Full text of "A commentary on the Epistle to the Ephesians"

See other formats

LIBRARY OF THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

PRINCETON, N. J.

PRESENTED BY

MRS. 3. H. SMITH
MORRISTOWN, N.J.

Diz'isioii...i2'-'^- L. VO 1 3
Section.T...JA..ij^.O<i

iSS8

-t

COMMENTARY

EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.

CHAELES HODGE, D. D.,

PBOFESSOB IK THE THEOLOGICAL BEMmAST, PEIHCBTON, V, J.

NEW YORK :
ROBEET CARTER AND BROTHERS,

BKOADWAT.
1858.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1866,

By KOBEET carter & BROTHERS,

In tlie Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United' States for the Southern
District of New York.

John F. Thow,

Printer, Stereotj-per, and Electrotyper,

S77 & 379 Broadway,

Cor. White Street, New York.

INTEODUCTION.

^ I. The City of Ejphesus.

The city of Ephesus, under the Romans, the capital of
Proconsular Asia, was situated on a plain near the mouth of
the river Cayster. It was originally a Greek colony, but be-
came in no small degree orientalized by the influences which
sxuTOunded it. Being a free city, it enjoyed under the Romans
to a great extent the right of self-government. Its constitu-
tion was essentially democratic. The municipal authority was
vested in a Senate, and in the Assembly of the people. The
ypafxixaTevs, " Town Clerk," or, Recorder, was an officer in
charge of the archives of the city, the promulgator of the laws,
and was clothed with great authority. It was by his remon-
strance the tumultuous assembly of which mention is made in
Acts 19, 24-40, was induced to disperse.

The city was principally celebrated for its temple of Diana.
From the earliest period of its history, Ephesus was regarded
as sacred to that goddess. The attributes belonging to the
Grecian Diana, however, seem to have been combined with
those which belonged to the Phoenician Astarte. Her image,
as revered in Ephesus, was not a product of Grecian Art, but
a many-breasted, mummy-like figure of oriental symbolism.
Her famous Temple was, however, a Greek building of the
Ionic order. It had become so celebrated, that its destruction
three hundred and fifty-six years before the birth of Christ has

VI mTEODUCTION.

conferred immortality on the author of the deed. All Greece
and Western Asia contributed to its restoration, which was a
work of centuries. Its vast dimensions, its costly materials,
its extended colonnades, the numerous statues and paintings
with which it was adorned, its long accumulated wealth, the
sacred effigies of the goddess, made it one of the wonders of
the world. It was this temple which gave unity to the city,
and to the character of its inhabitants. Oxford in England is
not more Oxford on account of its University, than Ephesus
was Ephesus on account of the Temple of Diana. The highest
title the city could have assumed, and that which was impressed
on its coins, was NewKopos, Temple-siveeper, — servant of the
great goddess. One of the most lucrative occupations of the
people was the manufacture of miniature representations of
the temple, wrought in silver, which being carried about by
travellers, or reverenced at home, found an extensive sale, both
foreign and domestic.

With the worship of Diana the practice of sorcery was from
the earliest times connected. The " Ephesian letters," mysti-
cal monograms, used as charms or amulets, are spoken of fre-
quently by heathen writers. Ephesus was, therefore, the chief
seat of necromancy, exorcism, and all forms of magic arts for
all Asia. The site of this once famous city is now occupied
by an inconsiderable village called Ajaloluk, supposed by some
to be a corruption of dyios ^eoAoyos, (pronounced Seologos by
the Greeks), the title of the apostle John, as the great teacher
of the divinity of Christ. If this is so, it is a singular con-
firmation of the tradition which makes Ephesus the seat of St.
John's labours. Others explain the name from the Turkish,
in which language the word is said to mean. City of the Moon ;
and then the connection is with Ephesus as the worshipper of
Diana.

§ II. PauVs labours in Ephesus.

In this city, the capital of Asia, renowned through the
world for the temple of Diana, and for skill in sorc'ery and

INTRODUCTION. Vll

magic, the place of concourse for people from all tlie surround-
ing countries, Paul laboured for nearly three years.

After remaining eighteen months in Corinth, at the con-
clusion of his second missionary tour, he sailed thence to Eph-
esus in company with Priscilla and Ac^uila. He left his
companions there, but he himself entered into the synagogue,
and reasoned with the Jews. When they desired him to tarry
longer with them he consented not : but bade them farewell,
saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in
Jerusalem ; but I will return again unto you, if God will.
And he sailed from Ephesus. After his departure, Apollos,
" an eloquent man, and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Eph-
esus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord ; and
being fervent in the Spirit, he spake and taught diligently the
things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And
he began to speak boldly in the synagogue; whom, when
Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and
expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly." Acts
18, 18-26.

Paul, agreeably to his promise, returned to Ephesus, pro-
bably in the fall of the year 54. Here he found certain
disciples who had received only John's baptism, to whom Paul
said : " John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance,
saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which
should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they
heard this they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost
came upon them, and they spake with tongues and prophesied."
Acts 19, 3-6.

It seems from the narrative that there was in the apostolic
period a class of persons who had renounced Judaism, and
professed their faith in the person and doctrines of Christ, (for
Apollos, it is said, was instructed in the way of the Lord,) and
yet passed for John's disciples, in distinction from the other
followers of Christ. They were Christians, for they are called
" disciples," and yet had not received Christian Baptism. That
is, they had been baptized with water, but not with the Holy

Vlll INTRODUCTION.

Ghost. They may have received the inward saving influences
of the Spirit, but they had not been made partakers of those
extraordinary gifts, the power of speaking with tongues and of
prophesying, which those converted and baptized by the apos-
tles had received. They were Christians through the instruc-
tions and testimony of John the Baptist, as distinguished from
those made Christians by the preaching of the apostles. Their
knowledge of the Gospel was, therefore, necessarily imperfect.
This, at least, is one answer to the question concerning the
disciples of John spoken of in Acts.

After this the apostle continued for three months to attend
the synagogue, " disputing and persuading the things concern-
ing the kingdom of God." Meeting with opposition from the
Jews, he withdrew *' and separated the disciples, disputing daily
in the school of one Tyrannus. And this continued by the
space of two years, so that all they that dwelt in Asia heard
the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. And
God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul. , So that
from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs, or
aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits
went out of them." Acts 19, 8-12.

It appears from this, and from the subsequent account
given by the sacred historian, that the effects of Paul's preach-
ing in Ephesus, were : 1. The conversion of a great number
of the Jews and Greeks. 2. The diffusion of the knowledge
of the Gospel throughout proconsular Asia. 3. Such an in-
fluence on the popular mind, that certain exorcists attempted
to work miracles in the name of that Jesus, whom Paul's
preaching had proved to be so powerful ; and that other magi-
cians, convinced of the folly and wickedness of their arts, made
public confession, and burnt their books of divination and mys-
tic charms. 4. Such a marked diminution of the zeal and
numbers of the worshippers of Diana, as to excite general
alarm that her temple would be despised. 5. A large and
flourishing church was there established. This is proved from
the facts recorded in the twentieth chapter of the Acts of
ihe Apostles. Having spent a few months in visiting the

INTKODUCTION. IX

churches in Macedonia and Greece, Paul, when he arrived at
Miletus on his way to Jerusalem, sent for the elders of Ephe-
sus, and addressed them in terms which show that they had an
important church committed to their care. In this address
the apostle predicted that false teachers would soon rise up
among them, not sparing the flock. From the epistle to this
church, in the Book of Revelation, it appears that this predic-
tion was soon fulfilled. The church is there commended for
its faith and patience, and especially for its resistance to the
inroads of heresy.

§ III. The date of this Epistle and the place ivhence it was

sent.

As the apostle speaks of himself in this epistle as being id
bonds, it is plain it was written either during his imprison-
ment at w)m^ or at ^£esai-ea>> Every thing conspires to
favour the assumption that it was written at Rome, which
until a recent period has been the universally received opinion.
In the first place, it is clear that the Epistles to the Ephesians,
to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the PhiliiDpiaus, all be-
long to the same period. As to the first three, it is expressly
stated that they were sent together by Tychicus and Onesimus.
Comp. Eph. 6, 21. Col. 4, 7-9. Philem. v. 12. And that the
fourth belongs to the same period is plain, 1. Because Timothy
is mentioned as being with Paul when he wrote to the Phi-
lippiaus, and he was with him when he wrote to the Colossians
and to Philemon. 2. Because he enjoyed great liberty of
preaching at the time when the Epistle to the Philippians was
written, PhU. 1, 13 ; and so he did when that to the Ephesians
was written. Eph. 6, 20. 3. Because he expresses both to the
Philippians and to Philemon the expectation of being soon set
at liberty. Phil. 2, 11. Philem. v. 22. If, therefore, one of
these letters was written from Rome, they all were. But it is
almost certain that the Epistle to the Philippians at least, was
written during his imprisonment at Rome. In ch. 1, 12, 13,
be says, " The things which happened unto me have fallen out

X INTKODIICTIOJSr.

rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; so that my bonds are
manifest in all the palace and in all other places." Even admit-
ting tiiat the word TrpatTojptov here used, does not necessarily re-
fer either to the well known pretorian camp at Rome, or to the
imperial palace, yet, when taken in connection with what is
said in ch. 4, 22, there is little doubt that the reference is to
the place of abode of the pretorian guard in immediate attend-
ance on the Emperor. The phrase ol Ik t>)s Katcrapos oiKtas,
can only mean, those of Gcesarh household; and as they sent
their salutations to the Philippians, there is no reasonable
doubt that the Epistle to the church in Philippi was written at
Rome. If, therefore, it was during the same imprisonment
that he wrote the four epistles above mentioned, then it follows
that the Epistle to the Ephesians was written from Rome.

In the second place, every thing contained in the Epistles to
the Ephesians, Colossians, and to Philemon, which are admitted
to belong to the same period, agrees with this assumption. 1. The
persons mentioned in these epistles are known to have been with
the apostle at Rome, but are not known to have been with him
at Cassarea. 2. Paul, according to Acts 28, 30, 31, enjoyed
liberty to preach the gospel at Rome, but it is not known that
he had that liberty in Caesarea. 3. He had at Rome the prospect
of being soon set at liberty, which he did not enjoy during his
imprisonment under Felix and Festus. 4. The reasons assigned
by the few modern critics who refer these epistles to the time
of his confinement at Caesarea, have very little weight. It is
said that Onesimus, a fugitive slave, would more probably seek
refuge in Ccesarea than in a place so distant as Rome ; that it
is to be inferred from Eph. 6, 21, that Paul expected the Epis-
tle to the Colossians to reach its destination before the letter
to the Ephesians came into their hands. This would be the
case if Tychicus travelled from Csesarea, not if Rome was his
point of departure. Besides, it is said, that Paul cherished
the purpose to visit Spain as soon as he obtained his liberty at
Rome ; whereas he wrote to Philemon that he hoped to see
him soon at Colosse ; whence it is inferred that he could not
have been in Rome when he wrote that letter. The two formei

INTKODUCTION. XI

of these reasons have no force. If the third proves any thing
with regard to the date of the Epistle to Philemon, it proves the
same respecting that to the Philippians, because in that also he
expresses the hope of being soon at Philippi. These expressions
only prove that the apostle had been led to postpone the execu-
tion of the purpose which he had formed long before of visiting
Spain. There soems, therefore, to be no reason to depart from
the commonly received opinion that the Epistle to the Ephe-
siaus was written from Kome.

§ IV. The persons to loliom this Epistle was addressed.

As to this point there are three opinions. 1. That it was
addressed to the Ephesiaus. 2. That it was addressed to the
Laodiceans. 3. That it was a circular letter designed for all
the churches in that part of Asia Minor.

In favour of the first of these opinions it is urged, 1. That
the epistle is directed rots ova-iv Iv Etfiea-w to those who are in
Ephesus. If this is the true reading, it settles the question,
at least so far as this, that whatever may have been its further
destination, it was primarily designed for the church in Ephe-
sus. That the reading above given is the true one, is proved
because it is found in all extant MSS., in all the ancient ver-
sions, and in all the Fathers. This array of external evidence
is decisive. No critic would venture to alter the text against
these authorities. The only opposing evidence of a critical
nature is, that it appears from the comment of Basil that the
words £v E^e'o-o) were not in the copy which he used, and that
in the MS. B. they stand in the margin and not in the text,
and in MS. 67, they are inserted as a correction. This is alto-
gether insufficient to outweigh the concurrent testimony above
mentioned. On all critical principles, therefore, the reading
e'v Ee^e'crw must be pronounced genuine.

2. That this epistle was addressed to the Ephesians is
proved by the concurrent testimony of the ancient church.
This Basil does not question ; he only explains toIs ova-iv in such
a way as to show that they were not followed in his copy by
the words Iv 'Ec^iaw. These two considerations would seem to

Xll INTEODrCTION.

be decisive. How came the epistle to be addressed to the
Ephesians, if not designed for them ? How came the whole
ancient church to regard it as addressed to the church in Eph-
osus, if such were not the fact ? It is a fundamental principle
in historical criticism to allow greater weight to historical testi-
mony than to conjectures drawn from circumstantial evidence.

The objections to this view are : 1. That there is evidence
that in some of the ancient MSS. no longer extant, the words
ii' E(pi(Tw were not in the text. 2. That although Paul was
personally so well acquainted with the Ephesian Christians,
he speaks as though he were a stranger to them and they to him.
The passages, however, cited in proof of this point, admit of
an interpretation perfectly consistent with the common hypo-
thesis. When Paul speaks in ch. 1, 15, of having heard of
their faith and love, he may refer to the intelligence which had
reached him at Rome. And the expression in ch. 3, 2, ctye
aKovaare does not necessarily express doubt of their knowledge
of him or of his being an apostle. 3. It is objected that the
epistle contains no reference to the peculiar circimistances of
the Ephesians. It is so general, that it might as well be ad-
dressed to one church as another. 4. It contains no salutations
from Paul or from his companions to any one in Ephesus. 5,
It contemplates exclusively heathen Christians, whereas the
church in Ephesus was composed of both Jewish and Grentile
converts. The facts on which these last three arguments are
founded are undoubtedly true and very remarkable, and cer-
tainly distinguish this epistle from all others addressed by
Paul to particular churches. They prove, however, nothing
more than that the apostle's object in writing this epistle was
peculiar. They cannot be allowed to outweigh the direct criti-
cal and historical testimony in support of the fact that it was
addressed to the Ephesians.

In favour of the hypothesis that this epistle was written to
the church in Laodieea, it is urged : 1. That Marcion so en-
titled it. But Marcion was a notorious falsifier of Scripture.
2. That in Col. 4, 16, it is said, " When this epistle is read
among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the

JNTEODUCTION. Xlll

Laodiceans, and that ye also read ihe epistle from Laodicea."
It cannot, however, be inferred that " the epistle from Laodi-
cea" was an epistle which Paul wrote to Laodicea ; much lesd
that the epistle intended was the one addressed to the Ephe-
sians. Paul may have written to the Laodiceans a letter which
is no longer extant. 3. It is urged that on this hypothesis all
the peculiarities of the epistle can be readily explained. But
those peculiarities can be explained without resorting to a hy-
pothesis destitute of all historical foundation.

The assumption that this epistle was not designed specially
for any one church, but intended equally for all the churches in
that part of Asia Minor, has met with more favour. This view,
first suggested by Archbishop Usher, has been adopted, variously
modified, by Bengel, Benson, Mich^elis, Eichhorn, Koppe, Hug,
Flatt, Guericke, Neander, Olshausen and many others. The
great objection to it is the overwhelming authority in favour of
the reading iv E^eo-w in the salutation, and the unanimous
testimony of the early church. Perhaps the most probable
solution of the problem is, that the epistle was written to the
Ephesians and addressed to them, but being intended specially
for the Gentile Christians as a class, rather than for the Ephe-
sians as a church, it was designedly thrown into such a form as
to suit it to all such Christians in the neighbouring churches, to
whom no doubt the apostle wished it to be communicated. This
would account for the absence of any reference to the peculiar
circumstances of the saints in Ephesus. This seems to have
been substantially the opinion of Beza, who says : Suspicor non
tarn ad Ephesios ipsos proprie missam epistolam, quam ad
Ephesum, ut ad cseteras Asiaticas eeclesias transmitteretur.

§ V. The relation between this Epistle and that to the
Colossians.

This relation is, in the first place, one of remarkable simi-
larity. This similarity is observable, 1. In the occurrence in
both epistles of the same words and forms of expressions. 2.
In passages which are identical in thought and language. 3.

XIV INTRODUCTION.

In passages in wtich the thought is the same and the expression
is varied. 4. In others where the same topic is more fully
handled in the one epistle than in the other. 5. In passages
in which different topics follow each other in the same order.

In the second place, although there are these striking points
of resemblance between the two epistles?, there are no less striking
points of difference. 1. While the Epistle to the Colossians
has every indication of having been written to a particular
congregation and in reference to their peculiar circumstances,
the absence of these features is the most marked characteristic
of the Epistle to the Ephesians. 2. In the Epistle to the Ephe-
sians the doctrinal element prevails over the practical ; in the
Epistle to the Colossians it is just the reverse. 3. The main
object of the Epistle to the Colossians is to warn the church
against " philosophy falsely so called." Of this there is no
indication in Vne Epistle to the Ephesians ; the great design of
which is to unfold the glories of the plan of redemption as em-
bracing both Jews and Gentiles, and designed to be the great
medium for the manifestation of the grace and wisdom of God
to all intelligent creatures. 4. There are, therefore, topics
discussed in the one epistle, to which there is nothing to cor-
respond in the other. 5. The order of sequence, or the con-
catenation of subjects, except in the case of some particular
exhortations, is entirely different in the two epistles. 6. The
Epistle to the Ephesians has much greater unity than that to
the Colossians. This evidently arose from the different pur-
poses with which they are written.

In the third place, the two epistles are evidently indepen-
dent the one of the other. Each is a complete whole. In each
one topic flows naturally from another, the association of ideas
in every case being clearly indicated. Neither is a patchwork,
but both are a closely woven web.

All these characteristics of similarity, dissimilarity, and
mutual independence, are naturally accounted for on the as-
sumption that the two epistles were written at the same time,
the one for a particular congregation, the other for a particu-
lar class of readers.

INTEODUCTION. XV

^ VI. The Genuineness of the Ejpisile.

1. The epistle announces itself as written by Paul the
Apostle. 2. There is nothing in its contents inconsistent with
the assumption of his being its author. 3. All the incidental
references which it contains to the office, character and circum-
stances of the writer, agree with what is known to be true con-
cerning Paul. The writer was an apostle, an apostle of the
Gentiles, a prisoner, one to whom Tychicus stood in the rela-
tion of a companion and fellow-labourer. 4. The style, the
doctrines, the sentiments, the spirit, the character revealed,
are those of Paul. 5. The whole ancient church received it
as genuine. As to this point the judgment of the early ages
is unanimous. Even Marcion, though he dissented from the
common opinion as to its destination, admitted its Pauline
origin. 6. Finally and mainly, the epistle reveals itself as
the work of the Holy Ghost, as clearly as the stars declare
their maker to be God. In no portion of the Sacred Scriptures
are the self-evidencing light and power of divine truth more con-
centrated than they are here. Had it been first discovered in
the nineteenth century, in a forsaken monastery, it would com-
mand the faith of the whole church.

The genuineness of this epistle, therefore, has never been
doubted, except by a few modern critics to whom nothing is
sacred. These critics object : 1. That Paul was familiarly
acquainted with the Ephesians, whereas the writer of this epis-
tle had only heard of their conversion and of their faith and
love. This objection is fully met by showing that the ex-
pressions referred to, may be understood of information received
by Paul, during his long imprisonment, first at Cassarea, and
afterwards at Rome; or, on the assumption that the epistle,
though addressed to the Ephesians, was designed for a large
class of readers, with many of whom Paul had no personal
acquaintance. 2. They object that this epistle is merely a
verbose imitation of the Epistle to the Colossians. Nothing
can be more inconsistent with the fact. The relation between
the two epistles, instead of being a ground of objection

XVI INTEODUCTIOI^.

against either, is a strong proof of the genuineness of both.
Of this any reader may satisfy himself by a careful compari-
son of the two. 3. It is objected that the epistle contains no
reference to the peculiar circumstances of the Ephesians, so
that the address and contents are irreconcilable. This ab-
sence of specific reference, as before remarked, is accounted for
from the design of the epistle as addressed to Gentile believers,
as Christians, not as Ephesians. Reuss remarks in reference
to such objections, " If Paul wrote friendly letters, these critics
say they are spurious, because they are not doctrinal ; and if he
wrote doctrinal epistles, they say they are spurious, because
not friendly." 4. It is objected that the style is not that of
Paul. The very reverse, in the judgment of the vast majority
of competent readers, is the fact. There is the same fervour
and force of expression, the same length and complication in
his sentences, clause linked with clause, till he is forced to stop,
and begin the sentence anew. Idem in epistola, says Erasmus,
Pauli fervor, eadem profunditas, idem omni?io spiritus ac
pectus. De Wette, the originator of these and similar ob-
jections, admits that they do not justify the rejection of the
epistle, which, he says, contains much that is worthy of the
apostle, and which all antiquity acknowledged as genuine.
Unfortunately, however, he afterwards retracted this admission.
It is to the honour of the German critics, for whom in general,
novelty is every thing, the last opinion always being the best, that
with the exception of the destructive school of Tubingen, few,
if any, of their number attach any weight to the arguments
against the apostolic origin of this epistle. 5. The principal
objection urged by Baur of Tubingen, in addition to those sug-
gested by De Wette, is that the Epistle to the Ephesians con-
tains allusions to Gnostic opinions, which did not prevail until
after the apostolic age. But, in the first place, the great ma-
jority of scholars deny that this epistle contains any reference
to Gnostic sentiments ; and, in the second place, even if it did,
the Epistle to the Colossiaus afi"ords abundant evidence that
principles afterwards developed into Gnosticism, had manifest-
ed themselves in the age of the apostles. If it be said that the

ENTKODUCTION. XVli

allusions in the Epistle to the Colossians to those principles
proved that it also is spurious ; that would be only a dictum
in the face of all evidence, and utterly subversive of all history.
There is no portion of the New Testament the genuineness of
which the church has from the beginning, with more cordial
unanimity, acknowledged, than that of this epistle.

§ VII. Contents of the Epistle.

The apostle addresses himself principally to Gentile Chris-
tians. His object was, 1. To bring them to a just apprecia-
tion of the plan of redemption, as a scheme devised from eter
nity by God, for the manifestation of the glory of his grace.
2. To make them sensible of the greatness of the blessing
which they enjoyed in being partakers of its benefits. 3. To
lead them to enter into the spirit of the gospel as a system
which ignored the distinction between Jews and Gentiles, and
united all the members of the church in one living body des-
tined to be brought into full conformity to the image of Christ.
4. To induce them to live as it became a religion which had
delivered them from the degradation of their condition as
heathen, and exalted them to the dignity of the sons of God.

He begins, therefore, with the primal fountain of all spirit-
ual blessings. He refers them to their predestination to son-
ship, and their consequent election to holiness, before the foun-
dation of the world. From this flowed their actual redemption
by the blood of Christ ; and the revelation of the divine pur-
pose to unite all the subjects of redemption in one body in
Christ ; in whom first the Jews, and then the Gentiles, had
been made the heirs of eternal life. Cb. 1, 1-14.

He next earnestly prays that God would enable them to
appreciate the hope which they were thus entitled to cherish ;
the glory of the inheritance in reserve for them; and the ex-
ceeding greatness of that power which had already wrought in
them a change analogous to that efi"ected in the resurrection
and exaltation of Christ. For as Christ was dead and deposited
in the tomb, so they were spiritually dead; and as Christ waa

XVlll INTKODTJCTION.

raised and exalted above all creatures, so they also were quick-
ened and exalted to a heavenly state in Him. Ch. 1, 15. 2, 10.

He therefore calls upon them to contrast their former con-
dition as heathen, with their present state. Formerly they
were without Christ, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel,
without God, and without hope. But by the blood of Christ
a two-fold reconciliation had been effected. The Jews and
G-entiles are united as one body, and both are reconciled to
God, and have equally free access to his presence. The Gen-
tiles, therefore, are now fellow-citizens of the saints, members
of the family of God, and living stones in that temple in which
God dwells by his Spirit. Ch. 2, 11-22.

This great mystery of the union of Jews and Gentiles,
had been partially revealed under the Old Dispensation, but it
was not then made known so clearly as it had since been re-
vealed to the apostles and prophets of the New Dispensation;
whose great vocation it was to preach the unsearchable riches
of Christ, and to make all men understand the plan of redemp-
tion, hid for ages in God, but now revealed, that through the
church might be made known to principalities and powers the
manifold wisdom of God. Ch. 3, 1-13.

The apostle, therefore, bows his knees before the common
Father of the redeemed, and prays that Christ may dwell in
their hearts by faith ; that they being rooted and grounded in
love, might be able to apprehend the infinite love of Christ,
and be filled with the fulness of God, who is able to do for us
far more than we are able either to ask or to think. Ch. 3, 14-
21.

The Gentiles, therefore, are bound to enter into the spirit
of this great scheme — to remember that the church, composed
of Jews and Gentiles, bond and free, wise and imwise, is one
body, filled by one Spirit, subject to the same Lord, having
one faith, one hope, one baptism, and one God and Father, who
is in, through, and over all. They should also bear in mind
that diversity in gifts and ofiice was not inconsistent with this
unity of the church, but essential to its edification. For the
ascended Saviour had constituted some apostles, some prophets,

INTKODrCTION. XIX

some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the very pur-
pose of building up the church, and through them as the chan-
nels of the truth and grace of Christ, the church was to be
brought to the end of its high calling. Ch. 4, 1-16.

They should not, therefore, live as did the other Gentiles,
who, being in a state of darkness and alienation from God, gave
themselves up to uncleanness and avarice. On the contrary,
having been taught by Christ, they should put off the old man,
and be renewed after the image of God. Avoiding all false-
hood, all undue anger, all dishonesty, all improper language,
all malice, all impurity and covetousness, they should walk as
children of the light, reproving evil, striving to do good, and
expressing their joy by singing hymns to Christ, and giving
thanks to God. Ch. 4, 17. 5, 20.

He impresses upon his readers reverence for the Lord
Jesus Christ as the great principle of Christian obedience. He
applies this principle especially to the domestic obligations of
men. The marriage relation is illustrated by a reference to
the union between Christ and the church. The former is an
obscure adumbration of the latter. Marriage is shown to be
not merely a civil contract, not simply a voluntary compact
between the parties, but a vital union producing a sacred iden-
tity. The violation of the marriage relation is, therefore, pre-
sented as one of the greatest of crimes and one of the greatest of
evils. Parents and children are bound together not only by
natural ties, but also by spiritual bands ; and, therefore, the
obedience on the part of the child, and nurture on the part of
the parent, should be religious. Masters and slaves, however
different their condition before men, stand on the same level
before God; a consideration which exalts the slave, and hum-
bles and restrains the master. ^Finally, the apostle teaches hia
readers the nature of that great spiritual conflict on which they
have entered ; a conflict, not with men but with the powers of
darkness. He tells them what armour they need, how it is to be
used, and whence strength is to be obtained to bring them off
victorious. Ch. 5, 21. 6, 1-20.

XX INTRODUCTION.

§ VIII. Commentaries.

The most important modern commentaries on this epistle
are the following : Koppe, in the sixth vol. of his Annotations
on the epistles of the N. T. Flatt, in a distinct volume. J
A. Holzhausen, 1833, pp. 195. L. J. Ruchert, 1833, pp.
306. This is a valuable work, though the author prides
himself on his independence not only of theological system, but
also of the Scriptures, and writes with a certain air of supe-
riority over the apostle. F. H. Meier, 1834, pp. 231, less im-
portant. G. C. A. Harless, 1834, pp. 674. This is the most
elaborate commentary on this epistle which has yet been pub-
lished. It is orthodox and devout, but is wearisome from its
diffuseness and lack of force. De Wette, in the second volume
of his Exegetisches Handbuch — very condensed, but evinces
little regard to the authority of the sacred writers. Olshau-
sen, in the fourth volume of his Commentar uber das N. T.,
devout, able, and mystical. H. A. W. Meyer, Achte Abthei-
lung of his Kritisch Exegetischer Commentar liber das N. T.
Meyer is, perhaps, the ablest commentator on the New Testa-
ment of modern times. His theological stand-point is that of
high Arianism. He evinces deference to authority of Scrip-
ture, but does not hesitate to impute error or false reason-
ing to the apostles. Joh7i Eadie, D.D., Professor of Bib.
Literature to the United Presbyterian Church, 1854, pp. 466.
This is a work of great research, and contains a full exhibition
of the views of all preceding commentators. It is an impor-
tant and valuable addition to our exegetical literature.

EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIMS.

CHAPTER I.

THE SALCTATIOX, VS. 1. 2. THANKSGIVING FOB THE BLESSINGS OF BK-

DEMPTION, VS. 3-14. PRAYER THAT THE EPHESIANS MIGHT INCREASB

IN THE KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE OF THOSE BLESSINGS, VS. 15—

21.

THE SALUTATION.

1. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the
saints which are at Ephesns, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus :

2. grace 5e to you, and peace from God our Father, and from
the Lord Jesus Christ.

COMMENTARY.

Y. 1. An wpostle of Jesus Christ. — ^The word apostle
is used in three senses in tlie l!Tew Testament. 1. In

its primary sense of messeno-er. Jolin 13, 16 (the mes-
senger), lie tliat is sent is not greater than he that sent
him. Phil. 2, 25, your messenger. 2 Cor. 8, 23, mes-
sengers of the churches. ^AirocnoKoL iKKXrjaiatv ; tov-
recTTiv, says Chrysostom, vtto eKKkrjaLoiv 7r€/j,(f)0ePT€ii.
Theophylact adds /cat ■xetporovrjOivTe'i. 2. In the sense

22 EPHESIANS,

of missionaries, men sent by the clmrcli to preach the
Gospel. — In this sense Paul and Barnabas are called
apostles. Acts 14, 4. 14 ; and probably Andronicus and
Junias, Rom. 16, Y. 3. In the sense of plenipotentia-
ries of Christ ; men whom he personally selected and
sent forth invested with full authority to teach and rule
in his name. In this sense it is always used when
" the apostles." " tjie twelv^." or " the apostles of the
Lord," are spoken of as a well-known, definite class.
i They were appointed as witnesses of Christ's miracles,
f doctrines, resurrection : and therefore it was necessary
that they should not only have seen him after his resur-
rection, but that their knowledge of the Gospel should
be immediately from Christ, John 15, 26. Acts 1, 22.
2, 32. 3, 15. 13, 31. 26, 16. 1 Cor. 9, 1. Gal. 1, 12.
They were not confined to any one field but had a
general jurisdiction over the churches, as is manifest
from their epistles. — ^To qualify them for this office of
authoritatively teaching, organizing, and governing the
church, they were rendered infallible by the inspiration
of the Holy Ghost, and their divine mission was con-
firmed by miraculous powers. — ^Their authority there-
fore rested first on their commission, and secondly on
their inspiration. Hence it is evident that none can
have the authority of an apostle who has not apostolic
gifts. In this respect Eomanists are consistent, for
they claim infallibility for those whom they regard as
the official successors of the apostles. They are, how-
ever, inconsistent with their own theory, and at vari-
ance with the Scripture, in making this infallibility the

CHAP. I. VEK. 1. 23

prerogative of tlie prelates in tlieir collective capacity,
instead of claiming it for each individual bishop.

Alo, ^eXrujbaTo^ Geov, hy the will of God. There
are two ideas included in this phrase. 1. That the
apostleship was a gift, or grace from God^ Rom. 1, 5.
Eph. 3, 7. 8. 2. That the commission or authority of
the apostles was immediately from God. Paul in Gal.
1, 1, as well as in other passages, asserts that apostle-
ship was neither derived from men nor conveyed
throua:h the instrumentality of men, but conferred
directly by God through Christ.

To the smnts which a/re at Ephesus. The Israelites.
under the old dispensation, were called saints, because
separated from other nations and consecrated to God,
j In the Kew Testament the word is applied to believers,
not merely as externally consecrated, but as reconciled
I to God and inwardly pm'ified. Tlie word ayid^eiv sig-
nifies to cleanse, either from guilt by a propitiatory
sacrifice, as in Heb. 2, 11. 10, 10. 14, or from inward
pollution, and also to consecrate. Hence the a<yLOi,
saints, are those who are cleansed by the blood pi
Chi'ist, and by the renewing of the Holy Ghost^ apd
thus separated from the world and consecrated to God.
On the words, iphich are at EyhesuSy see the Intro-
duction.

And to the faithful in Christ Jesus, The word
TTtcTTo?, faithful, may mean preserving faith, worthy
of faith, or exercising faith. In the last sense, which
is its meaning here, it is equivalent to believing. The
faithful, therefore, are believers. In Christ, belongs

24 EPHESIANS,

equally to the two preceding clauses : rot? a^ioL<i — Koi
nrtaroU iv Xptarw, ' To the saints and faithful whc
are in Christ Jesus.' .Those whom he calls saintfi lie

I also 0,2^^ faithful • Ergo, says Calvin, nemo fidelis,
nisi qiii etiam sanctus : et nemo rursum oanctus, nisi
qui fidelis. No one is a 'believer who is not Jioly ; and
no one is holy who is not a believer.

Y. 2. Contains the usual apostolic benediction.
Paul prays that grace and peace may be granted to his
readers. Grace is unmerited faYour ; and the p;race_or
favour of Grod is the source of all good. Peace, accord-
ing to the usage of the corresponding Hebrew word,
means well-being in general! it comprehends all bless-
ings flowing from the goodness of God. The apostle
prays to Christ, and seeks from him blessings which
God only can bestow. Christ therefore was to him the
object of habitual worship. He lived in communion
with Christ as a divine person, the ground of his con-
fidence and the source of all good.

God is our Father : 1. As He is the author of our
being ; 2. As we were formed in his likeness. He as
a spirit is the Father of spirits. 3. As we are born
again by his Spirit and adopted into his family. It is
in reference to the last-mentioned relationship that the
expression is almost always used in the ISTew Testament.
Those who are the children of God are such by regen
eration and adoption.

Jesus Christ is our supreme and absolute Lord and
proprietor. The word /cuoto? is indeed used n Scrip-
ture in the sense of master, and as a mere honorary title

CHAP. I, VS. 3-14. 25

as in Englisli Master or Sir. But, on tlie other hand,
it is the translation of Adonai, supreme Lord, an in-
communicable name of God, and the substitute for
Jehovah, a name the Jews would not pronounce. It is
in this sense that Christ is, The Lord, The Lord of
Lords, The Lord God ; Lord in that sense in which
God alone can be Lord — having a dominion of which
divine perfection is the only adequate or possible foun-
dation. This is the reason why no one can call him
Lord, but by the Holy Ghost, 1 Cor. 12, 3. It is
a confession which implies the apprehension of the

(glory of God as it shines in Him. It is an acknow-
ledgment that he is God manifested in the flesh.
Blessed are all they who make this acknowledgment
with sincerity ; for flesh and blood cannot reveal the
truth therein confessed, but the Father who is in
heaven.

SECTION II.— Vs. 3-14.

3. Blessed te the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly

4. places in Christ : according as he hath chosen us in him be-
fore the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and

5. without blame before him in love : having predestinated us
unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, ac-

6. cording to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the
glory of his grace, wherein he hath made ug accepted in the

7. beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace ;

8. wherein he hath abounded towards us in all wisdom and pru-

9. dence ; having made known unto us the mystery of his will,

26 EPHESIAN8,

according to Ms good pleasure which he hath purposed in

10. himself; that in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might
gather together in one all things in Christ, hoth which are in

11. heaven, and which are on earth ; even in him : in whom also
we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated accord-
ing to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the

12. counsel of his own will ; that we should be to the praise of his

13. gloiy, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted
after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salva-
tion : in whom also after that ye believed ye were sealed with

14. that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inherit-
ance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto
the praise of his glory.

ANALYSIS.

Tlie apostle blesses God for the spiritual gifts be-
stowed upon his people, v. 3. Of these the first in
order and the source of all the others, is election, v. 4.
This election is, 1st. Of individuals. 2d. In Christ ;
3d. It is from eternity. 4th. It is to holiness, and to
the dignity of sons of God. 5th. It is founded on the
sovereign pleasure of God, vs. 4. 6. 6th. Its final
object is the glory of God, or the manifestation of his
grace, v. 6.

Tlie second blessing here mentioned is actual re-
demption through the blood of Christ ; the free remis-
sion of sins according to the riches of his grace, vs. 7. 8.

The third blessing is the revelation of the divine
purpose in relation to the economy of redemption ;
which has for its object the reduction of all things to a
harmonious whole imder Jesus Christ, vs. 9. 10.

CHAP. I. VEK. 3. 27

Through, this Redeemer, the Jewish Christians who
had long looked for the Messiah are, agreeably to the
divine purpose, made the heirs of God, vs. 11. 12.

The Gentile converts are partakers of the same
inheritance ; because, having believed in Christ, they
are assured of their redemption by the possession of the
Holy Spirit, the pledge of the inheritance until its
actual and complete enjoyment, vs. 13. 14.

COMMENTAET.

Y. 3. Ev\oyr)To<i 6 @e6<i, Blessed ie God. The word
evXoyeiv, like its English equivalent, to Uess, signifies
to praise, as when we bless God ; to pray for blessings,
as when we bless others ; and to bestow blessings, as
when God blesses us. Blessed be God who hath
blessed us, is then the expression of thanksgiving and
praise to God on account of those peculiar benefits
which we receive from him through Christ.

God is here designated as the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ. That is, he is at once God and
! Father, sustaining both these relations to Christ. Our
Saviour used a similar form of expression, when he
said, ' I ascend unto my Father and your Father ; and
to my God and your God.' John 20, 17. Tlie God in
whom the Israelites trusted was the God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob ; their covenant God. This designa-
tion served to remind the ancient people of God of his
promise to their fathers, and of their peculiar conse-
quent relationship to him. Tlie God in whom we are

28 EPHESIAJTS,

called upon to trust, and to wliom we are to look as
the source of all good, is not the absolute Jehovah, nor
the God who stood in a special relation to the Israel-
ites ; but the God of redemption ; the God whom the
Lord Jesus revealed, whose will he came to accom-
plish, and who was his Father. It is this relationship
which is the ground of our confidence. It is because
God has sent the Lord Jesus into the world, because
He spared not his own Son, that he is our God and
Father, or that we have access to him as such.

It is this reconciled God, the God of the covenant
of grace, 6 ev\oy/]cra<i }]fx,d<; ev Trdarj evXoyla "jrvev/xarcKfj,
who hath Uessed its with all sjpiritual hlessings. The
past tense, hath Messed, is used because the apostle
contemplates his readers as actually redeemed, and in
present possession of the unspeakable blessings which
Christ has procured. These blessings are spiritual not
merely because they pertain to the soul, but because
derived from the Holy Spirit, whose presence and in-
fluence are the great blessing ]3urchased by Christ.

" In heavenly places.''^ The words iv Toh iirov-
pavioa may be rendered either (m) oj\wit^ heavenly
things, or in heavetily places,_i. e. in heaven. If the
former method be adopted the sense is, ' Hath blessed
us with all spiritual blessings, i. e. with heavenly
things.' The words however occur five times in this
epistle and always elsewhere in a local sense. See
V. 20. 2, 6. 3, 10. 6, 12, which therefore should be
preferred Jiere. They are to be connected witli^e
immediately preceding word, ' Blessings in heaven.'

CHAP. I. TEE. 4. 29

The meaning is that these blessinpis pertain to that
heavenly state into which the "l-'^li^ypT \f\ introflnnpfl.
tHere on earth he is, as the apostle says, in ch. 2, 6,
jin heavenly places.' He is a citizen of heaven, Phil.
^3, 10. The word heaven, m kjcripture, is not connned
in its application to the place or state of futnre blessed-
ness, bnt sometimes is nearly equivalent to ^ kingdom
of heaven.' The old writers, therefore, were accus-
tomed to distinguish between the caelum glorias, the
heaven of glory ; coelum naturae, the visible heavens,
and coelum gratiae, the heaven of grace here on earth.
These blessings connected with this heavenly state, are
conferred upon believers m Christ. It is as they are
in him, and in virtue ^f ^"l^a^ imiAn fVio^- ^->ipy f^yo pov-
takers of these benejits.

Y. 4. All these blessings have their source in the
electing love of God. EvXoy^cra'i — Kad(o<i e^eXe^aro
rjixas, he Messed us — because he chose us. Ka6(o<;, ac-
cording as, or, inasmuch as, lecause, see John 17, 2.
Rom. 1, 28. 1 Cor. 1, 6. Election is the_cause or
source of aUjubsequent benefits.

He hath chosen us. By us is not meant the apostle
alone, because there is nothing in the context to indi-
cate or justify this restriction. The blessings conse-
quent on the election here spoken of, are in no sense
peculiar to the apostle. Neither does the word refer
to any external community or society as such. It is
not us Ephesians, as Ephesians, nor us Corinthians, nor
us Eomans, as formerly the Jews were chosen by a
national election. But it is us believers, scattered here

30 EPHESIAJSfS,

and there. It is those who are the actual recipients of
the blessings spoken of, viz. holiness, sonship, remission
of sins, and eternal life.

We are said to be chosen^ m Ilim^ an expression
which is variously explained. Some refer the pronoun
to God, ' chosen us in himself ; ' which is contrary not
only to the context but to the signification of the words
iv avTU), which is the received text. Others say the
meaning is, ' He hath chosen jis because we are in
him.' The foresight of our faith or union with Christ,
being the ground of this election. This however can-
not be admitted. 1. Because faith, or a living union
^ with Christ, is the very blessing to_jwhich we are
chosen. 2. Because it introduces into the passage
more than the words express. 3. Because in this im-
mediate connection, as well as elsewhere, the ground
of this election is declared to be the good plea-
sure of God. — A third interpretation also supposes an
ellipsis. The full expression would be : ek to ehai
rjficL'i iv avrw, Chosen us to he in Him ; in ij^so^ vide-
licet adoptandos, as Beza explains it. The objection
to this is that it introduces more than the words con-
tain, and that the end to which we are chosen is ex-
pressed in the following clause, elvai T^/Lta? ajiov'^. It
is best therefore to take the words as they stand, and
to inquire in what sense our election is in Christ. Tlie
purpose of election is very comprehensive. It is jhe
purpose of God to bring his people to holiness, sonship,
and eternal gloi^- He never intended to do this irre-
sj3ectiye of Christ. On thejcontrary it was his purpose,

CHAP. I. VEK. 4. 31

J as revealed in Scripture, to bring liis people to these
l\ej£alted privileges througli a Kedeemer; It was in
Christ as tlieir head and representative they were
chosen to holiness and eternal life, and therefore in
virtue of what he was to do in their behalf. There is
\ a federal jmion with Christ which is antecedent to all
actual union, and is the som-ce of it. God gave _a
people to his Son in the covenant of redemption.
Those included in that covenant, and because they are
included in it — in other words, because they are in
Christ as their head and representative — receive in time
the gift of the Holy Spirit and all other benefits of
redemption. Their_v^untarj^ union with Christ by
faith, is not the gi'ound of their federal union, but, on
the contrary, their federal union is the ground of their
voluntary union. It is, therefore, in Christ, i. e. as
united to him in the covenant of redemption, that the
people of God are elected to eternal life and to all the
blessings therewith connected. Much in the same
sense the Israelites are said to have been chosen in
Abraham. Their relation to Abraham and God's cov-
enant with him, were the ground and reason of all the
peculiar blessings they enjoyed. So our covenant
union with Christ is the^^round of all the benefits
which we as the people of God possess or hope for.
J We were chosen in Christ, as the Jews were chosen
in AbrahamT^ The sameTruth is expressed in 3, 11,
where it is said that the carrying out or application of
the plan of redemption is " according to the eternal
purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord."

32 EPHESIAlfS,

God purposed to save men in Christ, He elected them
in him to salvation.

Again, this election is from eternity. He chose us

tirpb KaTa^o\r}<i Koa/jiov, hefore the foimdation of the
world. Comp. 2 lliess. 2, 13. Matt. 25, 34. As our
idea of time arises from the perception of motion or
consciousness of succession, the natural expression for
eternity is ' before time,' before the existence of crea-
tures who exist in time. Hence what has been from
eternity is said in Scriptures to have been before the
world was, John lY, 24. 1 Pet. 1, 20 ; or before the
ages, 1 Cor. 2, 7. 2 Tim. 1, 9. " The grace given us
in Christ Jesus irpo xp^vcov alwviwv, before tlie world
began." — There seem to be two things intended by
this reference to the eternity of the divine purpose.
{'} jThe one is, to represent Cod as doing every thing in
time according to a preconceived plan ; or as working
all things after the counsel of his own will. From
eternity the whole scheme of redemption with all its
details and in all its results lay matured in the divine
mind. Hence every thing is certain. There is no
possibility either of failure or of any change of pur-
pose. The eternity of God's purpose is^jfcherefore, a
strong ground of confidence and comfoWu^Zhe other
is, to express the sovereignty of the divine purpose.
The grace was given to us before we existed, before
the world began, and of course before we had done
any good or evil. It was, therefore, not for works of
righteousness which we have done, but according to
his mercy he saved us. If the one aspect of the truth

CHAP. I. VEK. 4. 33

that God chose us before the foimdation of the world.

is adapted to produce confidence ; the other aspect is
no less adapted to produce humility.

This election is to^^^Uaess. "We are chosen ehai,
ayiov^ koL a/ico/ioi'? KarevcoTrtov avrov, to 1)6 holy and
without Mame hefore him. These words admit of two
interpretations. They may be understood to refer to
our justification, or to our sanctification. They express
either that freedom from guilt and blame in the sight
of God, which is the proximate effect of the death of
Christ ^^^^hat subjective purification of the soul which
is its indirect, but certain effect produced by the Holy
Spirit which his death secures for his people. The
words admit of either interpretation ; because aym^e^y,
as remarked above on v. 1, often means to cleanse from
guilt, to atone for ; and a'yto'i means clean from guilty
atoned for / and d/xcofio^ may mean free from amy
ground of hlame / unstraflich (not deserving of pun-
ishment), as Luther renders it. In favour of this inter-
pretation it is m-ged, first, that it is unscriptural as well
as contrary to experience, to make perfect purity and
freedom from all blemish, the end of election. There
is little force in this argument, because the end of
election is not fully attained in this life. It might as
well be said that the vlodeuia {the adoption of sons), to
which in v. 5 we are said to be predestinated, includes
nothing more than what is experienced in this world.
Besides, in 5, 27, it is said, Christ gave himself for the
church, " That he might present it to himself a glorious
church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing,

34 EPHESIAJNS,

but (Jva y aryia kol d/jbco/xo<;) that it sliould be lioly and
without blemish." This certainly is descriptive of a
aegree of inward pui-ity not attained by the chui-ch
militant. Comj). Col. 1, 22. Secondly, it is urged that
the whole context treats of the effect of the ikaarrjpLov
or propitiatory sacrifice of Christ, and therefore these
words must be understood of justification, because sanc-
tification is not the effect of a sacrifice. But the Scrip-
tures often speak of the remote, as well as of the imme-
diate end of Christ's death. We are reconciled to God
by the death of his Son in order that we should be
holy. Propitiation is in order to holiness. Therefore, it
is said, " He gave himself for us that he might redeem
us from all iniquity, and purify us unto himself a people
zealous of good works." Titus 2, 14. In many othei
passages sanctification is said to be the end for which
Christ died. There is nothing in the context, therefore,
which requires us to depart from the ordinary inter-
pretation of this passage. If the words iv^ajaTrr} {in
^love) SiVQ to be connected with the preceding clause,
; it is decisive as to its meaning ' We are chosen to be
I holy and without blame in love.' It is a state of moral
excellence which consists in love. That is, it is no
mere external consecration to God, as was the case
with the Jews, nor any mere ceremonial freedom
from blemish, to which we are elected. This is alto-
gether the most natural connection of the words, from
which no one would have thought of departing, had it
not been assumed that the words " holy and without
blame" refer to sacrificial purification. To connect

CHAP. I. VER. 5. 35

eV dyaTrrj with i^eke^aro, would give tlie sense, ' Hath
chosen us in love ; ' but this the position of the words
forbids. To connect them with Trpoopio-a?, which fol-
lows, would give the sense, ' In love having predes-
tinated us.' But this also is unnatural ; and besides,
the y^QX^ predestinated has its limitation or explanation
in the following clause, " according to the good plea-
sure of his will.' It would be tautological to say :
' He hath predestinated us in love according to the
good pleasure of his will." The majority of commen-
tators, therefore, adopt the construction followed by
our translators.

If election is to holiness as the apostle here teaches,
it follows, first, that indiyiduals, and not communities
or nations, are the objects of election ; secondly, that
holiness in no form can be the ground of election.
If men are chosen to be holy, they cannot be chosen
because they are holy. And, thirdly, it follows that
holiness is the only evidence of election. For one who
lives in sin to claim to be elected unto holiness, is a
conjradiction.

Y. 5. The apostle says, God hath chosen us to
holiness, having j)rede8tinated us to sonship ; that is,
because he has thus predestinated us. Holiness, there-
fore, must be a necessary condition or^prerequisite for •
the sonship here spoken of. Sonship in reference to
God includes — 1. Participation of his nature, or con-
formity to his image. 2. The-enjoyment of his-fayour,
or being the special objects of his love. 3. Heirshijj,
or a participation of the glory and blessedness of God.

36 EPHESIANS,

Sometimes ojie and sometimes another of these ideas
is the most prominent. In the present case it is
the second and third. God having predestinated his
people to the high dignity and glory of sons of Grod,
elected them to holiness, without which that dignity
conld neither be possessed nor enjoyed. It is tJv/'oujgh
Jesus Christy that we are made the sons of God. As
many as received him, to them gave he the power to
become the sons of God. John 1, 12. For we are all
the children of God by faith of Jesns Christ. Gal. 3, 26.
Christ has ]3urchased this dignity for his people. He
died for them on condition that they should be the
sons of God, restored to their Father's family and
reinstated in all the privileges of this divine relation-
ship.

The words eh avrov, to himself, in the clause,
' Predestinated us to sonship by Jesus Christ to him-
self,' are somewhat difficult. The text, in the first
place, is uncertain. Some editors read ek avTov, unto
himself, and others et? avrov, unto him. In either
case, however, the reference is to God. They admit
of three explanations. 1. They may limit or explain
the word sonship. ' Sonship unto himself,' i. e. sonsin
relation to God. 2. They may express the design of
this adoption. ' Sonship for himself,' i. e. for his bene-
fit or glory. This assumes that eh is here equivalent
to the dative. 3. They may be connected immediately
with the words Jesus Christ. ' Through Jesus Christ
to himself,' i. e. to be brought to him by Jesus
Christ. The first is generally preferred, because it

CHAP. I. VER. 5. 37

gives a good sense, and is consistent with the force of

the preposition.

The ground of this predestination and of the elec-
tion founded upon it, is expressed by the clause, Kara
rrjv evhoKLav rov ^6\7]/iaTo<; avrov, according to the
good pleasure of his will. The wordC^ySo^TEt, means
either denevolence, favour, as in Luke 2, 14 ; or good
jpleasure, free or sovereign ^^urpose, as in Matt. 11, 26 ;
and Luke 10, 21. Phil. 2, 13. Tlie meaning therefore
may be either : ' according to his benevolent will,' or
' according to his sovereign will,' i. e. his good plea-
sure. The latter is to be preferred. 1. Because it
agrees better with the usage of the word in the J^. T.
In Matt. 11, 26, otl outoj? i<ye.veTo evSoKia e^irpoadev
aov means, ' Because thus it seemed good in thy
sight.' In Luke 10, 21, the same words occur in the
same sense. In Phil. 2, 13, vwep t?}?. evSoxia^ means,
' Of good pleasure.' 2. The words evSoKia rov ^eXi]-
fiaTo<; naturally mean voluntas Uberrima, heneplacitum,
' sovereign puj'pose / to make them mean benevolent will,
is contrary to scriptural usage. 3. In this connection
it is not the predestinated that are the objects of
evSoKia, but the act of predestination itself. God chose
to have that purpose. It seemed good to him. 4. The
expressions, " purpose of his will,", " counsel of his
will," V. 11, are used interchangeably with that in the
text, and determine its meaning. 5. The analogy of
Scripture is in favour of this interpretation, because
the ground of election is always said to be the good
pleasure of God.

88 EPHE8IANS,

Y. 6. Tlicfinjil end of election is the glory of God.
He has predestinated ns to sonsliip, ek e-rraivov h6^r}<i
T^9 %a/9tT09 avrov, to the jpraise of the glory of his
grace. That is, in order that in the exaltation and
blessedness of his j^coplo, matter for celebrating his
grace might be abundantly afforded. It is worthy
of remark that here, as in 2, 7. 1 Cor. 1, 27-29, and
elsewhere, the specific design of redemption and of the
mode in which its blessings are dispensed, is declared
to bo the manifestation of the grace or unmerited favour
of God. Nothing thei-efore can be more foreign to the
natnre of the Gospel than the doctrine of merit in any
form. It is uncongenial with that great scheme of
mercy whose principal design is to exhibit tlie grace
of God.

It is to weaken the langnago of the apostle to make
86f?79 a mere qualification either of liraivov (praise),
or of x^ipiTo^ (grace). It is neither glorious praise,
nor glorious grace, but to tit e praise of the glory of his
grace. The glory of grace, is the divine excellence of
that attribute manifested as an object of admiration.
Tlie glory of God is the manifested excellence of God,
and the glory of any one of his attributes, is tlu^ mani-
festation of that attribute as an object of pi-aise. Tlie
design of redemption, therefore, is to exhibit the grace
of God in such a conspicuous manner as to fill all
hearts with wonder and all lips with praise.

Wherein he hath made vs accented. Tlie Text in
this clause is uncertain. Some MRS. have iv y which
is the common text; and others 7J<;. Mill, Griesbach,

CHAT. I. VER. 6. 39

Laclinianii, Rlickcrt adopt the latter ; Kiuipp, Scliok,
Ilarless, Do AVctto tlic former. If tlie genitive be
preferred, ^9 is for 'ijp, and the phrase %a/3ty 'xapirovv
wouhl he analogous to others of frequent occurrence,
as K\?]aLi> KoXelv, djdTrrjv dyaTrdv. This clause admits
of two interpretations. The word "xapirow, agreeably
to the analogy of words of the same formation, signifies
to impart %a/jt9 grace. Tlie literal rendering therefore
of the words iv y (^dpiri) i'xapiTwaep yfA.d'i would be,
with which grace he has graced us, or conferred grace
upon us. But as grace sometimes means a disposition
and sometimes a gift, the sense may be either, 'Wherein
(i. e. in the exercise of which) he has been gracious to-
wards us ; ' or, ' With which he has made us gracious or
well pleasing.' In the former case, grace refers to the
goodness or unmerited favour of God exercised towards
us ; in the latter, to the sanctifying effect produced on
us. It is the grace by which he has sanctified or rendered
us gracious (in the subjective sense of that word) in his
sight. The Greek and llomish interpreters prefer tlie
latter interpretation ; the great body of Protestant com-
mentators the former. The reasons in favour of the
former are, 1. Tlie word grace in the context is used in
the sense of Jdnd dis])osition on the part of God, and not
in the sense of a gift. 2. The verb in the only oilier
case where it occurs in the New Testament, is used in
the sense of showing favour. Luke 1, 28 : " Hail, thou
favoured one ! " 3. Tlio j^arallel passage and analogous
expression 2, 4 is in favour of this interpretation. Tliere
it is said, " His great love wliercwith he hath loved

40 EPHESIANS,

US," and here tlie same idea is expressed by saying,
' His grace wherein lie favoured us, or which he has
exercised towards us.' 4. The whole context demands
this interpretation. The apostle is speaking of the
love or grace of God as manifested in our redemption.
He has predestinated us to the adoption of sons to the
praise of the glory of his grace ; which grace he has
exercised towards us, in the remission of sins. The
same idea is expressed 2, Y, where it is said, God hath
quickened us, that in the ages to come he might show
the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness
towards us, through Jesus Christ. " To make ac-
cepted," therefore, here means, to accept, to treat with
favour ; or rather, such is the meaning of the apostle's
language ; gratia am])lexus est, as the word is rendered
by Bengel. To which agrees the explanation of Beza :
gratis nos sibi acceptos effeciL

This grace is exercised towards us in the Beloved.
In ourselves we are unworthy. All kindness towards
us is of the nature of grace. Christ is the beloved for'
his own sake ; and it is to us only as in him and for \
his sake that the grace of God is manifested. This is
a truth which the apostle keeps constantly in view,
2, 5. 6. Y.

Y. Y. In whom we have redenvption. In whom,
i, e. not in ourselves. We are not self-redeemed.
Christ is our Redeemer. The word redemption, utto-
\vTp(oai,<;, sometimes means deliverance in the general,
without reference to the mode in which it is accom-
plished. When used of the work of Christ it is always

CHAP. I. VEK. 7. 41

to be understood in its strict sense, viz. deliverance by
ransom ; because tbis particular mode of redemption
is always either expressed or implied. We are re-
deemed neither by power, nor truth, but by blood ;
that is, by the sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus. A
sacrifice is a ransom, as to its efiect. It delivers those
for whom it is offered and accepted. The words Sia
Tov aifxdTo<i avrov, Ijy Ms lAood., are explanatory of the
words in whom. In whom, i, e. by means of his blood.
They serve to explain the method in which Christ
redeems.

The redemption of which the apostle here speaks
is not the inward deliverance from sin, but it is an
outward work, viz. the forgiveness of sins, as the words
rrjv cicjieaLv roiv TrapaTTTco/jbdrcov necessarily mean. It
is true this is not the whole of redemption, but it is all
the sacred writer here brings into view, because for-
giveness is the immediate end of expiation. Though
this clause is in apposition with the preceding, it is
by no means coextensive with it. So in Rom. 8, 23,
where believers are said to be waiting for the adoption,
to wit, the redemption of the body, the two clauses
are not coextensive in meaning. The redemption of
the body does not exhaust the idea of adoption. 'Nei-
ther in this passage does the forgiveness of sin exhaust
the idea of redemption. This passage is often quoted
in controversy to prove that justification is merely
pardon.

This redemption is not only gratuitous, but it is, in
all its circumstances, an exhibition and therefore a

42 EPHESIANS,

\ proof of the riches of his grace. The word TrXoOro?
ricJies in sucli connections is a favorite one with
tlie apostle, wlio sj^eaks of the riches of glory, the
riches of wisdom, and the exceeding riches of grace
It is the overflowing abundance of immerited love,
inexhaustible in God and freely accessible throngt
Christ. Tliere is, therefore, nothing incompatible be
tween redemption, i. e. deliverance on the ground of i
ransom (or a complete satisfaction to justice), and grace
Tlie grace consists — 1. In providing this satisfactioii
and in accepting it in behalf of sinners. 2. In accept
iug those who are entirely destitute of merit. 3. In
bestowing this redemption and all its benefits without
regard to the comparative goodness of men. It is not
because one is wiser, better, or more noble than others,
that he is made a j^artaker of this grace ; but God
chooses the foolish, the ignorant, and those who are
of no account, that they who glory may glory only in
the Lord.

Y. 8. Wherein he hath abounded towa/rds lis, ^9
eTrepicraevaev ek rjjxa^. As the word Treptaaevco is both
transitive and intransitive, the clause may be rendered
as above, rj<; being for § ; or, which he has caused to
abound towards us, rj^ being for ijv. The sense is the
same ; but as the attraction of the dative is yevj rare,
the latter explanation is to be preferred. "We are re-
deemed according to the riches of that grace, which
God has so freely exercised towards us.

In all toisdo7n and ^^rudence, iv Trdar) aocfiia /cal
^pov^crei. These words admit of a threefold connection

CHAP. I. VEK. 8. 43

and explanation. 1. They may be connected with the
preceding verb and qualify the action of Ood therein
expressed. God, in the exercise of wisdom and pru-
dence, has abounded in grace towards us. 2. Tliey
may be connected with the following clause : ' In all
wisdom and prudence making known, &c.' 3. They\
may be connected with the preceding relative jDronoun. 1
' Which (grace) in connection with, or together with, |
all wisdom and prudence he has caused to abound.' «
That is, the grace manifested by God and received by
us, is received in connection with the divine wisdom or
knowledge of which the subsequent clause goes on to
speak. This last explanation seems decidedly prefer-
able because the terms here used, particularly the word
<f)p6vr}cnp6vr)(nv dicunt, est rerum expetendarum
fugiendarumque scientia. And because the sense af-
forded by the third mentioned intei-pretation is so appro-
priate to the context and so agreeable to other passages
of Scripture. The apostle often celebrates the good-
ness of God in communicating to men the true wisdom ;
not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this
world, but the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the
hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world
to our glory. See 1 Cor. 1, 17 to the end, and the whole
second chapter of that epistle. — Similar modes of ex-
pression are common with the apostle. As here he
speaks of grace being given (eV) m connection toith.
wisdom, so in v. 17 he j)rays that the Ephesians may

44 EPHESIANS,

receive wisdom (eV) in connection with the knowledge
of himself.

The wisdom then which the apostle says God has
communicated to us, is the divine wisdom in the Gos-
pel, the mystery of redemption, which had been hid
for ages in God, but which he has now revealed to his
holy apostles and prophets by the Sj)irit. See the
glorious doxology for this revelation contained in Rom.
16, 25-2Y. Indeed this whole Epistle to the Ephesians
is a thanksgiving to God for the communication of this
mysterious wisdom. Mysterious, not so much in the
sense of incomprehensible, as in that of undiscoverable
by human reason, and a matter of divine revelation.
With wisdom the apostle connects <f>p6vT)ai<;, which is
here used much in the same sense as crvve(n<i in Col.
1,9,' Tliat ye may be tilled with the knowledge of his
will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.'' The
verb (fypoveo) is used for any mental exercise or state
whether of the understanding or of the feelings. In the
ISTew Testament it is commonly employed to express a
state of the affections, or rather, of the whole soul, as in
Mark 8, 33, " Thou savourest not the things which be
of God." Rom. 8, 5, " To mind the things of the flesh."
Col. 3, 2, " Set your affections on things above," &c. &c.
Hence its derivative ^povqjxa is used not only for
thought, but more generally for a state of mind, what
is in the mind or soul, including the affections as well
as the understanding. Hence we have such expres-
sions as ^povrjfia Trjf a-apK6<; a carnal state of mind ,'
and (f)p6v'}]p,a rod Trvevparo'i a state of mind produced

CHAP. I. VER. 9. 45

hy the Spirit. The word <^p6vr]a-L<i is equally compre-
hensive. It is not confined to strictly intellectual
exercises, but expresses also those of the affections.
In other words, when used in reference to spiritual
tilings, it includes all that is meant by spiritual dis-
cernment. It is the apprehension of the spiritual
excellence of the things of God, and the answering
affection towards them. It is not therefore a mere
outward revelation of which the apostle here speaks.
The wisdom and understanding which God has so
abundantly communicated, includes both the objective
revelation and the subjective apprehension of it. This
is the third great blessing of which the context treats.
The first is election ; the second redemption ; the third
is this revelation both outward and inward. The first i
is the work of God, the everlasting Father ; the second 1
the work of the Son ; and the third the work of the i
Holy Spirit, who thus applies to believers the redemp- /
tion purchased by Christ.

Y. 9. God has caused this wisdom to abound, or
has communicated it, homing made hnown unto us the
m/ystery of his will^ yvcopi(7a<i rjfiiv to fj,vaTr]piov_rov
^eX77/AaTo<? avTov. ^ In other words, by the revelation
of the Gospel. Tlie word /jbvarTjpiov, 7nystery, means a
secret, something into which we must be initiated ;
something, which being undiscoverable by us, can be
known only as it is revealed. In this sense the Gospel
is a mystery ; and any fact or truth, however simple in
itself, in the New Testament sense of the word, is a mys-
tery, if it lies beyond the reach of our powers. Comp.

46 EPHESIAJSrS,

Eom. 16, 25. 1 Cor. 2, Y-10. Epli. 3, 9. Col. 1, 26.
For the same reason any doctrine imperfectly revealed
is a mystery. It remains 'in a measm-e secret. Thus
in the fifth chapter of this epistle Paul calls the union
of Christ and believers a great mystery ; and in 1 Tim.
3, 16 he calls the manifestation of God in the flesh, the
great mystery of godliness.

In the present case the mystery of his will means

I his secret j^urpose ', that purpose of redemption, which
having been hid for ages, he has now graciously re-
vealed.

Acc(yrdi/ng to his good pleasure, Kara rrjv evSoKiav
avTov, rjv irpoedero iv avTw. There are three interpre-
tations of this clause. The first is to make it qualify
the word will. ' His will which was according to his
good pleasure ; ' i. e. his kind and sovereign will. But
this is forbidden by the absence of the connecting arti-
cle in the Greek, and also by the following clause.

. The second interpretation connects this clause with the
beginning of the verse, ' Having, according to his good
pleasure, made known the mystery of his will.' The
sense in this case is good, but this interj)retation sup-
poses the relative which, in the following clause, to
refer to the mystery of his will, which its grammatical
form in the Greek forbids. Which {fjv) must refer to
good pleasure (evSoKia). Tlie third explanation, which
alone seems consistent with the context, supposes €v8o-
Kia to mean here not l)enevolence, but hind intention,

I or, sovereign purjpose. The sense then is : ' Having
made known the mystery of his will, according to his

CHAP. I. VEE. 10. 47

kind intention or pui'pose (viz. of redemption) wliicli \
he liad purposed in himself.' Instead of in himself^
many commentators read in him^ referring to Christ.
But this would introduce tautology into the passage.
The aj)Ostle would then say : ' Which he pm-posed in
Christ, to bring together in Christ.'

Y. 10. This verse is beset with difficulties. The
general sense seems to be this : The pui'pose spoken
of in the preceding verse had reference to the scheme
of redemption ; the design of which is to unite all the
Bubjects of redemption, as one harmonious body, under
Jesus Christ.

El<i oiKovofiiav Toil irXrjpoiixaro'i roiv Kacpcov, ava-
Ke^obkamcraaOai^ ktX. The first question relates to the
connection with what precedes. This is indicated by
the preposition et?, which does not here mean iii, as
though the sense were, He purposed in, or during, the
dispensation, &c. ; much less until • but as to, in refer-
ence to. The j)m*pose which God has revealed relates
to the economy here spoken of. The second question
is, what is here the meaning of the word olKovofila ?
The word has two general senses in the N^ew Testament.
When used in reference to one in authority, it means
plan, scheme, or economy. When spoken of one un-
der authority, it means an office, stewardship, or ad-
ministration of such office. In this latter sense Paul
speaks of an otKovofita as having been committed unto
him. As the business of a steward is to administer, or
dispense, so the apostle was a steward of the mysteries
of God. It was his office to dispense to others the

48 EPHESIANS,

truths wMcli God liad revealed to liim. Many take
the word in tlie latter sense here. The meaning would
then be : 'In reference to the administration of the
fulness of times, i. e. the last times, or Messianic period ;
the times which yet remain.' The former sense of the
word however is much better suited to the context.
The apostle is speaking of God's purpose, of what He
intended to do. It was a purpose having reference to
a plan or economy of his own ; an economy here desig-
nated as that of ih^ fulness of times. This phrase does,
not indicate a protracted period — the times which re-]
main — ^but the termination of the times ; the end of the i
preceding and commencement of the new dispensation.
The prophets being ignorant of the time of the Mes-
siah's advent, predicted his coming when the time
determined by God should be accomplished. Hence
tlie expressions, " end of the ages," 1 Cor. 10, 11 ;
" end of days," Heb. 1,1; " fulness of the time," Gal.
4, 4 ; and here, " the fulness of times," are all used to
designate the time of Christ's advent. By the economy
of the fulness of times is therefore to be understood,
that economy which was to be clearly revealed and
carried out when the fulness of time had come.

The infinitive avaKe^aXaiwaaaOav^ to hring together
in one^ may be referred either to the immediately pre-
ceding clause : ' The plan of the fulness of times to
bring together in one ; ' or to the preceding verse :
' The purpose which he purposed (in reference to the
economy of the fulness of times), to gather together in
one.' The sense is substantially the same. The verb

CHAP. I. VER. 10. 49

Ke^aXaioo) means summatim oolligere^ avaKe<f>a\ai6(o,
summatim recolUgere. In tlie I^^ew Testament it means
either : 1. To rednce to one sum, i. e. to sum up, to
recapitulate. Kom. 13, 9 : ' All the commands are
summed up in, or under, one precept.' 2. To unite
under one head ; or, 3. To renew. Many of the Fa-
thers adopt the last signification in this ]3lace, and con-
sider this passage as parallel with Eom. 8, 19-22.
Through Christ God purposes to restore or renovate all
things ; to effect a iraXtyyevea-ia or regeneration of the
universe, i. e. of the whole creation which now groans
under the burden of corruption. This sense of the
word however is remote. The first and second mean-
ings just mentioned differ but little. Tliej both include
the idea expressed in our version, that of regathering
together in one, the force of avd, iterum, being retained.
Beza explains the word : partes disjectas et divulsas in
unum corpus conjungere. — ^Tlie purpose of God, which
he has been pleased to reveal, and which was hidden
, for ages, is his intention to reunite all things as one
harmonious whole under Jesus Christ.

