The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Ephesians

THE WRITER AND READERS. PAGE Contrast of Galatians and Ephesians--Pauline qualities of Ephesians: intellectual, historical, theological, spiritual, ethical--The Idea of the Chur...

The Apostle's Hymn of Praise--Blessed be God!--Blessing spiritual, heavenly, Christian--In the Beginning the Election of Grace--The World and its Founder--Redemption embedded in...

Structure of the Paragraph--Grace an Experience--Christ the Beloved--Forgiveness and its Price--The Value of Forgiveness--Wisdom a Gift of Grace--The Gospel as an intellectual F...

Mutual Inheritance--Jewish and Gentile Heirs--Uses of the Seal--The Stamp of Sanctity--Promise fulfilled and to be fulfilled--Hearing and Believing--Salvation by the Truth--Salv...

Thanksgiving for the Readers--The God of Christ, the Father of Glory--Christian Enlightenment--Seeing with the Heart--What is our Hope?--God's Wealth in Men--The true Standard o...

Prayer and Teaching--Historical Effect of Christ's Resurrection--The Stages of His Exaltation--Christianity without Miracles--The efficient Cause of Christianity--The perfect Re...

Raised with Christ--Sin is Death--Jesus Christ in a dead World--Alive in Body, dead in Spirit--Religious Difficulties--Antipathy to God--The Power of the Air--God's Anger agains...

The Jewish War--The two Parties in the Church--The Jewish Enmity typical--The new Christian Humanity--The Church in the first Century and the nineteenth--Hindrances to Unity: ex...

The Divine Occupant--The Service of Man and of God--One Temple and many Buildings--The Variety of the apostolic Church--The primitive Catholicism--Church and Dissent--Union by A...

St Paul's Style of Composition--Christ the Mystery of God--Christ in the Old Testament--The Exploration of Christ--The Portion of the Gentiles in Israel--The Organs of the new R...

Christ the Bond of Angels and Men--Our Lord and theirs--Jesus of Nazareth the Lord of the Ages--The Reality of the Angels--Their Interest in the Church--The Peculiarity of the h...

Contents of St Paul's Prayer--The Father of Angels and of Men--Strength of Spirit and of the Spirit--Christ abiding in the Heart--Christ and the Christ--Christ's Claim on the In...

Knowledge in the Growth--Paul's Study of the Love of Christ--Christ's manifested Love--God's Fulness our final Aim--The Fulness more than Love--Praise out-soaring Prayer--God's...

The Prisoner in the Lord--The Foes of Church Peace: Low-mindedness, Ambition, Resentfulness--The Basis of Unity: sevenfold, threefold--One Body despite Divisions--One Spirit mak...

Unity in Diversities--Christ the Administrator--The Ascension of David and of David's Son--Height and Breadth--The Giving of Jesus--Christ's Descent and Ascent--The Warfare of C...

The Aim of the Christian Ministry--A perfect Manhood--Sleight or Sport?--Junctures of Supply--Reunion in the Knowledge of the Son of God--The Stature of Christ our Standard--The...

Defective Views of Christ amongst Paul's Readers--The historical Jesus the true Christ--Paul and the Tradition of Jesus--Jesus the human Model--Nero a Type of the Pagan Order--T...

The Intrinsic and Experimental in Morals--Originality of Christian Ethics--Ethical Art and Science--Four Principles of Pauline Ethics--Personality and Morals--Ethical Character...

Right the Fruit of Light--All Virtue from one Source--Unbelief and Immorality--Christian Goodness--The Way of Righteousness--Truth the Hall-mark of Sanctity--Verity and Veracity...

Soberness and Excitement--The heedful Look--Evil Days for the Asian Christians--Wisdom to know God's Will--Wine and social Pleasure--The Craving for Excitement--Fulness of the S...

Marriage and the Doctrine of the Church--The Individual and the Church--The Glory of the vicarious Death--Christ the Sanctifier of His Church--The Signification of Baptism--The...

Children in the Church--The initial Form of Duty--Commandment and Promise--Gentleness of fatherly Rule--Spoilt Children--The Lord's Nurture--Greek and Roman Slaves--The Church a...

The coming evil Day--Comparison with Revelation ii., iii.--The Girdle of Truth--The Breastplate of Righteousness--Shoes of Gospel Readiness--The great Shield of Faith--Fire-tipp...

Paul's Need of the Church's Prayers--Christ's Ambassador before the Emperor--Speaking the Word given--Good News for the Asian Churches--Character and Services of Tychicus--Peace...

"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to the saints, who are indeed faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus...

