1:18-19
PAUL PRAYED THAT WE WOULD KNOW
1.
THE HOPE OF GODS CALLING.
2.
THE RICHES OF THE GLORY OF HIS INHERITANCE IN THE SAINTS.
3.
THE GREATNESS OF HIS POWER TOWARD US.
DO YOU KNOW THESE THINGS?
Text (Eph. 1:20-23)
20 which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come; 22 and he put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church 23 which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Thought Questions (Eph. 1:20-23)
52.
What is that which God wrought in Christ? (See Eph. 1:19).
53.
Why is the mighty power which God wrought in Christ described here?
54.
What is shown about Gods power by the fact that his power raised Christ from the dead?
55.
Who will have the most honored name even in the world that is to come?
56.
How can God have put all things in subjection under Christs feet when the majority of humankind are in rebellion against Him? (Psa. 2:1-12 can help answer this question.)
57.
Note that Christ is head over all things to the church. Name three areas of church affairs over which Christ is head.
58.
What is the implication of the fact that the church is Christs body? Does that suggest that the church exercises the authority of Christ? Or that the church is subject to Christ? Or that it is intimately joined to Christ?
59.
To whom does this refer: Him that filleth all in all (Eph. 1:23; cf. Eph. 4:10)?
60.
What does the fact that the church is the fulness of Christ mean?
Paraphrase
20.
(praying that you may know) that power which God put to work in the life of Christ, and will employ toward us that believe, when He raised Christ from the dead, and gave Him the honor of sitting at His own right hand in heaven as chief governor of the universe,
21.
having seated Christ there by His power in spite of the efforts of wicked men, the devil, and death itself to destroy Christ. There Christ was seated far above all the ranks of authority held by men or spiritual creatures, whether they be first rulers, or authorities, or mighty powers, or lordships, yea above every name that is named, not only in this world, but even in that which is to come;
22.
and further demonstrating His great power in the life of Christ, God did subject all things in the universe under his feet, and appointed Him supreme Lord and head over all things pertaining to the church,
23.
which (the church) is His (Christs) body and His fulness, that which is filled by Him who verily filleth all things in all places.
Notes (Eph. 1:20-23)
1.
Eph. 1:20-23 are an elaboration of Eph. 1:19. Paul prayed that we would know what is the exceeding greatness of Gods power toward us. This power is described as being the power that God used for Jesus. It is almost staggering to think that we have available unto us the same power that God used for Christ. But that is true. Note what God did for Jesus:
1)
He raised Him from the dead. Eph. 1:20. If we believe that God raised up Jesus from the dead, we ought to have strong confidence, for God will use this same great power by which He raised up Jesus to help us.
2)
God exalted Jesus by seating Him at His right hand in heaven (Mar. 16:19; Psa. 110:1). God exalted Jesus far above all principality, power, might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but in that which is to come. The principalities, powers, might, and dominions mentioned here seem to refer to ranks and degrees of power among angels and spiritual beings, both good and bad (Col. 1:16; Eph. 6:12).
3)
God put all things beneath the feet of Christ; He is Lord of all heaven, earth, hades, hell, angels, governments, and all (Mat. 28:18).
4)
God made Christ to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of Him that filleth all things in all places.
The word fulness etymologically has a passive sense (Thayer), signifying that which is filled. This is a wonderful thought, The church is filled (not just allotted a sample) by Christ with blessings and salvation. The church is to be filled for Christ with holiness, service, and worship.
Note that there is only one head over the church, and that Christ is that head. He is head over all things to the churchits worship, its laws, its plan of salvation, its moral standards, etc. No pope, bishop, church council, convention, synod, prophet, preacher, or anyone else dares to rob Christ of any of the authority God gave to Him.
Note that the church is Christs body. In the context here the principal suggestion is that Christ is the ruler (or head) over the church. He directs the church as a human head directs the body beneath it.
Christ has only one body, one church. Can you imagine a freak with one head, but a hundred bodies attached to the head? Surely such a monstrosity could not make any progress in any direction. Yet we must assume that such a monster exists today, if we assume that all the denominations are divine. Christ has only one church. (See Eph. 4:4.)
2.
There have been false applications made of the fact that the church is the body of Christ. It would be wrong to reason that since the church is the body of Christ, and is in a sense an extension of Christ Himself, that the church therefore exercises the authority of Christ on earth. This is the Roman Catholic position.
Eph. 5:24 makes it very plain that the relationship of the body to the head is that of SUBJECTION. The church is subject to Christ the head in everything, and does not exercise authority for the head. The church cannot make laws for Christ. Neither can it accept nor reject any persons whom Christ has rejected or accepted.
3.
Concerning the heavenly places, see note on Eph. 1:3.
4.
We ought to pray, as Paul did, that we ourselves and all our brethren may have the eyes of our heart enlightened about these things.
Fact Questions
78.
Name the four things Gods power did for Christ.
79.
Why are these demonstrations of Gods power in the life of Christ mentioned?
80.
What are the rule, authority, power, and dominion of Eph. 1:21?
81.
What is the sense and meaning of the term fulness?
82.
What is the body of Christ?
83.
Who is the head of the church? Over what things in the church is He the head?
84.
Why does the fact that the church is the fulness and body of Christ not give it the authority of Christ on earth?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(15) After I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints.These words have an almost exact parallel in Col. 1:4, addressed there to a church which St. Paul had not seen, and have been quoted in support of the belief that this Epistle cannot have been addressed, properly and solely, to the well-known Ephesian Church. They are not, however, decisive, for we have a similar expression to Philemon (Phm. 1:5), St. Pauls own convert.
We may note a distinction between faith in the Lord Jesus and faith towards the Lord Jesus (like the love towards the saints). Comp. 2Ti. 1:13 (faith and love in Christ Jesus). Faith in Christ is a faith which, centred in Christ, nevertheless rests through Him on the Father; recognising a life hid with him in God (Col. 3:3) and a sonship of God in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:26). The connection of the two clauses here shows that such a faith abounds (i.e. overflows) unto love, first necessarily to God, so being made perfect (Gal. 5:6), but next towards all His children. For this commandment we have from Him, that he who loveth God, love his brother also (1Jn. 4:21).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
‘For this reason I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus that is among you, and which you show towards all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers.’
What a wonderful testimony is this. Paul says, ‘I have heard of you, of how great your faith is in the Lord Jesus, and of how it is revealed towards all God’s people.’ If only that could be said of us and of our church, known to everybody for the right reasons! And because of what he has heard he gives thanks and prays that they might enjoy even greater blessing.
‘For this reason – .’ Looking back over the whole of Eph 1:3-14, and applying it to them, he is confident that they will receive the promised activity precisely because he has heard of their faith in the Lord Jesus, and the fact that it is revealed also by their lives.
‘Having heard.’ This need not mean he had not known them personally. It describes the fact that he has since had news of them, news that they continue to walk in the faith, something which has rejoiced his heart.
‘The faith in the Lord Jesus that is among you.’ They are a church well witnessed to as a church which believes fully in Jesus the Lord. All around know that to these Christians there in only One Lord, and He is Jesus.
‘And which you show towards all the saints.’ Their faith is also shown by their behaviour towards all God’s people. If we have true faith it will always be reflected in the way we live, and especially in how we behave towards ‘all saints’, all God’s people. (Some manuscripts have ‘the love which you show’ in various forms, but on the whole these are not the better manuscripts).
‘Do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers.’ Paul did not forget to be grateful to God for what He had done, indeed he was unceasing in his gratitude. We too would do well to spend more time in gratitude and praise to God. Notice also that his prayers were for their spiritual welfare, not for their material well-being, as our Lord Himself mainly commanded in Mat 6:7-15.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Paul Prays That Their Eyes May Be Opened to the Richness of What Christ Has Brought Them and Has Done For Them (1:15-2:10).
Having declared what God has done for us in the overall plan of redemption Paul now reveals in more depth the work He has done within us and for us through His activity in Christ. He begins by praying that we may be given understanding so that we may grasp it, then he outlines the full glory of the resurrection and exaltation of Jesus Christ, and then he shows how those who are true Christians, saved by grace, partake with Christ in His resurrection and exaltation and, being so transformed, enter into a new spiritual sphere
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Paul’s Prayer for the Ephesians to Know This Three-fold Blessing – Paul was a man of prayer. Such prayers can be found in most of his epistles. Paul begins many of his epistles with a prayer, a feature typical of ancient Greco-Roman epistles as well, [93] with each prayer reflecting the respective themes of these epistles. For example, Paul’s prayer of thanksgiving to the church at Rome (Rom 1:8-12) reflects the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in redeeming mankind. Paul’s prayer of thanks for the Corinthians (1Co 1:4-8) reflects the theme of the sanctification of believers so that the gifts of the Spirit can operate through them as mature believers walking in love. Paul’s prayer to the Corinthians of blessing to God for comforting them in their tribulations (2Co 1:3-7) reflects the theme of higher level of sanctification so that believers will bear the sufferings of Christ and partake of His consolation. Paul’s prayer to the Ephesians (Eph 1:15-22) reflects the theme of the believer’s participation in God the Father’s great plan of redemption, as they come to the revelation this divine plan in their lives. Paul’s prayer to the Philippians (Php 1:3-11) reflects the theme of the believer’s role of participating with those whom God the Father has called to minister redemption for mankind. Paul’s prayer to the Colossians (Col 1:9-16) reflects the theme of the Lordship of Jesus Christ over the life of every believer, as they walk worthy of Him in pleasing Him. Paul’s prayer of thanksgiving to the Thessalonians (1Th 1:2-4) reflects the theme of the role of the Holy Spirit in our complete sanctification, spirit, soul, and body. Paul’s second prayer of thanksgiving to the Thessalonians (2Th 1:3-4) reflects the theme of maturity in the believer’s sanctification.
[93] John Grassmick says many ancient Greek and Roman epistles open with a “health wish” and a prayer to their god in behalf of the recipient. See John D. Grassmick, “Epistolary Genre,” in Interpreting the New Testament Text, eds. Darrell L. Bock and Buist M. Fanning (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 2006), 232.
Eph 1:15-23 is essentially a prayer by Paul for the saints to understand the next two chapters in which he expounds upon these spiritual blessings that are briefly listed in Eph 1:3-14. Paul is able to pray this prayer in faith because they have become faithful believers (Eph 1:15) and because he is confident of the work of the Holy Spirit in each of their lives (Eph 1:19), which power raised Christ from the dead and set Him at the right hand of the Father (Eph 1:20-23). In Eph 1:15-23 Paul prays that we as Christians might know three things:
1. Predestination and Calling: The hope of His calling
2. Justification: The riches of the glory of His inheritance
3. Sanctification: The exceeding greatness of His power
1. Predestination and Calling: The Hope of His Calling God the Father has called us to share in the hope that Israel partakes of. In other words, He has planned our journey. Paul will elaborate on the Father’s plan and the hope of our calling in Eph 2:1-10.
Eph 2:12, “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:”
2. Justification: The Riches of the Glory of His Inheritance We are to look to our heavenly resources to experience His blessings now through Christ Jesus. That is, Jesus has authorized and equipped us for the journey. Paul will elaborate on our inheritance in Jesus Christ in Eph 2:11 to Eph 3:13.
Eph 3:8, “Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ ;”
3. Sanctification: The Exceeding Greatness of His Power God wants to teach us how to live victorious now by the power of the Holy Spirit and enter into heaven. In other words, the Holy Spirit will empower us for the journey. Paul will pray for the Spirit to empower us in Eph 3:14-21. Note:
Eph 3:20, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,”
Col 1:29, “Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.”
Paul will further elaborate on these three aspects of our spiritual blessings in chapters 2-3. In chapters 4-6 he will teach us how to walk in these blessings.
Now, why are these three aspects of divine blessings equally important to understand? We are all on a journey. In the natural, if we were going to take a long journey, we would drive our car to our destination. In order to do that, we would need a road map and a plan for the journey, such as when to stop, and eat, and rest. We would need a driver’s license so that we have the legal right to get on the road. Then we would need to put fuel in the car. All three of these items are necessary for the journey. As believers we all have salvation, just like most of us own a car, but without a plan from God, and the legal authority from the blood and name of Jesus, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, we will not reach our destination and fulfill God’s plan in our lives.
Illustration – In Oral Robert’s vision that the Lord gave him in July 2004, Jesus said to him that His servants are wasting the resources that they have been entrusted with. [94] They are wasting His money and His gifts. For example, if anyone has ever cranked a car while it was in gear, they have felt power out of control and misdirected as the car lurched forward. We want to feel God’s power, but we need to know how to direct that power. We can own a gun, but without knowing the right target, we can do more damage than harm. Thus, we must have a plan and the legal authority to know how to walk in the power of God.
[94] Oral Roberts, interviewed by Benny Hinn, This is Your Day, on Trinity Broadcasting Network (Santa Ana, California), television program, 2004
Eph 1:15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
Eph 1:15
Eph 1:15 Comments (Faith, Hope and Love) – Eph 1:15 refers to the faith and love of the Ephesians. This was written within the context of the hope of our calling (Eph 1:18). We know that faith, hope and love are the three fundamental virtues upon which all spiritual growth is built.
1Co 13:13, “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”
We place our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ by our obedience to Him. As a result, we are filled with the Holy Spirit and the love of God is poured forth within us (Rom 5:5) in order to bring about our sanctification. Then as we renew our minds, we are able direct our hope on things above, and not on this earth. Our hope begins to rest in the divine plan that the Heavenly Father has prepared for each of us through His foreknowledge, no longer setting our affections on the things of this world, but towards heaven.
When studying the use of these three words in 1Th 1:3, we make an interesting discovery.
1Th 1:3, “Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;”
Faith establishes our heart and undergirds our actions so that they are motivated by love. This refers to the condition of our heart in serving the Lord. Hope causes us to endure, being the anchor of the soul (Heb 6:19). This refers to our soulish realm, wherein dwells our will, our emotions, our mind and thoughts, thus, our ability to make a decision that is within the will of God. Labour of love refers to the physical realm of man, how he brings his body into submission to the will of God out of love to toil and serve in the kingdom of God.
Eph 1:15 Comments (Paul the Leader) – Paul founded the church at Ephesus. He spent about three years in this city establishing this church and using it as a base to reach out and evangelize the region. He left this church and ended his third missionary journey by being imprisoned, first at Caesarea Philippi and then in Rome. All this time, Paul managed to exercise oversight over these believers. He appointed elders and bishops over these churches. He placed Timothy over the church at Ephesus to set it in order. Paul continued to send his co-workers to his churches from afar and instructed them by letter and messenger using the Roman infrastructure of travel.
Paul was a leader. He knew the condition of his flock. There is a tremendous responsibility in leadership. One must be very mature in order to handle such a position responsibly. God warned the shepherds of Israel through the prophet Ezekiel because these leaders had fed themselves from of the flock, rather than caring for them (Eze 34:1-16).
In addition, when a spiritual leader fails, unlike the failure of laymen, many people are affected and suffer.
Eph 1:16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
Eph 1:16
Eph 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
Eph 1:17
Eph 1:17 “may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him” Comments – The Holy Spirit is central to the prayer of Eph 3:14-21. This is because He is the one who imparts revelation to us. Divine revelation is the disclosure of who God is and what He is doing. This impartation of wisdom and revelation comes from the Father and is given to the Holy Spirit, who are one, and is imparted unto us by the Holy Spirit who dwells within in us. This is what Paul was saying when he said that God has revealed them unto us by His Spirit (1Co 2:10).
1Co 2:10, “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.”
What does the word “them” refer to in 1Co 2:10? It refers to “the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” Thus, divine wisdom and revelation is not for the world. They cannot receive it nor understand it. Revelation is imparted into our regenerated heart, our spirit, which has been recreated in the likeness of God. Thus, the natural man cannot receive in his spirit revelation from the Spirit of God. This is what Paul was saying in 1Co 2:14.
1Co 2:14, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
Revelation is not human reasoning, which comes from the mind. It is something that rises out of our hearts. Thus, Paul prays in Eph 1:17 that “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:” Jesus said that He would send the Comforter, who will teach us all things (Joh 14:26). This teaching is done by divine impartation.
Joh 14:26, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
John the apostle says the same thing when he writes that the anointing within us will teach us the truth (1Jn 2:27). This is done by divine impartation.
1Jn 2:27, “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.”
We are not only to receive revelation by the Spirit of God, but we are to minister this revelation by the Holy Spirit (2Co 3:6).
2Co 3:6, “Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.”
Paul had learned to distinguish between human reasoning and divine revelation. He understood the voice of God as distinct from his thoughts. He wanted the Ephesians to learn the same.
“in the knowledge of him” In the phrase “in the knowledge of him,” the pronoun “him” refers to Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit will testify of Jesus by giving us knowledge of Him, both His work of redemption and His riches that are made available to us now. This is why Paul emphasizes Jesus’ place of authority above all things in all ages in Eph 1:20-23 after having referred to our three-fold blessing in Eph 1:15-19. Jesus told His disciples in Joh 15:26 that this was the office and ministry of the Holy Spirit to the Church.
Joh 15:26, “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:”
Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:18
[95] Jim W. Goll, The Seer (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 2004), 64.
Scripture References – Note other verses related to the enlightening of our hearts:
Luk 24:45, “Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,”
Luk 9:45, “But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not: and they feared to ask him of that saying.”
1Co 2:14, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned .”
2Co 4:6, “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts , to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
Eph 3:8-9, “Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:”
Eph 1:18 “that ye may know what is the hope of his calling” Comments – There is only one hope in this world (Eph 4:4). Why is hope so important to have? A hope is something we long for (Rom 8:24-25, Pro 13:12). We all have an inner desire to know our purpose in being born, to know why God created us. We all sense that God has a plan for our individual lives. We were not created by accident. We each have a role to play that no one else can play. There has never been another person like you. God desires that we fulfill our purpose for what we were created. However, when our longings and desires become earthly, and not towards heaven, then our heart errs and strays from living and working towards our one heavenly hope. It begins leading us to work towards earthly achievements.
Scripture References – Note:
Col 3:2, “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”
Eph 4:4-6, “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”
Rom 8:24-25, “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.”
Pro 13:12, “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.”
Note other verses on the “hope of his calling”:
Rom 5:2, “By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God .”
Rom 8:24, “ For we are saved by hope : but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?”
Eph 4:4, “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling ;”
Col 1:27, “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory :”
Heb 6:19, “ Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul , both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;”
If we read Rom 5:2 in the NLT, it says, “and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.” In other words, we rejoice that one day we will stand before God and He will say, “Well done, than good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord.” This eternal joy and fellowship in God’s presence is our hope.
Eph 1:18 “the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints” Comments – God has hidden His treasures and gifts in each one of us in order to fulfill our individual destinies and callings. These treasures define who we are in God’s sight because of the investment He has deposited within each of us. Only those who have realized these riches and used them can teach others that they too are rich in Christ Jesus. Note other verses that use the phrase “the riches of His glory” in Scripture.
Rom 9:23, “And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,”
Col 1:27, “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:”
These riches are for our use now on earth:
1Co 4:8, “Now ye are full, now ye are rich , ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you.”
Eph 3:8, “Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ ;”
Php 4:19, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus .”
The glory of God refers to either (1) the honor that God will bestow upon us in that day, a crown and a robe of righteousness. This definition goes well with Rom 3:23. Or it refers to (2) a partaking of the majesty of God, His radiance and His splendor (Mat 5:8).
Rom 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
Mat 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”
Eph 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Eph 1:19
[96] T. D. Jakes, “Sermon,” Speke Resort Munyonyo, Kampala, Uganda, February 2005.
Eph 1:19 Comments – Jer 32:27 refers to the unlimited power of God, which power now dwells in us, His children.
Jer 32:27, “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?”
Eph 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Eph 1:21 Eph 1:21
Php 2:9, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:”
1Pe 1:17, “And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:”
Eph 1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Eph 1:22
Mat 28:18-20, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
1Jn 4:17, “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.”
Eph 2:6, “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:”
God has given Jesus to the Church to be our head and the head over all things. God gave Jesus, the bridegroom, to us, the bride, so that we would benefit both in this life and in eternity.
Eph 1:22 Comments – Paul refers to “the church” numerous times throughout this Epistle (Eph 3:10; Eph 3:21, Eph 5:23-25; Eph 5:27; Eph 5:29; Eph 5:32). Paul makes other references in his epistles to the Church as His body (Col 1:18; Col 1:24). Other writers of the New Testament epistles give us additional descriptions of the Church in order to help us understand its characteristics and ministry (Heb 12:23, 1Pe 2:9).
Heb 12:23, “To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,”
1Pe 2:9, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”
Col 1:18, “And he is the head of the body, the church : who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.”
Col 1:24, “Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church :”
Eph 1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Eph 1:23
Eph 1:23 “that filleth all in all” Comments – Thayer interprets the phrase “all in all” to mean, “all things in all places.”
Eph 1:23 Comments – The Church is Jesus’ body as if He Himself were on earth today. We are to live like Jesus now, with the same Holy Spirit, the same works (Joh 14:12).
Joh 14:12, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”
Eph 1:22-23 Comments The Lordship of Jesus Christ as Head of the Church – Paul will take up this theme of Christ Jesus being the head of the Church in his epistle to the Colossians, which was written at approximately the same time as his letter to the Ephesians. In Colossians, Paul will further elaborate on the church’s relationship with Christ Jesus. However, in Ephesians, Paul continues with the theme of the church’s relationship with the Father and His divine plan for them.
Eph 1:20-23 Comments Jesus’ Place of Authority – After Paul prays for us to become enlightened in these three areas of spiritual revelation (Eph 1:15-19), he emphasizes Jesus’ place of authority above all things in all ages (Eph 1:20-23). This emphasis is made because this is the basis for the position of the Church to also be seated with Christ in the heavenlies. It is only when the Church begins to walk in this authority that it will be able to partake of these riches and to fulfill God’s plan for mankind. We must understand our place in Christ before we can walk in our fullness of blessings.
Eph 1:20 tells us in one verse that God raised Christ Jesus from the dead and set Him at His own right hand in heavenly places. It tells us the story of how Jesus left His own will and fulfilled the will of His Father. As Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice, the Father rewarded Him with the ultimate reward, which was to sit at the Father’s right hand and His name exalted fall above all things (Eph 1:21).
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Eph 1:15. Having, in the foregoing verses, thanked God for the great favours and mercies which, from the beginning, he had purposed for the Gentiles under the Messiah, in such a description of that design of the Almighty as was fit to raise their thoughts above the law; having taken notice of their standing firm in the faith which he had taught them, and thanked God for it;the Apostle here goes on to intreat of God that he would enlighten the minds of the Ephesian converts, to see fully the great things which were actually done for them, and the glorious state they were in under the gospel; of which he gives us such a draught from this verse to ch. Eph 2:10 as in every part of it shews, that, in the kingdom of Christ, they are set far above the Mosaical rites, and enjoy the spiritual and incomprehensible benefits of it, not by the tenour of a few outward ceremonies, but by their faith alone in Jesus Christ, to whom they are united, and of whom they are members; who is exalted to the height of all dignity, dominion, and power, in his glorified humanity, and in his mediatorial office.
After I heard of your faith Some have hence argued, that this Epistle, if directed to the Ephesians, must have been written before St. Paul’s long abode at Ephesus; since he would not have spoken of their faith as only known by report, if he had, by two years and a half, been conversant with them, and seen the effects of it. To this it has been answered by some, that the word signifies, not only to hear, but to understand, by whatever means the knowledge be attained. And others have said, that this Epistle was intended, not only for the church of Ephesus, but for other Asian churches in the neighbourhood. But, perhaps, the easiest and most solid answer is, that, as it was now five or six years since St. Paul quitted Ephesus, he might judge it proper thus to express his complacency on hearing that they continued, in the midst of so many circumstances of temptation, to behave in a manner so worthy what he had personally observed among them. See Col 1:4. Php 3:21. 1Th 1:5-6; 1Th 3:6. Instead of faith, some read faithfulness.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Eph 1:15 . [109] Only now, after the general ascription of praise to God for the Christian economy of salvation, which had since Eph 1:3 flowed forth from him in an enraptured stream, does Paul reach that, with which he is wont on other occasions at once to begin the thanksgiving to God for the Christian position of the readers , and intercession for them.
] has reference to Eph 1:13-14 : because this is the case, that ye too are in Christ and have been sealed with the Holy Spirit , etc. See already Theophylact. There is no reason for going farther back and referring it to the whole preceding development from Eph 1:3 onward (Harless, Winzer, Schenkel, and others, following Oecumenius), since thanksgiving and intercession have reference to the readers , and it is only Eph 1:13 that has led over to the latter.
] I also ; for Paul knows that by his exercise of prayer, Eph 1:16 , he is co-operating with the readers. Comp. on Col 1:9 .
] does not serve to prove that the Epistle could not have been written to the Ephesians, or not to them alone (see Introd. 1); Grotius in fact has already aptly remarked: “Loquitur autem apostolus de profectu evangelii apud Ephesios, ex quo ipse ab illis discesserat .” Comp. Winzer, p. 5; Wiggers in the Stud. u. Krit. 1841, p. 430 f.; Wieseler, p. 445; and already Theodoret in loc. No doubt Olshausen (comp. Bleek) maintains that Paul so expresses himself as to make it apparent that with a great proportion of his readers he was not personally acquainted, appealing to Col 1:4 . But may he not here, as at Phm 1:5 , have heard respecting those who were known to him, what at Col 1:4 he has heard respecting those who were previously unknown to him?
] fidem, quae ad vos pertinet , i.e. vestram fidem. Comp. Act 17:28 ; Act 18:15 ; Act 26:3 . Thuc. vi. 16. 5 ( ); Ael. V. H . ii. 12 ( ). The difference between and lies only in the form of conception, not in the thing itself. Yet the mode of expression, not occurring elsewhere in the letters of the apostle, belongs to the peculiar phenomena of our Epistle. The assertion of Harless, that it denotes the faith of the readers objectively, as in itself a thing to be found among them, while denotes it subjectively, according to its individual character in each one (comp. Matthies and Schenkel), is the less capable of proof, in proportion to the prevalent use among the later Greeks of the periphrasis of the genitival relation by . See Valckenaer, ad Luc. p. 4 f.; Schaefer, ad Long. p. 330; Wesseling, ad Diod. Sic. xiv. 12.
] belonging to (fidem vestram in Christo repositam), and blended without any connecting article into unity of idea with it. See on Gal 3:26 . Winzer connects it with : “fidem, quae vobis, Domino Jesu veluti insitis, inest;” but this is forbidden by the order of the words.
. . . .] Here, too, Paul might have left out the second article, so that the sense would be: (comp. Col 1:4 ), as at 2Co 7:7 : . But he has first thought of the notion of love in itself , and then added thereto , as a special important element, the thought, . .
“character Christianismi,” Bengel. Comp. Eph 6:18 ; Phm 1:5 . We may add Chrysostom’s apt remark: . Comp. Gal 5:6 ; 1Co 13 .
[109] On vv. 15 19, see Winzer, Commentat. , Lips. 1836.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
2. Exhortation springing out of the Apostles supplication for the Church as the body of Christ, who is the Head
(Eph 1:15-23.)
15Wherefore [For this cause] I also, after I [having] heard of your faith [or the faith which is among you] in the Lord Jesus, and love [the love which ye have]66 unto all the saints, 16Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you67 in my prayers; 17That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge [in full knowledge] of him: 18The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; [Having the eyes of your heart68 enlightened,] that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and 19[omit and]69 what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is [omit is] the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according 20to the working of his mighty power [the might of his strength],70 Which he [hath]71 wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him [in raising him from the dead and making him sit]72 at his own right hand in the heavenly places,73 21Far [over]74 above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion [lordship], and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22And hath put [And subjected] all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23Which is his body, the fulness of him that [who] filleth all75 in all.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
Summary.After the praise of God on account of His grace towards Christendom, to which the readers of this letter belong (Eph 1:13) has been expressed (Eph 1:3-14), there follows on account of this very grace the Apostles thanksgiving for the readers faith and love in his prayers (Eph 1:15-16), out of which he gives prominence to the petition, united with his thanksgiving, that God would make them know the glory of their calling and inheritance as well as of His power (Eph 1:17-19), which He has shown and will show in the Redemption through Christ, the Head of the church (Eph 1:20-23).
It is not proper to find here, as Olshausen does, after an effusion of love, only a thanksgiving for the faith of the readers, as far as Eph 2:10, without perceiving the profound, rich instruction contained in these verses. But it is not precisely a prayer for the readers which follows, as Harless says; he only mentions what he does when thinking of the church. This prayer and supplication to God about and for souls is the apostolic ministry in faith, care and joy; and the whole Church should know it and should infer from this petition, how weak and needy she is in and of herself, even though born a heavenly seed for heaven; and how necessary earnest, persevering prayer and supplication on her part always is, for her preservation and prosperity.
[After praise comes prayer (Eadie). Ellicott: I ever give thanks, and pray that you may be enlightened to know the hope of His calling, the riches of His inheritance, and the greatness of His power, which was especially displayed in the Resurrection and supreme exaltation of Christ.Alford, following the Trinitarian division of Stier: The idea of the Church carried forward, in the form of a prayer for the Ephesians, in which the fulfilment of the Fathers counsel through the Son and by the Spirit, in His people, is set forth, as consisting in the knowledge of the hope of His calling, of the riches of His promise, and the power which He exercises on His saints as first wrought by Him in Christ, whom He has made Head over all to the Church.R.]
The Apostles Thanksgiving (Eph 1:15-16).
Eph 1:15. For this cause, , refers to what precedes, and on account of the close connection of the individual parts with each other, to Eph 1:3-14. So most ancient and modern commentators (cumenius: ); it is not merely an appendage to Eph 1:13-14, because the thanksgiving and petition apply to the readers only (Meyer, Rueckert), nor to the last clause (Eph 1:14 : to the praise of His glory), as Grotius thinks. But it treats of more than thanksgiving, of petition, supplication, not merely of the readers, but also of all Christendom ( , Eph 1:19; comp. Eph 1:20-23).
[The reference to the whole preceding paragraph is defended by Harless (so Chrysostom, Winzer, Schenkel and many others). It accords best with Braunes exegesis of Eph 1:13-14, to accept this view, but Eadie, Ellicott, Hodge follow Theophylact, in referring it to Eph 1:13-14. Alford: On account of what has gone before, since Eph 1:3; but especially of what has been said since Eph 1:13, where first came in. The more restricted view seems preferable, but we must then accept an expanded reference in Eph 1:19.R.]
I also, .The unexpressed fellowship in which Paul thus marks himself, as Eph 1:13 ( ), is to be inferred from the context, from the clause . He thinks of the Christians, who have spoken of the readers Christian state with joy and thanksgiving, and expects, that all Christians, especially they themselves to whom he writes, would do the same (Harless). Hence it is not=even I also, a believing Israelite (Baumgarten); such arrogance he would have opposed, not possessed. Nor is it=also I, your Apostle (Stier) [Eadie]; He places himself as a member of the body of Christ, who is the Head, in the Church, not above it. [De Wette unwarrantably joins with the preceding . Alford objects to the view of Meyer (Paul knows that he co-operates with the readers in his prayerful activity), preferring to take as marking the resumption of the first person after the second. Ellicott thus expresses Braunes view: is thus faintly corresponsive with , and hints at the union in prayer and praise which subsisted between the Apostle and his converts.R.]
Having heard, .This marks nothing further than that he had heard, and accordingly indicates only, that what has been heard has been spoken of, hence that the Apostle was not in Ephesus, when he heard. Grotius is therefore correct: loquitur apostolus de profectu evangelii apud Ephesios, ex quo ipse ab illis discesserat. So Theodoret, Harless, Meyer and others. Nothing is said respecting acquaintance or non-acquaintance (against Olshausen [who thinks the larger part were probably unknown to himR.]); it is used in the former case, Phm 1:5, in the latter, Col 1:4; Rom 1:8. Bengel: Hoc referri potest non solum ad ignotos facie, sed etiam ad familiarissimos, pro statu eorum prsenti. It is therefore not=scire, comperire (Hammond), as though it described personal observation, since it is the very opposite; but at the same time nothing can be inferred from this against the composition of this Epistle for the Ephesians, nor that he wrote the letter before his personal acquaintance, nor yet that he had other churches in his mind at the same time (Stier).76
Of the faith which is among you in the Lord Jesus, .To this Col 1:4 is parallel: your faith in Christ Jesus, etc. Accordingly here seems to be equivalent to there [so E. V.]. But faith among you differs somewhat from your faith; the relation of the faith to the subjects is different: in the first case, in accordance with the notion of the preposition ( , Luk 8:39, not= , see Winer, p. 374), which is distributive, the faith is merely to be found there, within the church, even though each one does not have it, and believers and unbelievers dwell side by side, in the other case, however, the faith is the possession of the individuals; Winer, p. 146, fides, qu ad vos pertinet, apud vos (in vobis?) est.77 Such circumlocutions have their special shadings of thought, as (Act 23:21), (1Co 8:7), promissio a te profecta, amor qui a vobis proficiscitur, are not exactly equivalent to tua promissio, amor vester. Comp. Winer, p. 181. Stier is excellent: A hint that a gracious treasure of faith and love is indeed present within the church, yet not certainly active in every member of it. [So Alford.] The notion of the substantive is not, however, thereby modified, as though the objective nature of faith were to be understood here, and the individual quality of faith in the particular persons, in Col 1:4 (Harless) [Ellicott]; with the Apostle the faith in Ephesus as among the Colossians remains the subject of thanksgiving; and the genitive indicates nothing about individual quality, only the possession of the individuals, still less any thing about purity or impurity (Matthies); nor is any hint given respecting fides qua or fides qu creditur.
