Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ephesians 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,]
20. which he wrought ] The verb is aorist. Another reading, but without equal support, gives the perfect: “He hath wrought.” The time-reference is to the actual past crisis of the Lord’s exaltation.
in Christ ] In the supreme instance of Christ. Cp. “ in me ” 1Ti 1:16. Olshausen (quoted by Bp Ellicott) remarks that this passage, with Php 2:6-11 and Col 1:14-19, gives us “the entire Christology of St Paul.” In them we find His essential and glorious Deity; His eternal Sonship; His immediate action in Creation; His Headship over the created Universe; His Divine free-will in Incarnation and Humiliation; His atoning Death, “making peace by the blood of His Cross;” His Resurrection, and Exaltation as the Incarnate, by the Father’s power; His Headship over the Church, and animation of it with His Spirit. See further, Appendix J.
when he raised him ] I.e., in the act of raising Him. This was the act of almighty power, embodying the wonders at once of a triumph over the physical mystery of death, of the manifestation of an “eternal redemption” from condemnation and sin, and of the ministration of the Life of the Risen One to His people.
From another point of view the Resurrection was the act of the Son’s own will; “I have power to take it again,” Joh 10:18. But where it is viewed as the Father’s acceptance of the work of the Son, or as the Father’s testimony to Him, it is always attributed to the Father as His act. Cp. Act 2:24; Act 3:15; Act 5:30; Act 10:40; Act 13:30-37; Act 17:31; Rom 1:4; Rom 4:24, &c.; 1Co 6:14; Gal 1:1; 1Th 1:10; Heb 13:20 ; 1Pe 1:3.
and set him at his own right hand ] The Ascension is directly recorded only thrice (Mark 16; Luke 24; Acts 1), but it is constantly taken for granted and dealt with, in the Acts and Epistles, as a fact as objective and literal as the Resurrection. Cp. Act 2:33; Act 3:19-20; Act 5:31; Act 7:55; Rom 8:34; 1Co 15:25; Php 2:9; Php 3:20; Col 3:1; 1Th 1:10; 1Th 4:16 ; 2Th 1:7; Heb 1:3 and passim; 1Pe 3:22; Rev 3:21; Rev 5:6, &c.
“ His own right hand: ” the glorious metaphor betokens a share in the throne (Rev 3:21), not merely session near it. From eternity the Divine Son had been “ with God” (Joh 1:1); “ beside the Father” (Joh 17:5; A.V. “ with thee”); now also as the Incarnate after Death and Resurrection He appears in the same exaltation; “the Son of Man at the right hand of God” (Act 7:55). In this Capacity, as well as in that of Filial Godhead, He now “reigns;” wields “all power in heaven and earth.” And this Session, like Resurrection, is the act of the Father’s accepting and glorifying will. Observe that in Scripture imagery the ascended Lord is always on the throne; “a Priest upon his throne” (Zec 6:13); not pleading before, but exalted upon, “the throne of grace” (Heb 4:16). Cp. Psa 110:1; Psa 110:4.
in the heavenly places] See note above on Eph 1:3. A Region is spoken of, in which the glorified Lord locally is. Local conceptions, indeed, soon fail us in thoughts of the eternal world. But the fact of the Lord’s veritable ascended Body binds us to them, in a real degree; for where body is in question there also is locality.
far above ] The same word as in Eph 4:10, and in Heb 9:5 (A. V., “over”). The Gr. does not necessarily denote distance; see Heb 9:5. But the compound form admits the idea, and in St Paul’s style, especially in a passage like this, we are right to see it. The Saviour’s eminence is measured by the height of the Creator’s throne above Creation.
all principality, &c.] More strictly, all government, and authority, and power, and lordship. For similar phrases cp. Rom 8:38; Col 1:16 (a close parallel), Eph 2:15; below, Eph 3:10, Eph 6:12 ; 1Pe 3:22 (a close parallel). Two thoughts are conveyed; first, subordinately, the existence of orders and authorities [32] in the angelic (as well as human) world; then, primarily, the imperial and absolute Headship of the Son over them all. The additional thought is given us by Col 1:16 that He was also, in His preexistent glory, their Creator; but this is not in definite view here, where He appears altogether as the exalted Son of Man after Death. In Romans 8, Colossians 2, and Ephesians 6, (quoted above,) we have cognate phrases where evil powers are meant; (and see note below on Eph 6:12, on the remarkable wording, “in the heavenly places”). But the context here is distinctly favourable to a good reference. That the Redeemer should be “exalted above” powers of evil is a thought scarcely adequate in a connexion so full of the imagery of glory as this. That He should be “exalted above” the holy Angels is fully in point. 1Pe 3:22 is our best parallel; and cp. Rev 5:11-12. See also Mat 13:41: “The Son of Man shall send forth His angels.”
[32] “The mighty kingdoms angelical,” as S. T. Coleridge ( Omniana) has it in a sentence of extraordinary depth and beauty.
We gather from the Ep. to the Colossians that the Churches of Asia Proper were at this time in danger from a quasi-Jewish doctrine of Angel-worship, akin to the heresies afterwards known as Gnosticism. Such a fact gives special point to the phrases here. On the other hand it does not warrant the inference that St Paul repudiates all the ideas of such an Angelology. The idea of order and authority in the angelic world he surely endorses, though quite in passing.
Theories of Angelic Orders, more or less elaborate, are found in the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, cent. 1 2; Origen, cent. 3; St Ephrem Syrus, cent. 4. By far the most famous ancient treatise on the subject is the book On the Celestial Hierarchy, under the name (certainly assumed) of Dionysius the Areopagite; a book first mentioned cent. 6, from which time onwards it had a commanding influence in Christendom. (See article Dionysius in Smith’s Dict. Christ. Biography.) “Dionysius” ranked the Orders (in descending scale) in three Trines; Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones; Dominations, Virtues, Powers (Authorities); Principalities, Archangels, Angels. The titles are thus a combination of the terms Seraphim, Cherubim, Archangels, Angels, with those used by St Paul here and in Colossians 1.
Readers of Paradise Lost, familiar with the majestic line,
“Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Pow’rs,”
are not always aware of its learned accuracy of allusion. The Dionysian system powerfully attracted the sublime mind of Dante. In the Paradiso, Canto xxxviii., is a grand and characteristic passage, in which Beatrice expounds the theory to Dante, as he stands, in the ninth heaven, in actual view of the Hierarchies encircling the Divine Essence:
“All, as they circle in their orders, look
Aloft; and, downward, with such sway prevail
That all with mutual impulse tend to God.
These once a mortal view beheld. Desire
In Dionysius so intensely wrought
That he, as I have done, ranged them, and named
Their orders, marshal’d in his thought.”
Cary’s Dante.
and every name that is named ] Cp. Php 2:9, “the Name that is above every name.” To the words suggestive of celestial ranks in detail, St Paul adds this more absolutely inclusive phrase, like the “any other creature” of Rom 8:39. “Name,” in such a phrase, is, practically, state and place of dignity. Whatever such there are, and however justly recognized (“named”), the exalted Christ sits infinitely above them.
not only in this world, but &c.] Lit. this age, ain. The word is used in the following passages more or less kindred, Mat 12:32; Luk 16:8 ; 1Co 1:20; 1Co 2:6; 1Co 2:8; 1Co 3:18; 2Co 4:4; Gal 1:4; 1Ti 6:17; 2Ti 4:10; Tit 2:12. See also on Eph 2:2 below. The root-idea of the word is duration, a period; then, by transition, the contents or condition of the period, an order of things. Here “this age” is the period of mortality, probation, preparation for “the age to come,” the spiritual and eternal rgime, the final development of “the Kingdom of God” (1Co 15:50). All superhuman authorities recognized now, all that may be set up and recognized then, alike are absolutely inferior to Christ. We have here a suggestion of the truth (to which 1Co 15:28 is no real contradiction) that “of His Kingdom there shall be no end.” The eternal throne will be that “of God and of the Lamb ” (Rev 22:1; Rev 22:3).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Which he wrought in Christ – Which he exerted in relation to the Lord Jesus when he was dead. The power which was then exerted was as great as that of creation. It was imparting life to a cold and mangled frame. It was to open again the arteries and veins, and teach the heart to beat and the lungs to heave. It was to diffuse vital warmth through the rigid muscles, and to communicate to the body the active functions of life. It is impossible to conceive of a more direct exertion of power than in raising up the dead; and there is no more striking illustration of the nature of conversion than in such a resurrection.
And set him at his own right hand – The idea is, that great power was displayed by this, and that a similar exhibition is made when man is renewed and exalted to the high honor of being made an heir of God. On the fact that Jesus was received to the right hand of God, see the notes at Mar 16:19; compare the notes at Act 2:33.
In the heavenly places – see the notes at Eph 1:3. The phrase here evidently means in heaven itself.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Eph 1:20-21
And set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality.
The Christians exaltation
1. The same power which raised Christ, raises us.
2. God leaves His dearest children to the depth of misery before He sends relief.
(1) This He does to glorify His power, which does not so brightly appear until things are desperate.
(2) That we may learn the better to put our trust in Him when reduced to extremities.
(3) That He may the more endear His benefits to us, He lets us struggle on long without them.
3. God always sends salvation to His people in due time. There is a double salvation.
(1) Staving off evil, so that it cannot come near us or touch us.
