eph_eph1 – From Death Into Life

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

COMMENTARY

I. Introduction of the letter (1:1-23).

This introductory paragraph contains the salutation to the letter (1:1-2). But then instead of immediately expressing his thanks and prayer for those to whom he is writing, Paul goes immediately into a great exclamation of praise (1:3-14). After the great exclamation of praise in verses 3 through 14, Paul then turns his attention to his readers and expresses his thanks for them and prays for them in verses 15 through 23.

A. Salutation of the letter (1:1-2).
Compare the form of the salutation of this letter with other letters in the NT. (Acts 15:23: James 1:1). Like all letters at this time, the salutation is divided into three parts: the sender’s name, the recipient’s name, and a greeting. See for example Acts 23:26: “Claudius Lysias to his Excellency the governor Felix, greeting.” Paul expands this conventional form giving it a distinctively Christian emphasis and here in this letter stating his credentials. The sender’s name is given in verse 1a; the recipient’s name in verse 1b; and the greeting in verse 2.

EPHESIANS 1:1-2

1. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and faithful in Christ Jesus: 2. Grace to you and peace from God our Fatherand the Lord Jesus Christ.

1:1. “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God.” —

Paul is the sender of this letter. Twice in this letter the writer identifies himself as Paul (1:1; 3:1). He identifies himself as an apostle, that is, “one sent,” an authorized and commissioned messenger. Paul says that he is an apostle of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ had called him (Acts 9:5-6, 15-16; 22:14-15; 26:15-18). He also says that his apostleship is by the will of God. This implies that his apostleship is independent of men. He received his apostleship directly from God with no human agency (Gal. 1:1, 15-16).

“To the saints who are at Ephesus and faithful in Christ Jesus.” —

In the last part of the verse he gives the recipients of the letter: the saints at Ephesus. A saint is not a sinless or morally perfect person but one who is set apart from a false god and dedicated to the true God. The term is basically a religious, not a moral or ethical, concept. All Christians, without exception, are saints. Paul also addresses them as faithful in Christ Jesus. This refers not to their character but their faith in Christ Jesus. The words “at Ephesus” are not in some of the best MSS, but the grammar almost certainly requires the name of the place in the original. Some scholars have suggested that the absence of a place-name indicates that the letter was a circular letter and the letter that has “at Ephesus” in it was the one sent to Ephesus. See Donald Guthrie, New Testament Introduction, pp. 508-514 for a full discussion of the problem of the destination of the Ephesians letter.

1:2. “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” —

This verse contains the greeting. Paul combines the normal Greek greeting, chairein, which means “to rejoice, be glad,” changing it to the similar sounding but richer Greek word, charis, “grace,” with the normal Jewish greeting, shalom, “peace.” He thus expresses in this greeting the two distinctive ideas of grace, God’s love in action to bring salvation, and peace, the right personal relation to God resulting from the God’s grace. God’s grace is the source of salvation ( Eph. 2:8-9) and God’s peace is the result of salvation (Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:13-18). The source of this grace and peace is God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is on the same level with the Father and as such is also the source of grace and peace with the Father (I Cor. 16:23). This is clear evidence that Jesus Christ is God (Titus 2:13). This Christian greeting is also a word of blessing. Compare it with the Aaronic benediction in Num. 6:25.

B. Praise of God (1:3-14).
Instead of immediately expressing his thanks and prayer for those to whom he is writing, Paul goes immediately into a great exclamation of praise.

1:3. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,”

This verse begins a doxology that extends from verse 4 through verse 14. Three notes are sounded all through this doxology:

(a) God accomplishes everything according to the sovereign purpose of His will,

(b) that purpose is fulfilled in Christ, and

This doxology is one long complex sentence extending from verse 3 through verse 14. In our English translation, following most modern English translations, I have broken it down into four shorter sentences. These shorter sentences express the four main blessings for which Paul is blessing God:

1. the sovereign choice of God (1:4-6),

2. the redemption through Jesus Christ (1:7-10),

3. the inheritance in Christ (1:11-12), and

4. the sealing by the Holy Spirit (1:13-14).

EPHENSIANS 1:3-6

1. The Sovereign Choice of God (1:4-6). In this section Paul begins his praise of God. He states the first of the four main spiritual blessings for which he praises and blesses God: the sovereign choice of God.

3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4. even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before Him in love, 5. having foreordained us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6. to the praise of the glory of His grace which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

1:3. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” —

In the opening verse of this section, Paul praises God for His spiritual blessings. The Greek noun, eulogetos, which is translated “blessed,” literally means “fair speaking, good speech,” hence “praise.” Sometimes it is used in a bad sense, “flattering speech, flattery” (Rom. 16:18). In the LXX and NT it means “blessing, benediction,” either as the act of blessing (I Cor. 10:16; Heb. 12:17; James 3:10) or as the concrete benefit of the act, “a blessing” (Rom. 15:29; II Cor. 9:5, 6; Gal. 3:14; Heb. 6:7; I Pet. 3:9). It is used in the New Testament only of God (Luke 1:68; Rom. 1:25; 9:5; II Cor. 1:3; 11:31; I Pet. 1:3). It is derived from the Greek verb, eulogeo, which means “to speak well of,” hence “to praise.” When God is the object of the verb, it means to praise God, that is, to speak well of who He is and of what He has done. It implies acknowledging Him to be God and leads to thankfulness for what He has done. He alone as God is worthy to be blessed. God is blessed when He is praised not only for who He is but for the blessing that He bestows. Paul here designates God as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Compare Rom. 15:6; I Pet. 1:3; Col. 1:3). It is only through Jesus Christ His Son that we know Him as His Father and as our Father.

