V. (1, 2) These verses are an expansion and enforcement of the last verse of Ephesians 4. There the forgiveness of “God in Christ” is set forth in one pregnant phrase. Here the two parts of this idea are divided; and there is put before us, first, the free universal love of God as our Father, and n... [ Continue Reading ]
FOLLOWERS OF GOD. — The phrase is unique and very striking; literally, _imitators of God_: and the word “therefore” implies that this imitation of God must be chiefly in His essential attribute of love. It is instructive to observe that our Lord’s startling command, “Be ye therefore perfect, as your... [ 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 ]
AS CHRIST ALSO HATH LOVED US. — To this idea of the “imitation of God,” essential to all true religion, St. Paul now adds an exhortation to follow the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, in that especial exhibition of love by suffering and self-sacrifice, which is impossible to the Godhead in itself,... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT FORNICATION, AND ALL UNCLEANNESS, OR CHRISTIAN LIGHT COVETOUSNESS. — “Fornication” is closely joined (as in 2 Corinthians 12:21; Galatians 5:19; Colossians 3:5) with “uncleanness,” of which general sin it is a flagrant species. It is distinguished (as also in Colossians 3:5) from “covetousness,”... [ Continue Reading ]
(3_b_) Ephesians 5:3 warn, with even greater fulness and emphasis, against the sins of impurity and lust, as incompatible with membership of the kingdom of heaven, as works of darkness, impossible to those who are children of light.... [ Continue Reading ]
NEITHER FILTHINESS, NOR FOOLISH TALKING, NOR JESTING. — The word “filthiness” (unlike the “filthy communication” of the parallel passage in Colossians 3:8) is in itself a general word. But the connection with the words following, and the distinction from those going before, appear to show that St. P... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THIS YE KNOW. — The true reading of the original is curiously emphatic. It runs thus: _For this ye know, knowing_... But, as it uses two different words, in the former clause properly “ye know” and the latter “learning to know,” the sense seems to be: “For this ye know, learning it afresh so as... [ Continue Reading ]
LET NO MAN DECEIVE YOU WITH VAIN WORDS. — It seems likely that St. Paul has in view, not mere worldly condonation of evil or low heathen morality, but some anticipation of that Antinomian form of Gnosticism which held that the things done in the body, being evil only by the irresistible, inevitable... [ Continue Reading ]
YE WERE SOMETIMES DARKNESS, BUT NOW ARE YE LIGHT IN THE LORD. — This expression is unique, and far more emphatic than the more common phrases of “being,” or “walking,” “in darkness” and “in light.” (See Romans 2:9; Colossians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:4; 1 John 1:6; 1 John 2:9.) For here the outward el... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THE FRUIT... — The true reading is, _of the Light,_ for which the easier phrase, “the fruit of the Spirit,” has been substituted, to the great detriment of the force and coherency of the whole passage. Light has its fruits; darkness (see Ephesians 5:11) is “unfruitful.” The metaphor is striking,... [ Continue Reading ]
PROVING WHAT IS ACCEPTABLE UNTO THE LORD. — So in Romans 12:2, the “proving what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God,” is the fruit of transformation “in the renewing of the mind.” “To prove” is to try in each case, by the full light of God, what is accordant to His will; it is a work... [ Continue Reading ]
HAVE NO FELLOWSHIP WITH THE UNFRUITFUL WORKS OF DARKNESS. — To “have no fellowship” with such works is not to refuse to take part in them (for this surely might be taken for granted), but to keep no terms with them, to have no sympathy or indulgence or excuse for them. So the word is used, in Philip... [ Continue Reading ]
IT IS A SHAME EVEN TO SPEAK... — Comp. Ephesians 5:3. Sin may be plainly indicated, and perhaps most effectually branded, without polluting the tongue by describing its actual developments. The need of St. Paul’s caution is only too obvious when we read some satires and denunciations against sin, or... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT ALL THINGS THAT ARE REPROVED ARE MADE MANIFEST BY THE LIGHT. — This should properly be rendered, _But all things, when reproved, are illuminated by the light._ The translation “are made manifest” is indeed fully in accordance with the common usage of the word. But the whole context shows that St... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEREFORE HE (or, _it_) SAITH. — This phrase is used (as also in James 4:6) in Ephesians 4:8 to introduce a scriptural quotation; and the most natural completion of the elliptical expression is by the supply of the nominative, “God,” or “the scripture,” from the ordinary phrase of quotation or citat... [ Continue Reading ]
SEE THEN THAT YE WALK (properly, _how ye walk_) CIRCUMSPECTLY. — The word rendered “circumspectly” is properly _strictly,_ or _accurately_ — generally used of intellectual accuracy or thoroughness (as in Matthew 2:8; Luke 1:3; Acts 18:25; Acts 18:28; 1 Thessalonians 5:2); only here and in Acts 26:5... [ Continue Reading ]
REDEEMING THE TIME. — Or rather, _the opportunity,_ whenever it arises. The meaning of this phrase (used also in Colossians 4:5) is clearly illustrated by its use (although in a bad sense) in Daniel 2:8, “I know that you would gain the time” — _i.e.,_ catch the opportunity to escape from difficulty.... [ Continue Reading ]
BE YE NOT UNWISE. — The word here is stronger than in Ephesians 5:15; it is properly _senseless,_ used of “the fool” (in Luke 11:40; Luke 12:20; 1 Corinthians 15:36; 2 Corinthians 11:16; 2 Corinthians 11:19; 2 Corinthians 12:6; 2 Corinthia [ Continue Reading ]
