Ephesians 1

Notes

Ver. 1, 2. Being, according to the blessed will and kind favour of God, immediately authorized and qualified by Jesus Christ to publish his glorious gospel, I earnestly wish and announce to you—members of the church at Ephesus, who are by profession, and I hope many of you really, sanctified by the Holy Ghost, and to all the believers everywhere who, through union to and fellowship with Christ, have obtained mercy, to be faithful to their light and obligations in adhering to the truth as it is in him—all the riches of divine grace, in all its happy fruits, manifestations, and effects, from the living God and Father in Christ, as the fountain and moving cause, and from Jesus Christ as the actual storehouse, and dispenser of them. 3. May all possible glory, thanksgiving, and praise be cheerfully ascribed to that ever-blessed God whose ancient endearing character was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; but who now manifests himself as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son and mediatorial Servant,—that in and through him, as our spiritual Head and anointed Saviour, in the immense riches of his love and grace, he has freely and bountifully bestowed upon us all manner of spiritual and eternal blessings; 4. According to and in the execution of his gracious and unchangeable love, in which we were from all eternity freely and truly accepted in him as our Head and Representative, not because of our natural goodness, but that, through the application of his blood to our conscience, and the Holy Ghost renewing our heart, we might by faith in him be enabled, as in his sight, and acceptably to him, to walk in love to God and to one another, in obedience to his law, and as the fruit of his having first loved us: 5. In which eternal purpose we were to be separated from the rest of mankind, and through faith be his spiritual children, and joint-heirs with Christ, of himself, and all his inestimable fulness and privileges,—that through the merits, and being united to the person, of Christ, and according to his full favour and blessed will, we might be brought into the most intimate union to and fellowship with him, as his peculiar people, saved for and consecrated to his honour and service; 6, 7. All which is done by him that there may be abundant and everlasting praises in the church on earth and in heaven, to the honour and glory of his free grace and mercy, which is so illustriously and endearingly displayed in the whole of our salvation, particularly in rendering us acceptable to himself, in and through the person and mediation of his dearly-beloved and only-begotten Son Jesus Christ—in whom we who accept Christ as Redeemer have a complete and glorious deliverance from all evil, and recovery to all possible happiness, in time and eternity, through the inestimable power of his atonement so fully meeting divine justice, and his righteousness so magnifying to the holy law; having all our sins, however many and aggravated, freely, fully, and lovingly forgiven us, not on account of any worthiness in us or our works, but through a living faith in the excellency, liberality, and unbounded overflowings of Jehovah's full mercy and favour. 8. In the breaking forth and plentiful effusions of which grace he has abundantly manifested to us the highest wisdom and love, both in contriving and executing his eternal work of redemption, to the united and highest honour of all his compassion, and in giving us the spirit of wisdom and knowledge, making us wise unto salvation, and to know and practise our duty with understanding, prudence, and discretion: 9. All which wisdom and prudence God hath discovered or conveyed to us by means of the gospel, in which, when attended by the almighty illumination of his Spirit, he opens before us his gracious work of redemption, which is so much hid from creatures, and so marvellous and incomprehensible in itself; and which, influenced by nothing but his own loving grace, he formed and fixed in his own breast, and by his affection,—10. That in the last and most glorious period of his gracious transactions on earth, fixed in his eternal love, and marked in his ancient promises, and when the exceeding sinfulness of mankind had given his free grace the largest opportunity for magnifying its own deep affection, he might, in and by means of Christ incarnate obeying, suffering, dying, interceding, and preached to the nations, gloriously reconcile Jews and Gentiles into one mystical body, bringing them into a new state of peace and friendship with himself and with one another, and even angels and men into one delightful society and new state of peace and friendship; and, in fine, connect all things in and under Christ, as Head over them to his church: 11. In whom also, for the accomplishment of this great design, we believing Jews have, through our faith, received a title to and some anticipation of that inheritance of eternal life to which we were, as his children, willed in the free and unchangeable love of God, who, by the power of the Holy Spirit, seeks to bring all men under the direction of his infinite wisdom and the plan of his everlasting love,—12. That we, the natural seed of Abraham, to whom the gospel was first preached, and who were first led to believe, and depend on, and hope in Christ for all salvation, might, as distinguished monuments of his grace, for ever serve him for his mercy in making, and for his truth, power, wisdom, and love in fulfilling his promises: 13. In whom also ye Gentiles, after ye had heard the infallibly certain and infinitely important truths of the gospel, by which that eternal salvation is offered graciously to sinful men, believed; and, in consequence thereof, were, by virtue of your union with him, further sanctified and conformed to his image, and comfortably certified of your personal interest in him as your eternal inheritance by the Holy Ghost, whom he so emphatically promised, and who, with infinite light and power, offers all the promises to our souls: 14. Which Holy Spirit, as given to us, and who awakens our faith, is a security, pledge, and earnest of our heavenly glory, and a joyful foretaste of it, till we, and all who accept Christ, and for whom he secured it, arrive at the full enjoyment of it,—that, as monuments of his amazing grace, we may for ever praise him in the highest manner for the manifestation of it upon us.—15, 16. In reflection upon this grace of God in choosing, redeeming, calling, and sanctifying you Gentiles as well as us Jews, and having received an account of your remarkable trust and hope in the Lord Jesus Christ, and love to all them that bear his image, I have been thereby encouraged in my frequent prayers to bless and thank him for his favours bestowed on you, and to supplicate that he would still grant you more abundant mercies; 17. Particularly that he—who is the loving God of our Lord Jesus Christ, whose love sent him to his mediatorial work, sustained and blest him in it, and who, being infinitely gracious in himself, is the fountain, author, and bestower of all the grace communicated to angels, men, or any other creature, and is the eternal Object of all admiration and worship—would, by his Spirit, give you still more bright, sweet, and assuring manifestations of Christ, in his person offices, righteousness, and love, and lead you into a still more clear and experimental acquaintance with the exercise of faith, love, and other graces; 18. That through his enlightening influence, by the Word of God and daily experience, your minds may perceive, with the utmost certainty and light, what a sincere and genuine hope that is to which God has prepared for you by the gospel, what excellent objects it hath in view, and what solid and never-failing grounds ye have for it; and that by the realizing views of faith, by spiritual meditation, and by gracious foretastes, ye may know, in an animating and extensive manner, what is the true nature and transcendent excellency of the invaluable treasures of blessedness which God, because of love, bestows on and places in those who accept Christ for his inheritance and blessed kingdom: 19, 20. And that ye may further understand and experience what is the superabundant and all-conquering greatness of his power which he exercises towards us who believe, Jews or Gentiles, in quickening our dead souls, working love in us, subduing our inward corruptions, supporting and preserving us through all dangers, comforting us against all griefs, and raising us up to complete and eternal blessedness, and that in a manner like to the almighty exertion of it in the resurrection and high exaltation of Jesus Christ,—21-23. In which the Father hath advanced him, as God-man Mediator, to the highest dignity and authority, inexpressibly beyond the reach of angels and men, and invested him with uncontrollable dominion over all angels, good or bad, and all rulers in either church or state, and has placed all his enemies in a state of subjection to him, that he may administer the universe through the Lord Jesus Christ; and has given him an absolute and universal dominion, in the kingdom of providence and grace, over all persons and things, that he may manage, overrule, restrain, and order all events for the spiritual and eternal benefit of the catholic church, to which he is the Head of direction and government, life and influence, tender care and protection; and which is his mystical body, receiving all life, activity, growth, and strength from him; and in his relative fulness, comprehending all the members exercise faith in him for the perfecting of his family and glory—who, by means of his Word, offices, and ordinances, attended with his presence, are filled by him with all gifts, graces, and fruits of righteousness.