“who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,” —

The Greek verb, eulogeo, which is here translated “has blessed,” when God is the subject of this verb as in this verse, means “to bless, to prosper, to bestow blessings on” someone. Men are blessed when God bestows His blessings on them. There are many blessings of God. Paul here focuses on the spiritual rather than the material blessings from God. Paul designates this blessing as spiritual and in heavenly places: “spiritual” because it is through the Spirit and “in heavenly places” because it is from where God and Christ are ( Eph. 1:20). The Greek word, epouranios, which is translated “heavenly places,” is an adjective, and means “in or of heaven,” thus “heavenly” (Phil. 2:10; I Cor. 15:40; II Tim. 4:18; Heb. 3:1; 6:4; 8:5; 9:23; 11:16; 12:22). Here in Ephesians (Eph. 1:3, 1:20; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12) it is used as a noun and refers to the heavenly regions or sphere where Christ is ( Eph. 1:20); it refers to the dwelling place of God, heaven.

1:4. “even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world,” —

In this and the next two verses Paul states the first of the four main spiritual blessings for which he praises and blesses God: the sovereign choice of God. Paul here declares the Biblical doctrine of election. This doctrine runs through the whole Bible. Israel was chosen by God (Deut. 7:6-8; Psa. 105:43; Isa. 42:1; 43:20-21; 65:9); Christ is chosen (Lk. 23:35 [Compare Isa. 42:1]; I Pet. 2:4,6); the holy angels were chosen (I Tim. 5:21); and believers have been chosen (John 15:16; Acts 9:15; Rom. 8:33; 11:5; I Thess. 1:5; II Thess. 2:13; I Pet. 1:1; 2:9; II Pet. 1:10). This doctrine is presented not for controversy or speculation but for the comfort and blessing of God’s people. Neither this verse nor any other verse in the Bible teaches that God chooses some men to be saved and all others to be lost. On the contrary, the scriptures teach that God is “not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.” (II Pet. 3:9). Paul also says, “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (I Tim. 2:3-4). The Biblical doctrine of election is never set in opposition to and as a denial of human freedom. Scripture asserts both God’s sovereign choice and man’s free will and never sees them as contradicting each other. Paul declares that God’s election of believers is in Christ and “before the foundation of the world;” that is, it is an eternal election. God’s choice of us believers in Christ may mean that we are chosen to be in Him or that we are chosen in Him when He was chosen.

“that we should be holy and without blemish before Him in love,” —

The purpose and/or result of God’s election is that those chosen should be holy and without blemish before God. Election is not just to salvation but to holiness. Holiness does not mean sinlessness or moral perfection but being set apart or dedicated to God. The Greek word, amomous, translated “without blemish,” means literally “to be without physical defect or blemish.” It is used of sacrificial victims (Lev. 1:3,10; Deut. 15:21) and high priest (Lev. 21:17-23). It is used of Christ as a sacrifice (Heb. 9:14; I Pet. 1:19). It is also used of the church ( Eph. 5:27) and of believers in this world (Phil. 2:15; Rev. 14:5). The Christian life is “without blemish” not just by human moral standards, but “before Him” in whose sight all that men do and say is open and known (Rom. 1:9; II Cor. 4:2; Gal. 1:20; I Thess. 2:5). This is the goal of God’s election (Col. 1:22; Jude 24). The phrase “in love” at the end of this verse may be taken either with this verse or the next verse. Commentators ancient and modern differ, and it is not possible to be dogmatic about Paul’s meaning. But from the position of the phrase, and its use elsewhere in this letter for man’s love rather than God’s love (Eph. 3:17; 4:2, 4:16; 5:2), it should probably be taken with this verse (see KJV, RV and NEB). Paul’s meaning here is that love defines what it is to be holy and without blemish. The goal of God’s election is not moral or legal perfection but love (see I Thess. 3:12-13).

1:5. “having foreordained us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto Himself,” —