Tlie words ra Trdvra, all things, are explained by
the following clause : rd iv rot? ovpavoU koI to, errl
T77<? 77}?, hoth which are in heaven and which a/re on
ea/rth. The totality here referred to includes every
thing in heaven and on earth, which the nature of the
subject spoken of admits of being comprehended.
There is nothing to limit these comprehensive terms,
but the nature of the union to which the apostle refers.
As, therefore, the Scriptures speak of the whole uni-

60 EPHESIAJSrS,

verse, material and rational, as being placed under
Jesus Christ ; as they speak especially of all orders
of intelligent creatures being subject to him ; as they
teach the union of the long disjected members of the
human family, the Jews and Gentiles, in one body in
Christ, of which union this epistle says so much and in
such exalted strains ; and as finally they speak of the
union of the saints of all ages and nations, of those now
in heaven and of those now on earth, in one great
family above ; the words, all things, are very various-
ly explained. 1. Some understand them to include the
whole creation, material and spiritual, and apply the
passage to the final restoration of all things ; or to that
redemption of the creature from the bondage of corrup-
tion of which the apostle speaks in Rom. 8, 19-22.
2. Others restrict the " all things " to all intelligent
creatures — good and bad, angels and men — fallen spirits
and the finally impenitent. In this view the reduction
to unity, here spoken of, is imderstood by the advocates
of the restoration of all things to the favour of God, to
refer to the destruction of all sin and the banishment
of all misery from the universe. But those who believe
that the Scriptures teach that the fallen angels and the
finally impenitent among men, are not to be restored
to holiness and happiness, and who give the phrase " all
tilings" the wide sense just mentioned, understand the
apostle to refer to the final triumph of Christ over all
his enemies, of which he speaks in 1 Cor. 15, 23-28.
All things in heaven above, in the earth beneath, and
in the waters under the earth, are to be made subject

CHAP. I. VEE. 10. 51

to Clirist ; but tliis subjection will be either voluntary
or coerced. The good will joyfully acknowledge bis
supremacy ; the evil lie will restrain and confine, that
they no longer trouble or pervert his people. 3. Others
again understand the words under consideration, of all
good angels and men. The inhabitants of heaven, or
the angels, and the inhabitants of the earth, or the
saints, are to be united as a harmonious whole under
Jesus Christ. 4. The words are restricted to the mem-
bers of the human family ; and the distinction between
those in heaven and those on earth, is supposed to refer
to the Jews and Gentiles, who, having been so long
separated, are under the Gospel and by the redemption
of Christ, united in one body in him. The Jews are
said to be in heaven because in the kingdom of heaven,
or the theocracy ; and the Gentiles are said to be on
earth, or in the world as distinguished from the church.
5. The words may be confined to the people of God,
the redeemed from among men, some of whom are
now in heaven and others are still on earth. The
whole body of the redeemed are to be gathered toge-
ther in one, so that there shall be one fold and one
shepherd. Tlie form of expression is analogous to Eph.
3, 15, where the apostle speaks of the whole family in
heaven and earth.

The decision which of these several interpretations
is to be adopted, depends mainly on the nature of the
union here spoken of, and on the means by which it is
accomplished. If the union is merely a union under a
triumphant king, effected by his power converting

62 EPHESIAJlfS,

some and coercing others, then of course we must un'
derstand the passage as referring to all intelligent
creatures. But if the union spoken of be a union with
God, involving conformity to his image and the enjoy-
ment of his favour, and effected by the redemption of
Christ, then the terms here employed must be restricted
to the subjects of redemption. And then if the Scrip-
tures teach that all men and even fallen angels are
redeemed by Christ, and restored to the favour of God,
they must be included in the all things in heaven and
earth here spoken of. If the Scriptures teach that good
angels are the subjects of redemption, then they must
be comprehended in tlie scope of this passage.* But if
the doctrine of the Bible be, that only a certain jjortion
of the human family are redeemed and saved by the
blood of Christ, then to them alone can the passage be
understood to refer. In order therefore to establish the
correctness of the fifth interpretation mentioned above,
all that is necessary is to prove, first, that the passage

* Calvin thiuks there is a sense in which good angels may be said to
be redeemed by Christ. On this passage, he says : Nihil tamen impedit,
quominus angelos quoque dicaraus recoUectos fuisse, non ex dissipatione,
sed primum. ut perfecte et solide adhereant Deo ; deinde ut perpetuum
statum retineant .... Quis neget, tarn angelos quam homines, in firmum
ordinem Christo gratia fuisse redactos ? homines enim perditi erant, an-
geli vero non erant extra periculum. Again, on the parallel passage in
Colossians, he says : Duabus de causis angelos quoque oportuit cum Deo
pacificari, nam quum creaturae sint extra lapsus periculum non erant, non
nisi Christi gratia fuissent confirmati .... Deinde in hac ipsa obedientia,
quam prsestant Deo, non est tam exquisita perfectio, ut Deo omui ex
parte et extra veniam satisfaciat.

CHAP. I. VEK. 10. 53

speaks of that miion wliicli is effected by the redemp-
tion of Christ ; and secondly, that the chnrch alone is
the subject of redemption.

That the passage does speak of that union which is
effected by redemption, may be argued — 1. From the
context. Paul, as we have seen, gives thanks first for
the election of God's people ; secondly, for their actual
redemption ; thirdly, for the revelation of the gracious
purpose of God relative to their redemption. It is
of the redemption of the elect, therefore, that the whole
context treats. 2. Secondly, the union here spoken
of is an union in Christ. God has purposed " to ga-
ther together all things in Christ." The things in
heaven and the things on earth are to be united in
Him. But believers alone, the members of his body,
are ever said to be in Christ. It is not true that angels
good or bad, or the whole mass of mankind are in Him
in any scriptm'al sense of that expression. 3. The word
here used expresses directly or indirectly the idea of
the union of all things under Christ as their head.
Christ is not the head of angels, nor of the material
universe in the sense in which the context here de-
mands. He is the head of his body, i. e. his church.
It is therefore only of the redemption of the chm'ch
of which this passage can be understood. 4. The
obviously parallel passage in Colossians 1, 20 seems
decisive on this point. It is there said : " It pleased the
Father .... having made peace through the blood of
his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself;
by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or

54 EPHESIANS,

things in heaven." From this passage it is plain that
the union to be effected is a reconciliation, which im-
plies previous alienation, and a reconciliation effected
by the blood of the cross. It is, therefore, not a union
of subjection merely to the same Lord, but it is one
effected by the blood of Christ, and consecpiently the
passage can be understood only of the subjects of
redemption.

That the church or people of God, excluding angels
good or bad, and the finally impenitent among men,
are alone the subjects of redemption, is proved, as to
evil angels and impenitent men, by the numerous pas-
sages of Scripture which speak of their final destruc-
tion ; and as to good angels, by the entire silence of
Scripture as to their being redeemed by Christ, and by
the nature of the work itself. Redemption, in the
scriptural sense, is deliverance from sin and misery,
and therefore cannot be predicated of those angels who
kept their first estate.

These considerations exclude all the interpretations
above enumerated except the fourth and fifth. The
fourth, which supposes the passage to refer to the
union of the Jews and Gentiles, is excluded by its
opposition to the uniform language of Scripture. The
Jews are never designated as ' inhabitants of heaven.'
It is in violation of all usage, therefore, to suppose they
are here indicated by that phrase. Nothing therefore
remains but the assumption that the apostle refers to
the union of all the people of God, i. e. of all the
redeemed, in one body under Jesus Cln-ist their head.

CHAP. I. VER. 11. 55

Thej are to be constituted an everlasting kingdom ;
or, according to another symbol — a living temple, of
which Jesus Christ is the chief corner stone.

Y. 11. God having formed and revealed the pur-
pose of gathering the redeemed as one body in Christ,
it is in the execution of this purpose, the apostle says :
iv o§ Kol eKXrjpoodrjfjbev, in whom we also have obtained
am, inheritance. By we^ in this clause, is to be under-
stood neither the apostle individually, nor believers
indiscriminately, but '^^f^^^^ho fii'st hoped in Christ ;
we as contrasted with you also in v. 13 ; you who were
formerly Gentiles in the flesh, 2, 11. It is, therefore,
the Jewish Christians to whom this clause refers.

Save obtained an inheritance. The word Kkr^poo).^
means to cast lots, to distribute hy lot, to choose by lot,
and in the middle voice, to obtain by lot or inheritance,
or simply, to obtain. There are three interpretations
of the word iKkr^pwOrjtiev in this passage, all consistent
with its signification and usage. 1. Some prefer the
sense to choose : ' In whom we also were chosen, as it
were, by lot, i. e. freely.' The Yulgate translates the
passage : Sorte vocati sumus ; and Erasmus : Sorte
electi sumus. 2. As in the Old Testament the people
of God are called his inheritance, many suppose the
apostle has reference to that usage and meant to say :
' In whom we have become the inheritance of God.'
3. The majority of commentators prefer the interi^re-
tation adopted in oui* version : ' In whom we have
obtained an inheritance.' This view is sustained by the
following considerations. 1. Though the verb is in the

56 EPHESIANS,

passive, tlie above rendering may be justified eitlier by
the remark of Grotius : as tlie active form signifies to
give a possession, the passive may signify to accept it ;*
or by a reference to tliat usage of tlie passive voice
illustrated in such passages as Rom. 3, 2. Gal. 2, 7.
With verbs, which in the active have the accusative
and dative, in the passive construction what was in the
dative, becomes the nominative. Hence eKk'qpwOi^fiev
is the same as iKktjpwae rjfiiv Kkripovofiiav ; just as
TreTTiaTev/jbab to euayyeXLov is equivalent to iTrlarevcre
fxot, TO evayyektov. 2. The inheritance of which the
i apostle speaks in the context, as in vs. 14 and 18, is
) that which believers enjoy. They are not themselves
the inheritance, they are the heirs. Therefore in this
place it is more natural to understand him as referring
to what believers attain in Christ, than to their becom-
ing the inheritance of God. As the Israelites of old
obtained an inheritance in the promised land, so those
in Christ become partakers of that heavenly inheritance
which he has secured for them. To this analogy such
frequent reference is made in Scripture as to leave little
doubt as to the meaning of this j)assage. 3. The j^aral-
lel passage in Col. 1, 12, also serves to determine the
sense of the clause under consideration. What is there
expressed by saying : ' Hath made us partakers of the
inheritance of the saints in light ; ' is here ex^^ressed
by saying : ' We have obtained an inheritance.' Kal,

* His words are : KX-r\povv dicitur, qui alteri dat possessionem, K\ripov~
tBui, qui earn accipit.

CHAP. I. VEE. 11. 57

also, belongs to the verb and not to tne pronoun im-
plied in tlie form of tlie verb. The sense is not we also,
i. e. we as well as other ; but, ' we have also obtained
an inheritance.' We have not only been made par-
takers of the knowledge of redemption, but are actually
heirs of its blessings.

There are two sentiments with which the mind of
the apostle was thoroughly imbued. The one is, a
sense of the absolute supremacy of God, and the other
a corresponding sense of the dependence of man and
the consequent conviction of the entirely gratuitous
nature of all the benefits of redemption. To these
sentiments he seldom fails to give expression on any
fit occasion. In the present instance having said we
have in Christ obtained a glorious inheritance, the
question suggests itself, "Why ? His answer is : Having
heen predestinated according to the purpose of Him who
worTceth all things after the counsel of his own will.
It is neither by chance nor by our own desert or efforts,
that we, and not others, have been thus highly favoured.
It has been brought about according to the purpose
and by the efiiciency of God. What has happened He
predetermined should occur ; and to his " working "
the event is to be exclusively referred. "We are said
to be predestinated, Kara irpodeaLv, according to the
purpose of God. In v. 5 the same thing is expressed
by saying : ' We were predestinated according to the
good pleasure of his will ; ' and in Eom. 8, 28, by say-
ing : ' We are called according to his purpose.' Two
iiings are included in these forms of expression.

58 EPHESiAjsrs,

1st. That wliat occurs was foreseen and foreordained.
The plan of God embraced and ordered the events here
referred to. 2d. That the ground or reason of these
occurrences is to be sought in God, in the determination
of his will. This however is not a singular case. The
bringing certain persons to the enjoyment of the inher-
itance purchased by Christ, is not the only thing
foreordained by God and brought about by his effi-
ciency, and, therefore, the apostle generalizes the truth
here expressed, by saying : ' "We are predestinated ac-
cording to the purpose of Him who worketh all things
after the counsel of his own will.' Every thing is
comprehended in his purpose, and every thing is or-
dered by his efficient control. That control, however,
is exercised in accordance with the nature of his crea-
tures, so that no violence is done to the constitution
which he has given them. He is glorified, and his
purposes are accomplished without any injustice or
violence.

The counsel of his will, Kara ttjv /3ovX7]v tov ^eXtj-
/jiaro'i auTov, means the counsel which has its origin
in his will ; neither suggested by others, nor deter-
mined by any thing out of himself. It is therefore
equivalent to his sovereign will.

Y. 12. That we should he to the praise of his glory,
el's TO elvai ri/id^, et? eiraivov Trj<; S6^r}<i avTOV, that is,
that we should be the means of causing his divine
I majesty or excellence to be praised. Here, as in v. 6,
the glory of God is declared to be the design of the
plan of redemption and of every thing connected with

CHAP. I. VEE. 12. 59

its administration. Tlie persons here spoken of are
described as roix; irpoTfK.'mKOTa'i iv tcS XpLaTay, those
who first hojped in Christ. That is, who hoped in him
of old, or before his advent ; or, who hoped in him
before others, mentioned in v. 13, had heard of him.
In either case it designates not the first converts to
Christianity, but the Jews who, before the Gentiles,
had the Messiah as the object of their hopes. The
form of expression here nsed {ekirl^eiv iv), does not
mean simply to expect, but to place one's hope or con-
fidence in any one. Comp. 1 Cor. 15, 19. It is not,
therefore, the Jews as such, but the believing Jews,
who are here spoken of as in Christ the partakers of
the inheritance which he has pm*chased.

The construction of these several clauses adopted
in the foregoing exposition is that which takes them in
their natural order, and gives a sense consistent with
the usage of the words and agreeable to the analogy
of Scripture. The first clause of this verse is made to
depend upon the last clause of v. 11 : ' Having pre-
destinated us to be the praise of his glory ; ' and the
last clause, ' Who first hoped in Christ,' is merely
explanatory of the class of persons spoken of. The
whole then hangs naturally together : ' We have ob-
tained an inheritance, having been predestinated to be
the praise of his glory, we, who first hoped in Christ.'
There are, however, two other modes of construction
possible. The one connects the begimiing of v, 12
with the first clause of v. 11, and renders eKkiqpaiOr^iiev,
we have attained. The sense would then be, ' We have

60 EPHESIAN8,

attained, or, it lias happened unto ns to be to the praise
of his glory.' This however not only nnnaturally dis-
severs contiguons clauses, but assigns to €K\7]p(o6r]fji,ev
a weakened sense inconsistent with the Scripture usage
of that and its cognate words. A second method con-
nects the last clause of the 12th verse with the second
clause of the 11th. — ' Having predestinated us to be
the first who hoped in Christ.' But this also rends the
clauses apart, and does not express a sense so suitable
to the context. It is saying much more, and much
more in the way of an explanation of the fact affirmed
in the first clause of v. 11, to say, ' We were predes-
tinated to be the praise of God's glory ; ' than to say,
' We were predestinated to be the first who hoped in
Christ.' The majority of commentators therefore take
the clauses as they stand, and as they are concatenated
in our version.

Y. 13. The apostle having in v. 10 declared that
the purpose of God is to bring all the subjects of re-
demption into one harmonious body, says in v. 11 that
j this purpose is realized in the conversion of the Jewish
[Christians, and he here adds that another class, viz. the
jGentile Christians, to whom his epistle is specially
(addressed, are comprehended in the same purjDOse.
The first clause, eV m koX vfxel<i, ktK., is clli^^tical,^ In
li'Jiom ye also, after that ye heard, &c There are there-
fore several modes- of construction possible. 1.0m-
translators borrow the verb rfKiriKaTe from the imme-
diately preceding clause. — ' We, who fii'st trusted in
Christ, in whom ye also trusted.^ But the preceding

CHAP. I. VEE. 13. 61

clause is merely subordinate and explanatory, and does
not express the main idea of the context. This con-
struction also overlooks the obvious antithesis between
the we of the 11th verse and the you of this clause.
2. Others supply simply the verb are. ' In whom you
also are.'' This is better, but it is liable to the latter
objection just mentioned. 3. Others make you the
nominative to the verb were sealed in the following
clause. — ' In whom you also (having heard, &c.) were
sealed.' But this requires the clauses to be broken by
a parenthesis. It supposes also the construction to be
irregular, for the words in whom also are repeated
before the verb ye were sealed. The passage according
to this construction would read, ' In whom ye also — ,
in whom also ye were sealed.' Besides, the sealing is
not the first benefit the Gentile Christians received.
They were first brought into union with Christ and
made partakers of his inheritance and then sealed.
4. It is therefore more consistent not only with the
drift of the whole passage, and with the relation be-
tween this verse and verse 11, but also with the con-
struction of this and the following verse to supply the
word eKkrjpdidrjTe, have obtained an inheritance. Every
thing is thus natural. In v. 11, the apostle says, 'In
whom we have obtained an inheritance ; ' and here,
' In whom ye also have obtained an inheritance.'
Both Jews and Gentiles are by the mediation of Christ,
and in union with him, brought to be partakers of the
benefits of that plan of mercy which God had purposed
in himselfj and which he has now revealed for the
salvation of men.

62 , EPHESIANS,

Tlie clause that follows expresses the means by
which the Gentile Christians were brought to be par-
takers of this inheritance. — ' In whom ye also have
obtained an inheritance, aKovaavre'i top \6yov rrj^i
akrjdeia'i, to euajy. rrj<i aaTTjpla^ v/xcov, having heard
tJie word of truth, the gospel of your sal/uation.'' The
latter of these expressions is explanatory of the former.
By the word of truth, is to be understood, the Gospel.
The word of truth does not mean simply true doctrine ;
but that word which is truth, or in which divine or
saving truth is. Col. 1, 5. 2 Cor. 6, 7. The gospel of
your salvation, is the gospel concerning your salvation ;
or rather, the gospeljpdiich^sayes you. It is that gos-
pel which is, as is said liom. 1, 16, the power of God
unto salvation. As it was by hearing this gospel the
Gentiles in the days of the apostle were brought to be
partakers of the inheritance of God, so it is by the same
means men are to be saved now and in all coming ages
until the consummation. It is by the word of truth,
and not truth in general, but by that truth which con-
stitutes the glad news of salvation.

Tn whom also, after that ye Relieved, ye were sealed.
Tliis is more than a translation, it is an exposition of
the original, eV c5 KaX irLo-Tevaavre'i ia^payiadrjre.
There are three interpretations of this clause possible,
of which our translators have chosen the best. Tlie
relative (eV c§) may be referred to the word gospel.
' Iti which having believed ; ' or it may be referred to
Christ and connected with the following participle,
* In whom having believed ; ' or it may be taken as in

CHAP. I. VEE. 13. 63

our version, by itself, ' In wj^m, i.- e/united to whom,
after tliat ye believed, ye were'^ealed.' This is to be
preferred not only because the other construction is
unusual (i. e. it is rare that Trca-Teveiv is followed by eV),
but because the words, m whom, occur so frequently
in tlie context in the same sense with that here given
to them. In Christ, the Gentile Christians had ob-
tained an inheritance, and in him also, they were
sealed — after having believed. Whatever is meant by
sealing, it is something which follows faith.

There are several purposes for which a seal is used.

\ 1. To authenticate or confirm as genuine and true.

! 2. To mark as one's property. 3. To render secure.

I In all these senses believers are sealed. They are

I authenticated as the true childi*en of God ; they have
the witness within themselves, 1 John 5, 10. Rom. 8,
16. 5, 5. They are thus assured of their reconciliation
and acceptance. They are moreover marked as be-

i longing to God, Rev. T, 3 ; that is, they are indicated
to others, by the seal impressed upon them, as his
chosen ones. And thirdly, they are sealed unto salva-
tion ; i. e. they are rendered certain of being saved.\
The sealing of God secures their safety. Thus believ-
ers are said Eph. 4, 30, " to be sealed unto the day
of redemption ;" and in 2 Cor. 1, 21, the apostle says :
" Now he which establisheth us with you in Christ,
and hath anointed us, is God ; who also hath sealed
us, and given us the earnest of the Spirit in our
hearts." The sealing then of which this passage
speaks answers all these ends. It assures of the favour

64: EPHESIAN8,

/ of God ; it indicates tliose wlio belong to him ; and it

' renders their salvation certain.

This sealing is hy the Holy Sjnrit of promise. That
is, by the Spirit who was promised ; or who comes in
virtue of the promise. This promise was given fre-
quently through the ancient prophets, who j)redicted
that when the Messiah came and in virtue of his medi-
ation, God would pour his Spirit on all flesh. Christ
when on earth frequently repeated this promise ; as-
suring his disciples that when he had gone to the
Father, he would send them the Comforter, even the
Spirit of truth, to abide with them for ever. After his
resurrection he commanded the apostles to abide in
Jerusalem until they had received " the promise of the
Father," Acts 1, 4 ; meaning thereby the gift of the
Holy Ghost. In Gal. 3, 14, it is said to be the end
for which Christ redeemed us from the curse of the
law, that we should receive the jDromise of the Spirit.
This then is the great gift which Christ secures for his
people ; the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, as the
som'ce of truth, holiness, consolation, and eternal life.

\. 14. This Spirit is 6 dppaj3cov Trj<; Kkr]povofiia<;
rjfiwv, the earnest of our inheritojice. It is at once the

i foretaste and the pledge of all that is laid up for the
believer in heaven. The word dppajSoiv is a Hebrew
term which passed first into the Greek and then into the
Latin vocabulary, retaining its original sense. It means
first, a part of the j)rice of any thing purchased, paid,
as a security for the full payment, and then more
generally a pledge. It occurs three times in reference

CHAP. I. VEE. 14. 65

to the Holy Spirit in the 'Nqw Testament, 2 Cor. 1, 22.
5, 5 ; and in the passage before us. In the same sense
the Scriptures sj)eak of " the first fruits of the Spirit,"
Rom. 8, 23. Those influences of the Spirit which be-
lievers now enjoy are at once a prelibation or antepast
of future blessedness, the same in kind though immea-
surably less in degree ; and a pledge of the certain
enjoyment of that blessedness. Just as the first fruits
were a part of the harvest, and an earnest of its in-
gathering. It is because the Spirit is an earnest of our
inheritance, that his indwelling is a seal. It assures
those in whom he dwells of their salvation, and renders
that salvation certain. Hence it is a most precious
gift to be most religiously cherished.

Until the redernption of the purchased possession^
ek aTToXvrpcoaiv tt)? irepnToirjaew';. It is doubtful whe-
ther these words should be comiected with the j)reced- _, ^
ing clause or with the words were sealed in the 13th v^-^/'^.*^'''^
verse. Our translators have adopted the former me-
thod. ' The Spirit is an earnest until the redemption,'
&c. The latter, however, is perhaps on the whole
preferable. ' Te were sealed until, or in reference to,
the redemption,' &c. This view is sustained by a com-
parison with 4, 30, where it is said : ' Ye were sealed
} unto the day of redemption.'

The word redemption, in its Christian sense, some-
times means that deliverance from the curse of the
law and restoration to the favour of God, of which
believers are in this life the subjects. Sometimes it
refers to that final deliverance from all evil, which is
~ 5

66 EPHESIAKS,

to take a place at the second advent of Clirist. Thus
in Luke 21, 28, " They shall see the Son of man com-
ing in a cloud with power and great glory ; . . , . then
lift u]3 your heads ; for your redemption draweth nigh,"
Kom. 8, 23. Eph. 4, 30. There can be no doubt that
it here refers to this final deliverance.

The word rendered jpuTchased possession, is irepi-
TToirja-Lf; ; which means either the act of acquiring, or,
the thing acquired. If the former signification be
adopted here, the word can only be taken as a partici-
pial qualification of the preceding word. ' Tlie redemp-
tion of acquisition,' for ' acquired or purchased re-
demption.' But this is unnatural. Redemption in it-
self includes the idea of purchased deliverance. ' Pur-
chased redemption' is therefore tautological. If the
word be taken for ' the thing acquired,' then it may
refer to heaven, or the inheritance here spoken of.
But heaven is never said to be redeemed. It is there-
fore most naturally understood of God's people. They
are his possession, his peculium. They are in 1 Pet.
2, 9 called Xao? eh irepiTTolija-iv^ a peculiar people.
And in Mai. 3, 17 it is said. They shall be to me for a
possession, eaovral fxoc eh Trepi.Trolrjcriv. Comp. Acts
20, 28, eKK\r](TLa rjv irepieiroi'tjaaTo. This interpretation
is, therefore, peculiarly suited to the scriptural usage,
and the sense is perfectly appropriate. Ye are sealed,
says the apostle, until the redemption of God's peculiar
people ; i. e. unto the great day of redemption spoken
of in 4, 30.

Unto the praise of his glory, i. e. that his glory or

CHAP. I. VS. 15-23. 67

1 excellence should be praised. Comp. vs. 6 and 12.
This is the end both of the final redemption and of the
present acceptance of believers. This clause, there- ■
fore, is to be referred to the whole of the j)receding .'
passage. Ye have received an inheritance, have been
sealed, and have received the Holy Spirit as an earnest,
in order that God may be glorified. This is the last
and highest end of redemption.

SECTION m.— Vs. 15-23.

15. Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord

16. Jesus, and love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for

17. you, making mention of you in my prayers ; 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 heing enlightened ; that ye
may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches

19. of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the
exceeding greatness of his power to us- ward who believe, ac-

20. cording to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought
in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at

21. his own right hand in the heavejilj places, far above all princi-
pality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name
that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which

22. is to come : and hath put all things under his feet, and gave

23. him to ie the head over all things to his church : which is hia
body, the fulness of him that fiUeth aU in all.

AJSfALTSIS.

Having in the preceding Section unfolded the
natm^e of those blessings of which the Ephesians had

68 EPHESIAiq-8,

become partakers, the apostle gives thanks to God for
their conversion, and assures them of their interest in
his prayers, vs. 15. 16. He prays that God wonld give
them that wisdom and knowledge of himself of which
the Spirit is the author, v. 17 ,\ that their eyes might
be enlightened properly to apprenend the nature and
value of that hope which is founded in the call of God ;
and the glory of the inheritance to be enjoyed among
the saints, v. ly; and the greatness of that power which
had been already exercised in their conversion, v. 19.
The power which effected their spiritual resurrection,
was the same as that which raised Christ from the
dead, and exalted him above all created beings and
associated him in the glory and dominion of God, vs.
20. 21. To him all things are made subject, and he is
constituted the supreme head of the church, which is his
body, the fulness or complement of the mystical person
of him who fills the universe with his presence and
power, vs. 22. 23.

COMMENTAHT.

Y. 15. Wherefore. Tliis word is to be referred
either to the whole preceding paragraph, or specially
to V. 13. ' Because you Ephesians, you Gentile Chris-
tians, have obtained a portion in this inheritance, and,
after having believed, have been sealed with the Holy
Spirit of promise, &c.' — ' Talso, i. e. as well as others,
and especially yourselves.' Tlie Ephesians might well
be expected to be filled with gratitude for their con-

CHAP. I. VEK. 15. 69

version. The apostle assui'es them he joins them in
their pei*petual thanksgiving over this glorious event.

Having heard of your faitli in the Lord Jesus.
As Paul was the founder of the church in Ephesus.
and had laboured long: in that city, it has always ex-
cited remark that he should speak of having heard of
their faith, as though he had no personal acquaintance
with them. This form of expression is one of the rea-
sons why many have adopted the opinion, as mentioned
in the Introduction, that this epistle was addressed not
to the Ephesians alone or principally, but to all the
churches in the western part of Asia Minor. It is,
however, not unnatural that the apostle should speak
thus of sg large and constantly changing a congregation,
after having been for a time absent from them. Be-
sides, the exjDression need mean nothing more than
that he continued to hear of their good estate. The
two leading graces of the Christian character are faith
and love — faith in Christ and love to the brethren. Of
these, therefore, the apostle here speaks. Your faith y
T-qv fcaO' vfid<i ttlcttiv, which either means the faith
which is with you j or as our version renders the
words, your faith. Comp. in the Greek Acts 17, 28.
18, 15. Faith in the Lord Jesus, i. e. faith or trust
\ which has its ground in him. For examples of the
construction of irlarL'i with eV, see Gal. 3, 26. Col. 1, 4.
1 Tim. 1,14. 3,13. 2 Tim. 1,13. 3,15. Comp. Mark
1, 15, and in the Septuagint Jer. 12, 6. Ps. 78, 22.
This construction, though comparatively rare, is not
to be denied, nor are forced interpretations of pas-

70 EPHESIANS,

sages where it occurs to be justified, in order to gel
rid of it.

In the Old Testament the phrases, the Lord said,
the Lord did, our Lord, and the like, are of constant
occurrence ; and are used onlj, in this general way,
of the Supreme God. We never hear of the Lord, nor
our Lord, wlien reference is had to Moses or any other
of the prophets. In the ISTew Testament, however,
what is so common in the Old Testament in reference
to God, is no less common in reference to Christ. He
is the Lord ; the Lord Jesus ; our Lord, &c. &c. It is
this constant mode of speaking, together with the exhi-
bition of his divine excellence, and holding him up as
the object of faith and love, even more than any partic-
ular declaration, which conveys to the Christian reader
the conviction of his true divinity. His being the ob-
ject of faith and the ground of trust to immortal beings,
is irreconcilable with any other assumption than that
he is the true God and eternal life.

And love towards all the saints, i. e. towards those
who are saints ; those who have been cleansed, separa-
ted from the world, and consecrated to God. This love
is founded upon the character and relations of its ob-
jects as the people of God, and therefore it embraces
all the saints.

Y. 16. I cease not giving tha/nks for you, making
mention of you, &c. This does not mean, ' praying I
give thanks ; ' but twojthings are mentioned — constant

iksgiving on their account, and intercession.

Y. lY. The burden of his prayer is contained in this

CHAP. I. TEE. 17. 71

and the verses following. The object of his prayer,
or the j)erson to whom it is addressed, is designated,
first, as the God of our Lord Jesus Clirist^ i. e. the God
whose work Christ came to do, bj whom he was sent,
of whom he testified and to whom he has gone ; — and
secondly, 6 Trarr/p t% Sof???, tlie Father of glory.
This designation is varionsly explained. By glory
many of the Fathers understood the divine nature of
Christ, and remarked that Paul here calls God, the
God of Christ as a man, but his Father as God.'^ This
interpretation of the phrase ' Father of glory,' is with-,
out the least suj)j)ort from the analogy of Scripture.
It means ^khej*, the source or_author of glory ; or the
possessor of glory, i. e. who is glorious. Comp. Acts
7, 1. 1 Cor. 2, 8, " Lord of glory." James 2, 1, and
in Ps. 2-i, 7, " the king of glory."

There are three leading petitions expressed in the
prayer here recorded. Firstfor adequate knowleclge
of divine truth. Secc)nd, for due appreciation of the
future blessedness of the saints. Third, for a proper
understanding of what they themselves had already
experienced in their conversion.

His first prayer is thus expressed : Tliat lie may
give unto you the Spirit of wisd^oon and revelation^ in
the hiowledge of him. By irvevfj.a ao(^ia<;^ the /Spirit
of wisdo7n, is to be understood the E^oljgig^it, the
author of wisdom, and not merely a state of mind,

* So Bengel, who explains the expression thus : Pater gloriae, iiifinitae
illius, quae refiJget in facie Christi ; immo gloriae quae est ipse filius Dei.

T2 EPHESIANS,

whicli consists in wisdom. It is true the word spirit ie
sometimes used in periphrases expressive of mental
acts or states. As in 1 Cor. 4, 21, " spirit of meek-
ness ; " and 2 Cor. 4, 13, " The same spirit of faith,"
i. e. the same confidence. But in the present case the
former interpretation is to be p^p.fprrprl i kpAusp
the Holy Spirit is so constantly recognized as the
source of all right knowledge ; and 2. Because the
analogy of Scripture is in favour of this view of the
passage. In such passages as the following the word
spirit evidently is to be understood of the Holy Spirit.
John 15, 26, "Spirit of truth;" Eom. 8, 15, " Si^irit
of adoption ; " comp. Gal. 4, 6, " God sent forth the
Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Fa-
ther." ITliess.l, 6, " Joy of the Holy Spirit." Eom.
15, 30, " Love of the Spirit." GaL 5, 5, " We by the
Spirit wait," &c. The Holy Spirit is the author of that
wisdom of which the apostle S])eaks so fully in 1 Cor.
2, 6-10 ; and which he describes, first negatively as
not of this world, and then affirmatively, as the hidden
wisdom of God, which he had revealed, by the Spirit,
for our glory. It is the whole system of divine truth,
\ which constitutes the Gospel. Those who have this
wisdom are the wise. There is a twofold revelation
of this wisdom, the one outward, by inspiration, or
through inspired men ; the other inward, by spiritual
illumination. Of both these the apostle speaks in
1 Cor. 2, 10-16, and both are here brought into
view. Comp. Phil. 3, 15. By a7roKd\v\ln<i, revelation,
therefore, in this passage is not to be understood, the

CHAP. I. VEE. 17. 73

knowledge of future events, nor the proplietic gift, nor
inspiration. It is sometliing wliicli all believers need
and for wliicli they should pray, t-t-jsjliat jnanifesta-
tion of the nature or excellence of the things of^dd',
which the Spirit makes to all who are spiritually en-
1ig-h<"P^Tpd^ nnrl of which our Saviour spoke, when he
said in reference to believers, Tliey shall all be taught
of God. ' '

In tJie 'knowledge of him. The pronoun him refers
not to Christ, but to Qod the immediate subject in this
context. The word eTTLyvcoa-a here rendered know-
ledge means accurate and certain, and especially, ex-1
perimentaL-JvflDwled^e ; as in Rom. 3, 20, " By the
law is the knowledge (the conviction) of sin." Eph. 4,
13. Phil. 1, 9. 1 Tim. 2, 4. The word exT3resses ade-
quate and proper knowledge, the precise nature of
which depends on the object known. Tlie j^hrase is
iv eTTLyvoicet, which some render as though eZ? with
tlie accusative were used — unto knowledge, i. e. so as
to know. Others connect these words with those
which precede, and translate, ' wisdom in knowledge,'
i. e. wisdom consisting in knowledge. Others again
connect them with the following clause, ' Thi-ough
knowledge your eyes being enlightened.' The simplest
method is to refer them to what precedes. ' May give
you wisdom together with the knowledge of himself.'
Comp. V. 8, and Phil. 1, 9, " That yom- love may
abound in, i. e. together with, knowledge." Tlie apos-
tle's prayer is for the Holy Spii-it to dwell in them, as
the author of divine wisdom, and as the revealer of the

74 EPHESIAITS,

tilings of God, wliicli insiglit into the things of the
Spirit, is connected with that knowledge of God in
which eternal life essentially consists.

Y. 18. The eyes of your understanding heing en-
lightened. Instead of SLavola^; understa/nding, the great
majority of ancient manuscripts and versions read Kap-
Blwi head, which is no doubt the true reading. The

tord heart in Scripture is often used as we use the
ord soul, to designate the whole spiritual natm^e in
man. Eom. 1, 21. 2 Cor. 4, 6.

This clause irecj^MTLafjbevov'i Tov<i 6(j)da\./Jbov'; tt)? Kap-
8/a? v/xcov, may either be taken absolutely as our trans-
lators have understood it — or considered as in apj)Osi-
tion and explanatory of what precedes. ' That he may
give you the spirit of wisdom, &c., eyes enlightened,
&c.' This latter mode of explanation is the one com-
monly adopted!.- The effect of the gift of the spirit of
wisdom is this illumination, not of the speculative un-
derstanding merely, but of the whole soul. For light
and knowledge in Scripture often include the ideas of
holiness and happiness, as well as that of intellectual
apprehension. Comp. such passages as John 8, 12,
"Light of life." Acts 26, 18, "To turn from darkness
to light." Eph. 6, 8, "Ye were sometime darkness,
but now are ye light in the Lord." Believers, there-
fore, are called "children of the light." Luke 16, 8.
1 Thess. 5, 5.

The residue of this verse elq to elhevai v/xd'^, kt\.
contains a second petition. Having prayed that the
Ephesians might be enlightened in the knowledge of

CHAP. I, VEK. 18. 75

(rod and of divine things, the apostle here prays, as
the effect of that jLlhimination, that they may have a
projoer flppreeiatio^-- ^f t^^° ^'"hpn'tanoe to which they

That ye '»nay Jcnow what is the hope of his calling,
i. e. the hope of which his calling is the source ; or to
which he has called yon. The vocation here spoken
of is not merely the external call of the Gospel, but
the effectual call of God by the Spirit, to which the
word KXrjcn■ ^'^
the things hoped for ; as in Horn. 8, 24, and Col. 1, 5,
"The hope laid up for you in heaven." It is then
identical with the inheritance mentioned in the latter
part of the verse. This, however, is a reason against
that interpretation. Tliere are two things which the
apostle mentions and which he desires they may
know. First, the nature and value of the hope which
they are now, on the call of God, authorized to indulge ;
and secondly, the glory of the inheritance in reserve
for them. It is better, therefore, to take the word in
its ordinary subjective sense. It is a great thing to
know, or estimate aright the value of a well founded
hope of salvation.

And what the riches of the glory of his inheritance^

KoX TL<i 6 ttXovto^ rrj'i 86^7}^ T?}? Kkrjpovofj^ia? avrov, i. e.

. what is the abundance and greatness of the excellence

1 of that inheritance of which God is the author. The

apostle labom*s here, and still more in the following

vrerses, for language to express the greatness of his cou-

f-^e^^^Tt

(S)

76 EPHESlAJSrS, •■

ceptions. This inheritance is not only divine as having
God for its author; but it is a glorious inheritance;
and not simply glorious, but the glory of it is incon-
ceivably great.

In the saints, iv roU ajloc^;. These words admit of
different constructions, but the most natural is to refer
them to the immediately preceding clause, His inher-
ita/nce in the saints^ i. e. which is to be enjoyed among
ithem. Comp. Acts 20, 32, and 26, 18, "An inher-
itance among them that are sanctified." Col. 1, 12,
"Partakers of the inheritance of the saints in l.'ght."
It was one part of the peculiar blessedness of the Gen-
tile Christians, who had been strangers and foreigners,
that they were become fellow-citizens of the saints.
It was therefore an exaltation of the inheritance, now
set before them, to call it the inheritance prepared for
the saints, or peculiar people of God.

Y. 19. And what is the exceeding greatness of his
power to us-wa/i'd who helieve. Tliis is the third pe-
tition in (.he apostle's prayer. He prays that his read-
ers may have right apprehensions of the greatness of
the change which they had experienced. It was no
mere moral reformation effected by rational considera-
tions ; nor was it a self- wrought change, but one due to
the almighty power of God. Grotius indeed, and com-
mentators of that class, understand the passage to refer
to the exertion of the power of God in the future resm'-
rection and salvation of believers. But 1. It evidently
refers to the past and not to the futm'e. It is some-j
thing which believers, as believers, had already expe-

CHAP. I. VEK. 19. 7Y

rienced that he wished them to understand. 2. Tlie
apostle never compares the salvation of believers with
the resurrection of Christ, whereas the analogy between
his natural resurrection and the spiritual resurrection
of his people, is one to which he often refers. 3. This
is the analogy which he insists upon in this immediate
connection. As God raised Christ from the dead and
set him at his own right hand in heavenly places ; so
you, that were dead in sins, hath he quickened and
raised you up together in him. This analogy is the
very thing he would have them understand. They had
undergone a great change ; they had been brought to
life ; they had been raised from the dead by the same
almighty power which wrought in Christ. There was
as great a difference between their present and their
former condition, as between Christ in the tomb and
Christ at the right hand of God. This was something
which they ought to know. 4. The parallel passage
in Col. 2, 12, seems decisive of this interpretation.
"Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are
risen with him through faith of the operation of God,
who raised him from the dead. And you, being dead
in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath
he quickened together with him, having forgiven you
all trespasses." In this passage it cannot be doubted
that the apostle compares the spiritual resurrection of
believers with the resurrection of Christ, and refers
both events to the operation of God, or to the divine
power. Such also is doubtless the meaning of the j^as-
sage before us; and in this interpretation there has

78 EPHESIAJSrS,

been a remarkable coincidence of judgment among
commentators. Chrysostom says : "The conversion of
souls is more wonderful than the resurrection of the
dead.'' Oecumenius remarks on this passage: "To
raise us from spiritual death is an exercise of the same
power that raised Christ from natural death." Calvin
says, " Some (i. e. Stulti homines) regard the language
of the apostle in this passage as frigid hyperbole, but
those who are properly exercised find nothing here
beyond the truth." He adds: "Lest believers should
be cast down under a sense of their unworthiness, the
apostle recalls them to a consideration of the power of
God; as though he had said, their regeneration is a
work of God, and no common work, but one in which
his almighty power is wonderfully disj)layed." Luther,
in reference to the parallel passage in Colossians, uses
the following language: "Faith is no such easy matter
as our opposers imagine, when they say, 'Believe, Be-
lieve, how easy is it to believe.' ISTeither is it a mere
human work, which I can perform for myself, but it is
a divine power in the heart, by which we are new
born, and whereby we are able to overcome the mighty
power of the Devil and of death ; as Paul says to the
Colossians, ' In whom ye are raised up again through
the faith which God works.' "

It is then a great truth which the apostle here
teaches. He prays that his readers may properly un-
derstand Tt TO vTrep^dWov /xejedo^; t^? hvvd^ew<i avrov.
The conversion of the soul is not a small matter ; nor
is it a work effected by any human power. It is a re-

CHAP. I. VEK. 19. 79

smrection due to the exceeding greatness of tlie power
of God.

According to tJie worhing oj his migJity poioer^

Kara rrjv ivipjecav rov Kpdrov<i t?}9 1(t^uo<; avTov. The

original here offers a remarkable accumulation of

words. — 'According to the energy of the might of his

power.' . 'la-^iKi, KpdTo<;, ivepyeia ; Hohtir, Potentia,

\ Efficacia. The first is inherent strength; the second

power; the third the exercise or efiiciencj of that

strength. Or, as Calvin sajs, The first is the root, tjie

second the tree, the third the fruit. Whatever be the

t precise distinction in the signification of the words,

1 their accumulation expresses the highest form of power.

It was nothing short of the omnipotence of God to which

the effect here spoken of is due. [ No created power

can raise the dead, or quicken those dead in trespasses

and sins. I

The connection of this clause is somewhat doubtful.
It may be referred to the words exceeding greatness of
his power ^ i. e. KaTa ivep'yeiav may be referred to ro virep-
^dXKov f/,eye6o9, kt\. The sense would then be — ' Tliat
ye may know the exceeding greatness of his power, to
us-ward that believe, which was, according to, or like,
the working of his mighty power which wrought in
Christ.' Or, irca-Tevovra'i Kara ivipyetav may be con-
nected, ' Who believe in virtue of the working of his 'i
mighty power.' In the one case this clause is a mere
illustration or amplification of the idea of the divine
power of which believers are the subject. In the other,
;'t expresses more definitely the reason why the power

80 EPHESIAilS,

wliich tliey had experienced was to be considered bo
I great, viz., because tlieir faith, was due to the same en-
sergy that raised Christ from the dead. In either case
the doctrinal import of the passage is the same. The
considerations in favour of the latter mode of construc-
tion are : 1. The position of the clauses. According to
this intei*pretation they are taken just as they stand.
'Us who believe in virtue of {Kara) the working, &c.'
2. The ' frequency with which the apostle uses the pre-
position KaTo, in the sense thus given to it. Li ch. 3,
Y, he says, 'his conversion and vocation were {Kara) in
virtue of the working of God's power.' See also 3, 20.
1 Cor. 12, 8. Phil. 3, 21. Christ will fashion our
bodies {Kara) 'in virtue of the energy whereby he is
able to subdue all things unto himself.' Col. 1, 29. 2
Thess. 2, 9. To say, therefore, ' we believe in virtue
of, &c.,' is in accordance with a usage familiar to this
apostle. 3. The parallel passage in Col. 2, 12, ex-
presses the same idea. There the phrase is Tr/o-rt? rrj'j
€V€pyeia<;, faith of the operation of God, i. e. which he
operates; here it is Trt'o-rt? Kara rrjv ivepyetav, faith in
virtue of the operation. The analogy between the ex-
pressions is so striking, that the one explains and au-
thenticates the other.

■— The prayer recorded in these verses is a very com-
prehensive one. 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

CHAP. I. VEK. 20. 81

they might be elevated above tlie world. And in pray-
ing 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.

V. 20. Which he wrought in Christ when he raised
him from the dead, rjv iv^pyrja-ev, kt'\ . There are two
things evidently intended in these words. First, that
the power which raises the believer from spiritual
death, is the same as that which raised Christ from the
grave. And secondly, that there is a striking analogy
between these events and an intimate connection be-
tween them. The one was not only the symbol, but
the pledge and procuring cause of the other. The re-
surrection of Christ is both the typ£ and the cause of
tlie spiritual resurrection of his people, as well "of their
future rising from the grave in his glorious likeness.
On this analogy and connection the apostle speaks at
large in Eom. 6^ 1-10, and also in the following chap-
ters of this epistle. (| As often therefore as the believer
contemplates Christ as risen and seated at the right
hand of God, he has at once an illustration of the
change which has been effected in his own spiritual
state, and a pledge that the work commenced in regen-
eration shall be consummated in glory. /|

And caused him to sit at his own right hanfid in the
heamenly places. Kings place at their right hand those
whom they design to honour, or whom they associate

82 EPHESLOrS,

with, themselves in dominion. Ko creature can be thus
associated in honour and authority with God, and there-
fore to none of the angels hath he ever said : Sit thou
at my right hand. Heb^^l^lS. That divine honour
and authority are expressed by sitting at the right hand
of God, is further evident from those passages which
speak of the extent of that dominion and of the nature
of that honour to which the exalted Redeemer is .en-
titled. It is an universal dominion. Matt. 28, 18.
Phil. 2, 9. 1 Pet. 3, 22 ; and it is such honour as is
due to God alone. John 5, 23.

V. 21. .Tlie immediate subject of discourse in this
chapter is the blessingsof redemption conferred oiiEe-
lievers. The resurrection and exaltation of Chiist are
introduced incidentally by way of illustration. The
apostle dwells for f\. moment mi fhp nntm-P nf fin's ^-'
altation.^_and on_the_relation of Christ, at the right hand
of God, to his church, and then, at the beginning of

The subject of the exaltation here spoken of is not
the Logos, but Christ; the Tlieanthropos, or God-man.
The possession of divine perfections was the necessary
condition of this exaltation because, as just remarked,
the nature and extent of the dominion granted to him,
demand such perfections. It is a dominion not only
absolutely universal, but it extends over the heart and
conscience, and requires the obedience not only of the
outward conduct but of the inward life, which is due
to God alone. We therefore find the divine nature^of
Christ presented in the Scriptures as the reason of his

CHAP. I. VEE. 21. 83

being invested with this peculiar dominion. Thus in
the second Psalm, it is said, "Thou art my Son; ask of
me, I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance.
&c." That is, because thou art my son, ask and I will
give thee this dominion. And in the first chapter of the
epistle to the Hebrews, it is said. The Son, being the
brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image
of his person, and upholding a., things by the word of
his power, is set down at the right hand of the majesty
on high. That is, because he is of the same natm-e
with the Father and possesses the same almighty power,
he is associated with him in his dominion. While the
divine nature of Christ is the necessary condition of
his exaltation, his mediatorial work is the immediate
ground of the Theanthropos, God manifested in the
flesh, being invested with this universal dominion.
This is expressly asserted, as in Phil. 2, 9. Though
equal with God, he humbled himself to become obedi-
ent unto death, wherefore also God hath highly exalted
him.

In illustration of the exaltation of Christ mentioned
in V. 20, the apostle here says. He is seated vTrep dvco,
v/p dbove^ high above all principality, and power, and
might, a/nd dominion. That these terms refer to an^ls
is plain from the co^jitest, and from such passages as
Rom. 8, 38. Col. 1, 16. Eph. 3, 10. 6, 12. Where
angslS'are either expressly named, or the powers spoken
of are said to be in heaven, or they are opposed to
"flesh and blood," i. e. man, as a difierent order of
beings. The origin of the application of these terms

84r EPHESIANS,

to angels cannot be historically traced. The names
themselves suggest the reason of their use. Angels are
called principalities, powers and dominions, either he-
cause of their exalted nature ; or because through them
\ God exercises his power and dominion ; or because of
their relation to each other. It is possible indeed that
Paul had a polemic object in the use of these terms.
This epistle and especially that to the Colossians, con-
tain many intimations that the emanation theory, which
afterwards assumed the form of Gnosticism, had already
made its appearance in Asia Minor. And as the advo-
cates of that theory used these terms to designate the
different effluxes from the central Being, Paul may
have borrowed their phraseology in order to r#iite
their doctrine. Be this as it may, the obvious meaning
of the passage is that Christ is exalted above all created
beings.

Ajid every name, i. e., as the connection shows, every
If name of excellence or honour, that is named. That is,
above every creature bearing such name as prince,
potentate, ruler, or whatever other title there may be.

JVot only in this world, hut also in that which is to
come, iv T« alcove tovtm, aXXa Kal ev rS fj,eWovTC. That
is, not only in this age, but in the age to come. The
words may have the general sense of, here or hereafter ^^
as in Matt. 12, 32. According to Jewish usage, they de-
signate the period before and the period after the advent
of the Messiah. To this, however, there is no refer-
ence in the context. As in Matthew these words are
used to express in the strongest terms that the sin

CHAP. I. VER. 22. 85

against the Holy Ghost can never be forgiven ; so here
they are intended to add universality to the preceding
negation. There is no name here or hereafter, in this
world or in the next, over which Christ is not highly-
exalted.

Y. 22. And hath ^ut all things under his feet.
Christ is not only exalted above all creatui'es, but he
has dominion over them; all are placed in absolute
subjection to him. They are under his feet. This pas-
sage is a quotation from Ps. 8, 7^ It is applied to Christ
by this same apostle in 1 Coi\_15^_^7^ and jleb^2, 8. .
In both of these passages the word all is pressed to the
full extent of its meaning. It is made to include all
cirSsrcures, all capable of subjection; all beings save
God alone, are made subject to man in the person of
Jesus Christ, the Lord of lords, and King of kings.

There are two principles on which the aj^plica-
tion of this passage of Ps. 8_ to Christ may be ex-
plained. The one is that the Psalm is a prophetic ex-
hibition of the goodness of God to Christ, and of the
dominion to be given to him. There is nothing, how-
ever, in the contents of the Psalm to favour the as-
sumption of its having special reference to the Messiah.
The other principle admits the reference of the Psalm
' to men generally, but assumes its full meaning to be
what the apostle here declares it to be, viz., that the
dominion which belongs to man is nothing less than
universal. But this dominion is realized only in the
Man Christ Jesus, and in those who are associated with
him in his kingdom. This latter mode of explanation

86 EPHESIAJ^S,

satisfies all the exigencies both of the original Psalm
and of the passages where it is quoted in the 'New
Testament.

And gave him to 1)6 head over all things to the
church, KoX avrov eScoKe Ke<paX.r]v virep irdvTa rfj eKKXi]-
aia. Tliis may mean either, he^ave him to the church
as her head ; or, he constituted him head for the
church. The former is more consistent with the mean-
ing of the verb SlSoifit,. It may, however, also signify
to constitute ; see 4, 11, and compare 1 Cor. 12, 28.
In either case, Christ is declared to be head not of the
universe, but of the church. This being admitted,

IvTrep Trdvra may be taken in immediate ^connection
with Ke^oKrjv, head over all, i. e. supreme head. Tliis
does not mean head over all the members of the church,
as the Yulgate translates : cajnit super omnem eccle-
siaiUf' for irdvra and iKKXrja-ia are not grammatically
connected ; but simply supreme head. Or we may
adopt the interpretation of Chrysostom : rov ovra virep
iravra to, opcofieva Kol ra voovfieva Xpicrrov, " Him,
who is over all things visible and invisible, he gave to
the church as her head." This gives a good sense, but
supposes an unnatural trajection of the words. Luther
also transposes the words : Und hat ihn gesetzt zum
Haupt der Gemeinde liber alles. So does De Wette :
Und ihn gesetzet iiber alles zum Haupte der Glemeinde,
And placed him over all as head of the church. In all
these interpretations the main idea is retained ; viz.
that Christ is the head of the church. As in Col. 2, 10,
it is said Christ is r] K6(pa\r] Trdat]^ dpx^<i koI e^ovala^.

CHAP. I. VER. 23. 87

the head of all principality and power ^ in tlie sense of
supreme ruler ; and as liere in the immediately pre-
ceding context he is said to be exalted over all princi-
pality and power, and in the following context he is
said to be the head of the church, which is his body,
the two ideas may be here combined. ' Him he gave
as head over all things, as head to his chm'ch.' — ^This is
Meyer's interpretation. He, the exalted Saviour, the
incarnate Son of God, seated as head of the universe,
is made head of his church. This view of the passage
has the advantage of giving iravra the same reference
here that it has in the preceding verse. All things
are placed under his feet, and he head over all things,
is head of the church.

The sense in which Christ is the head of the church,
is that he is the soiirce of its life, its supreme ruler,
ever present with it, sympathizing with it, aiTjj lovi'no;
it as aTman loves Ins own Hesli.^ee 4, 15. 16. 5, 23. 29.
Rom. 12. 5. 1 Cor. 12, 27. Intimate union, depend-
ence, and community of life, are the main ideas ex-
pressed by this figure.

Y. 23. Which is his dody. This is the radical, or

I formative idea of the church. From this idea are to
be developed its nature, its attributes, and its preroga-
tives. It is the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ, that
constitutes the church his body. And, therefore, those
only in whom the Spirit dwells are constituent mem-
bers of the true church. But the Spirit does not dwell
in church officers, nor especially in prelates, as such ;
nor in the baptized, as such ; nor in the mere external

Ob EPHESIANb,

professors of the true religion ; but in true believers,
who therefore constitute that church which is the body
of Christ, and to which its attributes and prerogatives
belong.

The main question which this verse presents for
consideration is : In what sense is the church the ful-
ness of Christ ? There are, however, two other points
which must be previously determined. In the first
place, it is the churchy and not Christ to whom the
word fulness here refers! Borne commentators adopt
the following interpretation of the passage : ' Christ,
the supreme head to the church (which is his body),
the fulness, i. e. Christ is the fulness, of him that fiUeth
all in all.' But 1. This interpretation violates the
grammatical construction of the passage. 2. It rends
the clauses very unnaturally asunder. 3. It assumes
that the last clause of the verse, viz. 'who fills all in I
all,' refers to God, whereas it refers to Christ. 4. The
sense thus obtained is unscriptural. The fulness of the
Godhead is said to be in Christ ; but Christ is never
said to be the fulness of God.

In the second place, the church is here declared to
be the fulness of Christ, and not the fuhiess of God. — •

Some commentators understand the passage thus :
' The church, which is the body of Christ, is the fulness
of him who fills all in all, i. e. of God.' But to this it
is objected, 1. That the construction of the passage
requires that the last clause in the verse be referred to
Christ ; and 2. This intei-pretation supposes the word
rfkrjpwixa fulness^ to mean multitude. ' The multitude

CHAP. I. VEK. 23. 89

belonging to liim wlio fills all in all.' But this is a
signification whicli the word never has in itself, but
only in virtue of the word with which it is at times
connected. The expression irXijpco/xa rrj^ iroXeco^; may
be freely rendered, the multitude af the city, because
that which fills a city is a multitude. But this does
not prove that the word ifkrjpoofia itself signifies a mul-
titude. There is no good reason then for departing
from the ordinary interpretation, according to which,
the church is declared to be the fulness of Christ.

There are two opinions as to the meaning of this

phrase, between which commentators are principally

divided. JFirst, the church may be called the fulness

|(_of Christ, because it is filled by him. As the body is

filled, or pervaded by the soul, so the church is filled
by the Spirit of Christ. Or, as God of old dwelt in the
temple, and filled it with his glory, so Christ now
dwells in his church and fills it with his presence. The
sense is then good and scriptural. ' The church is filled
by him, who fills all in all.' Or secondly, the church
is the fulness of Christ, because it tills hhn, i. e. com-

pletes hismysIicaTperson. He is the head, the church
is the bo3y; Irts^the complement, or that which com-
pletes, or renders whole. As both these interpretations
give a sense that is scriptural and consistent with the
context, the choice between them paust be decided
principally by the Kew Testament usage of the word
7r\t]po)fjia. The former interpretation supposes the word
to have a passive signification — that which is filled.
But in every other case in which it occurs in the New

Cu-Xtt

90 EPHESIANS,

Testament, it is used actively — that which does fill.
Matt. 9, 16, The piece put into an old garment is
called its fulness, i. e. ' that which is put in to fill it
up.' Mark 6, 43, The fragments which filled the bas-
kets, are called their fulness. John 1, 16, 'Of his ful-
ness,' means the plenitude of grace and truth that is
in him. Gral. 4, 4, The fulness of the time, is that
which renders full the specified time. Col. 2, 9, The
fulness of the Godhead, is all that is in the Godhead.
Ej)h. 3, 19, The fulness of God, is that of which God is
full — the plenitude of divine perfections. 1 Cor. 10, 26,
The fulness of the earth, is that which fills the earth.
The common usage of the word in the Kew Testament
is therefore clearly in favour of its being taken in an ac-
tive sense here. The church is the fulness of Christ —
in that it is the complement of his mystic j)erson. He
is the head, the church is his body.

In favour of the other interpretation it may be
urged, — 1. That TrXrjpcofia has in the Classics, in Philo,
in the writings of the Gnostics, at times, a passive
sense. 2. The meaning thus afforded is preferable.
It is a more scriptural and more intelligible statement,
to say that Christ fills his church, as the soul pervades
the body — or as the glory of the Lord filled the tem-
ple, than to say that the church in any sense fills Christ.
3. nXijpcofxa must be taken in a sense which suits the
participle TrXTjpovfievov ; ' the church is filled by him
who fills all things.' The second and third of these
reasons are so strong as to give this interpretation the
preference in the minds of those to whom the usus

CHAP. I. VEK. 23. 91

loquendi of the New Testament is not an insuperable
objection.

That filleth all in all, rov ra iravra iv nraa-i. ttXt]-
pov/jbivov. This clause, as before remarked, refers to^
Christ, as the construction obviously demands. The
participle ifk'qpov^evov is by almost all commentators
assumed to have in this case an active signification.
This assumption is justified by the exigency of the
place, and by the fact that in common Greek the pas-
sive forms of this verb are at times used in an active
sense. That there is no such case in the JSTew Testa-
ment, is not therefore a sufficient reason for departing
from the ordinary interpretation.

The expression, ra iravra iv Tracri,, all in all, or, all
with all, does not mean all the church in all its mem-
bers, or with all grace, but the universe in all its parts.
Tliere is nothing in the context to restrict or limit to,
irdvra. The words must have the latitude here which
belongs to them in the preceding verses. The analogy
of Scripture is in favour of this interpretation. God's
relation to the world, or totality of things external to
himself, is elsewhere expressed in the same terms.
Jer. 23, 24, " Do not I fill heaven and earth ? saith
the Lord." Comp. 1 Kings 8, 27. Ps. 139, T. In the
New Testament Christ is set forth as creating, sustain-
ing, and pervading the universe. Col. 1, 16. 17. Heb.
1, 3. Eph. 4, 10. This, therefore, determines the
sense in which he is here said to fill all things. It is
not that he replenishes all his peoj)le with his grace ;
but that he fills heaven and earth with his presence.

92 EPHESIANS,

There is no place wliere lie is not. There is no crea-
ture from which he is absent. By him all things con-
sist ; they are upheld by his presence in them and
with them. The union, therefore, which the church
sustains, and which is the source of its life and blessed-
ness, is not with a mere creature, but with Christ,
God manifested in the flesh, who pervades and governs
all things by his omnipresent power. The source of
life, therefore, to the church is inexhaustible and im-
mortal.

CHAPTEE II.

THE APOSTLE CONTRASTS THE SPIEITTJAL STATE OF THE EPHESIANS BEFORE
THEIR CONVERSION, WITH THAT INTO WHICH THET HAD BEEN INTEO-
DUOED BT THE GRACE OF GOD, VS. 1-10. HE CONTRASTS THEIR PRE-
VIOUS CONDITION AS ALIENS, WITH THAT OF FELLOW-CITIZENS OF THE
SAINTS AND MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY OF GOD, VS. 11-22.

SECTION I.— Vs. 1-10.

And yon hath he quickened^ who were dead in trespasses

2. and sins ; wherein in time past ye walked according to the
course of this world, according to the prince of the power
of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of dis-

3. obedience : among whom also we all had our conversation in
times past iu the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the
flesh and of the mind ; and were by nature the children of

4. wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for
6. his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were

dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace

6. ye are saved ;) and hath raised its up together, and made ^«

7. sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus : that in the
ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace

8. in his kindness towards us, through Christ Jesus. For by
grace are ye saved through faith ; and that not of yourselves :

9. it is the gift of God : not of works, lest any man should boast.

''f^R » 1935 )

94 EPHESIANS,

10. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus untcfc'
good works, which God hath before ordained that we should"
walk in them.

ANALYSIS.

There are tliree principal topics treated of in tliis
Section. First, the spiritual state of tlie Ephesians
before their conversion. ^%^Q3i§., the change which
God had wrought in them. Third, the design for
which that change had been effected.

I. The state of the Ephesians before their conver-
sion, and the natural state of men universally, is one
of spiritual death, which includes — 1. A state of sin.
2. A state of subjection to Satan and to our own cor-
rupt affections. 3. A state of condemnation, vs. 1-3.

II. The change which they had experienced was a
spiritual resurrection ; concerning which the apostle
teaches — 1. That God is its author. 2. That it is a work
of love and grace. 3. That it was through Christ, or
in virtue of union with him. 4. That it involves great
exaltation, even an association with Christ in his glory,
vs. 4-6.

ni. The design of this dispensation is the manifes-
tation through all coming ages of the grace of God. It
is a manifestation of grace — 1. Because salvation in
general is of grace. 2. Because the fact that the Ephe-
sian Christians believed or accepted of this salvation
was due not to themselves but to God. Faith is his
gift. 3. Because good works are the fruits not of
nature, but of grace. We are created unto good works.

CHAP. n. VEK. 1. 95

COMMENTAKY.

Y. 1. And you liatli he quickened, who were dead
in trespasses and sins. There is an intimate connection
between this clause and the j)i'eceding paragraph. In
V. 19 of the first chapter the apostle prays that the
Ephesians might duly appreciate the greatness of that
power which had been exercised in their conversion.
It was to be known from its effects. It was that power
which was exercised in the resurrection and exaltation
of Christ, and which had wrought an analogous change
in them. The same power which quickened Christ
has quickened you. The conjunction ku'l therefore is
not to be rendered also, " you also," you as well as
others. It serves to connect this clause with what
precedes. ' God raised Christ from the dead, and he
tias given life to you dead in trespasses and sins.'

The grammatical construction of these words is
doubtful. Some connect them immediately with the
last clause of the first chapter.—' Who fills all in all
and you also,' i. e. v/^a? is made to depend on ttX?;-
povfjbivov. This, however, to make any tolerable sense,
supposes the preceding clause to have a meaning which
the words will not bear. Others refer the beginning
of this verse to the 20th ver. of the preceding chapter —
or at least borrow from that verse the verb required to
complete the sense in this. ' God raised Christ, and he
has raised you,' iyeipa^ rov Xpiarov, koI vfia^ ^yecpe.
There is indeed this association of ideas, but the two
passages are not grammatically thus related. The first

96 EPHESIANS,

seven verses of this chapter form one sentence, which
is so long and complicated that the apostle is forced,
before getting to the end of it, slightly to vary the con-
struction ; a thing of very freqnent occurrence in his
writings. He dwells so long in vs. 2, 3, 4, on the
natural state of the Ephesians, that he is obliged in v.
5, to repeat substantially the beginning of v. 1, in order
to complete the sentence there commenced. ' You
dead on account of sin, — wherein ye walked according
to the com'se of the world, subject to Satan, associated
with the children of disobedience, among whom we
also had our conversation, and were the children of
wrath even as others — ^us, dead on account of trespasses
hath God quickened.' This is the way the passage
stands. It is plain, therefore, that the sentence begun
in the first verse, is resumed with slight variation in the
fifth. This is the view taken by our translators, who
boiTOW from the fifth verse the verb e^woirol'qae neces-
sary to complete the sense of the first.

Paul describes his readers before their conversion as
dead. In Scriptm-e the word life is the term commonly
used to express a state of union with God, and death a
state of alienation from him. Life, therefore, includes

1 holiness, happiness and activity ; and death, corruption,
misery and helplessness. All the higher forms of life
are wanting in those spiritually dead ; they are secluded
from all the sources of true blessedness, and they are
beyond the reach of any help from creatures. They
are dead.

The English version renders the clause, rot? irapa-

CHAP. n. VER. 2. 97

TTTcofiaai Kol rai<i a/juapTlaL<;, ' dead in trespasses and
sins.' But tliere is no preposition in the original text,
and therefore, the great majority of commentator?
consider the apostle as assigning the ca^se, and not 1
describing the nature of this death, ' Dead on account '
of trespasses and sins.' * The former of these words is ,
generally considered as referring to outward transgres- i
sions, the latter is more indefinite, and includes all sin-
ful manifestations of d/xapTta, i. e. of sin considered as 1
an inherent principle.f

Y. 2. WTierein in titnejpast ye walked. Their former^
condition, briefly described in the first verse, as a state
of spiritual death, is in this and the verses following
more particularly characterized. They walked in sin.
They were daily conversant with it, and devoted to it.
They were surrounded by it, and clothed with it. They
lived aGcm'ding to the course of this world. In this clause
we have not only the character of their life stated, but;
the governing principle which controlled their con-1
duct. They lived according to, and under the control /
of, the spirit of the world. The expression rov alwva rov
Koa-fMov does not elsewhere occur, and is variously ex-

* Dicit mortuos fuisse : et simul exprimit mortis cansam ; nempe pec-
cata. — Calvin.

t " The word afiaprlai" says Haeless, "has, according to the metony-
mical use of the plurals of abstract nouns, a different sense from the singu-
lar ; viz. manifestations of sin, tmdetermined however, whether by word or
deed or some other way. The assertion of David Schulz that a/xaprla never
expresses a condition, but always an act, deserves no refutation, as such
refutation may be found in any grammar."

98 EPHESIANS,

plained. The most common interpretation assiimea
that the word aloov is here used in its classical, rather
than its Jewish sense. It is referred to the old verb aco,
to hreathe, and hence means, hreath, vital principle, life,
life-time, and then duration indefinitely. According
to the life of this world, therefore, means ' according to
the ruling principle, or spirit of the world.' This is
substantially the sense expressed in our version, and is
much to be preferred to any other interpretation. In
all such forms of speech the depravity of men is taken
for granted. To live after the manner of men, or ac-
cording to the spirit of the world, is to live wickedly,
which of course implies that men are wicked; that
such is the character of the race in the sight of God.

Others, adhering to the New Testament sense of the
aloov, translate this clause thus : according to the age of
this world, i. e. in a way suited to the present age of the
world, as it is now, compared to what it is to be when
Christ comes. Others again give amv a Gnostic sense—
according to the Eon of this world, i. e. the devil. To
this Meyer objects: 1. That it is more than doubtful
whether any distinct reference to nascent Gnosticism
is to be found in this epistle ; and 2. That such a de-
signation of Satan would have been unintelligible to all
classes of readers.

This subjection to sin is, at the same time, a subjec-

|tion to Satan, and therefore the apostle adds, Kara rbv

apx^vra rrjf; i^ovcria<i rov depo^, according to the prince

of the power of the air. In 2 Cor. 4, 4, Satan is called

the god, and in John 12, 31, the prince, of this world.

CHAP. n. VEE. 2. 99

He is said to be tlie prince of the demons. Matt. 9, 34.
A kingdom is ascribed to him, which is called the
kingdom of darkness. All wicked men and evil spirits
are his subjects, and are led captive by him at his will.
It is according to this ruler of the darkness of this
world, agreeably to his will and under his control, that
the Ephesians lived before their conversion. Though
there is perfect unanimity among commentators, that
the phrase top ap')(ovTa t^9 i^ovaia^; is a designation of
Satan, there is much difference of opinion as to the
precise import of the terms. First, the genitive, e'fou-
crta?, may be taken as qualifying the preceding noun —
' Prince of the power,' for ' powerful prince,' or, ' prince
to whom power belongs.' Or, secondly, i^ova-ia may be
taken metonymically for those over whom power is ex-
ercised, i. e. kingdom., as it is used in Col. 1, 13. Or,
thirdly, it may designate those to whom power belongs, |
as in the preceding ch. v. 21. ' All principality and
power ' there means, all those who have dominion and
power. This last mentioned explanation is the one
generally preferred, because most in accordance with
Paul's use of the word, and because the sense thus ob-
tained is so suited to the context and the analogy of
Scripture. Satan is the prince of the powers of the
air, i. e. of those evil sj^irits, who are elsewhere spoken
of as subject to his dominion.

