Comments on
EPHESIANS
By Elder Harold Hunt
1991
Elder Harold Hunt
2516 E Clark Ave.
Maryville, TN 37804
COMMENTS ON PAUL’S LETTER
TO THE EPHESIANS
INTRODUCTION
When Paul wrote this letter to the Ephesians, he was under house arrest in Rome. Three times in the letter (3:1, 4:1. and 4:20), he refers to his imprisonment.
Paul was well acquainted with the church at Ephesus. He had preached there for three years (Acts 20:31), and his farewell address to the church there, in Acts 20, is one of the most touching scenes in the Bible. He assured them that he had “kept back nothing that was profitable” (vs 20), that he had not shunned to declare “all the counsel of God” (vs 27), that he was “pure from the blood of all men” (vs 26), and that he had “coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel” (vs 33). He foresaw the “bonds and affliction” (vs 23) that were waiting him at Jerusalem, and very sadly he told them that they would not see him again (vs 25).
“And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul’s neck, and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him unto the ship” (vss 37, 38).
But in the midst of that tender scene there was a somber note. Paul knew that conditions in Ephesus would not always be the way they were at that time. He warned them, “After my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them” (vss 29, 30). He bowed and prayed with them, and commended them to God, and “to the word of his grace (vss 36, 32). Now he was in Rome, a prisoner of the Roman government, and it was apparent that he would never be at Ephesus again; but his mind was still with the church there. He knew the danger they faced.
Ephesus was a wicked city. It was a major center for the immoral religion of the pagan goddess Diana. There was a huge temple to Diana at Ephesus, and the priests, and image makers of Diana, had strong influence over the people. But the danger from the idol worshipers was not their greatest problem.
Their greatest danger was from those who would rise up in their own assembly “to draw away disciples after them.” And with that problem in mind, Paul wrote this epistle to the Ephesians. If he could not be there, he would provide them with the weapons they would need in the battle. There is probably not another book in the Bible that provides such a broad base of Bible doctrine, and practical instruction, in such a short space as the book of Ephesians does. In the first three chapters he lays a solid doctrinal foundation. He deals with election and predestination, with adoption and redemption, with depravity and irresistible grace. He deals with the Jews and Gentiles, with the Law Service and the gospel day, with prophecy and fulfillment, with the identity and preservation of the church. And having laid a firm doctrinal foundation, he spends the next three chapters spelling out the way every child of God ought to live. His instructions touch every aspect of our lives. Had the Ephesians followed Paul’s instructions, they would have been well prepared to face any problem from without or within, from adversaries who would do them harm, or from the conflict that raged in their own hearts and lives.
HAROLD HUNT
CHAPTER ONE
1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus.
Paul, an APOSTLE of Jesus Christ An apostle is “a sent one.” He is one sent on a mission. Paul was sent to do a work, and being sent, he had authority from the one who sent him. Paul said, “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us” (2 Cor. 5:20). The apostles were God’s sent ones; they were his ambassadors, his spokesmen. They spoke for God; they represented God. There are no apostles today; they did their job so well that they need no successors. Our preachers today are not Jewish apostles; we are Gentile preachers. No Gentile preacher ever managed to become a Jewish apostle. But as Gentiles preachers we are still a sent people. If God has not called us and sent us, we are wasting our time to go. There is a world of difference between a Jewish apostle and a Gentile preacher. When the apostles wrote the things they wrote in the scriptures, God so guided them that they never made a mistake. The Bible is true, and accurate, and dependable in every detail. But there is no preacher today who is infallible, and any preacher who gets the idea he is infallible is already in trouble. But not even the apostles were infallible in and of themselves. They made mistakes in their own life and conduct. Peter certainly was in error when he swore and denied the Lord. James and John were in error when they wanted to sit, the one on the right hand, and the other on the left in the Lord’s kingdom. But when they wrote the things they wrote in the scriptures, they wrote it as God’s spokesmen. When the Bible speaks, this is God speaking. Paul said, “For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout the earth” (Rom. 9:17).
The Bible did not raise up Pharaoh: God raised up Pharaoh. But the text says that “The Scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up.” It sounds as if the scripture raised up Pharaoh.
That is simply saying that when the Bible speaks, it is actually God speaking. The preacher has no authority of his own; but when he speaks, if he has a “thus saith the Lord” for what he says, he is God’s spokesman. And we ignore his message at our own peril.