Paul in this verse defines the nature of the divine election proclaimed in the previous verse. The Greek verb, proorizo, which is translated “foreordained,” means literally “to mark out beforehand.” This Greek word occurs six times in the Greek New Testament (Acts 4:28; Rom. 8:29, 30; I Cor. 2:7; Eph. 1:5, 11). Because of the deterministic connotation, the English word “predestination” should be avoided. Neither this verse nor any other verse in the Bible teaches that everything that takes place, including the choices of man, was immutably determined and fixed by God in eternity, and that all that happens is nothing but what he predestined to be before anything was created. The scriptures know nothing of such a determinism. The meaning of God’s foreordination in this verse is something different. God has ordained or marked out beforehand those he has chosen to the adoption as sons. The Greek word, huiothesia, which is translated “adoption as sons,” means “the placing of a son” and refers to the act of placing a minor child in the place or status of an adult son. The translation “adoption” gives the wrong impression; the word does not refer to taking a child, not born as one’s own, into one’s own family legally to raise as one’s own. It refers instead to placing one in the status of son, in contrast to the status of a child (Gal. 4:1-4; Rom. 8:15-17). Adoption does not mean son-making but son-placing. Regeneration makes us sons, and adoption places us in the status as sons. They both occur at conversion (Gal. 3:25-26; 4:1-7). Believers here and now have the Spirit of adoption (Rom. 8:15). Paul also refers to a future adoption for which they are waiting (Rom. 8:23; see also I John 3:2). This future adoption is the completion of our salvation; it is the redemption our bodies. Even though our spirits are alive to God, our bodies are dead and dying (Rom. 8:10); they too must be made alive. God will do this when Christ returns (I Cor. 15:51-56; I Thess. 4:14-17). This future adoption as well as the adoption at conversion is the goal of God’s foreordination. Paul expresses this in other words in Rom. 8:29: “For those whom he foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that he might be the first-born among many brethren.” Paul says that this “adoption” is “through Jesus Christ.” He had explained this more fully in Gal. 4:4-5. He also says that this adoption is “unto Himself;” that is, unto the Father whose sons He had foreordained us to be.

“according to the good pleasure of His will,” —

Paul now gives the grounds of God’s foreordaination. The Greek word, eudokia, which is translated “good pleasure,” means literally “good thought or opinion” and in the New Testament has two meanings:

(a) with reference to a person, the approval of them (Lk. 2:14), and

(b) with no reference to a person, the good intent or purpose.

It is in this latter sense that Paul seems to be using it here. It is the good intention or purpose of God’s will that is the reason for His election and foreordination; it is what He pleased to do.

1:6. “to the praise of the glory of His grace,” —

In this verse Paul more clearly defines “the good pleasure of His will.” It was “to the praise of the glory of His grace.” This phrase is similar to a phrase which occurs in verses 12 and 14: “to the praise of His glory.” There the praise is of His glory; here the praise is of the glory of His grace. The Greek word, epainos, which is translated “praise,” literally means “approval,” hence “recognition, commendation, fame” (Rom. 2:29; 13:3; I Cor. 4:5; II Cor. 8:18; Phil. 4:8; I Pet. 2:14). The Greek word, doxa, which is translated “glory,” means literally “opinion, estimation in which one is held, repute.” In the NT it is always used in a good sense, “good opinion,” hence “reputation, praise, honor, glory” (Luke 14:10; John 12:43; Heb. 3:3; Compare I Pet. 1:7). In the OT it is used of the visible brightness, splendor that radiates from God’s presence, hence the manifested presence of God (Ex. 16:10; 40:34-35; II Chron. 7:2-3; II Cor. 3:7). God’s glory is the self-manifestation of His presence and His grace is His supreme self-manifestation (John 1:14,16-18).

“which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.” —

In the last phrase of this verse Paul specifies that God’s grace is freely bestowed on the believer in Christ. The Greek verb, charitoo, which is translated “freely bestowed,” means literally “to endow with grace,” hence, “to be gracious to” or “to endue with grace.” This bestowal of grace is done “in the Beloved,” that is, in Christ. This titles is probably messianic. “This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17; 17:5; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22). Compare this with the parallel expression “the Son of His love” in Col. 1:13.

EPHESIANS 1:7-10

2. The Redemption through Christ (1:7-10). In this section Paul continues his praise of God. He states the second of the four main spiritual blessings for which he praises and blesses God: the redemption through Jesus Christ.

7. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our sins, according to the riches of His grace, 8. which He made to abound to us in all wisdom and understanding, 9. making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10. for the administration of the fullness of time, to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth.

1:7. “In Him we have redemption through His blood,” —

In this verse Paul focuses on the supreme manifestation of God’s grace: the redemption in Christ through His blood. The Greek word, apolutrosis, which is translated “redemption,” means “the release from captivity or slavery by the payment of a ransom,” hence “deliverance.” Paul specifies that this deliverance is “through His blood,” that is, His death by which His blood was shed. His death is the ransom that was paid to effect the release of the slave or captive, setting him free.

“the forgiveness of our sins,” —

In this phrase Paul clarifies the meaning of this redemption; it is the forgiveness of sins. The Greek word, aphesis, which is translated “forgiveness,” means literally “sending away,” and refers to the loosing of a person from that which binds him. Here it is sin that binds men and it is from the bondage of sin that men are set free by the death of Christ. The Greek word, paraptoma, which is translated “sins,” means literally “a falling besides,” hence “a false step, a blunder, a misdeed.” It is not the usual Greek word for sin, hamartia, which means “a missing the mark” or the Greek word for a transgression of the law, parabasis, which means “a going beside, an overstepping,” hence “transgression” of the law (Rom. 2:23). The redemption is not only through Christ’s death which delivers from sin but is also “in Christ,” that is, in the risen Christ. For by His resurrection we are made alive, and that life produces righteousness (Gal. 3:21). Thus we are not only delivered from sin by His death but also delivered to righteousness by His resurrection.