Of the air. The word a7]p signifies either the at-
mosphere, or darkness. The whole phrase, therefore,
may mean either, the powers who dwell in the air, or
the powers of darkness. In favour of the former ex-

100 EPHESIAJ^fS,

planation is tlie common meaning of the word, and the
undoubted fact that both among the Greeks and Jews it
was the current opinion of that age that our atmosphere
was the special abode of spirits. In favour of the lat-
ter, it may be urged that the Scriptures nowhere else
recognize or sanction the doctrine that the air is the
dwelling place of spirits. That opinion, therefore, in
the negative sense at least, is unscriptural, i. e. has no
scriptural basis, unless in this place. And secondly,
the word <TK6ro<;, darkness^ is so often used just as ar\p
is here employed, as to create a strong presumption
that the latter was meant to convey the same meaning
as the former. Thus, " the power of darkness," Luke
22, 53 ; " the rulers of darkness," Eph. 6, 12 ; " the
kingdom of darkness," Col. 1, 13, are all scriptural ex-
pressions, and are all used to designate the kingdom of
Satan. Tliirdly, this signification of the word is not
without the authority of usage. The word properly,
especially in the earlier writers, means the lower, ob-
scure, misty atmos]3here, as opposed to aWyjp, the pure
air. Hence it means obscurity, darkness, whatever
hides from sight.

There is a thirii interpretation of this phrase, which
retains the common meaning of the word, but makes it
express the nature and not the abode of the powers
spoken of. ' Of the earth ' may mean earthy / so ' of
the air ■ may mean aerial. These demons do not belong
to our earth, they have not a corporeal nature ; they
belong to a different and higher order of beings. They
are aerial or spiritual. This passage is thus brought

CHAI', n. TEK. 2. 101

into accordance with wliat is said in Eph. 6, 12. Evil
spii-its are tliere said to be ' in heavenly places,' i. e. in
heaven. That is, they do not belong to this earth; they
are heavenly in their nature, as spii'its without the
trammels of flesh and blood. Such at least is one inter-
pretation of Eph. 6, 12. By powers of the air, accord-
ing to this view, we are to understand, unearthly,
superhuman, incorporeal, spiritual beings over whom
Satan reigns. This interpretation seems to have been
the one generally adopted in the early church.

T/i6 spirit that now worlcetli in the children of dis-
obedience, rov 7rveu/j,aTo<; rov vvv ivepjovvro';, ktX. This
again is a difficult clause. Our version assumes that
the word irvev/jiaTo^, sjpirit, is in apposition with the
word dpxovTa, prince. ' The jyrince of the power of
the air, i. e. the sj^irit, who now works in the childi-en
of disobedience.' The objection to this is that irv&v-
fiaTo<; is in the genitive and ap)(ovTa in the accusative.
This interpretation therefore cannot be adopted without
assuming an unusual grammatical irregularity. Others
prefer taking Trz/eu/xaTo? as in apposition to e^ovaia'i.
The sense is then either : ' Prince of the power of the,
air, i. e. prince of the spirit, i. e.-^rite, ^wb^ now
work ; ' or, ' Prince of the spirit, which controls the
children of disobedience.' The former of these exposi-
tions gives a good sense. Satan is the prince of those
spirits who are represented in Scripture as constantly
engaged in leading men into sin. But it does violence
to the text, as there is no other case where the singular
TTvev/ia is thus used collectively for the plural. To the

102 EPHESIAI^S,

latter interpretation it may be objected tbat tbe sense
thus obtained is feeble and obscure, if the word sjpiHt
is made to mean ' disposition of men ; ' which, to say
the least, is a very vague and indefinite expression, and
furnishes no proper parallelism to the preceding clause
" powers of the air." But by spi/rit may be meant the
evH ju'inciple which works in mankind. Compare 1
Cor. 2, 12. Luther and Calvin both give the same in-
terpretation that is adopted by our translators. Beza,
Bengel, and most of the moderns make sjdrit mean the
spirit of the world as opposed to the Spirit of God.

The phrase children of disobedience (ev rot? vtot? t%
direidela';) does not mean disobedient children — ^for that
would imply that those thus designated were repre-
sented as the children of God, or children of men, who
were disobedient. The word children expresses their!
relation, so to speak, to disobedience, which is the|
source of their distinctive character. The word son is
often itfeed in Scripture to express the idea of deriva-
tion or dependence in any form. Thus the ' sons of
famine ' are the famished ; the ' sons of Belial ' are the
worthless ; the ' sons of disobedience ' are the disobe-
dient. The word aireldeia means, unwillingness to be
persuaded, and is expressive either of disobedience in
general, or of unbelief which is only one form of dis-
obedience. In this case the general sense is to be pre-
ferred, for the persons spoken of are not characterized
as unbelievers, or as obstinately rejecting the gospel,
but as disobedient or wicked. Tlie fact asserted in this
clause, viz., that Satan and evil spirits work in men,

CHAP. II. VEE. 3. 103

or iniluence tlieir o23iiiions, feelings and conduct, is
often elsewhere taught in Scrij3ture. Matt. 13, 38.
John 12, 31 ; 8, 44. Acts 26, 18. 2 Cor. 4, 4. The
fact is all that concerns us, we need not understand
how they exert this influence. We do not know how
the intercourse of disembodied spirits is conducted, and
therefore cannot tell how such spirits have access to
our minds to control their oj)erations. The influence,
whatever it is, and however efiectual it may be, does
not destroy our freedom of action, any more than the
influence of one man over his fellows. Still it is an
influence greatly to be dreaded. These spirits of wick-
edness are represented as far more formidable adver-
saries than those who are clothed in flesh and blood.
Blessed are those for whom Christ prays, as he did for
Peter, when he sees them surrounded by the wiles of
the devil.

Y. 3. Among whom also we all had our conversa-
tion in thnes jpast. It appears not only from ch. 1 : 11,
13, and from the connection in this place, but still
more clearly from v. 11 and those following, in this
chapter, that by you in this whole epistle, the apostle \
means Gentiles ; and by we^ wdien the pronouns are '■
contrasted as here, the Jews. The spiritual condition
of the Ephesians before their conversion was not pecu-
liar to them as Ephesians or as heathen. All men,
Jews and Gentiles, are by nature in the same state.
Whatever difierences of individual character, what-
ever superiority of one age or nation over another may
exist, these are but subordinate diversities. There is

104 EPHESIANS,

as to tlie main point, as tliis apostle elsewhere teaches,
no difference ; for all have sinned and come short of
the glory of God. There is also no essential difference
as to the way in which different communities or indi-
yidnals manifest the depravity common to them all.
There is very great difference as to the degree and the
grossness of such manifestations, hut in all the two
comprehensive forms under which the corruption of
our nature reveals itself, " the desires of the flesh and
of the mind," are clearly exhibited. The apostle
therefore does not hesitate to associate his countrymen
with the G-entiles in this description of their moral con-
dition, although the former were in many respects so
superior to the latter. 'Naj, he does not hesitate to in-
clude himself, though he was before his conversion as
' touching the righteousness which is of the law blame-
less.' All men, whatever their outward conduct may
be, in their natural state have " a carnal mind " as op-
posed to " a spiritual mind." See Rom. 8, 5-7. They
are all governed by the things which are seen and tem-
poral, instead of those which are not seen and eternal.
Paul therefore says of himself and fellow Jews that
they all had their conversation among the children of
disobedience. They were not separated from them as
a distinct and superior class, but were associated with
them, congenial in character and life.

Wherein this congeniality consisted is stated in the
following clauses. As the Gentiles so also the Jews
had their conversation, i. e. they lived m the lusts of
the flesh. The word eiriOvixia, lust, means strong de-

CHAP. II. VEK. 3. 105

sire, whether good or bad. Iii Scripture most com-
monly it is taken in a bad sense, and means inordinate
desii-e of any kind. The ' lusts of the flesh ' are those
irregular desires which have their origin in the flesh.
By the flesh, however, is not to be imderstood merely
our sensuous nature, but our whole nature considered
as corrupt. The scriptural usage of the word adp^ is
very extensive. It means the material flesh, then that
which is external, then that which is governed by what
is material, and in so far sinful ; then that which is sin-
ful without that limitation ; whatever is opposed to the
Spirit, and in view of all these senses it means man-
kind. See Phil. 3, -i, where the apostle includes under
the word flesh, his descent from the Hebrews, his cir-
cumcision, and his legal righteousness. Gal. 3, 3. 5,
19-21. In this latter passage, envy, hatred, heresy, are
included among the works of the flesh, as well as revel-
lings and di'unkenness. It depends on the immediate
context whether the word, in any given place, is to be
understood of our whole nature considered as corrupt,
or only of the sensuous or animal part of that nature.
When it stands opposed to what is divine, it means
what is human and corrupt ; when used in opposition
to what is intellectual or spiritual in our nature, it
means what is sensupj^ In the present case it is to
be taken in its wide sens^^Jbecause there is nothing to
limit it, and because in the following clause it is de-
fined as including both, — " the desires of the flesh (in
the restricted sense of the word) and of the mind."
The word ^e/Vj^/^ara rendered desires^ means rather

106 EPHESIAIT8,

hehests, commands. The tilings done were those wliicliV
tlie flesli and the mind willed to be done. They were
the p;overning principles to whose will obedience was
rendered. Acavola, ^nind, is used here for the whole
thinking and sentient principle, so far as distinguished
from the animal j)rinciple. Frequently it means the
intellect, here it refers more to the affections. Comp.
Col. 1, 21, " Enemies in your mind." Lev. 19, 7,
" Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy mind." Num-
bers 15, 39, " Follow not after your own minds."
Jews and Gentiles, all men, therefore, are represented
in their natural state as under the control of evil. They
fulfil the commands of the flesh and of the mind.

Atid were hy nature the children of wrath even as
others^ Koi rjfxev reKva <pva€i op'yfj'i. The expression
" children of wrath," agreeably to a Hebrew idiom
above referred to, means ' the objects of wrath,' ob-
noxious to punishment. Compare Deut. 25, 2, ' son
of stripes,' one to be beaten. 1 Sam. 20, 31. 2 Sam,
12, 5, ' son of death,' one certainly to die. The idea
of worthiness is not included in the expression, though
often implied in the context. The phrase ' son of
death,' means one who is to die, whether justly or
unjustly. So ' children of wrath,' means simply ' the
objects of wrath.' But as the wrath spoken of is the
displeasure of God, of course the idea of ill-desert is
necessarily implied.

The word ^yo-i? in signification and usage corre-
sponds very nearly to our word nature. When used,
as in this case, to indicate the source or origin of any

CHAP. n. VEK. 3. 107

thing in the character or condition, it always expresses
what is natural or innate, as opposed to what is made,
taught, superinduced, or in any way incidental or ac-
quired. This general idea is of course variously modi-
fied by the natm-e of the thing spoken of. Thus when
the apostle says, Gal. 2, 15, rjuet<i (pvaet, 'lovSaloi, we dy
nature Jeios, he means Jews by bu-th, in opposition to
profession. In Gal. 4, 8, it is said of the heathen dei-
ties that they are not by nature gods, they are such
only by aj)pointment, or in virtue of the opinions of
men. In Horn. 2, 13, men are said to do hy nature the
things of the law, i. e. the source of these moral acts is
to be sought in their natural constitution, not in the
instruction or example of others. In Eom. 2, 27, un-
circumcision is said to be hy nature, i. e. natural, not
acquired. This usage is common in the classic writers.
Thus Plato, de Legibus, lib. 10, says, ' Some teach that
the gods are ov (f)va€c, dWa nal vofxoi'i,^ i. e. that
they owe their divinity not to nature but to certain
laws. Afterwards he says, ' Some things are right by
nature, others by law.' In another place, he says, of
certain persons, 'They were (})va€i barbarians, vo/jbw
Greeks ; ' by bii-th barbarians, but by law Greeks.
In these writers the expressions, 'by nature selfish,'
' by nature swift to anger,' ' by nature avaricious,' &c.,
are of very frequent occurrence. In all such cases
the general sense is the same. The thing predicated
is affirmed to be natural. It is referred to the natural
constitution or condition as opposed to what is acqiiired.
According to this uniform usage the expression, ' We

108 EPHESLOrS,

were by nature the children of wrath,' can only mean,
y We were born in that condition.' It was something
natm-al. We did not become the children of wrath,
but were already such as we were born.* The sim-
ple fact is asserted, not the reason of it. It is hy
I nature, not oti account of nature that we are here de-
clared to be the children of wrath. The Scriptures do
indeed teach the doctrine of inherent, hereditary de-
pravity, and that that depravity is of the nature of sin,
and therefore justly exposes us to the divine displea-
sure. And this doctrine may be fairly implied in the
text, but it is not asserted. In other words, (^uo-t? does
not mean natural depravity, and the dative {(pvaei) does

I not here mean on account of. The assertion is that
men are born in a state of condemnation, and not that
theii" nature is the ground of that condemnation. Tliis
is, indeed, an old and widely extended interpretation ;

* In this interpretation commentators of all classes agree. Rueckert,
one of tlie ablest and most untrammelled of the recent German commenta-
tors, says : " It is perfectly evident from Eom. 5, 12-20, that Paul was far
from being opposed to the \'iew expressed in Ps. 51, 7, that men are horn
sinners ; and as we interpret for no system, so we will not attempt to deny
that the thought, ' we were born children of wrath,' i. e. such as we were
from our birth we were exposed to the divine wrath, is the true sense of the
words."

Haeless, a commentator of higher order, says : " Unless we choose to
explain the word (pvcrei in a senseless and inconsistent manner, we can
account for its use only by admitting that Paul proceeds on the assumption
of an enmity to God at present natiiral and indwelling. And since such
a native condition is not a fatuity, we can properly acknowledge no other
explanation of the fact here incidentally mentioned, than that which in
perfect consistency with the whole apostolic system of doctrine, is given in
Rom. 5th."

CHAP. II. VEE. 3. 109

but it does violence to the force of the word ^uo-t?,
whicli means simply nature, and not either holy or
corrupt nature. The idea of moral character may be
implied in the context, but is not expressed by the
word. When we say, ' a man is by natm'e kind,' it is
indeed implied that his nature is benevolent, but na-
ture does not signify ' natural benevolence.' Thus
when it is said, men are ' by nature corrupt,' or, ' by
nature the childi-en of wi"ath,' all that is asserted is
that they are born in that condition.

Others take ^ucrt? to mean in this place simply dis-
position, character, inward state of mind ; very much
as we often use the word heart. According to this
view, the word means not quod nascenU inest, sed quod
consuetude in naturam vertit. The sense then is : ' We,
as well as others are, as to our inward disposition or
state of mind, children of wi'ath.' All the expressions
quoted by Clericus and other advocates of this inter-
pretation, are really proofs that the word ^ucrt? has not
the signification which they assign to it. When it is
said that Barbarians are by nature rapacious, the Sy-
rians by nature fickle, the Lacedemonians taciturn,
more is meant than that such is the actual character
of these people. The characteristic trait asserted of
them is referred to what is innate or natural. In other
words ^ycrt9 does not mean, in such cases, simply dis-
position, but innate disposition.

Still more remote from the proper meaning of the
terms is the interpretation which renders <^v<j€l truly,
really. This is substituting an idea implied in the

110 EPHESIAIfS,

context for the signification of the word. When Paul
says, the heathen deities are not hy nature gods, he
does indeed say thej are not really gods ; but this
does not prove that l)y nature means truly.

Another exposition of this passage is, that the
apostle here refers to the incidental cause of our being
the children of wrath. Our exposure to the divine
displeasure is due to our nature, because that nature
being what it is, filled with various active principles
innocent or indififerent, leads us into sin, and we thus
become children of wrath. It is not by nature, but
durch Entwiokelung nat'drlicher Disposition, ' through
the development of natural disposition,' as Meyer
expresses this idea. This is a theological hypothesis
rather than an interpretation. When it is said men
are by nature desirous of truth, by nature honest, by
nature cruel, more is affirmed than that they become
such, under the influence of natural principles of which
these characteristics cannot be predicated. The very
reverse is the thing asserted. It is affirmed that love
of truth, honesty, or cruelty are attributes of the
nature of those spoken of. In like manner when it is
said, ' We are by nature the children of wrath,' the
very thing denied is, that we become such by a process
of development. The assertion is that we are such by
nature, as we were born. The truth here taught, there-
fore, is that which is so clearly presented in other parts
of Scripture, and so fully confirmed by the history of
the world and faith of the church, viz, that mankind
as a race are fallen ; they had their probation in Adam,

CHAP. II. VER. 4. Ill

and therefore are born in a state of condemnation.
Tliey need redemption from the moment of their birth ;
and therefore the seal of redemption is applied to
them in baptism, which otherwise would be a senseless
ceremony.

Y. 4. The apostle having thus described the natural \
state of men, in this and the following verses, unfolds 1
the manner in which those to whom he wrote had been |
delivered from that dreadful condition. It was by a
spiritual resurrection. God, and not themselves, was I
the author of the change. It was not to be referred to
any goodness in them, but to the abounding love of
God, The objects of this love were not Jews in dis-
tinction from the Gentiles, nor the Gentiles as such,
nor men in general, but tis, i. e. Christians, the actual
subjects of the life-giving power here spoken of. All
this is included in this verse.

'O Se 0609, hut God, i. e. notwithstanding our guilt
and corruption, God, heing rich in mercy, 7r\ovcno<i wv
iv eXeet, i. e. because he is rich in mercy. "EXeo^ is,
ipsum miseris succurrendi studium, ' the desire to suc-
cour the miserable ; ' oiKrLpix6<i is pity. Love is more
than either. It was not merely tnercy which has all
the miserable for its object ; but love which has defi-
nite individual persons for its objects, which constrained
this intervention of God for our salvation. Therefore
the apostle adds, hia rrjv iroXKr^v aydiTrjv avTOv. Aia
is not to be rendered through, but on aGCOVMt of. It
was to satisfy his love, that he raised us from the death
of sin.

112 EPHE8IAN8,

V. 5. Kal 6vTa<i r)/jba'i. The conjunction kuI does
not serve merely to resume the connection ; nor is it
to be referred to 77/u.a?, us also, us as well as others ;
but it belongs to the participle. — ' And being,' i. e.
even when we were dead in trespasses. ITotwithstand-
ing our low, and apparently helpless condition, God
interfered for our recovery.

^vve^oDOTTolrjae tm Xpia-TO), he quickened us together
with Christ. Zwoiroietv means, to make alive, to im-l
part life. In the New Testament it is almost always
used of the communication of the life of which Christ
is the author. It either comprehends every^^hing
which is included in salvation, the communication of
life in its widest scriptural sense ; or it expresses some
one point or moment in this general life-giving process.
As the death from which the Christian is delivered
includes condemnation (judicial death), pollution, and
misery ; so the life which he receives comprehends
forgiveness (justification), regeneration, and blessed-
ness. Thus in 2 Cor. 2, 12. 13, the apostle says, " And
you being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision
of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him,
having forgiven you all trespasses." As, however, in
the passage before us, the words " hath raised us up,"
and " hath made us to sit in heavenly places," are con-
nected with the word " he hath quickened," the latter
must be limited to the commencement of this work
of restoration. That is, it here expresses deliverance T
from death and the imparting of life, and not the whole |
work of salvation.

CHAP. n. VEK. 5. 113

We are said to be ' quickened together with Christ'
This does not mean merely that we are quickened cls
he was, that there is an analogy between his resurrec-
tion from the grave, and our spiritual resurrection ;
but the truth here taught is that which is presented
in Kom. 6, 6. 8. Gal. 2, 19. 20. 2 Cor. 5, 14. 1 Cor.
15, 22. 23, and in many other passages, viz. that in
virtue of the union, covenant and vital, between Christ
and his people, his death was their death, his life is
their life, and his exaltation is theirs. Hence all the
verbs used in this connection, awe^cooTrolTja-e, avvi]yeLp€,
avpeKcWtae, are in the past tense. They express what
has already taken place, not what is future ; not what
is merely in prospect. The resurrection, the quicken-
ing and raising up of Christ's people were in an im-
portant sense accomplished, when he rose from the
dead and sat down at the right hand of God. El yap
■f] cLTrapxv ?7; «^^^ '^Atet?, is the pregnant comment of
Chrysostom. The life of the whole body is in the head,
and therefore when the head rose, the body rose. Each
in his order however ; first Christ, and then they that
are Christ's.

The apostle says, by way of parenthesis, hy grace
are ye sowed. The gratuitous nature of salvation is one
of the most prominent ideas of the context and of the
epistle. The state of men was one of helplessnes and
ill-desert. Their deliverance from that state is due to
the power and the unmerited love of God. They nei-
ther deserved to be saved, nor could they redeem
themselves. This ti'uth is so important and enters so

114 EPHESIAN8,

deeply into the very nature of the Gospel, that Paul
brings it forward on every fit occasion. And if the
mode in which he speaks of our deliverance, does not
of itself show it to be gratuitous, he introduces the de-
claration parenthetically, lest it should be for a moment
forgotten.

V. 6. And hath raised us up and caused us to sit
together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. This is an
amplification of what precedes. In its widest sense the
life, which in v. 5 is said to be given to us, includes
the exaltation exj)ressed in this verse. It is, therefore,
only by way of amplification that the apostle, after
saying we are made partakers of the life of Christ, adds
that we are raised up and enthroned with him in
heaven. To understand this we must know what is
here meant by "heavenly places," and in what sense
believers are now the subjects of the exaltation here
spoken of. Throughout this epistle the expression
" heavenly places " means heaven. But the latter phrase
has in Scripture a wide application. It means not only
the atmospheric heavens in which the clouds have their
habitation ; and the stellar heavens in which the sun,
moon and stars dwell ; and the third heavens, i. e. the
place where God specially manifests his presence and
where the glorified body of Christ now is, but also the]
state into which believers are introduced by their re-j
generation. In this last sense it coincides with one of
the meanings of the phrase " kingdom of heaven." It
is that state of purity, exaltation and favour with God,
into which his children are even in this world intro-

CHAP. II. VEB. 6. 115

diiced. Tlie opposite state is called " the kingdom of
Satan ; " and hence men are said to be translated from
" the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's
dear Son." It is in this sense of the word that we are
said, Phil. 3, 20, to be the citizens of heaven. We, if
Christians, belong not to the earth, bnt heaven ; we ar
within the pale of God's kingdom ; we are under its
laws ; we have in Christ a title to its privileges and
blessings, and possess, alas ! in what humble measure,
its spirit. Though we occupy the lowest place of this
kingdom, the mere suburbs of the heavenly city, still
we are in it. The language of the apostle in the con-
text will appear the less strange, if we apprehend aright
the greatness of the change which believers, even in
this life, experience. Tliey are freed from the con-
demnation of the law, from the dominion of Satan, from
the lethargy and pollution of spiritual death ; they are
reconciled to God, made partakers of his Spirit, as the
principle of everlasting life ; they are adopted into his
family and have a right to all the privileges of the sons
of God both in this life and in that which is to come.
This is a change worthy of being expressed by saying :
"He hath quickened us, and raised us up, and made us
to sit together with Christ in heavenly places." — All this
is ill Clirist. It is in virtue of their union with Christ
that believers are partakers of his life and exaltation.
They are to reign with him. Tlie blessings then of
which the apostle here speaks, are represented as
already conferred for two reasons : first, because they
are in a measure already enjoyed; and secondly, be-

116 EPHESIAN8,

cause the continuance and consummation of these
blessings are rendered certain by the nature of the
union between Christ and his people. In him they are
already raised from the dead and seated at the right
hand of God.

Y. 7. Why has God done all this ? Why from eternity
has he chosen us to be holy before him in love ? Why
has he made us accepted in the Beloved ? Wliy when
dead in trespasses and sins hath he quickened us, raised
us up and made us to sit together in heavenly places in
Christ ? The answer to these questions is given in this \
verse. It was, in order that, in the ages to come, he
might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his
kindness toiDO/rds us, through Christ Jesus, ha ivSei^r)-
TUL — Tov irXovTOV rrj
The manifestation of the grace of God, i. e. of his un-
merited love, is declared to be the specific object of
redemption. From this it follows that whatever clouds
the grace of God, or clashes with the gratuitous nature
of the blessings promised in the gospel, must be incon-
sistent with its nature and design. If the salvation of |
sinners be intended as an exhibition of the grace of I
God, it must of necessity be gratuitous.

The words, in the ages to come, iv tol<; alSxri rot?
i7r€p^ofievoc<;, are by many understood to refer to the
future generations in this world ; secula, aetates seu
tempora inde ab apostolicis illis ad finem mundi secu-
turas, as Wolf expresses it. Calvin, who understands
the apostle to refer specially to the calling of the Gen-
tiles in the preceding verses, gives the same explana-

CHAP. n. vs. 7, 8, 9. 117

fcion. Gentium vocatio mirabile est divinae bonitatis
opus, quod filiis parentes et avi nepotibus tradere per
manus. debent, ut nunquam ex liominum auimis silentio
deleatur. As however tliere is notbing in tbe context
to restrict tbe language of tbe apostle to tbe Gentiles,
so tbere is notbing to limit tbe general expression ages
to come to tbe present life. Otbers, restricting verse 6tb
to tbe resurrection of tbe body, wbicb is to take place
at tbe second advent of Cbrist, understand tbe pbrase
in question to mean tbe ' world to come,' or tbe period
subsequent to Cbrist's second coming. Tben, wben tbe
saints are raised up in glory, and not before, will tbe
kindness of God towards tbem be revealed. But tbe
preceding verse does not refer exclusively to tbe final
resuj'rection of tbe dead, and tberefore tbis pbrase does
not designate tbe period subsequent to tbat event. It
is better tberefore to take it witbout limitation, for all
futm'e time.

Tbe simplest construction of tbe passage supposes
tbat ev 'x^prjaTOTTjTc is to be connected witb ivSei^rjTat ;
e'^' riixa<i witb '^prja-Torrjri,, and ev XpiarS witb tbe
words immediately preceding. God's grace is mani-
fested tbrougb bis kindness towards us, and tbat
kindness is exercised tbrougb Cbrist and for bis
sake. Tbe ground of tbis goodness is not in us but in
Cbi'ist, and bence its character as grace, or unmerited
favour.

Ys. 8, 9. Tbese verses c^onfirm tbe preceding de-
claration. Tbe manifestation of tbe grace of God is
tbe great end of redemption. This is plain, for salva-

118 EPHESIAJS^S,

tion is entirely of grace. Ye are saved bj grace ; ye
are saved by faith and not by works ; and even faitb is
not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. We have then
here a manifold assertion, affirmative and negative, of
the gratuitous nature of salvation. It is not only said
in general, ' ye are saved by grace,' but furthe]* that
salvation is by faith, i. e. by Bimj)ly receiving or appre-
hending the offered blessing. From the very nature
of faith, as an act of assent and trust, it excludes the
idea of merit. If by faith, it is of grace ; if of works,
it is of debt ; as the apostle argues in Rom. 4, 4. 5.
Faith, therefore, is the mere causa apjprehendens^ the
simple act of accepting, and not the ground on which
salvation is bestowed. Not of works. The apostle
says works^ without qualification or limitation. It is
not, therefore, ceremonial, as distinguished from good
works ; or legal, as distinguished from evangelical or
gracious works ; but works of all kinds as distinguished
from faith, which are excluded. Salvation is in no
sense, and in no degree, of works ; for to him that
worketh the reward is a matter of debt. But salvation
is of grace and therefore not of works lest any man
should boast. That the guilty should stand before God
with self-comj)lacency, and refer his salvation in any
measure to his own merit, is so abhorrent to all right
feeling that Paul assumes it (Rom. 4, 2) as an intuitive
truth, that no man can boast before God. And to all
who have any proper sense of the holiness of God and
of the evil of sin, it is an intuition ; and therefore a
gratuitous salvation, a salvation which excludes with

CHAP. II. VS. 8, 9. 119

works all ground of boasting, is the only salvation
suited to the relation of guilty men to God.

The only point in the interpretation of these verses
of any doubt, relates to the second clause. What is
said to be the gift of God? Is it salvation, or faith?
The words koI tovto only serve to render more promi-
nent the matter referred to. Compare Rom. 13, 11.
1 Cor. 6, 6. Phil. 1, 28. Heb. 11, 12. They may
relate to faith {to TncxTevecv), or to the salvation spoken
of {aeacoa/jbevovi elvac). Beza, following the fathers, pre-
fers the former reference ; Calvin, with most of the
modern commentators, the l^ter. The reasons in
favour of the former interpretation are, 1. It best suits
the design of the passage. The object of the apostle is
to show the gratuitous nature of salvation. This is
most effectually done by saying, ' Ye are not only saved
by faith in opposition to works, but your very faith is
not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.' 2. The other
interpretation makes the passage tautological. To say :
' Ye are saved by faith ; not of yourselves ; your salva-
tion is the gift of God ; it is not of works,' is saying the
same thing over and over without any j^rogress.
Whereas to say : ' Ye are saved through faith (and that
not of yourselves it is the gift of God), not of works,'
is not repetitious ; the parenthetical clause instead of
being redundant does good service and greatly in-
creases the force of the passage. 3. According to this
interpretation the antithesis between faith and works,
BO common in Paul's writings, is preserved. ' Ye are
saved by faith, not by works, lest any man should

120 EPHESIAJI8,

boast.' The middle clause of the verse is therefore
parenthetical, and refers not to the main idea ye a/re
mved, but to the subordinate one through faith, and is
designed to show how entirely salvation is of grace,
since even faith by which we a^rehend the offered
mercy, is the gift of God, 4. The analogy of Scrip-
ture is in favor of this view of the passage, in so far
that elsewhere faith is represented as the gift of God.
1 Cor. 1, 26-31. Eph. 1, 19. . Col. 2, 12, et passim.

Y. 10. That salvation is thus entirely the work of
God, and that good works cannot be the ground of our
acceptance with him, is proved in this verse — 1st. By
showing that we are God's workmanship. He, and not
ourselves, has made us what we are. And 2d, By the
consideration that we are created unto good works. As I
the fact that men are elected unto holiness, proves that
holiness is not the ground of their election ; so their
being created unto good works shows that good works
are not the ground on which they are made the subjects
of this new creation, which is itself incipient salvation.

Avjov fydp icrfiev Trolrjfia. The position of the pro-
noun at the beginning of the sentence renders it em-
phatic. Sis workmanship are we. He has made us
Christians. Our faith is not of ourselves. It is of God
that we are in Christ Jesus. Tlie sense in which wej
are the workmanship of God is explained in the follow-
ing clause, ci'eated in Christ Jesus / for if any man is
in Christ he is a new creature. Union with him is a
source of a new life, and a life unto holiness ; and.
therefore it is said created ^mto good worlds. Holiness

CHAP. n. VEE. 10. 121

is the end of redemption, for Christ gave himself for
ns that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and pm-ify
nnto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works.
Titus 2, 14. Those therefore who live in sin are not the
subjects of this redemption.

Oh TrporjTOLfj^aae, is variously interpreted. The verb
signifies properly tojprepare heforehmid. As this pre-
vious preparation may be in the mind, in the form of a
pm-pose, the word is often used in the sense of pre-
oixlaining, or appointing. Compare Gen. 24, 14, Matt
25, 34. 1 Cor. 2, 9. Eom. 9, 23. This however is
rather the idea expressed in the context than the proper
signification of the word. The relative is by Bengel
and others connected, agreeably to a common Hebrew
idiom, with the following pronoun, oh iv avToi<;, in
which, and the verb taken absolutely. The sense then
is, ' In which God has preordained that we should walk.'
By the gi-eat majority of commentators oh is taken for
a, by the common attraction, 'which God had pre-
pared beforehand, in order that we should walk in
them.' Before our new creation these works were in the
pm-pose of God prepared to be our attendants', in the
midst of which we should walk. A third interpretation
supposes ols to be used as a proper dative, and supposes
jj/ia? as the object of the verb. ' To which God has pre-
destined -ws, that we should walk in them.' The second
of these explanations is obviously the most natm-al.

Thus has the apostle in this paragi-aph clearly
taught that the natural state of man is one of con-
demnation and spiritual death ; that from that condition

122 ErHESIAJ^^S,

believers are delivered by the grace of God in Christ
Jesus ; and the design of tbis deliverance is flie mani-
festation, tbrongb all coming ages, of tbe exceeding
riches of his grace.

SECTION II.— Vs. 11-22.

11. "Wherefore remember, that ye Icing in time past Gentiles in
the flesh, who are caUed Uncircumcision by that which is called

12. the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands ; that at that time
ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth
of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having

13. no hope, and without God in the world ; but now, in Christ
Jesus, ye, who sometimes were far oflT, are made nigh by the

14. blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both
one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition

15. hetween us ; having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the
law of commandments contained in ordinances : for to make

16. in himself of twain one new man, so making peace ; and that
he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross,

17. having slain the enmity thereby : and came and preached
peace to you which were afar ofi", and to them that were nigh.

18. For through him we both have an access by one Spirit unto the

19. Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreign-
ers, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of

20. God ; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and
prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone ;

21. in whom all the building, fitly framed together, groweth unto

22. a holy temple in the Lord : in whom ye also are builded toge-
ther, for a habitation of God through the Spirit.

ANALYSIS.

In» the preceding paragraph the apostle had set
forth — 1. The moral and spiritual condition of the

CHAP. n. vs. 11-22. 123

Ephesians by nature. 2. The spiritual renovation and
exaltation which they had experienced. 3. Tlie design
of God in this dispensation. In this paragraph he
exhibits the corresponding change in their relations.
In doing this he sets forth : —

I. Their former relation — 1st. To the chiu'ch as for-
eigners and aliens. 2d. To God as those who were far
off, without any saving knowledge of him, or interest
in his promises, vs. 11. 12.

II. The means by which this alienation from God
and the chmxh had been removed, viz. by the blood
of Christ. His death had a twofold effect. — 1. By
satisfying the demands of justice, it secured reconcilia-
tion with God. 2. By abolishing the law in the form
of the Mosaic institutions, it removed the wall of parti-
tion between the Jews and Gentiles. A twofold recon-
ciliation was thus effected ; the Jews and Gentiles are
united in one body, and both are reconciled to God,
vs. 13-18.

III. In consequence of this twofold reconciliation,
the Ephesians were intimately united with God and
his people. Tliis idea is set forth under a threefold
figure. — 1. They are represented as fellow-citizens of
the saints. 2. They are members of the family of God.
3. They are constituent portions of that temple in which
God dwells by his Spirit, vs. 19-22.

The idea of the church which underlies this para-
graph, is that which is every where presented in the
Kew Testament. The church is the body of Clirist.
tt consists of those in whom he dwells by his Spirit.

124 EPHESIAJSrS,

To be alien from the churcli, therefore, is to be an alien
from God. It is to be witliont Christ and without hope.
The church of which this is said is not the nominal,
external, visible church as such, but the true people
of God. As, however, the Scriptures always speak
of men according to their profession, calling those who
profess faith, believers, and those who confess Christ,
Christians ; so they speak of the visible church as the
true church, and predicate of the former what is true
only of the latter. The Gentiles while aliens from the
church were without Christ, without God, and without
hope ; when amalgamated with the church they be-
came the habitation of God through the Spirit. Such
many of them truly were, such they all professed to be,
and they are therefore addressed in that character.
But union with the visible church no more made them
real partakers of the Spirit of Christ, than the profes-
sion of faith made them living believers.

COMMENTARY.

Y. 11. Wherefore remeiriber, i. e. since God has
I done such great things for you, call to mind your former
condition, as a motive both for humility and gratitude.
That ye heing in time^ast Gentiles in the flesh, eOvrj iv
a-apKi, i. e. uncircumcised heathen. This gives in a
, word the description of their former state. All that
follows, in this and the succeeding verse, is but ampli-
fication of this idea. Tlie words in the flesh, do not
mean origine carnali, natalibus, hy hirth ; nor as to

CHAP. II. VER. 11. 125

&dernal condition, wMcli would imply that spiritually,
or as to their internal state, tliey were not heathen.
The context shows that it refers to circumcision, which \
being a sign in the flesh, is designated with suf-
ficient clearness by the expression in the text. As
circumcision was a rite of divine appointment, and the
seal of God's covenant with his people, to be uncircum-t
cised was a great misfortune. It showed that those in(
that condition were without God and without hope.
The apostle therefore adds, as explanatory of the pre-
ceding phrase, ol Xeyofievot aKpo^varia, who a/re called
TJncircumcision. This imj^lied that they did not be-
long to the covenant peojple of God ; and in the lips
of the Jews it was expressive of a self-righteous abhor-
rence of the Gentiles as unclean and profane. This
feeling on their part arose from their supposing that
the mere outward rite of circumcision conveyed holi-
ness and secured the favour of God. As the apostle
knew that the circumcision of the flesh was in itself
of no avail, and as he was far from sympathizing in the
contemptuous feeling which the Jews entertained for
the Gentiles, he tacitly reproves this spirit by designat-
ing the former as the so called circumcision in the flesh,
made with hands. This is a description of the Israel
Kara adpKa, the external people of God, who were Jews
ou^twardly, but who were destitute of the true circum-
cision which was of the heart. They were the conci-
sion, as the apostle elsewhere says, we are the circum-
cision, which worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in
Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, Phil.

126 EPHESIANS,

3, 3. Tlie Jews were a striking illustration of tlie effect
of ascribing to external rites objective power, and
regarding them as conveying grace and securing the
favour of God, irrespective of the subjective state of
the recipient. This doctrine rendered them proud,
self-righteous, malignant, and contemptuous, and led
them to regard religion as an external service com-
patible with unholiness of heart and life. This doctrine
the apostle every where repudiates and denounces as
fatal. And therefore in this connection, while speaking
of the real advantage of circumcision, and of the cov-
enant union with God of which it was the seal, he was
careful to indicate clearly that it was not the circum-
cision in the flesh, made with hands, which secured the
blessings of which he speaks. Compare Rom. 2, 25-29.
1 Cor. 7, 19. Phil. 3, 3-6. Col. 2, 11.

V. 12. Tlie sentence begun in verse 11 is here
resumed. Kemember, on rjre iv tm Kaipw eKeivu) %&)/ot<?
XpicTTov, that at that time ye were without Christ. This
means more than that they were as heathen, destitute
of the knowledge and expectation of the Messiah. As
Christ is the only redeemer of men, and the only
mediator between God and man, to be without Christ,
was to be without redemption and without access to
God. To possess Christ, to be in Him, is the sum of
all blessedness ; to be without Christ includes all evil.

What follows is a confirmation of what precedes.
They were without Christ because aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel. The idea of separation and
estrangement is strongly expressed by the word airrfK-

CHAP. II. VEK. 12. 12T

Xorpico^evot. Tliey stood as aXXoi, as others, distin-
guislied as a separate class from tlie j)eople of God.
Tlie word iroXirela means — 1. Citizensliip. 2. The
order or constitution of the state. 3. The commmiity
or state itself. The last signification best suits the con-
nection. 'laparjK means the theocratical people ; and
TToXtreia tov 'laparjX is that community or common-
\ wealth which was Israel. Tliis includes the other
senses, for in being aliens from the community of God's
people, they were of course destitute of citizenship
among them, and outside of the theocratical consti-
tution.

And strangers from the covenants of promise, koX
^evot TOiv hiadrjicSiv Trj<i eTrayjeXla^. The word cove-
nants is in the plural because God entered repeatedly j
into covenant with his people. It is called a covenant
of promise, or rather of the promise, because the pro-|
mise of redemption was connected therewith. That
the promise meant is that great promise of a redeemer
made to Abraham, and so often afterwards repeated,
is plain not only from the context, but from other pas-
sages of Scripture. " The promise made to the fathers,"
says the apostle, in Acts 13, 32, " hath God fulfilled in
that he hath raised up Jesus." Comp. Rom. 4, 14^16.
Gal. 3, 16. As the heathen were not included in the
covenant God made with his people, they had no in-
terest in the promise, the execution of which that cove-
nant secured. Their condition was therefore most
deplorable. Tliey were without hope — iXirtSa fi-q e)(av-
ra'i, not having hope. They had nothing to hope, be- 1

128 EPHESIAN8,

cause shut out of the covenant of promise. The pro-
I mise of God is the only foundation of hope, and therefore
' those to whom there is no promise, have no hope. And
having no hope of redemption, the great blessing pro-
mised, they were, in the widest sense of the word, hope-
less. They were moreover without God, aOeoi. This
may mean that they were atheists, in so far that they
were destitute of the knowledge of the true God, and
served those who by nature were no gods. Jehovah
was not their God ; they had no interest in him, they
were without him. This includes the idea that they
were forsaken of him — ^he had left them in the world,
j They stood outside of that community which belonged
1 to God, who knew and worshipped him, to whom his
promises were made, and in the midst of whom he
dwelt. In every point, therefore, their condition as
heathen afforded a melancholy contrast to that of the
true people of God, and to that into which they had been
introduced by the Gospel. Their alienation from the
theocracy or church involved in it, or implied, a like
alienation from God and his covenant.

Y. 13. But now in Christ Jesus^ i. e. in virtue of
I union with Christ ; vfieh ol rore ovre? fiaKpav, ijyv<;
eyevrjdrjTe, ye who sometime were afa/r qff^ o/re made
nigh. As under the old dispensation God dwelt in the j
temple, those living near his abode and having access I
to him, were his people. Israel was near ; the Gen-
tiles were afar off. They lived at a distance, and had
no liberty of access to the place where God revealed
his presence. Hence in the prophets, as in Isaiah 49, 1.

CHAP. II. VEK. 13. 129

57, 19, by those near are meant the Jews, and by those
afar off the Gentiles. This form of expression passed
over to the ]^ew Testament writers. Acts 2, 39, " The
promise is to you and to your childi'en, and to all that
are far off." Eph. 2, 17, " Preached peace to you that
were far off, and to them that were nigh." Among
the later Jews the act of receiving a proselyte, was
called " making him nigh." * As being far from God.,
included both separation from his people, and spiritual \
distance or alienation from himself : so to be brouffhtlt

nigh includes both introduction into the church and re-|
conciliation with God. And these two ideas are clearly
presented and intended by the apostle in this whole
context. Tliis twofold reconciliation is effected, iv tq> j
aLjxaTL Tov Xpiarov, hy the hlood of Christ. This clause
is explanatory of the words at the beginning of the
verse. ' In Christ Jesus, i. e. by the blood of Christ,
ye are made nigh.' Without shedding of blood there
is no remission and no reconciliation of sinners with
God. When Moses ratified the covenant between God
and his people, " He took the blood of calves and of
goats and sprinkled both the book and all the people,
saying, This is the blood of the covenant which God
hath enjoined unto you. It was necessary that the
patterns of things in the heavens should be purified
with these ; but the heavenly things themselves with
better sacrifices than these." Heb. 9, 19-23. As under

* The Eabbins said : Quicunque gentilem appropinquare facit, et pro-
eelytum facit, idem est ac si ipsum creasset. Wetstein.

130 EPHESIAN8,

the typical and ritual economy of the Old Testament
the people were brought externally nigh to God, by
the blood of calves and goats, through which temporal
redemption was effected and the theocratical covenant
was ratified ; so we are brought spiritually nigh to
God by the blood of Christ, who has obtained eternal
redemption for us, being once offered to bear the sins
of many, and to ratify by his death the covenant of God
with all his people, whether Jews or Gentiles.

Vs. 14. 15. These verses contain a confirmation and
illustration of what precedes. ' Ye who were far off
are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our
peace. He has effected the twofold reconciliation
above referred to.' Tliis he has accomplished by abol-4
ishing the law. The law, however, is viewed in a
twofold aspect in this connection. First, it was that
original covenant of works, demanding perfect obe-
dience, whose conditions must be satisfied in order to
the reconciliation of men with God. Christ by being
made under the law. Gal. 4, 4, and fulfilling all right-
eousness, has redeemed those who were imder the law.
He delivered them from the obligation of fulfilling its '4
demands as the condition of their justification before 5
God. In this sense they are not under the law. Comp.
Kom. 6, 14. 7, 4. 6. Gal. 5, 18. Col. 2, 14. But sec-
ondly, as Christ abolished the law as a covenant of 'i
works by fulfilling its conditions, so he abolished the I
Mosaic law by fulfilling all its types and shadows. He
was the end of the law in both these aspects, and there-
fore, it ceased to bind the people of God in either of

CHAP. n. vs. 14, 15. 131

these forms. Of this doctrine the wliole of the 'New
Testament is fulL The epistles especially are in large
measure devoted to proving that believers are not
under the law in either of these senses, but under
grace. Thus it is that Christ is our peace. The aboli-
tion of the law as a covenant of works reconciles us to
God ; the abolition of the Mosaic law removes the wall
between the Jews and Gentiles. Tliis is what is here
taught. By abolishing the law of commandments, i. e.
the law in both its forms, the apostle says, Christ has,
first, of the twain made one new man, v. 15 ; and
secondly, he has reconciled both unto God in one body
by the cross, v. 16.

Tliough the general sense of this passage is plain,
there is no little diversity as to the details of the inter-
pretation. The Greek is printed for the convenience
of the reader. Avr6<; yap iartv tj elprjvi) rj/mcov, 6 irotrjcra'i
TO, afi(f)6T€pa ^Vi KoX TO fjLeaoToi^ov tov (fypajfiov \vaa<;,
T^v €')(6pav, iv Ty crapKi auToO, tov v6p,ov twv evToXwv iv
Soj/jbaai KaTapj7]aa<i. Our translators, by assuming that
e'xdpav depends on KaTapyrjcra'^^ and of course that vofiov
is in apposition with it, have in a great measm'e deter-
mined thereby the interpretation of the whole passage.
The words fMecroToi-^^^ov, e%^par, and vofiov must all refer
to the same thing. Tlie sense would then be, ' For he
is our peace, having made the two one by having de-
stroyed the middle wall of partition, that is, by having
destroyed, by his flesh, the enmity, viz., the law of
commandments with ordinances.' The preferable con-
struction is to make e')(dpav depend on \vaa<i. It is

132 EPHESIAIfS,

then in apposition witli fieaoToi-x^ov, but not with vo/jlov ;
and KaTapyt](Ta<; rov vofjuov^ instead of being a mere re-
petition of \v(xa<i TO /xeaoToi-^ov, is an independent
clause explaining the manner in which the reconcilia-
tion of the Jews and Gentiles had been effected. The
passage then means, ' He is our peace because he has
made the two one by removing the enmity or middle
wall which divided the Jews and Gentiles, and this was
done by abolishing the law.' The reconciliation itself
is expressed by saying, ' He made the two one, having
removed the wall or enmity between them.' Tlie mode
in which this was done, is expressed by saying, ' He
abolished the law.'

In the phrase /xea-oTOi'^^^ov rov ^pay/xov, middle wall
of ^:>«?'fo'fo'c»7i, the latter noun is explanatory of the
former, i. e. (f>pay/jbou is the genitive of apposition.
The middle wall which consisted in the hedge, which
separated the two parties. Wliat that hedge was is
immediately expressed by the word ej(6pav. It was
the enmity subsisting between them. 'Having re-
moved the middle wall, i. e. the enmity, or their mutual
hatred.' By enmity, therefore, is not to be understood
the law^ as the cause of this alienation, but the aliena-
tion itself; because in what follows the removal of the
enmity and the abolition of the law are distinguished
from each other, the latter being the means of accom-
plishing the former.

That e^Opav is to be connected with Xvaa'? and not, as
our translation assumes, with Karapjrjaa<;^ is argued first
from the position of the words, which favours this con-

CHAP. n. vs. 14, 15. 133

struction ; secondly, because the expression Xveuv e^dpav
is common, and Karapjelv ex^pav never occurs; and
thirdly, because the sense demands this construction,
inasmuch as the ambiguous phrase middle wall of par-
tion thus receives its needed explanation. The ajDOstle
first states, what it was that divided the Jews and Gen-
tiles, viz., their mutual hatred, and then how that hatred
had been removed.

The words eV t?} aapKi avrov^ are not to be connected
with Xycra?. That is, the apostle does not mean to say
that Christ has removed the enmity between the Jews
and Gentiles 5y his jlesh. Tliey are to be connected
with the following participle (/carap'yjycra?). " Having
by his flesh, i. e. by his death, abolished the law."
This is the great truth which Paul had to teach. Christ
by his death has freed us from the law. "We are no
longer under the law but under gTace. Rom. 6, 14.
"We are no longer required to seek salvation on the
ground of obedience to the law, which says : " Do this,
and live," and " Cursed is every one that continueth
not in all things written in the book of the law to do
them." Christ has freed us from the law as a covenant
of works, by being himself made subject to it, Gal. 4,
5 ; by bearing its penalty, Gal. 3, 13 ; by his body,
Rom. 7, 4; by the body of his flesh. Col. 1, 22 ; by his
cross, Col. 2, 14. In this connection the exj)ressions,
" by the blood of Christ," v. 13; "by his flesh," v. 14;
" by his cross," all mean the same thing. Tliey are but
different modes of expressing his sacrificial, or atoning
death, by which the law was satisfied and our recon-

134 EPHESIANS,

ciliation to God is effected. The ''abolishing," there-
fore, of which the apostle speaks, does not consist in
setting the law aside, or suspending it by a sovereign,
executive act. It is a causing it to cease; or rendering
' it no longer binding by satisfying its demands, so that
we are judicially free from it; free not by the act of a
sovereign but by the sentence of a judge ; not by mere
pardon, but by justification. Who is he that condemns,
when God justifies? Rom. 8, 34. Tlie law which
Christ has thus abolished is called "the law of com-
mandments in ordinances." Tliis may mean the law
of commandments with ordinances — referring to the
two classes of laws {evrdkrj and Sojfia), moral and
positive ; or it may refer to the form in which the pre-
cepts are presented in the law, as positive statutes, or
commands, tmv evroXayv giving the contents of the law,
and eV S6j/xaai the form. The idea probably is that the
law in all its compass, and in all its forms, so far as it
was a covenant prescribing the conditions of salvation,
is abolished. The law of which the apostle here speaks
is not exclusively the Mosaic law. It is so described
in various parallel passages, as holy, just and good, as
taking cognizance of the inward feelings, as to make
it evident it is the law of God in its widest sense.
It is the law which binds the heathen and which is
written on their hearts. It is the law from which
the death of Christ redeems men. But redemption
is not mere deliverance from Judaism, and therefore
the law from which we are freed by the death of
Christ is not merely the law of Moses. Deliverance

CHAP. II. VS. 14, 15. 135

from the Mosaic institutions couid not have the ef-
fects ascribed to the freedom from the law of which
Paul speaks. It could not secure reconciliation tc
God, justification, and holiness, all of which, accord-
ing to the apostle, flow from the redemption effected
by Christ. The antithetical ideas always presented in
Paul's writings, on this subject, are the law and grace,
the law and the gospel, the system which says: "Do
and live," — and the system which says: "Believe and
live ; " — as, however, the form in which the law was
ever present to the minds of the early Christians was
that contained in the Mosaic institutions ; as all, who in
that day were legalists, were Judaizers, and as the
Mosaic economy was included in the law which Christ
abolished, in many cases (as in the passage before us),
special reference is had to the law in that particular
form. But in teaching that men cannot be saved by
obedience to the law of Moses, Paul taught that we
cannot be saved by obedience to the law in any form.
Or rather, by teaching that salvation is not of works
of any kind, but of grace and through faith, he teaches
it is not by the specific, ceremonial works enjoined in
the law of Moses.

It is objected to the above interpretation of this pas-
sage, which is the common one, that in order to justify
connecting iv hoy/xaai, with ivroXwv (the lav) of com-
mandments in ordinances), the article should be used.
It is therefore urged that iv Soyfjuacri must be connected
with KaTapj7Jaa<i and the passage read, " having
abolished by doctrine the law of commandments." To

136 EPIIESIAIS'S,

tliis, liowever, it is answered — 1. Tliat the connecting
article is frequently omitted in cases where the qualify-
ing word is intimately connected with the word to be
qualified, so as to form one idea with it. See Eph. 2,
11. 2 Cor. 7, 7. Col. 1, 4. 2. Tliat Karap^rjaa-i has
its qualifying clause in the words ev rfj crapKi It would
be incongruous to say that Christ abolished the law by
his death, by doctrine. 3. Tlie word Soyfia never
means doclrine in the New Testament, and therefore
cannot have that meaning here. 4. And finally the
sense is bad, contrary to the whole analogy of Scrip-
ture. Tlie law was not abolished by Christ as a
teacher ; but by Christ as a sacrifice. It was not by
his doctrine, but by his blood, his body, his death, his
cross, that our deliverance from the law was effected.
The doctrine of the passage, therefore, is that the mid-
dle wall of partition between the Jews and Gentiles,
consisting in their mutual enmity, has been removed by
Christ's having, through his death, abolished the law
in all its forms, as a rule of justification, and thus,
.opening one new way of access to God, common to
Jews and Gentiles.

The design of Christ in thus abolishing the law was
two-fold. First, the union of the Jews and Gentiles i:
one holy. Catholic church. And, Secondly, the recon
ciliation of both to God. The former is expressed, by
saying: "In order that he might create the two, in^
himself, one new man, making peace." The two, tov<;
Svo, are of course the two spoken of above, the Jews
and Gentiles. Tliey were separate, hostile bodies, alike

CHAP. II. VS. 14, 15. 137

dead in trespasses and sins, equally the children of
wrath. They are created anew, so as to become one
body of which Christ is the head. And, therefore, it
is said, eV eauro), in himself, i. e. in virtue of union I
with him. Union with Christ being the condition at
once of their unity and of their holiness. They are
created etV eva kulvov dudpcoirov. They are one, and
they are new, i. e. renewed. Kaiv6<i means newly
made, uninjured by decay or use ; and in a moral sense
renewed, pure. See 4, 24. 2 Cor. 5, 17. Gal. 6. 15.
Col. 3, 10. Making peace, ttolmv elprjvrjv. The present
participle is here used, because the effect or operation
is a continuous one. The union or peace which flows
from the abrogation of the law by the death of Christ,
is progressive, so far as it is inward or subjective. The
outward work is done. The long feud in the human
family is healed. Tlie distinction between Jew and
Gentile is abolished. All the exclusive privileges of
the former are abrogated. The wall which had so long
shut out the nations is removed. There is now one fold
and one shepherd. Since the abrogation of the law there
is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor
free, there is neither male nor female ; for all believers
are one in Christ Jesus. Gal. 3, 28.

Y. 16. The second part of Christ's purpose is ex-
pressed in this verse. It was that he might reconcile
{aTroKaraWd^rj) the two, united in one body, unto God,
by means of the cross, having thereby slain the enmity.
The eiKl effected was reconciliation with God; — the
subjects of this reconciliation are the church, the one

138 EPHESIAN8,

body into wliicli Jews and Gentiles are merged (so
that the one is a-vcra-uiijba with the other, Eph. 3, 6);
the means of this reconciliation is the cr^s, because the
crucifixion of our Lord removes the enmity which pre-
vented the reconciliation here spoken of.

To reconcile is to effect peace and union between
parties previously at variance. ^Neither the English
nor Greek terms {hiaXkdcraeiv, KaraWdaaecv) indicate
whether the change effected is mutual or only on one
side. A child is reconciled to an offended father who
receives him into favour, though the father's feelings
only have been changed. Whether the reconciliation
effected by Christ between man and God results from
an inward change in men, or from the propitiation of
God — or whether both ideas are to be included, is de-
termined not by the signification of the word, but by
the context and the analogy of Scripture. When
Christ is said to reconcile men to God, the meaning is
that he propitiated God, satisfied the demands of his
justice, and thus rendered it possible that he might be
just and yet justify the ungodly. This is plain, because
the reconciliation is always said to be effected by the
death, the blood, the cross of Christ; and the proxi-
mate design of a sacrifice is to propitiate God, and not
to convert the offerer or him for whom the offering is
made. What in one place is expressed by saying
Christ reconciled us to God, is in another place ex-
pressed by saying, he was a propitiation, or made pro-
pitiation for our sins.

The subjects of this reconciliation are the Jews and

CHAP. n. VEK. 16. 139

Gentiles united in one body, i. e. the dim'cli — tou9
d/M(f}oripov'i iv evl a-co/xari. His deatli liad not reference
to one class to the exclusion of the other. It was de-
signed to bring unto God, the whole number of the
redeemed, whether Jews or Gentiles, as one living
body, filled with his Spirit as well as washed in his
blood.

Many commentators understand the words " in one
body " to refer to Christ's own body, and the words
" by the cross," at the close of the sentence, to be
merely explanatory. The sense would then be, "That
he might reconcile both unto God, by one body, i. e.
by the one offering of himself, i. e. by his cross." The
obvious objection to this interpretation is, that "one
body" cannot naturally be explained to mean "one
offering of his body." Besides this, the passage, vs.
13-16, would then repeat five times the idea : the sacri-
fice of Christ reconciled us to God. The natural oppo-
sition between " the two " and " the one hody^'' favours
the common interpretation. Christ created the two
into one new man, and as thus united in one body, he
reconciled both unto God.

The means by which this reconciliation was effected
is the cross — ^because on it he slew the enmity which
separated us from God. The latter clause of the verse
is therefore explanatory of what precedes. 'He recon-
ciled both to God, having, by the cross, slain the
enmity.' Tlie enmity in this place, as in v. 15, many
understand to be the enmity between the Jews and
Gentiles, and make the apostle say: 'Christ by his

140 EPHESIAIJS,

crucifixion has destroyed tlie enmity between the Jews
and Gentiles and then reconciled them thus united in
one body to God.' It is urged in favour of this inter-
pretation that it is unnatural to make the word emnity
in this verse and in verse 15 refer to different things.
The great doctrine in the whole context is the unity of
all believers, and therefore, that is to be kept in view.
It is the enmity between the Jews and Gentiles and
their union of which the apostle is treating. But that
idea had just before been expressed. It is perfectly
pertinent to the apostle's object to show that the union
between the Jews and Gentiles was effected by the
reconciliation of both, by his atoning death, to God.
The former flows from the latter. In this connection
the words " having slain the enmity on it," serve to j
explain the declaration that the cross of Christ recon-
ciles us to God. His death satisfied justice, it pro-
pitiated God, i. e. removed his wrath, or his enmity
to sinners ; not hatred, for God is love, but the calm
and holy purpose to punish them for their sins. This
view is sustained by the constantly recurring repre-
sentations of Scripture. In Col. 1, 20-22, we have a
passage which is exactly j)arallel to the one before us.
It is there said,, that God, having made peace by the
blood of the cross, reconciled by Christ all things unto
himself, and " you," the apostle adds, " that were
sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by
wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body
of his flesh through death." Here it is obvious that
the peace intended is peace between God and man.

CHAP. II. VEE. 17. 14:1

So too in Col. 2, 13. 14, it is said : " You being dead . . .
hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven
you all trespasses ; blotting out the handwriting of
ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to
us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross."
Here again the reconciliation is between man and God;
the means, the cross — the mode, the abrogation or
satisfaction of the law. The epistles to the Ephesians
and to the Colossians are so much a reflection the one
of the other, that they serve for mutual illustration.
As there can be no doubt as to what Paul meant in the
passages addressed to the Colossians, they serve to
determine his meaning in the parallel passages to the
Ephesians. The context, so far from opposing, favours
the interpretation given above. Reconciliation in-
volves the removal of enmity ; the reconciliation is to
God, therefore the enmity is that which subsisted
between God and man — ^the peace announced in con-
sequence of this reconciliation, verse 17, is peace with
God ; it consists in the liberty of access to him spoken
of in verse 18. Thus all is natm'al in the relation of the
several clauses to each other.

Y. 17. And having come, he peached peace, far
you afar of, and j^eace^ for those near. The connec-
tion is not with verse 14, but with verses 14^16. Christ
having effected peace, announced it. This is the bur-
den of the Gospel, Peace on earth, and good-will to-

* The repetition of elp'fivrjv before ro7s iyy^^j tas in its favour many
of the oldest MSS. and versions, and is adopted by Lachmann, Meyer, and
Dthers.

142

EPHESIANS,

ward man. God is reconciled. Being justified by
faith we have peace witli G-od. Christ having redeemed
us from the curse of the law ; having reconciled us to
God by his death, came and preached peace. To
what preaching does the apostle refer ? Some say to
Christ's personal preaching while here on earth. Hav-
ing come., i. e. in the flesh, he preached. This sujDposes
the connection is not with what immediately precedes,
but with verse 14. — ' He is our peace, and having
come into the world he preached peace.' But this
breaks the concatenation of the ideas. The reconciKa-
tion is represented as preceding the annunciation of it.
Having died, he came and preached. The preaching \
is, therefore, the annunciation of the favour of God, j
made by Christ, either in person, or through his apos- '
ties and his Spirit. Having come, iXdcov, is not rcdun-^
dant, nor does it refer to his coming into the world, j
but to that reajopearing which took place after his
resurrection, which was temporarily in person and
continuous in his Spirit. He is with the church always,
even to the end of the world ; and it is his annuncia-
tion of peace which is made, by the word and Spirit,
through the church. Tlie peace meant, according to
one interpretation, is peace between Jews and Gentiles,
according to another, peace with God. Tlie decision
between the two depends on the view taken of the
context. If the interpretation given above of the pre-
ceding verses be correct, then the peace here mentioned \
can only be peace with God. The dative vjjuv does '
not depend immediately on the verb, and point out the

CHAP. II. VEE. 18. 143

object to wliicli the preaching was directed. It indicates
those for whose benefit this peace has been procm-ed.
Christ announced that peace with God had, by the
cross, been secured for those afar off, viz. the Gentiles,
as well as for the Jews, or those who were nigh.

Y. 18. The proof that peace has thus been obtained \
for both is, that both have equally free access to God. i
The on at the beginning of the verse is not to be ren-
dered that, as indicating the nature of the peace ; but
si/nce, as introducing the evidence that such peace was
procured. That evidence is found in the fact that we i
have access to God. Had not his wrath been removed,
Rom, 5, 10, the enmity been slain, we could have no
access to the divine presence. And since Gentiles have
as free access to God as the Jews, and upon the same
terms and in the same way, it follows that the peace I
procured by the death of Christ, was designed for the j
one class as well as for the other.

Access is not mere liberty of approach ; it is irpocra-
ycuy?;, introduction. Christ did not die simply to open
the way of access to God, but actually to introduce us'
into his presence and favour. This all Scripture teaches,
and this the context demands. Those for whom the
death of Christ has procured peace, are declared in
what follows to be fellow-citizens of the saints ; mem-
bers of the family of God, constituent parts of that tem-
ple in which God dwells by his Spirit. It is a real not
a mere potential redemption and reconciliation which
the blood of Christ effects. He died, the just for the
unjust, to bring us nigh unto God. This introduction

144 EPHESIANS,

into a state of grace, Rom. 5, 3, is not identical with I
the peace procui-ed by Christ, but the effect or se-«
quence of it. Having made propitiation, or secured
peace, he introduces us as our mediator and advocate
into the divine presence.

As to this access we are taught 'that it is — 1. To thel
Father. 2. It is through Christ. 3. It is by the Spirit. 1
The doctrine of the Trinity as involved in the whole
scheme of redemption, evidently underlies the repre-
sentation contained in this passage. In the plan of
salvation as revealed in Scripture, the Father repre-
sents the Godhead, or God absolutely. He gave a
peoj)le to the Son, sent the Son for their redemption,
and the Spirit to apply to them that redemption.
Hence, in the beginning of this epistle, it is said that
God as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings, chose us
before the foundation of the world to be holy, having
predestinated us to be his childi-en. He, therefore,
has made us acceptable in the Beloved, in whom we
have redemption through his blood. It is the Father,
therefore, as the apostle says, who has made known to
us his purpose to reconcile all things unto himself by
Jesus Christ. Thus also in Col. 1, 19. 20, it is said it
pleased the Father that in him all fulness should dwell,
and having made peace through the blood of the cross
by him to reconcile all things unto himself. In 1 Cor.
8, 6, it is said there is to us one God even the Father,
by whom are all things, and we in him ; and one Lord,
Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we by

CHAP. II. YER. 18. 145

Lim. This representation will be recognized as per-
vading the Scripture. It is the Father as representing
the Godhead, to whom we are said to be reconciled, to
be brought near, into whose family we are adopted,
and of whose glory we are heirs.

Secondly, this access is through Christ. This means,
1st, as explained in the context, by his blood, his flesh,
his cross. That is, it is by his vicarious death. It is
by his dying, the just for the unjust, that he brings us
near to God. 2. It is by his intercession, for he has
not only died for us, but he has passed through the
heavens there to appear before God for us. It is, there-
fore, through him, as our mediator, intercessor, intro-
ducer, forerunner, that we draw near to God. This is
a truth so plainly impressed on the Scriptures and so
graven on the hearts of believers, that it gives form to
all our modes of approach to the throne of God. It is
in the name of Christ, all our j^raises, thanksgivings,
confessions, and prayers are offered, and for his sake
alone do we hope to find them accepted.

Thirdly, this access to the Father is by the Spirit.
The inward change by which we are enabled to believe
in Christ, the feelings of desire, reverence, filial con-
fidence which are essential to our communion vrith
God, are the fruits of the Spirit. Hence we are said
to be drawn or led by the Spirit, and the Spirit also
as well as Christ is called our advocate, or paraclete ;
and God, it is said, because we are sons, hath sent forth
the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba,
Father, Gal. 4, 6. The words iv kv\ irv^vuan, hy one

146 EPHESIANS,

spirit, are not to be understood as expressing tlie in-
ward concord or fellowship of tlie Jews and Gentiles in
drawing near to God, nor simply that we are influenced
by a common spirit of life, but the words are to be
understood of the Holy Ghost. — 1. Because the word
irvevfia, without as well as with the article so generally
refers to the Spirit in the Kew Testament. 2. Because
the obvious reference to the Trinity in the passage,
(" to the Father, through Christ, by the Spirit,") de-
mands this interpretation. And 3. Because the same
office is elsewhere characteristically referred to the
Spirit. The other interpretations are included in this.
If Jews and Gentiles are led by the Spirit to draw near
to God, it follows that they come with one heart ; and
are animated by one principle of life. The preposition
ev may be taken instrumentally, and rendered hy, as in
the following verse. Or it may mean in communion
with. The Holy Ghost is designated here as one Spirit,
in opposition to the two classes, Jews and Gentiles.
Both have access by one and the same Spirit. The
two, therefore, are not only one body as stated in verse
16, but they are inhabited and controlled by one Spirit.
Thus in 1 Cor. 12, 11, " one and the self-same Spirit,"
is said to divide to every man severally as he wills ;
and in verse 12, it is, " By one Spirit we are all bap-
tized into one body." Thus has the divine purpose of
which the apostle spoke in the first chapter — ^his pur-
pose to unite all his people in one harmonious body —
been consummated. Christ by his cross has reconciled
them, both Jews and Gentiles, unto God ; the distinc-

CHAP. 11. VER. 19. 147

tioii between the two classes is abolished ; "imited in one
body, filled and guided by one Spirit, they draw near
to God as his common children.

Y. 19. The consequences of this reconciliation arei
that the Gentiles are now fellow-citizens of the saints,!
members of the family of God, and part of that temple!
in which God dwells by his Spirit. Formerly they
were ^ivoi, strangers^ now they are avfxiroXirai^ fellow-
citizens. Formerly the Gentiles stood in the same
relation to the theocracy or commonwealth of Israel,
that we do to a foreign State. They had no share in
its privileges, no participation in its blessings. !Now
they are " fellow-citizens of the saints." By saints are
not to be understood the Jews, nor the ancient patri-
archs, but the people of God. Christians have be-
come, under the new dispensation, what the Jews once
were, viz. saints, men selected and separated from the
world, and consecrated to God as his peculiar people.
They now constitute the theocracy — which is no longer
confined to any one people or country, but embraces
all in every country who have access to God by Christ
Jesus. In this spiritual kingdom the Gentiles have now
the right of citizenship. Tliey are on terms of perfect
equality with all other members of that kingdom. And
that kingdom is the kingdom of heaven. The same
terms of admission are required, and neither more nor
less, for membership in that kingdom, and for admis-
sion into heaven ; all who enter the one enter the
other ; the one is but the infancy of the other ; we are
now, says Paul, the citizens of heaven. It is not, there-

148 EPHESIANS,

fore, to tlie participation of tlie privileges of tlie old,
external, visible theocracy, nor simply to the pale of
the visible Christian church, that the apostle here
welcomes his Gentile brethren, but to the spiritual
Israel, the communion of saints ; to citizenship in that
kingdom of which Christ is king, and membership in
that body of which he is the head. It is only a change
of illustration without any essential change of sense,
when the apostle adds, they are no longer irdpoiKot, but
oUeioi. The family is a much more intimate brother-
hood than the State. The relation to a father is much
more sacred and tender than that which we bear to a civil
ruler ; and therefore, there is an advance in this clause
beyond what is said in the former. If in the former
we are said to be fellow-citizens with the saints, here
we are said to be the children of God ; whose charac-
ter and privileges belong to all those in whom God
dwells by his Spirit.

Y. 20. As olKo<i means both a family and a house,
,the apostle passes from the one figure to the other.
The Gentiles are members of the family of God, and
,they are parts of his house. Tliey are built, eVt reS
^efieXloi Toiv airoaToKwv koX Trpo^rjToyv, on the founda-
tion of the apostles and prophets, Christ himself being
the chief corner-stone.

That the prophets here mentioned are those of the
new dispensation, is evident — first from the position of
the terms. It would more naturally be prophets and
apostles if the Old Testament prophets had been in-
tended. As God has set in the church, ' first apostles,

CHAP. II, VEK. 20. , 149

and second, propliets,' it is obvious that these are the
classes of teachers here referred to. 2. The statement
here made that the apostles and prophets are, or have
laid, the foundation of that house of which the Gentiles
are a part, is more obviously true of the 'New, than of
the Old Testament prophets. 3. The passage in ch. 3,
5, in which it is said, "The mystery of Christ is now
revealed to holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit,"
is also strongly in favour of this interpretation.

