IV. [4. Final Summary of Doctrine (Ephesians 4:1). (1) THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST (Ephesians 4:1). (_a_) _Its ground_ in the unity of the Holy Trinity; (_b_) _Its means_ in the one baptism; (_c_) _Its conditions and effects_ in one faith, one hope, one charity. (2) THE DIVERSITY OF... [ Continue Reading ]
WORTHY OF THE VOCATION WHEREWITH YE ARE CALLED. — This “being worthy of the Christian calling” may obviously show itself in any of the graces of regenerate humanity, all being features of the image of Christ. Thus in 1 Peter 1:15 it expresses itself in “holiness” (as in the frequent phrase “called t... [ Continue Reading ]
(1) Ephesians 4:1, although cast in a hortatory form contain the final summary of the great doctrine of the Epistle — the UNITY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH — in words which have all the glowing freedom of spiritual enthusiasm, and all the clear-cut precision of a creed. Thus (_a_) the ground of that unit... [ Continue Reading ]
WITH ALL LOWLINESS AND MEEKNESS, WITH LONGSUFFERING. — See Colossians 3:12, where the same three qualities are dwelt upon, but there introduced by “compassion and kindness.” They seem to correspond almost exactly to the first, third, and fifth beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount, in which the prin... [ Continue Reading ]
FORBEARING ONE ANOTHER IN LOVE ... — The word rendered “endeavouring” is, in the original, a word expressing “earnestness” of thought and exertion to secure a thing not lightly obtained. (See 2 Timothy 4:9; Hebrews 4:11; 2 Peter 1:10.) It shows that St. Paul here passes from the negative aspects of... [ Continue Reading ]
Ephesians 4:12 return from diversity of functions to singleness of object — viz., the perfecting individual souls in the likeness of Christ, and so building up of the whole Church in unity with Him.... [ Continue Reading ]
THERE IS ONE BODY, AND ONE SPIRIT. — The words “There is” are not in the original, which starts with a striking abruption, and with that terse concentration of thought and word which marks out an embryo creed. The “one body” is the Body of Christ, “from whom it is fitly framed, joined together, and... [ Continue Reading ]
ONE LORD, ONE FAITH. — From the idea of “the calling,” the Apostle passes naturally to Him who calls — the “one Lord” — and to the method of His calling to Himself, first, by the “one faith,” and then by the “one baptism” at which profession of that one faith is made. It is on the indwelling of Chri... [ Continue Reading ]
ONE GOD AND FATHER OF ALL. — Necessarily, through the Son, we pass to the Father (as the Lord Himself invariably teaches us to do), since He is (to use the old Greek expression) “the fount of Deity.” He is said to be the “Father of all.” We cannot limit this universal Fatherhood; although, undoubted... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT UNTO EVERY ONE OF US IS GIVEN GRACE. — This verse should be rendered, _To every one of us the grace_ (the one “grace of the Lord Jesus Christ”) _was given_ — that is, given in the Divine purpose in the regeneration of the whole body, although it has to be received and made our own, separately in... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEREFORE HE SAITH. — The reference is to Psalms 68 — a psalm which (as the quotation from Numbers 10:35, in the first verse, shows) is a psalm celebrating some moving of the ark, traditionally (and most probably) connected with David’s bringing up of the ark (2 Samuel 6) to Mount Zion. The very cha... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LOWER PARTS OF THE EARTH. — This may mean either _the regions of the earth,_ as “lower” than heaven, or the _regions beneath the earth._ The reasoning of the text in itself would be satisfied by the former. For St. Paul is simply arguing that the use of the phrase “ascended” from earth to heaven... [ Continue Reading ]