“according to the riches of His grace,” —

Paul now gives the grounds for this redemption. It is out of God’s grace that God has provided redemption. As Paul says twice in chapter 2, “By grace you have been saved” (Eph. 2:5, 2:8). The grace of God is the love of God in action to give what is needed. Grace gives and out of the riches of God’s grace God gives redemption. Six times in this letter Paul speaks of the riches of God (Eph. 1:7, 1:18; 2:4, 2:7; 3:8, 3:16) and the expression is characteristic of Paul (Rom. 2:4; 9:23; 11:33; II Cor. 8:9; Phil. 4:19; Col. 1:27; 2:2). In this verse Paul speaks specifically of the “riches of His grace”, as he will also do in Eph. 2:7. God gives redemption not merely out of His riches but according to the riches of His grace.

1:8. “which He made to abound to us in all wisdom and understanding,” —

Paul continues to praise God for His grace. He says that God made His grace to abound toward us in all wisdom and understanding. The Greek word, perisseuo, which is translated “make to abound,” is another favorite word of Paul’s (Rom. 3:7; 5:15; 15:13; I Cor. 8:8; 14:12; 15:58; II Cor. 1:5; 3:9; 4:15; 8:2,7; 9:8,12; Phil. 1:9,26; 4:12,18; Col. 2:7; I Thess. 3:12; 4:1,10); he has 26 of the 39 occurrences in the NT. Paul says that God has made His grace to abound to us in all wisdom and understanding. The Greek word, sophia, which is translated “wisdom,” means that ability to apply knowledge to life and action. The other Greek word, phronesis, which is translated “understanding,” is the ability to see beneath the superficial and seemingly obvious into the subtle inter-relationships between seemingly isolated things and events and thus to see them together in a wider perspective. It occurs twice in NT: here and Luke 1:17.

1:9. “making known to us the mystery of His will,” —

In this verse Paul tells us how God has provided this wisdom and understanding; He has made it known or revealed it. God in His grace has not only provided for the redemption of men but also has provided for the wisdom and understanding of His purposes. God has made known the mystery of His will. The Greek word, musterion, which is here translated “mystery,” originally meant “that which is known to the initiated (mustes), a secret doctrine.” In the NT it is something previously concealed but now revealed; it is a revealed secret. Here it is the will of God which was hidden from human reason and ingenuity but now has been revealed, first to Paul, and then to the Church through Paul.

“according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,” —

Paul now gives the grounds of God’s revelation of this mystery; it is according God’s good pleasure which He purposed in Himself. The Greek verb, protithemi, which is translated “purposed,” literally means “to set before, set forth” publicly, hence “to set before oneself, to propose, to purpose.” The word occurs six times in this letter (Eph. 1:9; 3:3, 3:4, 3:9; 5:32; 6:19) and four times in the letter to the Colossians (Col. 1:26, 27; 2:2; 4:3). It refers to the purpose which God has set before Himself. See verse 5 above for the discussion of the Greek word, eudokia, translated “good pleasure.”

1:10. “for the administration of the fullness of time,” —

In this verse Paul declares what God purposed in Himself. God’s purpose was to be carried out “for the administration of the fullness of time.” The Greek word, oikonomia, which is translated “administration,” means literally “the management of the house,” hence it refers to either “the office of a steward” (Luke 16:2-4) or “the work of a steward,” that is, “management, administration” (I Cor. 9:17; Eph. 3:2, 3:9; Col. 1:25; I Tim. 1:4). Here it is the latter: the administration of “the fullness of times.” The Greek word, kairos, which is translated “time,” refers to qualitative time, that is, to the decisive time of the fulfillment of God’s purpose. The other Greek word for time, chronos, refers to measurable or quantitative time. This is not the word Paul uses here; it is not chronological time, but the qualitative time of the fulfillment of God’s purpose.

“to unite all things in Christ,” —

Paul now declares the end or goal of God’s purpose which He is accomplish during the administration of the fullness of times. The Greek word, anakephalaioo, which is translated “to unite,” literally means “to put up at the head of.” It refers to the Greek practice of adding up a column of figures and putting the sum at the top or head of the column. So in rhetoric the word was used for the summing up of an argument. Thus the Greek word means “to sum up,” “to gather up,” to present as a whole. In Rom. 13:9 (the only other occurrence of the word in the NT) Paul uses it for the summing up of the law in the commandment of love. Here Paul uses it for the restoration and unification of all things under the headship of Christ. All things were created in Christ (Col. 1:16). Sin has caused the disintegration of the original order and unity of the creation. This order and unity will be restored and all things will be integrated in Christ. This does not imply a universalism: that all men will be saved.

“things in heaven and things on earth, in Him.” —

The phrase “all things,” which in the Greek implies an unqualified universality (see Col. 1:16-17), is made explicit by Paul with the phrase “things in heaven and things on earth.” Paul wants to be sure his readers understand that the whole of creation, spiritual and material, is included in the integration in Christ. Paul emphasizes that this summing up of all things is in Christ by adding the phrase “in Him” at the end of the verse. This also provides a transition to the statement of the next spiritual blessing.

EPHESIANS 1:11-12

3. The Inheritance in Christ (1:11-12). In this section Paul continues his praise of God. He states the third of the four main spiritual blessings for which he praises and blesses God: the inheritance in Christ.