(2) Keeping us, so that it shall not hold us, much less prevail over us.
4. Glory correspondent to humiliation. (Paul Bayne.)
The throne resumed
I. The throne of essential and eternal majesty, which from everlasting belonged to Christ. Sovereign of all worlds, ruling in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, swaying the sceptre as a right of His own self-existence, which the Father owned, and which the Holy Ghost taught the apostle to call the sceptre of Christ. Well, then, we are forbidden to find any fault with the manner in which he sways that sceptre. It is a right sceptre. If He sways it to bring a scourge on the land, it is right; if He sways it to bring affliction on any of His people, it is right. If He sways His sceptre to thwart our carnal desires and imaginations, it is right. Now this sceptre of righteousness, this righteous sceptre, which Jesus sways from His high throne eternal in the heavens, set up from everlasting or ever the earth was made, demands righteousness in all the creature performs; and while He bestows and communicates it to all the election of grace, it is so far a sceptre of righteousness that He will execute righteous judgment upon all who live and die haters of His gospel and His truth, and He will extend from the top of His sceptre, as Ahasuerus did to Esther, life, and privilege, and promise, Whatsoever ye ask shall be done.
II. Look now at the humiliation to which Christ stooped from His eternal, essential throne. Though He was in the form of God, and thought it not robbery to be equal with God, yet He took not on Him the nature of angels, much as He loved them, and much as He employed them, but He took upon Him the seed of Abraham, and humbled Himself, and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross. Then observe, this stoop of humiliation was for the purpose of establishing His mediatorial kingdom on earth.
III. The enthronization resumed. The Father has raised Him up, having suffered the penalty, paid all, done all, conquered all, rescued all the election of grace from the ruin of the Fall. The Father hath raised Him up–not to go through another scene of poverty, persecution, despising, and ridicule, but set Him at His own right hand, as the emblem of power, and that, too, in heavenly places. Then I view my glorious Christ ascended up to where He was before, and exalted up far above all heavens to fill all things, that from His high throne He may manage still all the affairs of His Church, invested with official authority, insisting on the progress and prosperity of His Church, imparting all supplies of grace, even grace for grace, and having engaged, under solemn responsibility, to bring all His redeemed and regenerated family to sit with Him upon His throne. But there are more heavenly places than one. It is given in my text in the plural. I grant the first meaning to be, on the throne of glory in the invisible world, in common with the Father and the Holy Ghost, having all power given to Him in heaven and in earth, that He may give eternal life to as many as the Father hath given Him, viewing Him there enthroned, and never more to quit the throne. Then observe, He is seated at the Fathers right hand, as well as all these heavenly places, to give of His fulness for the reception of His Church; and therefore the apostle said, Of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. Glory to His name, that we have liberty to come as often as we feel our grace vessel empty, and have it replenished, crying unto Him, More grace, Lord; more grace, Lord! (J. Irons.)
The exaltation of Christ
1. Our Saviour Christ, as man, is taken to have prerogative before every other creature.
(1) This being so, what reverence ought we to show Him in all our services about Him whose excellence is so high above every creature.
(2) Having one so eminent for our Saviour and Mediator, let us cleave contented to Him, caring to know nothing but Him, accounting all dross that we may be found in Christ.
2. Christ not only as God, but as man also, has power over every creature.
(1) What reason have we, then, to subject ourselves to Him.
(2) Let this strengthen our confidence that He will subdue for us all our enemies.
3. Christ is crowned with glory at Gods right hand before and above all things.
(1) This should draw up our hearts to heaven, where He now sits in majesty. Should we have some friends highly advanced, though in parts very remote from us, we would long to see them and make a journey to them.
(2) This assures us that all we who are Christs shall in due time be brought to heaven where He is. The Head and members must be united (Joh 17:24).
4. There is a world to come, in which those who are Christs shall reign with Him forever.
(1) This should afford comfort to us in the trials and sorrows of this present life. (Paul Bayne.)
The triumph and glory of heaven
Heaven is a place of complete victory and glorious triumph. This is the battlefield; there is the triumphal procession. This is the land of the sword and the spear; that is the land of the laurel wreath and jewelled crown. This is the land of the garment rolled in blood, and of the dust of the fight; that is the land of the trumpets joyful sound; that is the place of the white robe, and of the shout of conquest. Oh, what a thrill of joy shall shoot through the hearts of all the blessed when their conquests shall be complete in heaven; when death itself, the last of mans foes, shall be slain; when Satan shall be dragged captive at the chariot wheels of Christ; when He shall have overthrown sin, and trampled corruption as the mire in the streets; when the great shout of universal victory shall rise from the hearts of all the redeemed. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Christ now in heaven
Suppose a kings son should get out of a besieged prison and leave his wife and children behind, whom he loves as his own soul; would the prince, when arrived at his fathers palace, please and delight himself with the splendour of the Court, and forget his family in distress. No; but having their cries and groans always in his ears, he should come to his father, and entreat him, as ever he loved him, that he would send all the forces of his kingdom and raise the siege, and save his dear family from perishing. Nor will Christ, though gone up from the world and ascended into glory, forget for a moment His children that are left behind Him militant here on earth. (W. Gurnall.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 20. Set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places] Gave him, as mediator between God and man, the highest honours and dignities, Php 2:9; in which state of exaltation he transacts all the affairs of his Church, and rules the universe. The right hand is the place of friendship, honour, confidence, and authority.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead; i.e. the power God exerciseth toward believers is such as that was whereby he raised up Christ from the dead.
And set him at his own right hand; hath invested him with the greatest honour, dignity, and power, as princes set the next in honour and authority to themselves at their right hands: see Mat 20:21.
In the heavenly places; in the highest heaven, called the third heaven, 2Co 12:2, and paradise, 2Co 12:4.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
20. in Christas our”first-fruits” of the resurrection, and Head, in virtue ofGod’s mighty working in whom His power to us-ward is made possibleand actual [ALFORD].
when he raised him“inthat He raised Him.” The raising of Christ is not only anearnest of our bodies being hereafter raised, but has a spiritualpower in it involving (by virtue of our living union with Him, asmembers with the Head) the resurrection, spiritually of thebeliever’s soul now, and, consequently, of his body hereafter(Rom 6:8-11; Rom 8:11).The Son, too, as God (though not as man), had a share in raising Hisown human body (Joh 2:19; Joh 10:17;Joh 10:18). Also the Holy Spirit(Rom 1:4; 1Pe 3:18).
set himGreek, “made Him sit.” The glorious spiritsstand about the throne of God, but they do not sit at God’sright hand (Heb 1:13).
at his own right hand(Ps 110:1). Where He remainstill all His enemies have been put under His feet (1Co15:24). Being appointed to “rule in the midst of Hisenemies” during their rebellion (Ps110:2), He shall resign His commission after their subjection[PEARSON] (Mar 16:19;Heb 1:3; Heb 10:12).
in the heavenly places(Eph 1:3). As Christ has aliteral body, heaven is not merely a state, but a place; andwhere He is, there His people shall be (Joh14:3).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead,…. There are many articles of faith contained in this passage; as that Christ died, that he is raised from the dead, that he was raised from the dead by God the Father, and that his resurrection was by the power of God: the resurrection of any person is an instance of great power, but Christ’s resurrection from the dead was an instance of peculiar and special power; for he was raised from the dead as a public person, representing all his people, for whom he became a surety; and he was raised again for their justification, and to great glory in himself, after he had been brought into a very low estate indeed: moreover, this passage in connection with the preceding verse suggests, that there is some proportion between the power put forth on Christ in raising him from the dead, and that which is exerted in the work of conversion and faith: there is some likeness between the things themselves, as well as in the display of power in them; Christ’s resurrection is called a begetting, and he is styled the first begotten from the dead, and the regeneration of men is signified by a resurrection from the dead; as Christ’s body was really dead, lifeless, and without motion, antecedent to his resurrection, so men, previous to conversion, are dead in trespasses and sins, and are destitute of spiritual life and motion; and as Christ’s human nature could not help itself, could not raise itself, so neither can dead sinners convert themselves, or bring themselves out of that state and condition, in which they are by nature; and as the resurrection of Christ was the pure work of God, and a display of his almighty power, so the work of faith, of grace and conversion, is the entire work of God, which is begun, carried on, and finished wholly by his power; and as Christ’s resurrection was in order to his glorification, so is the regeneration and conversion of men, in order to their enjoyment of the heavenly inheritance, as it follows:
and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly [places]; which is expressive of the great honour conferred upon the human nature of Christ, such as never was given to any of the angels, and of the glory it is exalted to; and shows that he has done his work on earth with acceptance, which he came about; and therefore is set down at his Father’s right hand, where he enjoys rest and ease from his labours, and is out of the reach of every enemy; will never die again, but live for ever, to intercede for his people, to assist and protect them, and bring them where he is; and in whom, as their head and representative, they are already set down in the same heavenly places.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Which he wrought (). Reading of A B rather than aorist . Perfect active indicative, “which he has wrought.” H is cognate accusative of the relative referring to (energy) with and note also (strength) and (might), three words trying to express what surpasses () expression or comprehension.
Made him to sit (). First aorist active participle of in causative sense as in 1Co 6:4. Metaphorical local expression like and .
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Which [] . Refer to working (ver. 19).
He wrought [] . The best texts read ejnhrghken, perfect tense, He hath wrought. The verb is kindred with working (ver. 19).
