Ephesians 2:1-10

1. Redemption in Christ as Deliverance from Death through a New Creation.

The Apostle applies to his readers the great truths set forth in chap. 1, having in mind ‘the mighty working of the Father, through the Resurrection and Ascension of the Son, done once for all, and yet taking place in every one called into the Church' (Stier). The figure of death and quickening is therefore very appropriate. In Ephesians 2:1-3 the Apostle depicts the previous state of death in the case of his readers (and of all men in fact). Ephesians 2:4-6 speak of the Deliverer and deliverance. Ephesians 2:7 states the purpose for which the deliverance was wrought, while Ephesians 2:8-10 revert to the means by which it was accomplished.

The structure of the section, however, presents grammatical difficulties, which are met in the E. V. by supplying ‘hath he quickened ' in Ephesians 2:1. The explanation of the difficulty is simple: The Apostle, having in mind the thought ‘God quickened you also,' begins with ‘you also,' and after dwelling at some length on their previous condition, introduces in Ephesians 2:4 the subject (‘God') with a new sentence, and in Ephesians 2:5 completes the expression of the thought. Such a construction was far more allowable in Greek than it is in our language. This view is preferable to those which connect ‘you' in Ephesians 2:1 with ‘filleth' (chap. Ephesians 1:23), or with some other word in the previous chapter.