By the will of God When the Lord called his apostles, he did not send out a call for volunteers; he called those whom he chose. That call was based on his will, not theirs. The Lord told the apostles, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain” (John 15:16). And by the same token, he has never sent out a call for volunteers to preach the gospel today.
To the SAINTS which are in Ephesus, and to the FAITHFUL in Christ Jesus The Bible is not addressed to everybody in general and nobody in particular. It is addressed to the saints and to the faithful. It is addressed to those who are born of the Spirit of God. It would do no good to address the dead alien sinner; he cannot hear, and, enjoy and appreciate the gospel message. 1 Cor. 2:14, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” And we must bear it in mind that this epistle is directed specifically to the “saints” and “faithful” at Ephesus. This was a special message to these Gentile believers. There are going to be special explanations of the standing of Gentile believers in the New Testament church. Much of chapter two, especially, will be given over to explaining this new access to the benefits of the church that is now enjoyed by Gentiles.
In Christ Jesus This is probably the key phrase to all of Paul’s epistles. Everything we have is in Christ Jesus. Some form of that expression appears almost thirty times in the book of Ephesians alone.
1:2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace be to you and peace Paul begins the letter in the usual manner. The formula is always the same: first grace, then peace. If the grace of God is not in your heart, there will be no peace in your presence, neither peace with God, nor peace with your fellow man. It is not necessary for us to pray for an individual in order for him to have grace in his heart. If God has determined to save an individual, he will save him; and he does not need our prayers to persuade him to do what he is already determined to do. But there is such a thing as growing in grace.
2 Pet. 3:18, “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.”
We cannot grow into grace, but we can grow in grace. The dead alien sinner cannot grow from death into life. The dead do not grow in any sense. But the living subject of grace can grow and become strong in grace. He can “go from strength to strength” (Psa. 84:7), and that is what Paul is praying for. Grace results in peace, peace with God and peace with our fellow man. Our Lord is “the Prince of Peace,” and he gives peace to his children. John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, MY PEACE I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
From God our Father God is the only source of grace, and he is the only source of peace. This old world will never give you peace. John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” The bookstores are full of self help books that claim to bring peace and self confidence. But they just say “Peace, peace, when there is no peace.”
God OUR Father It has been said that the sweetness of the gospel is in its personal pronouns. We may talk about him as the Father, the Lord, the Savior, and we will receive instruction; but it is only when he is our Father, our Lord, and our Savior that he becomes truly precious to our soul.
AND from the Lord Jesus Christ Every member of the Trinity is agreed in their work. They are so in agreement that there is no blessing that comes from one that cannot be said, in some sense, to come from all three.
1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
BLESSED be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ There are two different words that are translated blessed in this verse, and they do not mean the same thing. The words are eulogetos and eulogesas. The one means to declare to be blessed, and the other means to cause to be blessed. We declare God to be blessed—eulogetos, and God causes us to be blessed—eulogesas. Eulogesas is never used in referring to God. We cannot cause God to be blessed.
We only declare him to be blessed. And that is what Paul is doing in this expression. He is declaring God to be blessed. And that is what we endeavor to do in our preaching and in our worship; we declare him to be blessed. God is the most blessed being of all. He does not stand in need of anything. He does not need us, and he does not need anything we might give him. Nothing in creation adds anything to God, and nothing his children might say or do adds anything to him. Most men have an entirely inadequate idea of what God is, and what he is like. God is not a feeble old king, sitting on a tottery throne, away off out yonder somewhere, just wringing his hands, and grieving his heart out, because he cannot do all he wants to do. God is the most blessed—the most happy—of all beings. He has everything he wants to have, and he does everything he wants to do, and “none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou” (Dan. 4:35).
The GOD and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ The Lord Jesus was God manifest in human flesh. He was verily God, and verily man. He was as surely God as he had ever been, and he was as surely man as any other person is man—sin excepted. As the Son of Man he is verily man, and as man, God is his God. John 20:17, “Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.”
Who hath BLESSED us The word here is eulogesas. It means to cause to be blessed. God causes us to be blessed. Without him we were dead in trespasses and sins; without him we are wretched and miserable.
With all SPIRITUAL blessings If you have any spiritual blessing, God gave it to you. He is the source of every spiritual blessing. The Law Service blessed with carnal and material blessings, but these are spiritual blessings that are under consideration. This is one of the grand differences between the Law Service and the gospel. He is also the source of every blessing, of every description (“every good gift and every perfect gift” James 1:17), but here he has reference to spiritual blessings.
