EPHESIANS—NOTE ON EPHESIANS 2:1 Salvation by Grace through Faith. This section, like Ephesians 1:3 and Ephesians 1:15, is a single sentence in the original Greek. The main theme is that God gives his saving grace to Christians. There are two subsections: Ephesians 2:1 and Ephesians 2:4. ⇐... [ Continue Reading ]
EPHESIANS—NOTE ON EPHESIANS 2:2 PRINCE... SPIRIT. Satan dominates his human subjects. SONS OF DISOBEDIENCE. Compare “sons of this world” (Luke 16:8). They belong to the family of those who rebel against God. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, i... [ Continue Reading ]
EPHESIANS—NOTE ON EPHESIANS 2:3 The sons and daughters of Adam have been born into a fallen state (BY NATURE). They have earned God’s condemnation as CHILDREN OF WRATH. Compare Psalms 51:5. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
EPHESIANS—NOTE ON EPHESIANS 2:5 WHEN WE WERE DEAD. Paul resumes his original thought from v. Ephesians 2:1. MADE US ALIVE. Since unsaved people are dead, they have to be made alive before they can believe. This is why salvation can only be BY GRACE alone. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTa... [ Continue Reading ]
EPHESIANS—NOTE ON EPHESIANS 2:6 RAISED US UP WITH HIM. Because of Christ’s resurrection, those who believe in him are given new spiritual life. SEATED US WITH HIM IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES. God has allowed his people even now to share in a measure of Christ’s authority. He is seated at the right hand o... [ Continue Reading ]
EPHESIANS—NOTE ON EPHESIANS 2:8 GRACE. God’s favor on those who have broken his law and sinned against him. God’s grace offers and secures salvation. SAVED. Delivered from God’s wrath at the final judgment (Romans 5:9). The perfect tense of “have been saved” means that the Christian’s salvation is f... [ Continue Reading ]
EPHESIANS—NOTE ON EPHESIANS 2:9 Salvation is not by WORKS. If it were, then those who are saved would get the glory. CREATED... FOR GOOD WORKS. Salvation is not based on works, but the good works Christians do are the result of God’s new creation work in them. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElement... [ Continue Reading ]
EPHESIANS—NOTE ON EPHESIANS 2:11 Unity and the Peace of Christ. Paul continues the new creation theme he introduced in v. Ephesians 2:10. The focus shifts from God to Christ Jesus and his redemption. There are three subsections: vv. Ephesians 2:11, Ephesians 2:16, Ephesians 2:19. ⇐ [ Continue Reading ]
EPHESIANS—NOTE ON EPHESIANS 2:12 To be separated from OT Israel was to be SEPARATED FROM CHRIST, because “salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22; Romans 9:4). STRANGERS. See note on Eph. 2:19. In the OT, God redeemed people through his COVENANTS OF PROMISE (compare Luke 1:72). The new covenant fulfi... [ Continue Reading ]
EPHESIANS—NOTE ON EPHESIANS 2:13 IN CHRIST JESUS. The old division of all people into Jews or Gentiles/Greeks (Acts 14:1; Acts 18:4; Romans 3:9, Romans 3:29; Romans 9:24; 1 Corinthians 1:22) has been changed. Now there is a new race in Christ: “the churc [ Continue Reading ]
EPHESIANS—NOTE ON EPHESIANS 2:14 PEACE. The state of friendship with God and with one another in the church. MADE US BOTH ONE. That is, Jews and Gentiles. IN HIS FLESH refers to Christ’s death on the cross (see v. Ephesians 2:16). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=... [ Continue Reading ]
EPHESIANS—NOTE ON EPHESIANS 2:15 LAW. The additional mention of COMMANDMENTS and ORDINANCES identifies this as the Mosaic law, which included many commandments that served to separate Israel from the other nations. Thus the law was a “dividing wall” (v. Ephesians 2:14) which Christ has abolished or... [ Continue Reading ]
EPHESIANS—NOTE ON EPHESIANS 2:16 On the cross, Christ put to death the hostility between Israel and the other nations. These verses describe the new, unified group being brought near to God. Paul describes Christ’s reconciliation very vividly as KILLING THE HOSTILITY that stood in the way of peace w... [ Continue Reading ]
EPHESIANS—NOTE ON EPHESIANS 2:19 STRANGERS (also v. Ephesians 2:12) were foreigners with no rights or privileges (see Acts 16:20). ALIENS were non-citizens who lived in the city and were given privileges as neighbors. Only CITIZENS had full rights (see Acts 21:39). ⇐... [ Continue Reading ]
EPHESIANS—NOTE ON EPHESIANS 2:20 THE FOUNDATION OF THE APOSTLES AND PROPHETS. Some think “prophets” refers here to those in the early church who had the gift of prophecy (compare Ephesians 3:5; Ephesians 4:11); the apostles along with these prophets were “foundational” because they proclaimed God’s... [ Continue Reading ]
EPHESIANS—NOTE ON EPHESIANS 2:21 All Christians everywhere are JOINED TOGETHER as God’s HOLY TEMPLE. Belonging to the visible church is not optional for followers of Christ. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]