On account of the omission of the article before irpo-
(j)i]Tb)v some render the clause thus : ' The apostle-
prophets — or apostles who are prophets.' But this is
unnecessary, because the re23etition of the article is often
dispensed with, when the connected nouns belong to one
category, and constitute one class. Both apostles and
j)rophets belong to the class of Christian teachers.
Tliis interpretation is not only unnecessary, it is also
improbable; because apostles and prophets were not
identical. There were many pro]3het8 who were not
apostles. The latter were the immediate messengers
of Christ, invested with infallible authority as teachers,
and supreme power as rulers in his church. The pro-
phets were a class of teachers who spoke by inspira-
tion as the Spirit from time to time directed.

The principal difference of opinion as to the inter-
pretation of this clause, is whether " the foundation of
the apostles and prophets " means the foundation which ',
they constitute — or, which they laid. In favour of the '
latter view, it is urged that Christ, and not the apostles,
is the foundation of the church ; that Paul, 1 Cor. 3,

150 EPHESIANS,

10, speaks of himself as having laid the foundation,
and not as being part of it; and that it is derogatory
to Christ to associate him with the apostles on terms of
such apparent equality, he being one part and they
another of the foundation. On the other hand, how-
ever, it may be said, that there is a true and obvious
sense in which the apostles are the foundation of the
church ; secondly, they are expressly so called in Scrip-
ture— as in Eev. 21, 14, besides the disputed passage.
Matt. 16, 18 ; and thirdly, the figure here demands this
interpretation. In this particular passage Christ is the
corner stone, the apostles the foundation, believers the
edifice. The corner stone is distinguished from the
foundation. To express the idea that the church rests
on Christ, he is sometimes called the foundation and
sometimes the corner stone of the building ; but where
he is called the one, he is not represented as the other.
Tliis representation no more implies the equality of
Christ and the apostles, than believers being represented
as constituting with him one building, implies their
equality with him.

As the corner stone of a building is that which
unites and sustains two walls, many suppose that the
union and common dependence on Christ of the Jews
and Gentiles, are intended in the application of this
term to the Redeemer. But as the same figure is used
where no such reference can be assumed, it is more
natural to understand the apostle as ex^^ressing the gen- [
oral idea that the whole church rests on Christ. This
Isaiah predicted should be the case, when he represents

CHAP, II. VEE. 21. 151

Jehovah as saying : " Behold I hiy in Zion for a foun-
dation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a
sure foundation; he that believeth shall not make
haste." Isaiah 28, 16. Ps. 118, 22. Matt. 21, 42.
Acts 4, 11. 1 Cor. 3, 11. 1 Pet. 2, 6-8.

Y. 21. Christ being the corner stone, every thing
depends on union with him. Therefore the apostle
adds, " In whom all the building fitly framed together
groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord." Christ is the
principle at once of support and of growth. He not
only sustains the building, but carries it on to its con-
summation. The words iv S are not to be rendered, on
which, referring to the foundation, but, i7i whom, refer-
ring to Christ. Union with him is the sole essential
condition of our being parts of that living temple of
which he is the corner stone.

The words Trda-a rj oIkoBo/j,?'], even without the article,
which, because wanting in the oldest manuscripts, many
critics omit, must here mean "the whole," and not
" every building," It would destroy the whole con-
sistency of the figure to represent " every congrega-
tion," as a temple by itself resting on Christ as the
corner stone. Christ has but one body, and there is but
one temple composed of Jews and Gentiles, in which
God dwells by his Spirit.

All the parts of this temple are "fitly framed
together," a-vvap/xoXojovfxevr). Intimate union by faith
with Christ is the necessary condition of the increase
spoken of immediately afterwards. The building how-
ever is not only thus united with the corner stone, but

152 EPHESIANS,

the several parts one with another, so as to constitute a
well compacted whole. Tliis union, as aj^pears from
the nature of the building, is not external and visible,
as a worldly kingdom under one visible head, but
spiritual.

" Groweth unto a holy temple," av^et, eh vaov a'yiov^
\. e. increases so as to become a holy temple. A temple
is a building in which God dwells. Such a temple is
holy, as sacred to him. It belongs to him, is conse-
crated to his use, and can neither be approj)riated by
any other, nor used for any thing but his service, with-
out profanation. This is true of the church as a whole,
and of all its constituent members. The money-
changers of the world cannot, with impunity, make
the church a place of traffic, or employ it in any way to
answer their sordid or secular ends. The church does
not belong to the state, and cannot lawfully be con-
trolled by it. It is " sacred," set apart for God. It is
his house in which he alone has any authority.

The words eV Kvpio), hi the Xord, at the end of this
verse, admit of different constructions. They may be
connected with the word temple immediately preceding,
and be taken as equivalent to the genitive ' Temple in
the Lord,' for ' Tem]3le of the Lord,' But as the word
Lord must refer to Christ, and as the temple is the
house of God, this explanation produces confusion.
They may be connected with the word holy, 'holy in
the Lord,' i, e, holy in virtue of union with the Lord,
which gives a very good sense. Or they may be re-;
ferred to the verb, 'Grows by,' or better, 'in union I

CHAP. II. VEE. 22. 153

with the Lord.' This has in its favour the parallel
passage, 4, 16. The church compacted together in him,
grows in him, in virtue of that union, into a holy
tem23le.

V. 22. What was said of the whole body of be-
lievers, is here affirmed of the Ephesian Christians.
" In whom ye also are builded together for an habita-
tion of God through the Spirit." Builded together,
avvoiKoSo/xelaOe, may mean either, ' you together with
other believers ; ' or, ' you severally are all united in
this building.' Tlie former appears more consistent
with the context. Habitation of God, KaTOLKrjTTjptov rov
^eou, is only an equivalent expression to the phrase
" holy_teinple " of the preceding verse. There seems
to be no sufficient reason, for considering that the kut-
oiKr]Trjpiov of this verse refers to individual believers,
and vao<^ ciyio^ in the preceding, to the imited body.
So that the sense were, ' God, by dwelling in each of
you by his Spirit, makes you collectively his temple.'
This confuses the whole figm-e. Tlie two verses are
parallel. The whole building grows to a holy temple.
And you Ephesians are builded together with other
believers so as to form with them this habitation of
God.

The words iv Trvev/jLaTi, at the end of the verse, are
variously explained. Some make them qualify adjec-
tively the preceding word. ' Habitation in the Spirit,'
for ' Sj)iritual habitation.' Others express the sense
paraphrastically, thus : ' Habitation of God in virtue k
Df the indwelling of the Spirit.' Tliis is in accordance

154 EPHE8iAi;rs,

witli other passages in wliicli the churcli is called the
temple of God because he dwells therein by the Spirit.
The Spirit being a divine person, his presence is the
presence of God. Finally, the words may be connected
with the verb, and the preposition have an instrumental
force. ' Ye are builded by the Spirit into an habita-
tion of God.' Tliis is perhaps the best explanation.
The church increases in the Lord, v. 21, and is builded
by the Sj)irit, v. 22. It is in union with the one,
and byjthe agency of the other this glorious work is
carried on.

CHAPTER III.

THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF PAXJl's COmnSSION, VS. 1-13 HIS PKATER

FOR THE EPHESIANS, VS. 14-21.

SECTION I.— Vs. 1-13.

1. For this cause, I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you

2. Gentiles, if ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of

3. God which is given me to you- ward: how that hy revelation
he made known unto me the mystery, as I wrote afore in few

4. words ; wherehy, when ye read, ye may understand my knowl-

5. edge in the mystery of Christ, which in other ages was not
made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto

6. his holy apostles and prophets hy the Spirit ; that the Gentiles
should he fellow-hsirs, and of the same body, and partakers of

7. his promise in Christ by the gospel : whereof I was made a
minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto

8. me by the effectual working of his power. 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 ;

9. 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,

10. who created all things by Jesus Christ : to the intent that now
unto the principalities and powers in he:ivenly;;teces might be

156 EPHESIANS,

11. known by the churcli the manifold Avisclom of God, according
to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our

12. Lord: in whom we have boldness and access with confidence

13. by the faith of him. Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at
my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

ANALYSIS.

The office wliicli Paul had received was that of an
apostle to the Gentiles, vs. 1-2. For this office he was
qualified by direct revelation from Jesus Christ, con-
cerning the purpose of redemption, of his knowledge
of which the preceding portions of his epistle, were
sufficient evidence, vs. 3, 4. The special truth, now
more plainly revealed than ever before, was the union
of the Gentiles with the Jews as joint partakers of the
promise of redemption, by means of the gospel, vs. 5,
6. As the gospel is the means of bringing the Gentiles
to this fellowship with the saints, Paul was, by the
special grace and almighty power of God, converted
and made a minister of the gospel, vs. Y, 8. The object
of his ministry was to make known, the unsearchable
riches of Christ, and enlighten men as to the purpose
of redemption which had from eternity been hid in the
divine mind, v. 9. And the object or design of re-
demption itself is the manifestation of the wisdom of
God to principalities and powers in heaven, v. 10. This
glorious purpose has been executed in Christ, in whom
we as redeemed have free access to God. Afflictions
endured in such a cause were no ground of depression,
but rather of glory, vs. 11-13.

CHAP, III. VEE. 1. 157

COMMENTARY.

V. 1. For this cause^ i. e. because you Gentiles are
fellow-citizens of tlie saints, and specially because you
Epliesians are included in the temple of God.

As there is no verb of which the words, eycb Tlaiiko'^,
I Paul.) are the nominative, there is great diversity of
opinion as to the proper construction of the passage.
The most common view is that the sentence here begun
is recommenced and finished in v. 14, where the words,
" For this cause " are repeated. The apostle intended
saying at the beginning of the chapter what he says in
V. 14. " For this cause, I Paul, bow my knees," i. e.
' because you Ephesians have been brought to God, I
pray for yom* confirmation and growth in grace.'

Others su23ply simply the substantive verb {elfM).
'For this cause I am the prisoner of Jesus Christ.'
But in this case to say the least, the article (o 8ecrfito<i)
before the predicate is unnecessary. Others make the
clause, the prisoner of Christ, to be in apposition to
/ Paul, and supply the predicate I am a prisoner.
The sense would then be, ' I Paul, the prisoner of
Jesus Christ, am a prisoner, and in bonds for you Gen-
tiles.' This is better than any of the various modes of
explanation which have been proposed, except the one
first mentioned, which gives a far better sense. It is
far more elevated and more in keeping with Paul's
character, for him to say, ' Because you are now part
of God's spiritual temple, I pray for your confirmation
and growth ; ' than, ' Because you are introduced into

158 EPHESIANS,

the communion of saints, I am a prisoner of Jesus

Christ.'

Tlie expression, 6 Secr/u.to9 tov XpLo-Tov, the j)7'isoner
of Christ, does not mean prisoner on account of Christ.
Those for whom he suffered bonds are immediately
afterwards said to be the Gentiles. It means Christ's
prisoner. As he was Christ's servant, apostle, and min-
ister, so he was Christ's prisoner. In all his relations
he belonged to Christ. He was a prisoner, virep vficov
TQ)v edvoiv, for you Gentiles. It was preaching the
Gospel to the Gentiles which brought down upon him
the hatred of his countrjanen, and led them to accuse
him before the Roman magistrates, and to his being
sent a prisoner to Rome.

V. 2. This verse is connected with the immediately
preceding words. — ' My apostolic mission is to the Gen-
tiles ; I am a prisoner for your sake, since ye have
heard of the office which God has given me for your
benefit.' The word elje rendered in our version by if
does not necessarily express doubt. Paul knew that
the Ephesians were aware that he was an apostle to the
Gentiles. The word is often used where the thing
spoken of is taken for granted. Eph. 4, 21. 2 Cor. 5, 3.
In such cases, it may profterly be rendered, since, inas-
much as. It is only a more refined or delicate form
of assertion. It is unnecessary, therefore, to assume
either that this epistle was not addressed to the Ephe-
sians particularly ; or that amveiv is to be taken in the
sense of hene intelligeTe (if so be ye have well under-
stood) ; or that Paul, when preaching at Ephesus, had

CHAP. in. VEE. 2. 159

preserved silence on his apostleship. He speaks of
himself as a prisoner for their sake, inasmuch as they
had heard he was the apostle to the Gentiles.

The expression, dispensation of the grace given unto
me, is the designation of his office. It was an oIkovo-
fiia, a stewardshi]). A stewardship of the grace given,
T?7? 'xaptTO'i Tj}? Bodelarj'i, means either a stewardship
which is a grace, or favour, or which flows from grace,
i. e. was graciously conferred. Compare verse 8, in
which he says, " To me was this grace given." IsTot
unfrequently the office itself is called %apt9, a grace
or favour. Kom. 12, 3. 15, 15. 1 Cor. 3, 10. Gal. 2, 9.
Paul esteemed the office of a messenger of Christ as a
manifestation of the undeserved kindness of God to-
wards him, and he always speaks of it with gratitude
and humility. It was not its honours, nor its authority,
much less any emolument connected with it, which gave
it value in his eyes ; but the privilege which it involved
of preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ.

Instead of understanding oiKovofiia in the sense
above given, of ojice, it may refer to the act of God,
and be rendered, dispensation. ' If, or since, ye have
heard how God dispensed the grace given unto me,'
i. e. if ye understand the nature of the gift I have
received. In Col. 1, 25, Paul speaks of the olKovo^ila
as given ; here it is %api? which is said to be given.
In both cases the general idea is the same, the form
alone is different. His office and the grace therewith
connected, including all the gifts ordinary and extra-
ordinary, which went to make him an apostle, were both

160 EPHESIANS,

an oLKovofiia and a p^apt?. The aj)Ostlesliip was not a
mere office like that of a prelate or prince, conferring
certain rights and powers ; it was an inward grace,
including plenary and infallible knowledge. Ton
could no more appoint a man an apostle, than you
could appoint him a saint. Neither inspiration nor
holiness come by appointment. An apostle without
inspiration is as much a solecism as a saint without
holiness. Eome, here as every where, retains the sem-
blance without the reality ; the form without the
power. She has apostles without inspiration, the office
without the grace of which the office was but the ex-
pression. Thus she feeds herself and her children upon
ashes.

To you-ward. Paul's mission was to the Gentiles.
It was in special reference to them that he had received
his commission and the gifts therewith connected.
When Christ aj)peared to him on his journey to Damas-
cus, he said to him, " I have appeared unto thee for
this purpose, to make thee a minister and witness both
of these things which thou hast seen, and of those
things in the which I will appear unto thee ; deliver-
ing thee from the people and from the Gentiles, unto
whom now I send thee, to open their eyes, and to
turn them from darkness to light, and from the power
of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgive-
ness of sins, and inheritance among them which are
sanctified by faith that is in me." Acts 26, 16-18.
Here we have an authentic account of Paul's mission.
He was appointed a witness of what had been and of

CHAP. III. VS. 3, 4. 161

what should be made known to him by revelation
He was sent to the Gentiles, to tm-n them from Satan
to God in order that they might be saved.

Y. 3. How that hy revelation was made known unto
me, &c. This clause is connected with what precedes
and explains it. — ' Ye have heard of the grace which I
have received, i. e. ye have heard how that by revela-
tion was made known to me.' Kara a-rroKakv^Lv.
aftei' the ma/aner of a revelation, i. e. St' aTroKaXvyjrew'i,
Gal. 1, 12. He was not indebted for his knowledge
of the Gospel to the instructions of others, as he proves
in his epistle to the Galatians by a long induction
of facts in his history. This was one of the indis-
pensable qualifications for the apostleship. As the
apostles were witnesses, their knowledge must be direct
and not founded on hearsay. The thing made known
was a "mystery;" i.e. a secret, something undis-
coverable by human reason, the knowledge of which
could only be attained by revelation. This revelation
was a grace or favour conferred on the apostle himself.

The mystery of which he here speaks is that of
which the preceding chapters treat, viz. the union of
the Gentiles with the Jews. Of that subject he had
just written hriefly j iv oXlyw, with little, i. e. few
words.

Y. 4. By reading what he had written, they could
judge of his knowledge of the mystery of Christ.
7r/309 0, according to which. What he had wi-itten
might be taken as the standard or evidence of his
knowledge. Mystery of Christ, may mean the mystery

162 EPHESIAJSrS,

or revelation concerning Christ ; or of whicli he is the
author (i. e. of the secret purpose of redemption), or
which is Christ. Christ himself is the great mystery
of godliness, God manifest in the flesh. He is the
revelation of the fivaTr]pLov or secret purpose of God,
which had been hid for ages. Thus the apostle in
writing to the Colossians says : " God would make
known the riches of the glory of the mystery among
the Gentiles ; which (i. e. the mystery) is Christ in
you, the hope of glory." Col. 1, 27.

What Paul had written respecting the calling of the
Gentiles in the preceding chapter, was an indication
of his knowledge of the whole j)lan of salvation — ^here
designated as " the mystery of Christ," which includes
far more than the truth that the Gentiles were fellow-
citizens of the saints. It has the same extensive mean-
ing in Col. 4, 3, where Paul prays that God would
open a door of utterance for him " to speak the mys-
tery of Christ." This verse is, therefore, virtually a
parenthesis, in so far as the relative o at the beginning
of the next verse refers to the word /xvo-ryjpiov in v. 3 ;
or if referred to that word as used in v. 4, it is to it as
including the more limited idea expressed in v. 3.

Y. 5. God by revelation had made known to Paul
a mystery, or purpose, which was not revealed as it
now was to the apostles. That the Gentiles were to
partake of the blessings of the Messiah's reign, and to
be united as one body with the Jews in his kingdom,
is not only frequently predicted by the ancient pro-
phets, but Paul himself repeatedly and at length quotes

CHAP. III. VEK. 5. 163

their declarations on tliis point to prove that what he
taught was in accordance with the Okl Testament ; see
Rom. 9, 25-33. Tlie emphasis must, therefore, be laid
on the word as. This doctrine was not formerly re-
vealed as, i. e. not so fully or so clearly as under the
Gospel.

The common text reads ev eTepaa jeveal<i, in other
generations. But most editors, on the authority of the
older MSS., omit the preposition. Still the great ma-
jority of commentators interpret the above j)lirase as
determining the time, and render it, during other ages.
To this, however, it is objected that yei^ea never means,
an age in the sense of period of time, but always a
generation., the men of any age, those living in any
one period. If this objection is valid 'yeveaZq must be
taken as the simple dative, and vloh to)v avdpcoTrcov be
regarded as explanatory. The passage would then
read, " Which was not made known to other genera-
tions, i. e. to the sons of men," &c. But in Acts 14, 16.
15, 21, and especially in Col. 1, 26 {uTrb tmv amvcov
KoX airo TOiv yevewv), yeved is most naturally taken in
the sense of age, or period of duration. In the same
sense it is used in the Septuagint, Ps. 72, 5. 102, 25.
Is. 51, 8.

As it is now revealed to his holy ajyostles and to the
prophets l)y the Spirit, &>? vvv aTroKaXixpOr) . . . . ev
TTvev/xari. The apostles and prophets of the new dis-
pensation were the only classes of inspired men ; the
former being the permanent, the latter the occasional
organs of the Spirit. They therefore were the only

164 EPHESIANS,

recipients of direct revelations. Thej are here called
holy in tlie sense of sacred, consecrated. They were
men set apart for the peculiar service of God. In the
same sense the prophets of the old economy are called
holy. Luke 1, 70. 2 Peter 1, 21. The pronoun his in
connection with apostles may refer to God as the author
of the revelation spoken of, or to Christ whose messen-
gers the apostles were. ' My knowledge of the mystery
of Christ, which, in former ages, was not made known,
as it is now revealed to his apostles,' &c. By the
Spirit, i. e. revealed by the Spirit. FIvevfiaTi, though
without the article, refers to the Holy Spirit, the im-
mediate author of these divine communications. It
follows from the scriptural doctrine of the Trinity,
which teaches the identity as to substance of the Fa-
ther, Son, and Spirit, that the act of the one is the act
of the others. Paul, therefore, refers the revelations
which he received sometimes to God, as in verse 3 ;
sometimes to Christ as in Gal. 1, 12 ; sometimes to the
Spirit.

Y. 6. Tlie mystery made known to the apostles and
prophets of the new dispensation, was elvai ra eOvrj
avyKkrjpovofia, kt\., i. e. that the Gentiles are, in point
of right and fact, fellow-heirs, of the same body, and
partakers of this promise. The form in which the
calling of the Gentiles was predicted in the Old Testa-
ment led to the general impression that they were to
partake of the blessings of the Messiah's reign by
becoming Jews, by being as proselytes merged into
the old theocracy, which was to remain in all its

CHAP. III. VEE. 6. 165

peculiarities. It seems never to have entered into any
human mind nntil the day of Pentecost, that the theo-
cracy itself was to be abolished, and a new form of
religion was to be introduced, designed and adapted
equally for all mankind, under which the distinction
between Jew and Gentile was to be done away. It
was this catholicity of the Gospel which was the ex-
panding and elevating revelation made to the apostles,
and which raised them from sectarians to Christians.

The Gentiles are fellow-heirs. They have the same
right to the inheritance as the Jews. The inheritance
is all the benefits of the covenant of grace ; the know-
ledge of the truth, all church privileges, justification,
adoption, and sanctification ; the indwelling of the
Spirit, and life everlasting ; an inheritance so great
that simply to comj)rehend it requires divine assist-
ance, and elevates the soul to the confines of heaven.
Hence Paul prays (1, 17. 18), that God would give the
Ephesians the Spirit of revelation that they might
know what is the riches of the glory of the inherit-
ance to which they had been called.

They are a-vaawixa ; i. e. they are constituent por-
tions of the body of Christ ; as nearly related to him,
and as much partakers of his life as their Jewish
brethren. The hand is not in the body by permission
of the eye, nor the eye by permission of the hand.
!N'either is the Gentile in the church by courtesy of the
Jews, nor the Jew by courtesy of the Gentiles. They
are one body.

What in the preceding terms is presented figm-atively

166 EPHESIANS,

IS expressed literally, wlieu it is added, they are par-
takers of his (God's) proviise. The promise is the pro-
mise of redemption ; the promise made to our first
parents, repeated to Abraham, and which forms the
burden of all the Old Testament predictions. Gal. 3,
14. 19. 22, 29.

The onlj essential and indispensable condition of
jDarticipation in the benefits of redemption is union
with Christ. The Gentiles are fellow-heirs, and of the
same body and partakers of the promise, says the apos-
tle, in Christ, i. e. in virtue of their union with him.
And this union is effected or brought about, hy the
Gospel. It is not by birth nor by any outward rite,
nor by union with any external body, but by the Gos-
pel, received and appropriated by faith, that we are
united to Christ, and thus made heirs of God. This
verse teaches therefore — 1. The nature of the blessings
of which the Gentiles are partakers, viz. the inheritance
promised to the peoj^le of God. 2. The condition on
which that participation is suspended, viz. union with
Christ ; and 3. The means by which that union is ef-
fected, viz. the Gospel. Hence the apostle enlarges on
the dignity and importance of preaching the Gospel.
This is the subject of the verses which follow.

Y. 7. Of lohich (Gospel) I was made a minister ^'
a SittAToi'o?, a runner, servant, minister. Minister of the
Gospel, means one whose business it is to preach the
Gospel. This is his service ; the work for which he is
engaged, and to which he is bound to devote himself.
There are two things which Paul here and in the verse

CHAP. III. vi^. 7. 8. 167

following says in reference to liis introduction into the
ministry ; iirst, it was a great favour ; and secondly,
it involved the exercise of divine power.

He was made a minister, Kara rrjv Scopeav rrj<i %apt-
ro'i rod &eov, according to the gift of the grace of God
given to liim. According to the common text i^wpeav —
8odel(Tav)j the gift wees given. " The gift of the grace of
God," may mean the gracious gift, i. e. the gift due to
the grace of God ; or, the gift which is the grace of
God ; so that the %dpt<i, grace, as Paul often calls his
apostleship, is the thing given. In either way the gift
referred to was his vocation to be an apostle. That he
who was a persecutor and blasphemer should be called
to be an apostle, was in his view a wonderful display
of the grace of God.

The gift in question was given, Kara ryv ivepjetai/
Trj<i SvvdfxecD'i avrov, l)y the effectual working of his
{Qodi'Q) power. Paul's vocation as an apostle involved
his conversion, and his conversion was the effect of the
power of God. This refers to the nature of the work,
and not to its mere circumstances. It was not the
blinding light, nor the fearful voice, which he refers to
the power of God, but the inward change, by which
he, a malignant opposer of Christ, was instantly con-
verted into an obedient servant. The regeneration of
the soul is classed among the mighty works of God,
due to the exceeding greatness of his power. See ch.
1, 19.

Y. 8, To me, adds the apostle, who am less than the
least of cdl saints, is this grace given, that I should

168 EPHESl.l^s'S,

preach among the Gentiles^ the imsoarchable riches of
Christ.

By the word saints is to be understood not tlie
apostles, but the people of God, who are " called to be
saints," 1 Cor. 1, 7. Rom. 1, Y. Less than the least,
iXaxio-rorepo?, a comparative formed from a superla-
tive. It was not merelj the sense of his sinfulness in
general, which weighed so heavily on the apostle's con-
science. It was the sin of persecuting Christ, which
he could never forgive himself. As soon as God re-
vealed his Son in him, and he apprehended the infinite
excellence and love of Christ, the sin of rejecting and
blaspheming such a Saviour appeared so great that all
other sins seemed as comparatively nothing. Paul's
experience in this matter is the type of the experience
of other Christians. It is the gin of unbelief; the sin
of rejecting Christ, of which, agreeably to our Saviom-'s
own declaration, the Holy Spirit is sent to convince the
world. John 16, 9.

To one thus guilty it was a great favour to be
allowed to preach Christ. The expression t6v ave^LX'
viaarov ttXovtov tov Xpiarov, unsearchahle, riches of
Christ j riches which cannot Ije traced ', past finding out^
may mean either the riches or blessings which Christ
bestows, or the riches which he possesses. Both ideas
may be included, though the latter is doubtless the
more prominent. Tlie unsearchable riches of Christ,
are the fulness of the Godhead, the plenitude of all
divine glories and perfections which dwell in him ; the
fulness of grace to pardon, to sanctify and save ; every

CHAP. III. VEE. 9. 169

tiling in sliort, which renders him the satisfying por-
tion of the soul.

Y. 9. It was Paul's first duty to preach the un-
searchable riches of Christ among the Gentiles, for he
was especially the " apostle of the Gentiles." But his
duty was not confined to them. He was commissioned
both to preach to the Gentiles, aiid to make all see, &c.
This is the common interpretation of the passage.
Others, however, insist that the all is here limited by
the context to the Gentiles. But the force of and,
which marks the accession of a new idea, is thus in a
great measure lost. And the following verse favom's
the widest latitude that can be given to the words in
question.

The word (pcoTi^eiv proj)erly means, to shine, as any
luminous body does, and then to illuminate, to impart
light to, as a candle does to those on whom it shines,
and as God does to the minds of men, and as the Gos-
pel does, which is as a light shining in a dark place,
and hence the apostle, 2 Cor. 4, 4, speaks of the (f)o)-
Tio-/i09 Tov evayjeXiov. Utitur apta similitudine, says
Calvin, quum dicit, (pcoTicrac '7rdvTa<i, quasi plena luce
efi'ulgeat Dei gratia in suo apostolatu. The Church is
compared to a candlestick, and ministers to stars. Their
oflace is to dispense light. The light imparted by the
Gospel was knowledge, and hence to illuminate is, in
fact, to teach ; which is the idea the word is intended
here to express.

The thing taught was, rj olKovofzia tov fivaTTjpiov
TOV diroKeKpv/j-fievov, the economy of the mystery which

lYO EPHESIAITS,

from the heginning of the world hath heen hid in God.
The common text in this clause reads KOivcavia, fellow-
ships but all the corrected editions of the I^ew Testa-
ment, on the authority of the ancient MSS., read oIko-
vofiia, plan, or, economy. Tlie mystery or secret, is not
the simple purpose to call the Gentiles into the church,
but the mystery of redemption. This mystery, amo
Toiv amvcov, from ages, from the beginning of time,
had been hid in God. Compare Eom. 16, 25, " The
mystery which was kept secret since the world began."
1 Cor. 2, Y, " The wisdom of God in a mystery, the
hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world."
Col. 1, 26, " The mystery which hath been hid from
ages and from generations," In all these places
the mystery spoken of is God's purpose of redemp-
tion, formed in the counsels of eternity, impenetrably
hidden from the view of men until revealed in his
own time. It was this plan of redemption thus formed,
thus long concealed, but now made known through the
Gospel, that Paul was sent to bear as a guiding and
saving light to all men.

^YJ^o created all things l)y Jesus Christ. The words
hia ^Irjaov XpiaTov, (by Jesus Christ^ being wanting
in the great majority of oldest MSS., are generally
regarded as spurious. The all things here referred to
are by some restricted to every thing jiertaining to the
Gospel dispensation. For this interpretation there is
no necessity in the context ; and it is contrary to the
common usage and force of the terms. There must be
some stringent necessity to justify making " creator

CHAP. III. VS. 9. 10. 171

of all things," mean " autlior of the new dispensation."
Others restrict the terms to all men : ' He who created
all men now calls all.'* This however is arbitrary and
uncalled for. The words are to be taken in their
natural sense, as referring to the universe. It was in
the bosom of the Creator of all things that this purpose
of redemption so long lay hid. The reference to God
as creator in this connection, may be accounted for as
merely an expression of reverence. We often call God
the Infinite, the Almighty, the Creator, &c., without
intending any special reference of the titles to the sub-
ject about which we may be speaking. So Paul often
calls God, Messed^ without any special reason for the
appellation. Some however think that in the present
case the apostle uses this expression in confirmation
of his declaration that the j)lan of redemption was from
ages hid in God — for he who created all things must
be supposed to have included redemption in his ori-
ginal purpose. Others suppose the association of the
ideas is — he who created, redeems — the same God who
made the miiverse has formed the plan of redemption.
None but the creator can be a redeemer.

Y. 10. To the intent that now might l)e made hnown,
\va 'yvu>pLa6fi vvv. If this clause depend on the imme-
diately preceding, then the apostle teaches that creation
is in order to redemption. God created all things in
order that by the church might be made known his

* Unus Deus omnes populos condidit, sic etiam nunc omnes ad se
vocat. Beza.

172 EPHESIAJTS,

manifold wisdom. This is the siij)ralapsarian view
of the order of the divine j)urposes, and as it is the
only passage in Scripture which is adduced as directly
asserting that theory, its proper interpretation is of
special interest. It is objected to the construction just
mentioned — 1. Tliat the passage would then teach a
doctrine foreign to the New Testament, viz. that God
created the universe in order to display his glory in
the salvation and perdition of men ; which supposes
the decree to save to precede the decree to create, and
the decree to j^ermit the fall of men. 2. Apart from
the doctrinal objections to this theory, this connection
of the clauses is unnatural, because the words ' who
created all things,' is entirely subordinate and unessen-
tial, and therefore not, the pro]3er point of connection
for the main idea in the Avhole context. That clause
might be omitted without materially affecting the sense
of the passage. 3. The apostle is speaking of his con-
version and call to the apostleship. To him was the
grace given to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ,
and teach all men the economy of redem]3tion, in order
that through the church might be made known the
manifold wisdom of God. It is only thus that the con-
nection of this verse with the main idea of the context
is preserved. / It is not the design of creation, but the
\ 7 design of the revelation of the mystery of redemption
of which he is here speaking. ""^ 4. This interpretation is
further sustained by the force of the particle now as
•^ here used. Now stands opposed to ' hid from ages.'
God sent Paul to preach the Gospel, in order that what

CHAP. III. VEK. 10. 173

had been so long hid might qiow be made known.
It was the design of preaching the Gospel, and not the
design of creation of which the apostle had occasion to
speak. The natural connection of ha, therefore, is
with the verbs evayjeXlaaaOai, and ^wTiaai, which
express the main idea in the context. " Paul," says \.
Olshausen, " contrasts the greatness of his vocation
with his personal nothingness, and he therefore traces
the design of his mission through different steps. First,
he says, he had to preach to the heathen ; then, to
enlighten all men concerning the mystery of redemp-
tion, and bothj in order to manifest even to angels the ^>^
infinite wisdom of God."

The Bible clearly teaches not only that the angels
take a deep interest in the work of redemption, but ^i/^^^^
that their knowledge and blessedness are increased by |
the exhibition of the glory of God in the salvation
of merf!

The expression, 97 'jrokviroUCko^ ao^La, " manifold
wisdom," refers to the various aspects under which
the wisdom of God is displayed in redemption ; in
reconciling justice and mercy ; in exalting the unwor-
thy while it effectually humbles them ; in the person
of the Redeemer, in his work ; in the operations of the
Holy Spirit ; in the varied dispensations of the old and
new economy, and in the whole conduct of the work
of mercy and in its glorious consummation. It is by
the church redeemed by the blood of Christ and sancti-
fied by his Spirit, that to all orders of intelligent beings
is to be made, through all coming ages, the brightest

174 EPHESIAI^S,

display of the divine perfections. It is rat? apxai';
KoX rai? e^ovalai<^ ev TOt? eTroupaviots; that this exhibi-
tion of the manifold wisdom of God is to be made ha
T% iKKXr](7ia<;. TIlis gives us onr highest conception
of the dio-nit^-jC>£4lic chui-oh — The works of God mani-
fest his glory by being what they are. It is because
the universe is so vast, the heavens so glorious, the
earth so beautiful and teeming, that they reveal the
boundless affluence of their maker^Y If then it is
through the church God designs specially to manifest
to the highest order of intelligence, his infinite power,
grace and wisdom, the church in her consummation
must be tlie most glorious of his works. Hence preach-
ing the Gospel, the appointed means to this consum-
mate end, was regarded by Paul as so great a favour.
To me, less than the least, was this grace given.

V. 11. This exhibition of the manifold wisdom of
God was contemplated in the original conception of the
plan of redemption ; for the apostle adds, it was accord-
ing to the eternal jpurjpose which he purposed in Christ
Jesus oiur Lord. np66eai,<; twv alcovwv, purpose formed
in eternity — which existed through all past ages — not,
purpose concerning the ages, or different periods of the
world. Compare 2 Tim. 1, 9, irpoOeaiv — irpo 'y^povwv
alcovlcov. The words 7)v etroirjae may be rendered either,
as by our translators, which he purposed^ or, which he
executed. The latter method is preferred by the major-
ity of commentators, as better suited to the context,
and especially to the words in Christ Jesus our Lord,
as the title Christ Jesus always refers to the historical

CHAP. ni. VER. 12. 175

Christ, the incarnate Son of God. The purpose cf God
to make provision for the redemption of men has been
fulfilled in the incarnation and death of his Son.

Y. 12. Hence, as the consequence of this accom-
plished work, we have, in him, Trjv irappTjalav kuc rrjv
7rpo<;aya)'yr]v iv ireTrotOrjcreL, Ijoldiiess and access with
confidence, i. e. free and unrestricted access to God, as
childi'en to a father. We come with the assurance
of being accepted, because our confidence does not rest
on our own merit, but on the infinite merit of an infi-
nite Saviour. It is in Him we have this liberty. We
have this free access to God ; we believers ; not any-
particular class, a priesthood among Christians to whom
alone access is permitted, but all believers without any-
priestly intervention, other than that of one great
High Priest who has passed through the heavens
Jesus the Son of God. Ilappjja-ia as used in Scripture
is not vaerelj fireesj)0^enness, nor yet simple frankness,
\yw.t fearlessness, iv^Q^ovn from apprehension of rejeo
tion or of evil. It is this Christ has procured for us
Even the vilest may, in Christ, apj)roach the infinitely
holy, who is a consuming fire, with fearlessness. ]^o-
thing short of an infinite Saviom' could effect such a
redemption. The accumulation of substantives in this
sentence, holdness, access, confidence, shows that there
was no word which could express what Paul felt in
view of the complete reconciliation of men to God
through Jesus Christ.

We have this free access to God with full con-
fidence of acceptance through faith of Him, i. e. by

176 EPHESIANS,

faith in Christ. This is explanatory of the first clause
of the verse, eV o5 — Sta rtj'i Trlareoji} avrov, in whom^
i. e. ly faith of Him • faith of which he is the object.
Comp. 2, 13. It is the discovery of the dignity of his
person, confidence in the efficacy of his blood, and
assurance of his love, all of which are included, more
or less consciously, in faith, that enables us joyfully to
draw near to Grod. This is the great question which
every sinner needs to have answered. — How may I
come to God with the assurance of accej)tance ? The
answer given by the apostle and confirmed by the
experience of the saints of all ages is, ' By faith in
Jesus Christ.' It is because men rely on some other
means of access, either bringing some worthless bribe
in their hands, or trusting to some other mediator,
priestly or saintly, that so many fail who seek to enter
God's presence.

Y. 13. Wherefore, i. e. because we have this access
to God, the sum of all good, we ought to be superior
to all the afflictions of this life, and maintain habitually
a joyful spirit. Being the subjects of such a redemp-
tion and having this liberty of access to God, believers
ought not to be discouraged by all the apparently ad-
verse circumstances attending the propagation of the
Gospel. As neither the object of the verb alrovfiai,
nor the subject of the verb eKKUKelv is expressed, this
verse admits of different explanations. It may mean,
' I pray yoio that yoic faint not ; ' or, ' I pray God that
/ faint not ; ' or, ' I pray God that ye faint not.'
Whether the object of the verb be " God" or '•'■ you^''

CHAP. III. VEE. 13. 1T7

it is hard to decide ; as it would be alike appropriate
and agreeable to usage to say, ' I pray God,' or, ' I
pray you,' i. e. I beseech you not to be discouraged.
The latter is on the whole to be preferred, as there is
nothing in the context to suggest God as the object
of address, and as the verb alreip, though properly sig-
nifying simply to asic, whether of God or man, is often
used in a stronger sense, to require, or demand, Luke
23, 23. Acts 25, 3. 15. Paul might well require of the
Ephesians, in view of the glories of the redemption of
which they had become partakers, not to be discour-
aged. As to the second point, viz. the subject of the
verb eKKaKelv, there is less room to doubt. It is far
more in keeping with the whole tone of the passage,
that Paul should refer to their fainting than to his own.
There was far more danger of the former than of the
latter. And what follows ("which is your glory"),
is a motive by which his exhortation to them is en-
forced.

The relative rjTL<i in the next clause, admits of a
twofold reference. It may relate to ^Xiyjreai, afflicUons j
or to /tij) eKKUKelv, not fainting. In the one case the
sense would be : ' The afflictions which I suffer for you
instead of being a ground of discouragement are a
glory to you.' In the other : ' !N"ot fainting is an hon-
our to you.' The latter is flat, it amounts to nothing
in such a context. It is perfectly in keeping with the
heroic character of the apostle, who himself gloried in
his afflictions, and with the elevated tone of feeling
pervading the context, that he should represent the

178 ephesl^lns,

afflictions which he endured for the Gentiles as an
honour and not as a disgrace and a cause of despond-
ency.

SECTION n.— Vs. 14-21.

14. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord

15. Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth

16. is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches
of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in

17. the inner man ; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith:

18. that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to
comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length,

19. and depth, and height ; and to know the love of Christ,
which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the

20. fulness of God. Now imto him that is able to do exceeding
abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the

21. power that worketh in us, unto him ie glory in the church by
Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

ANALYSIS.

The prayer of the apostle is addressed to the Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is also in him our Fa-
ther. He offers but one petition, viz. that his readers
might be strengthened by the Holy Ghost in the inner
man ; or that Christ might dwell in their hearts by
faith. The consequence of this would be, that they
would be confirmed in love, and thus enabled in some
measure to comprehend the infinite love of Christ,
which would enlarge their capacity unto the fulness
of God ; that is, ultimately render them, in their mea-
sure, as full of holiness and blessedness, as God is
in his.

CHAP. m. vs. 14, 15. 179

COMMENTABT.

V. 14. This verse resiimes the connection inter-
rupted in verse 1st. The prayer which the apostle
there commenced, he here begins anew. For this
cause, TovTov %a/3ti/, repeated from v. 1, and therefore
the connection is the same here as there, i. e. because
you Ephesians are made partakers of the redemption
purchased by Christ. T how 7ny Jcnees. The posture
of prayer, for prayer itself. Unto the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ. ^ The peculiar Christian designa-
tion of God, as expressing the covenant relation in
which he stands to believers. It is because he is the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our incarnate God and-
Saviour, that he is our Father, and accessible to us in ■
prayer. We can api^roach him acceptably in no other
character than as the God who sent the Lord Jesus to be
our propitiation and mediator. It is therefore by faith
in him as reconciled, that we address him as the Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Y. 15. Of whom the whole family in hea/ven and
earth is named. Tlie word Trarpid is a collective term
for the descendants of the same father, immediate or
remote. In Luke 2, 4, we read of the house and family

« The MSS. A. B. C. 17. 67, the Coptic-^thiopic, and Vulgate ver-
sions, and many of the Fathers omit the words rod Kvpiov {jf^un/ '1770-00
XpiffTov. As however important external authorities and the context are
in their favour, the majority of recent editions and commentators retain
them.

180 EPHESIAJsrs,

of David, and in Acts 3, 25, of all the families of the
earth. The most important question here is, whether
iraaa iraTpid is to be rendered every family, or, the
whole family. In favour of the latter are the consid-
erations that the omission of the article, which usage
doubtless demands, is not unfrequent where either
the substantive has acquired the character of a proper
name, or where the context is so clear as to prevent
mistake. (See Winer's Gram. j). 131.) And secondly,
the sense is better suited to the whole context. If Paul
intended to refer to the various orders of angels, and
the various classes of men, as must be his meaning if
iraaa irarpid is rendered every family^ then he contem-
plates God as the universal Father, and all rational
creatm'es as his children. But the whole drift of the
passage shows that it is not God in his relation as crea-
tor, but God in his relation as a spiritual father — who
is here contemplated. He is addressed as the " Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ," and therefore our Father.
It is plain therefore that those who are here contem-
plated as children, are those who are by Jesus Christ
brought into this relation to God. Consequently the
►word irarpid cannot include any but the subjects of
redemption. The whole family in heaven therefore
cannot mean the angels, but the redeemed already
'saved, and the family on earth, the company of be-
lievers still living.

As children derive their name from their father and
their relation to him is thereby determined, so the
apostle says, the whole family of God derive their

CHAP. III. VER. 16. 181

name from him and are known and recognized as his
children.

V. 16. This verse contains the apostle's prayer in
behalf of the Ephesians. He prays that God, accord-
ing to the riches of his glory, would strengthen them
with might by his Spirit in the inner man.

The riches of his glory ^ 7rXouT09 t?}? S6^r]<;, means
the plenitude of divine perfection. It is not his power
to the exclusion of his mercy, nor his mercy to the ex-
clusion of his power, but it is every thing in God that
renders him glorious, the proper object of adoration.
The apostle prays that God would deal with his people
according to that plenitude of grace and power, which
constitutes his glory and makes him to his creatures the
source of all good.

Bvvdfiec Kparaio)dP]vai. Avvdfiei may be rendered
adverbially, '-'- jpowerfully strengthened," or it may be
rendered as to jpower^ indicating the principle which
was to be confirmed or strengthened; or, '-'-with ])ower^''
as expressing the gift to be communicated. They were
to receive power communicated through the Holy
Spirit. This is to be preferred, because the subject of
this invigorating influence is not any one principle, but
the whole "inner man."

There are two interpretations of the phrase KparaLw-
6t]vaL ek Tov eaw avOpodirov, to he strengthened as to the
inner man, the choice between which must depend on
the analogy of Scripture. According to one theory of
human nature, the higher powers of the soul, the
reason, the mind, the spirit, the inner man, retain their

182 EPHESIANS,

integrity since the fall, but in themselves are too weak
to gain the victory over the animal or lower principles
of our nature, designated as the flesh, or outward man.
There is a perpetual struggle, even before regeneration,
between the good and evil principles in man, between
the reason, or Trvevfia, and the flesh, or adp^. The
former being the weaker needs to be strengthened by
the divine Spirit. " The inner mcm^'' says Meyer, " is
the vov<i, the rational moral Ego, the rational soul of
man which harmonizes with the divine will, but needs
to be strengthened by the Spirit of God {Svvd/ji,ei Kparco)-
Orjvai hia tov 7rvev/xaTo<;), in order not to be overcome
by the sinful lusts of the o-dp^, whose animating or life
principle is the 'v^i'%^. the animal soul." This is the
theory of semi-Pelagianism, embodied and developed
in the theology of the church of Rome. The opposite,
or Augustinian theory, adopted by the Lutheran and
Reformed churches, is that of total depravity, i. e. that
the whole soul, the higher, as well as lower powers of
our nature, are the seat and subject of original sin, and
that the natural man is thereby disabled and made op-
posite to all spiritual good. Consequently the conflict
of which the Scriptures speak is not between the higher
and lower powers of our nature, — but between nature
and what is not nature, between the old and new
man. The new principle is something supernatural
communicated by the Spirit of God. Tlie classical
passages of Scripture relating to this subject, are Rom.
7, 14-25. 1 Cor. 2, 14. 15. Gal. 5, 17-26. In none
of these passages does irvev/jia designate the reason as

CHAP. m. VEK. IT. 183

opposed to the sensual principle, but the Spirit of God
as dwelling in the renewed soul and giving it its own
character, and therefore also its own name. It is the
soul as the subject of divine influence, or as the dwell-
ing place of the Holy Ghost, that is called Spirit. By
the " inner man," therefore, in this passage is not to be
understood the soul as opposed to the body, or the
rational, as distinguished from the sensual principle;
but the interior principle of spiritual life, the product
of the almighty power of the Spirit of God — as is
clearly taught in ch. 1, 19 of this epistle. Even in 2
Cor. 4, 16, where the apostle says : "Though our out-
ward man perish, our inward man is renewed day by
day," the meaning is the same. That language could
not be used of an unrenewed man. It does not mean
simply that though the body was wasted, the mind was
constantly refreshed. The inner man that was renewed
day by day was the renewed or spiritual man ; the soul
as the organ and temple of the S]3irit of God.

V. 17. That CJirist may dwell in your hearts hy
faith, KaTOLKr)aai rov Xptarbv 8ta t?}*? Trlareco^; iv rai^
Kaphiat'i vfxcov. Christ dwells in his people — he dwells
in their hearts ; he dwells in them through faitli.
These are the truths contained in this passage.

As to the first, viz. the indwelling of Christ, it does
not difl^er from what is expressed in the preceding verse,
further than as indicating the som-ce or natm-e of that
spiritual strength of which that verse speaks. When
Paul prayed that his readers might be strengthened in
the inner man, he prayed that Christ might dwell in

184 EPHESIAJ^S,

them. The omnipresent and infinite God is said to
dwell wherever he specially and permanently mani-
fests his presence. Tlius he is said to dwell in heaven,
Ps. 123, 1 ; to dwell among the children of Israel,
JSTnmb. 35, 34 ; in Zion, Ps. 9, 11 ; with him that is of
an hnmble and contrite spirit, Is. 57, 11 ; and in his
people, 2 Cor. 6, 16. Sometimes it is God who is said
to dwell in the hearts of his people, sometimes the
Spirit of God, sometimes, as in Rom. 8, 9, it is the Spirit
of Christ ; and sometimes, as Pom. 8, 10, and in the
passage before ns, it is Christ himself. These varying
modes of expression find their solution in the doctrine
of the Trinity. In virtue of the unity of the divine
substance, he that had seen the Son, hath seen the
Father also ; he that hath the Son hath the Father ;
where the Spirit of God is, there God is ; and where
the Spirit of Christ is, there Christ is. The passage in
Pom. 8, 9. 10 is specially instructive. The apostle there
says, "Tlie Spirit of God dwelleth in you. JSTow, if
any man have not the Sj^irit of Christ, he is none of
his; and if Christ be in you, &c." From this it is
plain that Christ's being in us, means that we have his
Spirit ; and to have his Spirit means that the Spirit of
God dwells in us. When, therefore, the apostle speaks
of Christ dwelling in our hearts, he refers to the in-
dwelling of the Holy Ghost, for Christ dwells in his
people by his Spirit. They thus become partakers of
his life, so that it is Christ that liveth in them. Gal. 2,
20. Tliis is the true and abiding source of spiritual
strength and of all other manifestations of the divine life.

CHAP. ni. VER. 17. 185

Christ is said to dwell in iv rah Kaphiat^, the hearts
of liis j)eople. The two common figurative senses of
the word heart in Scripture, are, the feelings as distin-
guished from the understanding, and the whole soul,
including the intellect and aflfections. It is in this lat-
ter sense the Scriptures speak of an understanding
heart, 1 Kings 3, 9. 12. Pro v. 8, 5 ; and of the
thoughts, devices and counsels of the heart. Judges
5, 15. Prov. 19, 21 ; 20, 5. According to the Bible
religion is not a form of feeling to the exclusion of the
intellect, nor a form of knowledge to the exclusion of
the feelings. Christ dwells in the heart, in the compre-
hensive sense of the word. He is the source of spirit-
ual life to the whole soul ; of spiritual knowledge as
well as of spiritual aifections.

By faith, Sia Trj<i Trta-Tecof, htj means of faith.
There are two essential conditions of this indwelling
of Christ; a rational nature, and,, so far as adults are
concerned, faith. Tlie former is necessarily presup-
posed in all communion with God. But it is not with
every rational nature that God enters into fellowship.
The indwelling of Christ includes more than the com-
munion of spirit with spirit. It implies congeniality.
This faith produces or involves; because it includes
spiritual apprehension — the perception of the truth and
excellence of " the things of the Spirit ; " and because
it works by love ; it manifests itself in the exercise of
complacency, desire and delight. The most beautiful
object might be in the apartment of a blind man, and
he not be sensible of its presence ; or if by any means

186 EPHESIANS,

made aware of its nearness, lie could have no delight
in its beauty, Christ dwells in us by faith, because it
is by faith we perceive his presence, his excellence, and
his glory, and because it is by faith we appropriate and
reciprocate the manifestations of his love. Faith is to
this spiritual communion, what esteem and affection
are to the fellowships of domestic life.

Y. 18. The construction of the clause, iv ajdirrj
ipf)L^(ofj,evoc KoX rede/j.eXLdi/j.ivoL Lva, ktX, is a matter of
doubt. By many of the older and later commentators,
it is connected with the preceding clause. The sense
would then be : ' That thus Christ may dwell in the
hearts of you, iv rah KapSlaa vficov, eppi^wfxevoi, rooted
and grounded in love.' This supposes the grammatical
construction to be irregular, as ippi^. does not agree with
vfMcov. The only reason urged for this interpretation is,
that as Paul contemplates his readers as regenerated,
he could not pray that Christ should dwell in their
hearts, for such indwelling is insejDarable from the new-
birth which they already enjoyed. To pray for the
indwelling of Christ would be to pray for their regene-
ration. The inward sense, therefore, despite the gram-
matical form of the words, requires such a construction
as shall harmonize with that idea. Paul prays, not
that Christ may dwell in their hearts, but that he may
J j dwell in their hearts as confirmed in love. It is not,
therefore, for the indwelling of Christ, but for their
Xxonfirmation in love, for which he prays. Tliere does
/ not seem to be much force in this reasonino;. The in-
dwelling of Christ, is a thing of degrees. God mani-

CHAP. in. VER. 18. 187

fests himself more fully and uniformly in the hearts of
his people at one time than at another. Any Christian
may pray for the presence of God, and what is his in-
dwelling but the manifestation of his presence ? The
majority of commentators, therefore, assuming merely
a trajection of the particle iva (comp. Acts 19, 4. Gal.
2, 10. 2 Thess. 2, T), connect the clause in question
with what follows ; in order that, heing rooted mid
grounded in love, ye may understand, &c. The effect
of the inward strengthening by the Spirit, or of the
indwelling of Christ, is this confirmation of love ; and
the effect of the confirmation of love, is ability to com-
prehend (in our measure) the love of Christ.

The love in which we are to be rooted is not the
love of God or of Christ toward us, but either brotherly
love or love as a Christian grace without determin-
ing its object. It is that love which flows from faith,
and of which both God and the brethren are the ob-
jects. It is for the increase and ascendency of this
grace through the indwelling of Christ, till it sustains
and strengthens the whole inner man, so that the be-
liever may stand as a well-rooted tree or as a well-
founded building, that the apostle here prays.

i^LcT')(ycrr}T6 KaraXa/3i(r6ac, may he fully able (as
the e« is intensive) to comprehend. Without being
strengthened by the Spirit in the inner man, without
the indwelling of Christ, without being rooted and
grounded in love, it is impossible to have any adequate
apprehension of the gospel or of the love of Christ
therein revealed. Tlie apostle therefore prays that his

188 EPHESIANS,

readers may be thus strengthened, in order that, with
all saints, they may be able to comprehend the truth
of which he speaks. The knowledge in question is
peculiar to the holy, i. e. the saints. It is a spiritual
knowledge, both because of its origin and of its nature.
It is derived from the Spirit, and it consists in those
views which none but the spiritual can experience.
The object of this knowledge is infinite. "It is high
as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell;
what canst thou know ? The measui-e thereof is longer
than the earth, and broader than the sea?" Job 11,
8. 9. This language is used to express the infini-
tude of God. The apostle employs a similar mode of
representation to indicate the boundless nature of the
object of the believer's knowledge. To know what is
infinite, and which therefore passes knowledge, can
only mean to have some due appreciation of its nature,
and of the fact that it is infinite. It is only thus that
we can know space, immensity, eternity or God. Paul
therefore would have us understand that the subject of
which he speaks has a length and breadth, a depth and
height, which pass all understanding. But what is this
immeasurable theme ? The answers given to this ques-
tion are too numerous to be detailed. The main point
is, whether the additional particular indicated by re, in
the phrase yvoivau re, is to be sought in the difierence
between KaTdka/Biadai, and jvmvm (between comj)re-
hending and knowing), or in the difference of the ob-
jects. In the former case, the sense of the passage
would be : ' That ye may comprehend and know the

CHAP. m. VEK. 19. 189

length and breadth, the depth and height of the love
of Christ which passes knowledge.' Just as we would
saj, 'That ye may know and feel.' In Tcnowing^ ac-
cording to Scriptural usage, the idea of experimental
knowledge, or knowledge united with appropriate feel-
ing, may well be included. This is the simpler expla-
nation and gives a very good sense. According to the
other view, the meaning is : ' That ye may comprehend

the length and breadth, the depth and height of

and also know the love of Chi-ist ; ' something different
from the love of Christ, being the object intended in the
first clause. The great body of commentators, who adopt
this view, suppose the reference is to the economy of re-
demption spoken of in v. 9. Paul prays that his hearers
may comprehend the immensity of that plan of mercy,
and know the love of Christ. Others refer to the mani-
fold wisdom displayed in the salvation of men. Others
to the unsearchable riches of Christ. All these sub-
jects are indeed spoken of in the preceding context;
but not in the prayer. At v. 14, there is such a change
of the subject and in the progress of the discourse, as
to make it harsh to go back of that verse to seek for an
object. It is more natural to look for it in the follow-
ing clause, where one is found which makes further
search unnecessary. It is the love of Christ, i. e. his
love to us which passes knowledge. It is infinite ; not
only because it inheres in an infinite subject, but be-
cause the condescension and sufferings to which it led,
and the blessings which it secures for its objects, are
beyond our comprehension. This love of Christ, though

190 EPHESIAN8,

it surpasses the power of our understanding to compre-
hend, is still a subject of experimental knowledge.
We may know how excellent, how wonderful, how free,
how disinterested, how long-suifering, how manifold
and constant, it is, and that it is infinite. And this is
the highest and most sanctifying of all knowledge.
Those who thus know the love of Christ towards them,
purify themselves even as he is pure.

That ye might Refilled with all the fulness of God.
The words, eh irav to 7r\^p(o/u,a tov Oeov, are not pro-
perly translated, with all the fulness of God / but unto
the complete fulness of God. That is the standard
which is to be reached. IIXyjpa/jLa may have its ordi-
nary signification, 'that by which anything is filled,' —
or its secondary meaning, abundance, as we would say,
'the fulness of a stream.' If the latter sense of the
word be retained, Qeov is the genitive of the object, —
and ' the fulness of God ' is that fulness, or plenitude
which flows from him, and which he commmiicates.
If the former and ordinary sense be adhered to, then
Qeov is the genitive of the subject, and the 'fulness of
God' is that fulness of which God is full. It is the
plenitude of the divine perfection, as in Col. 2, 9, where
the fulness of the Godhead is said to dwell in Christ
bodily. The majority of commentators take the phrase
here in the same general sense. The fulness of God
is that excellence, says Chrysostom, of which God
himself is full. The expression is then parallel to that
in Matt. 5, 48, "Be ye perfect even as your Father
which is in heaven is perfect." And the truth pre-

CHAP. III. VEE. 19. 191

sented is the same substantially as that in Eph. 4, 13,
" Until we all come — unto a perfect man, nnto the
measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ ; " and
1 Cor. 13, 12, " Tlien shall I know even as also I am
known." Absolute perfection is the standard to which
the believer is to attain. He is predestinated to be
conformed to the image of the Son of God, Eom. 8, 29.
He is to be perfect as man, as God is perfect as God ;
and the perfection of man consists in his being full of
God ; God dwelling in him so as absolutely to con-
trol all his cognitions, feelings, and outward actions.
This is expressed in Theodoret's interpretation of the
phrase in question : Xva reXetw? avrov evocKov 8i^-
7)cr6e.

If, however, the other view be adopted the result
is nearly the same. " The fulness of God," is then the
abundance of gifts and grace which flows from God ;
and the meaning of the whole clause is : ' That ye may
be filled until the whole plenitude of the divine benefi-
cence has passed over to you.' The end contemplated
is the reception of the donorum jplenitudo, or the dono-
rum Dei jperfectio. " He who has Christ," says Calvin,
" has every thing that is required to our perfection in
God, for this is what is meant by the fulness of
God."

In favour, however, of the former view is the or-
dinary meaning of the word irX^jpco/Mu, the meaning
of the phrase fulness of God, in other passages, the
analogy of Scripture as exhibited in the parallel pas-
sages above quoted, and the simplicity of the interpre-

192 EPHESIANS,

tation, no paraphrase being necessary to bring out the
sense. We are to grow to the stature of Christ ; to be
perfect as our Father is perfect ; to be filled unto the
measure of the fulness of God. When we are thus
filled the distance between us and God will still be
infinite. This is the culminating point of the apostle's
prayer. He prays that they may be strengthened in
order to comprehend the infinite love of Christ ; and
that they might comprehend the love of Christ, in
order that they might be filled unto the measure of
God's fulness.

Ys. 20, 21. Paul's prayer had apparently reached
a height beyond which neither faith, nor hope, nor
even imagination could go, and yet he is not satisfied.
An immensity still lay beyond. God was able to do
not only what he had asked, but infinitely more than
he knew how either to ask or think. Having exhausted
all the forms of prayer, he casts himself on the infini-
tude of God, in full confidence that he can and will do
all that omnipotence itself can effect. His power, not
our prayers nor our highest conceptions, is the measm-e
of the apostle's anticipations and desires. This idea he
weaves into a doxology, which has in it more of heaven
than of earth.

There are two forms of expression here united ;
Paul says, tw virep iravra iroirjcrat Bvva/j,evq>, to him
who is oihle to do more than all things / and as though
this were not enough, he adds, virep eKTrepiaaov S)v
aLTovfieOa ij voovfiev, exceeding dbundantl/y ahove all we
asTc or think. God is not only unlimited in himself,

CHAP. III. VS. 20. 21. 193

but is unrestricted by our prayers or knowledge. No
definite bounds, therefore, can be set to what tliey may
expect in whom Christ dwells, and who are the objects
of his infinite love.

K-ara rrjv Siiva/jiiv rrjv ivepjovfievrjv iv tj/jLcv, accordr
ing to the jpower that worlceth in lis. The infinite j)ower
of God from which so much may be expected, is the
same of which we are now the subjects. It is that
power which wrought in Christ when it raised him
from the dead, and set him at the right hand of God,
ch. 1, 19-20 ; and which has wrought an analogous
change in the believer in raising him from the death
of sin, and making him to sit in heavenly places in
Christ Jesus ; and which still sustains and carries on
the work of salvation in the soul. The past is a fore-
taste and pledge of the future. Those who have been
raised from the dead, who have been transformed by
the renewing of their minds, translated from the king-
dom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son,
and in whom God himself dwells by his Spirit, having
already experienced a change which nothing but omni-
potence could effect, may well join in the doxology to
Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all
we can ask or think.

The glory ; t] Bo^a is either the glory that is due,
or the glory which God has. To give glory to God, is
either to praise him, or to reveal his glory, i. e. cause
it to be seen and acknowledged. Thus the doxology,
To Him be glory — may mean either, ' Let Him be
praised ;' or, ' Let His glory be acknowledged.'

194 EPHESIAIiTS,

In the church hj Christ Jesus. ^ The original is,
ev Trj eKKXijcrla iv Xptarw ^Iijaov, wliicli Luther ren-
ders, in the church which is in Christ, i. e. the Chris-
tian church. This interpretation is adopted by several
modern commentators. But in that case the article rff
before iv Xptcnw ought not to be omitted. Besides, as
the Christian church is the only church which could
be thought of, the addition of the words in Christ
would be unnecessary ./^Th£__oi:diuaxy interpretation^
therefo3JsJbQ_^„pi£jfeiilieil„.^.-G^^ rendered

to God in the church, and in and through Christ Jesus,
as her head and representative. The chiirch ia.Jlie
company of the redeemed-,Iier.e-aiidin...hcavon ; which
constitutes one body through which God is t<> manifest^
his manifold- wig doia,,ancl . whi ch is througli all ages to
ascribe unto him glory, honpur, and dominion.

The idea of eternity or of endless duration is va-
riously expressed in Scripture. Sometimes eternity is
conceived of as one, and the singular alwv is used ;
sometimes as an endless succession of periods or ages,
and then the plural alo)ve<i is used. Thus ek tov alwva,
to eternity, and eU roy? alcova<i, or el<; tov<; alo)va<i rcov
alcovcov, to the ages indefinitely, i. e. endless ages, alike
mean, for ever. So j3aaikev<i tov aloovo'i, hmg of eter-
nity, and ^aaiXev^ tmv aloovcov, Icing of endless ages,

* The Text here vai-ies considerably. The Uncial MSS., A and C,
several of the later ones, the Coptic and Vulgate, Jerome and Pelagius
read, ii/ rij fKKKrjfflc} koX 4v XpiarQ 'IrjcoD ; D, F, G invert the order and
read, 4v Xpiar^ 'ItjctoO koI eV t^ e/c/cXTjcri'ct. The majority of editors retain
the common Text.

CHAP. III. VS. 20. 21. 195

both mean the hing eternal. Tlie peculiarity of the
case before us is, that the apostle combines these two
forms : eh nrda-a'^ Ta<i yevea'i rov al(ovo<; rwv alcavcov,
to all the generations of an eternity of ages. This is in
keeping with the cumulative character of the whole
context. Finding no ordinary forms of expression
suited to his demands, the apostle heaps together terms
of the largest import to give some vent to thoughts
and aspirations which he felt to be unutterable. These
things belong to the cneva'yixol aXaXrJTot of which he
speaks in Eom. 8, 26.

CHAPTEE IV.

AN EXHORTATION TO UNITY, VS. 1-16. AN EXHORTATION TO HOLINESS

AND TO SPECIFIC VIRTUES, VS. 17-32,

SECTION I.— Vs. 1-16.

1. I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye

2. walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with
all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one

3. another in love ; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit

4. in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even

5. as ye are called in one hope of your calling ; one Lord, one

6. faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above

7. all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us
is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

8. "Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led cap-

9. tivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. Now that he ascend-
ed, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower

10. parts of the earth ? He that descended is the same also that
ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill aU things.

11. And he gave some, apostles ; and some, prophets ; and some,

12. evangelists ; and some, pastors and teachers ; for the perfect-
ing of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying

13. of the body of Christ ; till we all come in the unity of the
faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect

CHAP. IV. V8. 1-16. 197

man, tinto the measure of the stature of the fuhiess of Christ :

14. that we TiencefortTi he no more children, tossed to and fro, and
carried ahout with every wind of doctrine, hy the sleight of
men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to de-

15. ceive : but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him

16. in all things, which is the head, even Christ: from whom the
whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which
every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in
the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body untc
the edifying of itself in love.

ANALYSIS.

The apostle exhorts his readers to walk worthy of
their vocation. Such a walk should be characterized
by humility, meekness, long-suffering, and zeal to pro-
mote spiritual unity and peace, vs. 1-3. The church
is one because it is one body, has one Spirit, one hope,
one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and
Father who is over, through, and in all its members,
vs. 4-6.

Tliis unity, however, is consistent with great diver-
sity of gifts, which Christ distributes according to his
own will, V. 7. This is confirmed by a passage from
the Psalms which speaks of the Messiah as giving gifts
to men ; which passage it is shown must refer to Christ,
since it speaks of a divine person ascending to heaven,
which necessarily implies a preceding descent to the
earth, vs. 9-10. The gifts which Christ bestows on his
church are the various classes of ministers, apostles,
prophets, evangelists, and pastors who are teachers,

198 EPHE8IAN8,

V. 11. The design of the ministry is the edification
of the church, and to bring all its members to unity
of faith and knowledge, and to the full stature of Christ ;
that they should no longer have the instability of chil-
dren, but be a firm, compact, and growing body in
living union with Christ its head, vs. 12-16.

COMMENTAEY.

V. 1. UapaKoXw ovv vpM<i iyo) 6 Secr^io? iv Kvpm,
The exhortation is a general one ; it flows from the
preceding doctrines, and is enforced by the authority,
and the sufferings of him who gave it. As you are
partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ, " /
therefore beseech you." I the prisoner, not of, but iii
the Lord, iv Kvp'm. He was a prisoner because he was
in the Lord and for his sake. It was as a Christian
and in the cause of Christ he suffered bonds. Comj)are
the frequently occurring expressions, avvepjo'i iv Xpt-
<na>, ajaTnjTO'i iv Kvplo), SoKifjuo'i iv Xpiarw^ e«:X,e«T09
iv KvpiM. He speaks as a prisoner not to excite sym-
pathy, not merely to add weight to his exhortation, but
rather as exulting that he was counted worthy to suffer
for Christ's sake. This is in accordance with the beauti-
ful remark of Theodoret : rol'i Sea rov Xpcarov Secr/xol'i
iva/3pvveTaL /xaXXov y ^acriXeix: hLahrjiiari^ he glories
in his chains more than a king in his diadem. ' I,
the martyr Paul, the crowned apostle, exhort you,' &c.
All is thus in keeping with the elevated tone of
feeling which marks the preceding passage.

CHAP. IV. VS. 1. 2. 199

The exhortation is, a^lws 7repi7raTf]aai t^<? KX'^a-ew'i
rj<; iK\r)dr]T€, to Walk Worthy of the vocation wherewith
they were called. That vocation was to sonship ; ch.
1, 5. This includes three things — holiness, exaltation,
and nnity. * They were called to be conformed to the
image of Christ, to share in his exaltation and glory,
and to constitute one family as all are the children
of God. A conversation becoming such a vocation,
therefore, should be characterized by holiness, humi-
lity, and mutual forbearance and brotherly love. The
apostle, therefore, immediately adds, loith all lowliness
and TneeTcness. Undeserved honour always produces
these effects upon the ingenuous. To be raised from
the depths of degradation and misery and made the sons
of God, and thus exalted to an inconceivable elevation
and dignity, does and must produce humility and
meekness. Where these effects are not found, we may
conclude the exaltation has not taken place. Lowli-
ness of mind, Taireivo^poavvq, includes a low estimate
of one's self, founded on the consciousness of guilt and
weakness, and a consequent disposition to be low,
unnoticed, and unpraised. It stands opposed not only
to self-complacency and self-conceit, but also to self-
exaltation, and setting one's self up to attract the hon-
our which comes from men. This is taught in Rom. 12,
16, where ra v-^^rika (f)povovvTe<i, seeMng high things,
is opposed to the lowliness of mind here inculcated.
There is a natural connection between humility and
meekness, and therefore they are here joined together
as in so many other places. ITpaoT'?;? is softness, mild-

200 EPHESIAJSrS,

ness, gentleness, which when united with strength, is
one of the loveliest attributes of our nature. The
blessed Saviour says of himself, " I am meek (Trpao?)
and lowly in heart," Matt. 11, 29; and the apostle
speaks of "the gentleness of Christ," 2»Cor. 10, 1.
Meekness is that unresisting, uncomplaining disposition
of mind, which enables us to bear without irritation or
resentment the faults and injuries of others. It is
the disposition of which the lamb, dumb before the
shearers, is the symbol, and which was one of the most
wonderful of all the virtues of the Son of God. The
most exalted of all beings was the gentlest.

Tlie third associated virtue which becomes the voca-
tion wherewith we are called, is long-suffering / /xaKpo-
Ov/Mia, a disposition which leads to the suppression of
anger, 2 Cor. 6, 6. Gal. 3, 22. Col. 3, 12 ; to defer-
ring the infliction of punishment, and is therefore often
attributed to God, Eom. 2, 4 ; 9, 22. 1 Pet. 3, 10 ; and
to patient forbearance towards our fellow men, 2 Tim.
4, 2. 1 Tim. 1, 16. It is explained by what follows,
forbearing one another in love. Or, rather, the three
virtues, humility, meekness, and long-suffering, are all
illustrated and manifested in this mutual forbearance.
""Ave^o), is to restrain, avixo/J'at, to restrain oneself,
aveyoixevQi aX\,o]Xa>v iv dydTrrj, therefore, means restrain-
ing yourselves in reference to each, other in love. Let
love induce you to be forbearing towards each other.