In Christ. In the case of Christ. Christ ‘s dead body was the point on which this working of divine power was exhibited. See Rom 8:11; 2Co 4:14.
When He raised [] . Or, in that He raised.
And set [ ] . Rev., made Him to sit. The best texts read kaqisav having seated, or in that He caused him to sit.
Right hand. See Act 7:56.
In the heavenly places. See on ver. 2. Local. Not merely of a spiritual state, which does not suit the local expressions made to sit and right hand.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “Which he wrought in Christ” (hen energeken en to christo) “Which he has operated (set in function) in Christ.” Not only was personal salvation secured through the resurrection, but the church which was purchased and paid for by His own blood, which He had from His early personal ministry, Joh 3:28-29. His bride could not begin her world-wide mission until His resurrection.
2) “When he raised him from the dead” (egeiras auton ek nekron) “Raising him out from among dead corpses.” The mighty power of Christ, over the lives of redeemed men, became clearer and clearer after God raised Him from the dead and He appeared ten times thereafter to His disciples, ascending last of all in visible form into heaven before the Galilean church brethren, Act 1:10-11.
3) “And set him at his own right hand” (kai kathisas en deksia autou) “And seating (Him) at His right (hand).” When Jesus was taken up into heaven, He was: 1) Seated on the right hand of the majesty on high, Heb 1:3; Hebrews 2) making intercession for the redeemed, Heb 7:25; Hebrews 3) on the right hand of the majesty in heaven, Heb 8:1; Hebrews , 4) made to be an advocate with the Father, 1Jn 2:2.
4) “In the heavenly places” fen tois epouranisis) “in (among) the heavenly (things).” The heavenlies in which our Lord sits consist of – praises, rejoicing, and intercessions for us, in the presence of the angels and the Father and the spirits or souls of the redeemed of the ages. For “to be absent from the body” is to “be present with the Lord,” 2Co 5:8, in whose presence there is joy forevermore.” Psa 16:11; Luk 15:7; Luk 15:10.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
20. Which he wrought in Christ. The Greek verb is ἐνέργησεν, from which ἐνέργεια is derived. It might run thus, According to the efficacy which he effected. But the translation which I have given conveys the same meaning, and is less harsh.
With the greatest propriety does he enjoin us to contemplate this power in Christ; for in us it is hitherto concealed. “My strength,” says he, “is made perfect in weakness.” (2Co 12:9.) In what do we excel the children of the world but in this, that our condition appears to be somewhat worse than theirs? Though sin does not reign, it continues to dwell in us, and death is still strong. Our blessedness, which lies in hope, is not perceived by the world. The power of the Spirit is a thing unknown to flesh and blood. A thousand distresses, to which we are daily liable, render us more despised than other men.
Christ alone, therefore, is the mirror in which we can contemplate that which the weakness of the cross hinders from being clearly seen in ourselves. When our minds rise to a confident anticipation of righteousness, salvation, and glory, let us learn to turn them to Christ. We still lie under the power of death; but he, raised from the dead by heavenly power, has the dominion of life. We labor under the bondage of sin, and, surrounded by endless vexations, are engaged in a hard warfare, (1Ti 1:18😉 but he, sitting at the right hand of the Father, exercises the highest government in heaven and earth, and triumphs gloriously over the enemies whom he has subdued and vanquished. We lie here mean and despised; but to him has been “given a name” (Phi 2:9,) which angels and men regard with reverence, and devils and wicked men with dread. We are pressed down here by the scantiness of all our comforts: but he has been appointed by the Father to be the sole dispenser of all blessings. For these reasons, we shall find our advantage in directing our views to Christ, that in him, as in a mirror, we may see the glorious treasures of Divine grace, and the unmeasurable greatness of that power, which has not yet been manifested in ourselves.
And set him at his own right hand. This passage shews plainly, if any one does, what is meant by the right hand of God. It does not mean any particular place, but the power which the Father has bestowed on Christ, that he may administer in his name the government of heaven and earth. It is idle, therefore, to inquire why Stephen saw him standing, (Act 7:55,) while Paul describes him as sitting at God’s right hand. The expression does not refer to any bodily posture, but denotes the highest royal power with which Christ has been invested. This is intimated by what immediately follows, far above all principality and power: for the whole of this description is added for the purpose of explaining what is meant by the right hand.
God the Father is said to have raised Christ to “his right hand,” because he has made him to share in his government, because by him he exerts all his power; the metaphor being borrowed from earthly princes, who confer the honor of sitting along with themselves on those whom they have clothed with the highest authority. As the right hand of God fills heaven and earth, it follows that the kingdom and power of Christ are equally extensive. It is in vain, therefore, to attempt to prove that, because Christ sitteth at the right hand of God, he dwells in heaven alone. His human nature, it is true, resides in heaven, and not in earth; but that argument is foreign to the purpose. The expression which follows, in heavenly places, does not at all imply that the right hand of God is confined to heaven, but directs us to contemplate the heavenly glory amidst which our Lord Jesus dwells, the blessed immortality which he enjoys, and the dominion over angels to which he has been exalted.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(20) Which he wrought in Christ.The reality of the work of God upon us is insured by the reality of that work upon the true Son of Man, whose members we are, in His resurrection, His ascension, His exaltation over all things at the right hand of God, and His headship of the Church. It is notable that, while it is on the spiritual meaning of the resurrection of Christ that the chief stress is laid in the earlier Epistles (as in Rom. 6:4-11; 1Co. 15:12-22; 1Co. 15:50-57), in these later Epistles the Apostle passes on beyond this, as taken for granted (see Col. 3:1), and dwells on Christ in heaven, exalted far above all created things, but yet vouchsafing to be in a peculiar sense the head and life of the Church on earth. See, for example, Php. 2:9-11; Col. 1:14-19; and compare the pervading conception of the Apocalypse. In this advance of thought he approaches to the idea of our Lords own great intercession (Joh. 17:5 et seq.), constantly connecting the unity of His Church in Him with the glory which was His from all eternity, and to which He was to returnNow, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was. . . . I will that they also whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
20. St. Paul now pictures the stupendous working of this power, beginning with Christ’s resurrection, and finishing (Eph 1:23) with his glorious supremacy. No human machineries nay, no catastrophes in geology, no forces in astronomy furnish to the eyes divinely enlightened so sublime and so gracious a display of the omnipotence of the Father of glory as the work he hath wrought in Christ. And the glory of this work has the profoundest interest for us, as we are identified with Christ through all the stages here traced. So the apostle will show in Eph 2:1-7. This work was in Christ, but for us who believe.
From the dead From deads, or dead ones; being the Greek genitive plural without the article. See note on Luk 20:35.
Right hand See notes on Act 7:55-56. The spirit eyes of the martyr Stephen were so enlightened and vivified as to see the realities of God and Christ in the supernal world; namely, Christ at the right hand of God. See our note, Rom 8:34.
In heavenly places In those superterrene domains which our eyes of flesh cannot see unless, like Stephen’s, supernaturally quickened. See note on Eph 1:3.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Eph 1:20. From the dead, and set him, &c. From the dead: and he set him, &c. Instead of heavenly places, both here and Eph 1:3 the margin of our bible reads things, which, perhaps, will be thought better, (as we have there remarked above,) if we compare the 22nd verse. He set him at his right hand, that is, transferred on him his power as Mediatorial king; , that is, in his heavenly kingdom.”He set him at the head of his heavenly kingdom.” See Eph 1:22. This kingdom is called in the gospel indifferently the kingdom of God, and the kingdom of heaven. God had before a kingdom and people in this world; namely, that kingdom which he erected to himself, of the Jews, selected and brought back to himself out of the apostatized mass of revolted and rebellious mankind. With this his peoplehe particularly dwelt; among them he had his habitation, and ruled as their king in a peculiar kingdom: and therefore we see, that our Saviour calls the Jews the children of the kingdom, Mat 8:12. But that kingdom, though God’s, was not yet the kingdom of heaven; that came with Christ. See Mat 3:2; Mat 10:7. The former was but , of the earth, compared to this , heavenly kingdom, which was to be erected under the Lord Jesus Christ. In short, the whole drift of this and the two following chapters is, to declare the union of Jews and Gentiles into one body, under Christ, the head of the heavenly kingdom.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Eph 1:20 . ] namely, ; see Winer, p. 205 [E. T. 273].
] in the case of Christ .
] aorist participle, contemporaneous with the act of the verb, like , Eph 1:9 . [115]
] deviation from the participial construction after . See Hermann, ad Soph. El. p. 153, and note on Col 1:6 ; Buttm. neut . Gr. p. 327 f. [E. T. 382].
.] in the heaven (see on Eph 1:3 ), is not to be transformed into the vague conception of a status coelestis , of a higher relation to the world, and the like (Calovius, Harless, Hofmann, and others), but to be left as a specification of place . For Christ is with-glorified body , as of the Father on the seat where the Divine Majesty is enthroned (see on Mat 6:9 ), exalted above the heavenly angels (Eph 1:21 ), in heaven (Phi 3:20 f.); so Stephen beheld Him (Act 7:55 ), and the seer of the Apocalypse (Revelation 5., al. ); and from thence, surrounded by the angels, He will return, even as He has bodily ascended thither (1Th 4:16 ; Act 1:11 ; Act 3:21 ; 1Pe 3:21 f.; Mat 24:30 ; Mat 25:31 ); hence also those who-arise and are changed at the Parousia, are caught up , to meet the Lord coming from heaven (1Th 4:17 ). Up to that time He intercedes for us at the right hand of the Father (Rom 8:34 ). The true commentary on . is accordingly, Mar 16:19 : . And our passage itself, Eph 1:20 ff. (comp. Eph 4:10 ), is the commentary on . . . , Phi 2:9 .