With ALL spiritual blessings Some are blessed today with some material blessings, and some with others; but nobody is blessed with every material blessing. Some are blessed with health, but not with wealth. Some are blessed with fame, but with very little else. Those who are blessed with spiritual blessings are blessed with all spiritual blessings. Every spiritual blessing is ours in Christ Jesus.
In heavenly places Those heavenly places are heaven itself. It was in heaven above that God pronounced every spiritual blessing on his chosen. There are heavenly places, places like heaven, here in this life; but we do not receive all spiritual blessings in those places. As sweet and as precious as those places are, they are never as sweet and as spiritual as they might be. We miss ever so many of the blessings we might have had here in this life, but we will never miss any of those blessings God has pronounced upon us in Christ Jesus.
In Christ Jesus Everything we have is in him. Some form of that expression (“in him,” “in Christ,” “in the beloved,” etc.) appears ten times in the first fourteen verses of this chapter. That thought should be ever on our minds. It is not by our works, nor by our merit, nor by our goodness—everything we have is in him.
1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.
According as HE HATH CHOSEN US in him Very few doctrines make the carnal mind more uncomfortable than God’s choice of his people. The carnal mind wants to think he is in charge—he has the final word. Men have made every effort to escape the clear Bible doctrine of election. All sorts of objections are raised against God’s choosing individuals to live with him in eternity. It is objected that election has to do with God’s choice of the nation of Israel. Well, God did choose Israel as a nation to be his own peculiar treasure; but that is not what this passage is talking about.
This letter is not addressed to Israel. It is addressed to the saints and faithful at Ephesus, and it is those saints and faithful ones who are chosen. They are not chosen because they are saints and faithful, but they are saints and faithful because they are chosen.
Again it is objected that election has to do with the choice of certain ones to a particular work. God has, indeed, chosen people to a special work. He chose the apostles; they did not volunteer for the job.
John 15:16, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.”
And today, God still chooses men and calls them to preach the gospel. But, again, this is not addressed to the apostles, and it is not addressed to preachers. It is addressed to individuals, whom he has chosen to grace and glory.
In him That expression appears over and over in this book. Everything we have is in him. We are chosen in him, loved in him, and redeemed in him.
Before the foundation of the world A wise man plans his work before he begins, and God, the wisest of all, planned exactly what he was going to do before he began the great work of creation. The matter of the salvation of his people is the grandest of all undertakings, and God knew exactly what he would do in this matter before he ever created the first part of this universe.
That we should be holy and without blame before him in love God did not choose his people, because we were holy, or because he foresaw that we would be holy. That would be salvation by works, pure and simple. Holiness on the part of the saints is not the cause—it is rather the result of the choice.
He chose his people “that we should be holy.” He chose us in order to make us holy. If he had waited for us to become holy, none of us would have ever been saved.
Before him It is one thing to be holy in our own estimation, or to be holy in the estimation of our equals, but to be “holy and without blame before him” is another matter. The only way anybody can be holy before him is by an imputed righteousness, by having the spotless righteousness of Christ imputed to us.
1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Having predestinated us It is not events and acts that are predestinated—it is people. The word appears exactly four times in the Bible (Rom. 8:29,30, Eph. 1:5,11), and every time it has to do with people. It is never once used in regard to acts and events. It is not the acts of all mankind, whether good or evil, that are predestinated. It is rather the destiny of his people that is predestinated—determined beforehand. God loved his elect in Christ Jesus before the world began. His love is an everlasting love.
Jer. 31:3, “The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with AN EVERLASTING LOVE: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” And loving them with an everlasting love he predestinated them—HE DETERMINED THEIR DESTINY BEFOREHAND. As a wise man does the most important chores first, so before God performed the first act in the natural creation, he guaranteed the eternal blessedness of his own chosen and loved people; he predestinated them to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself.
Unto the ADOPTION of children by Jesus Christ to himself To adopt signifies to take out of one family (into which the child was born by nature) and to place into another family. We were, by nature, born into Adam’s family; we are, by grace, made members of God’s family. Adoption involves everything that God does on behalf of his chosen and redeemed family in bringing them from nature to grace. It began with the choice made in eternity past; it will be concluded when God takes all his redeemed family home to live with him in eternity to come; and it involves everything he does for them in between.