The construction of the passage adopted by our
translators is preferable to either connecting /Ltera
/jLUKpoO. with dvex- " with long-suffering forbearing^'' or

CHAP. IT. TEE. 3. 20]

detacliiiig eV a^dirr) from tliis clause and connecting n
with tlie following one, so as to read ev aydirr) airov-
Sd^ovre^. Tlie participle a-irovBd^ovre^ is of course con-
nected with what precedes. Tliey were to walk worthy
of their vocation, forbearing one another, endeavouring
to keep the unity of the Spirit. Of the phrase ^imiy
of the spirit^ there are three interpretations. 1. Eccle-
siastical unity, so Grotius : unitatem ecclesiae, quod
est corpus spirituale. Instead of that discordance man-
ifested in the church of Corinth, for example, not only
in their division into parties, but in the conflict of
" spirits," or contentions among those endowed with
spiritual gifts, the apostle would have the Ephesians
manifest in the church that they were animated by one
spirit. But this is foreign not only to the simple mean-
ing of the terms, but also to the context. 2. The word
spirit is assumed to refer to the human spirit, and the
unity of the spirit to mean, concordia cmimorum^ or
harmony. 3. The only interpretation in accordance
with the ordinary usage of the words and with the con-
text, is that which makes the phrase in question mean
that unity of which the Spirit is the author. Every
where the indwelling of the Holy Ghost is said to be
the principle of unity in the body of Christ. This
unity may be promoted or disturbed. The exhortation
is that the greatest zeal should be exercised in its pre-
servation ; and the means by which it is to be pre-
served is the hond of jpeace. Tliat is, that bond which
is peace. The peace which results from love, humility,
meekness, and mutual forbearance, is essential to the

203 EPHESIAN8,

union and communion of the members of Christ's body,
which is the fruit and evidence of the Spirit's presence.
As hatred, pride and contention among Christians cause
the Spirit to withdraw from them, so love and peace
secure his presence. And as his presence is the condi-
tion and source of all good, and his absence the source
of all evil, the importance of the duty enjoined cannot
be over-estimated. Our Lord said : " Blessed are the
peace-makers." Blessed are those who endeavour to
preserve among the discordant elements of the church,
including as it does men of different nations, manners,
names and denominations, that peace which is the
condition of the Spirit's presence. Tlie apostle labours
in this, as in his other e^Distles, to bring the Jewish and
Gentile Christians to this spirit of mutual forbearance,
and to convince them that we are all one in Christ
Jesus.*

As in Col. 3, 14, love is said to be " the bond of
perfectness," many commentators understand " the bond
of peace" in this passage to be love. So Bengel: Vin-
culum quo pax retinetur est ipse amor. But as the
passages are not really parallel, and as in Colossians

* 0 si animis nostris insideret liaec cogitatio, hanc legem nobis esse
propositam, ut non magis dissidere inter se possint filii Dei, quam regnum
coelonim dividi, quanto in colenda fratema benevolentia essemus cau-
tiores ? quanto nobis horrori essent omnes simultates, si reputaremus, ut
decet, cos omnes se alienare a regno Dei, qui a fratribus se disjungunt ?
scd nescio qui fit, ut secui-e nos esse filios Dei gloriemur, mutuae inter nos
fraternitatis obliti. Discamus itaque ex Paulo, ejusdem bereditatis
minime esse capaces, nisi qui vmum corpus sunt et unus spiritus. — Calvin.

CHAP. IV. VER. 4. 20S

love is mentioned and liere it is not; and as the sense
is simple and good without any deviation from the plain
meaning of the words, the great majority of interpret-
ers adopt the view given above.

y. 4. Having urged the duty of preserving unity,
the apostle proceeds to state both its nature and grounds.
It is a unity which arises from the fact — there is and
can be but one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord,
one faith, one baptism, and one God.

One hody, ev awfxa. This is not an exhortation, but
a declaration. The meaning is not. Let us be united in
one body, or in soul and body ; but, as the context
requires, it is a simple declaration. There is one body,
viz. one mystical body of Christ. All believers are
in Christ ; they are all his members ; they constitute
not many, much less conflicting bodies, but one. " "We,
being many, are one body in Christ, and every one
members one of another." Rom. 12, 5. 1 Cor. 10, IT;
12, 2Y. In ch. 1, 23, the church is said " to be his
body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all." As all
true believers are members of this body, and as all are
not included in any one external organization, it is ob-
vious that the one body of which the apostle speaks, is
not one outward visible society, but a spiritual body of
which Christ is the head and all the renewed are mem-
bers. The relation, therefore, in which believers stand
to each other, is that which subsists between the several
members of the human body. A want of sympathy is
evidence of want of membership.

One spirit, eu Trvev/jia. This again does not mean

204 ErHESiiJsrs,

one heart. It is not an exhortation to unanimity ot
feeling, or a declaration tiiat such unammitj exists.
Quasi diceret^nos penitus corpore et anhna^noti ex px^rte
duntaxat, dehere esse unitos. The context and the
analogy of Scripture, as a comparison of parallel pas-
sages would evince, prove that by spirit is meant the
Holy Spirit. As there is one body, so there is one
Spirit, which is the life of that body and dwells in all
its members. " By one Spirit," says the apostle, " are
we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or
Gentiles, whether we be bond or free ; and have all
been made to drink into one Spirit." 1 Cor. 12, 13.
Of all believers, he says, " The Spirit of God dwelleth
in you." 1 Cor. 3, 16 ; 6, 19. Eom. 8, 9. 11. There
is no doctrine of Scri]3ture more plainly revealed than
that the Spirit of God dwells in all believers, and that
his presence is the ultimate ground of their unity as
the body of Christ. As the human body is* one because
pervaded by one soul ; so the body of Christ is one be-
cause it is pervaded by one and the same Spirit, who
dwelling in all is a common princij)le of life. All sins
against unity, are, therefore, sins against the Holy
Ghost. They dissever that which he binds together.
Our relation to Christ as members of his body ; and
our relation to the Holy Spirit who is our life, demands
of us that we love our brethren and live at peace with
them.

Even as ye are called in one hope of your calling.
Ka6u>^ Kol eKKt^drire ev fita i\7rtSt t?;? KXtjcreca vficov. In-
asmuch as. That is, believers are one body and have

CHAP. IV. VER. tt. 206

one spirit, because they have one liope. The fact that
they all have the same high destiny, and are filled with
the same expectations, proves that they are one. The
unity of their hope is another evidence and element of
the communion of saints. The Holy Ghost dwelling
in them gives rise to the same aspirations, to the same
anticipations of the same glorious inheritance, to a
participation of which they had been called. The word
Jwjpe is sometimes used for the things hoped for, as
when the apostle speaks of the hope laid up in heaven.
Col. 1, 5. See also Titus 2, 13. Heb. 6, 18. Most
frequently of course it has its subjective sense, viz. the
expectation of futm-e good. There is no reason for de-
parting from that sense here, though the other is inti-
mately allied with it, and is necessarily implied. It is
because the object is the same, that the expectation is
the same. Hojpe of your calling^ is the hope which flows
from your vocation. The inward, effectual call of the
Holy Spirit gives rise to this hope for two reasons.
First, because their call is to the inheritance of the
saints in light. They naturally hope to obtain what
they are invited to receive. They are invited to recon-
ciliation and fellowship with God, and therefore they
hope for his salvation ; and in the second place, the
nature of this call makes it productive of hope. It is
at once an earnest and a foretaste of their future inher-
itance. See ch. 1, 14, and 1 Cor. 1, 22. It assures the
believer of his interest in the blessings of redemption,
Rom. 8, 16 ; and as a di*op of water makes the thirsty
traveller long for the flowing stream, so the first fruits

206 EPHESIAJSrS,

of the Spirit, his first sanctifying operations on the
heart, cause it to thirst after God. Ps. 42, 1. 2. Hope
includes both expectation and desire, and therefore the
inward work of the Spirit being of the nature both
of an earnest and a foretaste, it necessarily produces
hope.

Another ground of the unity of the church is, that
all its members have oke Loed. Lordship includes the
ideas of possession and authority. A lord, in j)roper
sense, is both owner and sorereign, "When used in
reference to God or Christ, the word expresses these
ideas in the highest degree. Christ is The Lord, i. e.
omnium rerum summus dominus et possessor. He is
our Lord, i. e. our rightful owner and absolute sover-
eign. This proprietorship and sovereignty pertain to
the soul and to the body. We are not our own, and
should glorify him in our body and spirit which are
his. Our reason is subject to his teaching, our con-
science to his commands, our hearts and lives to his
control. We are his slaves. And herein consists our
liberty. It is \i\Qfelix necessitas honi of which Augus-
tin speaks. It is analogous to absolute subjection to
truth and holiness, only it is to a person who is infinite
in knowledge and in excellence. This lordship over us
belongs to Christ not merely as God, or as the Logos,
but as the Theanthropos. It is founded not simply on his
divinity, but also and specially on the work of redemp-
tion. We are his because he has bought us with his
own most precious blood. 1 Cor. 6, 20. 1 Pet. 1, 1.
For this end he both died and rose again, that he might

CHAP. IV. YEE. 5. 207

be Lord both of dead and of living. Rom. 14, 9. Such
l)eing the nature and the grounds of the sovereignty
of Christ, it necessarily binds together his people. The
slaves of one master and the subjects of the same
sovereign are intimately united among themselves,
although the ownership and authority are merely ex-
ternal. But when, as in our relation to Christ, the
proprietorship) and sovereignty are absolute, extending
to the soul as well as to the body, the union is unspeak-
ably more intimate. Loyalty to a common Lord and
master animates with one spirit all the followers of
Christ.

One faith. This is the fifth bond of union enumer-
ated by the apostle. Many commentators deny that
the word Tr/o-Tt? is ever used for the object of faith, or
the things believed ; they therefore deny that one faith
here means one creed. But as this interpretation is in
accordance with the general usage of language, and as
there are so many cases in which the objective sense
of the word is best suited to the context, there seems
to be no sufficient reason for refusing to admit it. Li
Gal. 1, 23, Paul says, " He preached the faith ; " in
Acts 6, 7, men, it is said, " were obedient to the faith."
The apostle Jude speaks of " the faith once delivered
to the saints." In these and in many other instances
the objective sense is the natural one. In many cases
both senses of the word may be united. It may be
said of speculative believers that they have one faith,
so far as they profess the same creed, however they
may differ in their real convictions. AH the members

208 EPHESIANS,

of the Clmrcli of England have one faitli, because tliey
all profess to adopt the Thirty-Nine Articles, although
the greatest diversity of doctrine prevails among them.
But true believers have one faith, not only because
they profess the same creed, but also because they
really and inwardly embrace it. Their union, there-
fore, is not merely an external union, but inward and
spiritual. They have the same faith objectively and
subjectively. This unity of faith is not perfect. Tliat,
as the apostle tells us in a subsequent part of this chap
ter, is the goal towards which the church contends.
Perfect unity in faith implies perfect knowledge and
perfect holiness. It is only as to fundamental doc-
trines, those necessary to piety and therefore necessary
to salvation, that this unity can be affirmed of the
whole church as it now exists on earth. "Within these
limits all the true people of God are united. They all
receive the Scriptures as the word of God, and acknow-
ledge themselves subject to their teachings. They all
recognize and worship the Lord Jesus as the Son of
God. Tliey all trust to his blood for redem^^tion and
to his Spirit for sanctification.

X)ne 'ha])ti8m. Under the old dispensation when a
Gentile became a Jew, he j^rofessed to accede to the
covenant which God had made with his people, and
he received the sign of circumcision not only as a badge
of discipleship but as the seal of the covenant. All
the circumcised therefore were foederati^ men bound
together T)y the bonds of a covenant which united
them to the same God and to each other. So under

CHAP. IV. YER. 6. 209

the new dispensation the bajDtized are foederati y men
bound together in covenant with Christ and with each
other. There is but one baptism. All the baptized
make the same profession, accept the same covenant,
and are consecrated to the same Lord and Redeemer.
They are, therefore, one body. " For as many as have
been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. There
is neither Jew noi' Grreek, there is neither bond nor free,
there is neither male uor female, for ye are all one in
Christ Jesus." Gal. 3, 2Y. 28.

Y. 6. One God and Father of all, who is over all,
and through all and in us all, eh 0eo? koI IlaTrjp
TrdvTcov, 6 iirl irdvrcov koL Sia ttclvtwv /cal ev iraaiv
rjfiiv. As the church is one because pervaded by one
Spirit, and because it is owned and governed by one
Lord, so it is one because it has one God and Father ;
one glorious Being to whom it sustains the twofold
relation of creature and child. This God is not merely
over us, as afar oif, but through all and in us all, i. e.
pervading and filling all with his sustaining and life-
giving presence. There are many passages to which
the doctrine of the Trinity gives a sacred rhythm,
though the doctrine itself is not directly asserted. It
is so here. There is one Spirit, one Lord, one God and
Father. The unity of the church is founded on this
doctrine. It is one because there is to us one God the
Father, one Lord, one Spirit. It is a truly mystical
union ; not a mere union of opinion, of interest, or of
feeling ; but something supernatm-al arising from a
common principle of life. This life is not the natural

210 EPHESIAJSrS,

life which belongs to us as creatures ; nor intellectual
which belongs to us as rational beings ; but it is spiritual
life, called elsewhere the life of God in the soul. And
as this life is common, on the one hand, to Christ and
all his members — and on the other, to Christ and God,
this union of the church is not only with Christ, but
with the Triune God. Therefore in Scripture it is said
that the Spirit dwells in believers, that Christ dwells in
them, and that God dwells in them. And, therefore,
also our Lord prays for his people, " That they all may
be one ; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that
they also may be one in us." John lY, 21.

It is obvious from the whole connection that the
word Trdvrcov (" of all," and " through all "), is not
neuter. Tlie apostle does not refer to the dominion
of God over the universe, or to his providential agency
throughout all nature. ]S[either is the reference to his
dominion over rational creatures or over mankind.
It is the relation of God to the church, of which the
whole passage treats. God as Father is over all its
members, through them all and in them all. The
church is a habitation of God through the Spirit. It is
his temple in which he dwells and which is pervaded
in all its parts by his presence. Tlie preposition 8td,
therefore, does not here express instrumentality, but
diffusion. It is not that God operates " through all "
{Bia irdvTcov), but that he pervades all and abides in all.
Tliis is the climax. To be filled with God ; to be per-
vaded by his presence, and controlled by him, is to
attain the summit of all created excellence, blessedness
and glory.

CHAP. IV. VEK. 7. 211

Y, 7. Tliis unity of the church, although it involves
the essential equality of all believers, is still consistent
with great diversity as to gifts, influence, and honour.
According to the apostle's favourite illustration, it is
like the human body, which is composed of many
members with difii'erent functions. It is not all eye nor
all ear. This diversity of gifts is not only consistent with
unity, but is essential to it. The body is not one mem-
ber but many. In every organism a diversity of parts
is necessary to the unity of the whole. K all were
one member, asks the apostle, where were the body ?
Snmma praesentis loci est, says Calvin, quod Deus in
neminem omnia contulerit ; sed quisque certam mensu-
ram receperit; ut alii aliis indigeant et in commune
conferendo quod singulis datum est, alii alios mutuo
juvent. The position, moreover, of each member in the
body, is not determined by itself, but by God. The eye
does not make itself the eye, nor the ear, the ear. It is
thus in the church. Tlie diflferent positions, gifts, and
functions of its members, are determined not by them-
selves but by Christ. All this is taught by the apostle
when he says, " But (i. e. notwithstanding the unity of
the church) unto every one of us is given grace, accord-
ing to the measure of the gift of Christ." There is this
diversity of gifts, and the distribution of these gifts is
in the hand of Christ. The grace here spoken of in-
cludes the inward spiritual gift, and the influence,
function or office, as the case might be, flowing from
it. Some were apostles, some prophets, some evan-
gelists. The grace which made them such, was the
inward gift aiid the outward office.

212 EPHESIAIfS,

The giver is Christ ; he is the source of the spirituaj
influence conferring power, and the official appoint-
ment conferring authority. He, therefore, is God, be-
cause the source of the inward life of the church an4
of its authority and that of its officers. He is sovereign
in the distribution of his gifts. Tliey are distributed,
Kara to fxirpov tt}? Scoped<i rov Xpiarov, according to the
measwre of the gift of Christ ; that is, as he Sfces fit to
give. The rule is not our merit, or our previous capa-
city, nor our asking, but his own good pleasure. Paul
was made an apostle, who before was a blasphemer and
injurious. The duty, as the apostle teaches, which
arises from all this is, that every one should be con-
tented with the position assigned him ; neither envying
those above, nor despising those below him. To refuse
to occupy the position assigned us in the church, is to
refuse to belong to it at all. If the foot refuses to be
the foot, it does not become the hand, but is cut off and
perishes. Sympathy is the law of every body having
a common life. If one member suffers, all suffer ; and
if one rejoices, all rejoice. We can tell, therefore,
whether we belong to the body of Christ, by ascertain-
ing whether we have this contentment with our lot, and
this sympathy with our fellow members.

Y. 8. The position which the preceding verse as-
signs to the Lord Jesus as the source of all life and
power in the church, is so exalted, that the apostle in-
terrupts himself to show that this representation is in
accordance with what the Scriptures had already taught
on this subject. Tlie seventh verse speaks of Christ

CHAP. IV. VEE. 8. 213

giving gifts. As this was his office, tlie Scriptures
speak of him as a conqueror laden with spoils, en-
riched by his victories, and giving gifts to men. That
the Psalmist had reference to the Messiah, is evident,
because the passage speaks of his ascending. But for
a divine person to ascend to heaven, supposes a pre-
vious descent to the earth. It was the Son of God, the
Messiah, who descended, and therefore it was the Son
of God who ascended, and who is represented by the
sacred wiiter as enriched by his triumphant work on
earth, and distributing the fruits of his conquest as he
pleased. This seems to be the general sense of the
passage in the connection, although it is replete with
difficulties. The great truth is, that Christ's exaltation
is the reward of his humiliation. By his obedience and
sufferings he conquered the Prince of this world, he
redeemed his people, and obtained the right to bestow
upon them all needed good. He is exalted to give the
Holy Ghost, and all his gifts and graces, to grant re-
pentance and remission of sins. This great truth is
foreshadowed and foretold in the Old Testament Scrip-
tures. Wherefore he saith, 8i6 Xiyec, i, e. God, or the
Scriptures. " Having ascended up on high, he led
captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men." That is,
what I have said respecting Christ being the distribu-
tor of spiritual gifts, is in accordance with the pro-
phetic declaration, that the ascended Messiah sliould
give gifts to men. The Messiah is represented by the
Psalmist as a conqueror, leading captives in triumph,
and laden with spoils which he distributes to his fol-

214 EPHESIANS,

lowers. Tlius Christ conquered. He destroyed him
that hath the power of death, i. e. the deviL He de-
livered those who through the fear of death were sub-
ject to bondage. Heb. 2, 15. Having spoiled princi-
palities and powers, he made a show of them openly,
triumphing over them. Col. 2. 15. When a strong
man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace ;
but when a stronger than he cometh upon him, and
overcometh him, he talceth from him all his armour
wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoil. Luke, 11,
21. 22. Such is the familiar mode of representation
respecting the work of Christ. He conquered Satan.
He led captivity captive. The abstract is for the con-
crete— captivity for captives — al-)(jxa\waia for al-^jjid-
XoiTot, as a-v/jt,/xa)(^ia for avfju/j,a)(^oi,. Compare Judges 5,
12, " Awake, awake, Deborah, awake, awake, utter a
song : arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou
son of Abinoam." These captives thus led in triumph
may be either the enemies of Christ, Satan, sin, and
death, which is the last enemy which shall be destroyed ;
or his people, redeemed by his power and subdued by
his grace. The former is perhaps the more consistent
with the figure, and with the parallel passages quoted
above. Both are true ; that is, it is true that Christ
has conquered Satan, and leads him captive ; and it is
also true that he redeems his people and subdues them
to himself, and leads them as willing captives. Tliey
are made willing, in the day of his power. Calvin,
therefore, unites both representations : ISTeque enim
Satanam modo et pcccatum et mortem totosque inferos

CHAP. IV^. VER. 8. 215

prostravit, sed ex rebellibus quotidie facit sibi obse-
quentem populum, quum verbo sno carnis nostrsB lasci-
viam domat ; rursus liostes suos, b. e. impios omnes
quasi ferreis catenis continet constrictos, dum illorum
furorem cobibet sua virtute, ne plus valeant, quam illis
concedit. Tbis cbiuse of tbe quotation is, bowever,
entirelj subordinate. The stress lies on tbe last clause,
" He gave gifts to men."

Tbere are two serious difficulties connected witb
tins citation. Tbe first is, tbat tbe quotation does not
agree witb tbe original. In tbe Ps. 68, 18, tbe passage
is, " Tbou bast received gifts among men." Paul lias
it, " He gave gifts to man." To get over tbis difiiculty
some bave supposed tbat tbe apostle does not quote tbe
Psalm, but some Hjmn wbicb tbe Epbesians were in
tbe babit of using. But tbis is not only contrary to
tbe uniform usage of tbe l!^ew Testament writers, but
also to tbe wbole context, for tbe apostle argues from
tbe passage quoted as of divine authority. Others
bave assumed an error in tbe Hebrew text. Ration-
alists say it is a misquotation from failure of memory.
Others argue that the word n;?b , used by tbe Psalmist,
means to give as well as to take. Or, at least, it often
means to 'bring ', and therefore, tlie original passage
may be translated, "Tbou hast brought gifts among
men ; " tbe sense of which is, ' Tbou hast given gifts to
men.' The difference is thus reduced to a mere verbal
alteration, tbe sense remaining the same. It is a strong
confirmation of tbis view that the Chaldee Paraphrase
expresses the same sense : dcdisti dona jUiiR hominuvi-

216 EPHESIAJSfS,

Drj.Addison Alexander in his comment on Ps. 68, 18
remarks, " To receive gifts on tlie one hand and hestow
gifts on the other are correlative ideas and exj^ressions,
so that Panl, in applying this description of a theo-
cratic triumph to the conquests of our Saviour, substi-
tutes one of these exj)ressions for the other." Tliis is
perhaps the most natural solution. The divine writers
oi the Kew Testament, filled with the same Spirit,
which moved the ancient pro]3hets, are not tied ' to the
mere form, but frequently give the general sense of the
passages which they quote. A conqueror always dis-
tributes the spoils he takes. He receives to give.
And, therefore, in depicting the Messiah as a con-
queror, it is perfectly immaterial whether it is said. He
received gifts, or, He gave gifts. The sense is the
same. He is a conqueror laden with spoils, and able
to enrich his followers.

The second difficulty connected with this quotation
is that Ps. 68 is not Messianic. It does not refer to
the Messiah, but to the triumphs of God over his ene-
mies. Yet the apostle not only applies it to Christ, but
argues to 23rove that it must refer to him. This diffi-
culty finds its solution in three principles which are
applicable not only to this, but also to many similar
passages. The first is the typical character of the old
dispensation. It was a shadow of good things to come.
There was not only a striking analogy between the ex-
perience of the ancient people of God, in their descent
into Egypt, their deliverance from the house of bond-
thoir journey through the wilderness, and their

CHAP. IV. VEE. 8. 217

entrance into Canaan, and the experienct of the church,
but this analogy was a designed prefigm-ation — God's
dealings as the head of the ancient theocracy, were
typical of his dealings with the church. His deliver-
ing his people, his conquering their enemies, and his
enriching his followers with their spoil, were all adum-
brations of the higher work of Christ. As the passover
was both commemorative of the deliverance out of
Egypt and typical of the redemption effected by Christ ;
so, many of the descriptions of the works and triumphs
of God under the old economy are both historical and
prophetic. Thus the Psalm quoted by the apostle is a
history of the conquests of God over the enemies of
his ancient people, and a prophecy of the conquests of
the Messiah.

The second principle applicable to this and similar
cases, is the identity of the Logos or Son manifested in
the flesh under the new dispensation with the mani-
fested Jehovah of the old economy. Hence what is
said of the one, is properly assumed to be said of the
other. Therefore, as Moses says Jehovah led his people
through the wilderness, Paul says Christ led them.
1 Cor. 10, 4. As Isaiah saw the glory of Jehovah in
the temple, John says he saw the glory of Christ. John
12, 41. As it is written in the prophets, "As I live,
saith Jehovah, every knee shall bow to me, and every
tongue shall confess to God," Is. 45, 23, Paul says,
this proves that we must all stand before the judgment
seat of Christ. Kom. 14, 10. 11. What in Ps. 102, 25,
&c., is said of God as creator, and as eternal and im-

218 EPHESIANS,

mutable, is in Hebrews 1, 10, applied to Clirist. On
the same principle what is said in Ps. 68, 18, of Jeho-
vah as ascending to heaven and leading captivity cap-
tive, is here said to refer to Christ.

There is still a third principle to be taken into
consideration. Many of the historical and prophetic
descriptions of the Old Testament are not exhausted
by any one application or fulfilment. The promise
that Japheth should dwell in the tents of Shem, was
fulfilled every time the descendants of the former were
made to share in the blessings temporal or spiritual
of the latter. The predictions of Isaiah of the redemp-
tion of Israel were not exhausted by the deliverance
of the people of God from the Babylonish captivity, but
had a direct reference to the higher redemption to be
effected by Christ. The glowing descriptions of the
blessings consequent on the advent of the Messiah,
relate not merely to the consequences of his first advent,
but to all that is to follow his coming the second time
without sin unto salvation. The prediction that every
knee shall bow to God and every tongue confess to
him, is a prediction not only of the universal j)i'eva-
lence of the true religion ; but also, as the a]3ostle
teaches, of a general judgment at the last day. In like
manner, what the Old Testament says of Jehovah de-
scending and ascending, of his conquering his enemies
and enriching his people, is not exhausted by his figu-
rative descending to manifest his power, nor by such
conspicuous theophanies as occurred on Sinai and in
the Temple, or in the triumphs recorded in the Hebrew

CHAP. IV. VS. 9. 10. 218

Scriptures, but refer also to liis personal advent in the
flesh, to his ascension and his spiritual triumphs. It is,
therefore, in perfect accordance with the whole ana-
logy of Scripture, that the apostle applies what is said
of Jehovah in Ps. 68 as a conqueror, to the work
of the Lord Jesus, who, as God manifested in the flesh,
ascended on high leading captivity captive and giving
gifts unto men.

Ys. 9. 10. Now that he ascended^ what is it hut that
he also descended first into the lower jparts of the earth f
He that descended is the same also that ascended ujp
far above all heavens^ that he might fill all things.

The obvious design of these verses is to show that
the passage quoted from the Psalmist refers to Christ.
The proof lies in the fact that ascension in the case of a
divine person, a giver of spiritual gifts to men, implies
a previous descent. It was Christ who descended, and
therefore, it is Christ who ascended. It is true the Old
Testament often speaks of God's descending, and there-
fore, they may speak of his ascending. But according
to the apostle, the divine person intended in those
representations was the Son, and no previous descent
or ascent, no previous triumph over his enemies, in-
cluded all that the Spirit of prophecy intended by such
representations. And, therefore, the Psalmist must
be understood as having included in the scope of his
language the most conspicuous and illustrious of God's
condescensions and exaltations. All other comings
were but typical of his coming in the flesh, and aU
ascensions were typical of iiis ascension from the grave.

wo EPHESIAlSrS,

Tlie apostle, therefore, liere teaclies that God, the
subject of the sixty-eighth Psahn, descended " into
the lower parts of the earth ;" that "he ascended, up
above all heavens," and that this was with the design
" that he might fill all things."

The Hebrew phrase 7"i.n ni'nrin to which the apos-
tle's ra Karoirepa fiepi] rf]'i yr]'^, (the lower parts of the
earth,) answers, is used for the earth in opposition to
heaven, Is. M, 23 ; probably for the grave in Ps. 63,
10 ; as a poetical designation for the womb in Ps. 139,
15 ; and for Hades or the invisible world, Ez. 32, 24.
Perhaps the majority of commentators take this last
to be the meaning of the passage before us. They sup-
pose the reference is to the descensus ad inferos^ or to
Christ's " descending into hell." But in the first place
this idea is entirely foreign to the meaning of the pas-
sage in the Psalm on which the apostle is commenting.
In the second place, there as here, the only descent
of which the context speaks is opposed to the ascend-
ing to heaven. ' He that ascended to heaven is he
who first descended to earth.' In the third place, this
is the opposition so often expressed in other places and
in other forms of expression, as in John 3, 13, " No
man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came
down from heaven, even the Son of Man who is in
heaven." John 6, 38, " I came down from heaven."
John 8, 14, " I know whence I came and whither I go."
John 16, 28, " I came forth from the Father, and am
come into the world ; again, I leave Ihe world, and go
to the Father." The expression of the apostle there-

CHAP. IV. V8. 9. 10. 221

fore means, " the lower parts, viz. the earth." The
genitive t^9 7?}? is the common genitive of apposition.
Compare Acts 2, 19, where the heaven above is op-
posed to the earth beneath ; and John 8, 23.

He that descended to earth, who assumed our
nature, is the same also that ascended ujp far above all
heavens. 'Tirepdvw, longe sujpra, expressing the high-
est exaltation. As the Hebrew word for heaven is in
the plural form, the New Testament writers often use
the plural even when the heavens are considered as
one, as in the phrase ^aaCkeia rwv ovpavSiv. But often
there is a reference to a plurality of heavens, as when
the expression " all heavens " is used. The Jews
reckoned seven heavens, and Paul, 2 Cor. 12, 2, speaks
of the third heavens ; the atmosphere, the region of the
stars, and above all the abode of God. Above all
heavens plainly means above the whole universe ;
above all that is created visible and invisible ; above
thrones, principalities, and powers. All things, all
created things, are subject to the ascended Redeemer.

He is thus exalted, 'iva TrXrjpcoar] TO, iravra, that he
might fill all things. As the word 7rkrip6a> signifies
to fillf to fulfil, to render perfect, and to accomplish,
these words may mean — 1. That he might fill all
things, i. e. the universe with his presence and power.
2. That he might fulfil all the predictions and promises
of God respecting his kingdom. 3. That he might
render all perfect, replete with grace and goodness.
4. That he might accomplish all things necessary to
the consummation of his work. The first interpreta-

222 EPHESiAJsrs,

tion is greatly to be preferred. Ta iravra properly
means tlie imiverse ; and if taken to mean any thing
else, it must be because the context demands it, vrliicl]
is not tlie case here. Secondly, this passage is evi-
dently parallel with ch. 1, 21, where also it is said
of Christ as exalted, that " he fills the universe in all
its parts." Thirdly, the analogy of Scripture is in
favour of this interpretation. The omnipresence and
universal dominion of God are elsewhere expressed in a
similar way. " Do I not fill heaven and earth, saith
the Lord." Jer. 23, 24. The same grand idea is ex-
pressed in Matt. 28, 18, " All power is given unto me
in heaven and upon earth ; " and in Phil. 2, 9. 10, and
in many other places. It is not of the ubiquity of
Christ's body of which the apostle sjDeaks, as the
Lutherans contend, but of the universal presence and
power of the ascended Son of God. It is God clothed
in our nature, who now exercises this universal domin-
ion ; and, therefore, the apostle may well say of Christ,
as the incarjiate God, that he gives gifts unto men.

Y. 11. Kal avT6<i €8(i)K€, and He ga/oe. He, the
ascended Saviour, to whom all power and all resources
have been given — he gave, some, apostles ; and some,
prophets ; and some, evangelists ; and some, pastors
and teachers. These were among the gifts which
Christ gave his church ; which, though implying diver-
sity of grace and office, were necessary to its unity as
an organized whole. Tliese offices are mentioned in
the order of their importance. First, the apostles, the
immediate messengers of Christ, the witnesses for him,

CHAP. IV. VER. 11. 223

of his doctrines, his miracles, and of his resurrection ;
infallible as teachers and absolute as rulers in virtue
of the gift of inspiration and. of their commission, Ko
man, therefore, could be an apostle unless — 1. He was
immediately appointed by Christ. 2. Unless he had
seen him after his resurrection and had received the
knowledge of the Gospel by immediate revelation.
3. Unless he was rendered infallible by the gift of
inspiration. These things constituted the office and
were essential to its authority. Those who without
these gifts and qualifications claimed the office, are
called " false apostles."

2. Prophets. A prophet is one who speaks for
another, a spokesman, as Aaron was the prophet of
Moses. Those whom God made his organs in speaking
to men were prophets, whether their communications
were doctrinal, preceptive, or prophetic in the restricted
sense of the term. Every one who spoke by inspira-
tion, was a prophet. The prophets of the l^ew Testa-
ment differed from the apostles, in that their inspiration
was occasional, and therefore their authority as teach-
ers subordinate. The nature of their office is fully
taught in 1 Cor. 14, 1-40. As the gift of infallibility
was essential to the apostolic office, so the gift of occa-
sional inspiration was essential to the prophetic office.
It is inconceivable that God should invest any set of
men with the authority claimed and exercised by the
apostles and prophets of the New Testament, requiring
all men to believe their doctrines and submit to their
authority, on the pain of perdition, without giving the

224 EPHESLors,

inward gifts qualifying them for their work. This ia
clearly stated by .Calvin in his comment on this verse ;
to a certain difficulty, he says, " Kespondeo, quoties a
Deo vocati sunt homines, dona necessarie conjuncta
esse officiis; neque enim Deus, apostolos aut pastores
instituendo, larvam illis duntaxat imponit ; sed dotibus
etiam instruit, sine quibus rite functionem sibi injunc-
tam obire nequeunt. Quisquis ergo Dei auctoritate
constituitur apostolus, non inani et nudo titulo, sed
mandato simul et facultate praeditus est."

And some^ evangelists. There are two views of the
nature of the office of the evangelists. Some regard
them as vicars of the apostles — ^men commissioned by
them for a definite purpose and clothed with special
powers for the time being, analogous to the apostolic
vicars of the Eomanists ; or to the temporary superin-
tendents appointed after the Reformation in the Scottish
church, clothed for a limited time and for a definite
purpose with presbyterial powers, i. e. to a certain ex-
tent, with the powers of a presbytery, the power to
ordain, install and depose. Evangelists in this sense
were temporary officers. This view of the nature of
the office prevailed at the time of the Reformation.*

* Calvin in his comment on this verse, says : Apostolis proximi erant
Evangelistae, et mumis afiSne habehant ; tantnm gradu dignitatis erant dis-
pares ; ex quo genera erant Timotheus et similes. Nam quum in saluta-
tionibus ilium sibi adjungit Paulus, non tamen facit in apostolatu
socium, sed nomen hoc peculiariter sibi vindicat. Ergo, secundum Aposto-
los, istorum subsidiaria opera usus est Dominus. — And in his Institutes
rv, 3, 4, he says : Per Evangelistas eos inteUigo, qui quum in dignitate

CHAP. IV. VEK. 11. 225

According to the other view, the evangelists were
itinerant preachers, ol irepdovre'i eKijpvTTov, as Theodoret
and other early writers describe them. Tliej were pro-
perly missionaries sent to preach the Gospel where it
had not been previously known. This is the commonly
received view, in favour of which may be urged — 1.
The signification of the word, which in itself means
nothing more than preacher of the Gospel. 2. Philip
was an evangelist, but was in no sense a vicar of the
apostles ; and when Timothy was exhorted to do the
work of an evangelist, the exhortation was simply to
be a faithful preacher of the Gospel. Acts 21, 8 ; Eph.
4, 11 ; and 2 Tim. 4, 5, are the only passages in which
the word occurs, and in no one of them does the con-
nection or any other consideration demand any other
meaning than the one commonly assigned to it. 3.
EvayyeXcadai and SLSda-Keiv are both used to express
the act of making known the Gospel ; but when as here,
the evayyeXia-TT]^ is distinguished from the BiSdaKaXo^,
the only point of distinction implied or admissible is
between one who makes known the Gospel where it had
not been heard, and an instructor of those already
Christians. The use of evayjiXca-Oac in such passages
as Acts 8, 4 ; 14, Y ; 1 Cor. 1, 17, and 2 Cor. 10, 16,
serves to confirm the commonly received opinion that
an evangelist is one who makes known the Gospel.
That Timothy and Titus were in some sense apostolic

apostolis minores, officio tamen proximi erant, adeoque vices eorum gere-
bant. Quales fuerunt, Lucas, Tiraotheus, Titus, et reliqui similes.

226 EPHESIANS,

vicars, i. e. men clothed witli special powers for a
special purpose and for a limited time, may be admit-
ted, but this does not determine the nature of tbe office
of an evangelist. They exercised these powers not as
evangelists, but as delegates or commissioners.

And some, pastors and teachers, rou? he iroiixeva^ koI
SiSacTKaXov';. According to one interpretation we have
here two distinct offices — that of pastor and that of
teacher. The latter, says Calvin, " had nothing to do
with discipline, nor with the administration of the sacra-
ments, nor with admonitions or exhortations, but simply
with the interpretation of Scrij)ture." Institutes lY,
3, 4. All this is inferred from the meaning of the word
teacher. There is no evidence from Scripture that there
was a set of men authorized to teach but not author-
ized to exhort. The thing is well nigh impossible. The
one function includes the other. The man who teaches
duty and the grounds of it, does at the same time ad-
monish and exhort. It was however on the ground of
this unnatm-al interpretation that the Westminster
Directory made teachers a distinct and permanent class
of jure divino officers in the church. The Puri4:ans in
New England endeavoured to reduce the theory to
practice, and appointed doctors as distinct from preach-
ers. But the attempt proved to be a failure. The two
functions could not be kept separate. The whole
theory rested on a false interpretation of Scripture.
The absence of the article before SiSacr/caXou? proves
that the apostle intended to designate the same persons
as at once pastors and teachers. The former term de-

CHAP. IV. VEE. 12. 227

signates them as eVicr/coTrot, overrseers, the latter as
instructors. Every pastor or bishop was required to be
apt to teach. This interpretation is given by Augustin
and Jerome ; the latter of whom says : Non enim ait :
alios autem pastores et alios magistros, sed alios j)as-
tores et magistros, ut qui pastor est, esse debeat et mag-
ister. In this interpretation the modern commentators
almost without exception concur. It is true the article
is at times omitted between two substantives referring
to different classes, where the two constitute one order
— as in Mark 15, 1, fiera twv •rrpea-^vripcov koI ypa/j,-
/jt,aT€cov, because the elders and scribes formed one body.
But in such an enumeration as that contained in this
verse, tov^ /j,€V aTroaroXovi, toi)? Se TrpocfjijTa^, rov<; Se
evayjeXcard?, rov<i Be Trot/xe^a?, the laws of the language
require to?)? 8e SiSaaKciXovi, had the apostle intended to
distinguish the SiSdaKaXoi from the Troi/^eve?. Pastors
and teachers, therefore, must be taken as a two-fold de-
signation of the same officers, who were at once the
guides and instructors of the people.

Y. 12. Having mentioned the officers Christ gave
his church, the apostle states the end for which this gift
was conferred — it was irpo^; rov KaTapno-fiov roiv dytav,
649 epyov StuKovia^, et9 oIkoBo/j,7]v rov crco/jbaTO'i tov
Xptarov, for the per/eciing of the saints, for the
worh of the ministry, for the edifying of the hody of
Christ.

Both the meaning of the words and the relation of
the several clauses in this verse, are doubtful. The
word KarapTt(T/M6'i, rendered perfecting, admits of dif-

228 EPHESIANS,

ferent intei'pretations. Tlie root apoj means to unite or
bind together. Hence apTLo^ signifies united, complete,
perfect; and the verb KaTaprl^w is literally to mend,
Matt. 4, 21 ; to reduce to order, to render complete, or
perfect, Luke 6, 40 ; 2 Cor. 13, 11 ; to prepare or ren-
der fit for use, Heb. 10, 5 ; 13, 21. The substantive
may express the action of the verb in the various mod-
ifications of its meaning. Hence it has been rendered
here — 1. To the completion of the saints, i. e. of their
number. 2. To their renewing or restoration. 3. To
their reduction to order and union as one body. 4. To
their preparation (for service). 5. To their perfecting.
This last is to be preferred because agreeable to the
frequent use of the verb by this apostle, and because it
gives the sense best suited to the context.

The word StuKovta, seiwlce, may express that service
which one man renders to another — Luke 10, 40, " with
much serving I ''^ or specially the service rendered to
Christians, 1 Cor. 16, 15, " addicted themselves to the
ministry of the saints ; " or the oflScial service of the
ministry. Hence the phrase et? ep'^ov 8iaKovia<; may
mean ' to the work of mutual service or kind offices,'
or to the work of the ministry — in the official sense.
The latter is the common interpretation, and is to be
preferred not only on account of the more frequent use
of the word in that sense, but also on account of the
connection, as here the apostle is speaking of the dif-
ferent classes of ministers of the word.

The principal difficulty connected with this verse
concerns the relation of its several clauses. 1. Some

CHAP. IV. VEE. 12. 229

propose to invert the first and second so tliat tlie sense
would be, ' Christ appointed the aj)ostles, &c., for the
work of the ministry, the design of which is the per-
fecting of the saints and the edifying of the body of
Christ.' But although the sense is thus good and per-
tinent, the transposition is arbitrary. 2. Others regard
the clauses as coordinate. ' These officers were given
for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the
ministry, for the edifying the body of Christ.' To this is
objected the change in the prepositions (77/909, 6t?-et?),
and the incongruity of the thoughts — the expressions
not being parallel. 3. The two latter clauses may be
made subordinate to the first. ' Christ has appointed the
ministry with the view of preparing the saints, for the
work of serving one another,' (compare et? SiuKoviav to??
ayioi<i, 1 Cor, 16, 15,) and for the edification of his
body. This however assumes ScaKovia to have a sense
unsuited to the context. 4. Others make the two
clauses with ek explanatory of the first clause, ' Christ
appointed these officers for the preparation of the saints,
some for the work of the ministry, and some for the
edifying of his body.' But this is inconsistent with the
structm-e of the passage. It would require the intro-
duction of Tov<i jjuev — roi)^ he, ' some, for this, and some,
for that.' 5. Others again, give the sense thus, 'For
the sake of perfecting the saints, Christ appointed these
officers to the work of the ministry, to the edification
of his body.' The first clause irpo'i kut. expresses the
remote, eh-eh the immediate end of the appointment
in question. Tlie " work of the ministry" is that work

230 EPHESlAlfS,

which the ministiy perform, viz. the edifying of the
body of Clirist. This last view is perhaps the best.

" He coukl not," says Calvin, " exalt more highly
the ministry of the Word, than by attributing to it this
effect. For what higher work can there be than to
build up the church that it may reach its perfection ?
They therefore are insane, who neglecting this means
hojse to be perfect in Christ, as is the case with fanat-
ics, who pretend to secret revelations of the Spirit ;
and the proud, who content themselves with the private
reading of the Scripture, and imagine they do not need
the ministry of the church." If Christ has aj)pointed
the ministry for the edification of his body, it is in vain
to expect that end to be accomplished in any other
way.

Y. 13. The ministry is not a temporary institution,
it is to continue until the church has reached the goal
of its high calling. This does not prove that all the
offices mentioned above are permanent. By common
consent the prophets were temporary officers. It is
the ministry and not those particular offices, that is to
continue. The goal of the church is here described . in
three equivalent forms — 1. Unity of faith and know-
ledge of the Son of God. 2. A perfect man. 3. The
measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.

1. Till we all come to the unity ^ &c., yt'^xP^ Karavrr)-
(Twixev ol nrdvre^. The all here mentioned is not all
men, but all the people of Christ. The reference is not
to the confluence of nations from all parts of the earth,
but to the body of Christ, the company of saints of

' CHAP. IV. "VTEK. 13. 231

whicli the context speaks. The church is tending to
the goal indicated.* Our version has in unit]/, hut the
Greek is et? T'r]v evonjra, and therefore shoukl be ren-
dered, to or 2m^(?, just as in the following clauses, ek
dv8pa rekeLov and eh fMerpov, ktX. The unity of faith
is the end to which all are to attain. Tlie genitive
viov Tov Geov belongs equally to Tr/o-rt? and iTriyvcoaa.
The Son of God is the object both of the faith and of
the knowledge here spoken of. Many commentators
understand knowledge and faith as equivalent, and
therefore make the latter member of the clause expla-
natory of the former : ' to the unity of the faith, that
is, to the knowledge of the Son of God.' But this
overlooks the koI. The apostle says, " faith and know-
ledge." Thus distinguishing the one from the other.
And they are in fact different, however intimately
related, and however often the one term may be used
for the other. Faith is a form of knowledge, and there-
fore may be expressed by that word. But knowledge
is not a form of faith, and therefore cannot be expressed
by it. Knowledge is an element of faith ; but faith,
in its distinctive sense, is not aii element of knowledge.
The Greek word here used is not yvo)a-i<i but iTrijvcoai'i.
We have no word to express the distinction as the
Germans have in their Kennen and Erkennen. It is
not merely cognition but recognition. Faith and
knowledge, Tr/o-ri? and iiTLyvcoat'i, express or compre-

* The ministry is to continue until KaravTricruixey we (all) shall have
attained to unity of faith.

232 EPHESIANS,

liend all the elements of that state of mind of which
the Son of God, God manifested in the flesh, who loved
us and gave himself for lis, who died on Calvary and
is now enthroned in heaven, is the object. A state
of mind which includes the apprehension of his glory,
the appropriation of his love, as well as confidence and
devotion. This state of mind is in itself eternal life.
It includes excellence, blessedness, and the highest
form of activity, i. e. the highest exercise of our high-
est powers. We are like him when we see him. Per-
fect knowledge is perfect holiness. Therefore when
the whole church has come to this perfect knowledge
which excludes all diversity, then it has reached the
end. Then it will bear the image of the heavenly.

The object of faith and knowledge is the Son of God.
This designation of our Lord declares him to be of the
same nature with the Father, possessing the same attri-
butes and entitled to the same honour. Were this not
the case the knowledge of Christ as the Son of God,
could not be eternal life ; it could not fill, enlarge,
sanctify, and render blessed the soul ; nor constitute
the goal of our high calling ; the full perfection of our
nature.

It has excited surprise that the apostle should here
present unity of faith as the goal of j)erfection, whereas
in ver. 6, Christians are said now to have " one faith,"
as they have one Lord and one baptism. Some endeav-
our to get over this difficulty by laying the emphasis
upon all. The progress of the church consists in bring-
ing all to this state of unity. But Paul includes all in

CHAP. IV. VEK. 13. 233

his assertion in ver. 6. And if the " one faith " of that
verse, and " unity of faith " here are the same, then
tlie starting-point and the goal of the church are iden-
tical. Others say that " the unity of faith and know-
ledge " means not that all should be united in faith
and knowledge, but that all should attain that state in
which faith and knowledge are identified — faith is to be
lost in knowledge. The unity, therefore, here intended,
is unity between faith and knowledge, and not the
unity of believers. But this is evidently unnatm-al.
" We all come to unity," can only mean, " we are all
united." There is no real difficulty in the case. Unity
is a matter of degrees. The chm'ch is now and ever
has been one body, but how imperfect is their union !
Our Lord's praying that his people may be one, does
not prove that they are not now one. It is here as in
other cases. Holiness is the beginning and holiness is
the end. We must be holy to belong to the church,
and yet holiness is the ultimate perfection of the
church. The unity of faith is now confined to the first
principles ; the miity of faith contemplated in this
place is that perfect unity which implies perfect know-
ledge and perfect holiness.

Unto a perfect -inan, ek avhpa reketov. This clause
is explanatory of the former and determines its mean
ing. Perfection is the end ; perfect manhood. Tekeio<,
signifies ad finem ^erduotus / when used of a man,
it means an adult, one who has reached the end of his
development as a man. When applied to a Christian
it means one who has reached the end of his develop-

234 EPHESIANS,

ment as a Cliristian, Heb. 12, 23 ; and the cliurcli is
penect when it lias readied the end of its development
and stands complete in gloiy. In 1 Cor. 13, 10, to
reXetov stands opposed to to e/c jxepovs, and there as
here indicates the state which is to be attained here-
after when we shall know even as we are known.

The standard of perfection for the church is com-
plete conformity to Christ. It is to attain eh fierpov
tjXiKLai Tov TrXrjpdofiaro^ rod Xptarov. These words are
explanatory of the preceding. The church becomes
adult, a perfect niah, wdien it reaches the fulness of
Christ. However these words may be explained in
detail, this is the general idea. Whether rfkiKia means
stature or age depends upon the context. Most com-
mentators prefer the latter signification here, because
TeX.€io<; in tiie preceding clause means adult, in reference
to age rather than to stature, and vr]Tno<i in the follow-
ing verse means a child as to age and not as to size.

If the phrase " fulness of Christ," be explained ac-
cording to the analogy of the phrases " fulness of God,"
" fulness of the Godhead," &c., it must mean the pleni-
tude of excellence which Christ possesses or which he
bestows. And the " age of the fulness of Christ,"
means the age at which the fulness of Christ is attained.
Compare 3, 19, where believers ars said to be filled
unto the fulness of God.

If, however, reference is had to the analogy of such
expressions as " fulness of the blessing of the Gospel,"
Rom. 15, 29, which means ' the full or abundant bless-
ing,' then the passage before us means ' tlie full age

CHAP. IV. VEK. 13. 235

(or stature) of Christ.' The church is to become a per-
fect man, i. e. it is to attain the measure of the full
maturity of Christ. In other Tvords, it is to he com-
pletely conformed to him, perfect as he is perfect. This
interpretation, which supposes TrXo^pco/j^aTo^ to qualify
adjectively r]\iKia<;, is in accordance with a familiar
characteristic of Paul's style, who frequently connects
three genitives in this way, the one governing the
others, where one is to be taken adjectively. See Col.
1, 13, eh ^acTiXeiav tov viov t^9 djaTrr)^ avTOv, " Son
of his love," for ' his beloved Son ; ' " age of fulness,"
for ' full age.' Col. 2, 2. 18. 2 Thess. 1, 9.

Commentators are much divided on the question
whether the goal, the termimis ad quern of the church's
progress here spoken of, is to be attained in this world
or the next. Those who say it is to be attained here,
rely principally on the following verse : ' We are to
become men in order that we should be no longer
children,' &c. To determine this question it would
seem to be enough to state what the contemplated con-
summation is. It is perfection, and perfection of the
whole church. We are to become perfect men, we are
to attain complete conformity to Christ ; and we are
all to reach this high standard. The Bible, however,
never represents the consummation of the church as
occurring in this life. Christ gave himself for the
church that he might present it to himself a glorious
church without spot or wrinkle, but this presentation
is not to take place until he comes a second time to be
glorified in the saints and admired in all them that

236 EPHESiiJsrs,

believe. The context instead of forbidding, demands
this view of the apostle's meaning. It would be incon-
gruous to say we must reach perfection in order to
grow. But it is not incongruous to say that perfection
is made the goal in order that we may constantly strive
after it.

y. 14. What has been said may be sufficient to in-
dicate the connection between this and the preceding
verses, as indicated by 'iva {in order that). Tliis and
the following verses are not subordinate to the 13th, as
though the sense were, 'we are to reach perfection in
order to grow,' — but they are coordinate — all relating
to the design of the ministry mentioned in v. 12, Be-
tween the full maturity aimed at, and our present state
is the period of growth — and Christ aj)pointed the min-
istry to bring the church to that end, in order that we
should be no longer children but make constant pro-
gress. This intermediate design is expressed negatively
in this verse and affirmatively in the IStli and 16th.
We are not to continue children, v, 13, but constantly
to advance toward maturity, vs, 15, 16, The charac-
teristic of children here presented is their instability
and their liability to be deceived and led astray. The
former is expressed by comparing them to a ship with-
out a rudder, tossed to and fro by the waves, and driven
about by every wind — KkvScovc^ofievot koI irepi^epofievoi
iravrl ave/jLw — or to two unstable things, a restless wave,
and something driven by the wind. In the use of
much the same figure the apostle in Heb. 13, 9 exhorts
believers not " to be carried away with diverse and

CHAP. IV. VEK. 14. 237

sti-ange doctrines." And the apostle James compares
the unstable to "a wave of the sea driven with the
wind and tossed," 1, 6. One of the principal elements
of the perfection spoken of in v. 13, is stability in the
truth ; and, therefore, the state of imperfection as con-
trasted with it is described as one of instability and
liability to be driven abont by every wind of doctrine.
Children are not only unstable but easily deceived.
They are an easy prey to the artful and designing. The
apostle therefore adds : ev rfj Kv^ela tmv avOpdoircov,
through {iv being instrumental) the artifice of men.
Kv^eia from Kv^o<i {cube, die) means dice-claying , in
which there are many arts of deception, and therefore
the word is used for craft or deceit. It is explained by
the following phrase, eV iravovp^la 7rpo<i rrjv fxedoBeiav
T?}? ir\dvr]<i, which, according to Luther's version, means
Tauscherei damit sie uns erschleichen zu verfuhren, the
cunning with which they tracTc us to mislead. The arti-
fice {Kv^eia) is that craft which is used by seducers or
errorists. The preposition Trpo? may mean according
to. ' Cunning according to the craft which error uses ;
or which is characteristic of error.' Or it may agree-
ably to its commom force indicate direction or ten-
dency. ' The cunning which is directed to the craft of
error, i. e. that craft which is designed to seduce.' The
sense is the same. The word fiedoSela occm's only here
and in 6, 11 — where in the plural form it is rendered
wiles; "the wiles of the devil." It is derived from
fieOoSevQ) (jjbeTa 6S6<i), to follow any one, to tracTi> him, as
a wild animal its prey. Hence the substantive means

238 EPHEsiAJsrs,

tlie cunning or craft used by those wlio wisli to entrap
or capture.

There are two things in this connection which can
hardly escape notice. The one is the high estimate the
aj)ostle places on truth ; and the other is the evil of
error. Holiness without the knowledge and belief of
the truth, is impossible ; perfect holiness implies, as v.
13 teaches, perfect knowledge. Error, therefore, is
evil. Religious error springs from moral evil and pro-
duces it. "False teachers" are in Scripture always
spoken of as bad, as selfish, malignant, or deceitful.
This principle furnishes incidentally one of the surest
of the criteria of truth. Those doctrines which the
good hold, which are dear to the spiritual, to the
humble and the holy, and true. This is the only real
authority which belongs to tradition. In this passage
the apostle attributes departure from the truth to the
cunning and deceit which are characteristic of error, or
of false teachers. In Rom. 16, lY. 18 ; 2 Cor. 2, lY ; 11,
13 ; Gal. 2, 4 ; Col. 2, 8. 18, the same character is given
of those who seduce men from the faith. Error, there-
fore, can never be harmless, nor false teachers innocent.
Two considerations however should secure moderation
and meekness in applying these principles. The one is,
that though error implies sin, orthodoxy does not always
imply holiness. It is possible " to hold the truth in un-
righteousness ; " to have speculative faith without love.
The character most offensive to God and man is that of
a malignant zealot for the truth. The other consideration
IS, that men are often much better than their creed.

CHAP. IV. VEK. 15. 239

Tliat is, tlie doctrines on whicli they live are much
nearer the truth, than those which they profess. They
deceive themselves by attaching wrong meaning to
words, and seem to reject truth when in fact they only
reject their own misconceptions. It is a common re-
mark that men's prayers are more orthodox than their
creeds.

Y. 15. These remarks are not foreign to the subject;
for the apostle, while condemning all instability with
regard to faith, and while denouncing the craft of
false teachers, immediately adds the injunction to ad-
here to the truth in love. It 'is not mere stability in
sound doctrine, but faith as combined with love that he
requires. The only saving, salutary faith is such as
works by love and purifies the heart.

'A\'7]d6uovTe<i 8e iv dydirr] our version renders " but
speaking the truth in love." But this does not suit the
context. This clause stands opposed to what is said in
verse 14. "We are not to be children driven about by
every wind of doctrine, but we are to be steadfast in
professing and believing the truth. Tliis interpretation
which is demanded by the connection is justified by the
usage of the word okrjdeveLv, which means not only to
sj)eak the truth, but also to be aXr^di^s in the sense of
being open, upright, truthful, adhering to the truth.
And the truth here .contemplated is the truth of God,
the truth of the Gospel, which we are to profess and
abide by. The words iv dydTrrj are commonly and pro-
perly connected with dXrjdevovrei;, " professing the truth
in love." They may however be connected with the

240 EPHESIAN8,

following word, so as to give the sense, " let us increase
in love." But this leaves the participle too naked, and
is not indicated by the position of the words. Besides,
in the next verse, which is part of the same sentence,
we have av^rjatv Troieirat els olKo8ofir}v^ ev aydirtj, which
would be a needless repetition of the same idea.

"We are "to grow up into (rather unto) him," ek
avTov. This is to be explained by a reference to the
expressions etV dvSpa riXeiov, et? fJ-eTpov rfKiKias ktX. in
V. 13. These are different forms of expressing the idea
that conformity to Christ is the end to be attained.
We are to grow so as to be conformed to him, to. iravra^
as to all things. Him, " who is the head, viz. Christ."
"We are to be conformed to our head — ^because he is
our head, i. e. because of the intimate union between
him and us. The slight confusion in the metaphor
which presents Christ as the model to which we are to
be conformed, and the head with whose life we are to
be pervaded, is no serious objection to this interpreta-
tion, which is demanded by the context.

Y. 16. From whom the whole hody fitly joined to-
gether, and corrvpoGted hy that which every joi/nt swp-
plieth, according to the effectual worhing in the measure
of every part, maketh increase of the hody to the edify-
ing of itself in love. The church is Christ's body ; he
is the head. The body grows. Concerning this growth
the apostle says — ^1. It is from him, (e|^ ov). He is the
causal source, from whom all life and power are de-
rived. 2. It depends on the intimate union of all the
parts of the body with the head by means of appro-

CHAP. IV. VER. 16. 241

priate bonds. 3. It is symmetrical. 4. It is a growth
in love. Such is the general meaning of this passage ;
though there is niuch diversity of opinion as to the
meaning of some of the terms employed, and as to the
relation of the several clauses.

First as to the meaning of the words : ^vvap/xo-
Xojict) {dp/ii6<i and Xiyco) to hind together the several ^arts
of cmy thing. It is used of a building 2, 21, and of the
human body. In both cases there is a union of parts
fitted to each other. It is peculiarly appropriate here,
as the church is compared to the body composed of many
members intimately connected. Sv/jb^i^d^co, to bring
together, to conveiie, to join', figuratively, to combine men-
tally. It is properly used of bringing persons together,
so as to reconcile them, or to unite them in friendship.
It therefore serves to explain the j^receding term. The
church is figuratively a body composed of many joints
or members ; and literally, it is a company of believers
intimately united with each other. Hence the apostle
uses both terms in reference to it. 'A^r] {dirro)) pro-
perly means touch, the sense of touch. Hence metony-
imQ,2Xbf feeling. Therefore hid 7rda-T]T]<; i'7rf)(^opr]yLacov Koi avvSicr/jioov, hy joints and hands, seems to
be decisive for that sense here. The word iTri'xpp'n'yla
(Xopiryia), %o/a69, dyco), sii]yply, aid, has no difficulty in
itself. The only question is what aid or contribution is
meant, and what is the force of the genitive. The word

242 EPHESiJUsrs,

may refer to the mutual assistance fm-nislied each other
by the constituent members of the body. Thus Luther,
who paraphrases the clause in question, — durch alle
Gelenke, dadurch eins dem andern Handreichung thut
— hy every joint wherehy one nueinber aids another. Or
it may refer to the supplies of vital influence received
from Christ the head. "Tlirough every joint of sup-
ply," then means, through every joint or ha/ifid which is
the meo/ns of supply. The parallel passage in Col. 2,
19, is in favour of the latter view. Tliere it is said : to
fTWjxa hia TOiv a<^wv i7n-)^op7]jovfji€vov, the body receiving
nownshTnent or supplies through the joints or bands.
Tlie nourishing and sustaining influence, the eTn'xpprj<yia,
is certainly in this case that which flows from Christ,
and therefore the same interpretation should be given
to the passage before us. As to the force of the case,
it is by some taken as the genitive of apposition.
" Joint or band of supply," would then mean, the band
which is a supply. The divine influence furnished by
Christ is the bond by which the members of his body
are united. This is true, but in Col. 2, 19, which, being
the plainer passage, must be our guide in interpreting
this, the supply is said to be Sta rwv d^cov, through the
joints. Here, therefore, the parallel phrase. Sea 7rda7]<;
d<p7}<; tt}? iinxopvy^f^^, must mean, 'through every joint
for supply ; ' that is, which is the means or channel of
the divine influence. There is an obvious distinction
between "the bands" and "the aid" here spoken of.
Tlie latter is the divine life or Holy Spirit communica-
ted to all parts of the church ; the former (the d(f)ai)

CHAP. IV. vEu. 16. 243

are the various spiritual gifts and offices which are
made the channels or means of this divine communica-
tion.

The second point to be considered is the relation of
the several clauses in this passage. The clause Sta
Trdarj'i a^?}?, kt\. may be connected with the last clause
of the verse, av^T]cnv TroLeiTac. The sense would then
be, ' The body by means of every joint of supply makes
increase of itself.' Tliis sense is correct and suited to
the context. This however is not the most natural con-
struction. Tlie relative position of the members of the
sentence is in favour of referring this clause to the pre-
ceding participles. ' The body j oined together and united
by means of every joint of supply.' The parallel pas-
sage in Colossians determines this to be the apostle's
meaning. He there refers the union of the body, and
not its growth, to the bands {a^ai) of which he speaks.
He describes the body as av/x^c^a^o/xevov Sia tcov a^MVy
and therefore here avix^t^, Slo. Trda-r]^ d(f>rj<i, which are
in juxtaposition, should go together.

The clause, " according to the effectual working in
the measure of every part,''^ admits of three construc-
tions. It may be connected with the preceding parti-
ciples— "joined together by every joint of supply
according to the working, &c., avfi^c/S. Sid — Kara. Or
it may be connected with the preceding words, eTnxo-
p'q'yla'; Kar ivepyetav, — ' the supply is according to the
working of each particular part.' Or thirdly, it may
be connected with av^rjaiv iroielTat ; the increase is ac-
cording to the working, &c. It is hard to decide be-

244 EPHESIANS,

tween these two latter methods. In favour of the
second is the position of the words — and also the con-
gruity of the figure. It is more natural to say that the
divine influence is according to the working of ev^rj
part, i. e. according to its capacity and function ; than
to say, " the growth is according to the working, &c."
The increase of the body is due to the living influence
which pervades it, and not to the efiiciency of the
several members. In either case, however, the idea of
symmetrical development is included.

The hody — maheth increase of the hody^ i. e. of
itself. The substantive is repeated on account of the
length of the sentence. This increase is an edification
in love, i. e. connected with love. Tliat is the element
in which the progress of the church to its consumma-
tion is effected.

As then the human body, bound together by the
vital influence derived from the head through appro-
priate channels and distributed to every member and
organ according to its function, constantly advances to
maturity ; so the church, united as one body by the
divine influence flowing from Christ its head through
appropriate channels, and distributed to every member
according to his peculiar ca2:)acity and function, contin-
ually advances towards perfection. And as in the
human body no one member, whether hand or foot, can
live and grow unless in union with the body ; so union
with the mystical body of Christ is the indispensable
condition of growth in every individual believer. Fal-
litur ergo siquis seorsum crescere appetit. — Cajlvest.

CHAP. IV. VEK. 16. 246

And furtlier, as in tlie human body there are certain
channels through which the vital influence flows from
the head to the members, and which are necessary to
its communication ; so also there are certain divinely
appointed means for the distribution of the Holy Spirit
from Christ to the several members of his body. "What
these channels of divine influence are, by which the
church is sustained and carried forward, is clearly stated
in V. 11, where the apostle says, " Christ gave some,
apostles ; and some, prophets ; and some evangelists ;
and some, pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of
the saints." It is, therefore, through the ministry o±
the word that the divine influence flows from Christ the
head to all the members of his body, so that where that -
ministry fails the divine influence fails. This does not
mean that the ministry as men or as ofiicers are the
channels of the Spirit to the members of the church,
BO that without their ministerial intervention no man is
made a partaker of the Holy Ghost. But it means
that the ministry as dispensers of the truth are thus the
channels of divine communication. By the gifts of
revelation and inspiration, Christ constituted some
apostles and some prophets for the communication and
record of his truth ; and by the inward call of his
Spirit he makes some evangelists and some pastors for
its constant proclamation and inculcation. And it is
only (so far as adults are concerned) in connection with
the truth, as thus revealed and preached, that the
Holy Ghost is communicated. The ministry, therefore,
apostles, prophets, evangelists and teachers, were given

246 EPHESIANS,

for the edification of the church, by the communication
of that truth in connection with which alone the Holy
Ghost is given.

All this Rome perverts. She says that prelates,
whom she calls apostles, are the channels of the Holy
Spirit, first to the priests and then to the people ; and
that this communication, is not by the truth, but tactual,
by the laying on of hands. No one therefore can be
united to Christ except through them, or live except as
in communion with them. Thus error is always the
caricature of truth.

SECTION II.^Vs. 17-32.— Oh. V. 1-2.

17. Tills I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye hence-
forth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their

18. mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from
the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because

19. of the blindness of their heart : who, being past feeling, have
given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work aU unclean-

20. ness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ ; if so

21 . be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as

22. the truth is in Jesus : that ye put off concerning the former
conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the de-

23. ceitful lusts ; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind ; and

24. that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in

25. righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying,
speak every man truth with his neighbour : for we are mera-

26. bers one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not : let not the

27. sun go down upon your wrath : neither give place to the devil.

28. Let him that stole, steal no more : but rather let him labour,
working with Ms hands the thing which is good, that he may

29. have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communica-

CHAP. IV. 247

tion proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the
use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

30. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, -whereby ye are sealed

31. unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and
anger, and clamour, and evil-speaking, be put away from you,

32. with all malice : and be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted,
forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath for-
given you.

Oh. V. 1. Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children ; and
2. walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given him-
self for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling
savour.

ANALYSIS.

Tliis Section contains first a general exliortation to
holiness, vs. 17-24 ; and secondly, injunctions in respect
to specific duties, vs. 25-cli. Y. 2. The exhortation to
holiness is, agreeably to the apostle's manner, first in the
negative form not to walk as the heathen do, vs. 17-19,
and secondly, positive, to walk as Christ had taught
them, vs. 20-24. Tlie heathen walk in the vanity of
their mind, i. e. in a state of moral and spiritual fatuity,
not knowing what they are about, nor whither they are
going, V. 17 ; because they are in mental darkness, and
are alienated from the life of God through the ignorance
that is in them, and through the hardness of their
hearts, v, 18 ; as is evinced by their giving themselves
up to un cleanness and avarice, v. 19. The Christian
walk is the opposite of this — because believers have
been taught. Instead of ignorance, truth dwells in
them, enlightening and purifying. Hence they are led
to put off the old man — and to put on the new man,

24:8 EPHE8IANS,

vvhicli is more and more conformed to tlie image of
Grod, vs. 20-24. Therefore, tliey must avoid lying and
speak the truth, v. 25 ; abstain from anger and guard
against giving Satan any advantage, vs. 26. 27. Avoid
theft, and be diligent and liberal, v. 28. Avoid all
corrupting language, but let their conversation be
edifying, so as not to grieve the Holy Spirit, vs. 29. 30.
Instead of malicious feelings, they should exercise and
manifest such as are mild, benevolent, and forgiving,
being in this matter the followers of God, vs. 31 —
ch. V. 2.

COMMENTAEY.

V. 17. The apostle, having in the preceding section
taught that Christ had destined his church to j)erfect
conformity to himself, and made provision for that end,
as a natural consequence, solemnly enjoins on those
who profess to be Christians to live in accordance with
this high vocation. " This tJierefore I say and testify
in the Lord, that he henceforth walk not as the other
Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind." To testify,
in this case, is solemnly to enjoin, as a man does who
calls upon God to bear witness to the truth and import-
ance of what he says. Maprvpio) is to act as a witness,
and /jiapTupofMat to invoke as a witness. The latter is
the word here used. I71 the Lord, means in commu-
nion with the Lord. Paul speaks as one who had
access to the mind of Christ, knew his will, and could
therefore speak in his name. The exhortation is, not
to walk as the Gentiles do. To walk, in Scripture Ian-

CHAP. IV. VEK. 17. 249

guage, includes all the manifestations of life, inward
and outward, seen and unseen. It does not express
merely the outward, visible deportment. Men are said
to walk with God, which refers to the secret fellowship
of the soul with its Maker, more than to the outward
life. So here the walk, which the apostle enjoins us to
avoid, is not only the visible deportment characteristic
of the Gentiles, but also the inward life of which the
outward deportment is the manifestation.

They walk " in the vanity of their mind." The lan-
guage of the 'New Testament being the language of
Jews, is more or less modified by Hebrew usage. And
the usage of Hebrew words is of course modified by
the philosophy and theology of the people who em-
ployed them. There are two principles which have had
an obvious influence on the meaning of a large class
of Hebrew words, and therefore on the meaning of the
Greek terms which answer to them. The one is the
unity of the soul which forbids any such marked dis-
tinction between its cognitive and emotional faculties,
i. e. between the understanding and the heart, as is
assumed in our philosophy, and therefore is impressed
on our language. In Hebrew the same word desig-
nates what we commonly distinguish as separate facul-
ties. The Scriptures speak of an " understanding heart,"
and of " the desires of the imderstanding," as well as
of " the thoughts of the heart." They recognize that
there is an element of feeling in our cognitions and an
element of intelligence in our feelings. The idea that
the heart may be depraved and the intellect unaffected

250 EPHESIANS,

is, according to the anthropology of the Bible, as incon-
gi'uous, as that one part of the soul should be happy
and another miserable, one faculty saved and another
lost.