[115] In connection with this, observe the interchange of the perfect ( , see the critical remarks) and the aorist ( ): which (working) He has wrought (concluded action, regarded from the standpoint of the writer), when He raised , etc.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
DISCOURSE: 2096
CHRIST THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH
Eph 1:20-23. 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: and hath put all things under his feet, 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.
LITTLE do men imagine what power is necessary to effect the salvation of their souls. They are ready to suppose that they can repent, and turn to God, of themselves, by the force of their own resolutions. But the creation itself was not more the product of a Divine power, than the new creation is in the souls of men. Yea, if we can conceive that any one thing needs a greater exertion of omnipotence than another, it is this. The Apostle strongly expresses this idea in the passage before us. He is praying for the Ephesian converts, that they may have just and adequate notions of the power that has been exercised towards them, in bringing them to their present state. Overwhelmed, as it were, with the thought, he accumulates all the most forcible terms that language could afford him, in order to convey some faint idea of the subject: and then he illustrates the point by the most stupendous effort of omnipotence that ever was exhibited since the foundation of the world; namely, by the raising of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, and the investing of him with all power, both in heaven and earth.
In contemplating this work of omnipotence, the exaltation of Christ upon his Fathers throne, we shall fix our attention upon two things:
I.
His supremacy above all creatures
The death, the resurrection, and the ascension of our Lord Jesus, we pass over in silence. It is not the act of our Saviours elevation, but the state to which he is elevated, which we propose for your present consideration. This includes,
1.
A state of dignity
[The right hand of God is a metaphorical expression for the place of the highest dignity and glory in the heavenly world. There Jesus sits, exalted far above all creatures in earth, in hell, or in heaven. The phrase, principalities and powers, is applied in Scripture to men [Note: Tit 3:1.], to devils [Note: Eph 6:12.], and to the holy angels [Note: Eph 3:10.]. And the Apostle evidently intended to comprehend them all, because he specified yet further every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. Now it should seem, that as, on earth, there are different ranks and orders of magistrates, from the king, who is supreme, to those who exercise the most limited jurisdiction, so there is a gradation of beings both in heaven and hell. We read of Michael, the archangel; and of Beelzebub, the prince of the devils; and to them we ascribe a pre-eminence among their fellows. But however exalted any creature may be, Jesus Christ is raised far above him. The lustre of the whole universe, in comparison of his, would be only like that of the twinkling stars before the meridian sun; they may have a splendour in his absence; but before him they are constrained to hide their inglorious heads: they are eclipsed, they vanish at his presence. If he but suffer one ray of his majesty to appear, men fall, as dead, at his feet; devils tremble; and angels worship him with profoundest adoration.]
2.
A state of power
[While Jesus yet hanged upon the cross, he spoiled principalities and powers, triumphing over them openly in it. From that time all things were put under his feet; and more especially from the moment that he was seated on his mediatorial throne. It is true that we see not yet (as the Apostle says) all things put under him. But though they are not visibly, they are in fact. All his enemies are like the live kings of Canaan, when Joshua and all the elders of Israel put their feet upon their necks. They are living indeed; but their power is broken: and they are doomed to a speedy and ignominious death. Devils are more aware of this than men: when they saw Jesus in the days of his flesh, they asked, Art thou come to torment us before our time? Still however they combine with men, and stimulate them to oppose his will. But when they are consulting together, saying, Let us break his bands asunder, and cast away his cords from us, he laughs them to scorn, and has them in derision. He suffers them to accomplish their own will, as far as it may subserve his purposes; and the remainder of their wrath he restrains. Full of pride and blasphemy, they boast what great things they will do: but he puts his hook in their nose, and his bridle in their jaws, and in a moment brings all their boasted projects to an end [Note: Isa 37:29. Job 5:12-13.]. Whatever they may effect, they are his instruments, to do what his hand, and his counsel, had determined before to be done. In all things his counsel stands, and he does all his pleasure.]
By means of this supremacy, he is enabled to carry on,
II.
His government of his Church
In investing his Son with all power in heaven and in earth, God had especial respect to the welfare of his Church. He constituted his Son,
1.
The Head of the Church
[The Church is called his body, and his fulness. The body, we know, consists of many members: and it is the whole aggregate of members that constitutes the body: and the body, joined to the head, forms the complete man. This is the precise idea in the text. Every believer is a member of Christ: the whole collective number of believers form his entire body: and, by their union with him, Christ himself is represented as complete. The body would not be complete, if any member were wanting; nor is the Head complete without the body: but the body united to the Head is the fulness, the completion of Christ himself [Note: .].
The head however exercises a controul over the whole body. As being the residence of the soul, it may be said to actuate all the members: it moves in the limbs, sees in the eyes, hears in the ears, speaks in the tongue, and imparts a vital energy to the whole. Thus does Christ fill all in all. There is not a member of his mystical body which does not derive all his strength from him. From him the understanding receives its comprehension; the will, its activity; the affections, their power. It is by him that we live; or rather, as the Apostle speaks, he is our life. In all persons, there is the same absolute dependence on him: in all circumstances, his agency is wanted: (It is as much wanted to produce a good thought, as to carry it into execution.) In all ages, he is equally the true and only source of good to man. None in any place or period of the world have any thing which they did not first receive out of his fulness [Note: Joh 1:16.]: so true is it, in the strongest sense of the words, that he filleth all in all. Thus is Christ, in his present exalted state, the living, and life-giving Head of all his Church, his Church militant, and his Church triumphant.]
2.
The Head over all things for his Churchs good
[In the management of the universe, Jesus consults the best interests of his Church. If he permit evil to befall his people, it is with a view to their deeper humiliation. It, on the contrary, he fill them with peace and joy, it is for the purpose of quickening them to more Holy ardour in his ways. Nothing is further from the intention of their enemies than to do them good: but they are all under his controul; and when they desire nothing so much as to frustrate his purposes, they ignorantly and unwittingly fulfil them [Note: Gen 50:20.]. As, in his own case, the envy of the priests, the treachery of Judas, the cowardice of Pilate, and the blind fury of the populace, conspired to bring him to that death, which was to fulfil the Scriptures and to redeem the world, and which was of necessity to precede his exaltation to glory; so every creature, whatever be its aim, is executing his gracious purposes with respect to his Church, and is doing that very thing, which every member of the Church, if he could foresee the final issue of events, would actually wish to be done.]
We may learn from hence,
1.
Our duty towards him
[Is he the supreme Governor of the universe? then we should obey his voiceand submit to his willand seek in all things his glory. Is he in a more especial manner our Head? then we should look to him for direction, and depend on him for every thing we may stand in need of.]
2.
Our security in him
[Who shall overcome him, when all things are under his feet? or, Who shall pluck us out of his hands, provided we belong to him? We may, with St. Paul, defy all the principalities and powers both of earth and hell [Note: Rom 8:38-39.]. Neither the Church at large [Note: Mat 16:18.], nor the smallest member of it [Note: Amo 9:9. Mat 18:14.], has any thing to fear. If he be for us, none can be successfully against us [Note: Rom 8:31.].]
3.
Our happiness through him
[The principal subject of the Apostles prayer is, that we may know what mighty power God exercises towards his believing people. The exaltation of Christ is introduced by him quite incidentally, and merely for the purpose of illustrating his main point. But, having introduced the subject, he draws a parallel between the believers exaltation, and that of Christ. Behold then the Lord Jesus raised from the dead, and seated at his Fathers right hand, far above all principalities and powers: such is the honour, and such the happiness, that is imparted to the believing soul [Note: Compare ver. 1922. with 2:57.]: and even that which he now enjoys, is but a shadow of what he will enjoy to all eternity. Believer, let your expectations be enlarged: the felicity of the Head is the felicity prepared for the members: Such honour have all his saints.]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
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 ,
Ver. 20. Which he wrought in Christ ] God puts forth the same almighty power in quickening the heart by faith, that he did in raising up his Son Christ from the dead; it must needs then be more than a moral suasion that he useth. Christ wrought the centurion’s faith, as God; he wondered at it, as man. God wrought, and man marvelled; he did both, to teach us where to bestow our wonder.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Eph 1:20 . : which He wrought in the Christ when He raised Him from the dead . The refers to the preceding . The documentary authorities vary between the of the TR (after [113] [114] [115] [116] [117] , etc.) and which is the reading of [118] [119] , etc., and is preferred by LTTr (marg.) WH (with the other in margin). The aorist is more in keeping with the definite historical event referred to; the succeeding aorists on the other hand favour the perfect, making it the more difficult reading to account for. Here again the article with the may give it the official sense “the Christ”. This is the more probable in view of the use of the as well as the relation of the statement to the hope and the inheritance . The surpassing power of God was not only manifested in the case of our Lord, but was wrought in Him, and in Him not as an individual member of the race, but as “the Christ,” the Anointed of God, in whom we are represented and have our Head. The result of that working of God’s energy in Him was His resurrection from the dead an event which, as Paul uniformly teaches, had a power not for Himself only but for us. The may have the force (coincidence in time) given it by the AV and the RV, etc., “when he raised Him”; or it may be better taken as the defining, explanatory aor. (as in , Eph 1:9 ), “in that He raised Him”. : and seated Him on His right hand . The of the TR, supported by such MSS. as [120] [121] [122] [123] , the Copt. and Goth. Versions, etc., must give place to , the reading of [124] [125] [126] 17, etc., adopted by LTTrWHRV. A few authorities ( [127] [128] 17, etc.) insert before . The exaltation to the place of honour and authority following the resurrection is a further witness to what the of God can effect. : in the heavenlies . That the phrase has the local sense here ( cf. on Eph 1:3 above) is made abundantly clear by the terms , , all terms with a local reference. The phrase indeed is found instead of in a few ancient authorities (B, Hil., Vict.).