BE NOT DRUNK WITH WINE, WHEREIN IS EXCESS. — From the general idea of reckless levity, St. Paul passes on to the special sin of drunkenness, as not (like gluttony) primarily a gratification of the appetite, but as a reckless pursuit of excitement at all costs — glorified as an excitement of emotion,... [ Continue Reading ]
SPEAKING TO YOURSELVES IN PSALMS AND HYMNS AND SPIRITUAL SONGS. — The same words are found in Colossians 3:16, with a notable difference of application. There the idea is of teaching: “teaching and admonishing one another;” here, simply of a natural vent for emotion, especially of thanksgiving, alth... [ Continue Reading ]
GIVING THANKS ALWAYS FOR ALL THINGS. — This temper of universal and pervading thankfulness is dwelt upon in the First Epistle to the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 5:18) as indissolubly united with unceasing joy and prayer (“Rejoice evermore; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks.”) Since... [ Continue Reading ]
SUBMITTING YOURSELVES ONE TO ANOTHER IN THE FEAR OF GOD. — In grammatical construction this clause is connected with the preceding verses; in point of idea it leads on to the next section, which treats of the three-fold submission of wives to husbands, children to parents, slaves to masters. There i... [ Continue Reading ]
(4 _a._) In Ephesians 5:22. St. Paul passes from warning against special sins to consider the three great relations of life, first considered as “subjections,” and so illustrating the general precept of submission in Ephesians 5:21, but ultimately viewed in their reciprocity of mutual obligations an... [ Continue Reading ]
[5. Practical Exhortation continued (Ephesians 5:22 to Ephesians 6:9). (4) THE BEARING OF THE TRUTH OF UNITY ON THE THREE GREAT RELATIONS OF LIFE. (_a_) _Between husbands and wives_ — a relation which is a type of the unity between Christ and His Church (Ephesians 5:22). (_b_)_ Between parents... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THE HUSBAND IS THE HEAD OF THE WIFE, EVEN AS CHRIST IS THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH. — It is instructive to compare this with the partly similar passage in 1 Corinthians 11:3. There “the head of the woman is the man,” as here; but “the head of every man (individually) is Christ,” considered in His hum... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE IS THE SAVIOUR OF THE BODY. THEREFORE... — The words “and” and “is” are wrongly inserted, and the word “therefore” is absolutely an error, evading the difficulty of the passage. It should be, _He Himself being the Saviour of the Body. But_... This clause, in which the words “He Himself” are e... [ Continue Reading ]
(25-27) In these verses we trace, under the nuptial metaphor, a clear description of the three great stages in salvation — justification in His “giving Himself for us, sanctification in the “cleansing by water in the Word,” glorification in the final “presentation” to Christ in glory. The metaphor i... [ Continue Reading ]
HUSBANDS, LOVE YOUR WIVES, EVEN AS CHRIST ALSO LOVED THE CHURCH. — The love of Christ for His Church is such that He counts Himself incomplete without her (Ephesians 1:23), and raises her to be one with Himself; that He bears with her weakness and frailty; that He draws her on by the cords of love;... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT HE MIGHT SANCTIFY AND CLEANSE IT... — The true rendering is, _that He might sanctify it, having cleansed it in the laver of the water in_ [_the_]_ Word._ The reference in “the laver of the water” to baptism, is even more unquestionable than in “the laver of regeneration” of Titus 3:5. Hence we... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT HE MIGHT PRESENT IT TO HIMSELF. — The original is more emphatic — _that He might Himself present it to Himself._ This presentation belonged usually to the “paranymph,” or “friend of the bridegroom, to whom St. John Baptist compares himself in John 3:29 (where see Note); St. Paul himself assumes... [ Continue Reading ]
SO OUGHT MEN TO LOVE THEIR WIVES... — From this glorious digression; applying only to the divine Antitype, St. Paul comes back to the one point, in which the type may imitate it — that is, a deep and unfailing love. “So” refers to the previous verse, describing the love of Christ, not to the “as” fo... [ Continue Reading ]
HIS OWN FLESH — _i.e.,_ as above (Ephesians 5:28), _his own body._ There are two parts of the natural care for our own bodies; first, “to nourish” (properly, _to rear them up from childhood,_ as in Ephesians 6:4), and then “to cherish” (literally, _to keep them warm_)_,_ to provide all they need for... [ Continue Reading ]
EVEN AS THE LORD THE CHURCH: FOR WE... — Again St. Paul escapes from the type to rest on the Antitype (see Ephesians 5:32). The idea of the natural rearing and cherishing the body suggests the thought of the tender care of Christ, in which He “rears up” His Church from weak infancy to full maturity... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THIS CAUSE. — In spite of much authority, it seems far simpler to consider the words “Even as the Lord... His bones” as parenthetical, and refer back to Ephesians 5:28. In exactly the same way our Lord quotes the same verse of Genesis (Genesis 2:24) to show the indissoluble character of the marr... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS IS A GREAT MYSTERY. — Rather, _This mystery is a great one._ The words apply to the type, as well as to the Antitype. (1) The indissoluble and paramount sacredness of marriage, as all history shows, is “a mystery” — that is (see Ephesians 1:9), a secret of God’s law, fully revealed in Christ al... [ Continue Reading ]
NEVERTHELESS. — Although, _i.e.,_ the primary and perfect application is to Christ alone, let the teaching be so far applied to marriage as that practically “the husband love his wife as himself,” and “the wife reverence (properly, _fear_) the husband.” This return to homely, practical duty after hi... [ Continue Reading ]