11. In Him, we were chosen as an inheritance, having been foreordained according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12. in order that we who first hoped in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

1:11. “In Him, we were chosen as an inheritance,” —

The last phrase of the previous verse, “in Him,” emphasizes that that blessing, like all the others, is to be had in Christ. The same is true of the next blessing: the inheritance in Christ. The Greek verb, kleroo, which is translated “were chosen as an inheritance,” means literally “to cast lots,” hence “to choose by lot” or “to assign a portion by lot.” The cognate verb, kleronomeo, means “to get by lot,” hence “to obtain an allotted portion,” and so “to inherit.” The cognate noun, kleronomia, signifies “an inherited property, or possession, inheritance.” In the OT it is used technically of the portion assigned by lot to each tribe in the promised land, and of the Holy Land itself as Israel’s possession given by God (Deut. 4:38; 15:4). Also Israel is spoken of as God’s portion (Deut. 4:20; 9:29; 32:8-9; Zech. 2:12). This is probably the meaning here; while it is true that we have obtained an inheritance (KJV, NAS), Paul is here thinking of “God’s own possession” ( Eph. 1:14) and “His inheritance in the saints” ( Eph. 1:18). In Christ we have been chosen by God as His people to be His portion, His allotted heritage, His inheritance (Compare Deut. 32:9).

“having been foreordained according to the purpose of Him,” —

God has foreordained this according to His eternal purpose. See verse 5 above for the meaning of “foreordained.” In verse 5 Paul says that we were foreordained “to the adoption as sons;” in this verse Paul implies that our inclusion in God’s inheritance was the object of His foreordination. God’s eternal purpose was to bring into being a people who would be in a peculiar way His own possession.

“who works all things according to the counsel of His will,” —

The Greek word, energeo, which is translated “works,” literally means “to work in,” hence “to act, to operate, to energize.” The “all things” here is not restricted just to things connected with salvation; it is unlimited in scope. That God works universally does not imply an impersonal determinism; on the contrary, this phrase affirms a universal personal deliberate operation of God’s will. The Greek word, boule, which is translated “counsel,” refers to the deliberate exercise of volition. The word implies intelligent and deliberate making of choices. According to Paul things do not happen arbitrarily or capriciously but according to counsel of His will.

1:12. “in order that we who first hoped in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.” —

In this verse Paul states the ultimate goal of God choosing and foreordaining us to be His. See verse six above for the discussion of a similar phrase there. It is not only that we who are His people might praise Him but that we as His people might be a praise to His glory (see Eph. 2:7). Paul describes the “we” here as those “who first hoped in Christ.” Paul is probably here referring to Jewish believers and not believers in general. The “we” in this verse is in contrast with the “you” of the next verse, the “we” referring to Jewish believers and the “you” to Gentile believers. The hope here would be the Jewish hope in the Christ or Messiah (the Greek has the article before the word “Christ”). The Gentiles would not have had this hope ( Eph. 2:12). The change of personal pronouns in other places in this letter between the first and second persons seems to signify the difference between the Jews and the Gentiles (Eph. 2:11-22).

EPHESIANS 1:13-14

4. The Sealing by the Holy Spirit (1:13-14). In this section Paul continues his praise of God. He states the fourth of the four main spiritual blessings for which he praises and blesses God: the sealing of the Holy Spirit.

13. In Him, you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14. which is the guarantee of our inheritance unto the redemption of the possession, to the praise of His glory.

1:13. “In Him, you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,” —

Taking the “you also” in contrast to the “we” in the previous verse, to refer to Gentile believers, this verse and the next is first a reference to the experience of the Gentiles believers, and then a reference to the experience of all believers in general. The main verb of this sentence is “were sealed.” This is preceded by two preliminary ideas: “hearing the word of truth” and “believing in Him.” People must hear the word of truth, the gospel or good news of their salvation, before they can believe in Christ, who is content of the gospel. The gospel is good news of salvation not only because it about the salvation through Jesus Christ but also because the gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Rom. 1:16). The gospel produces faith; for faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ (Rom. 10:17). The gospel is the power of God unto salvation to all who believe (Rom. 1:16) because it is about Him who is the power of God (I Cor. 1:24). The gospel is the word of truth not only because it is true but also because it is about Him who is the truth (John 8:32, 36; 14:6; Eph. 4:21). When one has heard the gospel and has believed in Christ, he is sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. Circumcision was the seal of the Abrahamic covenant (Rom. 4:11) but the Holy Spirit is the seal of the New Covenant (II Cor. 1:22; 3:6). What God promised to Abraham was fulfilled in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit is the seal of the blessing that was promised to Abraham (Gal. 3:14). That is why Paul calls the Holy Spirit the Spirit of promise.