[113] Codex Sinaiticus (sc. iv.), now at St. Petersburg, published in facsimile type by its discoverer, Tischendorf, in 1862.
[114] Codex Claromontanus (sc. vi.), a Grco-Latin MS. at Paris, edited by Tischendorf in 1852.
[115] Codex Augiensis (sc. ix.), a Grco-Latin MS., at Trinity College, Cambridge, edited by Scrivener in 1859. Its Greek text is almost identical with that of G, and it is therefore not cited save where it differs from that MS. Its Latin version, f, presents the Vulgate text with some modifications.
[116] Codex Mosquensis (sc. ix.), edited by Matthi in 1782.
[117] Codex Angelicus (sc. ix.), at Rome, collated by Tischendorf and others.
[118] Codex Vaticanus (sc. iv.), published in photographic facsimile in 1889 under the care of the Abbate Cozza-Luzi.
[119] Codex Alexandrinus (sc. v.), at the British Museum, published in photographic facsimile by Sir E. M. Thompson (1879).
[120] Codex Claromontanus (sc. vi.), a Grco-Latin MS. at Paris, edited by Tischendorf in 1852.
[121] Codex Augiensis (sc. ix.), a Grco-Latin MS., at Trinity College, Cambridge, edited by Scrivener in 1859. Its Greek text is almost identical with that of G, and it is therefore not cited save where it differs from that MS. Its Latin version, f, presents the Vulgate text with some modifications.
[122] Codex Mosquensis (sc. ix.), edited by Matthi in 1782.
[123] Codex Angelicus (sc. ix.), at Rome, collated by Tischendorf and others.
[124] Codex Vaticanus (sc. iv.), published in photographic facsimile in 1889 under the care of the Abbate Cozza-Luzi.
[125] Codex Sinaiticus (sc. iv.), now at St. Petersburg, published in facsimile type by its discoverer, Tischendorf, in 1862.
[126] Codex Alexandrinus (sc. v.), at the British Museum, published in photographic facsimile by Sir E. M. Thompson (1879).
[127] Codex Sinaiticus (sc. iv.), now at St. Petersburg, published in facsimile type by its discoverer, Tischendorf, in 1862.
[128] Codex Alexandrinus (sc. v.), at the British Museum, published in photographic facsimile by Sir E. M. Thompson (1879).
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
wrought. Greek. energeo, as in Eph 1:11.
when He raised = having raised. App-178.
from the dead. App-139.
set = sat. Compare Mar 16:19.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Eph 1:20. , which) viz. , working; , as , ch. Eph 2:4.– , having raised-He set Him) Often from the participle the sentence is turned to the indicative; ch. Eph 2:17; Col 1:6; Rev 3:7.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Eph 1:20
Eph 1:20
which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead,-This was the act of almighty power, the wonders at once of a triumph over the physical mystery of death, and the manifestation of an eternal redemption from condemnation and sin. The power which raises those dead in trespasses and sins is the same as that which raised Christ from the dead, and there is a striking analogy between these events and an intimate connection between them. The one was not only the symbol, but the pledge and the procuring cause of the other. [From another point of view the resurrection was the act of the Saviors own will; he said: I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No one taketh it away from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again. This commandment received I from my Father. (Joh 10:17-18). But where it is viewed as the Fathers acceptance of the work of the Son, or as the Fathers testimony to the Son, it is attributed to the Father as his act. (Act 2:24; Act 3:15).]
and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places,-[This does not mean any particular place, but the power which the Father bestowed on Christ, that he may administer in his name the government of heaven and earth. The expression does not refer to any bodily posture, but denotes the highest royal power with which Christ has been invested. God has raised Christ to his right hand, because he has made him to share in his government, because by him he exerts his power; the metaphor is borrowed from earthly princes who confer the honor of sitting along with themselves on those whom they have clothed with the highest authority. As the right hand of God fills heaven and earth, it follows that the kingdom and power of Christ are equally extensive.]
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
he wrought: Eph 2:5, Eph 2:6, Rom 6:5-11, Phi 3:10, 1Pe 1:3
when: Psa 16:9-11, Joh 10:18, Joh 10:30, Act 2:24-33, Act 4:10, Act 10:40, Act 26:8, Rom 1:4, Heb 13:20
and set: Eph 4:8-10, Psa 110:1, Mat 22:43-45, Mat 26:64, Mat 28:18, Mar 14:62, Mar 16:19, Joh 17:1-5, Act 2:34-36, Act 5:31, Act 7:55, Act 7:56, Rom 8:34, Col 3:1, Heb 1:3, Heb 2:9, Heb 10:12, Rev 1:17, Rev 5:11-14
heavenly: Eph 1:3
Reciprocal: Num 24:19 – Of Jacob Job 25:2 – Dominion Psa 21:5 – honour Psa 113:7 – out of Isa 6:1 – high Isa 30:18 – will he be Isa 33:5 – he dwelleth Isa 40:10 – his arm Isa 49:5 – yet Isa 52:13 – he shall Eze 10:1 – above Eze 21:27 – until Dan 2:44 – set up Dan 7:13 – and they Dan 7:14 – given Nah 1:3 – great Zec 6:13 – bear Mat 11:27 – are Mat 25:33 – his Luk 1:32 – give Luk 9:51 – that Luk 15:5 – he layeth Luk 18:27 – General Luk 19:12 – to Luk 22:69 – on Joh 3:31 – that cometh Joh 5:27 – hath Joh 8:54 – it is Joh 17:2 – As Act 2:33 – by Act 3:13 – hath Act 3:15 – whom Act 10:36 – he is Rom 6:4 – that Rom 8:11 – him Rom 14:9 – Lord 1Co 6:14 – by 1Co 8:6 – and one 1Co 11:3 – and the head of Christ 1Co 15:27 – General 2Co 4:7 – that 2Co 6:7 – the power Gal 1:1 – raised Eph 2:1 – you Eph 4:10 – ascended Phi 2:9 – given Phi 3:21 – the working Col 2:10 – the head Col 2:12 – wherein 2Th 1:11 – the work Heb 1:2 – appointed Heb 6:20 – for Heb 7:26 – made Heb 9:24 – but 1Pe 1:21 – gave 1Pe 3:22 – is on Rev 1:5 – and the prince Rev 3:21 – and am Rev 10:2 – he set
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
(Eph 1:20.) , -Which He wrought in Christ, having raised Him from the dead-in Christ our Head and Representative, denoting the substratum, or ground, or range, as Winer calls it, on or in which the action takes effect, 48, a, 3. The use of a verb with its correlate noun has been noticed already, chap. Eph 1:3; Eph 1:6. In such cases there is some intensification of meaning. Bernhardy, p. 106. The participle is contemporaneous with the verb. That manifestation of power is now described in its results, to wit, in the resurrection and glorification of Christ. He raised Him from the dead. It was the work of the Father-having sent His Son, and having received the atonement from Him-to demonstrate its perfection, and His own acceptance of it, by calling Jesus from the grave.
In the meantime, we may briefly illustrate this third section of the apostle’s prayer-that ye may know the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of the might of His power which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead. Our general view has been already indicated. The specimen and pledge of that power displayed in quickening us, is Christ’s resurrection. Now, 1. It is transcendent power – . The body of Jesus was not only lifeless, but its organization had been partially destroyed. The spear had pierced the pericardium, and blood and water-blood fast resolving itself into serum and crassamentum, issued immediately from the gash. To restore the organization and to give life, not as the result of convalescence, but immediate and perfect life, was a sublime act of omnipotence. To vivify a dead heart is not less wonderful, and the life originally given is the life restored. But created effort is unequal to the enterprise. The vision of Ezekiel is on this point full of meaning. The valley lay before the mind’s eye of the prophet, full of bones, dry and bleached, not only without muscle and integument, but the very form of the skeleton had disappeared. Its vertebrae and limbs had been separated, and the mass was lying in confusion. The seer uttered the oracle of life, and at once there was a shaking-the various pieces and organs came together – bone to his bone. The osseous framework was restored in its integrity, nay, sinew and flesh came upon it, and the skin covered them above. But there was no breath in them. The organization was complete, but the vital power-the direct gift of God-was absent. The prophet invoked the breath of Jehovah. It descended and enveloped the host, and at the first throb of their heart they started to their feet, an exceeding great army.& rd quo; The restoration of spiritual life to the dead soul results immediately from the working of the might of His power. Conviction, impression, penitence, and reformation, may be to some extent produced by human prophesying; but life comes as God’s own gift-a Divine operation of the power of His might, analogous to the act of our Lord’s resurrection.