Another principle nearly allied to the former is the
moral and spiritual excellence of truth. Truth is not
merely speculative, the object of cognition. It has
moral beauty. In scriptural language, therefore, know-
ledge includes love ; wisdom includes goodness ; folly
includes sin ; the wise are holy, fools are wicked.
Truth and holiness are united as light and heat in the
same ray. There cannot be the one without the other.
To know God is eternal life ; to be without the know-
ledge of God is to be utterly depraved. Saints are the
children of light ; the wicked are the children of dark-
ness. To be enlightened is to be renewed ; to be
blinded is to be reprobated. Such is the constant
representation of Scripture.

The vov^, mind, therefore, in the passage before us,
does not refer to the intellect to the exclusion of the
feelings, nor to the feelings to the exclusion of the
intellect. It includes both ; the reason, the under-
standing, the conscience, the affections are all compre-
hended by the term. Sometimes one and sometimes
another of these modes of spiritual activity is specially
referred to, but in the present case the whole soul is
intended. Tlie word fiaraioTTj^, vanity, according to
the scriptural usage just referred to, includes moral as
well as intellectual worthlessness, or fatuity. It is of
all that is comprehended under the word vov';, the

CHAP. IV. VEK. 18. 251

understanding and the heart, that this vanity is pre-
dicated. Every tiling included in the following
verses respecting the blindness and depravity of the
heathen is therefore comprehended in the word
vanity.

V. 18. Ha/Ding the understanding darkened^ heing
alienated from the life of God through the ignorance
that is in them, hecause of the Hindness of their heart.
This verse at once explains and confirms the preceding
statement. The heathen walk in vanity, i. e. in intel-
lectual and moral darkness, because their understand-
ing is darkened, and because they are alienated from
the life of God.

The word hidvoia, understanding, in the first clause,
means a thinking through / the mind (quatenus intelli-
git, appetit et sentit) as opposed to the body ; an act
of the mind, a thought, purpose, or disposition ; the
intelligence as opposed to the feelings. We are re-
quired to love God, eV okr) Ty hiavoia, with the whole
mind J men are said to be enemies, ry Stavola. Col. 1,
21, as to their state of mind, and proud t^ hiavoia t?}?
KapSia<; avroov. The apostle Peter exhorts us " to gird
up the loins of the mind j^'' and speaks of our "pure
mind." And the apostle John says : " God has given
us hiovoiav that we may know." The word is opj)osed
to adp^ in Eph. 2, 3, and to KapSla in Matt. 22, 37,
Heb, 8, 10 and elsewhere. It depends therefore on the
connection whether the word is to be understood of the
whole soul, or of the intelligence, or of the disjDOsition.
In this case it means the intelligence / because it is dis-

252 EPHESIANS,

tinguislied from voO^ in the preceding verse, and from
Kaphia in tlie last clause of this one.

" Alienated from the life of God," means strangers
to that life. "The life of God," means the life of
which God is the author. It is spiritual life. That is,
the life of which the indwelling Spirit is the principle
or source. " Yitam Dei," says Beza, " appellat vitam
illam, qua Deus vivit in suis." Comp. 3, 16, lY, and
the remarks on that passage.

In the last clause of the verse Troopcoo-L^ is rendered
blindness, it more properly means hardness. It does
not come from ttco/jo?, Mind, but from irwpo^ a peculiar
kind of stone, and then any thing hard or callous. The
verb ircopoco is rendered to harden, Mark 6, 52 ; 8, lY ;
John 12, 40, and in all these passages it is used of tlie
heart. So in Rom. 11, 7, " the rest were hardened."
The noun is rendered " hardness " in Mark 3, 5, and
" blindness " in Eom. 11, 25. Tliis is easily accounted
for, as the verb is often used in reference to the eyes
when covered with an opaque hardened film, and hence
TreTrdopwrat is the same at times with Teru^Xtwrai. The
phrase, therefore, ircopcoac^ t?}? KapSla'i, may be ren-
dered either hlindness or hardness of the heart. The
latter is the proper meaning, unless the other be re-
quired by the context, which is not the case in the
present instance.

The principal difficulty in this verse concerns the
relation of its several clauses. First, the participle
6vTe<i may be connected with the second clause, so as
to read, " Dark as to the understanding, being (ovres;)

CHAP. IV. VEK. 18. 2S3

alienated from the life of God." This is the view taken
hj our translators, which supposes that the first clause
merely expresses a characteristic of the heathen, for
which the second assigns the reason. ' They are dark-
ened, because alienated.' But this is not consistent
with the relation of this verse to the preceding. ' The
heathen walk in vanity because darkened,' &c. Be-
sides, according to the apostle, the heathen are not in
darkness because alienated from the life of God, but
they are alienated from that life because of their ignor-
ance. Secondly, the fom- clauses included in the verse
may be considered as so related that the first is con-
nected with the third, and the second with the fourth.
The jDassage would then read, ' Having the under-
standing darkened on account of the ignorance that is
in them ; alienated from the life of God on account
of the hardness of their hearts.' But this unnaturally
dissociates the clauses, contrary to one of the most
marked peculiarities of the apostle's style ; whose sen-
tences are like the links of a chain, one depending on
another in regular succession. This mode of construc-
tion also makes ignorance the cause of the darkness,
whereas it is the efiect. A man's being enveloped in
darkness is the cause of his not seeing, but his not see-
ing is not the cause of the darkness. Idiocy is the
cause of ignorance and not the reverse. The apostle
conceives of the heathen as men whose minds are im-
paired or darkened, and therefore they are ignorant.
Thirdly, the clauses may be taken as they stand, ovre^
being connected with the first clause. ' The heathen

254 EPHEsiAJsrs,

walk in vanity, being (i. e. because they are) darkened
as to tlie understanding, alienated from the life of God
tlirougli the ignorance that is in them, through the
hardness of their heart.' Darkness of mind is the
cause of ignorance, ignorance and consequent obduracy
of heart are the cause of alienation from God, This is
both the logical and theological order of sequence.
The soul in its natural state cannot discern the things
of God — therefore it does not know them, therefore the
heart is hard and therefore it is destitute of holiness.
This is what the apostle teaches in 1 Cor. 2, 14-16.
The blind cannot see ; therefore they are ignorant of
the beauty of creation, therefore they are destitute of
delight in its glories. You cannot heal them by light.
The eye must first be opened. Then comes vision, and
then joy and love. This view of the passage is in ac-
cordance with the analogy of Scripture ; which con-
stantly represents regeneration as necessary to spiritual
discernment, and spiritual discernment as necessary to
holy affections. Therefore the apostle says of the
heathen that their understanding is darkened, a film is
over their eyes, and they are alienated from God be-
cause of the ignorance consequent on their mental
blindness.

Y. 19. Who, not the simple relative, but otVii^e?,
oUch as who. The practical proof of their being in the
state described is to be found in the fact that being
without feeling they give themselves over to the sins
mentioned. 'ATrrfKjr^Kore'i, no longer susceptible of pain.
Conscience ceases to upbraid or to restrain them. They,

CHAP, IV. VER. 19. 255

therefore, give themselves up to excess, to practise all
kinds of uucleauness, ev Trkeove^la, with greediness, i. e.
insatiably. The parallel passage, 2 Pet. 2, 14, "Hav-
ing eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from
sin," would favour this interpretation so far as the idea
is concerned. But the word irXeove^la always else-
. where means, covetousness / a desire to have more. And
as this gives a good sense it is not right to depart from
the established meaning, '^v rrXeove^ia, therefore,
means with, i. e. together with, covetousness. The
heathen give themselves up to uncleanness and covet-
ousness. These two vices are elsewhere thus asso-
ciated, as in ch. 5, 3. 5, "Let not uncleanness or
covetousness be named among you." "ISTo unclean
person, nor covetous man, &c." See also Col. 3, 5.
Rom. 1, 29. 1 Cor. 5, 10. Here as in Rom. 1, 24, im-
morality is connected with impiety as its inevitable
consequence. Men in their folly think that morality
may be preserved without religion, and even that
morality is religion; but reason, experience and Scrip-
ture all prove that if men do not love and fear God
they give themselves up to vice in some form, and com-
monly either to uncleanness or avarice. There is a
two-fold reason for this ; one is the nature of the soul
which has no independent source of goodness in itself,
so that if it turns from God it sinks into pollution, and
the other is the punitive justice of God. He abandons
those who abandon him. In Rom. 1, 24 and elsewhere,
it is said ' God gives the impious up to uncleanness ; '
here it is said, they give themselves up. These are only

256 ■ EPHESIANS,

different forms of the same trutli. Men are restrained
from evil by tlie hand of God, if he relaxes his hold
they rush spontaneously to destruction. All systems
of education, all projects of reform in social or political
life, not founded in religion, are, according to the doc-
trine of this passage and of all Scripture, sure to lead
to destruction.

Y. 20. But ye have not so learned Christ. Tliat is,
your knowledge of Christ has not led you to live as the
heathen. As we are said to learn a thing, but never to
learn a person, the expression fxavddveiv top Xpia-rov,
is without example. But as the Scriptures speak of
preaching Christ, which does not mean merely to
preach his doctrines, but to preach Christ himself, to
set him forth as the object of supreme love and confi-
dence, so "to learn Christ" does not mean merely, to
learn his doctrines, but to attain the knowledge of
Christ as the Son of God, God in our nature, the Holy
one of God, the Saviour from sin, whom to know is holi-
ness and life. Any one who has thus learned Christ
cannot live in darkness and sin. Such knowledge is in
its very nature light. "Where it enters, the mind is
irradiated, refined, and purified. ISTihil ergo de Christo
didicit qui nihil vita ab infidelibus differt; neque enim
a mortificatione carnis separari potest Christi cognitio.
— Calvin.

Y. 21. If so he ye have heard him. "To hear him"
does not mean to hear about him. This the apostle in
writing to Christians could not express in a hypotheti-
cal form. He knew that the Ephesian Christians had

CHAP. IV. VER. 21. 257

heard about Clirist. To hear, in this connection, im-
plies intelligence and obedience, as in the frequently oc-
cui-ring phrase, "He that hath ears to hear, let him
hear ; " and " To-day if ye will hear his voice, &c.,"
and in a multitude of other cases. To hear the voice
of God or of Christ, therefore, is not merely to j erceive
with the outward ear but to receive with the under-
standing and the heart. The particle et^e, if indeed^
does not express doubt ; but ' if, as I take for granted.'
Tlie apostle assumes that they were obedient to the
truth. ' Ye have not so learned Christ as to allow of
3^our living as do the Gentiles, if, as I take for granted,
j'^ou have really heard his voice and have been taught
hy Mm.'' 'Ev avrS, however, does not properly mean
hi/ him, but 'in communion with him.' 'Te have been
taught in him, inasmuch as truth is in Jesus, to put off
the old man.' The knowledge of Christ, hearing him,
union with him, his inward teaching, are necessarily
connected with the mortification of sin.

The clause Ka6(o<; icrriv aXi]6eia iv ra ^Irjcrov, rendered
in our version as the truth is in Jesus, is variously ex-
plained. The interpretation intimated above supposes
Ka6(o<; to have its frequent causal sense ; since, inas-
much as ; and truth to mean moral truth, or excellence.
Tliis sense it very often has. It frequently means true
religion, and is used antithetically to unrighteousness,
as in Kom. 2, 8. The principle here involved is, that
knowledge of God is inconsistent with a life of sin, be-
cause knowledge implies love, and God is holy. To
know him, therefore, is to love holiness. The apostle's

258 EPHESIAlfS,

argument is : ' K you know Christ jou will forsake sin,
because he iy holy — truth, i. e. moral excellence is in
him. If you have been taught any thing in virtue of
your communion with him, you have been taught to
put off the old man.'

Another interpretation supposes Kadax; to mean as,
expressing the manner. 'If ye have been taught as
the truth is in Jesus,' i. e. correctly taught. But this
requires the article even in English — the truth, mean-
ing the definite system of truth which Jesus taught.
In the Greek, however, the article necessary to give
colour to this interpretation is wanting. Besides, the
expression "the truth is in Jesus " is obscure and un-
scriptm*al, if truth be taken to mean true doctrine.
And more than this, this interpretation supjDOses there
may be a true and false teaching 5?/, or in communion
with, Christ. This cannot be. The apostle's hypothesis
is, not whether Christ has taught them correctly, but
whether he has taught them at all.

A third interpretation makes the following infinitive
the subject of the sentence ; 'Truth in Jesus is, to put
off the old man.' The meaning of the whole passage
would then be, ' If you know Christ ye cannot live as
the heathen, for truth in Jesus is to put away sin,' i. e.
true fellowship with Christ is to put off, &c. But this
violates the natural construction of the passage, accord-
ing to which the infinitive aTToOeadac depends on eSt-
hdxdrjre, ' Ye have been taught to put off, &c.' And
the expression, ' It is truth in Jesus to put away sin ' is
in itself awkward and obscure. The first mentioned

CHAP. rv. VEE. 22. 259

interjjretation, therefore, is on the whole to be pre-
ferred.

Y. 22. Sanetification inchicles dying to sin, or mor-
tification of the flesh, and living to righteousness ; or
as it is here expressed, putting oflT the old man and
putting on the new man. The obvious allusion is to a
change of clothing. To put off", is to renounce, to re-
niQve from us, as garments which are laid aside. To
put on, is to adopt, to make our own. We are called
upon to put off the works of darkness, Rom. 13, 12, to
put aM^ay lying, Ejjh. 4, 25 ; to put off anger, wrath,
malice, &c.. Col. 3, 8 ; to lay aside all filthiness, James
1, 21. On the other hand, we are called upon to put
on the Lord Jesus Christ, Rom. 13, 14, Gal. 3, 27 ; the
armour of light, Rom. 13, 12 ; bowels of mercy. Col.
3, 12 ; and men are said to be clothed with power from
on high, Luke 24, 49 ; with immortality or incorrup-
tion, &c., 1 Cor. 15, 53. As a man's clothes are what
strike the eye — so these expressions are used in refer-
ence to the whole phenomenal life — all those acts and
attributes by which the interior life of the soul is man-
ifested ; — and not only that, but also the inherent prin-
ciple itself whence these acts flow. For here we are
said to put off tlie old man, that is, our corrupt nature,
which is old or original as opposed to the new man or
principle of spiritual life. Comp. Col. 3, 9, " Lie not
one to another, seeing you have put off the old man
with his deeds." Rom. 6, 6, " Knowing this, that om*
old man is crucified with him." "What is here called
'' the old man" Paul elsewhere calls himself, as in Rom.

260 EPHESIAJ^S,

7, 14, " I am carnal," " In me there dwelleth no good
tiling," V, 18; or, "law in the members," v. 23;: or
" the flesh" as opposed to the spirit, as in Gal. 5, 16. 17.
This evil principle or natnre is called old becanse it
precedes what is new, and because it is corrupt. And
it is called " man," because it is ourselves. "We are to
be changed — and not merely our acts. "We are to
crucify ourselves. This original principle of evil is not
destroyed in regeneration, but is to be daily mortified,
in the conflicts of a whole life.

The connection, as intimated above, is with the
former clause of v. 21, ihiM-xOr^Te — airodea-dai v/nd^.
"When the subject of the infinitive in such construction
is the same with that of the governing verb, it is
usually not expressed. The presence of y/xa? therefore
in the text is urged as a fatal objection to this construc-
tion. A reference, however, to Luke 20, 20, Kom. 2,
19, Phil. 3, 13, will show that this rule has its excep-
tions.

The intervening clause, kuto, rrjv irporepav ava-
aTpo(f)i]v, concerning the former conversation, belongs to
the verb and not to the following noun. The meaning
is not, 'the old man as to the former conversation,'
(which would require tov Kara ttjv Trpor. kt\.); but,
' put away as concerns the former conversation the old
man.' It is not the old nature as to its former mani-
festations only that is to be put away, but the old prin-
ciple entirely. And as that was formerly dominant,
the apostle says, as to your former manner of life, put
^ff the old man.

CHAP. IV. VEK. 23. 261

" Which, is corrupt," c^Oeipoixevov ; " which tends to
destruction." This latter rendering is to be preferred,
because the epithet old includes the idea of corruption.
It would be, therefore, tautological to say, ' the corrupt
man which is corrupt,' It is the old man or corrupt
natm'e which tends to perdition (qui tendit ad exitium.
— GrEOTros), which is to be laid aside, or continually
mortified.

It tends to destruction, Kara ras i7rLdvfiLa<i t?}? ttTrar?^?,
according to the deceitful lusts, or as a7raT7;9 has the
article and therefore is not so properly a mere qualify-
ing genitive — the lusts which deceit has. The apostle
says, Rom. 7, 11, siii deceived him, and Heb. 3, 11,
speaks of " the deceitfulness of sin." It is indwelling
sin itself which deceives by means of those desires
which tend to destruction.

Y. 23. In this and the following verse we have the
positive part of sanctification which is expressed by
"renewing" and "putting on the new man." The
verb dvaveovaOai, to he made new, is passive. This re-
newal is always represented as the work of God. ""We
are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good
Avorks," ch. 2, 10. It is therefore called " a renewing
of the Holy Ghost." Titus 3, 5. Both these phrases
"to be renewed" and "to put on the new man" may
express either the instantaneous act of regeneration, or
the gradual work of sanctification. Thus in Eom. 12,
2, we are exhorted "not to be conformed to the world,
but to be transformed by the renewing of the mind."
So in this place, and in the parallel j^assage in Col. 3,

262 EPHESIANS,

9. 10, these terms express the whole process by which
the so^^l is restored to the image of God. It is a pro-
cess of renewal from the begimiing to the end. The
apostle says, "his inner man is renewed day by day."
2 Cor. 4, 16.

The distinction between veo^, young ^ new as to
origin; and Kaivo^, fresh, hright, imused, new as to na-
ture or character, is generally preserved in the ISTew
Testament. Thus in Matt 9, 17, olvov viov eh aa-Kovg
Kaivoix;, recent, or newly made wine into fresh bottles.
Mvrjfielov Kaivov, new sepulchre, i. e. one which had not
been nsed, however long it may have been prepared.
Hence /catt-oV, is an epithet of excellence. In the pas-
sage " Until I drink it new with you in the kingdom
of God," Mark 14, 25, the word is Kaivov, not veov.
Tlie same idea is implied in all the expressions, neio
creature, new heavens, new commandment, new name,
new Jerusalem, &c., &c. In all these cases the word is
Kaivb'^. Tlie same distinction properly belongs to the
derivatives of these words ; avaveow is to make veo?, and
avaKaivi^w, avaKatvoco, is to make Kaivo'?. Hence when
reference is had to the renewal of the soul, which is a
change for the better, the words used are always the
derivatives of Kaiv6<i, except in this passage. See Rom.
12, 2 ; 2 Cor. 4, 16 ; Col. 3, 10 ; Tit. 3, 5. Still as
what is veo<i is also Kacv6<; ; as freshness, vigour and
beauty are the attributes of youth, the same thing may
be designated by either term. Tlie soul as renewed is,
therefore, called in this passage Kaivo<; avdpco-rro'i and
i/eo9 av9po)7ro<; in Col. 3, 10 ; and the spiritual change

CHAP. IV. VEB. 23. 263

whicli in Col. 3, 10, is expressed by avaKaLvow, and in
Rom. 12, 2, and Tit. 3, 5, by dvaKalvcoaa, is here ex-
pressed by dvaveoo).

The snbject of this renewal, that as to which men
are to be made new, is expressed in the clanse rw irvev-
fiari rod vo6<i vfiMv, i. e. as to the spiHf of your inind.
This combination is unexampled. Grotins says : Spiri-
tus mentis est ipsa mens ; as Angustin before him had
said : Spiritum mentis dicere voluit enm sj)iritum, quae
mens vocatur. But here spirit and mind are distin-
guished. The spirit of a man is not that spirit which
is a man ; but which man has. Others take the word
spirit here to be temper, disposition. " Renewed as to
the temper of your mind." This is a very unusual, if
not doubtful meaning of the word in the I^ew Testa-
ment. Others, again, say that the word spirit means
the Holy Spirit, and that the passage should be ren-
dered, " by the Spirit which is in your mind." But
this is impossible. The " spirit of the mind " is here
as plainly distinguished from the Spirit of God as in
Eom. 8, 16, where the Spirit of God is said to bear
witness with our spirit.

It may be remarked in reference to this phrase : —
1. That although the jDassage in Eom. 12, 2, " renewal
of your mind," obviously expresses the same general
idea as is here expressed by saying, " renewed as to the
spirit of the mind," it does not follow that " mind "
and " spirit of the mind," mean exactly the same
thing. The one expression is general, the other precise
and definite. 2. The words irveOfza, voD?, KapSla, ■^vxv,-

264 EPHESIANS,

spirit^ inind, hearty soul, are used in Scripture botli for
the whole immaterial and immortal element of our
nature, that in which our personality resides ; and also
for that element under some one of its modes of mani-
festation, sometimes for one mode and sometimes for
another ; as vov<i sometimes designates the soul as in-
telligent and sometimes the soul as feeling, 3. Though
this is true, yet predominantly one of these terms
designates one, and another a different mode of mani-
festation ; as vov'i the understanding, KupBla the feel-
ings, ylrvxv the seat of sensation. 4. Of these terms
irvev/xa is the highest. It means breath, wind, invisible
power, life. The idea of power cannot be separated
from the term ; to irvev/xd ean to ^coottolovv. John 6,
63. It is, therefore, ai^plied to God, to the Holy Ghost,
to angels, to Satan, to demons, to the soul of man.
The " spirit of the world," 1 Cor, 2, 12, is the control-
ling, animating principle of the world, that which
makes it what it is. The spirit of the mind therefore is
its interior life ; that of which the vov^, KapBca, "^vxv
are the modes of manifestation. That, therefore, which
needs to be renewed, is not merely outward habits or
modes of life ; not merely transient tempers or dispo-
sitions, but the interior principle of life which lies back
of all that is outward, phenomenal, or transient.

V. 2:i. Kal evhva-aaOai rbv Katvov dvOpcoTrov^ a/nd
that ye put on the nev) man. As we are called to put
off our corrupt nature as a ragged and filthy garment,
so we are required to put on our new nature as a gar-
ment of light. And as +he former was personified as

CHAP, IV. VEK. 24. 265

an old man, decrepit, deformed, and tending to cor-
ruption, so tlie latter is personified as a new man, fresh,
beautiful, and vigorous, like God, for it is top Kara
Seov KTicrdevra, ktX., after God created in righteous-
ness and holiness of the truth. In the parallel passage
it is said to be renewed " after tlie image of God,"
Col. 3, 10. " After God," therefore, means after Ms
image. That in wliich this image consists is said to be
righteousness and holiness. The former of these words,
SiKaLoavvr], when it stands alone often includes all the
forms of moral excellence ; but when associated with
00-40X7^9, the one means rectitude, the being or doing
right ; and the other, holiness. The one renders us
just to our neighbours ; the other, pious towards God.
The two substantives are united in Luke 1, ^75 ; the
adjectives, just and holy, in Tit. 1, 8 ; and the adverbs,
holily and justly, in 1 Thess. 2, 10. The Greeks made
the same distinction, 7rpb<; ^eov<i oacov koI Trpo? dvdpo)-
7rou9 hUaLov iari. In our version this clause is ren-
dered, " in righteousness and true holiness ; " but the
word aXrjdela'i stands in the same relation to both
nouns, and if taken as a niere quahfying genitive the
translation should be, " in true righteousness and holi-
ness." Most modern commentators, however, consider
" the truth " here as opposed to " the deceit " spoken
of in verse 22. " Eighteousness and holiness of the
truth " would then mean that righteousness and holi-
ness which the truth has, or which the truth produces.
If the principle of indwelling sin is there personified
as dTrciTT], deceit, producing and exercising those lusts

266 EPHESIANS,

whicli lead to destruction ; the principle of spiritual
life is liere personified as dXijdeia, truth, wliicli j)i"0-
duces righteousness and holiness. Ti'utli is spiritual
knowledge, that knowledge which is eternal life, which
not only illuminates the understanding but sanctifies
the heart. The Holy Ghost is called the Spirit of truth
as the author of this divine illumination which irra-
diates the whole soul. Tliis truth came by Jesus Christ,
John 1, lY. He is the truth and the life, John 14, 6.
We are made free by the truth, and sanctified by the
truth. The Gospel is called the word of truth, as the
objective revelation of that divine knowledge which
subjectively is the princij^le of spiritual life. Taking
the word in this sense, the passage is brought into
nearer coincidence with the parallel passage in Col. 3,
10. Here the image of God is said to consist in right-
eousness and holiness of the truth ; there it is said to
consist in knowledge. " The new man is renewed unto
knowledge after the image of him that created him."
These passages difi'er only in that the one is more con-
cise than the other. Knowledge (the eVtiyi/wcrt? rov
@eov) includes righteousness, holiness, and truth. 'No-
thing, therefore, can be more contrary to Scripture
than to undervalue divine truth, and to regard doc-
trines as matters pertaining merely to the sj)eculative
understanding. Righteousness and holiness, morality
and religion, are the products of the truth, without which
they cannot exist.

This passage is of special doctrinal importance, as
teaching us the true nature of the image of God in

CHAP. IV. VEE. 25. 267

wMcli man was originally created. That image did
not consist merely in man's rational nature, nor in his
immortality, nor in his dominion, but specially in that
righteousness and holiness, that rectitude in all his
principles, and that susceptibiKty of devout affections
which are inseparable from the jDossession of the truth,
or true knowledge of God. Tliis is the scriptural view
of the original state of man, or of original righteous-
ness, as opposed, on the one hand, to the Pelagian
theory that man was created without moral character ; \^
and on the other, to the Eomish doctrine, that original
righteousness was a supernatural endowment not be-
longing to man's nature. Ejiowledge, and conse-
quently righteousness and holiness, were immanent or
concreated in the first man, in the same sense as were
his sense of beauty and susceptibility of impression
from the external world. He opened his eyes and saw
what was visible, and perceived its beauty ; he turned
his mind on God, perceived his glory, and was filled
with all holy affections.

Y. 25. Having enforced the general duty of holi-
ness, or of being conformed to the image of God, the
apostle insists on specific duties. It will be observed
that in almost every case there is first a negative, then
a positive statement of the duty, and then a motive.
Thus here : lie not, but speak truth, for ye are members
one of another. Wherefore^ i. e. on the ground of the
general obligation to be conformed to the divine image,
'putting aioay lying, as one part of the filthy garments
belonging to the old man ; speaJc every mem truth with

268 EPHESIAJfS,

his QuigJibour. A neigliboiir, 6 ttXtjo-Iov, the Scripture
teaclies us, is any one near to ns, a fellow man of any
creed or nation ; and to all sucli we are bound to speak
tlie truth. But the context shows that Paul is here
speaking to Christians, and the motive by which the
duty is enforced shows that by neighbour he here means
a fellow-Christian, as in Eom. 15, 2. The motive in
question is the intimate relation in which believers
stand to each other. They are all members of the same
body intimately united, as he taught in verse 16, with
each other and with Christ their common head. As it
would be unnatural and absurd for the hand to deceive
the foot, or the eye the ear, so there is a violation of
the very law of their union for one Christian to deceive
another. It is characteristic of the apostle and of the
Scriptures generally, to enforce moral duties by reli-
gious considerations. This method, while it presents
the higher and peculiar ground of obligation, is not
intended to exclude other grounds. The obligation
of veracity rests on the intrinsic excellence of truth,
on the command of God, and on the rights of our fel-
low men. Tliey have the same right that we should
not deceive them as that we should not defraud them.
But all this does not hinder that the duty should be
enforced by a reference to the peculiar relation of be-
lievers as united by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit
into the mystical body of Christ.

Ys. 26. 27. His next exhortation has reference to
anger ; with regard to which he teaches — 1. "N^ot to
allow anger to be an occasion of sin. 2. ISTot to cherish

CHAP. IV. VS. 26, 27. 269

it. 3. Not to give Satan any advantage over us wlien
we are angry.

Tlie words opyi^eaOe koI /jurj afxaprdvere, he ye angry
mid sin not, are borrowed from the Septuagint version
of Ps. 4, 5, and admit of different interpretations. 1.
As the original text in Ps. 4, 5, admits of being ren-
dered Rage and sin not, i. e. do not sin by raging* —
so the words of the apostle may mean, do not commit
the sin of being angry. To this it is objected, that it
makes the negative qualify both verbs, while it belongs
really only to the latter. It is not necessary to assume
that the apostle uses these words in the precise sense
of the original text; for the ISTew Testament wi'iters
often give the sense of an Old Testament passage with
a modification of the words, or they use the same
words with a modification of the sense. This is not
properly a quotation ; it is not cited as something the
Psalmist said, but the words are used to express Paul's
own idea. In Pom. 10, 18, " Their sound is gone into
all the earth," we have the language of the 19th Ps.
but not an expression of the sense of the Psalmist. 2.
Others make the first imperative in this clause permis
sive and the second commanding, ' Be angry and (but)
do not sin.' 3. Or the first is conditional, ' if angry, sin
not.' That is, sin not in anger ; let not your anger be
an occasion of sin. Repress it and bring it under
control that it may not hvirry you into the commission
of sin. The meaning is the same as would be expressed

* See Dr. J. A. Alexander's Commentary on tbe PsalmB.

2Y0 EPHESIANS,

bj sajing, opyt^o/xevot fjbrj dfiaprdveTe, heing angry sin
not. This is perhaps tlie most satisfactory view of the
passage. It is indeed objected that the apostle is here
speaking of sins, and that in v. 31, he forbids all anger,
and therefore any interpretation which assumes that
anger is not itself a sin is inadmissible. But it is cer-
tain that all anger is not sinful. Christ himself, it is
said, regarded the perverse Jews " with anger." Mark
3, 5. The same generic feeling, if mingled with holy
affections, or in a holy mind, is virtuous ; if mingled
with malice it is sinful. Both feelings, or both combi-
nations of feeling, are expressed in Scripture by the
term anger. ISTothing in itself sinful can be attributed
to God, but anger is attributed to liim. Yerse 31 is
not inconsistent with this interpretation, for there tlie
context shows the apostle speaks of malicious anger —
just as "all hatred" means all malice, and not the
hatred of evil.

'Let not the sun go down upon your wrath. Inie
word is here Trapopyia-fj.o'i, ^xwoxysni or excitement. An-
ger even when justifiable is not to be cherished. The
wise man says : " Anger resteth in the bosom of
fools." Eccl. 7, 9.

Neither give place to the devil. — " To give place to^^
is to get out of the way of, to allow free scope to ; and
therefore to give an occasion or advantage to any one.
We are neither to cherish anger, nor are we to allow
Satan to take advantage of our being angry. Anger
when cherished gives the Tempter great power over us,
as it furnishes a motive to yield to his evil suggestions.

CHAP. rv". VEK. 28. 271

Tlie word 8id^o\o<; is rendered by Luther, Ldsterer^
slanderer. It is used as aii adjective in that sense in
1 Tim. 3, 11 ; 2 Tim. 3, 3, and Tit. 2, 3, but with the
article (o Scd^oXos;) it always means Satan — the great
accuser — the prince of the demons or fallen angels,
who is the great opposer of God and seducer of men —
against whose wiles we are commanded to be constantly
on our guard.

Y. 28. The next exhortation relates to theft — we
are not to steal — but to labour, that we may not only
honestly support ourselves, but be able also to give to
those who need.

The word 6 KXeirTcov does not mean one who stole,
but one who steals, the thief. But how, it is asked,
could the apostle assume that there were thieves in the
Ephesian church, especially as he is addressing those
who had been renewed, and whom he is exhorting to
live agreeably to their new nature ? To get over this
difficulty Calvin says, Paul does not refer merely to
such thefts as the civil law punishes, but to all unjust
acquisition. And Jerome says, Ephesios monet, ne sub
occasione emolument! furti crimen incurrant, furtum
nominans, omne quod alterius damno quaeritur. This
enlargement of the idea of theft, though it transcends
the limits assigned the offence in human laws, does not
go beyond the law of God. As the command, " Thou
shalt do no murder," includes the prohibition of malice ;
60 the command, "Tliou shalt not steal," forbids every
thing that doth or may unjustly hinder our neighbom-'s
wealth or outward estate. It is very certain that many

272 EPHESIANS,

things tolerated by the customs of men ; many modes
of getting the property of others into our own posses-
sion practised even by those professing to be Christians,
are in the light of the divine law only different forms of
theft, and will be revealed as such in the judgment of
the last day. The spirit of the apostle's command no
doubt includes all the forms of dishonesty. Still it
may be questioned if this principle gives the true ex-
planation of the passage. Others say, that as in the
Corinthian chui'ch fornication and even incest was
tolerated. See 1 Cor. 6, 1-6, — it is not incredible that
theft should be disregarded in the church of Ephesus,
or at least not visited with discipline. It is however
probable that our version, which agrees with the Yul-
gate and with Luther's translation, expresses the true
sense, l^ot that 6 KkeTTTcov means the same with o
K\eylra<i, but as " murderer " means one guilty of mur-
der, however penitent, so "thief" may mean one
guilty of theft. Certain inmates of the prisons are
called thieves because of their past, and not because
of their present conduct.

The positive part of the apostle's injunction is, in-
stead of sustaining himself unjustly on the labour of
others, let Mm labour, worMng with his hands the thiTig
that is good. As he used his hands to steal, let him use
them in doing what is right — ^i. e. in honest labour.
Paul elsewhere lays down the general principle, "if
any would not work neither should he eat." 2 Thess. 3,
10. !N"o one is entitled to be supported by others, who
is able to support himself. This is one great principle

CHAP. IV. Ts. 29, 30. 273

of scriptural economics. Another, however, no less im-
portant is, that those who cannot work are entitled to
aid — and therefore the apostle adds as a motive why
the strong should labour — that they rnay have to con-
tribute to him that hath need, l^o man liveth for him-
self ; and no man should labour for himself alone, but
with the definite object to be able to assist others.
Christian principles, if fairly carried out, would speedily
banish pauperism and other cognate evils from our
modern civilization.

Ys. 29, 30 — Forbid corrupt communication — en-
join profitable discourse, assign as a motive the good
of others and reverence for the Holy Spirit.

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your
mouth. Ua? X0709 aairpo'i, any foul word. The word
a-aTTpo'i means literally jyutrid, and then figuratively
offensive and injurious. But that which is good to the
use of edifying, dya66^ tt/do? olKoBofii]v, adapted to edifi-
cation. The words ol/coSofMrjv t?}? %pe/a?, edification of the
necessity., means the edification the necessity calls for —
or which is suited to the occasion. This is the common
and satisfactory interpretation. Our version " to the
xise of edifying'''' — transposes the words. That it may
give grace to the hearers. The phrase xaptv SiBovai, to
give grace, is one of frequent occurrence, and always
means — to confer a favour — i. e. to give pleasure or
profit. There is no necessity for departing from this
sense here. The meaning is, ' that it may benefit the
hearers.' And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, i. e.
by such corrupt language. Under the head of Tray

274: EPHESIANS,

\6yo^ arairpo'i the apostle includes, as appears from Col.
3, 8, all irreligious, malicious and impure language,
wliich not only injures others, but grieves the Holy
Spirit. As a temple is sacred, and every thing that pro-
fanes it is an offence to God, so the indwelling of the
Holy Ghost in the people of God is made the reason
why we should treat them with reverence, as this
apostle teaches when he says, " Know ye not that ye
are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God
dwelleth in you ? If any man defile the temple of God,
him will God destroy ; for the temple of God is holy,
which temple ye are." 1 Cor. 3, 16. 17. To pollute,
therefore, the souls of believers by suggesting irreli-
gious or impure thoughts to chem, is a profanation of
the temple of God and an offence to the Holy Ghost.
This is one phase of the truth here presented. An-
other, and the one more immediately intended in this
clause is, that the blessed Spirit who condescends to
dwell in our own hearts is grieved and offended whenever
we thus sin. Thus in 1 Cor. 6, 19, Paul says, "What !
know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy
Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye
are not your own ? " Reverence, therefore, for the Holy
Spirit who dwells in others, and for that same Spirit as
dwelling in ourselves, should prevent our ever giving
utterance to a corrupting thought. The Spirit, says the
apostle, is grieved. Not only is his holiness offended,
but his love is wounded. K any thing can add to the
guilt of such conduct, it is its ingratitude, for it is by
him, as the apostle adds, We are sealed unto the day of

CHAP. IV. VS. 30. 31. 275

redemption. His indwelling certifies that we are tlie
children of God, and secures our final salvation. See 1,
13. To grieve Him, therefore, is to wound him on
whom our salvation depends. Though he will not
finally withdi'aw from those in whom he dwells, yet
when grieved he withholds the manifestations of his
presence. And a disregard for those manifestations is
proof that we have not the Spirit of Christ and are
none of his.

The apostle next exhorts his readers to put away
all malicious and revengeful feelings, to be kind and
forgiving. This exhortation is enforced by the con-
sideration of the mercy of God, and the great love of
Christ, vs. 31— ch. V. 2.

Y. 31. Let all hitterness^ and wratJi^ and anger ^ and
clamor^ and evil speaking, he put away fro'm you.
These are intimately related evils. Bitterness, a word
transferred from the sphere of sensations to that of the
mind. The adjective iriKpo'^ means sharp, as an arrow,
then pungent to the taste, disagreeable, and then ven-
omous. The poisonous water given to the woman sus-
pected of adultery, Numbers 5, 18, is called the " bitter
water." The word bitterness, therefore, in its figura-
tive sense means what is corroding, as grief, or any
thing which acts on the mind as poison does on the
body, or on the minds of others as venom does on their
bodies. The venom of the serpent lies harmless in his
fang; but all evil feelings are poison to the -^ subject
of them as well as venom to their object. Tlie com-
mand, therefore, to lay aside all bitterness, is a con:

276 EPHESIANS,

mand to lay aside every tiling wliicli corrodes our owr.
minds or wounds the feelings of others. Under this head
are the particulars which follow, viz. wrath; ^vfio^,
(from ^uct), to burn,) means the mind itself as the seat of
passions and desires — then the mind in the commotion
of passion. 'OpjTj, anger, is the passion itself, i. e. the
manifestation of ^u/ao?, as clamor and evil speaking
are the outward expression of anger. Tlie context
shows that ^Xa(7(j>r]/xia is neither blasphemy as directed
against God, nor merely slander as directed against
men ; but any form of speech springing from anger, and
adapted either to wound or to injure others. With all
malice. KaKia is a general term for hadness or de-
2)ravity of any kind. Here the context shows that it
means malevolence, the desire to injure. We are to lay
aside not only wrath and anger but all other forms of
malevolent feeling.

Y. 32. Exhortation to the opposite virtues. We
are required to be 'XPV^^'^oL The word properly means
useful / then disposed to do good. Thus God is said
to be 'x^pijaro'i, kind or henignant, to the unthankful and
the evil, Luke 6, 35. Tender-hearted, eva-TrXayxvoi,
which in the parallel passage, Col. 3, 12, is expressed
by " bowels of compassion." That is, pity, compassion
towards the suffering. Forgiving one another, xapi-
^6ix€voL eauTot?. The verb means to give as a matter
of favour, then to forgive, to pardon freely. Fven. as,
i. e. because God in Christ hath freely forgiven you.
This is the motive which should constrain us to forgive
others. God's forgiveness towards us is free ; it pre-

CHAP. V. VS. 1. 2. 277

cedes even oiir repentance and is the cause of it. It is
exercised notwithstanding the number, the enormity
and the long continuance of our transgressions. He
forgives us far more than we can ever be called upon
to forgive others. God forgives us m Christ. Out
of Christ he is, in virtue of his holiness and justice, a
consuming fire ; but in him, he is long-suffering, abun-
dant in mercy, and ready to forgive.

Ys. 1. 2. As God has placed us under so great
obligation, " be ye, therefore, imitators of God." The
exhortation is enlarged. We are not only to imitate
God in being forgiving, but also as becomes dear chil-
dren, hy walking in love. As God is love, and as we
by regeneration and adoption are his children, we are
bound to exercise love habitually. Our whole walk
should be characterized by it. As Christ also hath
loved us. This is the reason why we should love one
another. We should be like Christ, which is being
like God, for Christ is God. The apostle makes no
distinction between our being the objects of God's love
and our being the objects of the love of Christ. We
are to be imitators of God in love, for Christ hath loved
us. And given himself /"or vs. Here as elsewhere
the great evidence of divine love is the death of Christ.
See ver. 25. ch. 3, 19. John 15, 13. " Greater love
hath no man than this, that a man lay down his
life for his friends." Gal. 2, 20, " AVho loved me and
gave himself for me." 1 John 3, 16, " Hereby per-
ceive we the love of God, because he laid down his
life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the

278 EPHESIANS

brethren." Christ's death was for us as a sacriiice,
and therefore, from the nature of the transaction, in our
place. "Whether the idea of substitution be expressed
by virep r}^wv depends on the context rather than on
the force of the preposition. To die for any one, may
mean either for his benefit or in his stead, as the con-
nection demands. Christ gave himself, as an offering
and a sacrifice, irpocr^opav koX ^vcrlav ; the latter term
explains the former. Any thing presented to God was
a irpoa^opd, but ^vaia was something slain. The addi-
tion of that term, therefore, determines the nature of
the offering. This is elsewhere determined by the
nature of the thing offered, as in Heb. 10, 10, " the
offering of the body of Christ ; " or, " himself," Heb.

9, 14. 25 ; by the effects ascribed to it, viz. expiation
of guilt and the propitiation of God, which are the ap-
propriate effects of a sin-offering ; see Heb. 2, 17 ; 10,

10. 14 ; Kom. 3, 25 ; 5, 9, 10 : by explanatory expres-
sions, " the one offering of Christ " is declared to be
/j,iav vTrep ap-apriMv ^vcriav, Heb. 10, 12 ; "a sacrifice
for sin," and Tvpoa^opa irepl aixapria<i, Heb. 10, 18 ;
avriXurpov, and Xvrpov civrl ttoXXmv. as in 1 Tim. 2, 6.
Matt. 20, 28 ; it is called a propitiation, Rom. 3, 25, as
well as a ransom. Christ himself, therefore, is called
the Lamb of God who bore our sins ; his blood is the
object of faith or ground of confidence, by which, as
the blood of a sacrifice, we are redeemed, 1 Pet. 1, 18.
19. He saves us as a priest does, i. e. by a sacrifice.
Every victim ever slain on Pagan altars was a declara-
tion of the necessity for such a sacrifice ; all the blood

CHAP. V. VS. 1. 2. 279

shed on Jewish altars was a prophecy and promise
of propitiation by the blood of Christ ; and the whole
l!^ew Testament is the record of the Son of God offer-
ing himself up as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.
This, according to the faith of the church universal, is
the sum of the Gospel — the incarnation and death of
the eternal Son of God as a propitiation for sin. There
can, therefore, be no doubt as to the sense in which
the apostle here declares Christ to be an offering and a
sacrifice.

There is some doubt as to the construction of the
words, " to God." They may be connected with what
precedes, " He gave himself as a sacrifice to God ; "
or with the following clause, " For a sweet savour to
God," i. e. acceptable to him. The sense of the whole
would then be, ' He gave himself, TrapiScoKev kavrov,
(unto death, et? ^dvarov,) an offering and sacrifice well
pleasing to God.' The reasons in favour of this con-
struction are — 1. That TrapahihovaL means properly to
deliver up to the power of any one, and is not the suit-
able or common term to express the idea of presenting
as a sacrifice. The word almost always used in such
cases is Trpoa^ipeLv, to h'ing near to, to offer. 2. With
Paul the favourite construction of irapahihovai is with
et? and not with the dative. 3. In Hebrew, from which
the phrase eh 6cr/xr)v evwSla^ here used is borrowed,
the expression is f^)n''\ TPTTl'^'H {cl sweet smelling savour
to Je?tovaJi), which the Septuagint render, 6ap,i] eucoSiw;
Tw Kvpiw. It is not probable in using so familiar a
scriptm-al phi-ase Paul would depart from the common

280 EPHESIAJSrS,

construction. Tlie Hebrew phrase properly means a
savour of rest ; that is, one which composes, pacifies,
or pleases. The last is what the G-reek expresses, and
therefore the equivalent expression is evdpe<TTo<i rS
©ew, well ^pleasing to God. Kom. 12, 1. Phil. 4,. 18.
It was in the exei'cise of the highest conceivable love,
which ought to influence all our conduct, that Christ
delivered himself unto death, an offering and sacrifice
well pleasing unto God.

CHAPTEK V.

SPECIFIC EXHORTATIONS, VS. 3-20. — RELATRT: DtlTIES OF HUSBANDS AND
WIVES, VS. 21-33.

SECTION I.— Vs. 3-20.

3. But fornication, and all nncleanness, or covetousness, let it

4. not be once named among you, as becometh saints ; neither
filthiness, nor foolisb talking, nor jesting, whicb are not con-

5. venient : but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that
no vfhoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who
is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ

6. and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words : for
because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the

7. children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with

8. them. For ye were sometime darkness, but now are ye light

9. in the Lord : walk as children of light ; (for the fruit of the

10. Spirit %8 in all goodness, and righteousness, and truth ;) prov-

11. ing what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellow-
ship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove

12. fhem. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which

13. are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved,
are made manifest by the light : for whatsoever doth make

14. manifest is light. Wherefore he saith. Awake, thou that sleep-
est, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

282 EPHESIANS,

15. See that ye walk circumspectly ; not as fools, but as wise, re-

16. deeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye
lY. not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

18. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess ; but be filled

19. with the Spirit ; speaking to yourselves in psalms, and hymns,
and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart

20. to the Lord ; giving thanks always for aU things unto God and
the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

ANAUY&IS.

It becomes saints to avoid not only the sins of un-
cleanness and covetonsness, but also all impropriety of
conduct and frivolity of language, vs. 3-4. Because
uncleanness and covetonsness not only exclude from
heaven, but, whatever errorists may say, bring down
the wrath of Gocl, vs. 5-6. Christians, therefore, should
not particij^ate in those sins, seeing they have been
divinely enlightened and made the recipients of that
light whose fruits are goodness, righteousness and truth.
They are bound to exemplify this in their conduct,
avoiding and reproving the deeds of darkness, vs. 7-10.
Those deeds are too shameful to be named ; still they
may be corrected by the power of that light which it
is the prerogative of believers to disseminate. There-
fore the Scriptures speak of the light which flows from
Christ as reaching even to the dead, vs. 12-14. Chris-
tians therefore should be wise, making the most of
every occasion for good, in the midst of the evils by
which they are surrounded, vs. 13-16. They should
seek exhilaration not from wine, but from the Holy

CHAP. V. VS. 3, 4. 283

Spirit, and give expression to their gladness in psalms
and hymns, praising and thanking God through Jesus
Christ, vs. 17-20.

COMIVIENTAET.

V. 3. But fornication and all iincleanness, or covet-
ousness, let it not he once named among you^ as hecometh
saints.

In the preceding section the apostle had spoken of
sins against our neighbour ; here from v. 3 to v. 20 he
dwells principally on sins against ourselves. ITot only
fornication, but every thing of the same nature, or that
leads to it, is to be avoided — and not only avoided, but
not even named among believers. The inconsistency
of all such sins with the character of Christians, as
saints^ men selected from the world and consecrated to
God, is such as should forbid the very mention of them
in a Christian society. With the sins of uncleanness
the apostle here, as in the preceding chaj^ter, v. 19,
connects irkeove^ia, covetousness. The word is to be
taken in its ordinary sense, as there is nothing in the
context to justify any departure from it. The assump-
tion that sins of sensuality are alone mentioned in this
and the following verse, leads to very forced interpre-
tations of several of the terms emj^loyed.

Y. 4. Neithev filthiness. The word alcrxpoTr]<;, is
not simply obscenity^ but whatever is morally hateful.
The adjective aia-xp6<; means deformed,, revolting^ what
excites disgust, physical or moral. It is the opposite
of A<:a.Xo9, which means both beautiful and good ; and

284 EPHESIAN8,

hence rb koKov koI to al(T')(^p6v, means mrtue a/nd vice.
The substantive is equally comj^rehensive, and includes
whatever is vile or disgusting in speech or conduct.
Lesser evils are expressed by the words ixwpoXo^ia and
evrpaTreXia, foolish talking and jesting. The former
means such talk as is characteristic of fools, i. e. frivo-
lous and senseless. The latter, according to its ety-
mology and early usage, means wltaoiity, politeness.
Naturally enough however the word came to have a
bad sense, as the adjective evrpdireko^, what turns
easily, as the wind, when applied to language or speech,
means not only adroit, skilful, agreeable, witty, but
also flippant, satirical, scurrilous. Hence the substan-
tive is used for jesting and scurrility. The former
sense is best suited to this passage, because it is con-
nected with foolish talking, and because the apostle
says of both simply that they are not convenient, not
becoming or suitable. This is too mild a form of ex-
pression to be used either of ala'x^poTq'i (filthiness) or of
evrpairekia in the worse sense of those terms. Paul
says, these things (foolish talking and jesting) do not
become Christians ; ovk dvr]KovTa, what does not per-
tain to any one, or, to his office. Foolish talking and
jesting are not the ways in which Christian cheerful-
ness should express itself, but rather giving of thanks.
Keligion is the source of joy and gladness, but its joy
is expressed in a religious way, in thanksgiving and
praise.

Y. 5. Tlie apostle reverts to what he said in v. 3,
and enforces the exhortation there given. " For this ye

CHAP. V. VEE. 5. 285

know, tliat no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor
covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance
in the kingdom of Christ and of God." The form of
expression is peculiar, t'crre * ytvco(rKovT€<i, ye Icnow Tcnow-
ing. Many refer this to the familiar Hebrew idiom, in
which the infinitive and finite tense of a verb are thus
joined, which in Greek and English is imitated by
uniting the participle and verb ;. as " dying thou shalt
die," " multiplying I will multiply," " blessing I will
bless," &c. But in all these cases the infinitive and
finite tense are dififerent forms of the same verb. Here
we have different words. The preferable interpretation
is to refer to-xe to what precedes in v. 3, and yivcoa-Kovres
to what follows : ' This ye know, viz., that such vices
should not be named among you, knowing that no one
who indulges in them, &c.'

Covetous man who is an idolater. The words 09
iariv elS(o\o\dTp7)<; are by many referred to all the pre-
ceding nouns, so that the fornicator, the unclean person,
and the covetous man, are all alike declared to be idol-
aters. This is possible so far as the grammatical con-
struction is concerned; but it is not natural, and not
consistent with the parallel passage in Col. 3, 5, where
the apostle singles out covetousness from a list of sins,
and says, ' It is idolatry.' This too has its foundation
both in nature and in Scripture. The analogy between
this suj)reme love of riches, this service of Mammon

* The common test has iare, but the evidence in favour of ?<rTe is so
strong that it is adopted by all recent editors.

286 EPHESIANS,

and idolatiy, is more obvious and more distinctly re*
cognized in Scripture than between idolatry and any
other of the sins mentioned. It is well that this should
be understood, that men should know, that the most
common of all sins, is the most heinous in the sight of
God. For idolatry, which consists in putting the crea-
ture in the place of God, is every where in his word
denounced as the greatest of all sins in his sight.
The fact that it is compatible with outward decorum
and with the respect of men, does not alter its nature.
It is the permanent and controlling principle of an
irreligious heart and life, turning the soul away from
God. There is no cure for this destructive love of
money, but using it for other than selfish purposes.
Riches, therefore, must ruin their j)ossessor, unless he
employs them for the good of others and for the glory
of God.

It is of the covetous man no less than of the forni-
cator, the apostle says, he has no inheritance in the
kingdom of Christ. That is, in that kingdom which
Christ came to establish — which consists of all the re-
deemed, washed in his blood, sanctified by his S])irit,
and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoyment ot
God to all eternity. This kingdom is sometimes called
the kingdom of Christ, and sometimes the kingdom of
God ; for where Christ reigns, God reigns. Here it is
designated the ^aaCkeia rov XptcrTov koX Oeov, that is,
of him who is at once Xptaro^i and ©eo? ; Christ and
God. This is certainly the most natural interpretation.
As every one admits that tco Qew koI Trar/at means " to

CHAP. V. VS. 5. 6. 287

him who is at once God and Father." There is no
reason why the same rule should not be applied in this
case. Compare Titus 2, 13. This view of the passage,
which makes it a direct assertion of the divinity of our
Lord, is strenuously insisted upon by some of the most
eminent of modern interpreters, as Harless and Riickert,
the one orthodox and the other rationalistic. Others,
however, say that Christ here designates the Eedeemer,
and God, the divine Being ; and that the kingdom is
called not only the kingdom of Christ, but also the king-
dom of God. This is the view more commonly adopted,
though in violation of a general rule of grammar, the
article being omitted before Qeov. If, in Titus 2, 13,
i7rc(f>dv€ia Trj<; S6^7)<; rod /xeydXou Oeov Kol acorripoq rj/mcov
^Irjaov Xptarov, means that Jesus Christ is at once the
great God and our Saviour, and Winer admits (Gram,
p. 1-18) that it is for doctrinal reasons only he dissents
from that interpretation ; then there can be no reason-
able doubt in the present case, where the form of ex-
pression is so similar, the writer being the same, that
the idea is the same. If it were a rare or uncertain
thing for Paul to recognize Christ as God, it would be
wrong to press rules of grammar to make him teach
that doctrine. But since every page almost of his
epistles teems with evidence that Christ was his God,
it is wrong to depart from those rules in order to pre-
vent his teaching it.

Y. 6. It is not only among the heathen, but among
the mass of men in all ages and nations, a common
thing to extenuate the particular sins to which the

288 EPHESIiLNS,

apostle here refers. It is urged that they have their
origin in the very consitution of our nature ; that they
are not malignant ; that they may co-exist with amia-
ble tempers ; and that they are not hurtful to others,
that no one is the worse for them if no one knows
them, &c. Paul, therefore, cautions his readers in
every age of the church, not to be deceived by such
vain words ; assuring them that for these things (for
fornication and covetousness), the wrath of God cometh
on the children of disobedience. With vain words,
Kevoh X6yoc<i. Kevos means empty. Kevol \6yoi, there-
fore, are empty words ; words which contain no truth,
and are therefore both false and fallacious, as those will
find who ti'ust to them. The wrath of God. This ex-
pression is a fearful one, because the wrath of man is
the disposition to inflict evil, limited by man's feeble-
ness ; whereas the wrath of God is the determination
to punish in a being without limit either as to his pre-
sence or power. This wrath, the apostle says, cometh
on the childi'en of disobedience. Tlie present is either
for the certain future, ' will assuredly come ; ' or it
, has its proper force. The wrath of God against these
sins is now manifested in his dealings with those who
commit them. He withdraws from them his Spirit,
and finally gives them up to a reprobate mind. On the
phrase " children of disobedience," see ch. 2, 2.

Y. 7. Such being the determination of God to pun-
ish the imclean and the covetous, the apostle says,
" Be ye not therefore partakers with them." That is,
be not their associates in these sins, which of necessity

CHAP. V. VS. 8. 9. 289

would expose you to the penalty threatened against
tliem.

Y. 8. Tliis is enforced by a reference to their con-
version from a previous state of sin and misery to one
of holiness and blessedness. For ye were sometime
darhiess. As light stands for knowledge, and as know-
ledge, in the scrij)tural sense of the word, produces
holiness, and holiness happiness ; so darkness stands
for ignorance, such ignorance as inevitably produces
sin, and sin misery. Therefore, the exj)ression, " ye
were darkness," means, ye were ignorant, polluted,
and wretched. But now ye are light in the Lordj i. e.
in virtue of union with the Lord, ye are enlightened,
sanctified, and blessed. Walh as children of the light,
i. e. as the children of holiness and truth. " Children
of light," means enlightened ^ as ' children of famine,'
means the ' famished ; ' see ch. 2, 2. The exhortation
is that they should walk in a way consistent with their
character as men illuminated and sanctified by their
union with the Lord Jesus.

Y. 9. For the fruit of light,^ i. e. the fruit or effect
of divine illumination is in all, i. e. consists in all the
forms of goodness, righteousness, and truth. Goodness,
a^aQuxxvvf]. is that which makes a man a<ya66<;, good ;
and righteousness, ScKaioavvr], is that which makes a
man 8iKaco<;, righteous. These Greek words differ very

* The common text has here irveifj.aros instead of <pan6s. Tae latter
reading is now universally adopted as the correct one on the authority not
only of the MSS. but of the context.

290 EPHESiiLisrs,

much as the corresponding English terms do. Good-
ness is benevolence and beneficence ; righteonsness is
adherence to the rnle of right. Yet both are nsed for
moral excellence in general. The evil and the good,
included all classes of the vicious and the virtuous.
Ooocl worTcs are works of any kind which are morally
excellent. "When however the words are contrasted as
in Rom. 5, 7, or distinguished as in Rom. T, 12, good
means benevolent or beneficent ; and righteoxis^ just or
upright. Goodness is that quality which adapts a thing
to the end for which it was designed, and renders it
serviceable. Hence we speak of a good tree, of good
soil, as well as of a good man. Righteousness can
properly be predicated only of persons or of what is
susceptible of moral character ; as it means conformity
to law ; or if predicated of the law itself, it means con-
formity to the nature of God, the ultimate standard of
rectitude. Truth, here means religious or moral truth,
or religion itself. The fruits of light, therefore, are all
the forms of piety and virtue.

Y. 10. Yerse 9 is a parenthesis, as the 10th verse
is grammatically connected with the 8th. " Walk as
children of the light, proving, &c.," TrepLirarelTe — So/ct-
/jLci^ovreq. AoKifid^eiv is to try, to put to the test, to
examine ; then to judge or estimate ; and then to ap-
prove. Thus it is said, " The fire shall try every man's
work ; " God is said " To try the heart ; " we are said
" To be renewed so as to prove the will of God," Rom.
12, 2, that is, to examine and determine what the will
of God is. And so in this passage believers are re-

CHAP. V. VS. 10. IT. 291

quired to walk as children of liglit, examining and
determining what is acceptable to the Lord. They are
to regulate their conduct by a regard to what is well
pleasing to Him. That is the ultimate standard of
judging whether any thing is right or wrong, worthy
or unworthy of those who have been enlightened from
above.

The word Lord is in the New Testament so pre-
dominantly used to designate the Lord Jesus Christ,
that it is always to be referred to him unless the con-
text forbids it. Here the context so far from forbid-
ding, requires such reference. For in the former part
of the sentence Lord evidently designates Christ. " Ye
are light in the Lord, therefore, walk as children of the
light, proving what is acceptable to the Lord." This,
therefore, is one of the numerous passages in the I^ew
Testament, in which Christ is recognized as the Lord
of the conscience, whose will is to us the ultimate
standard of right and wrong, and to whom we are
responsible for all our inward and outward acts. It is
thus that the sacred writers show that Christ was their
God, in whose presence they constantly lived, whose
favour they constantly sought, and on whom all their
religious affections terminated. He was not merely
the God of their theology, but of their religion.

Y. 11. The apostle having in the previous verse
insisted on the duty of Christians of so walking as to
show by their works that they were the subjects of '
divine illumination, adds here a statement of their duty
in reference to the sins of those still in darkness. Those

292 EPHESIAI^S,

sins lie calls " the unfruitful works of darkness." Bj
unfruitful is meant not merely harren or worthleso, but
positively evil. For in a moral subject the negation
of good is evil. Works of darkness are those works
which spring from darkness, i. e. from ignorance of
God ; as " works of light " are those works which
light or divine knowledge produces.

The duty of Christians in reference to the works of
darkness is twofold ; first, to have no communion with
them ; and secondly, to reprove them. The former is
expressed by the words yu.^ cxvyKoivcovetTe, have not fel-
lowship with them. Those who have things in com-
mon ; who are congenial ; who have the same views,
feelings, and interests ; and who therefore delight in
each other's society, are said to be in fellowship. In
this sense believers have fellowshij) with God and with
each other. So we are said to have fellowship in any
thing which we delight in and partake of. To have
fellowship with the works of darkness, therefore, is to
delight in them and to participate in them. All such
association is forbidden as inconsistent with the char-
acter of the children of light. Our second duty is to
reprove them. ^EXej-^eiv is not simply to reprove in
the sense of admonishing or rebuking. It means to
convince by evidence. It expresses the effect of illu-
mination by which the true nature of any thing is
revealed. When the Spirit is said to reprove men of
sin, it means that he sheds such light upon their sins
as to reveal their true character, and to produce the
consequent consciousness of guilt and pollution. In

CHAP. V. VEK. 12. 293

1 Cor. 14, 24, Paul says the eflfect of intelligible preach.-
ing of the Gospel is conviction — which is explained by
saying "the secrets of the heart are revealed." The
duty, therefore, here enjoined is to shed light on these
works of darkness ; to exhibit them in their true nature
as vile and destructive. By this method they are cor-
rected ; as is more fully taught in the following verses.
The ethics as well as the theology of the Bible are
founded on the principle, that knowledge and holiness,
ignorance and sin, are inseparable. If you impart
knowledge you secure holiness; and if you render
ignorant you deprave. This of course is not true of
secular knowledge — i. e. of the knowledge of other
than religious subjects ; nor is it true of mere specula-
tive knowledge of religious truth. It is true only of
that knowledge which the Scriptures call spiritual dis-
cernment. Of that knowledge, however, intellectual
cognition is an essential element. And so far as human
agency in the production of the conviction of sin is
concerned, it is limited to holding forth the word of
life ; or letting the light of divine truth shine into the
darkened minds of men, and upon their evil deeds.

Y. 12. These works of darkness should be thus re-
proved, "for it is a shame even to speak of those things
which are done of them in secret." There are two
reasons why sins are called works of darkness. The
first and principal one is, as before remarked, because
they spring from darkness or ignorance of God ; and
the second is, because they are committed in darkness.
They shun the light. The exceeding turpitude of these

294 EPHESIANS,

sius the apostle gives as the reason why they should be
reproved.

Y. 13. Yile however as those sins are, they are capa-
ble of being corrected. They are not beyond cure.
Keprove them. Let in the light of divine truth upon
them, and they will be corrected or healed For the
truth is divinely efficacious. It is the organon of God ;
that through which he exerts his power in the sanctifi-
cation and salvation of men. Such seems to be the
general meaning of this difficult verse.

It is connected with the preceding verse, and is de-
signed to enforce the command, eXey^ere, rejprove. 'Re-
prove the things done in secret by the wicked — ^for
though they are too bad to be even named, yet being
reproved, they are made manifest by the light, and
thereby corrected, for every thing made manifest, i. e.
revealed in its true nature by divine light, becomes
light ; that is, is reformed.' This interpretation gives a
simple and consistent sense, assumes no unusual signi-
fication of the terms employed, nor any forced con-
struction, and is suited to the context. It supposes —
1. Tliat TO, iravra eke'y^o fJi'^va refers to ra Kpvcfifj jivo/jbeva
of V. 12. The things done in secret are the all things,
which being reproved, are manifested. 2. The words
vTTo Tov (})cot6<; are not to be connected with eXeyx^/^^^^'i
as though the sense were, 'being reproved by the
light ; ' but with ^avepovrai, so that the sense is, ' are
made manifest by the light.' This construction is re-
auired b}^ the following clause. 3. ^avepoviievov is
passive, and not middle with an active sense. Tlie

OHAP. V. VEK. 13. 295

meaning is, ' "Whatever is manifested ; ' not ' whatevei
makes manifest.' As tlie word (fiavepouraL just before
is passive, it is unnatm-al to make (pavepovfievov active.
Besides, tlie apostle is not speaking of the nature of
spiritual light, but of its efiects. It illuminates or turns
into light all it touches, or wherever it penetrates.

If (f)avepov/j,evov be taken as active, as is done by
Calvin and many others, and by our translators, the
sense would be, ' Eeprove these things ; it is your office
to do so, for you are light, and light is that which
makes manifest.' This however is not what Paul says.
He does not say ' Reprove evil, for you are light,' but,
'Reprove evil, for evil when reproved by light is man-
ifest, and when manifest, it is light,' that is, it is changed
into light, or corrected. In v. 8, he had said, " Ye are
light;" so here he says, what is illuminated by the
truth becomes light. The sense is the same in both
cases. The penetration of spiritual light, or divine
truth, carries with it such power, that it illuminates and
sanctifies all in whom it dwells. Hence the apostle
elsewhere prays that the word of God may dwell in the
hearts of believers in all wisdom and spiritual under-
standing. According to the apostle, the relation be-
tween truth and holiness is analogous to that between
light and vision. Light cannot create the eye, or give
to a blind eye the power of vision. But it is essential
to its exercise. "Wherever it penetrates, it dissipates
darkness and brings every thing into view — and causes
lit to produce its appropriate effect. So truth cannot
regenerate, or impart the principle of spiritual life.

296 EPIIKSIA^S,

But it is essential to all holy exercises. And wlierevei
the truth penetrates, it dissipates the clouds of error^
and brings every thing to view, so that when spiritually
discerned it produces its proper effect on the soul.
Truth being thus essential, it is the duty of Christians to
bring it to bear upon all those who are ignorant and on
all the works of darkness.

Y. 14. As light is thus efficacious, and as it is ac-
cessible, or may be obtained, therefore the Scriptures
call even npon the sleeping and the dead to arise and
meet its life-giving beams. Acb Xeyei, scil. /; <ypa(^rj.
As this formula of quotation is never nsed in the New
Testament except when citations are made from the
Old Testament, it cannot properly be assumed that the
apostle here qnotes some Christian hymn with which
the believers in Ephesus were familiar ; or some apocry-
phal book ; or some inspired book no longer extant.
We must understand him either as referring to many
exhortations of the Old Testament Scriptm-es, the sub-
stance of which he condenses' in the few words here
nsed ; or as giving the spirit of some one passage,
though not its words. Both these methods of explana-
tion may be sustained by appeal to similar passages.
The apostles in quoting the Old Testament sometimes
combined several passages in the same quotation — and
sometimes give as the teaching of the prophets what is
nowhere taught or asserted in express terms, but is
abundantly or clearly iniplied in what they say. At
other times again, the reference is obviously to some
one passage, and yet neither the Hebrew nor Septua-

CHAP. V. VEK. 14. 297

gint is accui-ately followed, but the general idea is
reproduced. We without the authority and divine
guidance of the apostles deal in the same way with the
word of God, of which almost every sermon would
furnish examples. It is generally assumed that Paul
here refers to Is. GO, 1, "Arise, shine; for thy light is
come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee."
Or, as De Wette renders it ; " Auf, werde licht, denn
es kommt dein Licht, und die Herrlichkeit Jehovah's
gehet liber dir auf." TJ])^ hecome light ; for thy light
comes, and the glory of Jehovah riseth over thee. The
analogy between this passage and the quotation of
the apostle is plain. There are in both — 1. The call
to those who are asleep or dead to rise. 2. To re-
ceive the light. 3. The promise that Jehovah, Lord, or
Christ, equivalent terms in the mind of the apostle,
would give them light. There can, therefore, be little
doubt that it was the language of Isaiah Paul intended
in substance to quote. Beza thinks that Is. 26, 19,
"Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust," &c., is to
be included in the reference ; and others join Is. 9, 2,
" The people that walked in darkness have seen a great
light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of
death, upon them hath the light shined." It is true
that in these, as well as in other passages, the power of
light, i. e. of divine truth, its advent in the person of
Christ, and the call to those who are in darkness to
accept it, are included. But the probability is that Is.
60, 1, was the passage most distinctly in the apostle's
mind.

298 EPHESIAIJS,

Those asleep and the dead are in darkness, and
therefore those involved in spiritual darkness are ad-
dressed as sleeping. The light which conies from
Christ has power to reach even the dead — as our Lord,
in the use of another figure, says, "The hour is coming,
and now is, that the dead shall hear the voice of the
Son of God, and they that hear shall live," John 5, 25.
This does not mean that the dead must be revived be-
fore they hear the voice of the Son of God, but his
voice causes them to hear and live. So the passage
before us does not mean that those asleep must arise
from the dead and come to Christ for light ; but that
the light which Christ sheds around him, has power to
awake the sleeping dead. Thus the passage is a con-
firmation of what is said in the preceding verse, viz.,
that every thing made manifest by the light, is light.

Y. 15. If this verse be considered as connected in-
ferentially by ovv with the preceding, then the associa-
tion of ideas is : 'If believers are bound to dispel the
darkness from the hearts and lives of others, how care-
ful should they be not to be dark themselves, i. e. they
should walk as wise men.' This however seems forced.
The exhortation contained in this and the following
verse is most naturally connected with that contained
in verses 10 and 11. Believers as children of light are
required to have no fellowship with the works of dark-
ness, but rather to reprove them ; see therefore, i. e.
take heed therefore, ttw? a/cpiySw? TrepcrrarelTe, that ye
walh circumspectly. ITw?, however, does not mean
that, though often used where on or 7i'a might be

CHAP. V. VS. 15. 16. 299

employed. It here as elsewhere means how^ in what
manner. " See in what manner ye render your deport-
ment accurate." ^Ak^l^w'^ TreptTraretv is to walk strict-
ly by rule, so as not to deviate by a hair's breadth.
JVot as unwise, hut as wise. Paul often uses the word
ao^la for divine truth. The cto^ol are those who pos-
sess this truth, which he had before called light, and
the daocjiot are those who have it not. So that wise
and unwise are here equivalent to the enlightened and
those in darTcness. His exhortation, therefore, is that
believers should carefully deport themselves not as the
heathen and unrenewed, who have not the divine light
of which he had been speaking, but as those who are
enliglitened from above and are therefore wise.