1:14. “which is the guarantee of our inheritance unto the redemption of the possession, to the praise of His glory.” —

In this verse Paul explains the relationship of the Holy Spirit to inheritance. The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance. The Greek word, arrabon, which is translated “guarantee,” means “an earnest,” a part payment in advance for security, a first installment (II Cor. 1:22; 5:5). It was the payment of part, which carried the assurance of the full payment being made. The presence of the Holy Spirit is a foretaste and first-fruits (Rom. 8:23) of what the believer will experience when he fully possesses his God-given inheritance. But more importantly, the Holy Spirit is God’s earnest and guarantee of His inheritance; God is making sure by the Holy Spirit that He will get what He has purchased, “until the redemption of the possession.” See verse seven above for the discussion of the Greek word translated “redemption.” Here redemption refers to the future deliverance (Rom. 8:23). Redemption has been partly accomplished now, but in the future it will be fully accomplished ( Eph. 4:30; Rom. 8:23; Luke 21:28). The believer is sealed by Holy Spirit until the day of redemption. The Greek word, peripoiesis, which is translated “possession,” means literally “that which is kept or saved for oneself,” hence “an acquisition, a possession.” The ultimate purpose of this sealing by the Holy Spirit is the praise of His glory. See verses 6 and 12 for a discussion of this phrase. This is the end of Paul’s doxology, his hymn of praise.

EPHESIANS 1:15-23

C. Paul’s First Prayer for his readers (1:15-23). After the great exclamation of praise in verses 3 through 14, Paul turns his attention to his readers. He now gives thanks and prays for them. This is the first of two great prayers in this letter; the other is in chapter 3, verses 14 through 21. This prayer in chapter 1 is one long sentence in the Greek from verse 15 through 23.

15. For this reason, I also, having heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and your love toward all the saints, 16. do not cease to giving thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, 17. that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18. having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19. and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us who believe, according to the working of the might of His strength 20. which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21. far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come; 22. and He has put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23. which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all with all.

1:15. “For this reason, I also, having heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and your love toward all the saints,” —

In this opening verse of this section Paul gives the reason for his prayer for his readers. This is the significance of the opening phrase. He prays for them because of the spiritual blessings for which he has just been praising God. The enumeration of the spiritual blessings in the previous eleven verses, that is, the election of God, the adoption as sons, the redemption in Christ according to the riches of the grace of God, God’s inheritance, and the sealing of the Holy Spirit, leads naturally to thanksgiving and prayer for his readers. They have become recipients of these spiritual blessings through the preaching of the gospel. Paul says he has heard of their faith in the Lord Jesus and their love for all the saints. These are the manifestation of these spiritual blessings among them: faith toward God and love toward one another.

1:16. “do not cease giving thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers,” —

The main verb of this long sentence of verses 15 through 23 is in this verse, although the subject, “I,” is in the previous verse, and it is stated as a negative: “I do not cease or stop…” He says that he does not stop giving thanks for them and making mention of them in his prayer (see Col. 1:9). The Greek word, mneia, which is translated “mention,” comes from the Greek word, mimnesko, which means “to remind, to remember.” Hence the word means “a remembrance” and is used mostly in the NT of remembering in prayer (Rom. 1:9; Phil. 1:3-4; I Thess. 1:2; II Tim. 1:3; Philemon 4).

1:17. “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him,” —

Beginning in this verse Paul states the content of his prayer for his readers. His petitions are addressed to “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory.” Compare this to the title in verse 3 above: “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” These are equivalent except here Paul designates God as “the Father of Glory.” Compare this with the similar titles “God of glory” in Acts 7:2 and “the Lord of glory” in I Cor. 2:8. See verse six above for the discussion of “glory.” God has manifested Himself as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and as our Father, since we have become His sons through His Son, Jesus Christ. Hence God in this self-manifestation is “the Father of glory.” Paul now states his petitions that God may give to his readers a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of God. Although Paul sometimes uses the Greek word, pneuma, which is here translated “a spirit,” to refer to the human spirit ( Eph. 4:23; Rom. 1:9; I Cor. 2:11; II Cor. 7:13, etc.), as well as to the Holy Spirit of God, here, I believe, it refers to a spiritual attitude or endowment which a man may show or receive. Compare this phrase with “a spirit of meekness” in I Cor. 4:21 and Gal. 6:1 and with “a spirit of faith” in II Cor. 4:13. Here the Greek word, pneuma, occurs without the article; generally when Paul uses the word to refer to the Holy Spirit, it is with the article. There is no capitalization in the Greek to show a person is being refer to. So probably here Paul is referring to a gift of the Spirit who imparts wisdom (I Cor. 2:6-13; see comments on Eph. 1:8 above) and reveals the truth (John 14:26; 16:13). This revelation is not just of the knowledge of propositional truth, truths, but is also the knowledge of the truth that is a person (John 8:32,36; 14:6). It is a knowledge of Him, the personal knowledge of God Himself, not just knowledge about Him (see Eph. 4:13). This knowledge of God is eternal life, because it is a knowledge which involves a personal relationship and fellowship with God (John 17:4).

1:18. “having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know” —

Paul continues to state his petition to God for those to whom he is writing. The knowledge of God that Paul wants his readers to have requires that they have the eyes of their heart enlightened. The Greek word, photizo, which is translated “to enlighten,” means literally “to shine, give light.” Here it is a transitive verb and means “to illumine, to enlighten.” The light of God illumines the heart, not just the mind, so that a man may see, know and understand. The heart is that inner most part of man where the decisions are made, the center and source of the whole life of man, with its knowing, feeling and willing. In Paul’s writings it seems to be equivalent to the spirit of man, the knowing and willing self or person (II Cor. 2:4; 4:6; 9:7; Rom. 9:2; 10:2; I Cor. 4:5; 7:37). The “heart” stands for the self (Compare II Cor. 1:22 with 5:5) as does the “spirit” (Rom. 8:16; I Cor. 2:11; Gal. 6:18; Phil. 4:23; Philemon 25). The purpose of this enlightened by the light of God is so that those who are enlightened may know. Paul lists three things that they are to know; the first two in this verse and the third is listed in the next verse.