2. It is power already experienced by believers-power–to us-ward. They had felt it in prior time. It is not some mighty influence to be enjoyed by them in some future scene of being, or, as Chandler and others suppose, at the resurrection. You did He quicken, raise up, and enthrone with Christ.
3. It is resurrectionary power-power displayed in restoring life, for it has its glorious prototype in the resurrection of Jesus. Divine power restored physical life to Jesus, and that same power restored spiritual life to those who were dead in trespasses and sins. The context shows plainly that this is the meaning of the reference, for the subject is resumed at Eph 1:5 of the succeeding chapter. There was spiritual life once in man-in his great progenitor; but it left him and he died; and the great purpose of the gospel is to unite him to God, and to give back to him, through union with Christ our life, this life which he originally enjoyed. See chap. Eph 2:5-6.
4. The resurrection of Jesus is in this respect not merely a specimen or illustration-it is also a pledge. Some regard it as a mere comparison. Morus defines merely-simili modo. Koppe says the power in us is non minor-not less than that in Christ; and Grotius looks upon it as a proof of God’s ability-quod factum apparet, id iterum fieri potest. Chrysostom, on the first verse of the next chapter, says- -to heal a dead soul is a far greater thing than to raise the dead. But when God raised His Son-the representative of redeemed humanity-the deed itself was not only an illustration of the mode, but also a pledge of the fact, that all His constituents should be quickened, and should have this higher life restored to them. For the man Jesus died, that men who were dead might live, and the revivification of His dead body was at once a proof that the enterprise had been accomplished, and a pledge that all united to Him should live in spirit, and live at length like Himself in an entire and glorified humanity. The nobler life of soul, and the reunion of that quickened spirit with a spiritualized body, are covenanted blessings. Olshausen makes the general resurrection of believers from the dead the prinicipal reference of the passage. But this, as we have seen, is a mistaken view. Still, as this new life cannot be fully matured in the present body, for its powers are cramped and its enjoyments curtailed, so it follows that a frame suited to it will be prepared for it, in which all its faculties and susceptibilities will be completely and for ever developed and perfected. Present spiritual life and future resurrection are therefore both involved. He raised Him-
-and He set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places. Lachmann reads , after A, B, and some other MSS., but the common reading is the best sustained, and the other has the plausibility of an emendation, like the reading in the previous clause. This recurrence to the aorist forms, therefore, an anacolouthon or inconsequent construction. These anacoloutha only occur when the mind, in its fervour and hurry, overlooks the formal nexus of grammatical arrangement, or when the writer wishes to lay emphasis on special ideas or turns of thought. Winer, 63, 2, b. The transition is sometimes marked by . In similar cases it appears as if the writer wished to indicate a change in the train of illustration, his immediate purpose being served. Joh 5:44 — ; 2Jn 1:2 – – . So in the present passage. The sense is complete- ; the principal, essential, and prominent idea illustrative of Divine power is brought out. But, changing the construction as if to indicate this, the apostle adds, not , but -his mind fondly carrying out the associated truths. The chief object of the apostle is to show the nature of that power which God has exercised upon believers. It is power which operates after the model of that which He wrought in Christ. Power was manifested in Christ’s resurrection, visibly and impressively, but not in the same form in His glorification. Might is seen in the one and honour in the other. In the sixth verse of the following chapter the principal thought is that of revivification or spiritual resurrection, though the other idea of glorification is also annexed; but it is still a minor idea, for though we are spiritually br ought into a new life as really as Christ was physically quickened, yet we are not , in the very same sense as Christ personally is, but only as being in Him-members of the body of which He is the ever-living and glorified Head.
The verb has a hiphil signification, and like some other verbs of pregnant meaning, seems here as if to contain its object in itself. It is not therefore followed by a formal accusative. So the corresponding Hebrew verb, , wants the personal pronoun as its accusative in 1Sa 2:8.
-at His own right hand. Mar 16:19 Heb 8:1; Heb 10:12; Heb 12:2. The language refers us to Psalms 110.
. The phrase has been explained under Eph 1:3. Lachmann reads- , without any eminent authority. We cannot say with Matthies, and Hunnius quoted and approved by Harless, that the expression has a special reference to things and not to places, and denotes the status coelestis. For the idea of place does not necessarily imply local and limited conceptions of the Divine essence. Our Master taught us to pray, Our Father which art in heaven. The distressed mind instinctively looks upward to the throne of God. The phrase does not signify heaven in its special and ordinary sense, but the heavenly provinces. In the highest province Jesus is at the right hand of God, and in the lowest province of the same region the church is located, as we have seen under Eph 1:3, and shall see again under Eph 2:5-6.
Jesus was not only raised from the dead, but placed at the Father’s right hand. Three ideas, at least, are included in the formula, as explained in Scripture. 1. It is the place of honour. Jesus is above all created dignities, whatever their position and rank. Eph 1:21.
2. It is the place of power. He sits on the right hand of power. Mat 26:64. All things are under His feet. He wields a sceptre of universal sovereignty. Eph 1:22.
3. It is the place of happiness-happiness possessed, and happiness communicated. At Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Psa 16:11. The crowned Jesus possesses all the joy which was once set before Him. But His humanity, though glorified, is not deified-is not endowed with any of the essential attributes of divinity. Whatever the other results of the , or the communicatio idiomatum, may be, we believe that the inferior nature of Jesus remains a distinct, perfect, and unmixed humanity. The is in heaven, was seen in heaven, from whence we look for Him, and the saints are to be caught up to meet their Lord in the air. Augustine says well (Ep. 57)-Cavendum est, ne ita divinitatem adstruamus hominis, ut veritatem corporis auferamus.
Fuente: Commentary on the Greek Text of Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians and Phillipians
Eph 1:20. The particular working to which the preceding verse refers is here explained to be the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. But the mighty work did not stop with the resurrection; others had been raised from the dead previously. In the case of Jesus, he was raised to die no more (Rom 6:9; Act 13:34), and then was placed in a position of great honor and power at the right hand of his Father.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Eph 1:20. Which he wrought, or, hath wrought. Good authorities support the latter reading, which presents the matter as an accomplished fact with permanent results. Which necessarily refers to working (Eph 1:19).
In Christ; both as the first-fruits and as the Head of the Church.
In raising him from the dead. We retain the participial form of the original, since when He raised fails to give the exact force. It is a shallow exposition which regards Christs resurrection as merely a pledge of our bodily resurrection, or as a mere figure representing our spiritual resurrectionnot as involving the resurrection of the church in both senses (Alford).
And making him sit. The participle is sustained by the best authorities, and Him should also be inserted (not in italics, as E. V.). The usual reading has a finite verb here, thus disconnecting this clause from the preceding. The better reading binds them together as directing the same manifestation of power.
At his right hand in the heavenly places. These local designations are not to be spiritualized or made indefinite. Christs present bodily existence is a reality; to explain this away is to adopt the most capricious method of interpretation. In some proper sense He is enthroned with the Father, and that throne is in the heavenly places. His right hand is the place of honor, of power, and of happiness, possessed and communicated (Eadie).
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Our apostle, in these words, discovers to us Christ’s exaltation, or that glory and dignity which, after his resurrection and ascension, the Father put upon him as God-man, or Mediator; far surpassing the glory of all created beings. Now this is represented to us by the notion, and under the metaphor, of Christ’s sitting at God’s right hand.
This imports, 1. Fulness of rest and pleasure, that he quietly, securely, and everlastingly, possesses all that happiness and satisfaction in heaven, which God himself is possessed of, and delighted with, far above all the pleasures and delightful satisfactions which all the glorified saints and glorious angels do or can possibly enjoy.
2. It implies a fulness of honour and glory, of dignity and respect. When Solomon set Bathsheba at his right hand, it was in token of honour and respect to her. Heb 2:9 we see Jesus to be crowned with glory and honour, sitting down at the right hand of the majesty on high.
3. Christ’s sitting at God’s right hand, imports his having all rule, dominion, and power, put into his hand, to govern all things both in heaven and on earth.
4. It imports and implies ability to execute that power; all those royal glorious endowments which God filled the human nature of Christ with, to make him fit to be the supreme head of his church, and the great and wise governor of the world; all this doth God’s setting Christ at his own right hand import and imply.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set [him] at his own right hand in the heavenly [places],
The context here is speaking primarily of Christ and the Father. The text states that this same power which takes care of us was used in the resurrection of Christ. We know from other passages that all three in the Godhead were instrumental in Christ’s resurrection, but here we are viewing primarily the Father and His actions. (2Co 13:4 mentions Christ lives by God’s power. See Rom 6:4; Rom 10:9 also.)
Rom 8:11 mentions that the Spirit was involved in the resurrection. “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” (See also Rom 1:4; 1Pe 3:18.)
Joh 2:19 indicates that Christ was planning on being an integrated part of raising Himself from the grave. “Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” (See also Joh 2:19; Joh 10:17-18; Rom 1:4; 1Pe 3:18).
In the mix of this power and resurrections 1Co 6:14 gives evidence of our own coming resurrections. “And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.” (2Co 4:14 also)
Specifically the power of verse nineteen is the same power that was involved in raising Christ from the grave. Not a plain old low octane power but a very high octane power – a power that was able to thumb its nose at death itself. That’s the power we have on our side. The use of this power in raising the Lord is most likely the specific work that God did on the behalf of the believers in verse nineteen.