It is indeed here as there more closely defined as the faith in the Lord Jesus, as Gal 3:26. The preposition marks the foundation of the faith: founded in the Lord Jesus, or its life-sphere, without placing any other aim of the faith. There is no reason for understanding here from 1Pe 1:21 : who by him do believe in God (Bengel: fidem erga Deum in domino Jesu; Grotius: fidem in Deum fundatam in Christo); in the Lord is not=through Him, nor = (Koppe, Flatt). The article is wanting before , because the qualifying phrase adds an integral element to , which as anticipated is joined immediately (Rom 3:25; 2Co 7:7). [Christ-centred faith (Ellicott).R.] Comp. Winer, p. 128. The position of the words does not permit our connecting with (Winzer); besides requires further definition more than .
And the love which ye have unto all the saints, .[See Textual Note1.R.] This sets forth the first and immediate manifestation of the faith. Chrysostom aptly says: , . Quisquis fidem et amorem habet, particeps est totius benefactionis (Bengel). This love is, however, more closely defined as unto all the saints. On the article [which here specializes love.R.] see Winer, p. 126. Paul had here first the idea of love in itself and then added in his thought (Meyer). are Christians. Hence: all saints (Eph 3:8; Eph 3:18; Eph 6:18; Eph 6:24) points to brotherly love as character Christianismi, Joh 13:34 f.; 1Jn 5:1. As little as this notion is to be enlarged here into universal philanthropy, as Calvin would do, and as is the case in 1 Corinthians 13; Gal 5:6; 1Ti 2:1; Tit 3:2, also in 2Pe 1:7 ( ), so little and still less is brotherly love to be narrowed down, with Theodoret, to liberality. At the same time we should not overlook the emphasis resting on the word all, permitting no distinction as respects condition, rank, possessions or internal endowment, either mental or spiritual.
Eph 1:16. Cease not to give thanks for you, .Thus or , 1Co 1:4; Php 1:3; Col 1:3; 1Th 1:2; Philippians 4; comp. Winer, p. 323. Paul never ceases to be a giver of thanks. [The participle points to a state supposed to be already in existence. Eadie: As one giving thanks for you I cease not. Ulphilus: non cessans gratias dico.R.] The phrase , as in Eph 1:2; 1Ti 2:1, marks the protection of prayer, like that of a shield over the assailed (Winer, p. 359) while (Rom 1:8) denotes the position of the protector around the protected.
Making mention of you, , adds a limitation; he thanks constantly whenever he thinks of them; but that happens daily.In my prayers, .This indicates that Paul has and takes occasion to think of them from his prayers.78 Comp. Winer, p. Eph 352: 1Th 1:2; Rom 1:10. Praying is the Apostles daily doing, and therewith arises the thought about his church, changing his prayer into intercession. The subject of his thought and petition is not, therefore, precisely the faith and love of the Ephesians (Meyer [Alford] who rejects ), but themselves, with their necessities indeed, which determine the purport of the petition.No thanksgiving without petition, so long as perfection and completion are not yet there (Stier).
The Apostles petition as to its purport. Eph 1:17-19
Eph 1:17. That, , has its parallel in , Phil. 6 and must retain, as in Eph 3:16, the signification of the purpose, design, Comp. Winer, pp. 418 f., 428 f. The Apostles will, in the very thought of his prayer, is directed to this, that God should give (Meyer, Schenkel). Hence there is no reason for weakening the force of here into: that He may give (Winer, p. 273), as if it introduced only the object, the purport of the petition (Harless, Stier); for although Paul did not regard his request as causa of Divine favors, nor purpose thereby to bestow upon others the gift of grace, yet still in his petitions offered in the name of Jesus (Joh 14:13; Joh 15:16; Joh 6:23) he has the design as well as the hope, that they should take place.79 Bengel: Argumentum precum pro veris Christianis.
The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, .Here we must hold (see Eph 1:3 f.), that he is speaking of the Incarnate One, the God-man, to whom God is God, worshipped by Him also (Stier). It does not suffice to say, that the meaning is, God sent Him, He bore witness of God and returned to God (Harless) [apparently Hodge also].
The Father of glory, . This parallel clause is far more difficult than the last. First of all, , corresponding to , is to be retained in its established meaning, Father, hence not to be taken in the sense of causa (Grotius), auctor ( , Chrysostom and others), source, origin (Matthies, Schenkel). The genitive, , designates the possession, the character of the Father, to whom the glory belongs, which is=, the Divine glory and majesty; it is like the God of glory (Act 7:2; Psa 29:3), the Lord of glory (1Co 2:8), the King of glory (Psa 24:7); comp. also the Father of mercies (2Co 1:3). Hence: the Father full of glory. As parallel to the genitive: of our Lord Jesus Christ, we must also in connection with glory, think of Him, in whom it was manifested. Bengel: Pater glori, infinit illius, qu refulget in facie Christi; imo glori, qu est ipse filius Dei, unde etiam nobis hereditas gloriosa obtinget (Eph 1:18). Harless: Father of glory, because the glory presses upon the Apostle, which God has revealed to men in His Son.
Though the Greek Fathers go too far ( ), yet the Father full of glory, following the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, is evidently not without a reference to Christ and of such a kind, that the Apostles first phrase conceives rather of the God-man;80 the second of the God-man. This explanation accordingly is not a curiosity (Rueckert), needing no contradiction (Olshausen), nor is it obscurius et remotius (A-Lapide). It is much more of a curiosity, to wish to connect thus: Deus qui est domini nostri Jesu Christi pater, glori; since then and must be taken together, while is inserted between them (Vatable). The conjecture of Piscator, that and were first written in interchanged positions, is very bold. Still it cannot be said that our phrase is=pater gloriosus (Calvin and others), or cui debetur honor, venerandus, or prstantissimus (Wahl and others), or the Almighty Father (Koppe).cumenius aptly remarks: . The designation of God in this passage corresponds entirely with the fervor and confidence of the Apostles petition respecting the affairs of the kingdom of Christ.
May give unto you, . the optative; Joh 15:16 : the conjunctive; the Ionic conjunctive form is not sufficiently attested in the New Testament, and is preferred [in that passage, B. giving it here also.R.] The optative as modus optandi is here, especially in oratio obliqua (Matthies), used in the place of the conjunctive (Winer, p. 273). In 2Ti 1:16; 2Ti 1:18 we find a similar usage. [Meyer and Ellicott regard the optative as chosen to follow the present here, because the answer belongs to what is hoped for, etc., the latter finding in its use a support for his view of the sub-final force of . But the view of Alford (and Eadie) is preferable: The optative is used when the purpose is not that of the writer as he is writing, but is described as that of himself or some one else at another time, thus falling in effect under the rule of the oratio obliqua.R.]
The spirit of wisdom and revelation, , is the object of the preceding verb. The omission of the article before the genitives points to the close connection with the governing substantive, to which also the article may be wanting, without its becoming indefinite, as the genitives contain the closer definition; Luk 23:46 : (Winer, p. 118 f.). God gives as a Father to His children, who have become such through Christ, of His Spirit; hence the reference may well be to the Holy Ghost; but since they have already been sealed with this (Eph 1:13), this efficient, personal, power recedes rather, and we are to understand the spirit wrought or to be wrought by the same in Christians. So Gal 6:1; 2Ti 1:7. So Olshausen, Stier: Something of God, yet manifesting itself as in man. Hence we are not to understand the human spirit of itself, or the human heart (Rueckert: God give you a wise heart, open to His revelation), nor yet precisely the Person of the Holy Ghost (Bengel: idem Spiritus, qui est promissionis, in progressu fidelium est etiam sapienti et revelationis; sapientia in nobis operatur sapientiam, Revelatio cognitionem; Matthies, Meyer).81 Evidently Paul is speaking of a gift for all Christians; hence Charisms are not meant, as 1Co 12:8; 1Co 14:12; 1 Cor. 6:26 (Olshausen).
Both wisdom and revelation point to universal gifts to Christians, and to what is or comes to pass in them, hence to something subjective. By wisdom we understand a continued condition, by revelation the single glances afforded us, into the truths of Christianity, into the will of God in special circumstances and situations of life, into the human heart, into the course of time, into eternal life. The former includes the , understanding, joined with it in Eph 1:8; the latter is the very necessary private revelation for every Christian (Stier), as 1Co 2:10. Paul adds the special to the general in the same way (Rom 1:5; Rom 5:15; Rom 11:29). Accordingly we are not to consider the second an objective medium for the first (Harless); in that case, the position would be reversed (Meyer).82 Comp. Col 1:9.
In the full knowledge of him [ ].First the meaning of the words. In the preposition, which renders prominent the intension of the verbal notion to its object (Harless), must not be overlooked, and the distinction from must be maintained. It is major exactiorque cognitio (Grotius,) plena et accurata cognitio (Wahl). 1Co 13:12 is instructive: Now I know () in part; but then shall I know ( ) even as also I am known ().83 Hence it is not=agnitio (Calovius and others), nor can it be of any force here, that designates the higher, the charismatic form of knowledge, 1Co 12:8; 1Co 13:8 (Olshausen), since this technical term designates the character, not the degree (Meyer). The context, Eph 1:18-19, evidently determines that the knowledge of God is here referred to, and does not permit to be referred to Christ (Beza, Erasmus, Luther and others); nor can it remain undetermined (Calvin). Finally , in, designates the sphere within which that is accomplished, which has been spoken of: it cannot possibly be taken as= (Vulgate, Luther and others), or=per (Erasmus and others), or=una cum (Flatt). [Hodge most unwarrantably renders the preposition , together with.R.]
The connection with the verb give is clear then: The knowledge of God is a status or circle of life, wrought already by the Spirit and word of God, in which he should and must be, who will and shall receive the spirit of wisdom and revelation, since this does not take place without means, Col 1:9-10. Advance is made from truth to truth, from knowledge to knowledge. The connection with what follows: (Chrysostom and others), is impossible, both grammatically and logically, on account of the appended , which is joined at the close of Eph 1:18, just as here in Eph 1:17; the two phrases correspond to each other. But the connection with is quite as impossible, as with (a suggestion of Koppes); it is contrary to the usus loquendi and introduces erroneous thoughts: for it is not to those, who have known, who are real worshippers, that He gives such a spirit, as He does not give the spirit through knowledge, but rather knowledge through the Spirit, nor does revelation consist only in the knowledge of God, although this is the beginning, centre and main point to which all comes and returns. [Eadie follows Koppe, the result being a confusion respecting these phrases, which is very uncommon with him.R.]
Eph 1:18. Having the eyes of your heart enlightened [],This is added without a conjunction, seeming to be in apposition, with the emphasis on the participle; the being enlightened is, what God should give. , eyes, He need not first give; Bengel: articulus prsupponit oculos jam prsentes. But the Apostle wishes that the eyes may be given in a new quality (Harless). Accordingly we should not render: enlightened eyes (Luther); in that case we should find, . It is arbitrary to correct the reading into (Piscator and others), as though it belonged to . It is untenable to accept an accusative absolute (Beza, Koppe, Meyer [E. V., Eadie), and to refer the participle to , so that the accusative of the noun is made to contain the closer definition; for then the recipients would have been, which is contrary to Scripture and to fact, enlightened before they received the Spirit of wisdom and revelation; the reference to the effect: so that you are illuminated as respects your eyesis grammatically impossible. Nor should be interpolated (Flatt).
[The interpretation: so that you are illuminated as respects your eyes, is that of Meyer, who does not defend the accusative absolute. Ellicott and Alford, whose rendering is given in the English text, refer the participle to , as a lax construction, taking the noun as an accusative of limiting reference. Notwithstanding Dr. Braunes objection, this seems the best solution. The clause serves to define the result of the gift of the Spirit, and owing to the subsequent infinitive, which expresses the purpose of the illumination, not unnaturally lapses into the accusative (Ellicott). See Alford for similar constructions. The accusative absolute which also expresses a result, is a very doubtful construction, see Meyer in loco, and on Rom 8:3. The appositional construction, which makes our clause the object of , is open to fewer grammatical than logical objections. The enlightenment as regards the eyes of the heart ought not to be put as correlative or co-ordinate with the gift of the Spirit of wisdom, etc. This objection holds, however, the meaning of our clause may be enlarged, as is done below, and by Harless and others. Braunes view, it should be added, is supported by Rueckert, Matthies, Meier, Holzhausen, Harless, Olshausen, De Wette and others; apparently by Hodge, who does not notice the construction preferred in this note.R.]
The value of the gift is well described by Gregory Nazian.: , . According to Eph 5:8, compared with Eph 4:18; 2Co 4:4; Heb 6:4, the light of life is meant, that illumination which is already connected with sanctification and rooted in experience (Harless, Stier), so that it cannot be referred to merely intellectual insight (Rueckert and others). [Yet the eyes of the heart are spoken of, giving prominence to the perceptive side.R.]
The eyes are , of your heart, and this is the centre of life (Harless), the core of the personality (Olshausen), and not merely mind or soul, without disposition. Mat 23:15 : . Comp. Eph 4:22; Rom 1:21; 2Co 4:6. Cor est, quo tantas res percipimus (Bengel).84 It is thus marked by this qualifying phrase, that we, in spite of our old nature, are renewed and made susceptible of that wisdom and revelation, that is the light for which the eyes of our heart are prepared; our heart should become secure and full of the Spirit. Thus this apposition is defended from Meyers objections.
That ye may know, .This sets forth the aim of the enlightening, toward which progress is made in the knowledge of Him; the latter is to be developed. Thus to the ground and outgoing there corresponds the aim, in which the beginning now appears in its extent; the deeper insight after the hearing of the proclamation, after the first faith and knowledge and understanding, is here treated of.85
What is the hope of his calling, .The first object of this insight is the hope of His calling. His, , according to the context, is to be understood of God; Rom 11:29 : the calling of God. He calls; this call is not without effect; and this is the hope, the cause of which is the call. The re-echo in us of this call of God on us is hope, hoping; the Christians hope lies, not in the eternal election, but in the temporal calling. So joy of the Holy Ghost (1Th 1:6), trial of affliction (2Co 8:2). Hope is the Christians advantage (Eph 2:12; 1Th 4:13; Rom 5:2), and a hope that maketh not ashamed (Rom 5:5; Rom 8:24). To know the character of such hope is not a small matter (against Stier). points then to the character, the quality of this hope. Passow sub voce. It is therefore not=, , quanta (Stier, Olshausen, Schenkel), but qualis, cujusnam natur (Harless, Meyer and others). Nor is =res sperata (Olshausen, Stier [Eadie] and many others), although it can mean this (Col 1:5 : laid up; Heb 6:18 : set before us; Gal 5:5 : wait for the hope of righteousness), which Meyer [with Ellicott] denies. It is inconceivable that should be=those called (Schuetze). Luther renders: your calling, putting the effect for the cause: his calling. [With Alford, Eadie, and Ellicott it is better to take in the simple meaning what, qu (Vulgate), without referring either to quality or quantity. As regards hope, the objective sense must be admitted in the N. T., but the bald res sperata does not express the signification here. Alford thinks the controversy mere trifling: If I know what the hope is, I know both its essence and its accidents. Even Ellicott admits an objective aspect: the grounds, the state of the hope. Hodge supports the subjective sense. On , see Romans, pp. 280, 281.R.]
What the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints [ ].The second object of the insight is the object of the Christian hope, the inheritance, to which the calling of God helps us, hence His: He gives it, it is from His own. As Divine, eternal life, participation in the kingdom of God, heirship with Christ (God Himself is our portion), it has a glory and this glory has riches, so that it is an important object for our more profound observation. So Col 1:27 : the riches of the glory of this mystery. It is a weakening of the ideas, to resolve these substantives into objectives: what is the riches of the glorious inheritance (Luther), or: what is the glorious riches of His inheritance (Stier). [As Meyer well says: What a rich, sublime cumulation, setting forth in like terms the weightiness of the matters described;and not to be diluted by any resolving of the genitives into adjectives.R.]
In the saints is added after His inheritance, without the article ( ), and hence conceived of as most closely connected with his inheritance, which is to be found in (Luther: an) and among the saints, the called Christians not outside of them. So Rom 9:3 : my kinsmen according to the flesh; 2Co 7:7 : Comp. Col 1:12 ( ); Act 20:32 ( ); Act 26:18. The Apostle does not say in you, us, but states it altogether objectively in humility and wisdom. He speaks indeed of the inheritance of God in Christians, but not of the glory of the portion, nor its riches in the saints, so that we must understand here chiefly the children of God, who are partakers of the inheritance (Eph 1:11; Eph 1:14), even though only in its incipient stages; the riches of the glory become indeed perceptible even here, but unfold themselves fully only in eternity, which is the more to be included, since here and hereafter are less divided than light and darkness. Accordingly we are not to consider the object of the inheritance to be principally and solely the present kingdom of God on earth (Harless), or on the other hand the future kingdom of God to be established at the second Advent (Meyer); nor is the connection of with an to be supplied (Koppe and others) possible, since not , but only , is in, on and among the saints.86 To join with (Stier) is inadmissible, because far-fetched. The reference is not to the totality of morally good beings in the other world (Rueckert), or in the holiest of all (Calovius), as Heb 9:12; nor should prominence be given to the thought, as inhering in the text: God inherits the saints (Meyer, ttinger, Stier), although they belong to Him, and He to them. This is the carrying out, extension and expansion of the thought, but not an exegesis of the words set before us.
Eph 1:19. And what the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe [ .]The third object of the insight is the power of God, which leads from the calling to the inheritance. The exceeding greatness of this power is a worthy object of profound insight (2Co 4:7 : ); it must and can also be experienced, since it makes itself felt to us-ward, to those who believe in the present, hence, without limiting the circle of those who believe, or passing beyond it, not to all in general, but only to those who admit and consent to this condition appointed by God. Since the preposition designates the direction towards the believers, and the present participle the present time, and the article before the participle marks that word as the ground, condition of the activity (Eph 1:13; 1Jn 3:23), and since only experiences of the power of God are spoken of, from which the exceeding greatness is to be inferred, we must here hold fast to the proofs in this earthly life (Chrysostom or to Harless, Stier), and not apply it to the future (Meyer, Schenkel, who however adds, that the beginning of the consummation manifests itself in this life).87
According to the working of the might Of his Strength,88 .In this collocation of words the proper subject is , as just before, giving prominence to a characteristic, the strength ( from =seat of elasticity, sinew, muscle, nape of the neck, stem of a tree, hence vis); is brachium divinum, its muscles; is the power manifesting itself, the , which rules (); ( ), efficacia (Erasmus), the actual efficiency (Harless). So Bengel, Calvin: robur est quasi radix, potentia autem arbor, efficacia fructus. There is no chance throwing together of words, but an order corresponding to the thought: regard is to be paid chiefly to the efficacy, the effects, in which the power of Gods strength allows itself to be perceived and felt. [The language is intended to exalt our ideas of Gods power in connection with this eminent act of His omnipotency.R.]
with the accusative juxta, secundum, according to, thus designating the norm and standard as well as the motive and occasion (Winer, p. 375 f.). Comp. Eph 4:7; Eph 1:5, and (Luk 2:22), (Rom 4:4). The two notions, according to and by virtue of are related (1Co 12:8-9). The simplest connection and that most readily understood by the hearer, is that with us who believe. We believe only by virtue of the efficacy of the power of God in Christ and upon our souls. [The meaning of the preposition is something less than propter and something more than according to. On the connection see below.R.]
So Chrysostom, who truly and beautifully says: . Just on this account, because we believe only by virtue of the efficacy of Gods power, which has enough obstacles to faith to overcome in us, we can understand, how great the power of God is. Since believing is not a momentary affair, but a status, preserved by the same power, which produced it, the aorist participle is not necessary (Bleek), and no room is given for the monstrous thought, that faith according to the power of God is spoken of. It is inadmissible to connect, either with the verb which is understood, or with the exceeding greatness (Schenkel), or with all the points introduced by what (Harless), or with may know (Meyer). [Dr. Hodge also defends the connection of this clause with , but it is doubtful whether this is correct. For though undoubtedly expressing a truth, yet it places the rest of the chapter in grammatical dependence on an incidental idea. It has also a suspicion of polemical purpose (against Pelagianism) attached to it, besides pressing too strongly on the sense of in virtue of. It is better then with De Wette, Eadie, Ellicott, Alford and others, to accept a reference which Braune does not mention, viz.: to the whole preceding clause: not however as an explanation (Chrys.) or an amplification (Calv.) of this power, but in accordance with the full ethical force of , as a definition of its mode of operation (Eadie), a mighty measure, a stupendous exemplar by which its infinite powers towards the believing, in its future, yea, and its present manifestations, might be felt, acknowledged, estimated and realized (Ellicott).R.]
The Apostles petition as to its ground. Eph 1:20-23.
Eph 1:20. Which he hath wrought in Christ,89 analogous to , Eph 2:4, is to be referred to . Winer, p. 210. [The cognate accusative]. Nor is , without a reference to , Eph 1:19 : in Christ is accomplished that efficacy of God, which is powerful toward us. [In Him as our spiritual Head (Ellicott and others).R.]
In raising him from the dead, , marks a fact of his working. [The aorist indicates that the act is contemporaneous with that of the preceding verb. Alford justly warns against the danger of regarding, with the shallower expositors, Christs resurrection as merely a pledge of our bodily resurrection, or as a mere figure representing our spiritual resurrection,not as involving the resurrection of the church in both senses. Both Hodge and Eadie fall somewhat short of the full conception thus expressed.R.]
And making him sit at his own right hand in the heavenly places [ ].Thus the exaltation, beginning with the resurrection, was completed (1Pe 3:21 ff.). Instead of the better supported participle, has been generally substituted, because the Greeks disliked the spinning out of long relative and participial sentences, and easily passed over into the finite verb (Winer, p. 533, b.).90 denotes the participation in dominion, the of the Father (Mar 16:19.; Rom 8:34; Act 7:55; Php 3:20 f.; Mat 20:21; Mar 10:37). Comp. also 1Sa 10:25; 1Ki 2:19, in the earthly relations, which are transferred to Christ, Psa 110:1. The phrase (see on Eph 1:3), which is the antithesis of , designates space, or as Hofmann [Schriftbeweis, II. 1, p. 334) intimates, the relation to the world; distinguishes Him from spirits, locates Him and them alike. We may with as little right understand here the status clestis (Harless and others) as the central place of Divine glory and revelation, the highest, inmost heaven (Stier, Schenkel), since the word is used of Satan also (Eph 6:11-12).
[The various local expressions used in the context seem decisive as to the meaning of . It refers to heavenly places, is more indefinite than , but was chosen here probably on account of the details in Eph 1:21 (Ellicott).Alford reminds us, that the fact of the universal idea of Gods dwelling being in heaven, being only a symbolism common to all men, must, not for a moment induce us to let go the verity of Christs bodily existence, or to explain away the glories of His resurrection into mere spiritualities. As Stephen saw Him, so He veritably is: in human form, locally existent, over above, etc.R.]
Eph 1:21. Over above all principality, and power, and might, and lordship, and every name that is named [ ].The word (Eph 4:10 : ; Heb 9:5), the opposite of (, Luk 8:16; , Joh 1:51; , Mar 6:11; Mat 22:44; Rev 12:1), can only mean over, above [so Ellicott, Alford] without marking any particular eminence, Greek Fathers, Beza, Estius [Eadie] or dominion (Bengel), although the latter inheres in the nature of the case (Meyer). It is to be connected with setting, and with its genitives (all principality, etc.) forms the detailed description and explanation of the phrase, at his right hand in the heavenly places; the two belong together, the first being more closely defined by the second.
Of these four names the first three occur in the same order in 1Co 15:24, the first two occur in our Epistle, Eph 3:10, and in Col 1:16, after , joined with also and in the same order, in 1Pe 3:22 : . On the other hand in Rom 8:33 : and , like and , , and , are contrasted with each other by ; so that we can infer nothing thence respecting our passage.91 A certain consistency is noticeable in the use of these words. Besides the reference to angels is quite obvious, being required here by the context, especially . Calvin. Cur non simpliciter nominavit angelos? Respondeo, amplificand Christi glori causa Paulum exaggerasse hos titulos, ac si diceret; nihil est tam sublime aut excelsum, quocunque nomine censeatur, quod non subjectum sit Christi majestati. According to Hofmann (Schriftbeweis; I. p. 34)92 we cannot understand here a climax descendens (Meyer, Stier). These designations for the world of angels were given through the higher position of the angels as the messengers of God (Psa 103:20 f.; Heb 1:6 f., 13 f.), as holy (Psa 89:5; Dan 8:13). Since the context points to the resurrection of Christ, the Crucified, and His exaltation to a participation in the government of the world, as a fact, in which we see the efficiency of God, according to which He works on us also, in order to make us His children and heirs of His glory, we may well apply these terms to good as well as bad angels, aye, we can scarcely limit the reference to the angels, who reach also into this world, the , especially as both and the concluding phrase every name that is named, which corresponds entirely with nor any other creature (Rom 8:38), warrant an unbounded extension, limited only to power and might. Harless only concedes this, preferring however the reference to good angels alone, as does Meyer, who then refers name to every thing created. In such universality is the passage understood by Erasmus, Rueckert, Stier [Alford] and others. With Stier we must understand under the first four designations, personalities, not merely principles, forces, factors, recognizing them in every name that is named, the transition to the impersonal ( ). Accordingly the following views are to be rejected: the reference to devils alone (Scholz), to Jewish hierarchs (Schttgen), to heathen (Van Till) human potentates (Morus); the affirmation of a polemical purpose, not at all indicated, against angel-worship (Bucer, Estius, Hug), or a preservative purpose against possible infection through false gnosis (Olshausen [Hodge, though not decidedly]); also every attempt to define the different grades of these groups of angels, and the explanation of name as a summing up of a nomen dignitatis potentive (Erasmus and others); it is not even to be limited to names of such a character (Harless).
[It is on some accounts safest to take the four terms here introduced in the widest, most indefinite sense. Still it would seem best, if any limitation is made to refer the words to good angels alone, including of course under that term all created heavenly intelligences. The prevailing reference in these words is to angelic powers, to good (Eph 3:10; Col 1:16; Col 2:10) and bad (Eph 6:12; Col 2:15; 1Co 15:24; comp. Rom 8:38) alike. The preceding local definition would not exclude the latter, as Christ is placed over above all these (besides is apparently applicable to bad angels also, Eph 6:12). But the verse relates to Christs exaltation in heaven rather than His victory over the powers of hell. Then without; attempting any closer definition of these classes, we may still admit a descensive order throughout: First the Exalted One, then the various gradations of heavenly Intelligence, then every name that is named, a view which is favored by the apparent regularity in the order (comp. Col 1:16). Every name that is named includes more than persons, in this view, more than titles of honor: Every thing which can bear a name. No less comprehensive sense seems admissible.Alford accepts the most universal reference for the four terms under discussion, but adopts rather too abstract a sense.Ellicott refers to the list of authors in Hagenbach, History of Doctrine, 131.R.]
Not only in this world, but also in that which is to come [ ].This qualifies named, establishing the pre-eminence of Christ above all that is ever named in both this world and that to come. Beza: prstantiam non esse temporariam, sed ternam. We find a parallel in things present, things to come (Rom 8:38). Yet the expression here is not purely=now and hereafter [Hodge], but designates the present time as the first age, disappearing in the transition to the future glory, the future as the eternal glory beginning with the return of Christ. Paul takes the reference to time from the system of the world ruling in each period, thinking at once of pre-messianic and post-messianic, terrestrial and celestial worlds. Excellent, but rather abrupt is Bengels remark: denotat hic non tempus, sed systema rerum et operum suo tempore revelatum et permanens. It is then=always (Harless) with respect to this institution of the history of salvation (Stier).93 Comp. my remarks on and , Biblework, 1Jn 2:18, p. 73 f. The connection with (Calvin and others) is incorrect and also the remark of Bengel, following Chrysostom: Imperia, potestas, etc., sunt in futuro, sed tamen nominantur etiam in seculo hoc; at ea quoque, qu in prsenti ne nominantur quidem, sed in futuro demum nobis nomine et re patefient, Christo subjecta sunt,
Eph 1:22. And subjected all things under his feet [ ]Even if we retain the participle in Eph 1:20, we must here accept the transition from the participle to the finite verb. The words themselves are not difficult. Evidently, and in this the advance of thought consists, , all things, is to be applied to all that is created, and , subjected, with its closer definition, refers of itself as well as on account of Psa 8:6 (comp. Eph 3:6) to conflict and opposition, which was suggested already by the passage (Psa 110:1) evidently in mind in Eph 1:20 : set him at his own right hand. The Lord Himself had quoted Psa 8:3. The same Psalm (Eph 1:6) is used with special emphasis in 1Co 15:27; Heb 2:6-8. Should the Psalm refer to the glory of the first Adam (Gen 1:26-28) and its restoration, as is definitely indicated in the Epistle to the Hebrews (Eph 2:6-8), then we must suppose here, that Paul is led by such thoughts to the use of this passage, especially as the context requires it, treating as it does of what shall occur to us, in accordance with what has occurred to Christ. Dominium nunc illi uni (Christo) tribui potest, quandoquidem per Adamum primum potestatem dignitatemque a Deo concessam nostrum genus amisit (Peter Martyr). There is therefore no tautological repetition here, but from above descensively the Apostle marks, after a sketch of the dignity of Christ (Schenkel), the sovereignty, which subjects all things, even the unconscious creation (Olshausen). This representation is not merely emphatic, or only a reminiscence (Meyer), but (Theodoret). So Harless and Stier in the main.
[The notion of opposition should not be too strongly pressed, though it is undoubtedly implied. As regards the allusion or citation from Psa 8:6, if it be regarded as a mere allusion the difficulty disappears; if it be a veritable citation, then we must adopt one of two conclusions: either the Psalm is in a certain sense Messianic, or Paul quotes in the accommodating manner which virtually destroys any specific meaning the Scriptures have. I prefer to adopt the former alternative, little fearing that too many Psalms will be accepted as Messianic. Pauls allusion is due to a direct reference under the guidance of the Spirit to a passage in the O. T. which in its primary application to man involves a secondary and more profound application to Christ. In the grant of terrestrial sovereignty the Psalmist saw and felt the antitypical mystery of mans future exaltation in Christ (Ellicott).R.]
And gave him to be the head over all things to the church [ ].Thus is set forth the office (Schenkel) of Christ, and the sphere of His efficiency. is in emphatic position, Him. Such an one, thus placed [thus exalted, thus glorified]. We must regard Him too as a gift, a present. is not=. the Apostle might otherwise have said or ; it is quite different in 1Co 12:28 : And God hath set () some in the church. He gave Him to be Head over all things-to the church. We say with equal exactness: He gave Him to be Head, or as Head for the Church. As Head! not as , but as . In the head lies the organizing power. Schubert (Geschichte der Seele, p. 163) describes the relation of head and body as a figure of a love, descending from above to beneath, grasping and moving the corporeal, and of a longing rising from below to above, the work of which it is, to constantly transform the lower nature of that which longs into the higher nature of that which is longed for. Martin Boos boldly says: Christ dwelling in our humanity is as active as in that which He assumed from Mary. Gerlach beautifully says: At once Ruler and Member of His Body. Head designates elsewhere superiority also (1Co 11:3).
The qualifying phrase over all is governed by gave him to be head, and marks the might () of this Head; is all without limitation, He is Head over allto the church, to Christendom; Head is not to be supplied again (Meyer). The presence between and does not at all alter the construction (against Hofmann, Schriftbeweis, II. 2, p. 117). The sense is precisely this: Christ is such a Head of the Church, that He is for all that the Lord over all, over devils, world, etc. (Luther). The whole economy of Creation stands at His disposal as the basis and sphere of activity for the economy of redemption (Beck). Accordingly is not to be joined per trajectionem to (Syriac, Greek fathers, Erasmus and others), nor is to be taken as meaning: above all the good which God has given stands this that He gave Christ as Head of the Church (Chrysostom), nor is it=prcipue, (Baumgarten), nor= , caput summum (Beza, Rueckert: Oberhaupt, Olsh.: the prophets also were heads); nor are we to understand it of bona virtutum (Anselm), or dona grati, nor is the natural limitation to be found in and this dative taken as in commodum ecclesi, for the Church (Harless). It is altogether unwarrantable to take the neuter for the masculine (Jerome, Wahl).