V. 16. ^E^ayopa^ofxevoL tov KULpov, redeeming the
time. Tliis is one manifestation of wisdom, one method
in which their Cliristian character as the children of
light should be exhibited. The words have been vari-
ously explained : — 1. Making use of, avaihng your-
selves of the occasion for doing good, not allowing it
to pass unimproved. 2. Buying back the time, redeem-
ing it, as it were, from Satan or from the world.
8. Making the most of time, i. e. using it to the best
advantage. 4. Adapting yourselves to the occasion, &c.
The decision between these different views depends
partly on the sense to be given to i^ayopa^ojuievoi,, and
partly on the question whether Kaip6<; is to be taken
in its proper sense, opportunity, appropriate time ; or
in the general sense of ')(p6vo^, time. The words d<yo-
od^eiv and i^ajopd^eiv, have in common the idea of

300 EPHESlAJSrS,

acquiring by purchase. Tlie latter in virtue of tlie
force of the e'/c properly means to purchase back, or to
make free by purchase. But it is also used in the sense
of the simple verb, as in Daniel 2, 8, whence the ex-
pression in the text is probably derived. There, ac-
cording to the Septuagint, the king said to the Chaldeans,
who declined to interpret his dream until they knew
what it was, olSa iycb 6tl Kaipov Uyctet? i^ajopd^ere,
" I know you wish to gain time." This sense of
the verb suits the passage before us. Then if Kaip6<;
means here what it does in almost every other passage,
where it occurs in the JSTew Testament, the most natu-
ral interpretation of the clause is, " availing yourselves
of the occasion," i. e, improving every opportunity for
good. If Kaipo'i be taken for '^^povo'i, which is barely
admissible, the sense would be, " making the most of
time," i. e. rescuing it from waste or abuse. Both of
these interpretations are good and suited to the follow-
ing clause, because the days are evil. Ilov'rjpo'i, evil,
may be taken either in a physical or moral sense. The
patriarch said, " Few and evil have the days of the
years of my life been ; " Gen. 47, 9. The moral sense
of the word, however, is better suited to the context.
£kil days, mean days in which sin abounds. It is
parallel to the expressions, " evil generation," Matt.
12, 39 ; and " evil world," Gal. 1, 4. Because sin
abounds is a good reason why Christians should seize
upon every opportunity to do good ; and also why
they should make the most of time. So that this clause
suits either of the interpretations of the first part of the

CHAP. V. VS. 16. 17. 301

verse. That Kat,p6s proj)erly and commonly means
opportunity, or suitable time, is a strong reason for
preferring, the former of the two interpretations men-
tioned. The same exhortation and in the same con-
nection is found in Col. 4, 5. Here the apostle says,
" See that ye walk as wise men, redeeming the time ; "
there, " "Walk in wisdom, redeeming the time." So
that this right nse of time, or this seizing on every
opportunity for doing good, is in both places repre-
sented as the evidence and effect of wisdom, i. e. of
divine truth, which is the wisdom of God, which he
has revealed, 1 Cor. 2, 6-13.

Y. 17. Therefore, i. e. either because the days are
evil ; or, because ye are bound to walk as wise men.
The latter mode of connection is to be preferred, be-
cause the reference is to the main idea of the preceding
verses 15 and 16, and not to a subordinate clause. Be
ye not, a^pove^, senseless, unthinking, triJUng. Comp.
Luke 11, 40, " Ye fools (ye unthinking ones), did not
he that made that which is without, make that which
is within also ; " also Luke 12, 20 ; 1 Cor. 15, 36 ; 2 Cor.
11, 16, &c. In all these cases a^pwv means one who
does not make a right use of his understanding ; who
does not see things in their true light, or estimate them
according to their relative importance. It is here op-
posed to (TvvievTe<i. ' Be ye not senseless, undiscrimi-
nating between what is true and false, right and
wrong, important and unimportant, but understanding,
i. e. discerning what the will of the Lord is.' That
is, seeing things as he sees them, and making his will

302 EPHESIANS,

or judgment the standard of yours, and tlie rule of youi
conduct. The will of the Lord is the will of Christ.
That Lord here means Christ, is plain not only from
the general usage of the JSTew Testament, so often re-
ferred to, but also from the constant use of the word
in this chapter as a designation of the Redeemer.
Here again, therefore, the divinity of Christ is seen to
be a practical doctrine entering into the daily religious
life of the believer. His will is the rule of truth and
duty.

Y. 18. And (especially) })e not drunk with wine.
This is an a^poavv)], a want of sense, especially incon-
sistent with the intelligence of the true believer. The
man who has a right discernment will not seek refresh-
ment or excitement from wine, but from the Holy
Spirit. Therefore the apostle adds, hut 1)6 filled with
the Spirit. Li drunkenness, he says, there is aawjla^
revelry^ debauchery ., riot., whatever tends to destruction ;
for the word is derived from aawro'^, which means,
what cannot Ite saved, one given uj) to a destructive
course of life. Comp. Tit. 1, 6. 1 Pet. 4, 4. Men are
said to be filled with wine when completely under its
influence ; so they are said to be filled with the Spirit,
when he controls all their thoughts, feelings, words,
and actions. The expression is a common one in
Scripture. Of our Lord himself it was said, " He was
full of the Holy Ghost," Luke 4, 1 ; so of Stephen that
" he was full of faith and of the Holy Ghost," Acts 6,
5 ; and of Barnabas, Acts 11, 24, &c. To the Chris-
tian, therefore, the source of strength and joy is not

CHAP. V. VS. 18. 19. 308

wine, but the blessed Spirit of God. And as dinmken-
ness produces rioting and debaucbery, so the Holy
Spirit produces a joy which expresses itself in psalms,
and hymns, and spiritual songs. Quid gignit ebrie-
tas ? dissolutam proterviam, ut quasi excusso freno
indecenter homines exultent. Quid spiritualis laetitia,
quum ea perfusi sumus ? hymnos, psalmos, laudes Dei,
gratiarum actiones. Hi smit vere jucundi fructus et
delectabiles. Calvin.

V. 19. AaXovvTe^ eavToi<i (i. e. aX\.7]\oi,<i, as in 4, 32,
and elsewhere), speaking to each other, not to yourselves.
Compare Col. 3, 16, where it is, StSacr/coz/re? kuI vovde-
TovvTe<i eavTov^, teaching and admonishing one another.
" Spea'king to each other," signifies the interchange
of thoughts and feelings expressed in the psalms and
hymns employed. This is supposed to refer to respon-
sive singing, in the private assemblies and public
worship of Christians, to which the well-known passage
of Pliny : Carmen Christo quasi Deo dicunt secum in-
vicem, seems also to refer. "Whether the passage refers
to the responsive method of singing or not, which is
somewhat doubtful from the parallel passage in Colos-
sians (where Paul speaks of their teaching one another),
it at least proves that singing was from the beginning
a part of Christian worship, and that not only psalms
but hymns also were employed.

The early usage of the words •v/raX/io?, v/xvo';, m8i],
appears to have been as loose as that of the correspond-
ing English terms, jpsalm, hymn, song, is with us. A
psalm was a hymn, and a hymn a song. Still there

304 EPHESIAJTS,

was a distinction between tliem as there is still. A
psalm was, agreeably to the etymology of the word
yfra\fj,6<;, a song designed to be sung with the accom-
paniment of instrumental music. 2. It was one of the
sacred poems contained in the book of Psalms, as in
Acts 13, 33, eV rS -v^aXyLtco tw hevrepto, in the second
Psalm ; and Acts 1, 20, eV ^l^Xw yjraXficov, in the hoolc
of Psalms. 3. Any sacred poem formed on the model
of the Old Testament Psalms, as in 1 Cor. 14, 26, where
yfraXfiov appears to mean such a song given by inspira-
tion, and not one of the psalms of David. A Hym/ii
was a song of praise to God ; a divine song. Aeeiaj^,
Exped. Alex. 4, vybvoi pukv eV TovSr]. Such being the
general meaning of the word, Josephus uses it of those
Psalms which were songs of praise to God : 6 AavtSo<;
a>Sa<; ei? rbv Qeov Kol vfivov<i crvverd^aro, Ant. 7. 12, 3.
Psalms and hymns then, as now, were religious songs ;
coSal were religious or secular, and therefore those here
intended are described as spiritual. This may mean
either insjpired, i. e. derived from the Spirit ; or ex-
pressing spiritual thoughts and feelings. This latter is
the more probable ; as not only inspired men are said
to be filled with the Spirit, but all those who in their
ordinary thoughts and feelings are governed by the
Holy Ghost.

Singing and making melody in your hearts to the
Lord. If this clause be considered as coordinate with the

CHAP. V. VEE. 19. 305

preceding, then it refers to a different kind of singing.
The former expressed by KaXovvT€<i eavroU is singing
audibly, the latter by aSovTe^ iv rfj KapSia is the music of
the heart, the rhythm of the affections not clothed in
words. In favour of this view, which is adopted by
several of the best modern commentators, as Harless,
Eiickert, Olshausen, and Meyer, it is urged that the
apostle says, iv t^ KopSia vp,wv and not simply e/c Kap-
hia^yfrom the heart ; and that the pronoun vfXMv, your^
would be unnecessary, had he meant only that the
singing was to be cordial. Besides, the singing here
referred to is that of tliose filled with the Spirit, and
therefore the caution that it should not be a mere lip
service is out of place. IS^otwithstanding these reasons,
the great majority of commentators make this clause
subordinate to the preceding and descriptive of the kind
of singing required, " You are to commence with each
in Psalms and Hymns, singing in your heart." Comp.
Rom. 1, 9, where the apostle says : w Xarpeixo (not e/c
nrvevfxa-TO'i but) iv ru> Trvevfiari /xov, whom T serve in my
^mit, and 1 Cor. 14, 15. There is no sufiicient reason
for departing from the ordinary view of the passage.
aSovTe^ Kol yfrdWovre';, singing and making Tnelody,
are two forms of expressing the same thing. The lat-
ter term is the more comprehensive ; as alheLv is to
make music with the voice ; -^aXkeLv, to make music in
anyway; literally, to play on a stringed instrument;
then, to sing in concert with such an instrument ; then,
to sing or chant. See 1 Cor. 14, 15; James 5, 13;
Rom. 15, 9.

306 EPHESIANS,

To the Lord, i. e, to Christ. In tlie parallel passage,
Col. 3, 16, it is to God. In either form the idea is the
same. In worshipping Christ we worship God. God
in Christ, however, is the definite, special object of
Christian worship, to whom the heart when filled with
the Spirit instinctively turns. This special worship of
Christ is neither inconsistent with the worship of the
Father, nor is it ever dissociated from it. The one runs
into the other. And

V. 20. Therefore the apostle connects the two;
"Be ye filled with the Spirit, singing hymns to Christ,
and giving thanks to God even the Father." The Spirit
dictates the one as naturally as the other. We are to
give thanks always. It is not a duty to be performed
once for all, nor merely when new mercies are re-
ceived; but always, because we are under obligation
for blessings temporal and spiritual already received,
which calls for perpetual acknowledgment. We are to
give thanks /or all things j afflictions as well as for our
joys, say the ancient commentators. This is not in the
text, though Paul, as we learn from other passages,
gloried in his afflictions. Here the words are limited
by the context, /br all our mercies. In the na/me of the
Lord Jesus. The apostles preached in the name of the
Lord Jesus ; they wrought miracles in his name ; be-
lievers are commanded to pray in his name ; to give
thanks in his name, and to do all things in his name.
In all these cases the general idea is that expressed by
Bengel : ut perinde sit, ac si Christus faciat. What we
do in the name of Christ we do by his authority, and

CHAP. V. VEK. 20. 307

relying on liim for success. Clirist gives lis access to
the Father; we come to God through him; he gives
the right to come, and it is on him we depend for
acceptance when we come. T koX Trarpl, God
even the Father, i. e. to God the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ. This is the covenant title of God under
the new dispensation, and presents the only ground on
which he can be approached as our Father.

SECTION" II.— Ys. 17-33.

21. Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

22. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the

23. Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ
is the head of the church : and he is the Saviour of the body.

24. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives

25. he to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your
wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself

26. for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing

27. of water by the Avord : that he might present it to himself a
glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing ;

28. but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men
to love their wives, as their own bodies. He that loveth his

29. wife loveth himself For no man ever yet hated his own flesh ;
but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church :

30. for we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

31. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and
shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

32. This is a great mystery : but I speak concerning Christ and the
83. chui'ch. Nevertheless, let every one of you in particular so

love his wife even as himself: and the wife see that she rever-
ence her husband.

308 EPHESIAlfS,

ANALYSIS.

The apostle enjoins mutual obedience as a Christian
dutj, V. 21. Under this head he treats of the relative
duties of husbands and wives, parents and children,
masters and servants. The remainder of this chapter
is devoted to the duties of husbands and wives. As
the conjugal relation is analogous to that which Christ
sustains to the church, the one serves to illustrate the
others. The apostle, therefore, combines the two sub-
jects throughout the paragraph.

Wives should be subject to their husbands as the
church is to Christ. 1. The motive to this subject is a
regard to the Lord, v. 22. 2. The ground of it is, that
the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the
head of the church, v. 23. 3. This subjection is not
confined to any one sphere, but extends to all, v. 24.

Husbands should love their wives. 1. The measure
of this love is Christ's love for the church for whose
redemption he died, vs. 25-27. 2. The ground of love
is in both cases the same — the wife is flesh of her hus-
band's flesh, and bone of his bone. So the church
is flesh of Christ's flesh and bone of his bone. Hus-
band and wife are one flesh; so are Christ and the
church. What is true of the one is true of the other,
vs, 29-31. 3. The union between Christ and his church
is indeed of a higher order than that between husband
and wife — nevertheless the analogy between the two
cases is such as to render it obligatory on the husband

CHAP, V. VER. 21. 309

to love his wife as being himself, and on the wife to
reverence her husband, vs. 32-33.

COMMENTAET.

Y, 21. That a new paragraph begins with this verse
is generally conceded. First, because the preceding ex-
hortations are evidently brought to a close in v. 20 —
with the words to God even the Father. And secondly,
because the command to be obedient one to another,
amplified through this chapter and part of the next,
does not naturally cohere with what precedes. This
being the case, tlie participle vTroraaaofievoL l)eing obe-
dient^ with which this verse begins, cannot be explained
by referring it to the verb TrXrjpova-de in v. 18. The
sense would then be, 'Be filled with the Spirit — sub-
mitting yourselves one to another.' This construction
of the passage for the reasons just stated is rejected by
most commentators. Others take the participle for the
imperative and render the words, 'Be subject one to
another.' But this is contrary to the usage of the
language. The most common explanation is to connect
this verse with the following, 'Being subject one to an-
other (as ye are bound to be), ye wives be subject to
your husbands.' From the general obligation to obe-
dience follows the special obligation of wives, children,
and servants, as explained in what follows.

This command to submit one to another is found in
other passages of the l^ew Testament, as in 1 Pet. 5, 6,
"All of you be subject one to another, and be clothed
with humility." Kom. 12, 10. Phil. 2. 3. Tlie scrip-

310 EPHESIAN8,

tural doctrine on this subject is tliat men are not isolated
individuals, eacli one independent of all others. No
man liveth for himself and no man dieth for himself.
The essential equality of men and their mutual depend-
ence lay the foundation for the obligation of mutual
subjection. The apostle however is here speaking of
the duties of Christians. It is, therefore, the Christian
duty of mutual submission of which this passage treats.
It not only forbids pride and all assumption of" supe-
riority, but enjoins mutual subjection, the subjection
of a part to the whole, and of each one to those of his
fellow believers with whom he is specially connected.
Every Christian is responsible for his faith and conduct
to his brethren in the Lord, because he constitutes with
them one body having a common faith and a common
life. The independency of one Christian of all others,
or of one Christian society of all similar societies, is in-
consistent with the relation in which believers stand to
each other, and with the express commands of Scrip-
ture.

"We are to be thus subject one to another ev (f)o^S
XpicTToO.* This may mean either that the fear of
Christ, at whose bar we are to stand in judgment, should
constrain us to this mutual subjection; or that the duty
should be religiously performed. The motive should
be reverence for Christ, a regard for his will and for

* The common text reads Qeov, but the authority of the MSS. and
versions is so decidedly in favour of Xpta-rov that it is now universally
adopted.

CHAP. V. VKK. 22. 311

his gloiy. It is in this way all social duties, even the
most humiliating, are raised into the sphere of religion,
and rendered consistent with the highest elevation and
liberty. This idea is specially insisted upon by the
apostle when he comes to speak of the duty of servants
to their masters. It ought not to escape the reader's
notice that the relation in which this and similar pas-
sages suppose us to stand to Christ, is such as we can
sustain to no other than to a divine person. He to
whom we are responsible for all our conduct, and rev-
erence for whom is the great motive to the performance
of duty, is God.

Y. 22. Wives, submit yourselves to your own hus-
bands, as unto the Lord. The general duty of mutual
submission includes the specific duty of wives to be
subject to their husbands, and this leads the apostle to
speak of the relative duties of husbands and wives.
And as the marriage relation is analogous to the rela-
tion between Christ and his church, he is thus led to
illustrate the one by the other. As the relation is the
same, the duties flowing from it are the same ; obe-
dience on the part, of the wife, and love on the part of
the husband. The apostle teaches the nature, the
ground, and the extent of the obedience due from the
wife to the husband.

As to the nature of it, it is religious. It is w^ rw
Kvpiw, as to the Lord. The co?, as, does not express
similarity, as though the obedience of the wife to her
husband was to be as devout and as unconditional as
that which she is bound to render to the Lord. But

312 EPHESIANS,

her obedience to her husband is to be regarded as part
of her obedience to the Lord. See 6, 5. 6. It ter-
minates on him, and therefore is religious, because de-
termined by religious motives and directed towards the
object of the religious affections. This makes the bur-
den light and the yoke easy. For every service which
the believer renders to Christ, is rendered with alacrity
and joy.

y. 23. But although the obedience of the wife to
the husband is of the nature of a religious duty because
determined by religious motives, it has in common with
all other commands of God, a foundation in nature.
The apostle, therefore, says, wives are to be obedient to
their husbands, hecause the husbcmd is the head of the
wife, even as Christ is the head of the church. The
ground of the obligation, therefore, as it exists in na-
ture, is the eminency of the husband ; his superiority
in those attributes which enable and entitle him to
command. He is larger, stronger, bolder; has more
of those mental and moral qualities which are required
in a leader. This is just as j)lain from history as that
iron is heavier than water. Tlie man, therefore, in this
aspect, as qualified and entitled to command, is said to
be the image and glory of God, 1 Cor. 11, 7; for, as
the apostle adds in that connection, the man was not
made out of the woman, but the woman out of the
man ; neither was the man created for the woman, but
the woman for the man. This superiority of the man,
in the respects mentioned, thus taught in Scripture,
founded in nature, and proved by all experience, cannot

CHAP. V. VER. 23. 313

be denied or disregarded without destroying society
and degrading both men and women ; making the one
effeminate and the other masculine. The superiority
of the man, however, is not only consistent with the
mutual dependence of the sexes, and their essential
equality of nature, and in the kingdom of God, but also
with the inferiority of men to women in other qualities
than those which entitle to authority. The scriptural
doctrine, while it lays the foundation for order in re-
quiring wives to obey their husbands, at the same time
exalts the wife to be the companion and ministering
angel to the husband. Tlie man, therefore, so far as
this particular point is concerned, stands in the same
relation to his wife, that Christ does to the church.
There is however a relation which Christ bears to his
chm'ch, which finds no analogy in that of the husband
to the wife. Christ is not only the head of the church,
but he is its Saviour, koX auT6<; ecni aajrrjp tov croafiaTO'^.
Why the apostle added these words is not easy to de-
termine. Perhaps it was to mark the distinction. be-
tween the cases otherwise so analogous. Perhaps it
was, as many suppose, to suggest to husbands their ob-
ligation to provide for the safety and haiDpiness of their
wives. Because Christ is the head of the church, he is
its Saviour ; therefore as the husband is the head of the
wife, he should not only rule, but protect and bless.*

* Sicuti Christus ecclesiae suae praeest in ejus salutem, ita nihil esse
mulieri utilius nee magis salubre, quam ut marito subsit. Perire igitur
affectant quaerenuunt subjectionem, sub qua salvae esse poterant. — Calvin.

314 EPHESIAiJS,

The most probable explanation is, that as the apostle's
design is not merely to teach the natm-e of the relation
between husband and wife, but also that between Christ
and the church, the clause in question is added for that
purpose, without any bearing on the conjugal relation .
This clause is not in apposition with the preceding, but
is an independent proposition. Christ is the head of
the church ; and he is the Saviour of his body.

y. 24. But, aXXd, i. e. notwithstanding there is this
peculiarity in the relation of Christ to the church
which has no parallel in the relation of the wife to the
husband, ' nevertheless, as the husband is the head of
the wife, let the wife be subject to her husband in eve^y
thing, even as the church is subject to Christ her head.'
Our translators give dWd here a syllogistic force and
render it, therefore, as though it introduced the con-
clusion from the preceding argument. But this is
contrary to the common use of the particle and is
unnecessary, as its ordinary meaning gives a good
sense.

As verse 22 teaches the nature of the subjection of
the wife to her husband, and verse 23 its ground,
this verse teaches its extent. She is to be subject Iv
iravTL, in every thing. Tliat is, the subjection is not
limited to any one sphere or department of the social
life, but extends to all. The wife is not subject as to
some things, and independent as to others, but she is
subject as to all. This of course does not mean that
the authority of the husband is unlimited. It teaches
its extent, not its degree. It extends over all depart-

CHAP. V. VEE. 25. 315

ments, but is limited in all ; first, by the nature of the
relation ; and secondly, by the higher authority of God.
No superior, whether master, j^arent, husband or magis-
trate, can make it obligatory on us either to do what
God forbids, or not to do what God commands. So
long as our allegiance to God is preserved, and obe-
dience to man is made j)art of our obedience to him,
we retain our liberty and our integrity.

Y. 25. As the peculiar duty of the wife is' submis-
sion, the special duty of the husband is love. With
regard to this the apostle teaches its measure and its
ground. As to its measure it should be analogous to
the love which Christ bears to his chm-ch. Its ground
is the intimate and mysterious union which subsists be-
tween a man and his wife.

Husbands^ love your wives, even as Christ also loved
the church and ga:ve himself for it. Husbands should
love their wives, kuOm'^, even as, i. e. both hecatcse and
as. As their relation to their wives is analogous to that
of Christ to his church, it imposes the obligation to
love them as he loves the church. But Christ so loved
the church as to die for it. Husbands, therefore, should
be willing to die for their wives. This seems to be the
natural import of the passage, and is the interpretation
commonly given to it. It has also its foundation in
nature. Christ's love is held up as an example and a
rule. His love is indeed elsewhere declared to be in-
finite. We cannot love as he loved, in any other sense
than that in which we can be merciful as our Father
in heaven is merciful, l^evertheless, it cannot be

316 EPHESIAJSrS,

doubted that true conjugal love will ever lead tliG
husband to sacrifice himself for his wife.*

Ys. 26. 27. As the apostle unites with his design of
teaching the duties arising from the conjugal relation,
the purpose to illustrate the nature of the union be-
tween Christ and his church, these verses relate to the
latter point and not to the former. They set forth the
design of Christ's death. Its remote design was to
gain the' church for himself as an object of delight.
Its proximate design was to prepare it for that high
destiny. These ideas are presented figuratively. The
church is regarded as the bride of Christ. This is de-
signed to teach — 1. That it is an object of a peculiar
and exclusive love. As the love which a bridegroom
has for his bride is such as he has for no one else ; so
the love which Christ has for his church is such as he
has for no other order of creatures in the universe,
however exalted. 2. As the bride belongs exclusively
to her husband, so the church belongs exclusively to
Christ. It sustains a relation to him which it sustains
to no other being, and in which no other being partici-
pates. 3. This relation is not only peculiar and exclu-
sive, but the union between Christ and his church is

* The idea that all love, and therefore all holiness, is benevolence, and
19 proportioned to the capacity of its ohject, is one of those absurdities
into which men inevitably fall when they give themselves up to the guid-
ance of the speculative imderstanding, and disregard the teachings of the
heart and of the conscience. A mother loves her infant, in every true
sense of the word love, a hundred fold more than she loves a stranger,
though he may be the greatest man who ever lived.

CHAP. V. VS. 26. 27. 317

more intimate tlian any whicli subsists between him
and any other order of creatures. We are flesh of his
flesh, and bone of his bones. 4. The church is the
special object of delight to Christ. It is said of Zion,
" As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall
thy God rejoice over thee," Is. 62, 5. He is to present
it to himself as his own peculiar joy. Such being the
high destiny of the church, the proximate end of
Christ's death was to purify, adorn, and render it glo-
rious, that it might be prepared to sit with him on his
throne. She is to be as a bride adorned for her hus-
band. Tliese are not imaginations, nor exaggerations,
nor empty figures ; but simple, scriptural, sanctifying,
and saving truths. And what is true of the church
collectively, is true of its members severally. Each is
the object of Christ's peculiar love. Each sustains to
him this peculiar, exclusive, and intimate relation.
Each is the object in which he thus delights, and
each is to be made perfectly holy, without spot, and
glorious.

Though the general sense of this passage is thus
plain, there is no little difficulty attending the inter-
pretation of its details. Christ, it is said, gave himself
for the church, tVa avrrjv ajLaar}, which Calvin renders,
Ut segregaret eam sibi, that he might separate it for
him,seJf ; which, he says, is done by the remission of
sin, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost. Though the
verb aym^ety has this sense, yet as in Paul's writings
it is commonly used to express cleansing from pollu-
tion, and as this sense best suits the context, it is gener-

318 EPHESIAN8,

ally preferred. The design of Christ's death was to
make his people holy. It accomplishes this end by
reconciling them to God, and by securing for them the
gift of the Holy Ghost. Thus in Gal. 3, 13. 14, it is
said, " Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the
law, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit."

With regard to the next clause, Ka6apia-a<; rm Xou-
rpcp Tov v8aTo<;, having cleansed (or cleansing) it with
the washing of ■watery we must inquire — 1. What is in-
tended by Xovrpov tov v8aTo<i. 2. What is meant by
Kadapiaa<i ; and 3. In what relation this clause stands
to the preceding. Does " the washing of water " here
mean baptism, or a washing which is analogous to
a washing with water ? The latter interpretation is
admissible. Tlie apostle may mean nothing more than
a spiritual lustration. In Ez. 16, 0, sj)eaking of Israel,
God said, " Then washed I thee with water ; j^ea, I
thoroughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I
anointed thee with oil." And in 36, 25, " Then will I
sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean."
Also in Heb. 10, 22, it is said, " Let us draw near with
a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our
hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bo-
dies washed with pure ■ water." In all these cases
washing with water is a figurative expression for spi-
ritual purification. Commentators, however, almost
without exception understand the expression in the
text to refer to baptism. The great majority of them,
with Calvin and other of the Reformers, do not
even discuss the question, or seem to admit any other

CHAP. V. VS. 26. 27. 319

interpretation to be possible. The same view is taken
hj all the modem exegetical writers. This unanimity
of opinion is itself almost decisive. Nothing short of
a stringent necessity can justify any one in setting
forth an interpretation opposed to this common consent
of Christians. ISTo such necessity here exists. Baptism
is a washing with water. It was the washing with
water with which Paul's readers as Christians were
familiar, and which could not fail to occur to them as
the washing intended. Besides, nothing more is here
attributed to baptism than is attributed to it in many
other passages of the word of God. Compare particu-
larly Acts 22, 16, " Arise, be baj)tized, and wash away
thy sins, airokova-at ra? dfiapTLa'i crov.^' There can be
little doubt, therefore, that by " the washing with
water," the apostle meant baptism.

As to the meaning of the participle tcadapiaa^i there
is more doubt. The verb signifies to cleanse either
literally, ceremonially, or figuratively. As the Scrip-
tures speak of a twofold purification from sin, one from
guilt by expiation, the other from pollution by the
Spirit, and as Kadapi^eLv is used in reference to both,
the question is, which is here intended. Does the
apostle speak of pardon, or of sanctification as eflfected
by this washing with water ? The word expresses
sacrificial purification. Heb. 9, 22. 23. 1 John 1, 7,
" The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from
all sin." Heb. 9, 14 ; comp. Heb. 1, 3, " Having by
himself made purification of our sin." In favour of
taking it in this sense here, is the fact that baptism is

820 EPHESIANS,

elsewhere connected with the remissipn of sin ; as in
Acts 22, 16, and Acts 2, 38, " Repent and be baptized
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the
remission of sins." The meaning of the word, how-
ever, depends upon its relation to the preceding clause.
Ka6aplaa<i may be connected with ayidarj, and taken
in the same tense with it. It then expresses the mode
in which Christ cleanses his church. ' He gave him-
self for it that he might cleanse it, purifying it by the
washing of water.' In this case, if a'^uia-r) expresses
moral purification or sanctification, so must Kadaplaa^.
But if this participle be taken in the past tense, ac-
cording to its form, then it must express something
which precedes sanctification. The meaning would
then be, ' Christ gave himself for the church, that he
might sanctify it, having purified it by the washing
with water.' * In this case Ka6apl(Ta<i must refer to
expiation or sacrificial purification, i. e. to washing
away of guilt. The context is in favour of this view,
and so is the analogy of Scripture. The Bible always
represents remission of sin or the removal of guilt as
preceding sanctification. We are pardoned and recon-
ciled to God, in order that we may be made holy.
Christ, therefore, having by his blood cleansed his
church from guilt, sanctifies or renders it holy. In

* Participium Graecum Kadapla-as est praeteriti temporis, ac si dicas :
Postquam mundarit. Verum quia apud Latinos nuUum est tale partici-
pium activum, malui tempus negligere, quam vertendo Mundatum per-
vertere quod erat longe majoris momenti, nempe ut soli Deo relinquatur
mnudandi officium.

CHAP. V. VS. 26. 27. 321

either view we are said to be cleansed (wlietlier from
guilt or from pollution) by baptism. What does this
mean ? How does bai3tism in either of these senses
wash away sin ? The Protestant and scriptural answer
to this question is, that baptism cleanses from sin just
as the word does. We are said to be saved by the
truth, to be begotten by the truth, to be sanctified by
the truth. This does not mean — 1. That there is any
inherent, much less magic, power in the word of God
as heard or read to produce these effects. 2. 'Nov that
the word always and every where, when rightly pre-
sented, thus sanctifies and saves, so that all who hear
are partakers of these benefits. 3. Nor does it mean
that the Spirit of God is so tied to the word as never
to operate savingly on the heart except in connection
with it. For infants may be subjects of regeneration,
though incapable of receiving the truth. In like man-
ner when the Scriptures speak of baptism as washing
away sin. Acts 22, 16 ; or as uniting us to Christ, Gal.
3, 27 ; or as making Christ's death our death, Rom. 6,
4 ; Col. 2, 12 ; or as saving us, 1 Pet. 3, 21 ; they do
not teach — 1. That there is any inherent virtue in bap-
tism, or in the administrator, to produce these effects ;
nor 2. That these effects always attend its right admin-
istration ; nor 3. That the Spirit is so connected with
baptism that it is the only channel through which he
commiuiicates the benefits of redemption, so that all
the unbaptized perish. These three propositions, all
of which Romanism and Ritualism afiirm, are contrary
to the express declarations of Scripture and to universal

322 EPHESIAJS"S,

experience. Multitudes of tlie baptized are unholy ;
many of tlie unbaptized are sanctified and saved.

How then is it true that baptism washes away sin,
unites us to Christ, and secures salvation? Tlie an-
swer again is, that this is true of baptism in the same
sense that it is true of the word. God is pleased to
connect the benefits of redemption with the believing
reception of the truth. And he is pleased to connect
these same benefits with the believing reception of
baptism. That is, as the Spirit works with and by the
truth, so he works with and by baptism, in communi-
cating the blessings of the covenant of grace. There-
fore, as we are said to be saved by the word, with
equal propriety we are said to be saved by baptism ;
though baptism without faith is as of little elFect as is
the word of God to unbelievers. The scriptural doc-
trine concerning baptism, according to the Eeformed
churches is — 1. Tliat it is a divine institution. 2. That
it is one of the conditions of salvation. " Whosoever
believes and is baptized shall be saved," Mark 16, 16.
It has, however, the necessity of precept, not the neces-
sity of a means sine qua non. It is in this respect
analogous to confession. '' With the heart man be-
lieveth unto righteousness, and with the mouth con-
fession is made unto salvation," Eom. 10, 10. And
also to circumcision. God said, " The uncircumcised
male child — should be cut ofif from his people," Gen.
17, 14. Yet children dying before the eighth day
were surely not cut off from heaven. And the apostle
teaches that if an uncircumcised man kept the law,

CHAP. V. VS. 26. 27. 323

•* liis uncircunicision was counted to him for circum-
cision," Rom. 3, 26. 3. Baptism is a means of grace,
that is, a channel through which the Spirit confers
grace ; not always, not upon all recipients, nor is it the
only channel, nor is it designed as the ordinary means
of regeneration. Faith and repentance are the gifts
of the Spirit and fruits of regeneration, and yet they
are required as conditions of baptism. Consequently
the Scriptures contemplate regeneration as preceding
baptism. But if faith, to which all the benefits of
redemption are promised, precedes baptism, how can
those benefits be said to be conferred, in any case,
through baptism ? Just as a father may give an estate
to his son, and afterwards convey it to him formally
by a deed. Besides, the benefits of redemption, the
remission of sin, the gift of the Spirit, and the merits
of the Redeemer, are not conveyed to the soul once
for all. They are reconveyed and appropriated on
every new act of faith, and on every new believing
reception of the sacraments. The sinner coming to
baptism in the exercise of repentance and faith, takes
Grod the Father to be his Father ; God the Son, to be
his Saviour ; and God the Holy Ghost to be his Sancti-
fier, and his word to be the rule of his faith and prac-
tice. The administrator then, in the name and by the
authority of God, washes him with water as a sign
of the cleansing from sin by the blood of Christ, and
of sanctification by the Holy Spirit ; and as a seal to
God's promise to grant him those blessings on the con-
dition of the repentance and faith thus publicly avowed.

324: EPHESIANS,

Whatever he may have experienced or enjoyed before,
this is the public conveyance to him of the benefits
of the covenant, and his inauguration into the number
of the redeemed. If he is sincere in his part of the
service, baptism really applies to him the blessings of
which it is the symbol. 4. Infants are baptized on the
faith of their parents. And their baptism secures to
them all the benefits of the covenant of grace, pro-
vided they ratify that covenant by faith ; just as
circumcision secured the benefits of the theocracy,
provided those circumcised in infancy kept the law.
The doctrine of baptismal regeneration, that is, the
doctrine that inward sj^iritual renovation always at-
tends baptism rightly administered to the unresisting,
and that regeneration is never efl:ected without it, is
contrary to Scripture, subversive of evangelical reli-
gion, and opposed to universal experience. It is, more-
over, utterly irreconcilable with the doctrine of the
Beformed churches. For that doctrine teaches that
all the regenerated are saved. '' "Whom God calls
them he also glorifies," E-om. 8, 30. It is, however,
plain from Scripture, and in accordance with the faith
of the universal church, that multitudes of the baptized
perish. The baptized, therefore, as such, are not the
regenerated.

The foregoing remarks are intended to show in
what sense the Heformed understand this and similar
declarations of Scripture. Christ purifies his church
by baptism. That is the initiatory rite ; which signi-
fies, seals, and applies to believers all the benefits of

CHAP, V. VS. 26. 27. 325

the Eedeemer's cleatli. The apostle is speaking of the
church, the body and bride of Christ, and of the effect
of baptism on those who constitute that church, not of
its effect on those who are not included in the covenant
and are aliens from the commonwealth of Israel.*

* Quod Baptismo nos ablui docet Paulus, ideo est, quod illic nobis
ablutionem nostram testator Deus, et simul efficit quod figurat. Nisi enim
conjuncta csset rei Veritas, aut exMbitio, quod idem est, impropria haec
loqutio esset. Baptismus est lavacrum animae. Interea cavendum, ne
quod unius Dei est, vel ad signum, vel ad ministruni trausferatur ; hoc est,
ut minister censetur ablutiouis auctor, ut aqua putetur animae sordes pur-
gare ; quod nonnisi Christi sanguini convenit. Denique cavendum, ne
ulla fiduciae nostrae portio vel in element©, vel in bomine baereat. Quando
bic demum vems ac rectus sacrameuti usus est, recta nos ad Christum
manu ducere, et in ijDSO sistere. Quod autem aliqui in hoc baptism! elogio
magis estenuando sudant, ne signo nimium tribuatur, si vocetur animae
lavacrum ; perperam faciunt. Nam primum apostojus non docet signum
esse, quod mundet sed asserit soHus Dei esse opus. Est ergo Deus qui
mundat ; nee trausferri hoc honoris ad signum fas est, aut signo communi-
cari. Verum signo Deum tanquam organo uti, non est absurdum ; non
quia virtus Dei inclusa sit in signo, sed quia nobis eam pro imbecUitatis
nostrae captu tali admiuiculo distribuat. Id quosdam male babet, quia
putant Spiritui sancto auferri, quod est ejus proprium et quod illi scriptura
passim vindicat. Sed faUuntur ; nam ita Deus per signum agit, ut tota
signi efBcacia uihilominus a SijLritu suo pendeat. Ita nibil plus signo tri-
buitur, quam ut sit iuferius organum, et quidem a seipso inutile, nisi qua-
tenus aliunde vim suam mutuatur. Quod praeterea verentur ne libertas
Dei sit aUigatur, frivolum est. Neque enim affisa est signis Dei gratia,
quin citra adminiculum signi libera eam distribuat, si velit, deinde multi
signum recipiunt, qui tamen gratiae non fiunt participes, quia signum omni-
bus est commune, hoc est, bonis indiflferenter ac malis ; Spiritus autem
nonnisi electis confertur; acqui signum, ut diximus, absque Spiritu est
inefficax. Calvin.

326 EPHESIAN8,

There is one other remark suggested by this pas-
sage. The turning point in the discussion between
Baptists and Paedobaptists, so far as the mode of bap-
tism is concerned, is, whether it is in its essential
nature an immersion, or a washing. If the former,
then there is but one mode in which it can be adminis-
tered. If the latter, it may be administered in any
mode by which washing can be effected, either by
sprinkling, affusion, or immersion. In the passage
before us, it is said to be a " washing with water,"

The principal exegetical difficulty in this verse is
the explanation of the words iv p/^fiarL, hy the word.
'PrjiJba is used not only for any particular dictum, whe-
ther command, promise, or j)rophecy, but also for the
word of God collectively, and that either with or witli-
out the article ; Eom, 10, 8, 17, Eph, 6, IT, These
words may be connected, as is commonly done, with
the preceding clause, ' washing of water.' The idea
then is that this washing with water is connected with
the word. It is not an ordinary ablution, but one con-
nected with the word of God, This is considered a
description of baptism, which is by that connection
distinguished from all other washings. By the word
may then be understood either, the formula of baptism,
or the promise of remission of sins and regeneration
of which baptism is the sign and seal, and which is
the special object of faith to the recipient of the sacra-
ment, Luther's translation is, " Durch das Wasserbad
im Wort ; " according to the saying of Augustine,
which he often quotes, accedit verhum ad elementum et

CHAP. V. VS. 26. 27. 327

fit sacramentum. To this interpretation it is objected,
first, that if prj^ia be made to mean anj thing more than
the word of God in general, whether the command to
baptize, or the promise, or the formula of baptism, it
must have the article. It should be, with the word.
But the article is wanting in the Greek. Secondly,
the obscurity of the expression, " washing of water
with the word," or^ " baptism with the word." Third-
ly, that in order to justify the connection in question,
the passage should read, tc5 Xovrpw rov vSaTo<; to5, or,
Tov iv p/jfiaTi. Had Paul thus written there would,
indeed, be no question as to the connection intended,
but the exceptions to the rule requiring the connecting
article in such cases, are very numerous in Paul's
writings. Still its absence is certainly in favour of
seeking another construction, if such can be found.
Others connect the words iv f)7]fj.aTi with Kadapiaa'i,
and make them explanatory of the preceding clause,
' Having purified it by the washing of water, i. e.
having purified it by the word.' But this is certainly
unnatural, first because KaOaplaa^ has in tc5 XovrpM,
kt\., its limitation ; and secondly, because the phrase
"washing with water," needs no explanation. The third
method of explanation is to connect the words with
dytdarj, ' Christ cleansed his church, by the word, hav-
ing purified it with the washing of water.' The sense
is thus good. In John 17, 17, our Lord prays, " Sanc-
tify them by thy truth ; " and every where in Scripture
the word of God is represented as the great means of
sanctification. This interpretation is adopted by many

328 EPHESIANS,

of the best expositors, as Riickert, Meyer, and Winer.
The position of the words, however, is so decidedly in
favour of the first mentioned explanation, that it has
commanded the assent of the great body of inter-
preters.

V. 27. The ultimate end for which Christ gave
himself for the church, and for which he sanctifies it,
is to present it to liimself, i. e. to gain it for himself
as his peculiar possession. There are two questions
raised by commentators as to this verse. The first
concerns the nature of the metaphor here employed ;
and the second, the time contemplated in which Christ
is thus to present the church to himself. Some, al-
though very few, argue from the character of the
epithets, without sjyot and hlameless, here applied to
the church, that the figure is derived from law of
sacrifices. Christ is to present the church to himself
as an ofiering without defect. But 1. This is entirely
out of keeping with the whole context, which has refer-
ence to the conjugal relation, and is intended to illus-
trate the union between Christ and the church, by a
reference to that between the bridegroom and the
bride. 2. The comparison of the church to an ofiering
is not only out of keeping with the context, but with
the whole current of scriptural representation. Whereas
the comjDarison of it to a bride is apj^ropriate and
familiar. 3. The epithets in question, though often used
in reference to sacrifices, are not only appro23riate, but
are actually employed to express personal or cor^^oreal
beauty, which is here the sj-mbol of inward purity.

CHAP. V. VEE. 2Y. 329

A larger number of commentators take tlie ground
that the end contemplated in this verse is accomplished
in the present life. In other words, that the state of the
church here described is one attained in this world.
Of those who take this view, some, as the ancient Pela-
gians, interpret the passage as teaching that perfect
holiness is not only attainable, but is actually attained
by believers before death. Others do not understand
the passage as speaking of holiness, but of propitiation,
which is eftected once for all. In this view it is paral-
lel to Heb. 10, 10, where we are said to be " sanctified
by the offering of the body of Christ once for all ; "
and ver, 14, wdiere it is said, " By the one offering up
of himself he hath for ever perfected them that are
sanctified." Both of these passages in Hebrews evi-
dently refer to the perfection of Christ's sacrifice, and
they undoubtedly prove, what no one questions, that
the words aycd(^6Lv and KaOap'i^etv. here used, may ex-
press sacrificial purification or expiation. But this is
far from j)i'Oving that these words, and especially the
former, are to be so taken here. To sanctify is com-
monly, in Scripture language, to make spiritually holy,
and this sense is far better suited to the context than
any other meaning of the word. But if the design of
Christ's death as here expressed is to render his church
perfectly holy, then there can be no debate as to the time
when this end is to be accomplished. For even should it
be granted, that here and there one among the multitude
of believers does attain perfection in this life, of which
aeither Scripture nor experience affords any example,

330 EPHESIANS,

still tills cannot be affirmed of the wliole bodj of be-
lievers. The great majority of commentators, there-
fore, from Angustin down to the present time, under-
stand the apostle as stating what is to take place when
Chi'ist comes the second time to be admired in all them
that believe. It is then, when the dead are raised in
the likeness of the Son of God, and when those who
shall be alive shall be changed — when this corruption
shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall
have put on immortality — it is then that the church
shall be " as a bride prepared for her husband," Eev.
21, 2, and 19, 7-9.

"Iva Trapaarijar] depends upon what immediately
precedes : " having purified it that he might jpresent it^''
i. e. cause it to stand before or near him as a bride.
So the apostle writing to the Corinthians says, he had
" espoused them to one husband, irapQevov ayvi^v irapa-
arrjcrac rw XpicrTO), to present you as a chaste virgin
unto Christ.'''' Here the figure is somewhat different.
Christ presents the church to himself, ai^To? eauTM,- he
and no other, to himself. He does it. He gave him-
self for it. He sanctifies it. He, before the assembled
universe, places by his side the bride purchased w'ith
his blood. He presents it to himself a glorious church.
That is glorious which excites admiration. The church
is to be an object of admiration to all intelligent beings,
because of its freedom from all defect, and because of its

* The common Text reads kiitV instead of awrJs. The latter readins
on the authority of the MSS. ABDFG, has, since Griesbach, been almost
universally adopted.

CHAP. V. VS. 27. 28. 331

absolute perfection. It is to be conformed to the glori-
fied liumanitj of the Son of God, in the presence of
wbicli the disciples on the monnt became as dead men,
and from the clear manifestation of which, when Christ
comes the second time, the heavens and the earth are
to flee away. God has predestined his people to be
conformed to the image of his Son. And when he
shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him
as he is, 1 John 3, 2. The figure is preserved in the
description here given of the glory of the consummated
church. It is to be as a faultless bride ; perfect in
beauty and splendidly adorned. She is to be without
S])ot or wrinkle or any such thing, i. e. without any
thing to mar her beauty, free from every indication
of age, faultless and immortal. What is thus expressed
figuratively is expressed literally in the last clause of
the verse, that it should he holy avid without Maine,
ar^la kcli a/i&)/u,09. Compare 1, 4, where it is said God
hath chosen us, elvai a'yiov<i koX djuco/jLov;. It is, there-
fore, the original purpose of election formed before the
foundation of the world, that is to be fulfilled in this
consummation of the church.

Y. 28. So ought men to love their wives, as their own
bodies. This does not mean that men ought to love
their wives so as they love their own bodies ; as
though the particles so and as, ovrwi and m, stood
related to each other. OvTa)<;, so, at the beginning of
the verse, refers to the preceding representation. As
Christ loves the church and gave himself for it, and as
the church is his body, so, in like manner and agreeably

332 EPHESLors,

to the analogous relation between tliem, husbands
should love their wives as, i. e. as being, or because
they are, their own bodies. Christ loves his church
because it is his body. Husbands should love their
wives because they are their bodies. '/29, as, before
the latter member of the sentence is not comj)arative,
but argumentative. It does not indicate the measure
of the husband's love, as though the meaning were, he
should love his wife as much as he loves his own body.
But it indicates the nature of the relation which is the
ground of his love. He should love his wife, because
she is his body.

How is this to be understood ? In what sense does
the apostle say that the wife is the body of the hus-
band, or, in the following verse, that they are one
flesh? It is plain — 1. That this does not refer to any
material identification. When Adam said of Eve, " This
is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh," Gen. 2, 23,
reference was no doubt had to her being formed out
of his substance. But as these terms are used to ex-
press the relation of all wives to their husbands, they
must have some other meaning than sameness of sub-
stance. 2. It is also plain that these terms are not to
be understood in any sense inconsistent with the sepa-
rate subsistence of husband and wife as distinct
persons. The consciousness of the one is not the con-
sciousness of the other. 3. It is further plain that the
marriage relation is not essential to the completeness
or perfection of our nature, in all states of its existence.
It is to ceafe at the resurrection. In the future state

CHAP. V. VEE. 28. 333

men are to be, in this respect, like the angels of God,
neither marrying nor given in marriage. 4. On the
other hand the marriage union is not merely one of
interests and feeling. Husbands and wives are in such
a sense one, that the husband is the complement of the
wife and the wife of the husband. The marriage rela-
tion is necessary to the completeness of our nature and
to its full development in the present state. Some in-
deed, as Paul, may attain a higher degree of perfection
in celibacy than in marriage. But this arises from
some peculiarity of character or circumstances. There
are faculties and virtues, excellencies and feelings,
which are latent until develoj^ed in the conjugal rela-
tion. The Eomish doctrine, therefore, which degrades
marriage as a state less holy than celibacy, is contrary
to nature and the word of God. 5. Besides this oneness
between husband and wife arising from the original
constitution of their nature, rendering the one neces-
sary as the completion of the other, there is doubtless
a oneness of life involved in our Lord's declaration,
" They are no more twain, but one flesh," which no
one can understand.

Such being the nature of marriage, it follows : —
1. That it is a union for life between one man and one
woman ; and consequently that bigamy, polygamy,
and voluntary divorce are all inconsistent with its
nature. 2. That it must be entered into freely and
cordially by the parties, i. e. with the conviction that
the one is suited to the other, so that they may com-
plement each other, and become one in the scriptural

334 EPHESIANS,

sense of those words. All coercion on the part of
parents, therefore, is contrary to the nature of the
relation ; and all marriages of mere convenience are
oj)posed to the design of the institution. 3. The State
can neither make nor dissolve the marriage tie. It
ma-y enact laws regulating the mode in which it shall
be solemnized and authenticated, and determining its
civil effects. It may shield a wife from ill-usage from
her husband, as it may remove a child from the cus-
tody of an incompetent or cruel parent. When the
union is in fact dissolved by the operation of the divine
law, the State may ascertain and declare the fact, and
free the parties from the civil obligation of the con-
tract. But it is impossible that the State should have
authority to dissolve a union constituted by God, the
duties and continuance of which are determined by his
law. 4. According to the Scriptures, as interpreted
by Protestant churches, nothing but the death of one
of the parties, or adultery, or wilful desertion, can dis-
solve the marriage contract. When either of the last
mentioned causes of dissolution is judicially ascertained
and declared, the injured party is free to contract a
new marriage.

It is of vital importance to the best interests of
society that the true doctrine of marriage, as taught in
this passage and in other portions of God's word, should
be known and regarded. The highest social duty of a
husband is to love his wife ; and a duty which he can-
not neglect without entailing great injury on his own
soul as well as misery on his household. The greatest

CHAP. V. VEE. 28. 335

social crime, next to murder, wliich any one can com-
mit, is to seduce the affections of a wife from her hus-
band, or of a husband from his wife. And one of the
greatest evils which civil authorities can inflict on
society, is the dissolution of the marriage contract (so
tar as it is a civil contract, for further the civil author-
ity cannot go), on other tlian scriptural grounds. The
same remark may be made in reference to all laws
which tend to make those two whom God has pro-
nounced one, by giving to the wife the right to carry
on business, contract debts, hold property, sue and be
sued, in her own name. This is attempting to correct
one class of evils at the cost of incurring others a
hundred-fold greater. The word of God is the only
sure guide of legislative action as well as of individual
conduct.

If, as the Scriptures teach, husband and wife are
one, he that loveth his wife loveth himself, for she is
himself. Tliis is the language of God, originally re-
corded in Gen. 2, 24, and rejDeated by our Lord, Matt.
19, 4-6, who after citing the passage in Genesis, adds,
" Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh."
Calvin, in his comment on the passage in Matthew,
says. Hoc autem axioma sumit Christus, Ab initio
Deus marem adjunxit feminae, ut duo efficerent inte-
grum hominem. Ergo qui uxorem repudiat, quasi
dimidiam sui partem a seipso avellit. Hoc autem
minime patitur natura, ut corpus suum quispiam dis-
cerpat. Neither God by the mouth of Moses, nor our
I-ord says simply that husband and wife ought to be,

336 EPHESiAJsrs,

but that tliej are one. It is not a duty, but a fact
whicli they announce. So also it is a fact wliich the
apostle declares when he says, " He that loves his wife
loves himself."

Y. 29. Conjugal love, therefore, is as much a dic-
tate of nature as self-love ; and it is just as unnatural for
a man to hate his wife, as it would be for him to hate
himself, or his own body. A man may have a body
which does not altogether suit him. He may wish it
were handsomer, healthier, stronger, or more active.
Still it is his body, it is himself ; and he nourisheth it
and cherishes it as tenderly as though it were tlie best
and loveliest man ever had. So a man may have a
wife whom he could wish to be better, or more beauti-
ful, or more agreeable ; still she is his wife, and by the
constitution of nature and ordinance of God, a part of
himself. In neglecting or ill-using her he violates the
laws of nature as well as the law of God. It is thus
Paul presents the matter. If the husband and wife are
one flesh, the husband must love his wife, "^br no man
ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cher-
isheth it." 'JE/frpe^eti/ is properly to nourish wp, to
train up by nurture, as a parent a child ; comp. 6, 4.
©akireiv is, to warm^ to cherish as a mother does an
infant in her bosom. Both terms express tenderness
and solicitude, and therefore both are suited to express
the care with which every man provides for the wants
and comfort of his own body.

JKa^o)? «at, even as also, XpiaTb<; ttjv iKKXijalav,
Christ the church, i. e. Christ also nourishes and

CHAP. V. VS. 29. 3U. 337

cherislies tlie church as a man does his own body.
The relation between a man and his wife is analogous
to that between a man and his own body. And the
relation between Christ and his church is analogous
to that between a husband and his wife ; therefore
Christ nourishes and cherishes the church as man does
his own body.

Y. 30. This verse assigns the reason of the preced-
ing declaration. Christ acts towards his church as a
man does towards his body, for we are members of his
hody. This might mean simj)ly that we stand to him
in the same intimate and vital union, that a man's body
sustains to the man himself. But the meanino; is ren-
dered more definite by the words which follow, e« t?}?
aapKo^ avrov koI €k tmv ocnecov avrov ; * not members
of, but derived from, and partakers of, his flesh and his
hones. This is the signification of the words, whatever
their meaning may be. 'Ek expresses derivation and
participation. This is one of the most difiicult passages / 1^
in the Bible. The doctrine which it teaches is declared /
by the apostle, in a following verse, to be a great mys-
tery. Any explanation, therefore, which dispels that
mystery, and makes the doctrine taught perfectly in-
telligible, must be false. All that can properly be

* These words are omitted in MSS. AB 17, and in the Coptic and
Ethiopic versions, and are left out of the text by Lachmann and Tischen-
dorf. The other Uncial MSS., the Syriac version, the Fathers, are in their
favour. They are required by the context, and their omission is easily
accounted for. Even MiU and Griesbach retain them, as do all othei
editors, and the commentators almost without exception.

338 EPHE8IAN8,

attempted is to guard against false interpretations, and
leave the matter just where the apostle leaves it, aa
something to be believed and reverenced but not un-
derstood.

The lowest explanation of the passage before us is
that which departs entirely from the signification of the
words, and supposes that the apostle intended to teach
nothing at all as to the nature of our union with Christ,
but simply to aflirm the fact. Husbands and wives are
intimately united, and so are Christ and his church.
This is no explanation at all. It is simply saying that the
apostle meant nothing, or nothing specific, by what he
says. The Scriptures teach in general terms that Christ
and his people are one. When our Lord says they are
one as the vine and its branches are one, he teaches
something more than the mere fact of union between
himself and his people. So, too, when the apostle says
the union in question is analogous to that between
Adam and his posterity, he teaches not only the fact
but also one aspect of its nature. In like manner, when
he illustrates it by a reference to the conjugal relation,
and says that the point of analogy is that as Eve was
formed out of the flesh and bone of Adam, so we are
partakers of the flesh and bones of Christ, it is impos-
sible that nothing more should be meant than that we
are united to him.

A second interpretation takes the words figuratively,
and supposes the apostle meant that as Eve derived
her physical existence from Adam, so we derive our
spiritual existence from Christ. This interpretation

CHAP. V. VEK. 30. 339

has many advocates from Chiysostom downwards, but
it is liable to tlie same objection as the preceding. It
refuses to admit what the apostle asserts. He says not
merely that we derive our life from Christ, which is
true ; but also that we derive our life from his flesh,
and are partakers of it. This must mean something
more specific than simply that Christ is the author of
our life, and that he lives in us.*

A third view of the j^assage assumes that the refer-
ence is to the incarnation. We are partakers of the
flesh of Christ because we have the same human nature
which he assumed. In Heb. 2, 10, it is said, " Both
he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all
of one," i. e. of one nature ; and in ver. 14, " Foras-'
much then as the children were partakers of flesh and
blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same."
These and similar passages do indeed prove that One
of the essential elements of the union with Christ is this
community of nature. And it is also true that the
more specific union indicated in the text presupj)oses
and rests upon the fact of the incarnation. But the
incarnation cannot be what Paul here refers to. The
incarnation consists in the eternal Son of God taking

* Diese Form des Ausdrucks ist Eemmiscenz von Gen. 2, 23, wo Adam
die Eutstehung dor Eva aus seincm Gebeinen und aus seinem Fleische
ausspricht, wclcher Entstehung das genetische Verhaltniss der Christen za
Christo analog ist, naturlich nicht physich, sondern iin geistlichen, mi/?-
tischen Sinne, in so fern die chriMliche Dasein und Wesen der Christen,
aus Christo origlnirt, in Christo sein Principium essendi hat, vne physich^
Weise Eva aus Adam herriihrte. Meyek.

340 EPHESIAIfS,

to himself a true bodj and a reasonable soul ; but
the union here spoken of arises from our participa-
tion of Christ's body ; that is, of his flesli and of his
bones. It is not his taking our flesh and blood, but
our partaking of his, after he had assumed them, that
is here asserted. Besides, so far as the mere assump-
tion of human nature is concerned, it is a bond of union
between Christ and the whole human race ; whereas
the apostle is here speaking of a union with Christ
peculiar to his people.

Fourth ; Romanists, Lutherans, and the elder Cal-
vinists, as Calvin himself and Beza, seek a solution
of this passage in the Lord's Supper. As in that
ordinance we are said to partake of the bodj and blood
of Christ, it is assumed that the union here spoken of
is that which is thereby effected. AVe are " one flesh "
with him, because we partake of his flesh. This of
course is differently understood according to the dif-
ferent views entertained of that sacrament. Koman-
ists, believing that by the act of consecration the whole
substance of the bread is transmuted into the substance
of Christ's body, which is received by the communi-
cant, of course believe that in the most literal sense
of the words, we are flesh of his flesh. Lutherans,
although they believe that the bread remains bread
in the Eucharist after consecration, yet as they hold
that the true body of Christ is locally present in, with
and under the bread, and is received by the mouth,
come to the same conclusion as to the nature of the
union thereby effected. Partaking literally of Christ's

CHAP. V. VEK. 30. 341

flesh, Christians are literally of one flesh with him.
Calvin did not hold that Christ's body was locally
present in the Lord's Supper, nor that it was received
by the mouth, nor that it was received in any sense
by unbelievers. He did hold, however, that the sub-
stance of Christ's glorified body, as enthroned in
heaven, was in some miraculous way communicated to
believers together with the bread in that ordinance.
He, therefore, understands the apostle as here referring
to that fact, and asserting that we are members of Christ's
body because the substance of his body is in the Eucha-
rist communicated to us." There are two objections to
these interpretations : — 1. That, according to the com-

* Dicit nos esse ejus membra, ex carne et ossibus. Primum nou est hyper-
bolica loquutio, sed simplex ; deinde non tantum significat Cliristam esse
naturae nostrae participem, sed altius quiddam exprimere voluit, koI ificpa-
TiKdorepoy, Refert enim Mosis verba, Gen. 2, 24. Quis ergo exit sensua ?
quemadmodum Heva ex Adae mariti sui substantia formata est, ut esset
quasi pars illius ; ita nos ut simus vera Cliristi membra, substantiae ejus
communicatione nos coalescere in unum corpus. Denique eam uostri,
cum Christo unionem hie Paulas describit, cujus in sacra coena symbo-
lum et pignus nobis dattir . . . Paulus nos ex membris et ossibus Christi
esse testatur. Miramur ergo si corpus suum in coena fruendum nobis ex-
liibet, ut sit nobis vitae aeternae alimentum ? ita ostendimus nullam nos
iu coena repraesentationem docere, nisi cujus effectus et Veritas hie a
Paulo praedicatur. Calvin.

On the following verse, he says, Totum autem ex eo pendet quod uxor
ex came et ex ossibus viri formata est. Eadem ergo unionis ratio inter
nos et Christum, quod se quodammodo in nos transfundit. Neque enim
ossa sumus ex ossibus ejus, et caro ex carne, quia ipse nobiscum est homo ;
sed quia Spiritus sui virtute nos in corpus suum inserit, ut vitam ex eo
hauriamus.

342 EPIIESIAJVS

mon belief of the Reformed cliurclies, tlie Bible teaches
no such doctrine concerning the Lord's Snpper, as
either of tliese several views of the passage snpposes.
2. That there is not only no allusion to the Lord's Sup-
per in the whole context, but the terms here employed
are never used in Scripture when treating of that
ordinance. " Body and blood " are the sacramental
words always used, and never " flesh and bones."
The reference is to the creation of woman and to the
marriage relation, and not to the Eucharist.

Fifth ; The advocates of that philosophical form of
theology of which Schleiermacher was the founder,
understand the passage before us to teach that we are
partakers of the theanthropic life of Christ. The lead-
ing idea of that system, so far as the j)erson of Christ
is concerned, is the denial of all dualism. He has but
one life. That life is not human, and not divine, but
divine and human, or human made divine. Neither
is there any dualism as to soul and body. Tliese are
the same life under different manifestations. To par-
take of Christ, is to partake of his life. To partake
of his life, is to partake of his theanthropic nature.
To partake of his theanthropic nature, is to partake
of his human, as well as of his divine nature ; and to
partake of his human nature is to partake of his body
as well as of his soul and divinity. We partake of the
theanthropic nature of Christ, as we partake of the
corrupt human nature of Adam. The life of Adam is
the general life of his race, manifested in the indi-
viduals composing that race. The theanthropic life

CHAP. V. VEB. 30. 343

of Christ is the general life of the church, manifested
in its members. The church is the development of
Christ, as the human race is the development of Adam ;
or as the oak or forest is the development of an acorn.
As, therefore, we are said to be flesh of Adam's flesh
and bone of his bones, in the same sense and with the
same propriety, are we said to be flesh of Christ's flesh
and bone of his bones.* Tlie correctness of this ex-
planation depends on the correctness of the system
on which it is founded. As a theology, that system is
a revival of the Sabellian and Eutychian heresies ; and
as a philosophy, it is in the last resort pantheistic. It
makes the life of God and the life of man identical.
God lives only in his creatures.

Sixth ; We must content ourselves with briefly stat-
ing what the apostle afiirms, guarding against a per-
version of his language, and making some approxima-
tion to its meaning without pretending to dissipate
the mystery which he teaches us rests upon the subject.

* Olshausen, in his comment on this verse, says : Nicht die geistige
Gcburt ist es zunaclist, von der liier die Rede ist, die lelhlkhe Seite wird
hier und x. 31, zu atisdriicldich hervorgehoben ; es ist die Selbstmitthei-
lung seines gottlich-menschlichen Wesens, vrodurcb Christns uns zu seinem
Fleiscli und Bein macht, er giebt den Seinigen sein Fleisch zu essen, sein
Blut zu triuken. On the following verse he remarks : Wie wir zu v. 30,
sahen, dass die Gliiubigen von Christi Fleisch und Bein sind, well sie seiner
verklarten Leiblichkeit theilhaftig wurden ; so ist hier auch die cdpl fxia
mit Beziehung auf die Mittheilung des Fleisches und Blutes Christi an
seine Gliinbiger zu verstehen. Dies sein gottlich-menschliches Wesen theilt
der Erloser zwar auch im Glauben mit (John 6, 45) aber die intensiveste,
concentrirtcste Mittheilung desselben erfolgt im heiligen Abendmahl.

344 EPHKSIANS,

The text asserts — 1. That we are members of Christ &
body. 2. That we are partakers of his flesh and of his
bones, in such a sense that our relation to Christ is
analogous to Eve's relation to Adam.

The three general interpretations of the passage are,
First, That as Eve derived her physical life from Adam,
so we derive our spiritual life from Clirist. This says
too little, as it leaves out of view the specific affirma-
tion of the text. Second, That as Eve was formed out
of the substance of Adam's body, so we are partakers
of the substance of Christ's body. This is Calvin's
interpretation, which includes the views given by
Romanists, by Lutherans, and Transcendentalists. This
goes beyond the declaration of the text, and imposes a
meaning upon it inconsistent with the analogy of Scrip-
ture. The third interpretation takes a middle ground,
and understands the apostle to teach, that as Eve de-
rived her life from the hody of Adam, so we derive our
life from the hody of Christ, and as she was partaker
of Adam's life, so we are partakers of the life of Christ.
The doctrine taught, therefore, is not community of
substance between Christ and his people, but commu-
nity of life, and that the source of life to his people is
Christ's flesh.

In support of this interpretation it may be urged :
1. That it leaves the passage in its integrity. It nei-
ther explains it away, nor does it make it assert more
than the words necessarily imply. The doctrine taught
remains a great mystery, as the apostle declares it to
be. 2. It takes the terms employed in their ordinary

CHAP. V. VEE. 30. 345

and natural sense. To partake of one's flesh and blood,
does not, in ordinary life nor according to scriptural
usage, mean to partake of his. substance, but it does
mean to partake of bis life. The substance of which
the body of any adult is composed is derived exclu-
sively from his food and from the atmosphere. A few
years after the formation of Eve not a particle of
Adam's body entered into the composition of her
frame ; and yet she was then as truly as at the begin-
ning, bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh, because
derived from him and partaker of his life. For the
same reasons and in the same sense we are said to be
flesh of Adam's flesh and bone of his bones, although
in no sense partakers of the substance of his body. In
like manner nothing is more common than to speak
of the blood of a father flowing in the veins of his
descendants, and of their being his flesh. Tliis means,
and can only mean, that they are partakers of his life.
There is no community of substance possible in the
case. What life is no man knows. But we know that
it is not matter ; and, therefore, there may be com-
munity of life, where there is no community of sub-
stance. There is a form of life peculiar to nations,
tribes, families, and individuals ; and this peculiar type
is transmitted from generation to generation, modify-
ing the personal appearance, the physical constitution,
and the character of those who inherit it. When we
speak of the blood of the Hapsburghs, or of the Bour-
bons, it is this family type that is intended and nothing
material. The present Emperor of Austria derives his

346 EPHESIAITS,

peculiar type of pliysical life from the liead of his race,
but not one particle of the substance of his body.
Husband and wife are in Scripture declared to be one
flesh. But here again it is not identity of substance,
but community of life that is intended. As, therefore,
participation of one's flesh does not in other connec-
tions, mean participation of his substance, it cannot be
fairly understood in that sense when spoken of our
relation to Christ. And as in all analogous cases it
does express derivation or community of life, it must
be so understood here.

3. It is clearly taught in Scripture that the union
with Christ here described is essential to salvation.
It is also clearly taught in the word of God, and held
by all Protestants, though not by Romanists, that
believers under tlie Old Dispensation were fully saved.
Whatever, therefore, is the nature of tlie union with
Christ here taught, it must be such as is common to
believers who lived before and to those who live after
the advent of Christ. It is possible that the saints
under the Old Dispensation should have derived their
life from the body of Christ, as he was the Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world, but it is not possible
that they could be partakers of the substance of his
body, or of his glorified humanity. The passage before
us, therefore, cannot teach any such community of
substance.

4. The community of life with Christ and deriva-
tion of life from his flesh, which is the doctrine this
interpretation supposes the passage before us to teach,

CHAP. V. VS. 30. 31. 347

is a doctrine elsewhere tanglit in Scripture. We are
not only said to be saved by bis body, Rom. Y, 4 ; by
his blood, Eph. 2, 13 ; by his flesh, 2, 15 ; by the body
of his flesh. Col. 1, 22 ; but his flesh is said to be our
life, and participation of it is said to be the source of
eternal life, " Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of
Man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, hath
eternal life." John 6, 53. 54.

The union, therefore, between Christ and his people
is mysterious. It may be illustrated, but cannot be
fully explained. It is analogous to the union between
husband and wife, who are declared to be one flesh to
express their community of life ; and especially to the
union between Adam and Eve because she derived her
life from his flesh. As the relations are thus analogous,
what is said of the one may be said of the other. To
prove this, and to justify the use of the language which
he had employed, the apostle cites the language of Gocl
in Gren. 2, 24. Yer. 31. For this cause shall a man
leave his father and mother, and shall he joined xinto
his wife, and they two shall he one flesh. That is, be-
cause the relation between husband and wife is more
intimate than any other, even than that between
parents and children ; therefore a man shall consider
all other relations subordinate to that which he sus-
tains to his wife, with whom he is connected in the
bonds of a common life. As the Scripture speaks in
such terms of the conjugal relation, the apostle was
justified in using the same terms of the union between

348 EPHESIiLNS,

Christ and liis people. Tliey also are one flesh because
they have a common life, and because his peoj^le de-
rive their life from his flesh as Eve derived hers from
the flesh of Adam.

The principal difiiculty here relates to the connec-
tion. The passage stands tlms : ' We are members
of Christ's body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For
this cause a man shall leave his father and mother,
and be joined to his wife, and they two shall be one
flesh.' There is an apparent incongruity between the
premises and the conclusion. How does our being
members of Christ's body, j)rove that a man should
leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife ?
There are three methods of getting over this difficulty.
First, some assume that there is no connection between
the two verses, but that the 31st refers back to the 28th.
The sense would then be, ' A man should love his wife,
because she is his body. Foi' this cause, a man should
leave his father and cleave to his wife,' &c. This
method of solution is inconsistent both with what pre-
cedes and with what follows. It does not agree with
what ]3recedes, because the words, of his flesh, &c., in
ver. 30, referring to Christ, form part of the passage in
Genesis, the continuation of which is given in ver. 31.
If the one refers to Christ, the other must. It contra-
dicts what follows ; for in ver. 32, the main idea con-
tained in ver. 31 {they shall he one flesh), is expressly
said to be affirmed in reference to Christ and the
church.