We see this thought in the book of Romans where Paul says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Rom 1:16
The last portion of the verse pictures God setting Christ down at His right hand in the heavenlies. As we have seen, this is in the heavenly tabernacle, the throne of God. It may be significant that God said at His “own right hand” so there is no mistake as to the person on the throne. This is similar to the text we saw in our last section relating to Christ ascending into heaven where it says in Heb 10:12 “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;” See also Heb 8:1 “Now of the things which we have spoken [this is] the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;”
Fuente: Mr. D’s Notes on Selected New Testament Books by Stanley Derickson
1:20 {20} Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set [him] at his own {z} right hand in the heavenly [places],
(20) The apostle wishes us to behold in our most glorious Christ (with the eyes of faith) that most excellent power and glory of God, of which all the faithful are partakers, even though it is as yet very dim in us, by reason of the shame of the cross, and the weakness of the flesh.
(z) To be set on God’s right hand is to be a partaker of the sovereignty which he has over all creatures.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
God manifested this power in Christ in three instances that Paul cited to help us appreciate it more. God’s power resurrected Jesus from the dead and exalted Him to God’s right hand in heaven. Jesus Christ’s present rule on His Father’s throne over the church is not the same as His rule on David’s throne over David’s kingdom. The first is present and heavenly, but the second is future and earthly. [Note: See Cleon L. Rogers Jr., "The Davidic Covenant in Acts-Revelation," Bibliotheca Sacra 151:601 (January-March 1994):81-82.] The same power is available to us now and is indispensable for us to live lives pleasing to God (cf. Php 3:10; Col 1:11).
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Chapter 6
THE DOCTRINE. WHAT GOD WROUGHT IN THE CHRIST
Eph 1:20-23
The division that we make at Eph 1:20, marking off at this point the commencement of the Doctrine of the epistle, may appear somewhat forced. The great doxology of the first half of the chapter is intensely theological; and the prayer which follows it, like that of the letter to the Colossians, melts into doctrine imperceptibly. The apostle teaches upon his knees. The things he has to tell his readers, and the things he has asked on their behalf from God, are to a great extent the same. Still the writers attitude in the second chapter is manifestly that of teaching; and his doctrine there is so directly based upon the concluding sentences of his prayer that it is necessary, for logical arrangement, to place these verses within the doctrinal section of the epistle.
The resurrection of Christ made men sensible that a new force of life had come into the world, of incalculable potency. This power was in existence before. In prelusive ways, it has wrought in the world from its foundation, and since the fall of man. By the incarnation of the Son of God it took possession of human flesh; by His sacrificial death is won its decisive triumph. But the virtue of these acts of Divine grace lay in their hiding of power, in the self-abnegation of the Son of God who emptied Himself and took a servants form, and became obedient unto death.
With what a rebound did the “energy of the might of Gods strength” put forth itself in Him, when once this sacrifice was accomplished! Even His disciples who had seen Jesus still the tempest and feed the multitude from a handful of bread and call back the spirit to its mortal frame, had not dreamed of the might of Godhead latent in Him, until they beheld Him risen from the dead. He had promised this in words; but they understood His words only when they saw the fact, when He actually stood before them “alive after His passion.” The scene of Calvary-the cruel sufferings of their Master, His helpless ignominy and abandonment by God, the malignant triumph of His enemies-gave to this revelation an effect beyond measure astonishing and profound in its impression. From the stupor of grief and despair they were raised to a boundless hope, as Jesus rose from the death of the cross to glorious life and Godhead.
Of the same nature was the effect produced by His manifestation to Paul himself. The Nazarene prophet known to Saul by report as an attractive teacher and worker of miracles, had made enormous pretensions, blasphemous if they were not true. He put Himself forward as the Messiah and the very Son of God! But when brought to the test, His power utterly failed. God disowned and forsook Him; and “He was crucified of weakness.” His followers declared, indeed, that He had returned from the grave. But who could believe them, a handful of Galilean enthusiasts, desperately clinging to the name of their disgraced leader! If He has risen, why does He not show Himself to others? Who can accept a crucified Messiah? The new faith is a madness, and an insult to our common Judaism! Such were Sauls former thoughts of the Christ. But when his challenge was met and the Risen One confronted him in the way to Damascus, when from that Form of insufferable glory there came a voice saying, “I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest!” it was enough. Instantly the conviction penetrated his soul, “He liveth by the power of God.” Sauls previous reasonings against the Messiahship of Jesus by the same rigorous logic were now turned into arguments for Him.
It is “the Christ,” let us observe, in whom God “wrought raising Him from the dead”: the Christ of Jewish hope (Eph 1:12), the centre and sum of the Divine counsel for the world (Eph 1:10), the Christ whom in that moment never to be forgotten the humbled Saul recognised in the crucified Nazarene.
The demonstration of the power of Christianity Paul had found in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The power which raised Him from the dead is the working energy of our faith. Let us see what this mysterious power wrought in the Redeemer Himself; and then we will consider how it bears upon us. There are two steps indicated in Christs exaltation: He was raised from the death of the cross to new life amongst men; and again from the world of men He was raised to the throne of God in heaven. In the enthronement of Jesus Christ at the Fathers right hand, Eph 1:22-23 further distinguish two separate acts: there was conferred on Him a universal Lordship; and He was made specifically Head of the Church, being given to her for her Lord and Life, and he who contains the fulness of the Godhead. Such is the line of thought marked out for us.
I. God raised the Christ from the dead.
This assertion is the cornerstone of St. Pauls life and doctrine, and of the existence of Christendom. Did the event really take place? There were Christians at Corinth who affirmed, “There is no resurrection of the dead.” And there are followers of Jesus now who with deep sadness confess, like the author of “Obermann Once more”:
“Now He is dead! Far hence He lies
In the lorn Syrian town;
And on His grave, with shining eyes,
The Syrian stars look down.”
If we are driven to this surrender, compelled to think that it was an apparition, a creation of their own passionate longing and heated fancy that the disciples saw and conversed with during those forty days, an apparition sprung from his fevered remorse that arrested Saul on the Damascus road – if we no longer believe in Jesus and the resurrection, it is in vain that we still call ourselves Christians. The foundation of the Christian creed is struck away from under our feet. Its spell is broken; its energy is gone.
Individual men may and do continue to believe in Christ, with no faith in the supernatural, men who are sceptics in regard to His resurrection and miracles. They believe in Himself, they say, not in His legendary wonders; in His character and teaching, in His beneficent influence-in the spiritual Christ, whom no physical marvel can exalt above His intrinsic greatness. And such trust in Him, where it is sincere, He accepts for all that it is worth, from the believers heart. But this is not the faith that saved Paul, and built the Church. It is not the faith which will save the world. It is the faith of compromise and transition, the faith of those whose conscience and heart cling to Christ while their reason gives its verdict against Him. Such belief may hold good for the individuals who profess it; but it must die with them. No skill of reasoning or grace of sentiment will for long conceal its inconsistency. The plain blunt sense of mankind will decide again, as it has done already, that Jesus Christ was either a blasphemer, or He was the Son of the Eternal God; either He rose from the dead in very truth, or His religion is a fable. Christianity is not bound up with the infallibility of the Church, whether in Pope or Councils, nor with the inerrancy of the letter of Scripture: it stands or falls with the reality of the facts of the gospel, with the risen life of Christ and His presence in the Spirit amongst men.
The fact of Christs resurrection is one upon-which modern science has nothing new to say. The law of death is not a recent discovery. Men were as well aware of its universality in the first century as they are in the nineteenth, and as little disposed as we are ourselves to believe in the return of the dead to bodily life. The stark reality of death makes us all sceptics. Nothing is clearer from the narratives than the utter surprise of the friends of Jesus at His reappearance, and their complete unpreparedness for the event. They were not eager, but “slow of heart to believe.” Their very love to the Master, as in the case of Thomas, made them fearful of self-deception. It is a shallow and an unjust criticism that dismisses the disciples as interested witnesses and predisposed to faith in the resurrection of their dead Master. Should we be thus credulous in the case of our best-beloved dead? The instinctive feeling that meets any thought of the kind, after the fact of death is once certain, is rather that of deprecation and aversion, such as Martha expressed when Jesus went to call her brother from his grave. In all the long record of human imposture and illusion, no resurrection story has ever found general credence outside of the Biblical revelation. No system of faith except our own has ever been built on the allegation that a dead man rose from the grave.