[The view of Braune is in the main that of modern English commentators. We must reject any sense of the verb but the simple one of give, since the dative follows. Christ is given to the churchand given as Head, for the next clause renders this view imperative. The only trouble then is with over all things; what is His relation to them? Evidently that of Head also. No other view is admissible exegetically; the question becoming thus a purely grammatical one: Shall we accept a brachyology and understand a second before (Meyer, Stier, Hodge approvingly): gave Him the Head over all things (to be the Head) to the church, or take as a species of tertiary predicate (Alford, Eadie, Ellicott): gave Him as Head over all things to the Church. The latter seems to be Braunes view, and is certainly the simpler grammatically. Nor does it throw out of view the grand thought that Christ is Head of the Church. Alford: Christ is Head over all things: the Church is the Body of Christ, and as such is the fulness of Him who fills all with all: the Head of such a Body, is Head over all things; therefore when God gives Christ as Head to the Church, He gives Him as Head over all things to the Church, from the necessity of the case.R.]
The choice of the word for the Christian Church (Eph 3:10; Eph 3:21; Eph 5:23; Eph 5:25; Eph 5:27; Eph 5:29; Eph 5:32; Php 3:6; 1Co 6:4; 1Co 12:28) is very apt. Gerhard (Loc. ed, Cotta. x. 3, 20): Chemnitius notat de primoribus, magnatibus, consulibus et eorum conventu, de colluvie promiscu multitudinis quando fit congregatio ab agris, vero de civibus, quando celebratur, eorum scilicet, qui certis legibus sibi devincti unius reipublic cives sunt. Appellatio igitur ecclesi ad populum Dei translata ostendit, ecclesiam Dei non esse colluviem promiscu multitudinis, sed eorum, qui certis legibus a Deo vocati et sibi invicem sunt obstricti. Athenis erant usitati duplices conventus, et vel . Ill significabant conventus ordinatos, quando universitas civium, eorum scilicet, qui jus civitatis habebant, ordine, justo, a magistratu convocati congregabantur; h vero significabant congregationes promiscuas et inordinatas, quando promiscua multitudo hominum in civitatibus et oppidis sine observatione ordinis in unum coibat.Appellationi igitur ecclesi ad populum Dei translat inest significatio , qualis est in aristocratia civili, cui opponitur , plenissima.Ut civitas non consistit ex medico et medico, aut ex rustico et rustico, sed ex medico et rustico, sicut Aristoteles in ethicis loquitur, ita quoque ecclesia non constat ex pastore et pastore seu ex auditore et auditore, sed ex docentibus et discentibus, atque inter ipsos auditores sunt varii vit status atque ordines.
Accordingly the has two main features in it, one the ordained unity and the other the calling, which includes in itself a separating out () from the world not yet called or rejecting the call, and which is consummated through intellectual means. See further under Doctr. Note 5.
Eph 1:23. Which is his body, The pronoun has an explanatory element, introducing the statement of a reason, and is=the old German als welcher, as which. So Rom 2:15 : =ut qui (Beza), qui quidem ostendant (Castalio); Luther renders it quite well: damit dass sie beweisen, and here: welche da ist. [Alford: which same; Eadie, Ellicott: which indeed. Meyer: ut qu, defining the attribute as belonging to the being of the churchis perhaps too strongthough true enough.R.] He is the Head of the church, since it is His Body, (Eph 2:16; Eph 4:4; Eph 4:12; Eph 4:16; Eph 5:23; Eph 5:30; Col 1:18; Col 1:24; Col 2:19; Col 3:15; Rom 12:5; 1Co 6:15; 1Co 10:17; 1Co 12:13; 1Co 12:27). From this citation of passages, in all of which this view of the Apostle is contained, the frequency of the figure, especially in this Epistle, may be seen. The membership making up the whole, the indispensableness of Christ and the vital fellowship with Him are marked. We must also remember, that here, on account of the , only that is treated of, which the church is and has in Christ, and not what He has in it; this is only an inference, though a correct one, and remains in the background, should it enter at all.
[The questions, what constitutes the church? who are true members of the true church? do not enter here; but that Paul here teaches a mystical union, above and beyond any federal or representative union, or ethical union of thought and feeling, seems perfectly clear. We call this a figure, but is it not the reality, and the organic unity of the body the figure? Really and truly the church is the body of Christ, and out of this truth spring many lessons respecting our personal union with Christ. Alford: It is veritably His body: not that which in our glorified humanity He personally bears, but that in which He, as the Christ of God, is manifested and glorified by spiritual organization. He is its Head; from Him comes its life; in Him, it is exalted; in it, He is lived forth and witnessed to; He possesses nothing for Himself,neither His communion with the Father, nor His fulness of the Spirit, nor His glorified humanity,but all for His Church, which is in the innermost reality, Himself. Comp. Col 1:24, which admits of no satisfactory explanation, unless we accept the fact that the Apostle was conscious of such a union as this.R.]
The fulness of him who filleth all in all [ .]As respects syntax, this is the intrusion of an apposition, forming a parallel clause, in order to express without a figure, what has just been figuratively explained: fullness corresponds to body, of Him filling all in all to His.
On , comp. Eph 1:10 and Passow sub voce. Words ending in as a rule represent the abstract action of the verb, those in the concrete effect, so that they are for the most part equivalent to the perfect participle passive (Buttmann), like , , , especially here (id quod ). The word is not=, the act of filling, but is to be taken in the passive sense: all that, or with which any thing is filled, the fulness. So here. [This simple passive sense is adopted by Fritzsche, De Wette, Olshausen, Stier, Meyer, and by Alford, Eadie, Ellicott (that which is filled, the filled-up receptacle). As the word was a favorite among the Gnostics (in after times however), so it has been a favorite plaything with commentators since, who have thrown not a little confusion upon its meaning. The simple passive sense is the most natural one; though perhaps not the most usual one, it is certainly allowable. The active sense, the filling up is adopted by Harless, who says there is no other sense used in the New Testament, in which view Hodge seems to acquiesce. But what is meant by the active sense: implendi actionem, or id quod res impletur? Ellicott speaks of the latter as passive, while Hodge evidently regards it as active (so Braune apparently under 2 below). Alford deems it a transition from the abstract sense, denying any active sense to such nouns, but saying that what is thus termed is a logical transference from the effect to that which exemplifies the effect. From this it is evident how impossible it is to speak intelligibly about the word in its active and passive senses, until this meaning: that by which any thing is filled, is properly labelled. That is the work of the grammarian, yet it is evident that it is active or passive, according to the point of view: whether one thinks first of the container, and then of the contained, or the reverse. Harless and Hodge are not justified in saying that the word is always used actively in the New Testament, though this sense is a common one.94 It would give here the meaning complement, or supplement, which seems appropriate in view of the figure of Head and Body. But, on the other hand, this gives a sense which is so remarkable as to raise doubts; for how can Christ be filled by the church? Then again, we are almost forced by this interpretation to take the following participle in a passive sense, which is objectionable grammatically and logically. These reasons are strong enough to lead us to adopt the passive sense, which may be done without any fear of running counter to the usus loquendi of the New Testament.R.]
Nor does the difficulty lie in the genitive: , which refers to Christ. The participle is middle, and, as usage requires in the case of such
correlated words, is used in the same sense as the preceding noun: of Him who fills from out Himself, through Himself (Winer, p. 242), or fills for Himself (Fritzsche: qui sibi complet). [The latter sense is adopted by Meyer (in 4th edition, Braune quotes him as accepting a deponent sense), Ellicott, Eadie. This reciprocal sense seems to have escaped the notice of Dr. Hodge, who agrees with Alford in accepting the active sense, though he admits it is favored only by classical usage. Certainly the active meaning of the participle is not so justifliable as the passive sense of the noun .R.] The present tense must also be taken into the account: He is conceived of in the process of filling; whether He succeeds, the result will show; the process is now going on.
The real difficulty lies in , all in all. The object is of course, in accordance with what precedes, to be referred to the entire world of creatures, which Christ fills, naturally as a soul the body, the former however working out beyond the latter, not exclusively in and upon it, and not only working, but being actively present, hence not as blood fills the heart, or water a vessel. All is filled by Christ, as is the Church, His Body, hence not mechanically, chemically, or the like. The most difficult point still remains: in all. The preposition joined with and must designate that in which He fills; if this is inconceivable, then the Apostle must and would have expressed himself otherwise. Accordingly the neuter cannot be accepted here, since then idem per idem would be asserted, or an exaggeration occur: Alles in Allem [all things in all things, see below under (7)R.] Following the rule, that those cases which belong to both genders (, ) are to be taken as masculine, unless the context absolutely requires the neuter, we render: in Allen, in all persons (so Luther originally, but in Allem afterwards crept in); it thus marks His filling efficiency in persons, in heavenly spirits and human souls, of which also His relation as Head of the Church obliges us to think. He is the central Personality, working through all things, working in all. Such a Head has the Church, the central sphere of the world which is to be perfected (Stier).95 This explanation is in no particular without supporters, but there is also no incorrect explanation possible which has not been made here.
(1) The connection is viewed incorrectly, by joining the parallel clause the fulness, etc., with him (Eph 1:22), and taking which is his body as parenthetical (Erasmus), when it is too important to admit of this. Bengel, too, following Semler, is incorrect: Hoc neque de ecclesia prdicatur, ut plerique censent, neque, ut aliis visum, cum dedit construitur, sed absolute ponitur accusativo casu, uti , 1Ti 2:6. Est enim epiphonema eorum, qu a Eph 1:20 dicuntur, innuitque apostolus, in Christo esse plenitudnem patris omnia implentis in omnibus.
(2) is taken in the active sense as supplementum. So the Greek Fathers, Estius, Calvin, Beza (ut sciamus Christum per se non indigere hoc supplemento, ut qui efficiat omnia in omnibus revera, even Harless, who holds with Baehr as the undoubted result of investigation, that is used in the New Testament only in its active sense, says: She is the fulness of Christ, not as though she were the glory which dwells in Him, but because He permits His glory, as in all, so to dwell in her; she is the glory, not of one who would be in want without her, but of Him who fills all in all parts, so Hofmann (Schniftbeweis, II. 2, p. 118120). Even Stier points to this, bringing it over out of the middle form; yet this is not se implere, se supplere, but sibi. It is quite as incorrect to take it as= (Hesychius, Wahl: copia cultorum Dei sive Christi, Schttgen: multitudo, cui Christus prest).Rueckert, too, who is helpless here, is in error, in taking the Church, , as the means of filling for Christs executive efficiency, since the Church can do nothing without Him.The explanation of Cameron is a curiosity: full bodily mass.96
(3) The participle is taken as passive (Chrysostom, Vulgate); (Theodoret, kumenius, Olshausen, Harless); as deponent (Meyer). Bengel remarks: i.e., ; sed major via medi vocis, in denotanda relations ejus, qui implet et eorum, qui implenturquite correct!
(4) The meaning of the verb is certainly not: to make complete (Vulgate, Estius: adimpletur).
(5) As regards the subject of the verb, Harless, referring to Theodoret: , () says: it must be referred to Christ, while Stier, who founds his proof less on the passage in question than on the organism of the Epistle, says: God must be considered the subject. [So Alford, but the great majority of commentators adopt the other reference.R.]
(6) has been limited to the members of the Church, to members of the body of Christ (Estius, Stier), to the spiritual results wrought by Christ, or the Christians faculties of soul (Grotius: Christus in omnibus (credentibus) implet omnia, mentem luce, voluntatem piis affectibus, corpus ipsum obsequendi facultate), to different peoples, nations (Flatt, Morus).
(7) The preposition is taken as instrumental (Meyer). [Alford: The thing with, or by, or in which as an element, the filling takes place. So that the expression will mean, with all, not only gifts, not only blessings, but things. So Ellicott, who thus explains the whole verse: The Church is the veritable mystical Body of Christ, yea the recipient of the plenitudes of Him who filleth all things, whether in heaven or in earth, with all the things, elements, and entities, of which they are composed. This view accepts as neuter, and is on the whole preferable to every other interpretation, unless that of Braune be an exception. See above.R.]
(8) is taken as neuter and rendered: in all parts (Harless and others), or in all places, everywhere (Flatt). Bengel, (neutrum, masculini potestatem) does not belong here, nor does he waver; he refers it to , to persons. It is also taken adverbially: (Jerome: sicut adimpletur imperator, si quotidie ejus augetur exercitusita etChristussic tamen, ut omnia adimpleantur in omnibus, i.e., ut qui in eum credunt, cunctis virtutibus pleni sint). Indeed, has been taken adverbially (Schttgen: omnia omnino), or referred to the eternal (Holzhausen).
(9) It is entirely groundless to find a polemic purpose here, especially an account of the word used afterwards by the Gnostics also (Meier, Baehr).
(10) Quite as groundless is the assumption that the ubiquity of the glorified Body is taught here (Calovius).
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. God, whose power and glory is so exceeding great (Eph 1:19), at whose command and disposal are all things, even Christ, whom He raised and exalted above all heavenly and earthly, personal and unpersonal powers (Eph 1:20-22), works freely, but without arbitrariness, conditioning Himself, upon mennot without faith (Eph 1:19), not without Christ (Eph 1:22-23), so that the prayer also (Eph 1:16-17 : ), which is offered believingly in the name of Christ, has a prospect of being granted. Precisely in the work of Redemption is manifested the worshipful glory of God, who in self-conditioning love moderates Himself, lowers and limits Himself, in order to employ and to show His unbounded love, to impart of His nature and to make blessed. His whole power, strength, might and efficacy stand in the service of His love.
2. Christ, who as to His human nature has in His Father His God (Eph 1:17), is our Lord, the Head of His Church, at the right hand of God in glory, of unlimited power over angels and men, ministering and hostile spirits, as well as over the economy of the creation and of salvation. He cannot be put down to the level of Divine humanity and God likeness. Yet our section says nothing of His state of humiliation, speaks only of His state of exaltation, beginning with the resurrection from the dead, refers to the humanity, which He assumed, appropriated, and did not afterwards relinquish,97 only that in what the Father did in Him, we might have a standard for what the Almighty God, who through Him is our Father, will and shall do and work in us (Eph 1:19-20 : ). He is the Head, to whom there will not be wanting a body, which He will prepare for Himself; He cannot be a mere Head. But he has also no vicar, such as the Pope. Sancta enim Christiana sive Catholica ecclesia consistere absque isto capite optime potest et constitisset certe rectius, ac melius cum eo ageretur, nisi diabolus illud caput in medium projecisset et exaltasset (Articles of Smalkald).
3. The connection between creation and redemption is presupposed here; the two spheres do not fall asunder; Christ, the acme in both, holds them together; the former must serve the latter (Eph 1:21-23).
4. Respecting the angels, who are included in Eph 1:21. over above all principality, and power, and might, and lordship, it is only indicated that they are personalities, and affirmed that they have power and might. From the series of these designations, which can scarcely be taken as a descending climax [though this is the most plausible hypothesisR.], nothing can be inferred as to the ranks or groups of angels.98 [On the nature of angels, consult the able treatise by Twesten, Dogmatik, Vol. II. especially 1, 4, the essay by Stuart, Bibliotheca Sacra for 1843, p. 88154, Ebrard, Dogmatik, 228 sq., Vol. I. p. 276, and the remarks of Lange, Leben Jesu, Part II. p. 41 f. (Ellicott).All that is expressed is well set forth by Wesley: We know that the king is above all, though we cannot name all the officers of his court. So we know that Christ is above all, though we are not able to name all His subjects.R.]
5. The Church. On this subject our section teaches more. As regards its origin the name (Eph 1:22), the calling of God (Eph 1:18) show what is indicated by Head or gave Him to be Head (Eph 1:22) viz.: The Church results not from a physical or purely world-historical process without the creative power and fatherly love of God; it is His work, His gracious gift, and indeed His Word is efficient therein, Christ, also, as the Eternal Word, as the power organizing the whole ( ), through the word, as the intellectual means of the ingathering. The extent of the Church is also pointed out in two directions:
a) On earth: the faith which is among you in the Lord Jesus (Eph 1:15) and to us-ward who believe (Eph 1:19)the faith in Jesus, wrought in men through the word, describes the domain of the Church: where ( ) faith is there is the Church, the congregation, even if it is wanting in particular persons or in many. The extent is not to be limited by Donatist or Anabaptist notions of the Church; she has, according to the purity of the word, the power of the preaching, the vitality of the faith, her degrees, quo purior et sincerior est verbi prdicatio, eo etiam purior est ecclesi status (John Gerhard, Loc. XI. p. 195). But it should not be said, that there is no Church where sinners are and are tolerated (Anabaptists, Schwenkfeld and others).
b) On earth and in heaven: the fulness of Him who filleth all in all (Eph 1:23); she is not merely a temporal institution, within the visible world, she embraces men after as well as before death. Of all the names which the Church can and does bear, not one is so immeasurably deep and yet so transparently clear, so sharply defined and yet so inexhaustibly rich, at once so real and spiritual, external and internal, obvious and mysterious as this one: she is the Body of Christ. It is this name and no other, which the New Testament Church has not in common with the Old Testament Church, and in which all her superiority over the latter is included; time and eternity, suffering and glory, blessing and curse, for all over whom the name of Christ is named, lie in its lap, and itself a riddle, to be first solved hereafter, yet all the riddles proposed to us by the present life find in it their solution (Delitzsch).
The completion of the Church is an object of the Divine government of the world, and has begun here in Christendom by the path of faith, to which the inheritance in the saints is certain (Eph 1:18-19; Eph 1:23).
6. Faith has its ground in the Lord Jesus (Eph 1:15), its place of manifestation in the Church ( Eph 1:5), its worth and its position before love (Eph 1:15), its importance and value for God, who requires it as the condition of salvation (Eph 1:19 : to us-ward who believe), from which may be inferred at the same time, that it has different degrees, since the Apostle joins together himself and others, also since the participle is present, that it is not to be conceived of as an act once for all, but as a continuing life-movement to be constantly renewed.
7. Beside faith stands love, which is germinally included in the former, since this is an act of self-emptying and surrender to a gracious God, who is Love. But it is not to be regarded as a virtue, by means of which we become well-pleasing to the beloved Love; it comes into existence with faith, which lays hold of the righteousness of Christ, and thus attains to righteousness before God, and is the mother of all virtues.In the phrase unto all the saints no limitation can be perceived, since he who loves all the members of the Church, the orthodox and the erring too, will imitate his Lord Jesus, the Good Samaritan of the world in Samaritan love (Luk 10:37 : Go thou and do likewise). The context leads only to this emphasizing of love.
8. The ground of hope is the calling of God and its goal the inheritance of God. It comes from above, points and looks upward; it lifts us out of the natural ego and above the visible world about us.99
9. Knowledge is both path ( , Eph 1:17) and goal ( , Eph 1:18); it is a matter capable of growth, for it has but to ponder the thoughts of the eternal, creative God. Mans knowledge is not perfect within the domain of creation, still less can he know the things of the invisible world. Only by living in a sphere does he gather knowledge of what is found there; knowledge comes from experience of occurrences. Without a disposition of the heart the sense of the understanding is not enlarged and sharpened. Sensible, mental, spiritual knowledge refers to life-spheres, in which he who knows must move. Only the believing, loving, longing one knows and grows in knowledge unto knowledge.
10. The prayer of the Apostle has it starting-point in what God has given, and its goal in what God should give. From thankful acknowledgment, he proceeds to requests, petitions; with the faith and love of the church before his eyes, he rises to supplication for the spirit of wisdom and revelation, for wider knowledge of what God is, on behalf of their inner life. This occurs daily. Thus have we all, ministers and members of the church, especially the former, to learn, in order to practise it, what furthers the Kingdom of God in general and in particular: such prayer is a means of grace full of blessing for those who offer it, as well as for those for whom it is offered.
11. The consummation in the case of individuals is conditioned by the church and conditions its consummation. Hence His inheritance in the saints (Eph 1:18). Outside the church we do not advance, nor salvation become ours, whatever we may be, or accrue to us, wherever we stand; it is a gift, for which we must be prepared. The fulness of the gift and our perfection finally coincide.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
It is a joy, when in social circles one hears from another, just as of city and state events, so especially of the kingdom of God, the church of Christ, of the faith and love of Christians.We should not judge the faith of particular persons in a church, but rejoice in the faith within the church, though it be only among the minority; so long as there is believing preaching, supplication for all that concerns the church, order in the administration of the sacraments, grace at table and family worship, use of the best hymns, since we have so many poor ones, and many another sign of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ in the church, a stranger who does not know the individuals at all, may and ought to rejoice therein and speak thereof.Love to all Christians! As we must pray every Sunday for love toward all men, so love to all Christians is not so easily brought about. The orthodox, pietists, and those who deal earnestly with Gods word and the confessions of the church, are least likely to encounter love from those, who regard themselves as precisely the liberal Christians; such fall in much more readily with those who are against the Church of Christ than with these. Always reckon among all Christians those first, who are to you the most unpleasant, thus you will best perceive the weight of this injunction and your own weakness.Who of us always begins his prayers with thanksgiving, as did the Apostle? We rather pray for what we lack, than thank for what we have received. This should not be.
Men rejoice much, if they are thought of at a distance; they part well-nigh always with the request: Remember me! It is something beyond this, when such remembrance rises into intercession, and one remembers the absent, not merely pleasantly or listlessly, in conversation with men, but devoutly in prayer to God.Without knowledge we do not attain to knowledge; only in the light do we see light. The Apostle does not indeed preach the Word of learning or science, but still it is spoken against ignorance, indiscretion, narrowness. Only that the centre of man, the heart and temper with the will be open to the light, to knowledge!As the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom (Psa 111:10), so the starting point for this is insight into our misery and poverty; poor human beings generally swell out with their own worth, and just in this way fritter away what they have of Gods gifts. We must in the end seek our worth above, if we would find it; else we get into a pitiful satisfaction.
The three most important objects of our knowledge: 1. Gods callin our need; 2. Gods heritagein our heart; 3. Gods strengthin our longing and striving.As the world needs revelation beside the wisdom from experience, so a man also needs besides wisdom and prudence the private revelation to teach what and how he should act and suffer and bear.Our hope rests on Christ in God. What the Father, to whom Christ in His holy humanity prayed, praying as to His God, has done to Him, in and upon Him, when He exalted Him from the dead to His right hand, that shall occur to thee, since He works upon thee, yet only in proportion to thy faith in thy Saviour.Be, become and remain a member of the Church which is His Body! Those are beheaded rather, who deny the Lord to save their heads, than those who in holy martyrdom lost their heads, to remain with their Head.
Starke:Faith has to do with the gospel, love with the law. Faith takes, love gives; the former has the benefits, the latter the duties.We must not seek the saints only in heaven, for they are certainly already on the earth. The imperfection of sanctification and holiness does not deny the truth of these things.See here, how a preacher should remember his congregation before God in prayer!As it is one of the signs and duties of a faithful teacher, now to thank and now to pray to God for his congregation, so it is not less the characteristic of a good hearer, to give the teacher, whose intercession he will confidently expect as a blessing to himself, great cause for thanksgiving.The possessions of our glorious inheritance are so great and excellent, that no man can understand them without the illumination of the Holy Ghost.The mere science of the letter in Divine things, obtained by the natural powers of godless people is no real enlightenment nor proper knowledge of Jesus Christ.The call to the kingdom of God must stand at the basis of every external calling which we have in our sphere of life, that we may master it.Conversion is a great and almighty work of God, hence not the power of man, nor consisting in a mere thought of the brain, but is a great change of soul, since all its powers are turned away from sin and the world to heaven and God.Lazarus was awakened by Christ with a word, but how many sermons did He use to awaken the spiritually dead Jews, and yet they would not let themselves be awakened. Gods power and grace for the conversion of man is in itself infinite, yet He will force no man, but leaves him the freedom to resist.The Christian Church is the Body of Christ and hence closely united with Him. She receives all her fulness from Him; from Him, the Head, flows all strength into the members. Although she here finds herself surrounded with much weakness and misery, yet is she still glorious in her Head, who already reigns in glory.
A. H. Francke:This then is also wisdom, to know that we cannot be wise unless there be a God and we can receive it from Him in answer to prayer. The Apostle does not say, he wishes that a university might be established in the city of Ephesus, in which many professors would take, positions, that by this means the people might be made wise,but: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom.
Rieger:Beside the glances into the distance and the hope of our calling in the invisible and eternal, beside the insight into the economy of God, without us, we must not disregard the insight into the necessary truths learned by experience of Gods work of grace within us, that each do their part in making the heart steadfast and full of confidence and love. If a man thinks of the depth of his fall, the throng and deceit of his foes, the powerful hindrances to his salvation, then he may well desire to look into the greatness of the power of God, which is employed in his calling and preservation unto blessedness.In faith we can most precisely notice, how God applies His transcendent might and yet how man is not overcome by it in a violent manner, but is so disposed, that he can maintain his convictions, his love for light, his obedience under its influence.Believing is opposed by the love of our own life so deeply inherent in us, by so many offences occurring to us in the worlds ways; therefore it requires the working of His mighty strength. This power of God and its effect is indeed still concealed in us, covered up by our weaknesses, and behind the curtain of the flesh not yet fully to be judged; but in Jesus Christ it has already attained to victory.The Head and the Body together make a whole; in the church is seen the fulness of Him who filleth all in all; Christ applies the fulness of the Godhead dwelling in Him to the completing and perfecting of this His church; He does not leave her until He has also fulfilled all that is well-pleasing to God, and presented her, blameless, filled with all the fruits of righteousness.He who stands in vital fellowship with Him, has all things.All that is not yet disclosed to you, remains yours still in this fulness.
Passavant:Do you detect no result of this Divine power in you, no new life from God, or no hunger and thirst after deliverance out of the old nature into the new nature of the friends of the Lord; oh, do not trust yourself, do not trust thy best thoughts, thy most beautiful feelings, thy noblest strivings, thy best beliefs, for there is also a vain, a false, self-made, fancied faith, a faith leading to God as little as coming from God.Are they holy and good, those powers, Jesus is still more holy and glorious above them; and have they on Gods account, as is the case, as angels of light an influence upon the worlds of God, upon the earth upon us, they receive from Christ their power and strength, they stand under His supreme influence; He directs them, He equips them. Are they unholy and evil, those powers, even hero Jesus will have power and maintain authority; will punish their evil nature, will restrain their corrupting influence and destroy their power, aye, has already, as the Dying and Crucified One, broken and destroyed their power.All in all: In the angels of His power, in the glorified righteous, in His saints, and all the Blessed, their only clear and heavenly radiance, their Divine joy, their eternal peace, their blessedness, their glory. All in all: Among the angels of disobedience, about the unrighteous, the ungodly and the damned, for all the Light shining with eternal rays of anxiety and terror through their darkness; the eye, that with a flame of fire searches forever through their inmost nature; the power, that always from without and from within tends them with a rod of iron; the word, the eternal word, judging and condemning them in their own hearts, ever anew, ever more penetratingly, more irrevocably, more awfully. All in all: In all His worlds, from the lowest to the highest degrees, in all powers and glories, from the smallest to the most exalted of constellations, of suns, which excel all others in clearness and glory. He is the Divine, infinite fulness of light, of life, from out which they gladly rise in His heavens.
Heubner:Thanksgiving and prayer are the inward emotions of a holy mind, the inward holy choir.Only what proceeds from Gods revelation, which is attested to man by the illumination of the Holy Ghost, is true wisdom. Every one must have his own revelation of Christianity, for he should not believe on the testimony of a stranger.The Christian knows not only his misery, but also his blessedness, how rich and glorious is the inheritance ordained by God for the saints, and from the greatness of his blessedness he knows the greatness of Divine grace. All this can be known and valued only by an enlightened eye, because it has not the dazzling glitter of earthly things. The evil spirit blinds man, so that he does not perceive how great is the blessedness won by Christ, so that he in his blindness thinks this disturbs his happiness and lays a yoke upon him.Gods mental power shows itself in what He has made out of man, in the transformation of the single sinner as well as of the heathen world. What philosopher could have suspected this? What did Apollonius accomplish? Nothing, save that the next generation held him to be what he was, a charlatan.The resurrection of Christ is a token of spiritual life, of the regeneration of humanity, to take place through the Risen and Exalted Christ.Christ is the Lord of the whole world of spirits, visible and invisible; He has authority over all ruling powers in heaven and on earth. Pauls words are an amplification of Mat 28:18.This heavenly King is given to the Church as Head; she is committed to Him in specie; over her He has immediate oversight and care; she is to Him the dearest of all, because He has bought her with His own blood.The Church is the Body of Christ, she is a communion, entirely permeated by His Spirit, the members being animated and controlled by His Spirit; she is the very centre of His efficiency.
Stier:The most powerful and yet most humble way of exhorting is with this introduction: I pray for thee!No thanksgiving without petition, so long as perfection and completeness are not yet there.Our state of grace does not indeed begin with this deeper insight, but only through this does it indeed advance: may all preachers then learn from the Apostles, to work properly in their sermons and in their congregations for this end.The Spirit of God cannot begin entirely without knowledge, nor work through dim feeling toward new will and life.Illumination is not itself as yet sanctification, but is the immediately vital transition thereto from faith, which is at first, in and before experience, a matter of knowledge.To know Godthe highest aim of all wisdom of the spirit.In the heart is all decided, faith, insight, desire, will.The Apostle unfolds and portrays the supremacy of the Exalted One in the domain of power, especially in the kingdom of grace, of the Spirit, making alive again the dead in sin on the earth, in the church.In this world there are many names before God and Christ, that we do not know or name, but hereafter we shall learn them.Church is the assembly or unity of those called to the fellowship of salvation in Christ; it is the growing, developing body of Christ.
Leupold (Sermons for Whitsunday on Eph 1:15-19): The heavenly gifts, in which the children of God rejoice with praise to-day. 1) The grace of God, enriching us in the knowledge of salvation; 2) The power of God, causing this knowledge to become a might; 3) The faithfulness of God, carrying forward the good work already begun to the blessed goal.How do we prove ourselves thankful for the outpouring of the Holy Ghost and His gifts? 1) By our knowing His gifts better; 2) ever imploring them more faithfully for ourselves and others; 3) by letting ourselves be filled by them and their power become more perceptible and precious in us.What are the Christians festival petitions? 1) That he may grow in the knowledge of salvation; 2) that he may grow in fellowship with the Saviour and all saints; 3) that he may not forget to give thanks for the unmerited favors of God.The high significance of the Pentecostal gift: 1) It comes from the Lord; prayer is its condition; 2) In it the Lord comes to us; knowledge of God and His plan of salvation, of Christ and His saving work, is its proof; 3) Through it we come to the Lord; living faith, working in love is its crown.The fellowship of believers, holy and glorious: 1) The spirit of revelation endows it; 2) faith in the Lord Jesus founds it; 3) Love to all saints strengthens it; 4) Fraternal intercession crowns it.
Winter (Eph 1:20-23):The ascension of Christ His exaltation to the right hand of God in heaven: 1. Let us so consider it. 2. Let us perceive the transcendent consolation therein inherent for us: a) now is He properly attested as our Saviour and Deliverer; b) now we know, not only that He still lives, but has power to defend us and His kingdom; c) now we may cheerfully go there too. 3. The high and holy duties proceeding from this: a) that we obey Him in all things; b) commit to Him ourselves and our whole life; c) seek not what is below, but what is above, and have our conversation in heaven.Christ all in all! 1) The Lord of all in heaven; 2) the Almighty Head of His Church on earth.
[Hodge:In praying that the Ephesians might be enlightened with spiritual apprehensions of the truth, the Apostle prays for their sanctification. In praying that they might have just conceptions of the inheritance to which they were called, he prayed that they might be elevated above the world. And in praying that they might know the exceeding greatness of the power exercised in their conversion, he prayed that they might be at once humble and confident,humble, in view of the death of sin from which they had been raised; and confident, in view of the omnipotence of that God who had begun their salvation.
[Eadie:
Eph 1:15. Community of faith begets community of feeling, and this brother-love is an instinctive emotion, as well as an earnest obligation. In that spiritual temple which the Spirit is rearing in the sanctified bosom, faith and love are the Jachin and Boaz, the twin pillars that grace and support the structure.
Eph 1:16. The Apostle, though he had visited them, does not felicitate himself on his pastoral success among them, but gives thanks on this account to God.The Apostle gave thanks, and his thanks ended in prayer.
Eph 1:17. It is only when the prayerful study of the Bible is blessed by spiritual influence that wisdom is acquired.This knowledge of God concerns not the works of His creation, which is but the time-vesture of the Eternal, but the grace and the purposes of His heart, His possession and exhibition of love and power.
Eph 1:18. If the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God be conferred, then the scales fall from the moral vision, and the cloudy haze that hovers round it melts away.Not only had they been the objects of Gods affectionbut also, and especially, of Gods power. Infinite love prompted into operation omnipotent strength.
Eph 1:19. If the resurrection of Jesus be the normal exhibition of Divine power, other similar exhibitions are pledged to Christs people.