“what is the hope of His calling,” —

This is first thing that Paul prays that God will make known to them. In the NT the Greek word, klesis, which is translated “calling,” always refers to the God’s calling to salvation. The word is used eleven times in the NT and nine times by Paul (Rom. 11:29; I Cor. 1:26; 7:20; Eph. 1:18; 4:1, 4:4; Phil. 3:14; II Thess. 1:11; II Tim. 1:9; Heb. 3:1; II Pet. 1:10). He says that the calling is God’s calling, not their calling, emphasizing God’s initiative in bringing them to salvation. God is the author of this call; He is the one who calls them. In Rom. 8:30 Paul puts God’s calling after foreordination and before justification in the sequences of steps leading to salvation. Paul prays that God will make known to them the hope of His calling. In Rom. 8:24 Paul says that in hope we were saved. Salvation has a future aspect. God’s salvation is not yet complete; God has yet to complete His salvation. Hope looks to the completion of this not yet complete salvation. Since it is incomplete, it is not yet seen. Paul says, “Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?” (Rom. 8:24). This hope of the completion of salvation is the hope of God’s calling. Paul will refer again to God’s calling and the hope of their calling in Eph. 4:1, 4:4.

“what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,” —

This is the second thing that Paul prays that God will make known to them. See verse eleven above for a discussion of the Greek word here translated “inheritance.” Paul now prays that his readers will know the riches of the glory of that inheritance. See verse six above for a discussion of the Greek word translated “glory.” Here the word describes God’s inheritance; it is a glorious inheritance. Paul also says that this glorious inheritance is in or among the saints (Acts 20:32; 26:18). This clearly indicates that Paul is speaking here of God’s inheritance and not of our inheritance. This is the second of six times that Paul speaks of the God’s riches in this letter, the others being in Eph. 1:7; 2:4, 2:7; 3:8, 3:16.

1:19. “and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us who believe,” —

Paul continues to state his petition to God for those to whom he is writing. Paul list three things that he prays for his readers to come to know. The first two are listed in the previous verse. The third is listed in this verse. Here Paul prays that they might know not only God’s power (dunamis), but the exceeding greatness of that power. The Greek word, huperballo, which is translated “exceeding,” literally means “to throw over or beyond.” Hence it means “to exceed, surpass, transcend.” It is used five times by Paul (II Cor. 3:10; 9:14; Eph. 1:19; 2:7; 3:19). Paul further defines this power as being toward us who believe. Paul will explain this in the next section ( Eph. 2:1-10).

“according to the working of the might of His strength,” —

The Greek word, energeia, which is translated “working,” literally means “a working in,” hence “operation.” It is “operative power” as distinct from dunamis, “potential power.” Our English word “energy” is derived from this word. The Greek word, kratos, which is translated “might,” originally referred to bodily strength (cf. Lk. 1:51). It came to mean “force, the might of power.” The Greek word, ischus, which is translated “strength,” originally meant “strength of body” (Mark 12:30,33; Lk. 10:27), hence “ability, strength.” This phrase “the might of His strength” is equivalent to “His power” ( Eph. 6:10; cf. Isa. 40:26). In the next verse Paul further defines the operation or working of God’s power or the might of His strength.

1:20. “which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,” —

In this verse Paul further defines the working of God’s power. The Greek word, energeo, which is translated “exerted,” literally means “to work in,” hence “to be at work, to be in action, to operate, to energize, to exert.” This is a cognate of the Greek word translated “working” in the previous verse. God’s power is not only exerted in the resurrection of Christ from the dead, which would obviously required an operation of God’s power, but also in the ascension and exaltation of Christ. When the Biblical writers speak of the right hand of God, they do not mean that God has a body and is confined to a location in space, but are speaking figuratively of the honor and authority that that place implies ( see next verse). But Paul is speaking of something more than just the honor and authority; the risen Christ does have a body and when He ascended into heaven, He ascended with that body and will come in that body (Acts 1:9-11). The risen Christ is now somewhere in that body and Paul says that it is “in the heavenlies or heavenly places.” (See the discussion of the Greek word epouranios in the comments on verse 3.) That this is a place is suggested by language here; the terms used here have a local reference. Where this place is, we do not know. But since Christ’s risen body was a different kind of body than ours, although similar to our old creation bodies (Luke 24:36-42), that is, a new creation body that will never die and is not subject to death, the place where the risen Christ now is must also be part of that new creation. I think that this is the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21 and 22:1-5); it will come down out of heaven from God (Rev. 21:2,10) and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it (Rev. 22:1,3). God exerted His power not only to raise Christ from the dead but to raise Him up and seat Him at His own right hand. But the ascension of Jesus is the visible representation of His exhaltation (Acts 1:9-11; 2:33-34; 3:21; Luke 24:51). In this phrase there is an allusion to Psa. 110:1, which verse is often quoted or alluded to in the New Testament (Acts 2:34-35; Heb. 1:13; see also Heb. 10:12-13; I Pet. 3:22).