Christs was not the only resurrection; but it is the only final resurrection. Lazarus of Bethany left his tomb at the word of Jesus, a living man; but he was still a mortal man, doomed to see corruption. He returned from the grave on this side, as he had entered it, “bound hand and foot with grave-clothes.” Not so with the Christ, He passed through the region of death and issued on the immortal side, escaped from the bondage of corruption. Therefore He is called the “firstfruits” and “the firstborn out of the dead.” Hence the alteration manifest in the risen form of Jesus. He was “changed,” as St. Paul conceives those will be who await on earth their Lords return. (1Co 15:51) The mortal in Him was swallowed up of life. The corpse that was laid in Josephs tomb was there no longer. From it another body has issued, recognised for the same person by look and voice and movement, but indescribably transfigured. Visible and tangible as the body of the Risen One was-“Handle Me, and see,” He said-it was superior to material limitations; it belonged to a state whose laws transcend the range of our experience, in which the body is the pliant instrument of the animating spirit. From the Person of the risen Saviour the apostle formed his conception of the “spiritual body,” the “house from heaven” with which, as he teaches, each of the saints will be clothed-the wasted form that we lay down in the grave being transformed into the semblance of His “body of glory, according to the mighty working whereby He is able to subdue all things to Himself”. (Php 3:20-21)
The resurrection of the Christ inaugurated a new order of things. It was like the appearance of the first living organism amidst dead matter, or of the first rational consciousness in the unconscious world. He “is,” says the apostle, the “beginning, first-begotten out of the dead”. (Col 1:18) With the harvest filling our granaries, we cease to wonder at the firstfruits; and in the new heavens and earth Christs resurrection will seem an entirely natural thing. Immortality will then be the normal condition of human existence.
That resurrection, nevertheless, did homage to the fundamental law of science and of reason, that every occurrence, ordinary or extraordinary, shall have an adequate cause. The event was not more singular and unique than the nature of Him whom it befell. Looking back over the Divine life and deeds of Jesus, St. Peter said: “It was not possible that He should be holden of death.” How unfitting and repugnant to thought, that the common death of all men should come upon Jesus Christ! There was that in His Person, in its absolute purity and godlikeness, which repelled the touch of corruption. He was “marked out,” writes our apostle, “as Son of God,” according to His spirit of holiness, by His resurrection from the Rom 1:4. These two signs of Godhead agree in Jesus; and the second is no more superhuman than the first. For Him the supernatural was natural. There was a mighty working of the being of God latent in Him, which transcended and subdued to itself the laws of our physical frame, even more completely than they do the laws and conditions of the lower realms of nature.
II. The power which raised Jesus our Lord from the dead could not leave Him in the world of sin and death. Lifting Him from hades to earth, by another step it exalted the risen Saviour above the clouds, and seated Him at Gods right hand in the heavens.
The forty days were a halt by the way, a condescending pause in the operation of the almighty power that raised Him. “I ascend,” He said to the first that saw Him, -“I ascend to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” He must see His own in the world again; He must “show Himself alive after His passion by infallible proofs,” that their hearts may be comforted and knit together in the assurance of faith, that they may be prepared to receive His Spirit and to bear their witness to the world. Then He will ascend up where He was before, returning to the Fathers bosom. It was impossible that a spiritual body should tarry in a mortal dwelling; impossible that the familiar relations of discipleship should be resumed. No new follower can now ask of Him, “Rabbi, where dwellest Thou,” under what roof amid the homes of men? For He dwells with those that love Him always and everywhere, like the Father. (Joh 14:23) From this time Christ will not be known after the flesh, but as the “Lord of the Spirit.” (2Co 3:18)
“In the heavenlies” now abides the Risen One. This expression, so frequent in the epistle as to be characteristic of it, denotes not locality so much as condition and sphere. It speaks of the bright and deathless world of God and the angels, of which the sky has always been to men the symbol. Thither Christ ascended in the eyes of His apostles on the fortieth day from His rising. Once before His death its brightness for a moment had irradiated His form upon the Mount of Transfiguration. Clad in the like celestial splendour He showed Himself to His future apostle Paul, as to one born out of due time, to make him His minister and witness. Since then, of all the multitudes that have loved His appearing, no other has looked upon Him with bodily eyes. He dwells with the Father in light unapproachable.
But rest and felicity are not enough for Him. Christ sits at the right hand of power, that He may rule. In those heavenly places, it seems, there are thrones higher and lower, names more or less eminent, but His stands clear above them all. In the realms of space, in the epochs of eternity there is none to rival our Lord Jesus, no power that does not owe Him tribute. God “hath put all things under His feet.” The Christ, who died on the cross, who rose in human form from the grave, is exalted to share the Fathers glory and dominion, is filled with Gods own fulness, and made without limitation or exception “Head over all things.”
In his enumeration of the angelic orders in Eph 1:21, the apostle follows the phraseology current at the time, without giving any precise dogmatic sanction to it. The epistle to the Colossians furnishes a somewhat different Col 1:16; and in 1Co 15:24 we find the “principality, dominion, and power” without the “lordship.” As Lightfoot says, St. Paul “brushes away all these speculations” about the ranks and titles of the angels, “without inquiring how much or how little truth there may be in them His language shows a spirit of impatience with this elaborate angelology.” There is, perhaps, a passing reproof conveyed by this sentence to the “worshipping of the angels” inculcated at the present time in Colossae, to which other Asian Churches may have been drawn. “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 granaeur 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” (Beet).
The apostle appropriates here two sentences of Messianic prophecy, from Psa 110:1-7; Psa 8:1-9. The former was addressed to the Lords Anointed, the King-Priest enthroned in Zion: “Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool!” The latter text describes man in his pristine glory, as God formed him after His likeness and set him in command over His creation. This saying St. Paul applies with an unbounded scope, to the God-man raised from the dead, Founder of the new creation: “Thou madest Him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under His feet.” To the former of these passages St. Paul repeatedly alludes; indeed, since our Lord quoted it in this sense, it became the standing designation of His heavenly dignity. The words of Psa 8:1-9. are brought in evidence again in Heb 2:5-10, and expounded from a somewhat different standpoint. As the writer of the other epistle shows, this coronation belongs to the human race, and it falls to the Son of man to win it. St. Paul in quoting the same Psalm is not insensible of its human reference. It was a prophecy for Jesus and His brethren, for Christ and the Church. So it forms a natural transition from the thought of Christs dominion over the universe (Eph 1:21) to that of His union with the Church (Eph 1:22 b).
III. The second clause of Eph 1:22 begins with an emphasis upon the object which the English Version fails to recognise: “and Him He gave”-the Christ exalted to universal authority “Him God gave, Head over all things [as He is], to the Church which is His body, -the fulness of Him who fills all things in all.”
At the topmost height of His glory, with thrones and princedoms beneath His feet, Christ is given to the Church! The Head over all things, the Lord of the created universe, He-and none less or lower-is the Head of redeemed humanity. For the Church “is His body” (this clause is interjected by way of explanation): she is the vessel of His Spirit, the organic instrument of His Divine-human life. As the spirit belongs to its body, by the like fitness the Christ in His surpassing glory is the possession of believing men. The body claims its head, the wife her husband. No matter where Christ is, however high in heaven, He belongs to us. Though the Bride is lowly and of poor estate, He is hers! and she knows it, and holds fast His heart. She recks little of the peoples ignorance and scorn, if their Master is her affianced Lord, and she the best beloved in His eyes.
How rich is this gift of the Father to the Church in the Son of His love, the concluding words of the paragraph declare: “Him He gave to the Church [gave] the fulness of Him that fills all in all.” In the risen and enthroned Christ God bestowed on man a gift in which the Divine plenitude that fills creation is embraced. For this last clause, it is clear to us, does not qualify “the Church which is His body,” and expositors have needlessly taxed their ingenuity with the incongruous apposition of “body” and “fulness”; it belongs to the grand Object of the foregoing description, to “the Christ” whom God raised from the dead and invested with His own prerogatives. The two separate designations, “Head over all things” and “Fulness of the All-filler,” are parallel, and alike point back to Him who stands with a weight of gathered emphasis-heaped up from Eph 1:19 onwards-at the front of this last sentence (Eph 1:22 b). There has been nothing to prepare the reader to ascribe the august title of the pleroma, the Divine fulness, to the Church-enough for her, surely, if she is His body and He Gods gift to her-but there has been everything to prepare us to crown the Lord Jesus with this glory. To that which God had wrought in Him and bestowed on Him, as previously related, Eph 1:23 adds something more and greater still; for it shows what God makes the Christ to be, not to the creatures, to the angels, to the Church, but to God Himself! Our text is in strict agreement with the sayings about “the fulness” in Col 1:15-20 and Col 2:9-10; as well as with the later references of this epistle, in Eph 3:19, Eph 4:13; and with Joh 1:16. This title belongs to Christ as God is in Him and communicates to Him all Divine powers. It was, in the apostles view, a new and distinct act by which the father bestowed on the incarnate Son, raised by His power from the dead, the functions of Deity. Of this glory Christ had of His own accord “emptied Himself” in becoming man for our salvation. (Php 2:6-7) Therefore when the sacrifice was effected and the time of humiliation passed, it “was the Fathers pleasure that all the fulness should make its dwelling in Him”. (Col 1:19) At no point did Christ exalt Himself, or arrogate the glory once renounced. He prayed, when the hour was come: “Now, Father, glorify Thou me with Thine own self, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.” It was for the Father. to say, as He raised and enthroned Him: “Thou art my Son; I to-day have begotten Thee!”. (Act 13:33)
Again there was poured into the empty, humbled, and impoverished form of the Son of God the brightness of the Fathers glory and the infinitude of the Fathers authority and power. The majesty that He had foregone was restored to Him in undiminished measure. But how great a change meanwhile in Him who received it! This plenitude devolves not now on the eternal Son in His pure Godhead, but on the Christ, the Head and Redeemer of mankind. God who fills the universe with His presence, with His cherishing love and sustaining power, has conferred the fulness of all that He is upon our Christ. He has given Him, so replenished and perfected, to the body of His saints, that He may dwell and work in them forever.