Eph 1:20. The specimen and pledge of that power displayed in quickening us, is Christs resurrection. 1. It is transcendent power. 2. It is power already experienced by belieEph Eph 1:3. It is resurrectionary power, displayed in restoring life. 4. The resurrection of Jesus is in this respect not merely a specimen or illustrationit is also a pledge. Present spiritual life and future resurrection are both involved.Jesus was placed at the Fathers right hand. 1. It is the place of honor. 2. It is the place of power. 3. It is the place of happinesshappiness possessed, and happiness communicated.
Eph 1:22. The brow once crowned with thorns now wears the diadem of universal sovereignty; and that hand, once nailed to the cross, now holds in it the sceptre of unlimited dominion. He who lay in the tomb has ascended the throne of unbounded empire. Jesus, the brother-man, is Lord of all: He has had all things put under His feetthe true apotheosis of humanity.The history of the church is a proof extending through eighteen centuries; a proof so often tested, and by such opposite processes, as to gather irresistible strength with its age; a proof varied, ramified, prolonged, and unique, that the exalted Jesus is Head over all things to the church.
Eph 1:23. Head and body are correlative, and are organically connected. There is first a connection of lifeat the same time a connection of power,and, in fine, a connection of sympathy.The Head of the Church is at the same time Lord of the Universe. While He fills the Church fully with those blessings which have been won for it and are adapted to it, He also fills the universe with all such gifts as are appropriate to its welfaregifts which it is now His exalted prerogative to bestow.R.]
Footnotes:
[66] Eph 1:15..1 A. B. and some other authorities omit ; .3 adds it. The omission is an evident error of the transcriber. [K. L., nearly all versions, most fathers support the longer reading, which is adopted by Tischendorf, Meyer, Ellicott and the great majority of editors and commentators. The repetition of readily accounts for the omission, while there is little reason for accepting an insertion from Col 1:4.In the above emendations Ellicott has been followed. For this cause is adopted in preference to wherefore (the rendering for ) and on this account (which is more modern). The more indefinite participial construction, having heard, is necessary here; the faith which is among you is more exact than your faith (see Exeg. Notes), while the love which ye have brings out the force of the second .R.]
[67] Eph 1:16.[The Rec. reads: , on the authority of D.3 E. K. L. (F. G. transposing: ), most cursives. Vulgate, Syriac versions, Coptic, most fathers; accepted by Tischendorf (but not in all editions), Griesbach, Ellicott. Wordsworth (De Wette and Braune tacitly). In . A. B. D.,1 and about 10 cursives, is omitted; accepted by Rckert, Lachmann, Meyer, Alford. The question is a delicate one: Was the word inserted where the meaning is so obvious, or was it omitted because occurring so immediately before? The variation in position favors the former theory, but a similar omission by nearly the same authorities in 1Th 1:2 is almost decisive for the latter. See Exeg. Notes for the interpretation of Meyer and Alford, resulting from the acceptance of the briefer reading.R.]
[68] Eph 1:18.Instead of (. A. B. D. F. E. G. K. L. and others) a few [Rec., fathers, no uncials] have , an evident gloss from Eph 4:18. [There should be merely a comma after enlightened in the English text.On the reasons for rejecting the absolute construction followed in the E. V., see Exeg. Notes.R.]
[69] Eph 1:18. is omitted in .1 A. B. [D.1 F.; by Lachmann, Rckert, Alford, Braune. It is found in .3 D.3 E. K. L., nearly all cursives, retained by Tischendorf, Meyer, Ellicott, Eadie. The probability is against its genuineness, yet it may have been omitted because follows in Eph 1:10.R.]A very few authorities substitute for .
[70] Eph 1:19.[On this choice of words, see Exeg. Notes.R.]
[71] Eph 1:20.[Braune apparently accepts the reading , which is sustained by . D. F. K. L. (So Rec.), accepted by Ellicott among other careful critics. The perfect (A. B.) is adopted by Lachmann, Tischendorf, Meyer, Alford, mainly for the sufficient reason that the more usual aorist would scarcely have been altered to the perfect, while the succeeding aorists might readily occasion the alteration from the perfect.Hence we render: hath wrought.R.]
[72] Eph 1:20.. A. B. and others read: [adopted by Rckert, Lachmann, Alford. Tischendorf varies. The Rec. reads , with D. F. K. L. and most cursives. So Eadie, Ellicott, and Meyer (apparently); but the change to the finite verb looks more like the attempted relief of the construction.R.]
[73] Eph 1:20.Instead of in .1 and most authorities, [an evident gloss] is found in B. with a few minor authorities.
[74] Eph 1:21.[Far above (E. V.) involves more than is expressed by the Greek word , according to the most exact commentators.R.]
[75] Eph 1:23.[The Rec. omits before , but on altogether insufficient authority. No important alterations have been made in the rendering of this clause, because it is almost impossible to change the literal rendering of the E. V., without substituting an explanation for the translation: Braunes view would require: all things in all (persons), but the difference of gender he accepts cannot be expressed in an English rendering.R.]
[76][On the other hand, the aorist must not be taken as frequentative, so as to show from such a sense, that he had frequent communication with them as a well-known church. Even Eadie, who at first adopted this view, citing Khner and Buttmann in support of it, is disposed to defer to the judgment which Winer (p. 260) pronounces against it. Hodge seems to have been led into the same error.R.]
[77][Meyer admits no distinction between the two passages, while Eadie, finding this form singular in the New Testament (though frequently used for the possessive genitive in later classical Greek), makes it denote more characteristic possession, differing thus from nearly all the commentators.R.]
[78] [In with a genitive, the apparent temporal reference partakes somewhat of the local reference of juxtaposition, Bernhardy. So Alford, Ellicott, and now Eadie who formerly omitted the sub-local reference. The preposition serves to express the concurrent circumstances and relations, in which and under which an event took place.R.]
[79][On the force of comp. Tittmann, Syn. N. T., II., p. 35, ff., who is perhaps the ablest defender of the frequency of its ecbatic signification. But many of the instances he cites are very doubtful. The eventual or ecbatic sense (indicative of result) is not defensible here. The very best explanation of the force of after verbs of praying, etc., is given by Alford (on 1Co 14:3): The idea of purpose is inseparably bound up in this particle, and can be traced wherever it is used. At the same time, prayer being a direct seeking of the fulfilment of the purpose on account of which we praynot like many other actions, indirectly connected with it,the purport and purpose become compounded in the expression. This sub-final force is accepted by Ellicott, denied by Eadie and by Meyer, who rejects everything short of the strict final sense. The ecbatic sense is rare, it must be admitted, and due to Hebrew teleology, which reverently accepted a prophecy as fulfilledR.]
[80][It is perhaps unwise to press any Christological reference upon this phrase upon the ground of its parallelism with the preceding one, though this is preferable to the many distorted views, which have been adopted through fear of an Arian interpretation.R.]
[81][Eadie and Hodge defend the formal reference to the Holy Spirit here, but it seems better with Alford and Braune to accept as the complex idea, of the spirit of man indwelt by the Spirit of God, so that as such, it is His special gift. This intermediate or complex sense is that suggested in my Excursus, Romans, p. 235, B., but too often overlooked.R.]
[82] [These genitives are also characterizing genitives, it would seem. Eadie takes the latter as indicating the mode by which the wisdom is imparted, which appears illogical. Dr. Hodge does not clearly indicate what view he adopts, but apparently inclines toward that accepted above.R.]
[83] [The use of the verb in this passage, applying it in the second instance to God, contradicts the position taken by Eadie, that has in our word an additive force, referring to the successive increments of knowledge, for in that case it could not be applied to God, as indeed he affirms never is.R.]
[84][Ellicott says of the phrase, the eyes of your heart: A somewhat unusual and figurative expression, denoting the inward intelligence of that portion of our immaterial nature (the ) of which the is the imaginary seat. Comp. Meyer, Alford, Harless and Stier.R.]
[85] [Dr. Hodge divides the prayer of the Apostle into three leading petitions: 1. For adequate knowledge of Divine truth; 2. For due appreciation of the future blessedness of the saints; 3. For a proper understanding of what they themselves had already experienced in their conversion. This is well enough for homiletical purposes, but it is very unsatisfactory as an exegesis of the passage, since it places as co-ordinate three clauses, which hold very different relations to each other, destroying altogether the proper final force of , besides being open to other objections. Alford rightly takes as setting forth the purpose of the , not of the . What is now described is involved in the latter, not its object, but that of the former.R.]
[86] [This interpretation should not be lightly passed over, since it is sustained by Winer (in earlier editions, not in 6th and 7th), De Wette, Meyer and Ellicott. The reason for adopting it is the assumption that the article should precede our phrase, were it joined directly with , since that expression is so complete in itself as to admit of no qualification forming one conception with it (which is the condition of the omission of the article). Our phrase would then, according to Ellicott, define the sphere in which the riches, etc., are peculiarly found, felt and realized. To this view, however, there are grave objections. It is awkward to begin with; it disturbs the grammatical parallelism of the clauses, and logically it represents Paul as praying that they might know what great things are already among Christians, This last objection Meyer, who on all possible occasions adopts a reference to the future kingdom of God at the second Advent, avoids by saying that Paul conceives of it as present (vergegenwrtiges). Nor does the absence of the article interfere with the other interpretation. Comp. Harless and Alford for a clear statement of the case. We give the paraphrase of the latter: His inheritance in, whose example and fulness, and embodying is in the saints. Eadie and Hodge apparently restrict inheritance to the future blessing, the former expanding this idea with his usual felicity as a practical expositor.R.]
[87][Ellicott agrees with Schenkel in taking the primary reference to be to the future, but admits a secondary present reference, which Meyer denies. See the beautiful climax Ellicott gives in his note. But the other view is preferable, on the grammatical grounds urged by Braune, and because of the comparison with the resurrection of Christ. See Hodge, who quotes Calvins remarks against the notion that this language would be frigid hyperbole if applied to our experience in this life. Dr. Hodge, however, incorrectly takes our clause as a third petition. Ellicott and Meyer again supply , with which they connect . It is better, with most, to join it with .Alford retains to us-ward as better indicating the prominence which belongs to us in the fact of its direction. But it is not the power which works faith in us, except in so far indeed as faith is a portion of its whole work: here the are the material on which the power works.R.]
[88][Alford and Ellicott prefer strength of his might; the former says: The latter () is the attribute subjectively considered; the former () the weight of that attribute, objectively esteemed. Most commentators accept this distinction; the question is only, whether the inherent strength () is best expressed in English by the word strength or might. The former seems preferable.R.].
[89] [See Textual Note 6, where the reading is accepted. Meyer notes its distinctive sense here in referring to an act completed, as viewed by the writer.R.]
[90][Ellicott adopting the reading , says the change to the finite verb, is especially designed to enhance the importance of the truth conveyed by the participle, referring to the same page in Winer. The main thought at first is that of the resurrection, but the Apostle is speedily absorbed with the other, which accords so well with the ground-tone of the Epistle.R.]
[91] [The variation in the text of Rom 8:38 indicates certainly that the early transcribers referred to angels, since there is no other motive for the change in its position; the correct reading however seems to justify a reference to earthly powers, so that as remarked above we gain nothing decisive from that passage.R.]
[92][Hofmann denies any reference to gradations in rank, admitting only a designation of various relations to God and the world, but this distinction does not seem to be tenable.R.]
[93] [Alford remarks: Not only time present and to come, but the present earthly condition of things, and the future heavenly one. Ellicott: With regard to the meaning of it may he observed that in all passages where it occurs, a temporal notion is more or less apparent. To this in the majority, an ethical idea is limited. In a few passages like the present a semi-local meaning seems also superadded, causing to approach in meaning to , though it still may be always distinguished from it by the temporal and (commonly) ethical notions which ever form its background Comp. Eph 2:2; Gal 1:4.R.]
[94][In many of the instances specified by Hodge, the passive sense is equally allowable. For example, Eph 1:10, the fulness of the times may as well be taken as meaning the state of being full on the part of the appointed periods of time, as that which fills up those periods, and so in Gal 4:4; Eph 3:19 : the fulness of God affords a much better sense if taken passively (see in loco), while Mar 8:20 : the fulnesses of how many baskets, refers not to what fills up the baskets, but the state of fulness as respects the baskets.R.]
[95] [This interpretation is very plausible, and commends itself especially on account of the view it takes of the preposition . As immediately precedes, too much stress should not be laid on the rule mentioned above respecting the choice of the masculine. But I fully share in Dr. Braunes dislike for the instrumental sense of (taking it as=per). One who has been puzzled by the E. V., which accepts this as one of its most usual significations, and seen how often commentators pass over it without notice, must feel that for so small a word, it has suffered more at the hands of its friends than any other in the Greek Testament. It is a good rule: never render , by if any other possible meaning accords with the context. Alford and Ellicott refer to Eph 5:18, in support of the instrumental sense, but it is very doubtful even there. If we take =in here, then the must be accepted as masculine, for the neuter would not allow of any intelligible meaning, especially in view of the well-known phrase , the universe. See under (7) however.R.]
[96] [Harless takes as expressing the Divine glory=Shekinah, but that is objectionable for reasons both lexical and logical.Eadie refers to the view of Michaelis and Bretschneider (=quasi templum in quo habitat, quod occupat et regit, ut anima corpus), but this and kindred interpretations are all either too limited or too specific. Just here it becomes us to be cautious.R.]
[97] [We must hold fast, especially in view of the local reference in Eph 1:20 to the truth of Christs actual bodily presence in heaven, over against the Lutheran doctrine of the ubiquity of His humanity (Form. Conc. ii. 8). Comp the implied opposition to this dogma in the Heidelberg Catechism, Q. 47, 48, 80 (apparently inserted afterwards). The Eucharistic controversies of the 16th century made of this a battle-field.R.]
[98] [The so-called revelations of modern spiritualism do not seem to have shed much light on the few passages of Scripture which treat of angels. Nor do they attempt to do so. One might infer something from this fact, as to the question whether these revelations, granting them a supernatural origin, have the same origin as the statements of Scripture.R.]
[99] [Meyer: Notice here, too, the three fundamental elements of subjective Christianity: Faith and Love and Hope (Eph 1:15; Eph 1:18); in faith and love the illumination through the Holy Ghost should ever bring more and more to our knowledge the glory of our hope; for the Christians is in heaven (Php 3:20), whither their entire minding and seeking is directed. The centre of Christianity is still faith with its love, in connection with which, however, hope ever, encouragingly and inspiritingly, holds up the constant goal. He adduces this against Weiss, who seeks to discover here special prominence given to hope entirely after the Petrine mode, which as that author thinks makes hope the centre.R.]
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
DISCOURSE: 2095
THE SPIRITS INFLUENCES AS A SPIRIT OF WISDOM
Eph 1:15-20. Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, way give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead.
WE are told by our blessed Lord, that however great the pains of parturition may be, a woman remembereth no more her anguish, for joy that a child is born into the world. Yet if the mother, watching the child from month to month, should see no growth in his bodily stature, nor any improvement in his intellectual Faculties, her joy would soon be turned into grief, and she would account the death of the child a greater blessing than its birth. Somewhat similar to these are the feelings of a minister towards those who have been born to God through his ministrations. Like the angels in heaven, he rejoices over every sinner that is brought to repentance: but if his subsequent care and labour be attended with no benefit to his converts, he will feel much pain and sorrow on their account: he will travail, as it were, in birth a second time, till he see Christ completely formed in them. To see them walking in the truth, is the one object of his desire, and the summit of his joy [Note: 3 John, ver. 4.]: and it is only when they stand fast in the faith, that he has a real enjoyment of his life [Note: 1Th 3:8.]. How full of complaints was the Apostle Paul, when the people to whom he had ministered did not make their profiting to appear [Note: 1Co 3:1-3. Gal 3:1; Gal 4:11; Gal 4:19-20. Heb 5:12.]. On the contrary, he quite exulted when he heard of their growth in faith and love [Note: 2Th 1:3-4.]. But in nothing did he shew his anxiety for their welfare more, than in his unwearied intercessions in their behalf.
The prayer which he offered for the Church at Ephesus, evinces clearly,
I.
That the Spirit, as a Spirit of wisdom and revelation, may be obtained by all
What was sought on behalf of all the Christians at Ephesus, may certainly be expected by Christians in every age and place
1.
We need the Spirit as much as they did in the Apostles days
[If we are unconverted, our eyes are blind [Note: 2Co 4:4.], our souls are dead [Note: Eph 2:1.], yea we are incapable of receiving or knowing the things of the Spirit, because we have not that spiritual discernment, whereby alone they can be discerned [Note: 1Co 2:14.] If we are converted, still we are in need of fresh supplies of the Spirit, as much as the Ephesian converts were. It is by the Spirit only that we can know the things which have been freely given to us of God [Note: 1Co 2:12.]. The Apostles not only had been converted, but had enjoyed the public and private instructions of their Divine Master for nearly four years: yet after his resurrection he opened their understandings to understand the Scriptures [Note: Luk 24:45.], and on the day of Pentecost gave them his Spirit in a more abundant measure, to guide them into all truth [Note: 1Co 2:11. with 1Jn 2:20; 1Jn 2:27.]. It is by repeated communications of the same Spirit that we also are to obtain a deeper insight into the things of God. We find oftentimes, even after we have been enlightened, that the written word is only to us as a dead letter; and that unless the Spirit shine upon it, we learn no more from it than from a dial when the sun is hid behind a cloud.
If then we need the Spirit as much as they did of old, we may expect it as well as they.]
2.
The promises relating to the communications of the Spirit, are made to us, as much as to any persons whatever
[Those of the Old Testament extend to the Church in every age. Shall we confine to the apostolic age such declarations as those; Turn you at my reproof, and I will pour out my Spirit upon you [Note: Pro 1:23.]: All thy children shall be taught of the Lord [Note: Isa 54:13. with Joh 6:45.]: This shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, saying, Know the Lord; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them [Note: Jer 31:33-34.]: I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes [Note: Eze 36:27.]? To deny our interest in such passages as these, were to rob us of half the Scriptures.
And what shall we say to the promises of the New Testament? Shall we limit those also to the Apostles days? Hear what our Lord says; If ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit unto them that ask him [Note: Luk 11:13.]? If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink; and out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water: This spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive [Note: Joh 7:37-39.]. I will send you another Comforter, who shall abide with you for ever [Note: Joh 14:16.]. Hear what his Apostles also say: Believe on Christ for the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost: for the promise is to you, and to your children, and to as many as are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call [Note: Act 2:38-39.]. If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his [Note: Rom 8:9.].
Language has neither force nor certainty, if such declarations as these be not to be applied to us.]
3.
In the Liturgy of our Church we pray continually for the communications of the Spirit to our souls
[If we do not intend to mock God in our supplications, we must not only acknowledge our need of the Spirits influence, but we must really feel it every time that we join in our public services [Note: In the Prayer for the King we say, Replenish him with the grace of thy Holy Spirit. In the Litany, That it may please thee to illuminate all Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, with true knowledge and understanding of thy word. [Mark this well.] See also the Collects for 1st Sunday after Epiphany5th Sunday after EasterWhit-Sunday9th Sunday after Trinity19th ditto. Compare these with the text; and see whether, in the judgment of our reformers, the best and most learned of men do not still need to have the Spirit, as a Spirit of wisdom and revelation, given unto them.] ]
But, to prevent misapprehension, we shall proceed to state distinctly,
II.
What discoveries the Spirit will make to our souls
This is certain, that no new revelation is to be expected by us: the canon of Scripture is closed: and if any man pretend to new revelations, let him con-firm his pretensions, by clear and undoubted miracles; or else let him be rejected as an enthusiast and deceiver. The Spirit now enlightens men only by shining upon the written word, and opening their understandings to understand it. But in this way he will make wonderful discoveries to the soul. He will give us just views,
1.
Of God himself
[Somewhat of God may be known from books, without any supernatural aid: but the knowledge gained in that way will be merely theoretical; it will have no suitable influence upon the heart and life. But the very same truths, when applied by the Spirit to the soul, make a deep impression on the mind; they fill it with wonder and with love; and constrain the enraptured soul to exclaim, I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth thee [Note: Job 42:5.]! How precious does Christ appear at such seasons! how unsearchable the length and breadth and depth and height of his incomprehensible love [Note: Eph 3:18-19.]! These are the manifestations of himself which our blessed Lord promised to his Church [Note: Joh 14:21-23; Joh 16:14-15.]; and without which we cannot know aright either him or his Father [Note: Mat 11:27.].
Let us pray then for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, in, and for, the knowledge of him.]
2.
Of the hope to which he has called us
[How low are our apprehensions of the Christians portion, when no particular revelation of it is made to the soul! We can speak of pardon and acceptance, of grace and glory; but we speak of them with no more feeling than if they were mere fictions. But O what a gloriously rich inheritance does ours appear, when our eyes are opened by the Spirit to behold it! One Pisgah-view of the promised land, how does it transport the soul to heaven, and make us long to be dissolved, that we may be with Christ! As for the inheritances of princes, they then appear as worthless as the toys that amuse a child. The realities of the eternal world surpass all sublunary things, as the splendour of the sun exceeds the glimmering of a taper. These things, which no carnal eye hath seen, nor ear heard, nor heart conceived, these things, I say, God now reveals to us by his Spirit [Note: 1Co 2:9-10.]; yea, he gives us an earnest of them in our hearts [Note: Eph 1:13-14.].]
3.
Of the work he has wrought in us
[We are apt to undervalue the work that is already wrought in us, because so much remains to be done. But when God shines upon his own work, we entertain very different thoughts respecting it. It is no light matter then in our eyes to have been quickened from the dead, and created anew in Christ Jesus. It seems no less a work than that which was wrought for Christ, when God raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand, above all the principalities and powers, whether of heaven or hell. We were dead and buried; and Satan set, as it were, the stone, the seal, the watch, to keep us securely under the power of the grave. But our God came by the mighty working of his power. and made us triumphant over all the powers of darkness, and still always causeth us to triumph in Christ. Truly the believer, when he views these things, is a wonder to himself: he is a burning bush [Note: Exo 3:2.], a captive ruling over his oppressors [Note: Isa 14:2.], a worm threshing the mountains [Note: Isa 41:15.].]
Address
1.
Let us seek to attain the Christians character
[The Ephesians were already Christians: they possessed the two distinctive marks of the Christian character, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and love unto all the saints. These marks we must possess. It is in vain to hope for the higher manifestations of the Spirit, till we have received those communications which are of prime and indispensable necessity. Till these evidences of true religion appear, neither can ministers have any joy over you, nor you any scriptural hope for yourselves. Come then to Christ as perishing sinners, and cast in your lot with his people, that you may have your portion with them in a better world.]
2.
Let us seek to enjoy the Christians privileges
[We would not that any of you should live below your privileges. The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, is willing to bestow on you the richest gifts, and to exalt you to the sublimest happiness. He is ready to make all his glory pass before your eyes, and to proclaim in your hearing all his goodness [Note: Exo 33:18-19.]. Though he will not catch you up to Paradise, as he did the Apostle Paul, or make the heavens open to you, as he did to the dying Stephen, yet will he shine into your hearts, to give you light and knowledge, of which you have at present scarcely any conception [Note: 2Co 4:6.]. Seek then these sublime attainments, which will at once enhance your present happiness, and increase your meetness for your heavenly inheritance.]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
(15) Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, (16) Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; (17) That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: (18) The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, (19) And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, (20) Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, (21) Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: (22) And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, (23) Which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.
The Apostle, having in the former part of this most blessed Chapter, brought forward some of the immense mercies, resulting from Jehovah’s love in his Personal manifestations to the Church; now follows the whole with prayer, that the Church might be favored with such apprehensions of the same, as centered in Christ; and such as might safely carry her through all her time-state upon earth, until brought home to everlasting glory in heaven. There is somewhat truly blessed, and sublime, in this prayer of the Apostle. It carries with it indeed, the most decided proofs, of the Apostle’s having been taught it, by the Holy Ghost. Neither can the imagination conceive, anything more highly important, for the Lord’s redeemed ones to have a full apprehension concerning, than what Paul prays for. How truly blessed, to have the eyes spiritually enlightened, to the consciousness of being redeemed from all the dreadful consequences of the Adam-fall transgression; forgiven all sins, and sealed to everlasting safety and happiness in Christ, with that Holy Spirit of promise? And when these mercies are so incorporated in the mind, in the knowledge of the hope of Christ’s calling, and the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints; what additional sweetness, in point of testimony, the whole proves, in running up the contemplation to the source of all, in God’s everlasting love? We then see, both God’s choice, and our adoption-character secured, beyond the possibility of doubt, and all centered in Christ for his Church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all. The Lord, who gave Paul the spirit of prayer for the Church, graciously answers it in mercy; and all blessings must follow, to the Lord’s glory, and the Church’s happiness in Christ!
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
IX
CHRIST’S ATONEMENT AND PAUL’S PRAYER
Eph 1:15-21
Before taking up this part of the exposition I will answer a question arising from the discussion in the previous chapter, viz.: “Did Christ expiate the sins of all men, or the sins of the elect only, and does not universal expiation demand universal salvation?” This question belongs to the department of systematic theology. Without desire to intrude into that department, yet as biblical theology cannot be altogether separated from the teaching of the English Bible, I submit a reply for the benefit of those who may never study systematic theology. It is every way a difficult question, and calls out in its answer all the theories of the atonement advocated in the Christian ages. In general terms it is the old question is the atonement general or limited? Perhaps no man has ever given a precise answer satisfactory to his own mind even, and it is certain no one has ever satisfied all others.
It must be sufficient for present purposes to deal with the question briefly, relegating to systematic theology the critical and extended reply derived from a comparison of all the prominent theories of the atonement in the light of the Scriptures. The following passages of Scripture doubtless suggest the question: Heb 2:9 , “Jesus hath been made a little lower than the angels . . . that by the grace of God he should taste death for every man.” There must be some real sense, some gracious sense, in which he tasted death for every man. 1Ti 4:9-10 : “Faithful is the saying and worthy of all acceptation. For to this end we labor and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of them that believe.” Here again it is evident that God in some real sense is the Saviour of all men, but not in the special sense in which he is the Saviour of believers. A more pertinent passage 1Jn 2:2 , “And he [Jesus Christ] is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.”
The first question is answered here if anywhere. The question is, “Did Christ expiate the sins of all men?” And this passage says, “He is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world.” Further on in the letter (Joh 4:14 ) John says, “And we have beheld and bear witness that the Father hath sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world,” this language doubtless referring back to Joh 1:29 , “On the morrow he [John the Baptist] seeth Jesus coming unto him, and sayeth, Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world!” Here “Lamb of God,” the vicarious sacrifice and “taketh away the sin” must refer to the expiation in some real sense. Moreover, it accords with “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life,” and quadrates particularly with the sincerity of the Great Commission in Mat 28:19 and Mar 16:16 , and the intense earnestness with which the apostles pressed home upon every heart the duty and privilege of all men to accept the salvation offered.
The case of Paul is much in point, because of the use of the very word in question, 2Co 5:1-20 , “But all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and gave unto us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not reckoning unto them their trespasses, and having committed unto us the word of reconciliation. We are ambassadors therefore on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us: we beseech you on behalf of Christ, be ye reconciled to God.” This particular passage is the more pertinent and important since it discriminates so clearly between the two reconciliations, to wit: (1) God was reconciled to us through the expiation of Christ, satisfying the claims of justice and placating the wrath of the law on account of sin. (2) Our reconciliation to God through acceptance of Christ tendered in the ministry of the word.
Here it is evident that expiation becomes effective to us through faith in Christ. And it is perfectly clear from many scriptures that no matter in what sense expiation was effective toward God for all men, it cannot result in universal salvation, since “he that believeth not, shall be damned.” The second question is answered, to wit: No matter in what sense expiation was for all men Godward, it can avail to usward by faith alone. The question of universal salvation is not therefore bound up with reconciliation Godward, whatever its extent, but with the ministry of reconciliation and our acceptance or rejection of the tendered mercy. Speculate theorize, philosophize as we may on the extent of the atonement Godward, we are shut up peremptorily by the Scriptures to the conclusion that “he that believeth not, shall be damned.”
It is the opinion of the author that universal or limited salvation is not connected with the atonement Godward, but with the ministry of reconciliation. In other words, the question is not, “Unto how many was God reconciled through Christ?” but, How many of us are reconciled to God through faith in Christ?
It seems to the author that the crux of the whole matter lies in three thoughts: (1) That in the final judgment the supreme test for men and angels is the question, “What was your attitude toward Christ, either in himself, his people, or his cause?” See particularly Mat 25:31-46 , where this principle is applied to all men. And see 1Co 6:3 , where the test is implied toward angels, else saints could not judge them. Again, this decisive principle of the final judgment is expressly taught in Mat 12:41-42 in the reference to the men of Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba, and yet again in our Lord’s denunciation of the Galilean cities, (Mat 11:21-24 ). (2) The second thought lies in our Lord’s teaching that only one sin is an eternal sin, having never forgiveness in either world (Mar 3:2-30 ); Mat 12:31-32 , showing that condemnation comes from action in the Spirit’s realm of application. See the culmination of unpardonable sin in “doing despite to the Spirit of grace” (Heb 10:26-29 ). (3) The effect of the death on the cross conferred on the Messiah, i.e., not the Son of God in eternity, but the Son of God by procreation, born of the virgin Mary) the sovereignty of the universe. See Phi 2:5-11 .
I hold James P. Boyce to be the greatest all-around Baptist ever produced by the South. While in his Systematic Theology he teaches that expiation of the sins of all men must mean universal salvation, yet before he closes his discussion he uses these remarkable words, which I cite:
(1) While for the elect he made an actual atonement, by which they are actually reconciled to God, and because of which are made the subjects of the special divine grace by which they became believers in Christ, and are justified through him.
(2) Christ at the same time and in the same work, wrought out a means of reconciliation for all men, which removed every legal obstacle to their salvation, upon their acceptance of the same conditions upon which the salvation is given to the elect. Abstract of Theology , revised by F. H. Kerfoot, p. 296.
(3) On page 297 he says,
The atoning work of Christ was not sufficient for the salvation of man. That work was only Godward, and only removed all the obstacles in the way of God’s pardon of the sinner. But the sinner is also at enmity with God, and must be brought to accept salvation, and must learn to love and serve God. It is the special work of the Holy Spirit to bring this about. The first step here is to make known to man the gospel, which contains the glad tidings of salvation, under such influences as ought to lead to its acceptance.
For the purpose of comment I mark these paragraphs (1), (2), and (3). It seems difficult to reconcile (1) with (3) but (2) and (3) are in perfect harmony. In (1) he says that “for the elect he made actual atonement” . . . “they were actually reconciled to God.” But in (3) he says that “the atoning work was not sufficient for the salvation of man, that work was only Godward, and only removed all the obstacles in the way of God’s pardon for the sinner.” This language applies of course to the elect. But in (2) he says, “Christ wrought out a means of reconciliation for all men which removed every legal obstacle to their salvation.” Then for the elect the atonement “was not sufficient for the salvation of man” and “only removed all the obstacles in the way of God’s pardon for the sinner,” and if for the nonelect the atonement wrought out a means of reconciliation,” “removing every legal obstacle to their salvation,” what is the difference Godward? What is the difference so far as Christ’s work is concerned? Does not the difference come in the Spirit’s work in connection with the application of the atonement and the ministry of reconciliation? Do election and foreordination become operative toward atonement or toward acceptance of the atonement? These questions are submitted for consideration in the realm of the study of systematic theology. The author does not dogmatize on them. While he has only a very moderate respect for philosophy in any of its departments as taught in the schools, and prefers rather to accept every word of God without speculation, and believes it true and harmonious in all its parts, whether or not he is able to philosophically explain it, yet he submits merely for consideration along with other human philosophizing on the atonement the philosophy of Dr. Wm. C. Buck on this matter. It is found in his book, The Philosophy of Religion . On the question of general or limited atonement he takes this position, as I recall it: Jesus Christ through his death repurchased or bought back the whole lost human race, including the earth, man’s habitat. The whole of it and all its peoples passed thereby under his sovereignty. What debt they once owed to the law they now owe to him, the surety who paid the debt. From his mediatorial throne he offers to forgive this debt now due him to all who will accept him. But all alike reject him. The Father, through the Spirit, graciously inclines some to accept him. Thus those really saved are saved according to the election and foreordination of God, not operative in the atonement which was general, but in the Spirit’s application which was special. Those thus saved were originally promised by the Father to the Son. He dies for the whole world as the expression of the Father’s universal love. He died for the elect, his church, as his promised reward.
Dr. Buck illustrates, so far as such an illustration can serve, by supposing a raid by Algerian pirates on a Spanish village, leading a multitude into captivity in Moorish North Africa. A philanthropist, touched by their piteous condition, ransoms all of them by one price, and now, owning them all, offers remission of the debt and free passage back to native Spain to all who will accept. Some prefer bondage and remain, others accept joyfully and go back home. Of course this illustration takes no account of the Father’s work or the Spirit’s work, touching only the question of ransom for all, the passing of the debt over to the surety, his sovereignty, in its remission and their acceptance or rejection.