These verses form a parenthesis, designed to bring out the pervading idea of this and the parallel Epistle — the Divine humanity of Christ as “filling all in all” and “gathering all things” into Himself.... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT HE MIGHT FILL ALL THINGS. — Compare the description in Ephesians 1:23 of the Lord as “filling all in all.” In both cases the reference is more particularly to the gift of the fulness of His grace, flowing from His glorified humanity to all His members. But the words are too wide for any limitat... [ Continue Reading ]
HE GAVE. — In the original “He” is emphatic — He and He alone, as the ascended Head of humanity. The word “gave,” instead of the more obvious word _set,_ or _appointed_ (used in 1 Corinthians 12:28), is, of course, suggested by Ephesians 4:8. They who are ministers of His gifts are themselves gifts... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THE PERFECTING... — The parallelism of the three clauses of our version of this verse does not exactly correspond to the original, though we notice that Chrysostom supports it, and therefore evidently saw nothing in the Greek to contradict it. The preposition (_eis_) used in the two latter claus... [ Continue Reading ]
TILL WE ALL COME. — The marginal rendering is correct: _till we all arrive at the unity of the faith._ The “one faith” has been spoken of above; the full grasp of that faith by each and all is the first object of all the ministries of the Church, since by it both the individual perfection and the co... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT WE BE NO MORE CHILDREN. — Here the process of growth is described negatively; in the next verse positively. We are to _be no more children._ The word used here and in 1 Corinthians 3:1; 1 Corinthians 13:11; Galatians 4:1; Galatians 4:3; Hebrews 5:13 (often rendered “babes”), is a word almost al... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE. — It has been doubted whether the words “in love” should not be connected with “may grow up,” &c., exactly as in Ephesians 4:16, “maketh increase of the body... in love.” But both order and sense seem to point to the connection given in our version. The correct render... [ Continue Reading ]
FROM WHOM THE WHOLE BODY FITLY JOINED TOGETHER AND COMPACTED. — The word rendered “fitly joined together” is the same used in Ephesians 2:21, with more technical accuracy, of a building — “clamped” or “bonded together.” Here the two words are applied to the union of the limbs of the body, as being “... [ Continue Reading ]
[5. PRACTICAL EXHORTATION (Ephesians 4:17). (1) THE NEW LIFE; first, taught in Christ and learning Christ; and secondly, regenerate in Him to the image of God (Ephesians 4:17). (2) HENCE THE POWER OF CONQUEST OF SIN GENERALLY — (_a_) _Falsehood_ (Ephesians 4:25); (_b_) _Passionate anger_ (Eph... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS I SAY THEREFORE. — The phrase “This I say” seems to be used by St. Paul in returning (so to speak) from some lofty aspiration or profound reasoning, in which some might not be able to follow him, to a solid, practical ground, which all may tread. (See, for example, 1 Corinthians 15:50.) Here he... [ Continue Reading ]
HAVING THE UNDERSTANDING DARKENED. — Of this vanity the first result noted is the intellectual. They are “darkened in the understanding,” and so, “by the ignorance in them alienated from the life of God.” The phrase “the life of God” is unique. It may, however, be interpreted by a similar phrase, th... [ Continue Reading ]
WHO BEING PAST FEELING... — We note that St. Paul, passing lightly over the intellectual loss, dwells on the moral with intense and terrible emphasis. They are (he says) “past feeling”; or, literally, carrying on the metaphor of callousness, _they have lost the capacity of pain_ — the moral pain whi... [ Continue Reading ]
YE HAVE NOT SO LEARNED CHRIST. — Better, _ye did not so learn the Christ._ To “learn Christ” is a phrase not used elsewhere; but easily interpreted by the commoner phrase to “know Christ” (see John 14:7; John 14:9; 2 Corinthians 5:16; Philippians 3:10), which is still nearer to it in the original, f... [ Continue Reading ]
IF SO BE THAT. — The word is the same which is used in Ephesians 3:2; Colossians 1:23, indicating no real doubt, but only that rhetorical doubt which is strong affirmation. YE HAVE HEARD HIM... — The true rendering here is, _ye heard Him, and were taught in Him._ St. Paul begins with the first mean... [ Continue Reading ]
