INTRODUCTION (1:1-2) ‘Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus.' As usual Paul begins by stating his credentials. He is an Apostle of Christ Jesus. When Jesus was preparing for the future ministry of His followers H... [ Continue Reading ]
THE PANORAMA OF THE GOSPEL (1:3-14) ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ.' As Paul considers the words he is about to say, the blessings he is about to reveal, he can only call down blessing on the nam... [ Continue Reading ]
‘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, having foreordained us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.' ‘He chose us in Him.' This does not just mean that... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Having foreordained us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.' He has not only chosen us but ‘decided on us beforehand', ‘marked us out beforehand' (pro-orizo) for a special purpose, that we might be adopted as His sons. Yet this is not bec... [ Continue Reading ]
‘To the praise of the glory of His grace with which He freely engraced us in the Beloved.' This activity of God will result in the praise of His glorious grace. All universes, if such there be, will wonder at His gracious condescension to those who had proved themselves totally unworthy. For when t... [ Continue Reading ]
‘In whom we have our redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses. According to the riches of His grace which he made to abound towards us in all wisdom and prudence.' And it has all been made possible by His redeeming work and resulting forgiveness. He has stepped in, borne the... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Having made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him, unto a stewardship (regulation of an estate) of the fullness of times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth.' In carrying out these purposes Go... [ Continue Reading ]
‘In him, I say, in whom also we were made a heritage, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who works all things after the counsel of his own will, to the end that we should be to the praise of His glory who had beforehand hoped in Christ.' The glorious sweep of what has been sai... [ Continue Reading ]
‘In whom you also, (having heard the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation), in whom you also, having believed, were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is an earnest of our inheritance unto the redemption of His own possession to the praise of His glory.' The human side of this g... [ Continue Reading ]
PAUL PRAYS THAT THEIR EYES MAY BE OPENED TO THE RICHNESS OF WHAT CHRIST HAS BROUGHT THEM AND HAS DONE FOR THEM (1:15-2:10). Having declared what God has done for us in the overall plan of redemption Paul now reveals in more depth the work He has done within us and for us through His activity in Chr... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For this reason I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus that is among you, and which you show towards all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers.' What a wonderful testimony is this. Paul says, ‘I have heard of you, of how great your faith... [ Continue Reading ]
‘That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your heart enlightened.' He prays to ‘the God of our Lord Jesus Christ' to grant to His people a full depth of understanding of spiritual truth,... [ Continue Reading ]
‘That you may know what is the hope of his calling, what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what the exceeding greatness of his power towards us who believe.' The first thing that he longs is that they may have full understanding about ‘the hope of His calling'. God has ca... [ Continue Reading ]
‘The exceeding greatness of his power towards us who believe, according to that working of the strength of His might which he wrought in Christ when 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, a... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness (pleroma) of him who fills all in all.' ‘He put all things in subjection under His feet.' Compare Psalms 8:6. The picture is of the great and victorious King an... [ Continue Reading ]