Let us do with this or any other philosophy what we will, but let us not hesitate to accept all that the Scriptures teach on this matter. When we read Joh 10:14-16 ; Joh 11:26-29 ; Act 13:48 ; Rom 8:28-29 ; Eph 5:25-32 , let us not abate one jot of their clear teaching of Christ’s death for the elect and their certain salvation. And when we read Joh 1:29 ; Joh 3:16 ; 1Ti 4:10 ; Heb 2:9 ; 1Jn 2:2 ; Eze 33:11 ; Mat 28:19 ; 1Ti 2:4 , let us beware lest our theory, or philosophy, of the atonement constrain us to question God’s sincerity, and disobey his commands. There are many true things in and out of the Bible beyond our satisfactory explanation. Let faith apprehend even where the finite mind cannot comprehend.
The exposition proper commences with the third item of the analysis, which is the thanksgiving. On that item we have only Eph 1:15 : “For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you, and the love which ye show toward all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you.” We can see that there are two things for which he is thankful: First, their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, their love for all the saints.
We come now to the first great prayer, the fourth item in the analysis, which extends from Eph 1:16-21 : “Making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, etc.” That is the person to whom he prays. We may say, “Of course he prays to God.” But successful prayer has its relation to Jesus Christ. Paul says, “I pray to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory.” That settles the first point to whom does he pray? The next thing is, for what does he pray? “May give unto you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; having the eyes of your heart enlightened.” That is what he prays for, “a spirit of wisdom and revelation, having the eyes of your heart enlightened.” We can put in one word the whole thing. That word is “illumination.” “I pray that you may be illumined.”
There are three terms revelation, inspiration, and illumination. Revelation discloses that which we could not otherwise know. Inspiration infallibly records it. Illumination causes us to understand it. Some people read the Bible and find in it nothing to them. But consider these passages: “Open thou mine eyes that I may understand the wonderful things in thy law.” “The Lord opened the heart of Lydia so that she attended unto the things spoken by Paul.”
Illumination, then, is that work of the Holy Spirit which causes one to get the real spiritual meanings of the Bible. Time and again have I come to some passage and said, “That looks like it was intended to mean much, but somehow I cannot get hold of it.” It was like a fog to me, and I could not see the real spiritual meaning. I have long since found out that mere intellectual study does not find the meaning. The Spirit indicted that passage and the Spirit knows what it means; for us to understand it, an opening of the eyes of the heart must take place. Paul prays for these people to whom he writes, that they may have illumination, that is, “the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him,” or as he otherwise expressed it, “the opening of the eyes of the heart.” Illumination covers the whole thing. That is what he prays for.
The next question is, What the end or object of that illumination? Why should he pray that they might receive illumination? “That ye may know.” Let us see what are the things that they were to know. They are as follows: (1) “The hope of his calling.” (2) “The riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.” (3) “The exceeding greatness of his power toward us.” These are the things that he prays for that they might receive illumination and know these three things. That through illumination they were to know: (1) The hope of their calling. Hope here is used objectively; it means the things hoped for, to which we are called; (2) that we may know what the things are that God called us to; (3) and what we hope for. That is a great prayer.
In the letter to the Hebrews the thought is presented this way: “Ye are come unto Mount Zion and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.” That is the place we are coming to. We are coming unto this companionship: (1) Angels–an innumerable company. (2) The general assembly of the church of the first-born. (3) The spirits of the just made perfect. (4) To God, the judge of all. (5) To Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant. (6) To the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better than that of Abel. Now his prayer is that they may be illumined in order that they may know the riches of the inheritance that is laid up in heaven for the saints. The reason so many Christians are weak and fruitless is that they have no grip on the things extended to the hope of the Christian. The powers of the world to come do not take hold of them.
I heard a most estimable lady member of the church say once, “Heaven? Oh, I do not know anything about it! It is ‘way off yonder, very vague!” I said, “My sister, if heaven was vague to me I could not preach. I know what I am hoping for. I have clear conceptions of the world to come: the place, state, company, joy, all is clear in my mind, and in that way it attracts.”
To illustrate: “Jesus Christ, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross and despised the shame.” Take the case of Moses. How was it that he was enabled to refuse to become the son of Pharaoh’s daughter? “He had respect unto the recompense of reward.” He saw something better than the pleasures of sin. He saw something more durable than the riches and glory of this world. What was it that enabled Abraham to bear up, wandering about, living in a tent? “He sought a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” So Paul, seeing that they had faith and love toward the brethren, prayed that they might be illumined to know the things which a Christian hopes for, and to which he is called.
I delight to preach on heaven. There is a tremendous power over the mind and heart in it. If a man does not know the hope of his calling, there is not the incentive to action which comes from the hope of reward. The mind of man is influenced by motives the hope of reward and the fear of punishment. Once when I was preaching at Belton, not getting results, I went out and prayed three times that God might make me, the preacher, realize the nearness and certainty and eternity of both heaven and hell. When I got that in my mind and heart the revival broke out, heaven came down, and we were in the glory of the mercy seat. A Methodist preacher who was there said he had to take hold of a table to keep from shouting.
“I pray that ye may be enabled to know what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.” Mark well the distinction between the first and second thing that he prayed for. The first related to their inheritance in Christ, the object of their hope. The second related to Christ’s inheritance in them. We should know both. Does that distinction suggest anything at all? Is it not clear that Christ had an object when he died? There was a joy set before him so precious that he was willing to bear all things for it. Here are two scriptures that will give an idea of it: 2Th 1:10 , “When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be marvelled at in all them that believed, in that day.” Christ’s glory is to be in his saints not as we are on earth, but as the finished product will be up yonder in heaven. Then take this passage in Eph 5:27 , “That he might present the church to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” The inheritance of Christ in his saints stood as an incentive to bear their sins. He had an interest in them.
One of the most wonderful buildings in the world is Westminster Abbey. As we step into that building we see this inscription: “Whosoever would see a monument to Sir Christopher Wren, look around.” Sir Christopher Wren was the architect, and a real monument to him was that building. A sculptor, when he undertakes to make a fine piece of work first goes to the quarry or marble yard and selects a piece of marble of fine texture a great, big, uncouth block. He stands there and looks at it and thinks out his plan, and at last he sees an angel in it. He goes to work with his mallet and chisel, lopping off here and there, and after a while it begins to assume shape; we see the head, then the wings, then the feet, and when the finishing touches are put on we stand in the presence of an angel that looks like it could breathe, fly, and talk.
So when Christ’s work is completed, the body raised, then we see the inheritance that Christ has in the saints. The best person in the world, taken as he is, after grace has done so much, is, after all, an imperfect recommendation of Christ. But when Jesus is done with him, his body has been raised and glorified, the spirit sanctified and made perfect, with all mortality, corruption, and dishonor gone, in all beauty and holiness like him not one, not hundreds, not thousands, but a great multitude that no man can number each one with a crown upon his head, each one with a harp in his left hand, and a palm leaf of victory in his right hand, and each one praising God that is Christ’s inheritance in the saints. Paul says, “I want you to know that.” We ought to know it for our own sakes, because our conception of heaven will determine the kind of respect we have for heaven. If our aspiration is to be only an ordinary man, we will not have much self-respect, but we should have a burning in our heart, “This is not the best of me. Ah, no! I have climbed the mountain somewhat, but, like Paul, I must say, ‘Higher! Higher! Excelsior!’ After a while I will sit on God’s throne and judge the world, judge the angels;” that is the thing we must know.
Let us take the next thing we must know: “And what the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe.” We must know, if we are illumined, “the greatness of his power toward us who believe.” He illustrates thus: “According to that working of the strength of his might which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in heavenly places, made him King of kings and Lord of lords.” That power will be exercised toward believers. We may die away off by ourselves; the world may not even know that we have lived; no monument may mark our resting place; in our last illness no loving hand may be there to wipe the death damp from our brow, but if we are children of God, we ought to know what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us.
That unknown grave will open; the angels will come down; that body will be raised and glorified and reunited with the spirit, taken to the throne in heaven and made joint heir with Christ upon the throne of the universe.
But his primary meaning is not directed to our bodily resurrection. He means that in our inward development as Christians the power exerted shall be as the power that raised our Lord’s dead body.
Let us sum up this first great prayer: (1) Unto whom? God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2) For what? Illumination, expressed here as the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, an enlightenment of the eyes of the heart. (3) To what end? That they might know the hope of their calling; that they might know the riches of the glory of Christ’s inheritance in the saints; that they might know the greatness of his power toward believers.
QUESTIONS
1. What double question of systematic theology arises here?
2. What old theological question does this question revive and what theories?
3. What scriptures were cited as bearing on the first part of the question?
4. What is the special value, as bearing on this question, of 2Co 5:18-20 ?
5. What passage makes it clear that no matter whether expiation be for all men or for the elect, universal salvation does not follow?
6. In what three thoughts lies-the crux of the whole matter, according to the author’s judgment, and what the scriptures underlying each thought?
7. Cite the three passages from Boyce’s Systematic Theology, and Eve your own view of their harmony with each other,
8. On the whole, then, do election and foreordination become opmun or effective toward atonement, whether general or limited, or ward the Spirit’s application of the atonement?
9. State the view of Dr. William C. Buck in his Philosophy of Religion and give his illustration.
10. Whatever man’s philosophy, or theory of the atonement, what is our plain duty toward the scriptures cited pro and con?
11. What is the distinction between “apprehend” and “comprehend,” and are there many things in the Scriptures we must apprehend, even though we may not comprehend?
12. For what two things does the apostle express thanks?
13. On the first great prayer, Eph 1:16-21 , answer: (1) To whom? (2) For what?
14. What one word covers all he prayed for?
15. Distinguish between revelation, inspiration, and illumination.
16. Define illumination and give its purpose or end.
17. What are three great things will the illumination enable us to know?
18. Distinguish between the first and the second.
19. What is the meaning of the first?
20. What is the meaning of the second? Illustrate.
21. What is the meaning of the third?
Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible
15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
Ver. 15. Your faith in the Lord Jesus ] Love is the fruit of faith, therefore the apostles pray for increase of faith, that they might be able seven times a day to forgive an offending brother, Luk 17:5 . See Trapp on “ Luk 17:5 “
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
15, 16 .] INTRODUCTION TO THE PRAYER. Wherefore (i.e., on account of what has gone before since Eph 1:3 : but especially of what has been said since Eph 1:13 , where first came in: because ye are in Christ, and in Him were sealed, &c.) I also ( , either as resuming the first person after the second, going back to the Eph 1:11 , or as corresponding to above: not, as Mey., al., because he is sensible that in thus praying for them he is helping their prayers for themselves) having heard of (on the indication supposed to be furnished by this respecting the readers, see Prolegg. ii. 12) the faith among you in the Lord Jesus ( is not = , as ordinarily rendered (even by Meyer), either here or any where else: cf. the example which Mey. quotes from Thuc. vi. 16, , ‘the life which prevails among them:’ Ellic. compares, for the distinction, , addressed to Pharisees, Joh 8:17 , with , said with reference to Jews in Achaia, Act 18:15 : nor is ‘among you’ merely local ( chez vous ), but is partitive , implying the possibility of some not having this faith, and thus intensifying the prayer which follows) and [ your love which is ] towards all the saints (on the reading, see digest. Taking the bracketed words as genuine, specifies – which might be general: . wants no such specification, all our faith being . . ., grounded in Him. Chrys. remarks: . . . . ) cease not giving thanks for you, making mention (of them , viz. your faith and love) in (see reff. ‘In with a genitive, the apparent temporal reference partakes somewhat of the local reference of juxtaposition.’ Bernhardy, p. 216) my (ordinary, see Rom 1:9 note) prayers .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Eph 1:15-23 . SECOND SECTION OF THE EPISTLE: in which the writer expresses his own feelings and desires towards the Ephesians, and in doing so leads them to the highest conception both of Christ’s own supremacy and of the grandeur of that Church of His of which they had been made members. The wonders of the grace thus shown them give him occasion, he tells them, for increasing thanksgiving. But his thanksgiving also prompts him to prayer on their behalf. Seeing to what they had already attained in the Christian life into which that marvellous grace had brought them, especially in faith and in brotherly love, his prayer is that they may increase in these yet more and more, and in particular that they may have an enlarging insight into the hope that springs from their calling, the inheritance which is reserved for them, and the present power of Christ which is the guarantee for all that they have and look for.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Eph 1:15 . : For this cause I too . might cover the contents of the entire preceding paragraph, pointing back to Eph 1:3 and indicating that in his thanksgiving to God, in behalf of these Ephesians, the Apostle had in his mind the whole counsel and eternal choice of God of which he first made mention, and the whole operation of grace in the lives of the Ephesians in the several particulars afterwards instanced. In view, however, of the transition from the more general “us” to the more definite “ye also” in Eph 1:13 it is probably more accordant with the tenor of thought to take the to refer to the signal manifestation of God’s grace in the sealing of these believers, who had been taken from the dark pagan world, with the Spirit which was both assurance and foretaste of an inheritance undreamt of in their heathenism. The is best explained by the same . It means simply “I on my side,” and does not imply as some, including, even Meyer, suppose, that the writer was thinking of a co-operation between those addressed and himself in thanksgiving and prayer. : having heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus . It has been wrongly inferred from the that the writer had no personal acquaintance with those addressed and knew of their conversion only by the report of others. Philemon was well known to Paul, who spake of him indeed as his , his , and his son in the faith (Eph 1:19 ). Yet Paul uses with reference to him almost the same terms as those used here . . . (Eph 1:4-5 ). Besides, what the writer speaks of here is not their conversion but their faith and love, and it is only in harmony with all that we know of Paul that he should have used every opportunity of keeping himself in communication with them and watching their progress. Through Tychicus, or some other visitor or messenger, tidings of their Christian walk may have come to him now ( cf. Introduction). In any case he finds his first and foremost reason for thanksgiving in the report of the way in which the fundamental Christian requirement was made good among them that of faith , their faith in the Lord Jesus Himself. The phrase here is not the usual , or , but . The sense, however, is substantially the same. Some good grammarians indeed seek to establish a distinction between the two phrases, and claim a special partitive or distributive sense for the one with . Ellicott, e.g. , points to the fact that the form is adopted only once by Paul, while occurs some seventeen times in his Epistles, and concludes on the whole that the former may denote “the faith of the community viewed objectively,” “ the faith which is among you ,” whereas the latter expresses “the subjective faith of individuals”. Alford, also, gives the former the sense of the “faith which prevails among you” (on the analogy of in Thuc., vi., 16), and takes it to imply that some in the Ephesian Church may not have had the faith. So the RV gives in its text “the faith which is among you”; marg., “ in you”. But the analogies referred to ( e.g. , , Joh 8:17 , as contrasted with in Act 18:15 ; cf. Ell.) scarcely bear this out, and there is much to show that the latter form had become, or was on the way to become, simply a periphrasis for the former. Such phrases as ; the above ; and (Act 17:28 ; Act 18:15 ; Act 26:3 ) may be thus explained; and in later Greek with an acc. is frequently used where the older classical Greek would have had the gen. case, e.g. , = the resignation of government , Diod., S., i., 65. So, while in the NT may usually retain its distributive force, in cases where it is followed by the acc. of a personal pronoun it may mean nothing more than the poss. adj. or the gen. of the personal pronoun. As Buttmann points out, strictly speaking it is not so much that “the case was periphrased but that the prepositional phrase displaced the simple case”; as it was easy for the Greek language to make prepositional phrases dependent immediately upon substantives, and natural, therefore, for it in its later developments to carry this further and employ “prepositional expressions even where the earlier language still preferred the simple case” ( Gram. of N. T. Greek , p. 156; cf. Bernhardy’s Syntax , p. 241; Win.-Moult., pp. 199, 241, 499; Blass, Gram. of N. T. Greek , p. 133). : and your love toward all the saints . The reading is uncertain. The Received Text inserts , which has the support of such authorities as [79] [80] [81] [82] [83] , Syr., Boh., Lat., Copt., Goth., Thdrt., etc., and is adopted by Tisch, and Tregelles (the latter bracketing it in margin). It is regarded by WH as a Western and Syrian insertion from Col 1:4 . The is omitted by [84] [85] [86] [87] , 17, Orig., Cyr., Jer., etc., and is deleted by Lach., WH and RV. The documentary evidence is on the side of the omission. But the difficulty is to find in that case a suitable sense. Hort thinks that Phm 1:5 furnishes a parallel, as it might be rendered (with RV marg.) “hearing of thy love and faith which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints”. But the love is expressed there. Dale would render it “having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ which is among you and shown toward all the saints,” as if the point of the latter clause was the reality or manifestation of the faith. But in the Greek there is nothing corresponding to the “shown”. The , in short, if it belongs to both clauses, must be introduced in two different aspects, as belief in the first clause and as faithfulness in the second. But in the absence of any intimation of a double presentation of this is awkward exceedingly. The Revisers nevertheless render it “the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you, and which ye shew toward all the saints”. The insertion in any case is of early date, and the omission may have been due to the eye of some ancient scribe being deceived by the two occurrences of . The grace in question, whether their love or their faithfulness, was of catholic quality, taking all the saints for its objects.
[79] Codex Sinaiticus (sc. iv.), now at St. Petersburg, published in facsimile type by its discoverer, Tischendorf, in 1862.
[80] Codex Claromontanus (sc. vi.), a Grco-Latin MS. at Paris, edited by Tischendorf in 1852.
[81] Codex Boernerianus (sc. ix.), a Grco-Latin MS., at Dresden, edited by Matthi in 1791. Written by an Irish scribe, it once formed part of the same volume as Codex Sangallensis ( ) of the Gospels. The Latin text, g, is based on the O.L. translation.
[82] Codex Mosquensis (sc. ix.), edited by Matthi in 1782.
[83] Codex Angelicus (sc. ix.), at Rome, collated by Tischendorf and others.
[84] Codex Sinaiticus (sc. iv.), now at St. Petersburg, published in facsimile type by its discoverer, Tischendorf, in 1862.
[85] Codex Vaticanus (sc. iv.), published in photographic facsimile in 1889 under the care of the Abbate Cozza-Luzi.
[86] Codex Alexandrinus (sc. v.), at the British Museum, published in photographic facsimile by Sir E. M. Thompson (1879).
[87] Codex Porphyrianus (sc. ix.), at St. Petersburg, collated by Tischendorf. Its text is deficient for chap. Eph 2:13-16 .
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Eph 1:15-23
15For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, 16do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; 17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. 18I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Eph 1:15-23 This is Paul’s prayer of thanksgiving and intercession for the recipients (i.e., churches of Asia Minor). It is one long sentence in Greek, as is Eph 1:3-14 (i.e., Paul’s prayer of praise to God the Father for His gracious gift of Christ and the Spirit). These long sentences are characteristic of Paul’s literary style only in Ephesians (cf. Eph 1:3-23; Eph 2:1-10; Eph 2:14-22; Eph 3:1-12; Eph 3:14-19; Eph 4:11-16; Eph 6:13-20).
Also notice Paul’s prayer for himself in Eph 6:19-20! Paul was a man of prayer and praise (i.e., Eph 3:20-21).
Eph 1:15
NASB”the faith. . .among you”
NKJV, NRSV,
TEV, NJB”your faith”
Ephesians, being a circular letter, shows that Paul is referring to several churches, not just the church at Ephesus. He had heard of the problems of the churches in the Lycus Valley (Laodicea, Hierapolis, and Colossae) through Epaphras (cf. Col 1:6-8).
The term “faith” can refer to
1. initial, personal trust in Christ (cf. Eph 1:19 “toward us who believe”)
2. ongoing faithful Christian living (i.e., OT sense, of Col 1:9-10)
3. Christian doctrine “the faith,” with the definite article, (cf. Act 6:7; Act 13:8; Act 14:22; Gal 1:23; Gal 6:10; Jud 1:3; Jud 1:20)
Here it has the article and probably option #3 is best.
“your love” This is not in the ancient Greek manuscripts P46, , A, or B, nor the Greek text used by Origen, Jerome, or Augustine, but it is present in the Colossians parallel (cf. Eph 1:4) and Phm 1:5. It is obviously a scribal addition here in Ephesians. They tended to standardize Paul’s phrasing.
“saints” See Special Topic: Saints at Col 1:2.
Eph 1:16 This verse reveals two aspects of Paul’s prayer life: (1) thankfulness and (2) persistence. Paul continually prayed for all of Christ’s churches (cf. Rom 1:9; 2Co 11:28; Php 1:3-4; Col 1:3; Col 1:9 ; 1Th 1:2-3; 2Ti 1:3, Phm 1:4).
This is a good theological balance between trusting in God and intercessory prayer. The proclamation of the gospel and the development of churches was God’s will. Yet Paul sensed a need to continue to pray for them. Somehow believers’ prayers unleash the power of God in fresh, new ways. The sovereign God has chosen to limit Himself to the prayers of His people (cf. Jas 4:2)! Intercessory prayer is a mystery of God’s power linked to believers’ volitional requests. See Special Topic on Thanksgiving at Col 4:2. See Special Topic: Intercessory Prayer at Col 4:3.
Eph 1:17
NASB, NRSV,
NJB”Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of”
NKJV”Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of”
TEV”Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, to give you the Spirit”
Notice the emphasis on the Trinity seen in TEV translation of (1) Eph 1:3-14; (2) Eph 1:17; (3) Eph 2:18; (4) Eph 3:14-17; and (5) Eph 4:4-6. See Special Topic: The Trinity at Eph 1:3.
“the Father of glory” This was an OT title for God (cf. Psa 24:7; Psa 29:3; Act 7:2). The genitive modifier (of glory) is also used of Jesus in 1Co 2:8 and Jas 2:1. Paul’s prayer is that YHWH will give these new believers a full and complete understanding of true wisdom which is Jesus Christ, not the intellectual false wisdom of the Gnostic teachers. There is no human secret wisdom. Jesus is the wisdom of God who fully reveals Him! See fuller note on “Glory” at Eph 1:6.
“may give to you a spirit” The term ” spirit” is anarthrous (no definite article), but really serves the double purpose of referring to the human spirit energized by the Holy Spirit. Isa 11:2 describes God’s gifts of the Spirit as “a spirit of wisdom,” and “understanding,” “a spirit of counsel,” and “strength,” “a spirit of knowledge,” and “fear of the Lord.”
In the NT there is a series of passages which describe what the Spirit produces in the lives of believers.
1. “a spirit of holiness,” Rom 1:4
2. “a spirit of adoption as sons,” Rom 8:15
3. “a spirit of gentleness,” 1Co 4:21
4. “a spirit of faith,” 2Co 4:13
5. “a spirit of wisdom and revelation,” Eph 1:17
6. “the spirit of truth,” vs. “the spirit of error,” 1Jn 4:6
“of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him” The pronouns in the paragraph refer to God the Father, as most do in Eph 1:3-14. This wisdom and revelation was not just for some, but for all believers (cf. Eph 4:13). This was used to refute the intellectual and exclusivistic emphases of the false teachers. Gospel knowledge is God-given and Jesus-focused (cf. Col 1:9). He is the truth (cf. Joh 8:32; Joh 14:6)!
Eph 1:18-19 Knowledge of God the Father’s provisions in Christ involves three aspects.
1. the believers’ predestined hope
2. the believers’ glorious inheritance
3. the believers’ understanding of God’s surpassingly great power, manifested in Christ
Eph 1:18 “the eyes of your heart may be enlightened” This is a metaphor of the gospel bringing understanding to fallen humanity (cf. Act 26:18; 2Co 4:4-6). This has always been God’s will. See Special Topic: Heart at Col 2:2.
“hope of His calling” For a full note on “hope” see Special Topic at Col 1:5.
The term “calling” (kale) is used in several theological senses in the NT.
1. sinners are called by God through Christ to salvation
2. sinners call on the name of the Lord to be saved
3. believers are called on to live Christlike lives
4. believers are called to ministry tasks
The thrust of this text is #1. For “calling” see Special Topic at Eph 4:1.
“the riches of the glory” Paul often speaks of gospel truths as “riches” (cf. Eph 1:7; Eph 1:18; Eph 2:4; Eph 2:7; Eph 3:8; Eph 3:16). See note at Eph 1:7.
“inheritance” See full note at Eph 1:11.
Eph 1:19
NASB”surpassing greatness”
NKJV”exceeding greatness”
NRSV”immeasurable greatness”
TEV”how very great”
NJB”how extraordinarily great”
This term huperball is used only by Paul in the NT. It expresses his overwhelming emotion of what God in Christ has done for rebellious mankind in redemption (cf. 2Co 3:10; 2Co 9:14; Eph 1:19; Eph 2:7; Eph 3:19).
SPECIAL TOPIC: PAUL’S USE OF “HUPER” COMPOUNDS
“toward us who believe” This phrase shows the falsehood of the doctrine of “universalism” which asserts that eventually all people will be saved. This universalism is usually based on proof-texting isolated passages like Rom 5:18. God has chosen to allow humans to participate (conditional covenant) in their own spiritual salvation and pilgrimage. Christians must repent and believe (cf. Mar 1:15; Act 3:16; Act 3:19; Act 20:21).
The gospel’s inclusivism (cf. Joh 1:12; Joh 3:16; 1Ti 2:4-6; Tit 2:11; 1Pe 3:9) was in contrast to the exclusivism of the false teachers. The gospel is universal in its invitation (cf. 1Ti 2:4; Tit 2:11; 2Pe 3:9) to all who will call on the name of the Lord (cf. Rom 10:9-13).
“the working of the strength of His might” This may be another allusion to Isa 11:2 (cf. Eph 1:17). This phrase is made up of three Greek words (energas, kratos, and ischus) which indicate God’s power. A fourth term for power (dunamis) is used earlier in the verse. The focus of salvation is God’s powerful actions through Christ, not individual human actions or intellectual concepts.
Eph 1:20 The next three phrases describe what God the Father’s tremendous, mighty power has done for Jesus.
1. It “raised Him from the dead” Eph 1:20. This was the sign of His accepted sacrifice (cf. 1 Corinthians 15).
2. It “seated Him on His right hand,” Eph 1:20. This was the place of exaltation and preeminence (cf. Col 3:1). This represented Christ’s ongoing intercessory ministry (cf. Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25; Heb 9:24; 1Jn 2:1 and was fulfillment of OT prophecy, cf. Psa 110:1; Act 7:56).
3. It “made Him supreme Head of the church,” Eph 1:22. This use of the term church refers to the unique new people of God, which includes all who believe, both Jew and Gentile (cf. Eph 2:11 to Eph 3:13; Gal 3:27-29).
The things that the Father has done for Christ, Christ has done for His followers (cf. Eph 2:5-6). All three terms in Eph 2:5-6 are compounds with the preposition syn which means “joint participation with.”
“in the heavenly places” This locative (of sphere) neuter plural adjective (epouranious) is only used in Ephesians (cf. Eph 1:3; Eph 1:20; Eph 2:6; Eph 3:10; Eph 6:12). From the context of all of its usages, it must mean the spiritual realm in which believers live here and now, not heaven by and by.
Eph 1:21 “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion” This phrase may refer to ranks or orders of spiritual powers or angelic levels that are hostile to humanity (cf. Eph 2:2; Eph 3:10; Eph 6:12; Col 1:16; Col 2:10; Col 2:15; Rom 8:38-39; 1Co 15:24). Jesus is superior to all angelic ranks (cf. Hebrews 1-2). This refuted the Gnostic false teachers’ emphasis on angelic levels (aeons). These ranks may also refer to impersonal structures in our world which allow humans to function apart from God. Examples are philosophy, education, government, medicine, religion, etc. (cf. Hendrik Berkhof’s Christ and the Powers, Herald Press).
See Special Topic: Angels in Paul’s Writings at Eph 6:12.
Further, for “far above” see Special Topic: Paul’s Use of Huper Compounds at Eph 1:19.
For “authority” see Special Topic: Arch at Col 1:16.
“and every name that is named” This may refer to the false teachers’ secret passwords or names used to pass through the angelic spheres. They were trusting in their secret knowledge of magical names to bring salvation. Paul asserts that salvation or union with God is found only in Jesus’ name (cf. Php 2:9-11). In the OT a person’s name represented his character. The Father’s character is fully revealed in the Son (cf. Joh 14:8-14; Joh 17:11).
“not only in this age but also in the one to come” The Jews believed in two ages, the current evil age and the new righteous age which would come through the Messiah. This new righteous age of the Spirit came at Pentecost! (cf. Joe 2:28-32; Mat 12:32, Mar 10:30; Luk 16:8; Luk 18:30; Luk 20:34; 1Ti 6:17; 2Ti 4:10; Tit 2:12, Heb 6:5).
SPECIAL TOPIC: THIS AGE AND THE AGE TO COME
Eph 1:22 “He has put all things in subjection under His feet” “Subjection” is a military term for a chain of command (cf. Psa 110:1; Psa 8:6). The Father has given the Son first place in all things (cf. Col 1:18-19). In the end, the Son will turn all things back to the Father (cf. 1Co 15:27-28).
Jesus’ submission to the Father does not imply, in any sense, inequality, but an administrative, functional division of labor within the Trinity. See fuller note on “submission” at Eph 5:21.
“gave Him as head over all things” The extended metaphor of Jesus as the Head of His body, the church, is only found in Ephesians and Colossians (cf. Eph 4:15; Eph 5:23; Col 1:18-19; Col 2:19). The people of the ancient Mediterranean world believed the head gave life to the body.
“church” In secular Greek, this term meant an assembly (cf. Act 19:32). Ekklesia was used in the Septuagint (LXX) to translate the Hebrew term “assembly (qahal) of Israel” (cf. Exo 16:3; Exo 12:6; Lev 4:13; Num 20:4). This is the first of several uses of this term in Ephesians (cf. Eph 1:22; Eph 3:10; Eph 3:21; Eph 5:23-25; Eph 5:27; Eph 5:29; Eph 5:32). Both in Eph. (Eph 1:22-23) and in Col. (Col 1:24) Paul calls the church the body of Christ. The early church saw themselves as the fulfilled people of God with Christ Jesus, the Messiah, as their Head.
One of the unusual literary relationships between Ephesians and Colossians is that in Ephesians this term refers to the church universal (cf. 1Co 10:32; 1Co 12:28; 1Co 15:9; Gal 1:13; Php 3:6), while in Colossians it usually refers to the local church. This points toward Ephesians as a circular letter.
See Special Topic at Col 1:18.
Eph 1:23
NASB, NKJV,
NRSV”the fullness of Him who fills all in all”
TEV”The completion of Him who Himself completes all things everywhere”
(footnote “. . .who is Himself completely filled with God’s fullness”)
NJB”The fullness of Him who is filled, all in all”
Grammatically this is a present middle participle. Here are some possible interpretations of this phrase:
1. Christ is filling the church
2. the church is filling Christ (cf. Col 1:24)
3. the church is being filled to the full number of believers (numerical aspect, cf. Rom 11:25)
This terminology was meant to attack the incipient Gnostic false teachers’ theological system of aeons, emanations or angelic ranks. The terms “fulness” and “filled” are forms of the Greek term plrma, which later in the second century became the technical Gnostic term for the total number of angelic levels (cf. Eph 1:21) between the high, holy, spiritual god and the lesser god who fashioned evil matter. See notes on Gnosticism in the Introduction to Ephesians.
This is a powerful definition of the church. She is meant to fully reflect her head, Jesus. As Jesus revealed the Father, so too, the church is to reveal the Father.
Copyright 2013 Bible Lessons International
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Wherefore = on account of this. Greek. dia (App-104. Eph 1:2) touto.
after I = having.
your = among (Greek. kata. App-104.) you.
faith. App-150.
the Lord Jesus. i.e. Jesus (App-98.) as Lord (App-98. A). See Rom 10:9.
love. App-135.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
15, 16.] INTRODUCTION TO THE PRAYER. Wherefore (i.e., on account of what has gone before since Eph 1:3 : but especially of what has been said since Eph 1:13, where first came in:-because ye are in Christ, and in Him were sealed, &c.) I also (, either as resuming the first person after the second, going back to the Eph 1:11,-or as corresponding to above:-not, as Mey., al., because he is sensible that in thus praying for them he is helping their prayers for themselves) having heard of (on the indication supposed to be furnished by this respecting the readers, see Prolegg. ii. 12) the faith among you in the Lord Jesus ( is not = , as ordinarily rendered (even by Meyer), either here or any where else: cf. the example which Mey. quotes from Thuc. vi. 16, , the life which prevails among them: Ellic. compares, for the distinction, , addressed to Pharisees, Joh 8:17, with , said with reference to Jews in Achaia, Act 18:15 : nor is among you merely local (chez vous), but is partitive, implying the possibility of some not having this faith, and thus intensifying the prayer which follows) and [your love which is] towards all the saints (on the reading, see digest. Taking the bracketed words as genuine, specifies – which might be general: . wants no such specification, all our faith being . . ., grounded in Him. Chrys. remarks: . . . . ) cease not giving thanks for you, making mention (of them,-viz. your faith and love) in (see reff. In with a genitive, the apparent temporal reference partakes somewhat of the local reference of juxtaposition. Bernhardy, p. 216) my (ordinary, see Rom 1:9 note) prayers.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Eph 1:15. , having heard) At a distance. This may be referred not only to those who were unknown to him by face, Col 1:4, but also to his most intimate acquaintances, Philem. Eph 1:5, in accordance with their present state.-) Faith towards God in the Lord Jesus.-, and) Whosoever has faith and love, is a partaker of the whole blessing, Eph 1:3, etc. Hope is added, Eph 1:18.-, all) The distinguishing characteristic of Christianity.[15] Paul often includes all; ch. Eph 3:8-9; Eph 3:18; Eph 4:6; Eph 4:13; Eph 6:18; Eph 6:24.