The second method of explanation assumes an im-

CHAP. V. VEE. 31. 349

mediate connection between tlie two verses 30 and 31,
and understands the whole of the latter to refer to the
relation between Christ and his church. It then may
be explained either in reference to the present, or the
future. If to the present, the sense would be, ' We
are members of Christ's body, and, therefore^ he left
his Father and all dear to him in heaven that he might
be united to his people.' But how is it possible that
the words, " a man shall leave his father and mother,"
can mean Christ left God and heaven ? If the passage
be understood in reference to the future, the meaning
will be, ' "We are members of Christ's body, and there-
fore hereafter when he comes the second time, he will
leave his Father's throne, and take his church as his
bride.' * But this view not only does the same violence
to the meaning of the words, but is in direct contra-
diction to the whole context, Paul does not say that
hereafter the church shall be united to Christ as his
bride, but that his people are now members of his
body, flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bones.

The third explanation assumes that the first part
of the verse has no reference to Christ and the church,
and that the passage is quoted from Genesis solely for

* Deshalb, weil wir Glieder Christi, von seinem Fleisch und von seinem
Beinen sind, wird verlassen ein Mensch (d. i. Christus, bei der Parusie) sei-
nen Vater und seine Mutter (d. i. nach der mystischen Deutung Pauli :
er wird seinen Sitz zur Rechten Gottes verlassen) und vereiniget werden mit
seinem Weibe (mit der Gemeinde), und (und dann) iverden die Zwei (der
Mann und die Frau, d. i. der herabgestiegene Cliristus und die Gemeinde)
zu Einem Fleische sein (Eine ethische Person ausmachen). Meyer.

350 EPHESIA]SrS,

the sake of tlie last words, they shall he one flesh. The
meaning and the coiiMection then are, ' As Eve was
formed out of the body of Adam, and therefore, it
is said, a man shall leave his father and mother, and
be joined to his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
So, since we are members of Christ's body, therefore^
Christ and his church are one flesh.' This view is,
1. In entire accordance with the context. 2. It avoids
the forced and unnatural interpretations which are un-
avoidable if the former part of the 31st verse be under-
stood in reference to Christ. 3. It satisfies the demands
of the 32d verse, wliich asserts that the words one flesh
do refer to Christ and the churcli. And 4. It is in
accordance with the usage of the apostles in quoting
the language of the Old Testament. They often recite
a passage of Scripture as it stands in the Old Testa-
ment, for the sake of some one clause or expression in
it, without intending to apply to the case before them,
any other portion of the passage quoted. In Heb. 2,
13, the whole stress and argument rest on the single
word children / see also Gal. 3, 16. Very frequently
the particles indicating the grammatical or logical
connection of the passage in its position in the Old
Testament, are included in the quotation, although
entirely unsuited to the connection in which the pas-
sage is introduced. This is so frequently done as to be
almost the rule. It is, therefore, not an arbitrary pro-
ceeding to make the last words of this verse refer to
Christ, while the former part of it is made to refer to
the context of the passage as it stands in Genesis.

CHAP. V. VER. 32. 351

V. 32. To fjivcrr7]ptov roiiro jjLe'ya earlv, this mystery
is great. The word mystery does not refer to the pas-
sage in Gen. 2, 24, as though the apostle intended to
say that that passage had a mystical sense which he
had just unfolded by applying it to the relation be-
tween Christ and his church. It is the union between
Christ and his people, the fact that they are one fiesh,
he declares to be a great mystery. The word fjbvari]-
pLov is used here, as it is every where else, for some-
thing hidden, something beyond the reach of human
knowledge. Whether its being thus hidden arises
from its lying in the future, or because of being imper-
fectly revealed, or because it is in its own nature
incomprehensible, must be determined by the connec-
tion. In this place the last is probably the idea in-
tended. The thing itself is beyond our comprehension.
The Yulgate renders this passage, sacramentuin hoc
magnum est. The Latin word sacramentuin^ besides
its usual classical sense, ' a sacred deposit,' was often
used to signify any thing sacred, or which had a hidden
import. In this latter sense it agrees in meaning w^ith
the word /j,vaT7]pwu, which also is used to designate
something the meaning of which is hidden. Hence in
the Vulgate it is often translated as it is here. In the
Latin church the word sacramenfum, however, gra-
dually changed its meaning. Instead of being applied
to every thing having a sacred or secret meaning, it
was confined to those rites or acts which were assumed
to have the power of conferring grace. This is the
Romish idea of a sacrament. The Papal theologians

352 EPHESiAJsrs,

taking the word in this sense here, and understanding
the apostle to refer to marriage, quote this passage in
proof that matrimony is a sacrament. The answer to
this argument is obvious. In the first place, it is not
marriage, but the union between Christ and his church,
that Paul declares to be a /jivaTjjpiov, and the Yulgate
a sacramentum. And in the second place, neither the
Greek nor Latin term means a sacrament in the Rom-
ish sense of the word. The Yulgate translates 1 Tim.
3, 16, magnum est ])ietatis sacramentuTn^ which no
Romanist understands as teaching that the manifesta-
tion of God in the flesh is a sacrament in the ecclesias-
tical meaning of the term.

V. 33. The relation of this verse to what precedes,
as indicated by ttXt/V, admits of two explanations.
That j)article is used at the beginning of a clause, after
an interruption, to introduce the resumption of the
main subject. It may be so here. The principal
object of the whole paragraph from v. 21, is to unfold
the true nature of the conjugal relation and its duties.
With this was connected an exposition of the analogous
relation between Christ and the church. This latter
point in verses 30. 31, is the only one brought into
view. Here the apostle reverts to the main subject.
But^ to resume my subject, let every one of you injpar-
tioular so love his wife even as himself This explana-
tion is the one commonly adopted. HXrjv, however,
may mean, nevertheless^ as it is rendered in our ver-
sion, and this verse be connected with the 32d. ' The
relation between Christ and the church is a great

CHAP. V. VEE. 33. 353

mystery ; nevertheless, do you also love your wives.'
That is, although there is something in the relation
between Christ and the church which infinitely tran-
scends the conjugal relation, nevertheless there is suffi-
cient analogy between the cases, to render it obligatory
on husbands to love their wives as Christ loves his
church. This view of the connection is to be preferred,
especially because of the words koX v/u.el'i, you also,
which evidently suppose the reference is to what
immediately precedes.

'Tyu,e?9 ol Kud' eva, you severally, eKuaTO^^ rrjv eav
Tov yvvacKa outo)? ajairaTOi co? kavrov, let each one SO
love Ms wife as himself. The construction varies ; the
verb a'yaTrdrcii being made to agree with eKaaTo<;, in-
stead of v/xet'i the real subject. The meaning is the
same as in ver. 28. The husband is to love his wife
as being himself. In the next clause {^ Se yuvt] Xva
^oj3rjraL tov avSpa), rj 8e jvv^ is the nominative abso-
lute, and iva depends on a verb understood. J5ut as to
the woman, let her see, that she reverence her husband.
The word (po/Sio) may express the emotion of fear in
all its modifications and in all its degrees from simple
respect, through reverence, up to adoration, according
to its object. It is, however, in all its degrees an
acknowledgment of superiority. The sentiments, there-
fore, which lie at the foundation of the marriage rela-
tion, which arise out of the constitution of nature,
which are required by the command of God, and are
essential to the happiness and well-being of the par-

354 EPHESIANS,

ties, are, on tlie part of tlie Imsband, that form of love
which leads him to cherish and protect his wife as
being himself, and on the part of the woman, that
sense of his superiority out of which trust and obe-
dience involuntarily flow.

CHAPTER VI.

RELATIVE DUTIES OF PARENTS AND CHILDEEN AND OF MASTERS AND SER-
VANTS, VS. 1-9. EXHORTATIONS AND DIRECTIONS AS TO THE SPIRITUAL

CONFLICT, VS. 10-20. CONCLUSION, VS. 21-24.

SECTION I.— Vs. 1-9.

1. Children, obey your parents in the Lord : for this is right.

2. Honour thy father and mother, (which is the first command-

3. ment with promise,) that it may be well with thee, and thou

4. mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not
your children to wrath : but bring them up in the nurture and

5. admonition of the Lord. Servants, be obedient to them that
are yo%ir masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling,

6. in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ ; not with eye-ser-
vice, as men-pleasers ; but as the servants of Christ, doing the

7. will of God from the heart ; with good will doing service, os

8. to the Lord, and not to men: knowing that whatsoever good
thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord,

9. whether he he bond or free. And, ye masters, do the same
things unto them, forbearing threatening : knowing that your
Master also is in heaven ; neither is there respect of persons
with him.

356 EPHESIAN8,

ANALYSIS.

Children should obey their parents. This obedience
should be in the Lord, determined and regulated by a
regard to Christ, v. 1. The ground of the obligation
is — 1. It is itself right. 2. It is enforced by an ex-
press command in the decalogue, to which a special
promise is annexed, vs. 1-3.

Parents should do nothing to cherish evil feelings
in the minds of their children, but bring them up in
the discipline of Christianity, vs. 4, 5.

Servants should be obedient to their masters. This
obedience should be rendered — 1, "With solicitude. 2.
with singleness of mind. 3. As part of their obedience
to Christ, V. 6. Therefore, not only when observed by
men or from the desire to please men, but as serving
Christ and desiring to please him ; rendering their ser-
vices with readiness as to the Lord and not to men ; be-
cause they know that at his bar all men, whether bond
or free, shall be treated according to their works, vs. 6-8.

Masters are to act on the same principles of regard
to the authority of Christ, and of their responsibility to
him in their conduct towards their slaves, avoiding all
harshness, because master and slave have a common
Master in heaven ; with whom there is no respect of
persons, v. 8.

COMMENTAET.

V^. 1. Children^ obey your parents. The nature or
character of this obedience, is expressed by the words,

CHAP. VI. VEK. 2. 357

in tha Lord. It should be religions ; arising out of the
conviction that such obedience is the will of the Lord.
This makes it a higher service than if rendered from
fear or from mere natural affection. It secures its
being promj)t, cordial and universal. Tliat Kvpco'i here
refers to Christ is plain from the whole context. In the
preceding chapter, v. 21, we have the general exhorta-
tion under which this special direction to children is
included, and the obedience there required is to be ren-
dered in the fear of Christ. In the following verses
also Kvpcos constantly has this reference, and therefore
must have it here. The ground of the obligation to filial
obedience is expressed in the words, for this is right.
It is not because of the jjersonal character of the parent,
nor because of his kindness, nor on the ground of ex-
pediency, but because it is right / an obligation arising
out of the nature of the relation between parents and
children, and which must exist wherever the relation
itself exists.

Y. 2. This consideration is enforced by a reference
to the express command of God. The duty is so im-
portant as to be included in that brief summary of the
moral law given by God on Mount Sinai. It was en-
graven by the finger of God on the tables of stone,
Honour thy father and thy mother. Any flagrant
breach of this command was, according to the Mosaic
law, punished with death. To honour is to reverence ;
and, therefore, the command has reference to the inward
feeling as well as to the outward conduct. This pre-
cept is said to be Trpcorr]. iv eTrayjeXia. This may mean,

358 EPHESIANS,

it is tlie first commandment in the decalogue wMcli has
a specific promise attached ; for the promise connected
with the second commandment does not relate to the
observance of that particular precej)t, but to keeping
God's covenant. Or it may mean that it is the first
commandment of the second table of the law, and has
a promise annexed ; or, irpcoTT] may be taken here as in
Mark 12, 28. 30, in the sense of chief, i. e. the first in
importance. The sense would then be, 'Honour thy
father and mother ; this is the prime commandment,
the first in importance among those relating to oui*
social duties ; and it has the specific promise annexed.
It shall be well with thee on the earth.' This view of
the passage is on the whole to be preferred. It is not
likely that Paul would call this " the first command-
ment with promise," when it is in fact the only com-
mand in the decalogue which has any sj)ecific promise
annexed to it. And to say that it is the first in order
of arrangement in the second table of the law, not only
adds nothing to its importance, but supposes the aj)ostle
to refer to a distinction between the two tables of the
decalogue, not elsewhere recognized in Scripture.

The promise itself has a theocratical form in the Old
Testament. That is, it has specific reference to pros-
perity and length of days in the land which God had
given to his people as their inheritance. The apostle
generalizes it by leaving out the concluding words, and
makes it a promise not confined to one land or people,
but to obedient children every where. If it be asked
whether obedient children are in fact thus distinguished

CHAP. VI. VEE. 4. 359

by long life and prosperity ? Tlie answer is, that this,
like all other such promises, is a revelation of a general
purpose of God, and makes known what will be the
usual course of his providence. That some obedient
children are unfortunate and short lived, is no more
inconsistent with this promise, than that some diligent
men are poor, is inconsistent with the declaration, ' The
hand of the diligent maketli rich.' Diligence, as a
general rule, does secure riches ; and obedient children,
as a general rule, are prosperous and happy. The gen-
eral promise is fulfilled to individuals, just so far " as it
shall serve for God's glory, and their own good."

V. 4. Tlie duty of parents, who are here represented
by the father, is stated in a negative and positive form.
And ye fathers^ jorovoke not your children to torath.
This is what they are not to do. They are not to excite
the bad passions of their children by severity, injustice,
pai'tiality, or unreasonable exercise of authority. A
parent had better sow tares in a field from which he
expects to derive food for himself and family, than by
his own ill conduct nurture evil in the heart of his child.
The positive part of parental duty is expressed in the
comprehensive direction, aW eKrpicpeTe avra ev 'jraiSeia
Kal vovOecrla Kvpiov, i. e. educate them, bring them up,
developing all their powers hy {ev instrumental) the in-
struction and admonition of the Lord. IlaiSeia is a
comprehensive word ; it means the training or education
of a child, including the whole process of instruction
and discipline. Novdeala, from vovdeTeco {vov<i, ridriixi.)
to jput in mind, is included under the more general

360 EPHESIAIifS,

term, and is correctly rendered admonition. It is the
act of reminding one of liis faults or duties. Children
are not to be allowed to grow up without care or con-
trol. They are to be instructed, disciplined, and ad-
monished, so that they be brought to knowledge, self-
control, and obedience. This whole process of educa-
tion is to be religious, and not only religious, but
Christian. It is the mirtitre and admonition of the
Lord^ which is the appointed and the only effectual
means of attaining the end of education. Where this
means is neglected or any other substituted in its place,
the result must be disastrous failure. The moral and
religious element of our nature is just as essential and
as universal as the intellectual. Religion therefore is
as necessary to the development of the mind as knowl-
edge. And as Christianity is the only true religion,
and God in Christ the only true God, the only possible
means of profitable education is the nurture and ad-
monition of the Lord. That is, the whole process of
instruction and discipline must be that which he pre-
scribes, and which he administers, so that his authority
should be brought into constant and immediate contact
with the mind, heart and conscience of the child. It
will not do for the parent to present himself as the ulti-
mate end, the source of knowledge and possessor of
authority to determine truth and duty. This would be
to give his child a mere human development. Nor
will it do for him to urge and communicate every thing
on the abstract ground of reason ; for that would be to
merge his child in nature. It is only by making God,

CHAP. VI. VER. 5. 361

God in Christ, the teacher and ruler, on whose authority
every thing is to be believed and in obedience to whose
will every thing is to be done, that the ends of educa-
tion can possibly be attained. It is infinite folly in
men to assume to be wiser than God, or to attempt to
accomplish an end by other means than those which he
has appointed.

Y. 5. The five following verses treat of the relative
duties of masters and servants. AovXos and Kvpco'i are
here relative terms, although in Greek the antithetical
term to SovXo^ is commonly SeaTrorr)^, as in 1 Tim. 6, 1 ;
Titus 2, 9 ; compare also 1 Pet. 2, 18. Aov\o<i, from
Seat, to M7id, means a bondman, or slave, as distinguished
from a hired servant, who was called /iiia-6co<; or /xlctOco-
709. That such is its meaning here is plain not only
from the common usage of the word, but also from the
antithesis between BovXo'i and iXeuOepo^, hond andjree,
in V. 8. Kvpio'i mQans 2^ossessor, owner ^ master. It im-
plies the relation which a man may bear both to persons
and things. The nature of that relation, or the kind
and degree of authority involved in it, however, is not
determined by the word, but in each case by the con-
text. It is evident both from the meaning of the terms
here used, and from the known historical fact that
slavery prevailed throughout the Eoman empire during
the apostolic age, that this and other passages of the
New Testament refer to that institution. It is dealt
with precisely as despotism in the State is dealt with.
It is neither enjoined nor forbidden. It is simply
assumed to be lawful, so that a Christian may consist-

362 EPHESIANS,

ently be an autocrat in tlie State, or a master of slaves.
In this view the scriptural doctrine on this subject, dif-
fers on the one hand, from the doctrine that slave-hold-
ing is in itself sinful, on the ground that one man
cannot lawfully possess or exercise the rights and au-
thority over his fellow-men, which are involved in the
relation of a master to his slaves. This of necessity
leads to setting up a rule of faith and practice higher
than the Scriptures, and "^hus tends to destroy their
authority. It leads to uncharitable feelings and to un-
righteous judgments, as well as to unwarrantable
measures for abating the evil. On the other hand, the
scriptural doctrine is op^^osed to the opinion that slavery
is in itself a desirable institution, and as such to be
cherished and perpetuated. This leads to results no
less deplorable than the other error. As slavery is
founded on the inferiority of one class of society to
another, the opinion that it ought to be cherished
naturally leads to the adoption of means to increase or
to perpetuate that inferiority, by preventing the im-
provement of the subject class. It presents also a
strong temptation to deny the common brotherhood of
men, and to regard the enslaved as belonging to an
inferior race. The great mistake of those who adopt the
former error, is — 1. That they assume the right of pro-
perty in the master to extend to more than the services
of the slave. The only right of property possible in the
case is a right to use the slave as a man possessing the
Bame nature with his master, and may, by the law of
God and the constitution of things, be properly used.

CHAP. VI. VER. 5. 363

And 2. The confounding slave-laws with slavery, which
is as unreasonable as to confound despotism as a form
of civil government, with the laws of any particular
despotic state. Those laws may be good or bad. Their
being bad, as they too often are, does not prove either
in the case of despotism or slavery that the institution
itself is contrary to the divine law. The mistake of
those who hold the other extreme opinion on this sub-
ject, so far as the Bible is concerned, is that what the
Scriptures tolerate as lawful under given circumstances,
may be cherished and rendered perpetual. Tliis is as
unreasonable, as to maintain that children should, if
possible, always remain minors.

The Bible method of dealing with this and similar
institutions is to enforce, on all concerned, the great
principles of moral obligation — assured that those prin-
ciples, if allowed free scope, will put an end to all evils
both in the political and social relations of men. The
apostle, therefore, without either denouncing or com
mending slavery, simply inculcates on master and
slave their appropriate duty. On the slave he enjoins
the duty of obedience. In the expression, masters, ac-
cording to the flesh, there is evidently an implied refer-
ence to a higher authority. It limits the authority of
the master to what is external ; the soul being left free.
The slave has two masters ; the one Kara adpKa, the
other Kara irvev/xa. Tlie one, man ; the other, Christ.
The directions here given relate to their duty to the
former. As to the nature of the obedience required,
the apostle teaches — 1. Tliatit should be rendered fxera

364: EPHESIAJSrS,

<f>6^ov Kol rpofiov, with fear and tfeinbling^ i, e. with
conscientious solicitude. That nothing servile is in-
tended by these terms is plain from the context, and
from a comparison with other passages in which the
same expression is used. It is not the fear of man, but
the reverential fear of God of which the apostle speaks,
as what follows clearly proves. In 1 Cor. 2, 3, Paul
tells the Corinthians that he came among them " with
fear and trembling ; " and in 2 Cor. 7, 15, he speaks of
their having received Titus, " with fear and trembling ; "
and in Phil. 2, 12, he exhorts believers to work out
their salvation "with fear and trembling." In all of
these cases solicitude to do what is right is all the
terms imply.

2. This obedience is to be rendered eV airkoTqTt rr}^
KupBlas, with simplicity of heart, i. e. with singleness
of mind — meaning just what we appear to mean. It
is opposed to hypocrisy, false pretence, deceit and cun-
ning. Compare Kom. 12, 8 ; 2 Cor. 8, 2 ; 9, 11. The
word aTrXoT?;? signifies singleness, from a7rA.6o?, onefold,
as opposed to ZnrXoo'^, twofold, or, double. The thing
enjoined is, therefore, the opposite of double-minded-
ness. 3. This obedience is to be rendered w? to5 Xpi-
arrw, as to Christ. Slaves were to regard their obe-
dience to their masters as part of their obedience to
Christ. This would give it the character of a religious
service, because the motive is regard to divine authority,
and its object is a divine person. It tlms ceases to be
servile, and becomes consistent with the highest mental
elevation and spiritual freedom.

CHAP. VI. VS. 6, 7. 365

Y. 6. The apostle explains in the two following
verses what he means by simplicity of heart, or sincere
obedience. It is not eye-service. That is, such service
us is rendered only when the eye of the master sees
what is done ; as thongh the only object were to please
men. Servants are required to act as the SovXot rov
Xptarov, the slaves of Christ, whose eyes are every
where ; and, therefore, if their desire is to please him,
they must be as faithful in their master's absence as in
his presence. IIoiovvre<; to ^iXrjfia rov Oeov, doing the
will of God. This is descriptive of the servants of
Christ, in opposition to men-pleasers. They act from a
regard to the will of God, and from a desire to please
him, — eK n/ry;;^?}?, ex animo, from the soul. Sometimes
'^vx>'] means the seat of the desires and affections, and
then agrees in sense with KapSla. Sometimes the two
are distinguished, as in Mark 12, 30, " with all the heart
{KapSla,) and with all the soul {^v'xrj).''^ Here the sense
is, that the principle of obedience is nothing external,
but is within. It is an obedience which springs from
the soul — the whole inner man. These words are com-
monly and most naturally connected with the preceding
clause ; ' doing the will of the Lord from the soul.' By
many commentators and editors they are connected
with what follows, ' from the soul, with good will, doing
service.' This gives Sov\euovT^<; two nearly equivalent
qualifying clauses, and leaves the preceding participle
TTOLovvTe^ without any.

Y. 7. Tlie whole character of the obedience of the
slave is summed up in this verse, hovkevovTe<i, &>? tc3 Kvpi(p

366 EPHESIAI^S,

KoX ovK dvdpcoTTot'i, doing service, to the Lord and not to
men. This, as the Scriptures teach, is not peculiar to
the obedience of the slave to his master, but applies to
all other cases in which obedience is required from one
man to another. It applies to children in relation to
their parents, wives to husbands, people to magistrates.
Those invested with lawful authority are the representa-
tives of God. The powers (i. e. those invested with
authority) are ordained by God ; and therefore all
obedience rendered to them out of regard to his will,
is obedience to Him. And as obedience to God is
rendered to one infinitely true and good, it is even
more elevating than obedience to truth and goodness.
Foreign as all this is to the proud and rebellious heart
of man, which spurns all superiority and authority,
it is daily illustrated by the cheerful and patient sub-
mission of the people of God even to the capricious
and unreasonable exercise of the authority of those to
whom God has j)laced them in subjection. It is to be
remarked that the apostle presents this principle not
merely in a religious, but a Christian form. We are
required to do service, as to the Lord, and not to men.
It is to Christ, God manifested in the flesh ; to him,
who being in the form of God, thought it no robbery to
be equal with God, but humbled himself, taking on him
the condition of a slave, /xop(f)i]v SovXov \a^u>v ; it is to
this infinitely exalted and infinitely condescending
Saviour, who came not to be served, but to serve, that
the obedience of every Christian, whether servant,
child, wife, or subject, is really and consciously ren-

CHAP. VI. VS. 8, 9. 367

dered. Thus the most galling yoke is made easy, and
the heaviest bm'den light.

The words /^er' evvoLa<i qnalify hovXevovTe'^, loith a
willing mind doing service. This stands opposed to the
sullenness and inward indignation with which a service
extorted by fear of punishment is often rendered. No
service rendered to Christ can be of that character. It
is rendered with alacrity and cheerfulness.

Y. 8. This verse presents for the encouragement of
the slave, the elevating truth that all men stand on. a
level before the bar of Christ. In him and before
him, there is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free,
male nor female, but so far as these external distinctions
are concerned, all are alike. Tlie apostle, therefore,
says to slaves, render this cheerful obedience, €lS6Te<i
hnowing, i. e. because ye know, that whatsoever good
thing any 7nan doeth^ the same shall he receive of the
Lord, whether he he hond or free. In this world some
men are masters and some are slaves. In the next,
these distinctions will cease. There the question will
be, not. Who is the master ? and. Who the slave ? but
who has done the will of God ? In this clause 6 idv n
is for 6,TC idv, as it is in Col. 3, 23, idv being for civ.
Kofii^o/iiat, is to receive for one self, to receive back as a
recompense. 2 Cor. 5, 10. At the bar of Christ and
from his hands every man shall receive according to
his works, whether bond or free.

Y. 9. Having enjoined on slaves their peculiar
duties, the apostle turns to masters. Kal ol Kvpiot, and
ye masters. The force of /cat here is — ' Not slaves only

368 EPHESIANS,

have tlieir duties ; you masters have your peculiar ob-
ligations.' The duty of masters is expressed by the
comprehensive words, ra avra TroLetre Trpo? avrou?, do
the same things towards them. Tliis does not refer ex-
clusively to fi€T evvoia'i in tbe preceding clause, as
though the sense were, 'As slaves are to obey with
kind feeling, so masters are to rule in the same temper.'
The reference is more general. Masters are to act
towards their slaves with the same regard to the will
of God, with the same recognition of the authority of
Christ, with the same sincerity and good feeling which
had been enjoined on the slaves themselves. Masters
and slaves are men and brethren, the same great prin-
ciples of moral and religious obligation govern both
classes. In the j)arallel passage. Col. 4, 1, the expres-
sion is, 01 Kvpioi, TO hiKaLov, Kol rrjv la6rr}Ta rot? hovXoL^
'Trape')(e(T6e^ ye Tnasters^ give unto your servants that
which is just and equal. Tliat is, act towards them on
the principles of justice and equity. Justice requires
that all their rights, as men, as husbands, and as parents
should be regarded. And these rights are not to be
determined by the civil law, but by the law of God.
" As the laws," says Calvin, " gave great license to
masters, many assumed that every thing was lawful
which the civil statute allowed ; and such was their
severity that the Roman emperors were obliged to
restrain their tyranny. But although no edicts of
princes interposed in behalf of the slave, God concedes
nothirg to the master beyond what the law of love
allows." Paul requires for slaves not only what is

CHAP. TI. VEK. 9. 360

strictly just, but tt)^ tcroTT^ra. Wliat is that? Literally,
it is equality. This is not only its signification, but its
meaning. Slaves are to be treated by their masters on
the principles of equality. Not that they are to be
equal with their masters in authority, or station, or cir-
cumstances ; but they are to be treated as having, as
men, as husbands, and as parents, equal rights with their
masters. It is just as great a sin to deprive a slave of
the just recompense for his labour, or to keep him in
ignorance, or to take from him his wife or child, as it is to
act thus towards a free man. This is the equality which
the law of God demands, and on this principle the final
judgment is to be administered. Christ will punish
the master for defrauding the slave as severely as he
will punish the slave for robbing his master. The same
penalty will be inflicted for the violation of the con-
jugal or parental rights of the one as of the other.
For, as the apostle adds, there is no respect of persons
with him. At his bar the question will be, ' What was
done ? ' not ' Who did it ? ' Paul carries this so far as
to apply the principle not only to the acts, but to the
temper of masters. They are not only to act towards
their slaves on the principles of justice and equity, but
are to avoid threatening J^ This includes all manifesta-
tions of contempt and ill-temper, or undue severity.
All this is enforced by the consideration that masters

* Minarum enim et omnis atrocitatis hoc initium est, quod servos dom-
ini, quasi sua tantum causa nates, nihilo pluris faciunt quam pecudes.
Ergo sub una specie vetat ne contumeliose et atrociter tracteiitur. — Calvin.

370 EPHESIAJSfS,

have a master in heaven to whom they are responsible
for their treatment of their slaves. The common text
has here the reading koX vjjlwv avrwv 6 Kvpio^ — your
master. Lackman, Riickert, Harless, Meyer and others
adopt the reading avrcop koI v/hmv, of them and of you^
i. e. your common master as in heaven.

It is thus that the Holy Spirit deals with slavery.
Slaves are not commanded to refuse to be slaves, to
break their bonds and repudiate the authority of their
masters. They are required to obey with alacrity and
with a sincere desire to do their duty to their masters,
as part of their duty to Christ. Masters are not com-
manded as an immediate and imperative duty to eman-
cipate their slaves, but to treat them according to the
princij^les of justice and equity. It is not to be ex-
pected that men of the world will act in conformity
with the Grospel in this, any more than in other respects.
But believers will. And the result of such obedience
if it could become general would be, that first the evils
of slavery, and then slavery itself, would pass away as
naturally and as healthfully as children cease to be
minors.

SECTION -11.— Ys. 10-24.

10. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power

11. of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may

12. be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we
wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the nilers of the darkness of this

18. world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore
take unto vou the whole armour of God, that ye may be able

CHAP. VI. 3Y1

to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand,

14. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and

15. having on the breast-plate of righteousness ; and your feet shod

16. with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking
the shield of faith, Avherewith ye shall be able to quench aU

17. the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salva-
tion, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God :

18. praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,
and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication

19. for all saints; and for me, that utterance may be given unto
me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known tho

20. mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds :

21. that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. But that
ye also may know my alfairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a be-
loved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make

22. known to you aU things : whom I have sent unto you for the
same purpose, that ye might know our alfairs, and that he

23. might comfort your hearts. Peace he to the brethren, and love
with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

24. Grace te with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sin-
cerity. Amen.

ANALYSIS-

Directions in reference to tlie spiritual conflict.
As siicli a conflict is inevitable, the believer should —
1. Muster strength for the struggle. 2. He should seek
that strength from Christ. 3. Since his enemies are
not human but superhuman, Satan and all the powers
of darkness, the believer needs not only more than
human strength, but also divine armour. He should,
therefore, take the panoply of God, that he may be
able to stand in the evil day. That panoply consists —

8T2 EPHESIANS,

1. In the knowledge and reception of tlie trutli. 2. In
the righteousness of Christ. 3. In the alacrity which
flows from the peace of the Gospel. 4. In the con-
sciousness of salvation. 5. In faith. 6. In the word
of God, which is the sword of the Spirit.

To obtain strength to use this armour aright, and to
secure victory for ourselves and for the army of which
we are a part, we should pray. These prayers should
be — 1. Of all kinds. 2. On every occasion. 3. Impor-
tunate and persevering. 4. By the aid of the Holy
Spirit. 5. For all saints.

Believing in the efficacy of such prayers, the apos-
tle begs the Ephesian believers to pray for him, that
God would enable him to preach the Gospel in a suit-
able mamier.

To relieve their anxiety he had sent Tychicus to
inform them of his circumstances and of his health.

He invokes the Father and Son to bestow upon the
brethren the blessings of divine peace and love united
with faith ; and imj)lores the special favour of God for
all who love the Lord Jesus Christ with a love that
cannot die.

COMMENTAET.

Y. 10. Though the redemption purchased by Christ,
as described in this epistle, is so complete and so free,
yet between the beginning and the consummation of
the work there is a protracted conflict. This is not a
figure of speech. It is something real and arduous.
Salvation, however gratuitous, is not to be obtained

CHAP. VI, VER. 10. 373

without great effort. The Christian conflict is not only
real, it is difficult and dangerous. It is one in which
true believers are often grievously wounded ; and mul-
titudes of reputed believers entirely succumb. It is one
also in Avhich great mistakes are often committed and
serious loss incurred from ignorance of its nature, and
of the appropriate means for carrying it on. Men are
apt to regard it as a mere moral conflict between rea-
son and conscience on the one side, and evil passions
on the other. They therefore rely on their own strength,
and upon the resources of nature for success. Against
these mistakes the apostle wariis his readers. He
teaches that every thing pertaining to it is super-
natural. The source of strength is not in nature. The
conflict is not between the good and bad principles of
our nature. He shows that we belong to a spiritual,
as well as to a natural world, and are engaged in a
combat in which the higher powers of the universe are
involved ; and that this conflict, on the issue of which
our salvation depends, is not to be carried on with
straws picked up by the wayside. As we have super-
human enemies to contend with, we need not only
superhuman strength, but divine armour and arms.
The weapons of our warfare are not natural, but divine.
Finally, my hrethren, he strong in the Lord, to Xol-
TTOV, aSeXcfiol, fxov, ivSvua/jiovcrOe iv Kvpiai. He con-
cludes his epistle so full of elevated views, and so rich
in disclosures of the mysteries of redemption, with
directions as to the struggle necessary to secure salva-
tion. His first exhortation is to muster strength for

374 EPHESIANS,

the inevitable conflict, and to seek that strength from
the right source. We are to he strong in the Lord.
As a branch separated from the vine, or as a limb
severed from the body, so is a Christian separated from
Christ. He, therefore, who rushes into this conflict
without thinking of Christ, without putting his trust
in him, and without continually looking to him for
strength and regarding himself as a member of his
body, deriving all life and vigour from him, is de-
mented. He knows not what he is doing. He has
not strength even to reach the field. "With him the
whole conflict is a sham. The words koX iv ra> Kparei,
tt}? ia-)(yo<; avTov mean, in the vigour derived from his
strength. The vigour of a man's arm is derived from
the strength of his body. It is only as members of
Christ's body that we have either life or power. It is
not we that live, but Christ that livetli in us ; and the
strength which we have is not our own but his. When
we are Aveak, then are we strong. When most empty
of self, we are most full of God.

Y. 11. The second direction has reference to the
arms requisite for the successful conduct of this con-
flict ; ivSvaaaOe rrjv iravoifK.iav rov Oeov, ^ut on the
whole armour of God. UavoirXla^ jpanojply^ includes
both the defensive and offensive armour of the soldier.
The believer has not only to defend himself, but also
to attack his spiritual enemies ; and the latter is as
necessary to his safety as the former. It will not do
for him to act only on the defensive, he must endea-
vour to subdue as well as to resist. How this is to be

CHAP. VI. VEK. 11. 375

done, the following portion of the chapter teaches.
The armour of God, means that armonr which God
has provided and which he gives. We are thus tauglit
from the outset, that as the strength which we need is
not from ourselves, so neitlier are the means of offence
or defence. I^or are they means of man's devising.
This is a truth which has been overlooked in all ages
of the church, to the lamentable injury of the people
of God. Instead of relying on the arms which God
has provided, men have always been disposed to trust
to those which they provide for themselves or which
have been prescribed by others. Seclusion from the
world (i. e. flight rather than conflict), ascetic and
ritual observances, invocation of saints and angels, and
especially, celibacy, voluntary poverty, and monastic
obedience, constitute the panoply which false religion
has substituted for the armour of God. Of this fatal
mistake, manifested from the beginning, the apostle
treats at length in his Epistle to the Colossians, 2, 18-23.
He there exliorts his hearers, not to allow any one,
puffed up with carnal wisdom, and neglecting Christ,
the only source of life and strength, to despoil them
of their reward, through false humility and the worship
of angels, commanding not to touch, or taste, or handle
this or that, which methods of overcoming evil have
indeed the appearance of wisdom, in humility, will-
worship, and neglect of the body, but not the reality,
and only serve to satisfy the flesh. They increase the
evil which they are professedly designed to overcome.
A- more accurate description could not be given histori

376 EPHESIANS,

cally, tlican is here given proplieticallj, of tlie means
substitnted by carnal wisdom for the armonr of God.
Calling on saints and angels, humilitj in the sense of
self-degradation, or submitting onr will to hnman au-
thority, neglecting the body, or ascetic observances,
abstaining from things lawful, uncommanded rites and
ordinances, observing months and days — these are the
arms with which the church in her apostasy has ar-
rayed her children for this warfare. These are by
name enumerated and condemned by the apostle, who
directs us to clothe ourselves with the panoply of God,
which he proceeds to describe in detail.

IIpb<i TO hvvaaOat v[xa<i arrival irpo'i ra? fiedoBeia^
Tov Sia^oXov. This divine armour is necessary to en-
able us to stand against the wiles of the devil. If our
adversary was a man, and possessed nothing beyond
human strength, ingenuity, and cunning, we might
defend ourselves by human means. But as we have
to contend with Satan, we need the armour of God.
One part of the Bible of course supposes every other
part to be true. " If it is not true that there is such a
being as Satan, or that he possesses great j)0wer and
intelligence, or that he has access to the minds of men
and exerts his power for their destruction ; if all this is
obsolete, then there is no real necessity for supernatural
power or for supernatural means of defence. If Satan
and Satanic influence are fables or figures, then all the
rest of the representations concerning this spiritual
conflict is empty metaphor. But if one part of this
representation is literally true, the other has a corre-

CHAP, VI. VS. 11. 12. 3T7

sponding depth and reality of meaning. If Satan is
really the prince of the powers of darkness, ruler and
god of this world ; if he is the author of physical and
mora) evil ; the great enemy of God, of Christ and of
his people, full of cunning and malice ; if he is con-
stantly seeking whom- he may destroy, seducing men
into sin, blinding their minds and suggesting evil and
sceptical thoughts ; if all this is true, then to be ignor-
ant of it, or to deny it, or to enter on this conflict as
though it were merely a struggle between the good
and bad principles in our own hearts, is to rush blind-
fold to destruction.

Y. 12, This is the point on which the apostle most
earnestly insists. He would awaken his readers to a
due sense of the power of the adversaries with whom
they are to contend. He lifts the vail and discloses to
them the spiritual world ; the hosts of the kingdom
of darkness. We have to stand against the wiles of
the devil, oti ovk eanv rjfiiv rj ttoXt] 7rpo9 alpia Kol
adpKa, deeaiise our conjUct is not with flesh and Mood,
i. e, with men. The word Trakr] means a wrestling.
The apostle either changes the figure immediately, or
he uses the word here in a more general sense. The
latter is the more probable. " Flesh and blood " does
not here or any where else, mean our corrupt nature,
as flesh by itself so often means ; but men. So in Gal.
1, 16, " I conferred not with flesh and blood," means,
' I did not consult with man.' The apostle after his
conversion sought no instruction or counsel from man ;
all his knowledge of the Gospel was received by im-
mediate revelation.

378 EPHESIAITS,

Our conflict is not witli man, h^it against princi-
palities, against powers, against the rulers of the dark-
ness of this world.) against spiritual wickedness in high
places. The signification of the terms here used, the
context, and the analogy of Scripture, render it certain
that the reference is to evil spirits. They are called in
Scripture haiixovia^ demons, who are declared to be
fallen angels, 2 Pet. 2, 4; Jude 6, and are now subject
to Satan their prince. They are called ap^al, princes,
tliose who are first or high in rank ; and i^ovalat, poten-
tates, those invested with authority. These terms have
probably reference to the relation of the spirits among
themselves. The designation KoafioKpa.Tope'i, rulers of
the world, expresses the power or authority which they
exercise over the world. The ko(t\io<^, i. e. mankind,
is subject to them ; com23. 2 Cor. 4, 4 ; John IG, 11.
.The word is properly used only of those rulers whose
dominion was universal. And in this sense the Jews
called the angel of death Koa/jLOKparayp. In the follow-
ing clause ToO crK6Tov<i rov al(ovo<i rovrov, of the darh-
ness of this world / the words rod alwvo^, on the
authority of the best manuscripts, are generally omit-
ted. The sense is substantially the same whichever
reading be adopted. These evil spirits are the rulers
of this darkness. The meaning either is, that they
reign over the existing state of ignorance and aliena-
tion from God ; i. e. the world in its apostasy is sub-
ject to their control ; or this darkness is equivalent to
kingdom of darkness. Rulers of the kingdom of dark-
ness, which includes in it, according to the scriptural

CHAP. VI. VEB. 12. 379

doctrine, tlie world as distingiiislied from tlie true peo-
ple of God. The word o-koto^ is used elsewhere, the
abstract for the concrete, for those in darkness, i. e. for
those who belong to, or constitute the kingdom of
darkness, Luke 22, 53 ; Col. 1, 13. Our conflict, there-
fore, is with the potentates who are rulers of the king-
dom of darkness as it now is.

They are further called ra 'jrvev/xaTiKa tt}? irovr^pla'^,
sjyiritual wickedness^ as the phrase is rendered in our
version. But tliis cannot be its meaning ; it is not
wickedness in the abstract, but wicked spirits, the
context and the force of the words themselves show to
be intended. Beza and others understand the words
as equivalent to irvev^aTLKoX irovriplai, sjpiritiial wicked-
nesses. Tliis would give a good sense. As these spirits
are called ap^ai and i^ovcriai, so they may be called
irovrjpiai. But to. irvevfxarLKa rrj^ irovTjpia'i cannot be
resolved into TrvevfxarLKal Trovrjpiai. Ta Trvev/jLaTLKO, is
equivalent to ra Trvevfiara, as in so many other cases
the neuter adjective in the singular or plural is used
substantively, as to linnKov, the ca/valry j ra al-^^^^.d-
\ooTa, the captivity, i. e. captives. Spirits of wicked-
ness then means wicked s^pirits. The beings whom the
apostle in the preceding clauses describes as principali-
ties, powers, and rulers, he here calls wicked spirits,
to express their character and nature.

The principal difficulty in this verse concerns the
words ev Tot? eTTovpavioi^. A very large class of com-
mentators, ancient and modern, connect them Math the
beginning of the verse, and translate, "our conflict is

380 EPHESIANS,

for heavenly things ; " heaven is the prize for which
we contend. There are two objections to this inter-
pretation, which are generally considered decisive,
althongh the sense is good and appropriate. The one
is, that iv roi? eTrovpavloL'i always in this Epistle means
heaven / and the other is that iv does not mean for.
The connection is with the preceding clanse. These
wicked spirits are said to be in heaven. But what
does that mean ? Many say that heaven here means
our atmosphere, which is assumed to be the dwelling-
place of evil spirits ; see 2, 2. But to, iTvovpavia is
not elsewhere in this Epistle used for the atmospheric
heavens ; neither do the Scriptures give any counte-
nance to the popular opinion of the ancient world,
that the air is the region of spirits ; nor does this idea
harmonize with the context. It is no exaltation of the
power of these spirits to refer to them as dwelling in
_oui^gjiiiiisp]ierei_.yrhe whole context, however, shows
that the design of the apostle is to present the formida-
ble character of our adversaries in the most impressive
point of view. Others suppose that Paul means to
refer to the former, and not to the present residence
of these exalted beings. They are fallen angels, who
once dwelt in heaven. But this is obviously incon-
sistent with the natural meaning of his words. He
speaks of them as in heaven. It is better to take the
word heaven in a wide sense. It is very often used
antithetically to the word earth. ' Heaven and earth,'
include the whole universe. Those who do not belong
to the earth belong to heaven All intelligent beings

CHAP. VI. VS. 12. 13. 381

are terrestrial or celestial. Of tlie latter class some are
good and some are bad, as of the angels some are holy
and some unholj. These principalities and potentates,
these rulers and spirits of wickedness, are not earthly
magnates, they belong to the order of celestial intelli-
gences, and therefore are the more to be dreaded, and
something more than human strength and earthly
armour is required for the conflict to which the apostle
refers. This indicates the connection with the follow-
ing verse. '

Y. 13. Wherefore, i. e. because you have such
formidable enemies, and because the conflict is inevi-
table, avaXd^ere rrjv •KavoifXlav rov Oeov, not only
arm yourselves, but take the jpanojply of God ', no other
is adequate to the emergency. "Iva SvvTjOijre dvTiaTrj-
vai iv rfi rifiepa rfj Trovrjpa, in order that ye may l)e able
to withstand, i. e. successfully to resist, in the evil day.
The evil day is the day of trial. Ps. 41, 2, " The Lord
will deliver him in the time of ti'ouble ; " or as it is in
the Sept. ev ^fiepa Trovrjpa ; and Ps. 49, 5, " Wherefore
should I fear in the days of evil ; " Sept. iv rjfiepa ito-
vqpa. Tlie day here referred to is the definite day when
the enemies previously mentioned shall make their
assault. This however is not to be understood with
special, much less with exclusive, reference to the last
great conflict with the powers of darkness which is to
take place before the second advent. The whole ex-
hortation has reference to the present duty of believers.
They are at once to assume their armour, and be
always prepared for the attacks of their formidable
enemies.

382 EPHESIANS,

Kal aTvavra KarepjaadfievoL arfjvai, and having
done all to stand. This is understood by many to refer
to tlie preparation for conflict. Having made every
preparation, stand ready for the assault. But that idea
is included in the former part of the verse. Others take
Karepyd^eaOac in the sense of dehella/re, vincere j having
overcome all ojDposition, or concpiered all, stand. The
ordinary sense of the word includes that idea. ' Plav-
ing done all that pertains to the combat, to stand ; '
i. e. That you may be able, after tlie conflict is over,
to maintain your ground as victors.

Y. 14. With the flowing garments of the East, the
first thing to be done in preparing for any active work,
was to gird the loins. The apostle therefore says,
arrJTe ovv Trepi^wadjuLevot rrjv 6a(^vv v/u.(bv ev dXrjOela,
stand therefore having your loins girt about with truth.
By truth, here is not to be understood divine truth as
objectively revealed, i. e. the word of God ; for that is
mentioned in the following verse as the sword. JSTor
does it mean sincerity of mind, for that is a natural
virtue, and does not belong to the armour of God ;
which according to the context consists of supernatural
gifts and graces. But it means truth subjectively con-
sidered ; that is, the knowledge and belief of the truth.
This is the first and indispensable qualification for a
Christian soldier. To enter on this spiritual conflict
ignorant or doubting, would be to enter battle blind
and lame. As the girdle gives strength and freedom
of action, and therefore confidence, so does the truth
when spiritually apprehended and believed. Let not

CHAP. VI. VER. 14. 383

any one imagine that lie is prepared to withstand the
assaults of the powers of darkness, if his mind is stored
with his own theories or with the speculations of other
men. Nothing but the truth of God clearly understood
and cordially embraced will enable him to keep his
feet for a moment, before these celestial potentates.
Keason, tradition, speculative conviction, dead ortho-
doxy, are a girdle of spider-webs. They give way at
the first onset. Truth alone, as -abiding in the mind
in the form of divine knowledge, can give strength or
confidence even in the ordinary conflicts of the Chris-
tian life, nmch more in any really " evil day."

Kal ivSvadfievoi, rbv ^copaKa t?}? ScKaioavvr)^, and hav-
ing jput on the hreast-^late of righteousness. Tlie ^(iopa^
was the " armour covering the body from the neck to
the thighs, consisting of two parts, one covering the
front and the other the back." A warrior without his
'^copa^ was naked, exposed to every thrust of his
enemy, and even to every casual dart. In such a
state flight or death is inevitable. What is that
righteousness, which in the spiritual armour answers
to the cuirass ? Many say it is our own righteousness,
integrity, or rectitude of mind. But this is no j^rotec-
tion. It cannot resist the accusations of conscience,
the whispers of despondency, the power of temptation,
much less the severity of the law, or the assaults of
Satan. "What Paul desired for himself was not to have
on his own righteousness, but the righteousness which
is of God by faith ; Phil. 3, 8. 9. And this, doubtless,
is the righteousness which he here urges believers to

384 EPHESIAKS,

put on as a breast-plate. It is an infinitely pei'fect
righteousness, consisting in the obedience and suffer-
ings of the Sou of God, wliicli satisfies all the demands^
of tlie divine law and justice ; and wbicli is a sure
defence against all assaults whether from within or
from without. As in no case in this connection does
the apostle refer to any merely moral virtue as consti-
tuting the armour of the Christian, so neither does he
here. This is the less probable, inasmuch as righteous-
ness in the subjective sense, is included in the idea
expressed by the word truth in the preceding clause.
It is the spirit of the context which determines the
meaning to be put on the terms here used. For al-
though righteousness is used so frequently by the apos-
tle for the righteousness of God by faith, yet in itself
it may of course express personal rectitude or justice.
In Is. 59, 17, Jehovah is described as putting " on
righteousness as a breast-plate, and a helmet of salva-
tion on his head ; " as in Is. 11, 5, it is said of the
Messiah, " righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins,
and faithfulness the girdle of his reins."

Y. 15. In ancient warfare which was in a large
measure carried on by hand-to-hand combats, swift-
ness of foot was one of the most important qualifica-
tions for a good soldier. To this the apostle refers
when he exhorts his readers to have their feet shod,
ev eTOLfiaaia tov evayyeXiou Trj<i €lprjvr]<;, with the pre-
jparation of the gospel of j^eace. According to one
explanation evajyeXiov is the genitive of apposition,
and the Gospel is the erccfiaa-la with which the Chi-is-

CHAP. VI, VS. 15. 16. 385

tian is to be snod. Then the idea is either that the
Gospel is something firm on which we can rest with
confidence ; or it is something that gives alacrity, adding
as it were wings to the feet. Others take evayyeXiov as
the genitive of the object, and eroi/uLaa-ia for readiness
or alacrity. The sense would then be, ' Your feet shod
with alacrity for the Gospel,' i. e. for its defence or
propagation. The simplest interpretation and that best
suited to the context, is that euayjeXlov is the genitive
of the source, and the sense is, ' Your feet shod with the
alacrity which the Gospel of peace gives.' As the
Gospel secures our peace with God, and gives the
assurance of his favour, it produces tli§rJT7yfni-ala«rity
of mind which is essential to success in the spiritual
conflict. All doubt tends to weakness, and despair is
death.

Y. 16. ^EttI iraaiv, in addition to all ; not above
all as of greatest importance. Besides the portions
of armour already mentioned, they were to take rov
^vpebv T^9 7rt<7Te&)9, the shield of faith. ©vpe6<i, liter-
ally, a door, and then a large oblong shield, like a door.
Being four feet long by two and a half broad, it com-
pletely covered the body, and was essential to the
safety of the combatant. Hence the appropriateness
of the apostle's metaphor. Such a protection, and thus
essential, is faith. The more various the uses of a shield,
the more suitable is the illustration. Tlie faith here
intended is that by which we are justified, and recon-
ciled to God tlirough the blood of Christ. It is that
faith of which Christ is the object; which receives him

386 EPiJESIANS,

as the Son of God and tlie Saviour of men. It is the
faitli whicli is the substance of things hoped for and
the evidence of things not seen ; which at once ajDpre-
liends or discerns, and receives the things of the Spirit.
It overcomes the world, as is proved by so many ex-
amples in the twelfth chapter of the Epistle to the
Hebrews. Faith being in itself so mighty, and having
from the beginning proved itself so efficacious, the
apostle adds, ev o5 hwi^aeade iruvra ra ^iXt] rod irovq-
pov TO, 7re7rvpa)/j,eva a/SiaaL, whereby ye shall he able to
quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. The obvious
allusion here is to those missiles employed in ancient
warfare, around which combustible materials were
bound, which were ignited and projected against the
enemy. Keference to these fiery darts is made in Ps.
7, 13, " He will make his arrows burning arrows ; "
see Alexander on the Psalms. These darts are said to
be rod irovripov, not of the wicked, as the words are
translated in the English Yersion, but of the eml one^
i. e. of the devil. Comp. Matt. 13, 19. 38. In the
latter passage 6 irovqpo'i is explained in ver. 39, 6 htd-
^oXo^. See also 1 John 2, 13 ; 3, 12 ; 5, 18, and other
passages. As burning arrows not only pierced but set
on fire what they pierced, they were doubly danger-
ous. They serve here therefore as the symbol of the
fierce onsets of Satan. He showers arrows of fire on
the soul of the believer ; who, if unprotected by the
shield of faith, would soon perish. It is a common
experience of the people of God that at times horrible
thoughts, unholy, blasphemous, skeptical, malignant,

CHAP. VI. VS. 16. 17. 387

crowd upon tlie mind, wliicli cannot be accounted for
on any ordinary law of mental action, and wliicli can-
not be dislodged. They stick like burning arrows ;
and fill tlie soul with agony. They can be quenched
only by faith ; by calling on Christ for help. These,
however, are not the only kind of fiery darts ; nor are
they the most dangerous. There are others which
enkindle passion, inflame ambition, excite cupidity,
pride, discontent, or vanity ; producing a flame which
our deceitful heart is not so prompt to extinguish, and
which is often allowed to burn until it produces great
injury and even destruction. Against these most dan-
gerous weapons of the evil one, the only protection is
faith. It is only by looking to Christ and earnestly
invoking his interposition in our behalf that we can
resist these insidious assaults, which inflame evil with-
out the warning of pain. Tlie reference of the passage,
however, is not to be confined to any particular forms
of temptation. Tlie allusion is general to all those
attacks of Satan, by which the peace and safety of the
believer ai'e specially endangered.

Y. 17. The most ornamental part of ancient armour,
and scarcely less important than the breast-plate or the
shield, was the helmet. The Christian, therefore, is
exhorted to take T^y irepiKecjidXalav rod awiriplov, the
helmet of salvation. According to the analogy of the
preceding expressions, " the breast-plate of righteous-
ness," and " shield of faith," salvation is itself the
helmet. That which adorns and protects the Christian,
which enables him to hold up his head with confidence

388 EPETESIAJSrS,

and joy, is the fact that he is saved. He is one of the
redeemed, translated from the kingdom of darkness
into the kingdom of God's dear Son. If still under
condemnation, if still estranged from God, a foreigner
and alien, without God and without Christ, he could
have no courage to enter into this conflict. It is be-
cause he is a fellow-citizen of the saints, a child of God,
a partaker of the salvation of the Gos]Del, that he can
face even the most potent enemies with confidence,
knowing that he shall be brought oif more than con-
queror through him that loved him ; Eom. 8, 37. When
in 1 Thess. 5, 8, the apostle speaks of the hope of sal-
vation as the Christian's helmet, he presents the same
idea in a different form. The latter passage does not
authorize us to understand, in this place, " helmet of
salvation" as a figurative designation of hojpe. The
two passages though alike are not identical. In the
one salvation is said to be our helmet, in the other,
hope ; just as in one place " faith and love" are said
to be our breast-plate, and in another, righteousness.

The armour hitherto mentioned is defensive. The
only offensive weapon of the Christian is " the sword of
the Spirit." Here toO irvevixaTO'i cannot be the genitive
of apposition. The Sj)irit is not the sword ; this would
be incongruous, as the sword is something which the
soldier wields, but the Christian cannot thus control
the Spirit. Besides, the explanation immediately fol-
lows, wTiicK is the word of God. " The sword of the
Spirit " means the sword which the Spirit gives. By
the prjixa Qeov is not to be understood the divine pre-

CHAP. VI. VS. 17. 18. 389

cepts, nor the tftreatenings of God against his enemies.
There is nothing to limit the exj^ression. It is that
which God has spoken, his word, the Bible. This is
sharjDer than any two-edged sword. It is the wisdom
of God and the power of God. It has a self-evidencing
light. It commends itself to the reason and conscience.
It has the power not only of truth, but of divine truth.
Our Lord promised to give to his disciples a word and
wisdom which all their adversaries should not be able
to gainsay or resist. In opposition to all error, to all
false philosophy, to all false principles of morals, to all
the sophistries of vice, to all the suggestions of the
devil, the sole, simple, and sufficient answer is the
word of God. This puts to flight all the powers of
darkness. The Christian finds this to be true in his
individual experience. It dissipates his doubts ; it
drives away his fears ; it delivers him from the power
of Satan. It is also the experience of the church col-
lective. All her triumphs over sin and error have been
efiected by the word of God. So long as she uses this
and relies on it alone, she goes on conquering ; but
when any thing else, be it reason, science, tradition, or
the commandments of men, is allowed to take its place
or to share its office, then the church, or the Christian,
is at the mercy of the adversary. Hoc signo vinces — •
the apostle may be understood to say to every believer
and to the whole church.

Y. 18. It is not armour or weapons which make
the warrior. There must be courage and strength ;
and even then lie often needs help. As the Christian

390 EPHESIAJSrS,

has no resources of strength in himself, and can sue
ceed onlj as aided from above, the apostle urges the
duty of prayer. The believer is — 1. To avail himself
of all kinds of prayer. 2. He is to pray on every suit-
able occasion. 3. He is to pray in the Spirit. 4. Ht
is to be alert and persevering in the discharge of this
duty. 5. He is to pray for all the saints ; and the
Ephesians were urged by the apostle to pray for him.
The connection of this verse is with o-Trjre ovv of
ver. 14. " Stand, therefore, with all prayer and sup-
plication, praying on every occasion, in the Spirit,"
A La 7rd(n]<; 7r/309eu^r5? Kal Sej^creco?, may be connected
with the following participle Trpo^ievxpfievoi, as has been
done by our translators, who render the passage,
" praying with all prayer and supplication." But this
renders the passage tautological. Others take this
clause by itself, and understand Bed as expressing the
condition or circumstances. ' Stand, therefore, with all
prayer, j)raying at all times,' &c. As to the difference
between irpo^ievx^ and SerjaL^;, jprayer and sujpplication^
some say that the former has for its object the attain-
ing of good ; the latter, the avoidance of evil or deliver-
ance from it. The usage of the words does not sustain
that view. The more common opinion is that the dis-
tinction is twofold ; first, that irpo'ievxn is addressed
only to God, whereas Se7]crL<i may be addressed to men ;
and secondly, that the former includes all address to
God, while the latter is limited to petition. The ex-
pression all prayer, means all kinds of prayer, oral and
mental, ejaculatory and formal. The prayers which

CHAP. VI. VER. 18. 391

Paul woiild have the Christian warrior use, are not
merely those of the closet and of stated seasons, but
also those habitual and occasional aspirations, and out-
goings of the heart after God, which a constant sense
of his nearness and a constant sense of our necessity
must produce.

Not only must all kinds of prayer be used, but
believers should j)ray iv iravrl Katpw, on every occasion y
on every emergency. This constancy in prayer is
commanded by our Lord, Luke 18, 1, " Men ought
always to pray and not to faint." In 1 Thess. 5, 17,
the apostle exhorts believers to " pray without ceas-
ing." It is obvious, therefore, that prayer includes all
converse with God, and is the expression of all our
feelings and desires which terminate in him. In
the scriptural sense of the term, therefore, it is pos-
sible that a man should pray almost literally without
ceasing.

The third direction is, to pray h Trvevixan. This
does not mean inwardly^ or, with the heart / non voce
tantum, sed et animo, as Grotius explains it ; but it
means under the influence of the Spirit, and with his
assistance, whose gracious ofiice it is to teach us how
to pray, and to make intercessions for us with groanings
that caimot be uttered ; Eom. 8, 26. The fourth direc-
tion has reference to alertness and perseverance in
prayer ; eU avro tovto a'ypvTrvovvre^, watching unto
this very thing. This very thing is that of which he
had been speaking, viz. praying in the Spirit. It was
in reference to that duty they were to be wakeful and

392 EPKESIA2JS,

vigilant, not allowing themselves to become weary or
negligent. 'JEv irdarj 7rpo<;KapTep^(T€t koI Beijaet irepl
irdvTcov Toiv djlodv^ with all ^perseverance cmd sujppUca-
tion for all saints. "Perseverance and supplication"
amounts to persevering or importunate supplication.
In Rom. 12, 12, the expression is, rfj 7rposev')(fj irpo'i-
KapTepovvre<;, continuing instant in grayer. This per-
severing supplication is to be offered for all the saints.
The conflict of which the apostle has been s]3eaking is
not merely a single combat between the individual
Christian and Satan, but also a war between the people
of God and the powers of darkness. Ko soldier enter-
ing battle prays for himself alone, but for all his fellow-
soldiers also. They form one army, and the success of
one is the success of all. In like manner Christians
are united as one army, and therefore have a common
cause ; and each must pray for all. Such is the com-
munion of saints, as set forth in this Epistle and in other
parts of Scripture, that they can no more fail to take
this interest in each other's welfare, than the hand
can fail to sympathize with the foot.

Y. 19. The importance which the apostle attributed
to intercessory prayer and his faith in its efficacy are
evident from the frequency with which he enjoins the
duty, and from the earnestness with which he solicits
such prayers in his own behalf. "What the apostle
wishes the Ephesians to pray for, was not any temporal
blessing, not even his deliverance from bonds, that he
might be at liberty more freely to preach the Gospel,
but that God would enable him to preach with the

CHAP. VI. VER. 19. 393

freedom and boldness with wliicli lie ouglit to preach ;
im [Jioi 8o6f] \6yo^ iv avoi^ei rov arofxaTO'i fjuov iv 'Trap-
prjaia, jvcopla-at, ktX. Onr translators have para-
phrased this clause thus, that utterance mmj 1)6 given
me^ that 1 may open my mouth holdly to make known, &c.
The literal translation is, that utterance inay he given
me in opening my mouth, with holdness to make
known, &c. What Paul desired was divine assistance
in preaching. He begs his reader to pray ha fjuoi, BoOfj
Xoyoii, that the power of speech, or freedom of utter-
ance, might he given to him, when he opened his mouth.
Paul sajs, 2 Cor. 11, 6, that he was 18c(ott]<; tm Xoyw,
rude in speech. The word \6yo<i itself has at times
the metonymical sense here given to it, and therefore
ev dvoL^et rov ajoiiaro^ is most naturally taken without
emphasis as equivalent to, when I open my mouth,
i. e. when called upon to speak. Calvin and many
others lay the principal stress on those words, and make
with opening of the mouth equivalent to with open
mouth, pleno ore et intrepida lingua, as Calvin ex-
presses it. Os opertum cupit, quod erumpet in liqui-
dam et firmam confessionem. Ore enim semiclauso
proferuntur ambigua et perplexa responsa. This, how-
ever, is to anticipate what is expressed by iv irapprjata
yvcoplaai. Others connect both iv dvoi^ei rov (nofxaro^
and iv Trappijaia with yvcopiaac, ' to make known with
the opening of the mouth, with boldness the mys-
tery,' &c. This is the construction which our trans-
lators seemed to have assumed. But this is very
unnatural, from the position of the words and relation

394 EPHESIANS,

of the clauses. Uapprja-La {irav f)r]cn<;), the speaking out
all, frees^ohenness. Here the dative with iv may be
taken adverbially, freely, loldUj ; keeping nothing
back, but making an open, undisguised declaration of
the Gospel. This includes, however, the idea of frank-
ness and boldness of spirit, of which this unrestrained
declaration of the truth is the expression. MvaTTJptov
Tov evayyeXiov, mijstery of the Gospel; the Gospel
itself is the mystery, or divine revelation. It is that
system of truth which had been kept secret with God,
but which is now revealed unto our glory ; 1 Cor.

V. 20. 'Tirep ov, for the sake of which Gospel,
irpea^evutv iv aXvaei elpui, lam an amhassador in honds.
An ambassador is one through whom a sovereign
speaks. " "We are ambassadors for Christ, as though
God did beseech you by us : we i^ray you in Christ's
stead be ye reconciled with God ; " 2 Cor. 5, 20. The
apostles, as sent by Christ with authority to speak in
his name, and to negotiate with men, proposing the
terms of reconciliation and urging their acceptance,
were in an eminent sense his ambassadors. As all
ministers are sent by Christ and are commissioned by
him to propose the terms of salvation, they too are
entitled to the same honourable designation. Paul was
an ambassador in bonds, and yet he did not lose his
courage but preached with as much boldness as ever.

"Iva iv avra> irappr^aidawixat, that therein I ma/y
speak holdly. This may be taken as depending on Xva
Sodf] of ver, 19. The sense would then be, ' That

CHAP. VI. VS. 20. 21. 395

utterance may be given ^o me — that I may speak
boldly.' But tlie preceding ev Trapprjaia jvwpia-ai de-
pends on tva Sodfj. The two clanses are ratber parallel.
Paul desired that tbe Epbesiaus should pray, 'That
utterance should be given him — that is, that he might
preach boldly ;' co? Set /xe XaXrjaaL, as I ought to speak.
It becomes the man who is an ambassador of God, to
speak with boldness, assured of the truth and import-
ance of the message which he has to deliver. That
even Paul should solicit the prayers of Christians that
he might be able to preach the Gospel aright, shows
the sense he had at once of the difficulty and of the
importance of the work.

Y. 21. In conclusion the apostle informs the Ephe-
sians that he had sent Tychicus to them to relieve their
anxiety concerning him ; iva Se elSyjTe koI u/xet?, hiit
that ye also may hnow^ i. e. you as well as other Chris-
tian friends who had manifested solicitude about me
in my bonds ; ra Kar ifie, the things which concern me^
i. e. my circumstances ; ri Trpdaa-co, not what J do, for
that they knew already ; but how I do. His health
as well as his situation was a matter of anxiety to his
friends. Tychicus shall mahe all Tcnown to you j 6 dja-
TTT^TO? dBe\(j)o<; koX iriaTo^ SidKovo<; ev Kvpiw ; this admits
of a twofold interpretation. It may mean that Tychi-
cus was Paul's SidKovos, servant as well as his brother.
This view is commended, though not adopted by Cal-
vin, and is advocated by many of the best commen-
tators, on the ground that it is most natural that the
two words a8eX^o9 and SidKovo-i should have the same

396 EPHESIANS,

reference, " my beloved brother and faitliful servant ;''
and that in so many other places Paul speaks oJ' those
who attended him and in various forms served him.
The words ev Kupio), according to this view, belong
equally to both words. He w^as a brother as well as a
servant in the Lord, i. e. a Christian brother and ser-
vant. It is more common, however, to understand the
apostle as commending Tychicus as a faithful minister
of the Grospel. In Col. 4, Y, he is called a fellow-
servant, which favours the assumption that he was a
fellow-labourer in the ministry. He is mentioned in
Acts 20, 4 ; 2 Tim. 4, 12 ; Tit. 3, 12. 'None of these
passages, however, throws any light on his relation
to the apostle further than that he was one of his
attendants. As, however, in the next verse Paul says
he had sent him not only that they might know his
affairs, but also, irapaKaXecrr) ra? /capSla^ v/mcov, that he
might >.omfort your hearts / the probability is altoge-
ther in favour of his being a minister of Christ, who
could Cfjmmunicate to the Ej^hesians not only the con-
solation of favourable intelligence concerning Paul,
but the higher consolations of the Gospel.

Y. 23. Elp/jvf] rots aS6X(f)oU, peace he to the brethren.
Tliis is the usual form of salutation or benediction. It
is not concord, but all the fruits of %a/3i9 or favour of
God. Kal ajdirr} fiera TricrTeM?, this does not mean
love together with faith, as though two distinct bless-
ings were intended ; but rather love united with faith.
Faith they had ; Paul's prayer was that love might be
connected with it. The love intended must be bro-

CHAP. VI. VER. 24. 39Y

therly love. These blessings are souglit utto ©eov
Trarpo'i koI Kvpiov ^Irjaov Xpiarov, from God the Fa-
ther and the Lord Jesus Christ. The Father and Son
are united as objects of worship and the source of spir-
itual and saving blessing. He from whom Paul
sought these blessings, is he to whom those who need
them must look in order to obtain them.

Y. 24. True to the last, as a needle to the pole, the
apostle turns to Christ, and implores the divine favour
on all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.
The words ev d(f)dapo-ia rendered in sincerity, are so
understood by Erasmus and Calvin, and by many
others. There is however great diversity of opinion
as to their true meaning. 'AtpOapaia signifies incor-
ruption, as in 1 Cor. 15, 53. 54, hel jap to ^Oaprov
rovTo evhvaaaOai a<^6apa-iav, for this corruptible must
put on incorrujption. Hence it means immortality as
in Kom. 2, T ; 2 Tim. 1, 10. Some connect these words
with 'Ir]c7ovu XpicTTov, Christ in immortality, i. e.
Christ glorified. Others connect them with xdpi<i and
give eV the force of eh ; ' grace unto immortality, or
to eternity ; everlasting grace.' Others adopting the
same construction, render the passage, ' grace with
immortality, i. e. eternal life.' The only natural con-
struction is with djaTTcovTwv ; then the meaning is
either that expressed in our Yersion, " Who love our
Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity ; " or, ' with constancy ; '
that is, with a deathless or immortal love. In either
case, the general idea is the same. The divine favour
rests on those to whom the Lord Jesus is the supreme

398 EPHESIANS, CHAP. VI. VEK. 24.

object of love. In 1 Cor, 16, 22, Paul says, " If any man
love not our Lord Jesus Christ, let liim be Anathema
Maranatlia." These passages, though so dissimilar,
both teach that love to Christ is the indispensable con-
dition of salvation. Tliere must be an adequate reason
for this. Want of love for Christ must deserve final
perdition, and love to him must include preparation
for heaven. This of necessity supposes Christ to be
God. Want of love to him must imply enmity to God.
It is all a delusion for any one to think he can love the
Infinite Spirit as manifested in nature, or in the Scrip-
tures, if he does not recognize and love that same God
in the clearest revelation of his character, in his most
definite ]3er8onal manifestation, and in his most intimate
relation to us, as partaking our nature, loving us, and
giving himself for us. Love to Christ includes adoring
admiration of his person, desire for his presence, zeal
for his glory, and devotion to his service. It need not
be ecstatic, but it must be controlling.

THE END.

ED IN U S A.

APR 3 198§ I

^•*^v

Internet Archive Audio

Featured

Top

Images

Featured

Top

Software

Featured

Top

Books

Featured

Top

Video

Featured

Top

Mobile Apps

Browser Extensions

Archive-It Subscription

Save Page Now

Full text of "A commentary on the Epistle to the Ephesians"

See other formats