Another mark of the apostle's hand, his specific spiritual note, we find in the _mysticism_ that pervades the epistle and forms, in fact, its substance. "I live no longer: Chris...

=Hous proegnô, kai proôrisen symmorphous tês eikonos tou huiou autou, eis to einai auto prôtotokon en pollois adelphois; hous de proôrisen, toutous kai ekalesen; kai hous ekales...

We enter this epistle through a magnificent gateway. The introductory Act of Praise, extending from verse 3 to 14, is one of the most sublime of inspired utterances, an overture...

"Which grace He bestowed on us, in the Beloved One: In whom we have the redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, According to the riches of His grace: Wh...

"[That we might be to the praise of His glory:] We who had before hoped in the Christ, in whom also ye _have hoped_, Since ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvati...

"For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you, and which _ye shew_ toward all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making menti...

"He raised Him from the dead, and made Him to sit at His right hand in the heavenly _places_, far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is...

"And you _did He quicken_, when ye were dead through your trespasses and sins, wherein aforetime ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the...

relevance to this passage. There follows in immediate apposition to "the domain of the air, _the spirit_ that now works in the sons of disobedience." Surely, _the air_ here part...

"That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of y...

means of salvation that the apostle lays stress in this passage. His readers do not seem to have realized sufficiently what God has given them and the greatness of the salvation...

"Wherefore remember, that aforetime ye, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called Circumcision in the flesh, made by hands; that ye were a...

"For He is our peace, who made both one, and brake down the middle wall of partition, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, _even_ the law of commandments _contained_ in ord...

"So then ye are no more strangers and sojourners, but ye are fellow-citizens with the saints and of the household of God, being built upon the foundation of the apostles and pro...

"For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus in behalf of you Gentiles,--if so be that ye have heard of the dispensation of that grace of God which was given me toward y...

laid His plans for the world. It is His fulness that the fulness of the times dispenses. The Old Testament, the reservoir of previous revelation, had Him for its close-kept secr...

"To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in the heavenly _places_ might be made known through the Church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the purpose o...

"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father, from whom every family in heaven and upon earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, that ye...

"[I pray] that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strong to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love o...

celebrated. It carries our thoughts along the vista of the future, till time melts into eternity. When the apostle desires that God's praise may resound in the Church "unto _all...

"It is good we return unto the ancient bond of unity in the Church of God, which was _one faith_, _one baptism_, and not _one hierarchy_, _one discipline_; and that we observe t...

"I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you to walk worthily of the calling wherewith ye were called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one...

"But unto each one of us was the grace given according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore He saith: 'When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gi...

"Till we all attain unto the unity of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, unto a full-grown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: tha...

"This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye no longer walk as the Gentiles also walk, in the vanity of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, alienated...

"But ye did not so learn the Christ; if so be that ye heard Him, and were taught in Him, even as truth is in Jesus: that ye put away, as concerning your former manner of life, t...

"Let him that stole steal no more; but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have whereof to give to him that hath need.

"Forgive each other, even as God also in Christ forgave you. Be ye imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, even as the Christ also loved you, and gave Himself u...

"Be not ye therefore partakers with them; for ye were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord; walk as children of light (for the fruit of the light is in all goodness and...

In wrath or promise, in hope of life eternal or in the fearful looking for of judgement they, and we, must partake. This future participation depends upon present character. "Do...

"Look therefore carefully how ye walk, not as unwise, but as wise; redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not foolish, but understand what the will of th...

must no longer walk as the Gentiles walk." So much has now been said and testified in the intervening paragraphs, by way both of dehortation and exhortation. Here the apostle pa...

"Wives, _be in subjection_ to your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as the Christ also is the head of the Church, _being_ Himself the sav...

"The Christ loved the Church, and gave Himself up for her; that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present the Churc...

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 'Honour thy father and mother,' which is a first commandment, _given_ in promise,--'that it may be well with thee, a...

"From henceforth be strong in the Lord, and in the might of His strength. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our wr...

be literally intended in that passage, it belongs to _earth_ and not to heaven.[165] Nor do the parallels from other Scriptures adduced supply any but the most precarious basis...

"Wherefore take up the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having conquered all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with...

=Pepeismai gar hoti oute thanatos oute zôê oute angeloi oute archai oute enestôta oute mellonta oute dynameis oute hypsôma oute bathos oute tis ktisis hetera dynêsetai hêmas chô...

"And [pray] on my behalf, that the word may be given unto me in opening my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains;...

those who accompanied the apostle on his voyage to Jerusalem, when he carried the contributions of his Gentile Churches to the relief of the Christian poor in Jerusalem. Trophim...