CONCERNING THE FORMER CONVERSATION. — So far, that is, as concerns the conversation or mode of life described above (Ephesians 4:17) as the moral condition of heathenism. It is in relation to this, the corruption of the true humanity, and not in relation to the true humanity itself, that the “old ma... [ Continue Reading ]
(22-24) These verses explain the substance of the teaching of Ephesians 4:21. The original may be interpreted either of the teaching of a fact, “that ye did put off... and are being renewed,” &c., or of a duty, “that ye put off... and be renewed.” The latter is, on the whole, the more probable, alth... [ Continue Reading ]
AND BE RENEWED IN THE SPIRIT OF YOUR MIND. — The word translated “renewed” is not the same as the word “new” below. It is properly “to be made young again,” and the process of recovery is described as the natural effect of putting off the decrepitude of the old man, and the decay engendered by flesh... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THAT YE PUT ON... — But this effect of “the putting off of the old man” is at once absorbed in the stronger idea of “putting on the new man.” In the “new man” here is implied not merely youthfulness, but the freshness of a higher nature (as in Ephesians 2:15). To “put on the new man” is, therefo... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR WE ARE MEMBERS. — Accordingly the reason given for “putting away lying” is that “we are members one of another.” Truth is the first condition of the mutual confidence which is the basis of all unity. Hence it is the first duty of that “membership one of another,” which follows from our being “on... [ Continue Reading ]
BE YE ANGRY, AND SIN NOT. — A quotation from the LXX. version of Psalms 4:4. Anger itself is not sin, for our Lord Himself felt it (Mark 3:5) at the “hardness of men’s hearts;” and it is again and again attributed to God Himself, in language no doubt of human accommodation, but, of course, accommoda... [ Continue Reading ]
NEITHER GIVE PLACE (_i.e., scope_) TO THE DEVIL. — The name “Devil” is used by St. Paul only in his later Epistles (see Ephesians 6:11; 1 Timothy 3:6; 1 Timothy 6:9; 2 Timothy 2:26; Titus 2:3); in the earlier Epistles (Romans 16:20; 1 Corinthians 5:5; 1 Corinthians 7:5;... [ Continue Reading ]
LET HIM THAT STOLE (properly, _the stealer_) STEAL NO MORE.... — In this verse St. Paul treats dishonesty, virtually, although less distinctly, from the same point of view as before. For he is not content with forbidding it, or even with forbidding it as fatal to society; but he directs that it be s... [ Continue Reading ]
LET NO CORRUPT COMMUNICATION... — The word rendered “corrupt,” is a strong word, signifying “rotten”; used in Matthew 7:17, and elsewhere in the literal sense, here alone in the metaphorical. By the corrupt word, probably, here is meant especially the foul word, which is rotten in itself, and spread... [ Continue Reading ]
AND GRIEVE NOT THE HOLY SPIRIT. — This verse refers to all the practical commands given above. The four cardinal sins forbidden are regarded as “grieving the Holy Spirit of God.” In that expression, even more than in the cognate expressions of “quenching the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19), and “resi... [ Continue Reading ]
LET ALL BITTERNESS. — There is a similar enumeration in the parallel passage, Colossians 3:8; and in all such catalogues in St. Paul’s Epistles, while it is vain to seek for formal and elaborate system, there is always profound method and connection of idea. Here the first symptom of the temper forb... [ Continue Reading ]
(3 _a_) In Ephesians 4:31 to Ephesians 5:2, he deals with malignity, as utterly unworthy of the love of God manifested to us in Jesus Christ.... [ Continue Reading ]
KIND... TENDERHEARTED. — “Kindness” is gentleness in bearing with wrong (Luke 6:35; Romans 11:22; Ephesians 2:7; 1 Peter 2:3). “Tenderheartedness” (see 1 Peter 3:8) is more positive warmth of sympathy and love. Both issue in free “forgiveness,” after the model of the universal and unfailing forgiven... [ Continue Reading ]