Ver. 1. The words 'at Ephesus' are omitted in the Sinaitic and Vatican manuscripts, two of the oldest and best of our ancient authorities for the text of the New Testament. The genuineness of the words may therefore be questioned. They were perhaps added at an early period from authentic tradition. P.

Ver. 3. In heavenly places. Rather, 'in the heavenly things that are in Christ;' to wit, growth in holiness (ver. 4), the adoption of children (ver. 5), &c. C.

Ver. 6. This verse ought rather to be translated: 'To the praise of the glory of his (God's) grace, which he graciously imparted to us in the Beloved' (in Christ). P.

Ver. 7. The apostle says 'we have redemption'—have it now, through faith in the Redeemer.—Note, The present possession of such a blessing as redemption, even the forgiveness of sins, should be the constant aim, as it is the undoubted privilege, of every one that believes in the name of Jesus, Jn. 1. 12; 1 Jn. 2. 12. C.

Ver. 10. The dispensation of the fulness of times. The Christian dispensation, or plan of divine government of his church, which commenced at the fulness of the prophetic times.—All things in Christ. Not all things whether good or evil, but that he might gather or unite under one head all things that are in Christ by God's purpose on the one hand, and their own faith upon the other—angels in heaven, and Jews and Gentiles, without distinction, upon earth. C.

Ver. 11. Worketh all things. Producing the good and overruling the evil. C.

Ver. 12. Paul here draws a distinction between the Jews and Gentiles. The former, under the old dispensation, had trusted for salvation in the Messiah (the Christ, promised in the Old Testament); the latter believed in that Christ (ver. 13) as an historical personage after his incarnation and glorification. Ver. 12 ought therefore to be rendered as follows:—'That we (Jews) should be to the praise of his (God's) glory—we, namely, who have before (before the incarnation) trusted in the (the Greek word has the article, and hence means the promised Messiah) Christ.' Then Paul turns to the Gentiles, and continues—'In whom are ye also,' &c. (ye Gentiles who have believed, &c.) P.

Ver. 13. Sealed. Marked out as God's people, both by the miraculous and ordinary gifts of the promised Spirit, according as it has pleased God to distribute to every man severally as is best, 1 Co. 12. 4-11. C.

Ver. 15. Love unto all the saints. Let it be well noted that diffusive brotherly love is the great practical and apostolic test of genuine Christianity. C.

Ver. 16. Let Christians mark both the universality and speciality of the apostle's prayers, and learn to cast aside the insulated selfishness of mere personal petition, and bear every church, and, as far as may be, every believer known to them, on their hearts before the throne of grace. C.

**Reflections.—**Abundant is the grace we receive from Christ. It is only in a state of union to him that we are rendered holy or faithful. And it is only in him that we are blessed with either spiritual or eternal blessings. Delightful is the influence and sweet the character of a gracious God. Marvellous is the compassion, the freedom, the antiquity, the rich abundance and powerful efficacy of his redeeming grace. To it we owe our love, our hope, our justification, our spiritual knowledge, our eternal happiness, and our present assurance of and security for it. Influenced by it, how delightfully Father, Son, and Holy Ghost co-operate in our eternal redemption! Actuated by the faith of it, cordially ought we to pour forth our praises and thanksgivings, and to admire his kindness in bringing us Gentiles into the fellowship of the gospel. And earnestly should we pray for further influences of the Holy Spirit to enlighten our minds and quicken our souls. But, above all, let us admire the power, the grace, the wisdom, which have so exalted our Redeemer for the welfare of his body the church. And since God hath set him so high at his right hand, let him be for ever exalted in our hearts.