[15] Is implied, in its embracing all in love.-ED.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Eph 1:15
Eph 1:15
For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you,-This does not imply that he had only heard of their conversion, but refers to the report he had heard, since being with them four or five years previously. Perhaps he had heard nothing after the time when he bade farewell to the Ephesian elders at Miletus (Act 20:36-38), until the time to which the reference is here made. It certainly was, therefore, a matter of great interest to hear from them; and that they were growing in piety and devotion to the Lord. The expression faith among you indicates that it was of a marked degree.
and the love which ye show toward all the saints,-[This love is founded upon the character and relations of its objects as the people of God, and therefore it embraces all the saints. The word all permits no distinction as respects condition, rank, possessions, or internal endowments either mental or spiritual. But the community of faith precedes and produces the community of feeling. The order is always faith and love.]
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
What the Heart May Receive
Eph 1:15-23
It is well to go over the successive links of this golden chain when we are in our secret chamber, appropriating them one by one and asking whether we have received a spirit of wisdom and revelation to know Christ, and whether the eyes of our heart have been enlightened to know the hope, the riches, the glory, and the greatness of His power. In so far as we yield ourselves to the strength of Gods might, He will raise us from the grave of selfishness and cause us to sit with Christ in the place of spiritual life and power.
Notice the emphasis with which the Apostle affirms the supremacy of Christs nature, Eph 1:21-22. This is a psalm of ascension. We can almost follow His tracks, as all the evil powers which rule the darkness of this world drop far beneath Him. The ascending Lord is high over all, and if we claim our right as members of His glorified body, we also shall stand above all our spiritual adversaries; and it is easier to descend on an enemy from above him than to seek to assail him from beneath. Notice that Christ needs the Church as much as the head needs the body, because it is through the Church that He fulfills Himself. Ask Him to fill all of you with all of Him.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
Pauls First Prayer for the Saints (Eph 1:15-23)
We have in this letter two prayers offered by the apostle Paul, not only for the Ephesians but for all the people of God. The first is our present passage and the second is found in chapter three. Notice that he said, I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. He offered his petition for those who were already saved. When people are born of God, one of the first evidences that they posses a new nature is that they feel a sense of dependence on the Lord and begin to pray, first for themselves, and then their hearts, go out in intercession for others.
When the Lord sent Ananias to Saul of Tarsus, Ananias objected, saying, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. But the Lord had said of Saul, Behold, he prayeth. This was an evidence of a real work begun in the soul of the former persecutor of the church of God. So Ananias went to him in confidence and laid his hands on him, saying, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou earnest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost, and he commanded him to be baptized (Act 9:10-17). It is as natural for the renewed man to pray as it is for the natural man to breathe.
Note how the apostle tells the saints of his confidence in them. He had heard with joy of the way they had been growing in grace, of their faith in the Lord Jesus, and love to all the saints. Where faith is genuine, it will always be manifested by love-not merely to our own peculiar group, but love to all the saints. The term saints is an all-inclusive one, taking in every individual who has been born into the family of God. Some have an idea that all the saints are in Heaven, but we do not need to pray for those who are in the presence of the Lord. Believers on earth are called saints, and for them we need to make intercession.
Paul prayed for three distinct things, but first he asked, That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.
We have already seen that in verse Eph 1:3 Paul exclaimed, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because the eternal Son became man for our redemption, it is right to speak of the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because His relationship is ever that of Son, it is equally right to speak of God as His Father. When we think of God as such, we think of Him as Creator, the source of all counsel and wisdom (God is light), and we notice that in this particular prayer the apostle is especially occupied with the counsels or purpose of God. The prayer in chapter 3 has to do with the family relationship. God is love as well as light.
It is very remarkable how exactly divine titles are used in Holy Scripture. Paul prayed, That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory (or excellence)-all glory proceeds from Him, and glory is the evidence of divine excellence-may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. He does not mean that you must receive the Holy Spirit in some new and second way. If you are a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you, but He who indwells you delights in His special work of revealing the things of Christ to His saints. How does He do that? By giving insight into the truth found in the Word of God. All Scripture is divinely inspired. Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, but the merely natural man reads the Word and sees nothing in it, because he is not acquainted with its Author. The believer who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit reads, and in reading hears the voice of God. So there is all the difference in the world between reading the Bible in a cold intellectual way and reading it in the presence of God, depending on His Holy Spirit to open up its truth to your heart and mind. It is then that He acts as the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, giving the believer light to enjoy precious things never seen before.
Have you not often heard some servant of God expounding the Word in such a way that it touched your heart in wonderful power and blessing? Perhaps you said, Ive read that passage over and over again, and yet I never saw it like that before. I dont understand how it is that when I read the Bible myself I fail to appreciate these things. Often the real trouble is we do not spend enough time in the presence of God, looking to Him to open up His truth to us.
I remember years ago, while my dear mother was still living, I went home to visit the family, and found there a man of God from Northern Ireland. I was a young Christian at the time, engaged in gospel work. He was a much older man, an invalid, dying of what we then called quick consumption. He had come out to southern California, hoping the climate would be of some help to him. But it was evident that he was too far gone to be recovered to health again. He lived, by his own desire, in a small tent out under the olive trees a short distance away from our home. I went out to see him there. I can remember how my heart was touched as I looked at his thin worn face in which I could see the peace of Heaven clearly revealed. His name was Andrew Fraser. He could barely speak above a whisper because his lungs had been weakened, but I still recall how, after a few words of introduction, he said to me, Young man, you are trying to preach Christ; are you not? I replied, Yes, I am. Well, he whispered, sit down a little, and let us talk together about the Word of God. He opened his well-worn Bible, and in a simple, sweet, and earnest way he unveiled truth after truth as he turned from one passage to another, in a way that my own spirit had never understood.
He spoke until his strength was almost gone. Before I realized it, tears were running down my face, and I asked, Where did you get these things? Could you tell me where I could find a book that would explain them to me? Did you learn these things in some seminary or college? I shall never forget his answer. My dear young man, I learned these things on my knees on the mud floor of a little sod cottage in the north of Ireland. There with my open Bible before me, I used to kneel for hours at a time, and ask the Spirit of God to reveal Christ to my soul and make clear His Word to my heart. He taught me more on my knees on that mud floor than I ever could have learned in all the seminaries or colleges in the world. It was not many weeks after this that Mr. Fraser was absent from the body and present with the Lord, but the memory of that visit has always remained with me and is a most precious recollection. Is it not true that most of us do not stay long enough in the presence of God? We do not get quiet enough to let Him talk to us and reveal His mind to us.
Meditation, someone has said, is becoming a lost art in our day. Another word meaning meditate is ruminate, which also means to chew the cud. Just as the cattle take their food in the rough and then ruminate and get the sweetness and the nourishment out of it, so the believer needs to read the Word and then spend time quietly in the presence of God, going over it again and again, ruminating, chewing it, until it becomes truly precious to his heart.
The Israelites of the Old Testament were forbidden to eat the flesh of any animal that did not chew the cud and have a split hoof (Lev 11:3). The split hoof is a foot that rises above the filth of this world. It has been well said that it is a great thing when the mouth and the foot agree-when we feed on the Word and walk in the power of its truth. It is when we get into the presence of God that the Holy Spirit delights to show us divine things that we may grow in the knowledge of Christ. That is one reason why the Spirit came.
Every believer to a certain extent has the knowledge of Christ, but the original word knowledge in Eph 1:17 (kjv) implies more than that. It is not merely knowledge as such; it is really super knowledge, or full knowledge: That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of Him. Perhaps you know Him as your Savior, as the One who has redeemed you from everlasting destruction, as glorious Head of the church, with whom you are linked by the Holy Spirit. He would have you to know Him even better, for there are riches in Christ that you may be sure you have never yet enjoyed. We cannot afford to be negligent, or to let other things crowd out the blessing we might have by giving more time to the teaching of the Holy Spirit.
Oh the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God,
I commune as friend with friend.
Fanny J. Crosby
We sometimes sing these words rather glibly. How much do we know of the reality of spending an hour in His presence, learning more of Him as the Spirit of God unfolds precious truths that otherwise our hearts would never understand?
We have already remarked that there are three distinct petitions in Pauls prayer as recorded in Eph 1:18-19. He asked,
1. That the eyes of your [heart] being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling.
2. And what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.
3. And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power.
Our King James version reads, The eyes of your understanding (Eph 1:18). But it was not merely the intellect Paul had in view, it was the heart. A better translation of this verse would be, That the eyes of your heart being enlightened. Christians understand with their hearts. It is with the heart man believeth unto righteousness. It is with the heart that we grasp divine realities. One may be very brilliant intellectually, but that does not guarantee for a moment that he will have an understanding of spiritual things. It is only as the heart is exercised before God, as the eyes of the heart are opened, that spiritual things will be discerned. That is one reason why people must be born again, otherwise they cannot understand the things of God.
Perhaps an illustration will help to make clear what I mean. Some people are born into the world with a remarkable musical sense, and some have none at all. Now a man who is tone-deaf cannot become a musician, no matter how others may seek to instruct him. Such an one might go to listen to the most wonderful oratorio, but it would all be meaningless to him. He would really have to be born again, as it were, in order to appreciate music, and so in regard to spiritual things, one must have a new nature if he would enter into them appreciatively.
But if the eyes of the heart are opened, then one may understand something of the hope of his calling. Do you understand what is meant by the hope of his calling? It is that to which we have already had our attention drawn in the earlier part of the chapter: [He] hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him (Eph 1:3-4). This is the hope of His calling; that some day we will see Him as He is and be like Him. Our God has chosen us for this, and he is never going to give up until we attain to the full stature of men and women in Christ Jesus.
In the second place Paul prayed that we may know the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. Earlier in the chapter we read of the riches of His grace; here we have the riches of His glory. We are enjoying the riches of His grace now and we will enter into and enjoy the riches of His glory in the future. Notice this expression, The riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. What does that mean? It does not mean that the saints are His inheritance, as some would have us believe, but it does mean that when He takes possession of His inheritance, He is going to take possession of it through His saints. It is not our inheritance in Him, but His inheritance in us. In the Old Testament the land of Canaan was His inheritance, but He took possession of it through His people Israel. Someday He will take possession of a redeemed universe through His saints and we will reign with Him. Who can truly understand our part in that glory?
Then observe Pauls third petition: What is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power. You see, Christians are not storage batteries. How often we hear people praying, O God, give me more power, and you would think that we were a little bit like flashlights that you can open up and put a battery in, then press a button and get a light You would imagine that as Christians, the Lord puts a power battery into us, presses a button, and then we shine for Him. Nothing of the kind! We have power only as we are living in fellowship with Him who is the source of all power. As we are walking in fellowship with Him, the same power works in and through us that worked in Christ when God raised Him from the dead. That was the fullest demonstration of divine power the world has ever known.
Paul does not call our attention to the power that created the heaven and the earth, to the power that brought the people of Israel out of Egypt, parted the Red Sea, and led them in triumph to the land of Canaan. Nor does he call our attention to the working of mighty miracles through the Lord and His apostles, but to the greatest manifestation of the power of God-the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the same power that works in believers who walk in fellowship with Him:
According to the mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come (Eph 1:19-21).
By the expressions, principality, power, might, dominion, we are to understand the countless hosts of angelic beings, glorious sinless spirits serving our Lord, and also crowded ranks of evil angels opposed to God and His Christ.
Our Lord went down into the depths, into the grave, descended into the lower parts of the earth, and Satan and his hosts rejoiced when they saw Him under the power of death. But God raised Him from the dead, lifting Him to His right hand in the highest glory, where as man He sits today enthroned. That wonderful resurrection power is the focus of the apostles prayer here. That is the power at work in us as believers if we do not hinder it by our frivolity and worldliness. Do not, I beg of you, ever complain again that you have no power to meet temptation, that you have no power to rise above some sinful habit. If you find yourself in that condition it is because you are out of fellowship with God. Get right with Him; judge the sin that has hindered communion. Then, just as when you make the electrical connection the power flows through the wire to operate the mighty machinery, so you will be living in touch with God, and divine power will work in and through you to enable you to triumph over sin and live to His glory.
We are told that Christ has gone up above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. And then we are told that He has put all things under his feet (Eph 1:22). We do not yet see everything subject to Him, but we do see Him seated in the heavenlies above all things, as evidence that all will eventually acknowledge His rightful rule.
Then we have an added word that was never revealed in Old Testament times but is now made known in this dispensation of grace: And gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. A head without a body is incomplete. The marvelous thing is that the church is the completeness of Christ. During this present time He is revealing Himself to the world through His church. Some day the members of the body will be with the Head in the glory, and the one new man will be revealed in all his perfection. Is it not a wonderful thing then to realize this: that our Lord would in this sense be incomplete without us? Think of it! We were poor lost sinners of the Gentiles, deserving nothing but the judgment of God, but now through His grace we have been saved, and not only that but made members of His body-the body of Christ-the completeness of Him that filleth all in all. What a hallowed responsibility this puts on us to represent Him aright in this world; to show His grace, His holiness, His love, His hatred of sin, His compassion for the sinner, His desperate earnestness to reach lost men and make known to them the riches of His grace. We are left here to carry on His work in the world where He was crucified. May God move us to rise to a proper sense of our hallowed responsibility and so to make Him known as we should.
Fuente: Commentaries on the New Testament and Prophets
after: Col 1:3, Col 1:4, Phm 1:5
faith: Gal 5:6, 1Th 1:3, 2Th 1:3, 1Ti 1:5, 1Ti 1:14
love: Psa 16:3, Col 1:4, 1Th 4:9, Heb 6:10, 1Pe 1:22, 1Jo 3:17, 1Jo 4:21
Reciprocal: Joh 14:1 – ye Act 6:4 – prayer Rom 16:19 – I am Eph 3:18 – with Phi 1:1 – the saints Phi 1:3 – upon Phi 1:27 – I may Col 1:9 – since 1Th 1:2 – General 1Th 4:10 – all the 1Ti 6:2 – because they are 1Pe 1:21 – your 1Jo 3:14 – because 3Jo 1:3 – when
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
(Eph 1:15.) This verse begins a new section. After praise comes prayer. The apostle having given thanks to God for the Ephesian converts, offers a fervent and comprehensive prayer on their behalf, that they may enjoy a deeper insight, so as to know the hope of His calling, the riches of His future glory, and His transcendent vivifying and exalting power, as seen in the resurrection and glorification of Christ.
-Wherefore, not, as Grotius says, and in which saying he is joined by Rckert and Matthies, because we are bound to thank God for benefits, for the words have a wider retrospective connection than merely with the last clause of the preceding paragraph. Nor, on the other hand, is it natural, with Chrysostom, OEcumenius, and Harless, to give them a reference to the whole previous section. It is better, with Theophylact and Meyer, to join them to the 13th and 14th verses. For in these verses the apostle turns to the believing Ephesians, and, directly addressing them, describes briefly the process of their salvation, and then, and for that reason, prays for them. The prayer is not for us, but for you, and for you, because ye heard and believed, and were sealed.
, rendered I also. But such a translation suggests the idea of others, tacitly and mentally alluded to, besides the apostle. Who then can be referred to in the word also? Is it, Others thank God for you, so do I? or is it, Ye thank God yourselves, I do it also for you? thus, as Meyer says, (zusammenwirkt)-he co-operates with them. These suppositions seem foreign to the context, since there is no allusion to any others beside the writer, nor is there any reference to the Ephesians as praying or giving thanks for themselves. may be merely continuative, as it often is in the New Testament; it may merely mark transition to another topic; or it may indicate the transition from the second person to the first. Stuart, 185. may signify indeed, quidem; or it may have the first of those meanings in the Pauline diction. Compare Act 26:29; Rom 3:7; 1Co 7:8; 1Co 7:40; 1Co 10:33; 1Co 11:1; 2Co 11:16; Gal 4:12; Php 2:19; 1Th 3:5. The word would thus mean Wherefore I indeed-the apostle who first preached to you, and who has never ceased to yearn over you-
-having heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus. It is wrong to argue from this expression, with Olshausen and de Wette, that the apostle had no personal knowledge of the persons whom he addressed. This was an early surmise, for it is referred to by Theodoret. Some, says he, have supposed that the apostle wrote to the Ephesians, . As we have seen in the Introduction, those who wish to regard this epistle as a circular letter, lay stress on the same term. But some years had elapsed since the apostle had visited Ephesus, and seen the Ephesian church, and might he not therefore refer to reports of their Christian stedfastness which had reached him? Nay, his use of the aorist may signify that such intelligence had been repeatedly brought to him. Khner, 442, 1; Buttmann, 137, 8, Obs. 5. But this f requentive sense, however, is denied to aorists in the New Testament. Winer, 40, 5, b, 1. The verb , connected with this aorist, is in the present tense, as if the apostle meant to say, that such tidings from Ephesus were so satisfactory, that he could not cease to thank God for them. His thanksgiving was never allowed to flag, for it sprang from information as to the state of the church in Ephesus, and especially of what the apostle emphatically names-
. The expression is peculiar. Winer, 22, 7, renders it fidem quae ad vos pertinet, but in such a version the phrase expresses no other than the common form of the pronoun- . Harless and Rckert translate, den Glauben bei euch-the faith which is among you; Rckert holding that a species of local meaning is implied in the idiom, and Harless maintaining that if the adjective pronoun had been used, the subjective view of their faith would have been given-faith as theirs; whereas by this idiom, their faith in its objective aspect is depicted-faith as it exists among them. Though this mode of expressing relation came to be common in later Greek, as Meyer has shown, still we are inclined to think that there was something emphatic in the form. Bernhardy, p. 241. Act 17:28, -certain of the poets among you-some of your poets, not ours – not Jewish or Christian bards, but Greek ones, whom ye claim and recognize as your national minstrels. Act 18:15, the Roman proconsul says, If it be a question of your law, -your law; the law that obtains among you, not the Roman law-your Jewish law, to which you cling, and the possession and observance of which mark and characterize you as a people. So in Act 26:3 – -customs among Jews – specially Jewish; the very thing under discussion, and spoken of by one who had been educated at Rome. The ordinary phrase, , is used seventeen times, and this form seems to denote not simply possession, as the genitive or pronoun would imply, but also characteristic possession. It is that faith which not only is among you, but which you claim and recognize as your peculiar possessi on-that faith which gave them the appellation of in the first verse, and which is said in Eph 1:13 to have secured for them the sealing influences of the Holy Spirit. At all events, the instance adduced by Ellicott and Alford as against us, is not parallel. The phrase your law, Joh 8:17, , is not parallel to Act 18:15, for the first was spoken by a Jew to Jews-it was His law as well as theirs (Gal 4:4); but not so in the case of the Roman deputy in Achaia. It seems foreign to the phrase to bring out of it, as Alford does after Stier, the possibility of some not having this faith. He had named them already, and will with the partitive meaning imply that some might not have this faith? That faith reposed-
. The usage and meaning of are fully referred to under Eph 1:2. Such a characteristic faith was in Christ. Winzer indeed proposes to connect with this clause-fidem, quoe, vobis Domino Jesu veluti insitis, inest. The position of the words excludes such a connection. Their faith lay immoveable in Jesus, and the same idea, expressed by , is very frequent in the preceding verses. See under Eph 1:1. followed by is not common; yet , , occur often in such connection in the Septuagint; Psa 78:22; Jer 12:6; Gal 3:26; Col 1:4; 1Ti 1:14; 1Ti 3:13; 2Ti 1:13; 2Ti 3:15. See under the first verse. The , so well defined by , and so closely allied to , needs not the article after it, and the want of the article indicates the unity of conception. The article is similarly omitted in Gal 3:26, and in Col 1:4; Winer, 20, 2. That faith wrought by love-
-and your love to all the saints. Some MSS. such as A, B, etc., omit , and Lachmann, true to his critical principles, leaves them out in his edition. But the omission is an evident blunder. The Syriac version, older than any of these MSS., has the words, and without them no sense could be made of the verse. Chrysostom also reads the words, and says that the apostle always knits and combines faith and love, a glorious pair- :-
is explained under Eph 1:1. Faith and love are often associated by the apostle. Col 1:4; Phm 1:5; 1Th 1:3. The article is repeated after , because the relation expressed by is not so intimate as that denoted by , because it has not the well-understood foundation of , and it may also signalize the difference of allusion-, not to Christ, but- . This conception, therefore, has not the unity of the preceding: it is love, but love further defined by a special object-to all the saints. It is not philanthropy-love of man as man-but the love of the brethren, yea, all the brethren-the household of faith. Community of faith begets community of feeling, and this brother-love is an instinctive emotion, as well as an earnest obligation. In that spiritual temple which the Spirit is rearing in the sanctified bosom, faith and love are the Jachin and Boaz, the twin pillars that grace and support the structure.
Fuente: Commentary on the Greek Text of Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians and Phillipians
A Prayer for Converts
Eph 1:15-23
INTRODUCTORY WORDS
I want you to allow me to divide up this prayer for you, so that you may be able to get a bird’s-eye view of it all at once.
1. We have two things said about God. He is called, in verse seventeen, “The God of our Lord Jesus Christ” and also, “The Father of Glory.”
2. We have a twofold statement about the Holy Spirit. He is called, “The Spirit of Wisdom,” and He is also called, “The Spirit of * * Revelation in the knowledge of Him.”
3. We have a threefold statement concerning what God wants us to know, as follows: (1) “What is the hope of His calling.” (2) “The riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.” (3) “The exceeding greatness of His power.”
4. We have a fourfold statement about the resurrection and ascension of Christ. These all revolve around what God wrought in Christ when, (1) He raised Him from the dead. (2) He set Him at His own right hand. (3) He put all things under His feet. (4) He gave Him to be Head to the Church.
5. We have a fivefold statement relative to Christ’s exaltation. (1) He was raised far above all principality. (2) He was raised far above all power. (3) He was raised far above all might. (4) He was raised far above all dominion. (5) He was raised far above every name that is named, both in this age and in the age to come.
With this outline before us, you will be ready to grant that Paul’s prayer for converts was based upon a wonderful statement of truth. There is first of all a twofold statement concerning God; then a twofold statement concerning the Spirit; then a threefold statement, then a fourfold, and finally, a fivefold statement.
It is of interest to notice how the Apostle prayed all of this in behalf of young converts. One would have supposed that he was praying for matured saints.
In verse fifteen we read: “Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you making mention of you in my prayers.”
Paul’s prayer began the moment he heard the news of their salvation, and continued, steadfastly, from time to time.
Paul did not pray that the converts might be kept from stumbling and falling into the snare of Satan. He did not pray that they might be active in the Lord’s work, and that they might accomplish great things for God. His prayer was different. The supreme plea which Paul brought before God was that the saints at Ephesus, who had been saved by faith, might now obtain a new and large vision of Christ Jesus in His ascended and seated power.
After all, is this not the chief thing? We need a vision of Christ more than anything else. When we have that vision before us, we will not only be kept from the power and dominion of sin, but we will, also, be lifted to new heights in service, and to enlarged possibilities in holy living.
There are so many people who pray down in the lower strata of the air. They pray for the temporals; they pray for physical strength, and for power in accomplishment. We believe that a study of Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians will lift us up into a higher realm in our own prayer life. May God grant that this may be so.
I. PAUL’S PRAYER DISCLOSES A TWOFOLD NAMING OF GOD (Eph 1:17, f.c)
1. Paul said, “I pray * * that the GOD of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We wonder why Paul said, “The God of our Lord Jesus Christ” instead of the “Father” of our Lord Jesus Christ? Perhaps, a few Scriptural suggestions will explain this to us.
There were three things concerning Jesus Christ which are about to be presented to the Ephesians. The first thing had to do with His resurrection. The second thing had to do with His ascension. The third thing had to do with His seat at the right hand of God.
Concerning the first thing: Who was it that brought the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead? Heb 13:20 puts it this way, “Now the GOD of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus.” The word “Father” is not used.
Who was it that exalted Christ in His ascension? Php 2:9 says, “God also hath highly exalted Him.” Another Scripture says, “God hath made that same Jesus, * * Lord and Christ.” Again the word “Father” is not used.
Who was it that placed Christ at the right hand? At Pentecost Peter told us, “Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted.” Still the word is God, and not Father.
When we read, therefore, of “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,” in our key-text, the word “God” and not “Father” is used, because that which is about to be said of Him has to do directly with us. In Paul’s prayer it is God, who has wrought, toward us, in Christ Jesus.
The Holy Spirit is evidently giving us a renewed vision of God, in His attitude toward us, through the Lord Jesus Christ. He is a God of all grace, and a God of mercy, and a God of love, as He moves in our behalf in His marvelous work of redemption, in Christ Jesus.
2. Paul said, “I pray that * * the FATHER of Glory.” There are two renditions in different versions of the Scriptures. One reads, “The Father of Glory,” and the other reads, “The glory of the Father.” A similar translation is given concerning the Gospel of Christ. Some versions read, “The glorious Gospel,” while other versions read, “The Gospel of Glory.”
God is the Glorious Father, because He is the Father of Glory. If He were not all-glorious in His character, He could not be the Father of the glory unto which we have been called. George Washington was “the father of his country,” but our God is “the Father of Glory.”
II. PAUL’S PRAYER DISCLOSES A TWOFOLD NAMING OF THE SPIRIT (Eph 1:17, l.c.)
As Paul prayed, he realized the utter inability of the saints at Ephesus, in their own wisdom and power, to comprehend the wonderful things which God had wrought toward them in Christ Jesus. He knew that the natural mind could not embrace such marvelous spiritual conceptions.
It was for this cause that Paul prayed that God might grant to His saints, the Spirit of wisdom and revelation.
The Holy Spirit once said to the saints, “The anointing which ye have received of Him * * teacheth you of all things.” The Lord Jesus, likewise, laid great emphasis on the fact that, “When the Comforter is come,” “He shall teach you all things.”
When young people sit down with an open Bible before them, they need to tarry for a moment, in prayer, asking God the Holy Spirit, to shine upon the pages of Divine revelation. It is impossible not only for the young, but also for the old; not only for the ignorant, but also for the wise, to understand intellectually the things of God, and the things pertaining to Christ.
It is because the mind of man cannot grasp the things which are of God, that so many well educated, and fully equipped men of mind, utterly wander in a labyrinth of doubt and of perplexity, when they seek to know and to explain the Word of God.
III. PAUL’S PRAYER DISCLOSES THREE THINGS WHICH GOD WANTS US TO KNOW: FIRST, HE WANTS US TO KNOW THE HOPE OF HIS CALLING (Eph 1:18, f.c)
1. Paul’s personal yearnings. We all remember how Paul said, concerning himself, “This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
The Apostle Paul did not pray for others what he did not desire for himself. His one ambition was to know the hope of His calling, and to press toward it. That wonderful longing became the predominant ambition of Paul’s being. He wanted to know Christ, and the fellowship of His suffering, and the power of His resurrection, being conformed unto His death, that he might attain unto the prize of the high calling of God, which is the goal desired of the ones who attain the out-resurrection.
2. Paul’s desire for others. There was nothing selfish in Paul’s make-up. That which was the consuming passion of his own soul, was also his passion and desire for others. He wanted to attain the prize of the high calling, but he wanted us also to attain. He could say of himself, “I therefore so run” that I “may obtain.” He could also say to others, “So run that ye may obtain.”
The Book of Hebrews reminds the saints that they are partakers of a Heavenly calling. It is for this cause that throughout the Book saints are urged to hold fast “the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.”
Let us, however, not seek to selfishly know the hope of His calling, and to attain unto its prize, but let us unite with Paul in endeavoring to consider others, encouraging and exhorting them, that they too may know the hope of His calling, and so much the more, as we see the day approaching.
IV. PAUL’S PRAYER DISCLOSES: SECONDLY, HE WANTS US TO KNOW THE RICHES OF THE GLORY OF HIS INHERITANCE IN THE SAINTS (Eph 1:18, l.c)
1. The usual thought is our inheritance in Him. We delight in talking and in thinking about our riches in Christ Jesus. We know that we are the heirs of God, and the joint-heirs with Christ. We know that if we suffer, we shall reign with Him. We know something of what God has said relative to the City that cometh down from God out of Heaven. All of this is ours, in Christ Jesus.
2. The supreme thought is Christ’s inheritance in us. It is a wonderful thing when the truth of our value to God grips us For our part, we are not so sure but that we need to give more weight to what we are to Him. He has said, “They shall be Mine, * * in that day when I make up My jewels.” It is when our Lord sees those who have been saved through His Blood, that His soul will be satisfied. He has loved us with an everlasting love.
It is the inspiration of this thought, “what we are to Him,” that stirs us up to larger attempts, and to a closer walk with God. If He loves us with so great a love, if we are His jewels, if we are His joy, if He sold all that He had in order that He might obtain us, we certainly should bestir ourselves to please Him.
Oh, what a joy it should be to us to know that God is counting on us! We are the riches of the glory of His inheritance.
V. PAUL’S PRAYER DISCLOSES: THIRDLY, HE WANTS US TO KNOW WHAT IS THE EXCEEDING GREATNESS OF HIS POWER (Eph 1:19)
1. Our verse suggests the high peak of the power of God. There are many things which show forth the power of God, His creation tells of His power. The least thing in that creation discloses unparalleled power. There is God’s power in the wind, in the waves of the sea. Even light is stored with power.
We stood once at Niagara Falls, and heard the roar of her power. Afterward, we went down into a great powerhouse. The building was prepared to harness but a very small degree of the energy of the rushing waters, and yet, it produced power enough to light the cities of Niagara and of Buffalo, to run their streetcars, and many of their factories.
What, then, is the exceeding greatness of God’s power? It is a power which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead; when He set Him at His own right hand in the Heavenlies; and when He set Him far above all principalities and powers. This will be developed in this study. Let us notice that this “exceeding power” of God, this “exceeding greatness of His power,” was manifested toward us. Therefore,
2. Our verse suggests the power of God toward us. How it humbles us when we consider what God hath wrought in our behalf!
When we behold the Babe born, and lying in a manger, it was all for us.
When we behold Christ dwelling in Nazareth, subject to His parents, it was all for us.
When we behold Christ moving among the people, healing, and helping, teaching and talking of God, it was all for us.
When we behold Christ in the Garden at the trial, at the whipping post, on the Cross, buried, it was all for us.
When we behold the Christ raised from the dead, ascending through the clouds, seated at the Father’s right hand, it was all for us.
How can we ever cease to praise Him! God opened up every channel of His power, every avenue of His strength, when He wrought in Christ our full redemption,
VI. PAUL’S PRAYER DISCLOSES A FOURFOLD STATEMENT CONCERNING THE POWER OF GOD (Eph 1:20-23)
1. The power displayed in the resurrection of Christ. Jesus Christ said: “I have power to lay it (My life) down, and I have power to take it again.” This power was His, because He was God. Another Scripture says, “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus.”
The power of the resurrection is magnified, in that it was toward us. This suggests that Christ’s resurrection includes our resurrection. Indeed the time is coming when all who are in their graves shall hear His voice and come forth.
2. The power of God displayed in the ascension of Christ. We read in our verse of the exceeding greatness of God’s power, when He set Christ at His own right hand. Few of us, perhaps, have ever realized the power of the ascension. We know that gravity holds us to the earth. We know also, that, to ascend up into the skies we must have power to overcome that gravity. This is accomplished in a small way by the airship.
There is, however, another need of power in the ascension of Christ. The” Lord Jesus went up through principalities and powers, because as we shall see in a moment He went up far above them.
The twenty-fourth Psalm gives a vivid picture of the ascension. When the angelic hosts asked, “Who is this King of Glory?” The response is given, “The Lord mighty in battle. * * He is the King of Glory.”
3. The power displayed in the putting of all things under the feet of Christ. Seldom do we think of the mighty power of Satan and of Satan’s hordes. We know that the archangel Michael durst not bring against Satan a railing accusation. Satan is the one who has weakened the nations, and has made the world as a wilderness. It is he who has led men captive at His will.
In the earth life of Christ Satan even sought to swerve the Son of God from His integrity.
What then is the depths of the meaning of the word, “The exceeding greatness of His power” when He set Christ far above all principality, and all power, and all might, and all dominion, both in this age and in the age to come? The mind fails to grasp the power of God so displayed.