1:21. “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named,” —

In this verse Paul explains the meaning of Christ’s exaltation, introduced in the previous verse. The exaltation of Christ means that He has a position and name above all. Paul is not here giving us the number or kinds of angelic beings, but is expressing the unique supremacy and absolute sovereignty of the risen Christ and by this concatenation of terms he mean simply that, whatever forms of government there may be and by whatever names they are known, Christ’s authority is above all of them. They will acknowledge his authority and confess His name (Phil. 2:9-11; see Isa. 45:23).

“not only in this age but also in that which is to come;” —

Paul here declares that Christ’s position and name is not only above all government, human and superhuman, visible and invisible, in the present age but also in the age to come. The present age is dominated by the “world-rulers of darkness” ( Eph. 6:12); in the age to come their control and authority will be brought to an end by Christ.

1:22. “and He has put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,” —

In this verse Paul continues to elaborate the meaning of Christ’s exaltation. The words here, “He has put all things in subjection under His feet,” as in I Cor. 15:25-28 and Heb. 2:8, are from Psa. 8:6. These words, originally applied to the first Adam are in the NT applied to the last Adam, and will not be completely fulfilled until death is destroyed or abolished (I Cor. 15:24-25). This is the first time that the Greek word, ekklesia, which is translated “church,” is used by Paul in this letter. In the Septuagint (LXX), the pre-Christian Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, the Greek word ekklesia translates the Hebrew word qahal, which means “assembly, congregation” and is used for the children of Israel as a people or community. The Greek word ekklesia literally means “ones called out,” and refers to “an assembly of citizens regularly convened or called” (Acts 19:32, 39, 41). In the NT it is used of an assembly or congregation of Christians gathered for worship and fellowship (I Cor. 11:18; 14:19, 34, 35). It is also used of local communities of Christians (Acts 8:3, I Cor. 4:17; etc.), sometimes with the name of their location added (Acts 8:1; Rom. 16:1; I Thess. 1:1; etc.). Here as in other places in the NT, it is used of the whole body of Christians (Matt. 16:18; I Cor. 12:28; 15:9; Gal. 1:13; Phil. 3:6; I Tim. 3:15). Paul says that God gave Christ as head over all things to the church. In his letter to the Colossians he says that Christ is “the head of all rule and authority” (Col. 2:10), where the title “head” refers to sovereign authority over all kings of the earth (Rev. 1:5). Here Paul expands and extends it, declaring that Christ is “head over all things,” physical as well as spiritual, visible and invisible. Paul does not here explicitly say that Christ is the head of the body, the church, as he does in Col. 1:18; Christ’s headship of the church is implied rather than expressed here. Paul is explicitly saying that God has given Christ to the church in the capacity of head of all things. The Greek verb, didomi, which is translated “gave,” regularly takes an accusative of things and a dative of persons (Matt. 4:9; 5:31; John 1:12; etc.); here there seems to be a double accusative, that is, two objects of the verb both in the accusative case (Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45; II Thess. 3:9; I Tim. 2:6; etc.). God gave Him [first object in the accusative case] head [second object in the accusative case] over all things [a prepositional phrase] to the church [a third object in the dative case].

1:23. “which is His body,” —

In this verse Paul explains meaning of the church. It is

(a) the body of Christ and

(b) the fullness of Him who fills all with all.

The idea of the church as the body of Christ is peculiar to the writings of Paul in the New Testament. Where Paul got this concept of the church is difficult to tell; it is not an Old Testament idea. The essential idea, but not the word, was suggested by what the Lord said to Paul on the Damascus road, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4; 26:14). In his earlier letters Paul does not speak of Christ as the head of the body. On the contrary, in I Cor. 12 Paul likens the individual believer to the head of the body ( verse 21) or to some part of the head ( verse 16) as well as to any other part of the body. It is only in the Ephesian and Colossian letters that Christ is called the head of the body (Eph. 4:15; 5:23; Col. 1:18). The conception of the church as the body of Christ is central in these letters.

“the fullness of Him who fills all with all.” —

In the last part of this verse Paul explains further the meaning of the church. The Greek word, pleroma, which is translated “fullness,” is the result of the action of verb, pleroo, which is translated “to fill.” It may be understood either in active or passive sense. In the active sense it means “that which fills or completes” (Matt. 9:16; Mark 2:21), that is, “a filling up, completing, fulfillment” (Rom. 13:10). In the passive sense it means “that which is filled or completed” (Mark 6:43; 8:20), that is, “that which has been completed, complement, plenitude, fullness” (John 1:16; Rom. 11:12, 25; I Cor. 10:26; Gal. 4:4; Eph. 1:10; 3:19; Col. 1:19; 2:9). Here it should be understood in the passive sense, and the idea is that the church is not only the body of Christ, but it is that which is filled by Him, the fullness of Him who fills all with all. The last phrase refers to Christ and His action of filling all things with all things. The Greek preposition, en, which is usually translated “in,” should probably be taken here in the instrumental sense of “with” rather than the locative sense of “in” ( Eph. 5:18; Col. 2:10). The Greek participle, tou pleroumenou, which is translated “He who fills,” should be taken as a middle voice with an active sense rather than passive. It conveys the idea of Him filling all things for Himself.