4. The power displayed in giving Christ to be head over all things to His Church. There is but one voice which has authority in the Church, and that is the voice of Christ. Once more the mind seeks to grasp the power of the ascended Lord. We see the saints of all ages, who have composed the Church. Some of them are in Heaven, some are on earth; all are bending the knee before the Son of God as they worship His Name, Even now we can hear them in their glad acclaim as they are saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.”
AN ILLUSTRATION
The mighty power of God is toward us. However, that power is made real to us only who believe. Let no one imagine that the blessings of Heaven, as manifested toward us in Christ Jesus, will be his unless he is willing to receive the Lord Jesus as his Saviour.
Some one has said: “While standing one day on the platform of the Aberdeen Station of the North-British Railway, I observed a carriage with a board on it, intimating that it ran all the way from Aberdeen to London. The doors of it were open. A few individuals looked for this particular carriage, and on seeing “London” on it, they threw in their traveling rugs, entered, and, seating themselves, prepared for the journey.
“Having furnished themselves with tickets, and satisfied themselves that they were in the right carriage, they felt the utmost confidence, nor did I observe any one of them coming out of the carriage, and running about in a state of excitement, calling to those around them, ‘Am I right? am I right?’
“Nor did I see any one refusing to enter, because the carriage provided for only a limited number to proceed by that train. There might be 80,000 inhabitants in and around Aberdeen; but still there was not one who talked of it as absurd to provide accommodation for only about twenty persons, for practically it was found to be perfectly sufficient The carriage is for the whole city and neighbor-hood, but carries only such of the inhabitants as come and seat themselves in it from day to day, “God has made provision of a similar kind. He has provided a train of grace to carry this lost world’s inhabitants to Heaven; but only for as many as are willing to avail themselves of the gracious provision.
“All who will may come, and, through justification by faith alone, may seat themselves in a carriage marked, ‘From Guilt to Glory.’ Whenever you hear the free and general offer of salvation, you need not stand revolving the question in your own mind, ‘Is it for me?’ for just as the railway companies carry all who comply with their printed regulations irrespective of moral character, so if you come to the station of grace at the advertized time, which is ‘now’ (2Co 6:2)-you will find the train of salvation ready; and the only regulation to be complied with by you, is that you consent to let the Lord Jesus Christ charge Himself with paying for your seat,-which cannot surely be anything but an easy and desirable arrangement, seeing you have no means of paying for yourself,”
Fuente: Neighbour’s Wells of Living Water
Eph 1:15. Heard of your faith does not indicate that Paul had never had personal knowledge of these brethren, for Act 18:19 shows he was present when they began their service to Christ. But some time had gassed since he saw them, and hence his present knowledge of their continued faithfulness would come through some reliable report. Love unto all the saints. Faithfulness to Christ includes love for his people (Joh 13:35). Saints is another name for disciples or Christians. because the word means those who have been made holy or spiritually clean by obedience to the Gospel.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Eph 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 (Eph 1:3-14), but especially on account of what is stated in Eph 1:13-14, where the Gentile readers are addressed.
I also; as well as you, implying their cooperation in such prayerful activity (Meyer).
Having heard. When and where is not indicated, nor can anything be inferred as to his acquaintance or non-acquaintance with the readers. On hearing, whenever it was.
Of the faith which is among you. The peculiar Greek expression which the Apostle here uses may be thus paraphrased. The faith is there among them; your faith in Christ Jesus (Col 1:4), marks the faith as the possession of the individuals. Faith does not, however, mean that which is believed, but believing.
In the Lord Jesus. This is the sphere and object of the faith: Christ centred faith (Ellicott).
And the love which ye have. The full form of the Greek may be thus paraphrased. But some ancient authorities omit the words the love. Those who accept the briefer reading explain thus: the faith which is among you in the Lord Jesus and which ye show unto all saints. We prefer to retain the words, because they are not only well supported, but the omission can be readily accounted for. The original suggests, first, love in general, and then this characteristic manifestation of it: unto all the saints, i.e., Christians (comp. chap. Eph 1:1). Brotherly love is a characteristic of Christianity (Bengel). We should not overlook the emphasis resting on the word all, permitting no distinction as respects condition, rank, possessions, or internal endowment, either mental or spiritual (Braune). But the community of faith precedes and produces the community of feeling. The order is always faith and love.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Division 2. (Eph 1:15-23; Eph 2:1-10.)
Our participation with Christ in God’s work beyond death.
We have had, then, the general outline of God’s purpose in Christ, not merely towards us, but embracing the subjection of all things to Him. We are now to see how He has, in fact, taken us up to link us with Christ for the fulfilment of blessing.
1. It takes the form. of a prayer from the apostle’s heart in behalf of those whom he is addressing. He longs for them and for us that we may have the spirit of wisdom and revelation with regard to all these things. In fact, how much has been hidden in this way through the lack of response on the part of God’s people to these wonderful communications! He has heard of their faith in the Lord Jesus and their love to all the saints. He gives thanks, therefore, for them, but that is not enough. He realizes that they are yet in a world in which Satan is busy, as by and by he will more fully show, to deprive the people of God of that which, in their knowledge of it now, would be power for them to glorify God in the scene through which they are passing. It is here, in fact, in the entering into these purposes of God, that the Christian character is practically acquired, and the Christian intelligence alone fully gained. It is no wonder, therefore, if here should be the sharpest possible contention, and that here the apostle should be in prayer that God’s people should lose nothing of that which He has designed for them. Accordingly, the prayer is to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, the One who has purposed all this, and the One to whom belongs the power alone to accomplish it. He prays that this God may give them the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the “full knowledge,” (as it should be) of Him. The deepest, sweetest character of the revelation of these things is that it gives the knowledge of Himself. For this we need, as he explains directly, the “eyes of our heart” to be enlightened. It is “heart,” not “mind,” for in the heart such eyes really are. It is not mere intelligence that can possess itself of these things. It is not any brightness of mind merely, as people would say. It is the heart for what is revealed that will lead to right intelligence as to the revelation. Could God possibly reveal these things with all their announced value for the soul, so that a human heart would kindle with desire to possess itself of them, only to find that the faculty had been denied of obtaining that which was sought for? How impossible to think of it! God’s people deprive themselves of what is the inheritance of every one of them, and they must, of necessity, connive at their being robbed of it, in order not to know. The Spirit of revelation, the Spirit of wisdom, the Spirit of understanding is in them already,and,as the apostle pictures it, it is the Spirit that searcheth the deep things of God. Can He do it in one and not in another? Or, if He be pleased still to have special human instruments, does He mean by that to deny the possession of the truth to any who seek it? Certainly, it would be impossible to think so. The apostle prays, therefore, that they might know what was the hope of this calling of God, that is, of all that, in fact, is hailing us from those blessed scenes which God is opening up to us, and that they might know what the riches are of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. It is God’s inheritance. No possession of it on our part could possibly deprive Him of what is in it, and how little would it be true inheritance if we did not inherit it with Him! It is God that inherits what is His, but it is the saints whom He puts in possession, just as He puts Israel in possession of the land which, nevertheless, He reserves as His, and which, therefore, cannot be taken away from Him. “The land is Mine,” He says: “ye are strangers and sojourners,” -guests therefore, as such, thrown upon the goodness and liberality of Him who, as such, is entertaining them, -“ye are strangers and sojourners with Me.” We inherit after the same manner: a blessed thing to know that it is not the inheritance of a lost Father, but the inheritance of One who dwells with us in it, that belongs to us. But He desires that we should know also the greatness of His power which is working towards us with regard to these very things, according to the working of the might of His strength. How He multiplies words that we might realize the energy that is at work, a power in which He has wrought in Christ; for the work done in Him is done for us all, and the good of it belongs to us all. God has raised Christ from the dead then, and seated Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places. The work is perfectly accomplished, and He only awaits the full answer to it on the part of God. The present answer is only the pledge of the full carrying out of all. His place is already above every principality and power and dominion and every name named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. He has put all things under His feet. Here it is the One then who has in His own hand the fulness of blessing for us, and this accomplishment already with regard to Him must have its present bearing upon our condition also, even while we are here in the world. God has given Him, in fact, to be Head over all things to the assembly which is His body, -Head over all things, which is that inheritance itself of which Paul has been speaking. He is Head in the full power of such a place to the assembly. All that is implied by the place He has, implies the blessing which is to be to the Church, united as it is to Him now in the nearest way that could be attained -His body; the apostle does not hesitate to add “the fulness of Him who filleth all in all.” What things to bring together! Here is One who is possessor of divine fulness; no other could fill all in all, and yet the body is His fulness. He is not complete without it. In God’s thought and purpose, Christ would be incomplete if His body had not its place too; how near and wonderful a place, -“His body,” filled with His love, energized with His mind, working out His thoughts as our bodies work out the thoughts and purposes of our minds! It is in resurrection, of course, that He becomes this Head. It is a human Head, blessed be God, though He be much more than human. That is the fitting Head to this human Body. Thus, the Church could have no existence until after He had risen from the dead. Search throughout the Old Testament, you will find nowhere the first hint, even, of any company of people as the body of Christ. You will find saints put under Him for blessing, you will find His rule over man, but such a relationship is to be found nowhere, such a relationship could not, in fact, exist until Christ as Man had risen from the dead and become, therefore, the fitting Head for such a body. Then the body itself must be brought into being, and thus the descent of the Spirit follows the ascent of Christ to the throne of God.
2. The apostle carries us back now to what, alas, was our previous fellowship. We have been called to the fellowship of Christ, but how good for us to look back and see what He has called us out of. “And you,” he says, “hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.” This is the first time in the epistles that we find such a statement with regard to man’s condition. The epistle to the Romans speaks of our being under death as the penalty upon our sins. It speaks of our being dead to sin as the effect of the new place of identification with Christ in His death, which God has given us; but now there is something more than this. It is man himself who is dead. That state, impracticable of help to any except God, is his. There is no possibility of self-help. There is no possibility of working out of that condition. No work is conceivable in such a state. This death is Godward. There is not anything which for Him constitutes life at all. He says that this is not a condition of irresponsibility, however, but the reverse. It is “in trespasses and sins” that men are dead; active enough, fully active in this character in which the epistle to the Romans has spoken of them, but dead as to the hopelessness of it, as to the total absence of all response to God which it implies. Activity there is enough, “in which ye once walked,” he says, “according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the power,” or authority, “of the air, the spirit which now worketh in the sons of disobedience.” This is what gives its character then to the course of this world, age, as it is literally, as we have seen; the whole period characterized by that which is away from God, and with the ruler over it who, as the ruler of the power of the air, is exhibited to us as having that complete control of the earth which the heavens have for fruitfulness or for disturbance. This ruler is the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience. They are marked out as the sons of disobedience, as that which gives him title to the power which he manifests over them. How complete is this apostasy, then, from the blessed place in which God created man to be at the beginning, the one with whom He had come down to walk as with a friend. Nor was there any who did not share this place. “Among whom we also,” he adds, we Jews as well as you Gentiles, “all once had our conversation in the lusts of our flesh.” We had our common fellowship, terrible fellowship indeed, “in the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling the wills of the flesh and of the mind;” that is, the grosser or the more refined and spirit part of our nature, both alike evil and away from God. Thus we were “children of wrath by nature even as the rest.” The Jew is in no wise exempt, but, on the contrary, as being in this condition in spite of all the blessing and privilege which God had bestowed upon him, is only, if possible, in a greater depth of evil than the Gentile. Such is man’s condition, then.
3. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love wherewith He loved us even when we were dead in sins,” -that is where God’s love lays hold upon us, not when there has been something right in us, not when we have begun to waken up and respond to the love which greets us from Him, but simply out of His love itself. “He has quickened us with Christ,” and “by grace it is that we are saved,” he adds in parenthesis. grace surely. He has given us life when in that condition. There is no condition possible between death and life, no life which could be true life except by His gift for those so fallen, so that here His love met us, doing the whole work from the beginning, quickening us, as he says, with Christ. He looks at it all as part of that same work which brought Christ up from the dead. As to the point of time, of course, we are individually quickened and brought up, but as to the character of the quickening, it is this from its being part of that redemptive work which is the fruit of His intervention for us. It is a life which, in fact, is the life of Him with whom we are quickened. It is a life which makes Him to be the “Firstborn” among human brethren. Christ is looked at here, of course, as the Representative of His people, not, therefore, in the title which belongs to Himself personally, but in that which He had earned by the work to which He stooped. Thus it is all part of the same work. We are with Him in character by virtue of this quickening. Our condition is changed into the total opposite of what it was, and not only is our condition changed, our position is changed. He has “raised us up together.” Quickening and resurrection are different things. Quickening is communication of life. Resurrection is the bringing of the life into the place of the living. Christ’s resurrection has, in fact, given us this new place before God, as Romans has already taught us to say that we were justified by His resurrection. As His people, although justified now of course, when we become His people and not before, yet we look back to that resurrection of His which was the public sentence of God with regard to this. He has delivered us from every charge that could be made, from every question against us, by the resurrection of Christ. He has given us, therefore, a new and unassailable position in the One whom He has raised up. “He has raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ.” Notice the difference. He does not say with Christ” now any more. He is thinking simply of the representative character of Him who is seated in the heavenly places for us. We are actually quickened, we are actually raised up, we belong no more to the dead, whether as to the condition of our souls or as to the company in which we are.* We are actually quickened and raised up, but we are not actually sitting down in the heavenlies. We are virtually and representatively sitting there in the One who is before God for us. Thus we reach, as has. been said before, the height of Christian position. The epistle to the Romans has involved this already, for “in Christ” means the same thing there as here, but it is here put in the fullest and strongest way, it is developed in such a way as to make it practically a new thing for us. We would not be entitled to infer such things except we had divine warrant for them, but here we have the warrant. God has made us to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ. Now comes the display of His glorious purpose as to this. It is “that He might show forth in the ages to come the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness towards us in Christ Jesus.” We need not be surprised then that the place should be such a place of wonder! If God is going to show that which is indeed the fruit of Christ’s work and the display of the full purposes of His heart, it will be surely true that the fullest blessing possible is necessitated for this. God is acting, as it were, though only grace could say so, on His own account; but then with regard to us it is grace and nothing but grace. He adds that all the way through here: “For ye are saved by grace, through faith”; and as if that were not enough, he adds, “and this not of yourselves:” that is, as surely is meant here, the faith itself is not of us. It is not of us, but it is God’s gift. There is no principle of works, therefore, that any one may boast; nay, if you talk of works, we are His workmanship, and in such a way as He worked at the beginning in creation itself. We are His new creation, “His workmanship created in Christ Jesus.” Here is what brings us, of course, into that scene of which the epistle to the Galatians has spoken to us. It is God’s work in us that has accomplished this, and “He has created us unto good works,” such works “as He has afore prepared that we should walk in them.” He has given us a nature which will be fruitful in us after the manner that He desires. He knows what He is doing and His purposes cannot fail of accomplishment. Thus, poorly (if we look at ourselves,) as we may rightly think of ourselves, the glory to come will display the full accomplishment of all that He has had in His heart to do; and the brethren of Christ will be such as even in this way He will not be ashamed to call His brethren.
{*It will be noticed that “together” suggests the union of Jew and Gentile, as later on in ver. 16, they are spoken of as reconciled “in one body” by the cross. Thus we not only are quickened and raised individually, but by the very fact that all believers are so, we have a common life and position, into which the previous distinction of Jew and Gentile cannot enter. -S.R.}
Fuente: Grant’s Numerical Bible Notes and Commentary
Observe here, 1. The special duties which St. Paul performed on the behalf of these Ephesians: he gave thanks for them, he prayed for them, and both without ceasing. I cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers.
Where note, How enlarged St. Paul’s heart was in thankfulness to God for the salvation of others, as well as unwearied in his endeavours in order to their salvation. This will be one great exercise of our grace in heaven; namely, thankfulness to God for the salvation of others, as well as our own; and, verily, it ought to be a mighty argument to move the heart of any one to work out his own salvation, when he sees another, be it his minister, his parent, his master, or his neighbour, so solicitous for it, and taking such care of it.
Note farther, That the duties of prayer and praise, of supplication and thanksgiving, ought to accompany one another: We are never to pray for fresh mercies, either for ourselves or others, without giving thanks to God for former mercies. Besides, there is no such effectual way of begging, as thanksgiving; he that is spiritually thankful for what he has received, engages God to confer upon him the mercies which he wanteth.
Add to this, that holy thankfulness is an evidence of true grace in us. Need and want will make us beggars, but grace only thanksgivers.
Observe, 2. The occasion of St. Paul’s prayers and praises on the Ephesians’ behalf; namely, his having heard,
1. of their faith in Christ; 2. of their love to all saints.
Where note, How he joins faith and love together, as the two most eminent graces, and as the two great evangelical commandments, faith in Christ, and love to saints.
But how comes he not to make mention of their love to God?
Ans. Because love to God is supposed and necessarily included in our love to saints as saints, for he that loves them that are begotten, much more loves him that begetteth; he that loves the child for the father’s sake, loves the father much more for his own sake.
Note farther, it is love to saints, as saints, and to all saints without exception, that is the evidence of true faith; poor saints as well as rich, weak saints as well as gifted. There are froward and fretful saints, passionate and peevish Christians, who have many infirmities, great infirmities cleaving to them though disallowed by them; yet these professing Christians are loved and to be loved by us, even as a brother loveth all his brothers, for his father’s sake that begat them all, though one be little, another lame, a third crooked, a fourth sickly.
Lord! how far are the professors of this day from the practice of this duty! How doth a little difference in judgment occasion a great deal of judging and rash censuring one another: Christ hath received us; why should we reject one another? One heaven will hold us all hereafter; why should not one communion hold us here? Verily, if children quarrel and fall out with one another at a full table, there is an enemy at their back that will quickly take away the voider: if our hearts be not turned suddenly to one another, Almighty God will certainly come and smite the earth with a curse.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
Reason For Thanksgiving
We have already seen that Paul worked among them and so knew of them firsthand. Perhaps he had not seen any of them since he saw the elders when he called them to Miletus ( Act 20:17 ff). However, he was thankful that he had heard of their faith which was rooted in the Lord, just as it should have been. He had also heard of their love of all the brethren, whether of high or low social standing, rich or poor, etc. ( Eph 1:15 ).
Hearing of their faith and love moved Paul to thankful prayer. Notice, he did not cease to pray in their behalf. All Christians should be constantly praying, especially for our brethren ( Eph 1:16 ; 1Th 5:17 ). Also, we should remember to be thankful in prayer ( Php 4:6-7 ).
Fuente: Gary Hampton Commentary on Selected Books
Eph 1:15-17. Wherefore, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus That is, of your perseverance and increase therein. For the apostles manner of speaking does not imply that he received by report an account of their first believing in the Lord Jesus, and therefore that he wrote this epistle to them before he had been at Ephesus in person, or was personally acquainted with them. He wrote in the same terms to the Thessalonians, who were his converts, (1Th 3:4; 1Th 3:6,) and to his convert Philemon, Eph 1:4-5. Therefore, as his saying that he heard of the faith and love of the Thessalonians and of Philemon, does not mean that he was ignorant of these things till they were reported to him, but only that he had heard of their persevering in the true faith of the gospel, and in their love to the saints; so the faith of the Ephesians, which he says he had heard of, was not their first faith, or their conversion to Christianity, but their continued and increasing faith, evidencing itself by the fruit here spoken of. Love unto all the saints Namely, whether circumcised or uncircumcised. For, by praising the Ephesians for their love to all the saints, the apostle seems to intimate that they were free from that narrow, bigoted spirit, which prevailed in some other churches, where difference in opinion about the necessity of circumcision had interrupted love. I cease not In all my solemn addresses to God; to give thanks for you On account of your perseverance in the true faith of the gospel, and in your love to all Christs disciples; making mention of you in my prayers So he did of all the churches, Col 1:9. That the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory Of which he is eternally and immutably possessed; from whom all glory proceeds, and to whom it returns; and whose glory shines in the face of Christ his beloved Son; or, as the expression might have been rendered, the glorious Father; may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation This Spirit, termed the Spirit of promise, (Eph 1:13,) they had already received, in a great measure, for he had sealed them, as is there signified, and was an earnest of their inheritance in their hearts; but the apostle here prays that the same Spirit might be still more largely communicated to them, revealing more fully the deep things of God, and rendering them still more wise in all matters that concerned their own salvation, and the salvation of others. In the knowledge of him Of Christ, of his person and offices, of his wonderful process in accomplishing the work of mans redemption; of his humiliation and exaltation, his grace and glory, which he termed, (Php 3:8,) the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord, for whom he had willingly suffered the loss of all things, and accounted them despicable, in comparison of this knowledge of him. Some commentators understand the clause as signifying the acknowledgment of him, namely, by professing faith in him and his gospel, whatever persecution such a profession might expose them to.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
15. Therefore I, hearing the faith with you in the Lord Jesus, and the Divine love toward all the saints,
Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament
Eph 1:15-23. A Paragraph of Prayer.The writer, who has been informed (by letter?) of the Christian faith and love of his correspondents, reciprocates their thanksgiving and prayers (Eph 1:15 f.); he beseeches God, the glorious Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, to bestow on them the Spirit, giver of wisdom, revealer in the knowledge of God (Eph 1:17); that the eyes of their hearts may be opened, so that they may know the hope implied in Gods calling, the wealth of glory involved in Gods inheritance in His people, and the overwhelming greatness of His power towards believers, as displayed in the working of His strong might wrought in Christ (Eph 1:18-20): whom God raised from the dead and made assessor of His own throne in the heavenly sphere, supreme over every rule, authority, power, and lordship, and over every existent or nameable being, whether in the present or in the future age (Eph 1:20 f.): all things God subjected beneath the feet of Christ, and gave Him as supreme Head to the Church which is His embodiment, the fulfilment of Him who in all things universally is being fulfilled (Eph 1:22 f.).
Eph 1:15 f. I also, having heard . . . cease not: the form of expression is such as would be used in replying to a letter: though this may be explained as a literary device.and which: follow mg.
Eph 1:16. making . . . prayers: cf. 1Th 1:2, Rom 1:9, Phm 1:4. The evidence of papyri found in Egypt shows that some such phrase in beginning a letter was a recognised usage of the time.
Eph 1:17. Beware of taking spirit in the modern weakened sense as an attitude of mind: the text means a teaching Spirit, not (as we might say) a teachable spirit or a wise disposition. Revelation or apocalypse is the correlative of mystery; the Divine secret needs a Divine unveiling; cf. Eph 3:3.
Eph 1:21. rule . . . dominion: cf. Col 1:16. These were all terms for celestial hierarchies and different angelic orders derived from the language of Jewish apocalypse. Cf. Enoch 61, And He will call on all the host of the heavens and all the holy ones above, and the host of God, the Cherubim, Seraphim, and Ophanim (i.e. wheels; cf. Eze 1:15), and all the angels of principalities, and the Elect One (i.e. the Messiah) and the other powers on the earth and over the water on that day.every name that is named: a Hebraism. In Heb. idiom being called anything implies being that thing. Cf. Isa 9:6 and Enoch 48:3, where we read (of the Son of Man), Before the sun and the signs were created . . . his name was named before the Lord of Spirits (i.e. he existed before the creation of the sun and stars). So here the meaning will be every being that exists.this world . . . that which is to come: the familiar eschatological antithesis. For world read age (mg.).
Eph 1:22 f. the church which is his body: cf. 1Co 12:12; 1Co 12:27. The phrase emphasizes: (a) the organic unity of all Christians in Christ; (b) the thought of the Church as the organ whereby the life of the risen Christ now operates, the present embodiment of Christ on earth.the fulness. . . . filleth: read, the fulfilment of him that is being fulfilled. The word translated that filleth (pleroumenou) is really a passive participle: and the thought is apparently that Christ, as manifested in the Church, awaits His fulfilment in the completion of the Divine purpose.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
SECTION 3. PRAYER THAT THE READERS MAY RECOGNISE IN THEMSELVES THE GREAT POWER WHICH RAISED CHRIST FROM THE DEAD. CH. 1:15-23.
For which cause also I, having heard the faith among you in the Lord Jesus, and the faithfulness towards all the saints, do not cease giving thanks on your behalf making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, in the knowledge of Him having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, in order that ye may know what is the hope of your calling, what the riches of the glory of His inheritance among the saints, and what the surpassing greatness of His power towards us who believe, according to the working of the might of His strength which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and set Him at His right hand in the heavenly places beyond and above all principality and authority and power and lordship and every name named not only in this age but also in that which is to be.
And He subjected all things under His feet; and gave Him, as Head above all things, to the Church, which is His body, the fulness of Him who fills all things in all.
Paul began his Epistles to the Philippians and Colossians, after a few words of greeting, with thanks to God for his readers Christian life. The Epistle before us, he begins with a glorious psalm of praise for blessings given to the whole people of God, which he expounds at some length, followed by specific mention of Jewish and Gentile Christians. The mention of these last suggests now definite thanks to God on his readers behalf, thanks which pass easily into a wonderful prayer for their further progress. His thanks and prayer occupy this section.
Eph 1:15. For which cause: because you have been sealed by the Spirit as heirs of the inheritance of God.
Also I: Paul placing himself alongside these Gentiles, as interested in their welfare.
Having-heard: cp. Col 1:4, to a Church Paul has never visited; and contrast Php 1:3, where the absence of this word suggests that he writes from personal knowledge. That Paul speaks only of having heard about people among whom (Act 20:31) he laboured three years, is certainly remarkable. It can hardly be explained by tidings received since he left Ephesus four or five years before. For it was nearly as long since he was at Philippi; and after leaving Philippi he met the Ephesian elders at Miletus. More likely is the suggestion (see under Eph 1:1) that this letter was written to other Churches besides that at Ephesus, Churches which Paul had never visited; and that chiefly to tidings about these last, together with later tidings about the Ephesians, the word have-heard refers. This word therefore supports the suggestion just mentioned.
The faith among you: differs very slightly from your faith, by making faith and the believer distinct objects of thought.
Faith in the Lord Jesus: similar phrase in 1Ti 3:13; 2Ti 3:15. It represents Christ, the personal object and ground of our faith, as also its surrounding element.
The word love, omitted from the text of the R.V., is not found in any Greek copy earlier than the Clermont MS. in the sixth century, and in a correction of the Sinai MS. made perhaps in the seventh century. It is absent entirely from the Vat. and Alex. MSS. and from the Sinai MS. as originally written; and seems to have been unknown to the early Biblical scholars, Origen and Jerome. But it is found in the Latin, Syriac, and Coptic Versions. If spurious, the insertion of the word is easily accounted for as a reminiscence of Col 1:4. But, if genuine, its omission is very difficult to explain. This likelihood of insertion and unlikeliness of omission, together with the united testimony of the ancient Greek MSS.,
our best witnesses for the text of the N.T., testify strongly that the word was not written by Paul. And that without it the sentence gives a good meaning, I shall endeavour to show.
In the sense in which Paul writes faith in the Lord Jesus, we cannot possibly have faith in all the saints. Certainly these last cannot be the object or element of Christian faith. But the common classic meaning which I have given to the same word in Phm 1:4, and which is found in a few places in the N.T., viz. faithfulness, would give a good meaning here. That one word would then be used in the same sentence in two senses, need not surprise us. For each use of the word was common, the first in the N.T. and the other in the Greek spoken everywhere in Pauls day. And the context makes quite clear that the word cannot have in the second clause the meaning which it undoubtedly has in the first. In such cases the mind passes almost unconsciously from one sense of the word to another. Moreover, faith and faithfulness have much in common. They who rest with confidence upon the word and character of God become themselves a rock on which others rest. Hence, in Greek the same words, substantive and adjective, denote faith and faithfulness, believing and trustworthy. Between these meanings it is frequently difficult to decide: e.g. Col 1:2; Col 4:9. An example of transition from one to the other, we have in Rom 3:3. What if some did not believe? Shall the want of faith make of no effect the faith (or faithfulness) of God? We may therefore accept this meaning as not unlikely. And it enables us to accept also the reading so strongly supported by the best ancient copies.
But since no English word combines the two meanings of the Greek word, we can reproduce Pauls full sense only by using two words. The passage may fairly be reproduced, faith in the Lord Jesus and faithfulness towards all the saints. The assurance of which Christ was the personal Object and Ground and Sphere produced as its natural result trustworthiness towards all the saints. These last words as in Col 1:4.
Eph 1:16. Do not cease giving thanks: cp. Php 1:3; Col 1:3; Col 1:9; Rom 1:8-9. Pauls constant attitude of mind, since he heard about his readers, has been thankfulness to God for them. For he knew that their faithfulness was Gods work and gift.
Eph 1:17. As ever, Pauls thoughts pass imperceptibly into prayer for further blessing. The good he hears prompts him, while giving thanks, to ask for more.
In order that etc.: matter of the prayer, given as its aim and purpose. So frequently: cp. Phm 1:6. For Pauls prayer is a means to a definite end. Knowing that God answers prayer, he prays in order that God may give.
The God of our Lord Jesus Christ: who on earth addressed Him as My God, Joh 20:17; Mat 27:46. The word God here notes a relation of the Father, not only to men, but to Christ. And the entire teaching of Paul and John assures us that this relation extends, not only to the Incarnate, but to the Eternal, Son. As supreme in the Godhead, the Father occupies, even to the Eternal Son, a relation suitably described by the word God. Hence this word is the frequent title of the Father even as distinguished from the Son: see under 1Co 3:23; 1Co 8:6. For to Him, as God, the Son is and ever will be subject: 1Co 15:28. A genitive following the word father usually describes his children. But the abstract term glory cannot do this. It is evidently a characterizing quality of the Father of Christ and of us. So 2Co 1:3, Father of compassions; Act 7:2, God of glory, 1Co 2:8, Lord of glory. Paul prays to Him to whom the divine Head of the Church bows as God, to the Father, clothed in infinite grandeur, of Christ and of us.
Spirit of wisdom: the Holy Spirit, as an animating principle possessing and imparting wisdom. See under 1Co 4:21, Spirit of meekness; 2Co 4:13; Rom 8:2; Rom 8:15. For the word cannot denote here a human spirit: nor does it ever, apparently, denote mere disposition of mind. [The absence of the Greek article is frequent even when the one Holy Spirit is indisputably referred to: e.g. Rom 8:9-11; Rom 8:14-15. For where a word is in itself sufficiently definite, the Greeks frequently omitted the article, in order to direct attention to the qualities implied in the anarthrous word; in this case, to the Holy Spirit as an animating principle characterized by wisdom.]
Wisdom and revelation: see under 1Co 2:5; Rom 1:17. It is a characterizing, prerogative of the Spirit of God to impart a knowledge of eternal realities; and, more definitely, to lift a veil which no hand but that of God can lift and which hides from us the unseen things of God. The former term is general: the latter specific. Paul prays that the Father who is characterized by infinite grandeur, who has already (Eph 1:13) sealed his readers with the Spirit of promise, may give to them the same Spirit as an inward source of wisdom and as One who reveals the things unseen. His prayer reminds us that each new influence and work of the Spirit is a fresh gift from God.
Knowledge: literally, full-knowledge; as in Col 1:9-10; Col 2:2; Col 3:10.
Of Him: of God, to whom here Paul prays. The Spirit of wisdom comes to us clothed in a deep and real knowledge of God; and makes Himself known to us by imparting such knowledge. For God is Himself the great Reality, and the great Object which appears when the veil is lifted.
Eph 1:18. Enlightened: as in Heb 6:4; Heb 10:32.
The heart: the inmost centre of human life, and the source of action: see under Rom 1:21.
The eyes of the heart: the faculty by which knowledge enters into and illumines this inmost chamber.
Having the eyes of your heart enlightened: connecting link between the gift of the Spirit and the personal knowledge which Paul desires for his readers. [The accusative case puts these words in apposition, not as we might have expected to the preceding words give to you, but to those following that ye may know: in order, apparently, to suggest that only by enlightenment of the heart can we receive this desired knowledge. This use of the accusative is made somewhat the more easy by the occasional use of the accusative absolute, as in Rom 8:3.] Before expounding the ultimate aim of his prayer, viz. knowledge of three things pertaining to the Christian life, Paul states conspicuously a condition on which alone this aim can be attained, viz. the entrance of light, ever the condition of knowledge, into the inmost chamber of our nature. This light he hopes for as a result of the gift of the Spirit of God whose special work is to impart wisdom and to unveil mysteries. For He is the one principle of spiritual life. And, always, life is an essential condition of sight.
That ye may know etc.: ultimate aim of the gift of the Spirit, and of inward enlightenment. So Php 1:9; Col 1:9. This earnest prayer reveals the infinite importance of knowledge as a condition of Christian life. Three matters, Paul desires his readers to know: two in Eph 1:18, and a third in Eph 1:19.
His calling: a favourite word of Paul, Rom 1:6; Rom 8:28; Rom 8:30; 1Co 1:9; 1Co 1:26; 1Co 7:18; 1Co 7:20-22, etc; the high calling of God, Php 3:14. It is the Gospel summons to salvation, to the service of God, and to eternal glory. To this calling belongs hope: for it gives to those who hear and obey it an expectation of infinite blessing to come. Paul desires that his readers may know how great these blessings are. And to this end be has already prayed that they may receive the Spirit of wisdom. For only the Spirit of God can reveal the greatness of the blessings awaiting the sons of God: cp. 1Co 2:10; 1Co 2:12.
And what etc.: second matter which Paul desires His readers to know. It is also the object of the hope just mentioned.
His inheritance: the good things of God which will pass to the saints as His children. For they are heirs of God, Rom 8:17. Of these good things the Spirit of Adoption is the first: cp. Eph 1:14. This inheritance has an abundance of splendour which will make truly rich all who receive it. Paul desires his readers to know how great is the abundance of this splendour.
Among or in the saints: cp. Col 1:27, among the Gentiles. The saints are represented as standing round their own inheritance. Heirship to the wealth of God is located by God in and among the sacred people of the New Covenant.
Eph 1:19 a. A third ultimate aim of Pauls prayer.
Surpassing: Eph 2:7; Eph 3:19 : a similar form of the same word, in 2Co 3:10; 2Co 9:14; the corresponding substantive in Rom 7:13; 1Co 12:31; 2Co 1:8; 2Co 4:7; 2Co 4:17; 2Co 12:7; Gal 1:13, and a corresponding adverb in 2Co 11:23. This family of words is peculiar to this Epistle and to the undisputed Epistles of Paul. It embodies a thought evidently familiar to him; and is thus a note of genuineness.
Us that believe: Cp. Eph 1:13 : another important harmony with Pauls doctrine of salvation through faith. It tells us the aim and direction of this mighty power. Paul desires his readers to know what, in its operation in the hearts of believers, the greatness of that power is.
Eph 1:19-20. According to etc.: a standard by which they may measure it.
Working: or energy: see under Php 3:21. Notice the accumulation of synonyms representing different sides of one conception. The word rendered power denotes ability to produce results. That rendered might is the last part of the words autocrat, democrat; and suggests a controlling influence. The word rendered strength is frequently used of muscular force. It suggests the inherent capacity of God for breaking down obstacles and working out His will. The energy of the might of His strength is the activity of the all-controlling and inherent capacity for action which dwells in God. Same words together in Eph 6:10.
Which he wrought: specific activity of the power of God to which Paul has just referred as a measure of the power at work in us.
Wrought or energized: cognate to working in Eph 1:19. It is used in Gal 3:5; Mat 14:2 for the putting forth of miraculous power.
In Christ: objectively and historically, in the personality of the God-Man. Similarly, Rom 3:24; cp. 1Co 15:22, in Adam all die.
When He raised Him etc.: specific manifestation of the energy of God. Close parallel in Php 3:10, the power of His resurrection. Notice that, as ever, Christ is said to have been raised by the power of the Father: so Col 2:12; Gal 1:1; Rom 4:21; Rom 8:11; Rom 10:9.
At His right hand: see under Col 3:1. Christs session in glory is here represented as being, like His resurrection, a work of God.
In the heavenly places: word for word as in Eph 1:3. It depicts further the surroundings of the Risen Lord.
Eph 1:21. Further delineation of the position of the Risen One.
Beyond and above: movement upwards going beyond even the most exalted.
All principality and authority: word for word as in Col 2:10. Same words in the plural in Col 1:16; where see note. They evidently describe successive ranks of angels.
Power: same word as in Eph 1:19. In 1Pe 3:22 we have angels and authorities and powers, made subject to the Risen Saviour.
Lordship: same word in Col 1:16, but there placed immediately before principalities or authorities. This change of order makes it impossible to determine whether the order here given is ascending or descending. All that we can infer with certainty is that Pauls faith saw the Risen and Rising One passing through and beyond and above successive ranks of angelic powers until there was in heaven no grandeur which He had not left behind. Then, after naming heavenly powers known to him, he uses a universal phrase covering not only those known by men living on earth in the present age, but also those names which will be needed and used to describe men and angels throughout the eternal future. Whatever may be thus designated, Christ has already passed.
Every name named: a close parallel in Php 2:9. It includes every kind of character and position as recognised by intelligent persons.
Not only etc.; emphasises the universal expression by specifying two component parts of it. So Col 1:16. Same division of time in Mat 12:32.
This age: same words in Rom 12:2; 1Co 2:6; Gal 1:4; where see notes. It is the present course of things.
That which is to come: the new course of things to be introduced by the coming of Christ, this looked upon as one definite whole.
Eph 1:22 a. Further delineation of the exaltation of Christ. For greater emphasis, it is added as an independent sentence.
All-things; keeps up the idea of universality already expressed by the words all and every.
All things He subjected under His feet: word for word as in 1Co 15:27, which is almost word for word from (LXX.) Psa 8:6. What the Psalmist asserts of man, in poetic ideal, Paul claims in each passage to have been fulfilled in Christ. And rightly. For, as Son of man, He is heir of whatever belongs to man.
Verse. 22b. The exalted Saviours relation to the Church. Notice also a fuller statement of His relation to the universe, this including evidently the angelic powers just mentioned. Christ is not only above the angels, but above all created things as their Head, i.e. as the seat of supreme authority: see under Col 1:18.
Above or rather beyond all things: recalling Eph 1:21, above and beyond all principality etc. We have here the historic exaltation of the human body and nature of the Son, and His original relation to the universe: see Col 1:16-18. In this supreme dignity, raised above and controlling all things, God gave Him to the Church; evidently in order that the Head of the universe may be also Head of the Church, thus making the universe an ally of the Church.
Eph 1:23. Two important relations of the Church to Christ.
Which is, or, more fully, inasmuch as it is: a reason why God gave Christ to the Church.
His body: as in Col 1:18. See note under 1Co 12:30. In Eph 1:20-22 we saw the mighty power of God raising Christ from the grave in which He lay dead and raising Him through the successive ranks of angels until He sits in glory at the right hand of God. We now learn that the Risen and Enthroned One is Gods gift to the Church, to be its Head, i.e. to be Himself a part of the Church and occupying in it a unique and supreme place as that part which directs the whole and is essential to the vitality of the whole. In other words, He who is above everything created is in closest union with the Church.
The fulness etc.: farther description of the Church. It is the body of Christ, an outward and visible form consisting of various and variously endowed members all animated by the one Spirit of Christ, of which body He is Himself the Head, the supreme and controlling member.
It is also His fulness: see under Col 1:19.
Him who fills all things with all things: Christ, who gives to the universe in its various parts the fulness with which every part is full.
Fills, or more accurately fills for Himself or from Himself: Christ being enriched by the fulness with which He makes the universe fall. This keeps before us the similar relation of Christ to the universe and to the Church. In what sense are these words true? The Church can hardly be the fulness with which Christ is Himself full as in the ordinary use and construction of the word. Rather it is that which Christ makes full; according to a less common classic use in which a fully manned ship is sometimes called a fulness, as though in its full equipment the idea of a ship found its full realisation. He who fills the universe and by its abundant contents reveals Himself as one who fills all things with all things, fills also the Church, making it a receptacle of every blessing which proceeds from Him. Somewhat similar is the common use of the same word by the Gnostics, as quoted frequently by Irenus, in a local sense to describe the abode of blessedness, which they called the fulness in contrast to the void or abode of darkness. Also closely akin to the word before us is the verb in Col 2:10, in Him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are made-full in Him. He who has so joined to Himself the Church as to make it His body, the visible organ of His self-manifestation, and Himself its Head, has also made it His fulness, the receptacle and embodiment of His own abundance, of the infinite blessings He is able to bestow.
REVIEW. That his readers have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and that He is an earnest of the inheritance awaiting them, moves Paul, on hearing of their faith in Christ and their faithfulness towards all Christians, to give ceaseless thanks on their behalf in his approaches to God in prayer. His thanks pass imperceptibly into prayer that God would give to them that Spirit who is the Bearer of the wisdom of God and the Agent of His revelations to men, this gift assuming the form of imparted knowledge of God, in order that they, receiving light where the heart sees things unseen, may know what blessings await those who have heard and obeyed the Gospel summons, how abundant is the splendour of the inheritance which already belongs to the saints, and how surpassingly mighty is the power which is already at work upon them and will ultimately realise their hopes. Paul gives them a measure by which they may estimate the greatness of this power, viz. the power which raised Christ from the dead to the throne of God, far beyond the shining ranks of heaven and beyond whatever dignity is known in the age now passing or will be known in the ages to come. The exaltation of Christ rivets the Apostles wondering gaze. He remembers that not only is Christ raised above all angelic powers, but that all things good and bad, personal and impersonal, are put under His control; that the humanity of Christ, itself a part of the created universe, holds in it a place of unique dignity as the supreme part which controls all else; that this supreme Ruler of the universe has been given to the Church to be a part of it, viz. the one supreme and controlling member without which the others cannot live; and that the Church is both His body, the visible organ of His self-manifestation, and His fulness, the receptacle of the effulgence and wealth which ever flow from Him.
Notice carefully that, in consequence of the close relation between Christ and His peoples the splendour given to Him and the power which rescued Him from death and gave Him that splendour are a measure of the splendour awaiting His people; and that the power which raised Christ is already at work in those who believe, and will ultimately raise them to the throne of their Risen Lord. A similar argument in Php 3:21. This exaltation above even the highest created beings assures us that no created power will prevent or lessen the glory awaiting us. Notice also the appropriateness here of Pauls favourite metaphor of the Church as the body of Christ. If we are members of His body, where the Head is we must some day be. Therefore, since the Head cannot descend, the exaltation of Christ is a pledge that we shall reign with Him. The Church is also the self-development of Him who fills the universe with His own life; as though apart from the Church our conception of Christ would be incomplete.
Fuente: Beet’s Commentary on Selected Books of the New Testament
Section Two: 1:15-23
Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
Those that suggest that this epistle was not written to the Ephesians use this verse as part of their base. Paul would have known of their faith had he meant the Ephesians because he was with them for more than two years. However, since communications were poor at best, in this day it is not hard to believe that he hadn’t heard from them in a number of years and had just gotten a recent report of the goings on in the church.
Imagine your faith, your faith so great that other Christians are talking about your faith, be it corporate or individual. What sort of faith produces talk about it in another city? It must have been a great faith. I assume this is a corporate faith of the congregation at Ephesus, and that their faith had been so great in some area that the apostle had heard about it in another city or country. It is probable that some coworker of Paul’s had reported to him of the condition of the church, but even then, the faith was great enough to deserve mention.
I would guess that this faith may have been in just in the fact that they still existed as a church in such a perverse city. We don’t have it quite so bad in this country, but there are many countries in the world where it is a great act of faith to even meet for a service. In some countries, even to meet in secret takes great faith. Not so many years ago in Romania they baptized believers blindfolded so they could not identify the person that baptized them. It was illegal to baptize in the country. Most baptisms were performed in bathtubs in the secrecy of people’s homes.
This might be a good goal for us as believers. To have a faith that will be mentioned abroad. Not that we want the attention, but that we want to serve the Lord in such a way that our faith is obvious to the observer.
This faith is not something that we can muster up to impress people; it is a part of a Godly lifestyle. Paul walked by faith when he walked across the countryside. He had no pension to live on; he had no supporters back home sending him a large portion to live on. He went from place to place looking to the Lord for his provision. At times he received assistance from the churches, other times he worked at tent making to support himself. At other times he allowed the Roman government to supply his needs by being their prisoner. You see, faith may be living on supply from God via many different sources.
Faith may be in the area of giving. The widow that cast in her mites was held as a great example of giving by faith. She gave all that she had and trusted God to provide what she needed. Faith may be in the area of serving. Giving a lot of time to the church to assist in the ministry of the church. Faith may be in the area of witnessing. Certainly to talk to a stranger about Christ takes a lot of faith – faith that the word you share will be received, faith that the Lord will nurture that word you share within the persons heart and faith that the Lord will bring forth fruit as we sow the seed.
Faith is not confined to the huge things either. We can have faith in the little things – things most people would not even pray about. Just trust God to do for you in all things not just the big things. If you can handle the little stuff, go for it, but if there is a need, God can take care of it for you.
This is not to say we just jump out into oblivion and trust Him to catch us, but as we walk with Him and as He leads us, we can be confident that all will be taken care of – He will provide.
Many are the times that we have prepared to move cross country to a new ministry/location at the Lord’s leading that we had to do so entirely on faith. When heading off to college, we had some near new appliances that we could not take with us. We advertised them and all but the refrigerator sold. As the move neared we still had the refrigerator, not only was it too big to take with us, it was a good portion of the money that would keep us going through the move and finding a new job. Each day was another day with this refrigerator looking back at us.
The day before we were to load up and leave, we received a call and before the evening was up we had the cash in hand. We had trusted all to the Lord and He provided.
That wasn’t quite the end of it, because when we headed to the next town to overnight at my wife’s folk’s place we discovered the car did not have enough power to pull the trailer that we had so tightly stuffed. We struggled to the next town in second gear and backed the trailer into the folk’s driveway where we unloaded and gave away about half the load.
It was of interest; we called our home church and asked if there were any needy families in the church that could use some stuff. Several came over and the Lord allowed us to supply some of his children with their needs out of our surplus.
Faith is an interesting thing. At times we wonder if we have any, and at others we so easily display it because that is just the natural thing to do. Faith normally doesn’t take a lot of effort. God asks us to do something and we say yes, and the faith is there to meet the need of the moment. When there is no need, then we wonder if we could ever muster enough faith to do anything for God.
Faith is not a commodity; it is a decision of the mind. It is simply a belief and trust in God and what He says. Faith in Christ is simply trusting that God is correct when His word tells us that the sacrifice on the cross is sufficient work for our sin. It is taking God at face value and living your life in accordance with that belief.
This is what the Ephesian Christians were doing. They were living a godly life in an ungodly civilization – much as we must do today. We must stand against that sinful world, but we must also operate within it and trust God to take care of us in all our needs within that ungodly mess.
It is trusting Him to care for your children in the ungodly humanistic school system (do not take that wrong, I know there are believers in the school system, but there are many ungodly corrupt teachers in the system as well). It is trusting that we will have financial provision in a very unstable economy when your job is not very secure, when corporations with no ethics are raiding their employees and customer’s accounts. It is putting our trust in God for all your life’s needs; it is looking to His overabundant ability to supply your every need in this life as well as the next.
Paul also mentions their great love for all the saints – ALL – all the saints. This is the agape, or self giving, love not the brotherly love. The Ephesian believers loved all the saints with a self sacrificing love. That is quite a statement of Paul’s. It is not even too easy to love all the saints in your church with a brotherly love, much less a love that would cause us to sacrifice for all believers in our church.
This is another strong statement of the bond believers should have among one another in our churches today. I am not sure how you foster this sort of love in a church of any great size however. We are to care for one another. A good study of this subject would change your church. Just sit down with a concordance and list all the references where the phrase “one another” is listed then read each passage and note how we are to treat others in the church.
If you don’t want to take the time to do it yourself, I have a short study on the subject on my website.
Fuente: Mr. D’s Notes on Selected New Testament Books by Stanley Derickson
1:15 {17} Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
(17) He returns to the former account of the good received from God, concluding two things together about those things that went before: the first is that all good things come to us from God the Father in Christ, and by Christ, so that for them he may be praised by us. The second is, that all those things (which he brings to two heads, that is, faith and charity) are increased in us by certain degrees, so that we must desire an increase of his grace, from whom we have the beginning, and from whom we hope for the end.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
2. The means: knowledge 1:15-23
Having reviewed his readers’ blessings in Christ, Paul next prayed that they would appreciate and appropriate these good things in their own lives. He moved from benediction to intercession. Eph 1:15-23 are one sentence in the Greek text, as are Eph 1:3-14. Intellectual understanding is one thing, but it is also important that we use this knowledge to come into intimate relationship with God. That is what Paul prayed for in this prayer.
"For a healthy Christian life today it is of the utmost importance to follow Paul’s example and keep Christian praise and Christian prayer together. Yet many do not manage to preserve this balance. Some Christians seem to do little but pray for new spiritual blessings, apparently oblivious of the fact that God has already blessed them in Christ with every spiritual blessing. Others lay such emphasis on the undoubted truth that everything is already theirs in Christ, that they become complacent and appear to have no appetite to know or experience their Christian privileges more deeply." [Note: Stott, p. 52.]
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Commendation 1:15-16
As was his custom, Paul first commended his readers for what they were doing well. Then he told them what his prayer requests for them were.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
In view of their spiritual blessings, Paul felt constrained to pray for his original readers. He could pray for them as he did because they were true believers. Even though God had greatly blessed them, they needed even more from God. In addition to informing them, Paul also interceded for them.
The apostle had personally witnessed the faith and love of the Ephesians five or six years earlier, but he had evidently received fresh reports of their recent condition. His statement also suggests that "you" may include other churches beside the one or ones located in Ephesus. Faith is the expression of the believer’s trust in God, our vertical relationship. Love is the evidence of his or her proper relationship with other people, our horizontal relationship (cf. Eph 6:23; Col 1:14; 2Th 1:3).
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Chapter 5
FOR THE EYES OF THE HEART
Eph 1:15-20
“BECAUSE of this”: because you have heard the glad tidings, and believing it have been sealed with the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13-14). “I too”: I your apostle, with so great an interest in your salvation, in return give thanks for you. Thus St. Paul, having extolled to the uttermost Gods counsel of redemption unfolded through the ages, claims to offer special thanksgiving for the faith of those who belong to his Gentile province and are, directly or indirectly, the fruit of his own ministry. {Eph 3:1-13}
The intermediate clause of Eph 1:15, describing the readers faith, is obscure. This form of expression occurs nowhere else in St. Paul; but the construction is used by St. Luke, -e.g., in Act 21:21 : “All the Jews which are among the Gentiles,” where it implies diffusion over a wide area. This being a circular letter, addressed to a number of Churches scattered through the province of Asia, of whose faith in many cases St. Paul knew only by report, we can understand how he writes: “having heard of the faith that is (spread) amongst you.”-“The love,” completing “faith” in the ordinary text, {as in Col 1:4} is relegated by the Revisers to the margin, upon evidence that seems conclusive. The commentators, however, feel so strongly the harshness of this ellipsis that, in spite of the ancient witnesses, they read, almost with one consent, “your love toward all the saints.” The variation of the former clause prepares us, however, for something peculiar in this. In Eph 1:13 we found St. Pauls thought fixed on the decisive fact of his readers “faith.” On this he still dwells lingeringly. The grammatical link needed between “faith” and “unto all the saints” is supplied in the Revised Version by “ye show,” after the analogy of Phm 1:5. Perhaps it might be supplied as grammatically, and in a sense better suiting the situation, by “is come.” Then the coordinate prepositional phrases qualifying “faith” have both alike a. local reference, and we paraphrase the clause thus: “since I heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is spread amongst you, and whose report has reached all the saints.” We are reminded of the thanksgiving for the Roman Church, “that your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world.” The success of the gospel in Asia gave encouragement to believers in Christ everywhere. St. Paul loves in this way to link Church to Church, to knit the bonds of faith between land and land: in this letter most of all; for it is his catholic epistle, the epistle of the Church oecumenical. In Eph 1:16 we pass from praise to prayer. God is invoked by a double title peculiar to this passage, as “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory.” The former expression is in no way difficult. The apostle often speaks, as in Eph 1:3, of “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”: intending to qualify the Divine Fatherhood by another epithet, he writes for once simply of “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This reminds us of the dependence of the Lord Jesus upon the Eternal Father, and accentuates the Divine sovereignty so conspicuous in the foregoing Act of Praise. Christs constant attitude towards the Father was that of His cry of anguish on the cross, “My God, My God!” Yet He never speaks to men of our God. To us God is “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,” as He was to the men of old time “the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.” The key to the designation “Father of glory” is in Rom 6:4 : “Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father.” In the light of this august manifestation of Gods power to save His lost sons in Christ, we are called to see light (Eph 1:19-20). Its glory shines already about Gods blessed name of Father, thrice glorified in the apostles praise (Eph 1:3-14). The title is the counterpart of “the Father of compassions “in 2Co 1:3. And now, what has the apostle to ask of the Father of men under these glorious appellations? He asks “a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of Him, – the eyes of your heart enlightened, in order that you may know,” etc. This recalls the emphasis with which in Eph 1:8 and Eph 1:9 he set “wisdom and intelligence” amongst the first blessings bestowed by Divine grace upon the Church. It was the gift which the Asian Churches at the present juncture most needed; this is just now the burden of the apostles prayers for his people.
The “spirit of wisdom and revelation” desired will proceed from the Holy Spirit dwelling in these Gentile believers (Eph 1:13). But it must belong to their own spirit and direct their personal mental activity, the spirit of revelation becoming “the spirit of their mind”. {Eph 4:23} When St. Paul asks for “a spirit of wisdom and revelation, ” he desires that his readers may have amongst themselves a fountain of inspiration and share in the prophetic gifts diffused through the Church. And “the knowledge-the full, deep knowledge of God is the sphere in which this richer inspiration and spiritual wisdom are exercised and nourished.” Philosophy, taking man for its centre, says, Know thyself: only the inspired word, which proceeds from God, has been able to say, Know God.
The connection of the first clause of Eph 1:18 with the last of Eph 1:17 is not very clear in St. Pauls Greek; there is a characteristic incoherence of structure. The continuity of thought is unmistakable. He prays that through this inspired wisdom his readers may have their reason enlightened to see the grandeur and wealth of their religion. This is a vision for “the eyes of the heart.” It is disclosed to the eye behind the eye, to the heart which is the true discerner. “The seeing eyes See best by the light in the heart that lies.”
Yonder is an ox grazing in the meadow on a bright summers day. Round him is spread the fairest landscape, a broad stretch of herbage embroidered with flowers, the river gleaming in and out amongst the distant trees, the hills on both sides bounding the quiet valley, sunshine and shadows chasing each other as they leap from height to height. But of all this what sees the grazing ox? So much lush pasture and cool shade and clear water where his feet may plash when he is done feeding. In the same meadow there stands a poet musing, or a painter busy at his easel; and on the soul of that gifted man there descends, through eyes outwardly discerning no more than those of the beast at his side, a vision of wonder and beauty which will make all time richer. The eyes of the mans heart are opened, and the spirit of wisdom and revelation is given him in the knowledge of Gods work in nature.
Like differences exist amongst men in regard to the things of religion. “So foolish was I and ignorant,” says the Psalmist, speaking of his former dejection and unbelief, “I was as a beast before Thee!” There shall be two men sitting side by side in the same house of prayer, at the same gate of heaven. The one sees heaven opened; he hears the eternal song; his spirit is a temple filled with the glory of God. The other sees the place and aspect of his fellow-worshippers; he hears the music of organ and choir, and the sound of some preachers voice. But as for anything besides, any influence from another world, it is no more to him at that moment than is the music in the poets soul or the colours on the painters canvas to the ox that eateth grass. It is not the strangeness and distance of Divine things alone that cause insensibility; their familiarity has the same effect. We know all this gospel so well. We have read it, listened to it, gone over its points of doctrine a hundred times. It is trite and easy to us as a worn glove. We discuss without a tremor of emotion truths the first whisper and dim promise of which once lifted mens souls into ecstasy, or cast them down into depths of shame and bewilderment so that they forgot to eat their bread. The awe of things eternal, the mystery of our faith, the Spirit of glory and of God rest on us no longer. So there come to be, as one hears it said, “gospel hardened” hearers-and gospel-hardened preachers! The eyes see-and see not; the ears hear-and hear not; the lips speak without feeling; “the heart is waxen fat.” This is the nemesis of grace abused. It is the result that follows by an inevitable psychological law, where outward contact with spiritual truth is not attended with an inward apprehension and response. How do we need to pray, in handling these dread themes, for a true sense and savour of Divine things, -that there may be given, and ever given afresh to us “a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God.” Three things the apostle desires that his readers may see with the hearts enlightened eyes: the hope to which God calls them, the wealth that He possesses in them, and the power which He is prepared to exert upon them as believing men.
I. What, then, is our “hope” in God? What is the ideal of our faith? For what purpose has God called us into the fellowship of His Son? What is our religion going to do for us and to make of us?
It will bring us safe home to heaven. It will deliver us from the present evil world, and preserve us unto Christs heavenly kingdom. God forbid that we should make light of “the hope laid up for us in the heavens,” or cast it aside. It is an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast. But is it the hope of our calling? Is this what St. Paul here chiefly signifies? We are very sure that it is not. But it is the one thing which stands for the hope of the gospel in many minds. “We trust that our sins are forgiven: we hope that we shall get to heaven!” The experience of how many Christian believers begins and ends there. We make of our religion a harbour of refuge, a soothing anodyne, an escape from the anguish of guilt and the fear of death; not a life-vocation, a grand pursuit. The definition we have quoted may suffice for the beginning and the end; but we need something to fill out that formula, to give body and substance, meaning and movement to the life of faith.
Let the apostle tell us what he regarded, for himself, as the end of religion, what was the object of his ambition and pursuit. “One thing I do,” he writes to the Philippians, opening to them all his heart, -“One thing I do. I press towards the mark for the prize of my high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” And what, pray, was that mark?-“that I may gain Christ and be found in Him!-that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if by any means I may attain unto the final resurrection from the dead.” Yes, Paul hopes for heaven; but he hopes for something else first, and most. It is through Christ that he sees heaven. To know Christ, to love Christ, to serve Christ, to follow Christ, to be like Christ, to be with Christ forever! – that is what St. Paul lived for. Whatever aim he pursues or affection he cherishes, Christ lies in it and reaches beyond it. In doing or in suffering, in his intellect and his heart, in his thoughts for himself or for others, Christ is all things to him and in all. When life is thus filled with Christ, heaven becomes, as one may say, a mere circumstance, and death but an incident upon the way, -in the souls everlasting pursuit of Christ. Behold, then, brethren, the hope of our calling. God could not call us to any destiny less or lower than this. It would have been unworthy of Him-and may we not say, unworthy of ourselves, if we are in truth His sons? From eternity the Father of spirits has predestined you and me to be holy and without blemish before Him, -in a word, to be conformed to the image of His Son. Every other hope is dross compared to this.
II. Another vision for the hearts eyes, still more amazing than that we have seen: “what is,” St. Paul writes, “the riches of the glory of Gods inheritance in the saints.”
We saw, in considering the eleventh and fourteenth verses (Eph 1:11, Eph 1:14), how the apostle, in characteristic fashion, plays upon the double aspect of the “inheritance,” regarding it now as the heritage of the saints in God and again as His heritage in them. The former side of this relationship was indicated in the “hope of the Divine calling,”-which we live and strive for as it is promised us by God; and the latter comes out, by way of contrast, in this second clause. Eph 1:18 repeats in another way the antithesis of Eph 1:14 between our inheritance and Gods acquisition. We must understand that God sets great store by us His human children, and counts Himself rich in our affection and our service. How deeply it must affect us to know this, and to see the glory that in Gods eyes belongs to His possession in believing men.
What presumption is all this, some one says. How preposterous to imagine that the Maker of the worlds interests Himself in atoms like ourselves, -in the ephemera of this insignificant planet! But moral magnitudes are not to be measured by a foot-rule. The mind which can traverse the immensities of space and hold them in its grasp, transcends the things it counts and weighs. As it is amongst earthly powers, so the law may hold betwixt sphere and sphere in the system of worlds, in the relations of bodies terrestrial and celestial to each other, that “God has chosen the weak things to put to shame the mighty, and the things that are not to bring to nought the things that are.” Through the Church He is “making known to the potentates in the heavenly places His manifold wisdom”. {Eph 3:10} The lowly can sing evermore with Mary in the Magnificat: “He that is mighty hath magnified me.” If it be true that God spared not His Son for our salvation and has sealed us with the seal of His Spirit, if He chose us before the worlds foundation to be His saints, He must set upon those saints an infinite value. We may despise ourselves; but He thinks great things of us.
And is this, after all, so hard to understand? If the alternative were put to some owner of wide lands and houses full of treasure: “Now you must lose that fine estate, or see your own son lost and ruined! You must part with a hundred thousand pounds-or with your best friend!” there could be no doubt in such a case what the choice would be of a man of sense and worth, one who sees with the eyes of the heart. Shall we think less nobly of God than of a right-minded man amongst ourselves?-Suppose, again, that one of our great cities were so full of wealth that the poorest were housed in palaces and fared sumptuously every day, though its citizens were profligates and thieves and cowards! What would its opulence and luxury be worth? Is it not evident that “character” is the only possession of intrinsic value, and that this alone gives worth and weight to other properties? “The saints that are in the earth and the excellent” are earths riches.
So far as we can judge of His ways, the great God who made us cares comparatively little about the upholstery and machinery of the universe; but He cares immensely about men, about the character and destiny of men. There is nothing in all that physical science discloses for God to love, nothing kindred to Himself. “Hast thou considered My servant Job?” the Hebrew poet pictures Him saying before heaven and hell!-“Hast thou considered My servant Job?-a perfect man and upright: there is none like him in the earth.” How proud God is of a man like that, in a world like this. Who can tell the value that the Father of glory sets upon the tried fidelity of His humblest servant here on earth; the intensity with which He reciprocates the confidence of one timid, trembling human heart, or the simple reverence of one little child that lisps His awful name? “He taketh pleasure in them that fear Him, in those that hope in His mercy!” Beneath His feet all the worlds lie spread in their starry splendour, our sun with its train of planets no more than one glimmering spot of light amongst ten thousand. But amidst this magnificence, what is the sight that wins His tender fatherly regard? “To that man will I look, that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and that trembles at My word.” Thus saith the High and Lofty One that inhabiteth eternity. The Creator rejoices in His works as at the beginning, the Lord of heaven and earth in His dominion. But these are not His “inheritance.” That is in the love of His children, in the character and number of His saints. We are to be the praise of His glory.
Let us learn, then, to respect ourselves. Let us not take the worlds tinsel for wealth, and spend our time, like the man in Bunyans dream, scraping with “the muck-rake” while the crown of life shines above our head. The riches of a Church-nay, of any human community-lie not in its moneyed resources, but in the men and women that compose it, in their godlike attributes of mind and heart, in their knowledge, their zeal, their love to God and man, in the purity, the gentleness, the truthfulness and courage and fidelity that are found amongst them. These are the qualities that give distinction to human life, and are beautiful in the eyes of God and holy angels. “Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.”
III. One thing more we need to understand, or what we have seen already will be of little practical avail. We may see glorious visions, we may cherish high aspirations; and they may prove to be but the dreams of vanity. Nay, it is conceivable that God Himself might have wealth invested in our nature, a treasure beyond price, shipwrecked and sunk irrecoverably through our sin. What means exist for realising this inheritance? what power is there at work to recover these forfeited hopes, and that glory of God of which we have come so miserably short?
The answer lies in the apostles words: “That ye may know what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us that believe,”-a power measured by “the energy of the might of His strength which He wrought in the Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and set Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.” This is the power that we have to count upon, the force that is yoked to the worlds salvation and is at the service of our faith. Its energy has turned the tide and reversed the stream of nature in the person of Jesus Christ and in the course of human history. It has changed death to life. Above all, it certifies the forgiveness of sin and releases us from its liabilities; it transforms the law of sin and death into the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. We preachers hear it said sometimes: “You live in a speculative world. Your doctrines are ideal and visionary, -altogether too high for men as they are and the world as we find it. Human nature and experience, the coarse realities of life, are all against you.”
What would our objectors have said at the grave-side of Jesus?” The beautiful dreamer, the sublime idealist! He was too good for a world such as ours. It was sure to end like this. His ideas of life were utterly impracticable.” So they would, have moralised. “And the good prophet talked -strangest fanaticism of all-of rising again on the third day! One thing at least we know, that the dead are dead and gone from us. No, we shall never see Jesus or His like again. Purity cannot live in this infected air. The grave ends all hope for men.” But, despite human nature and human experience, He has risen again, He lives forever! That is the apostles message and testimony to the world. For those “who believe” it, all things are possible. A life is within our reach that seemed far off as earth from heaven. You may become a perfect saint.
From His open grave Christ breathed on His disciples, and through them on. all mankind, the Holy Spirit. This is the efficient cause of Christianity, -the Spirit that raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. The limit to its efficacy lies in the defects of our faith, in our failure to comprehend what God gave us in His Son. Is any; thing now too hard for the Lord? Shall anything be called impossible, in the line of Gods promise and mans spiritual need? Can we put an arrest upon the working of this mysterious force, upon the Spirit of the new life, and say to it: Thus far shalt thou go, and no farther? Look at Jesus where He was-the poor, tortured, wounded body, slain by our sins, lying cold and still in Josephs grave: then lift up your eyes and see Him where He is, – enthroned in the worship and wonder of heaven! Measure by that distance, by the sweep and lift of that almighty Arm, the strength of the forces engaged to your salvation, the might of the powers at work through the ages for the redemption of humanity.