Regeneration is one part of the adoption. It is that act whereby God causes his adopted child to be a partaker of the divine nature (I Pet. 1:4), to be born of that same spirit which lives in the heart of all the other members of the redeemed family. In nature, adopting parents cannot make the adopted child to possess the same characteristics as the rest of the family. But, in regeneration, God does for his family what natural parents are not able to do. He quickens them by his Spirit, and gives them the same spiritual nature as the rest of the family.
According to the good pleasure of HIS WILL. Whatever God does, he does according to HIS WILL. Dan. 4:35, “He doeth ACCORDING TO HIS WILL in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?”
Psa 115:3, “But our God is in the heavens, he hath done WHATSOEVER HE HATH PLEASED.”
He does not need anybody to instruct him.
Rom. 11:34, “For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or WHO HATH BEEN HIS COUNSELOR?
The GOOD PLEASURE of his will The pleasure of God’s will is “good pleasure;” If it pleases God, it ought to please us. It is an indication of the corruption of the human heart, and the malice of man toward his maker, that so many people are uneasy at the thought of God being in charge. It is because they are suspicious of the motives of God. At heart those who object to the thought of the sovereignty of God seem to have the idea that God is up to no good, and they had rather be in charge of their own destiny than to trust their welfare to God. They believe that they would take better care of themselves than God will. But you can be sure that God’s thoughts toward his own are thoughts of good and not evil.
Jer. 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”
1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
To the praise of the glory of his grace Whatever God does redounds to his own glory. He is glorified in all he does, but nothing so glorifies him as he is glorified in the salvation of helpless, ruined sinners. We had no claim whatsoever on God, nothing to commend us to him, and yet, of his own mercy and grace he saved us.
Rev. 4:11, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor, and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
Wherein he hath MADE US ACCEPTED in the beloved Those who talk so much about the need of the sinner to “accept Christ” have it all wrong. There is not so much as one verse in the Bible instructing the dead alien sinner to “accept Christ.” It is not God who is on trial; man is. It is not a question as to whether we accept God, but whether he accepts us.
Accepted in the beloved If we are accepted, we will be “accepted in the beloved.” There is nothing about us to commend us to God; if we are judged on our own merit, we will be forever separated from God. The only righteousness we have is the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ.
1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.
In whom Paul never tires of pointing out that everything we have is in him.
In whom we have REDEMPTION through his blood We were, by nature, in bondage to sin, slaves to sin. Our federal head, Adam, sold us under sin, and we did not have the power, nor the desire, to recover ourselves from sin. We owed a sin debt to the justice of God that we could never repay. To “redeem” (lutroo, or as here apolutrosin) means to “set free, to rescue, TO BUY BACK.” By his suffering and death Christ paid our sin debt; we were BOUGHT BACK from the righteous indignation of God against sin. The justice of God was satisfied, and we were delivered from the bondage and guilt of sin.
I Cor. 6:20, “For ye are BOUGHT WITH A PRICE: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
The forgiveness of sins The redemption price is paid, our sin debt is gone, and our sins are put away.
Psa. 103:12, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”
Because of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ we are delivered from the penalty, and the power, and the guilt of sin.
According to the riches of his grace Our sins are put away “according to,” in a manner consistent with, “the riches of his grace.” That is to say, “the riches of his grace” is the measure of our redemption. We are accustomed to speaking of things in units of measure. We measure a purchased product by the ounce, or the pound, or the ton, etc. We measure distance traveled by the mile, or the kilometer. And so, God measures the redemption of his people, and the forgiveness of our sins, by “the riches of his grace.” If anyone can measure how great God is, and how great the riches of his grace is, he can, then, measure the greatness of the redemption of his children. Those who look to their own works, and their own merit, as the measure of their hope of eternity have made a poor trade, indeed.
1:8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence
Wherein he hath ABOUNDED toward us The grace of God is as boundless as God is boundless, and his grace abounds toward his people, in all its fulness. As great as our guilt of sin is, God’s grace is greater than our guilt.
Rom. 5:20, “But where sin abounded, grace did MUCH MORE ABOUND.”
Abounded TOWARD US The grace of God is discriminating. His grace is TOWARD US—toward his chosen and redeemed. Love is always particular and discriminating. If you are explaining to your wife how much you love her, and you avow that you love her every bit as much as you love every woman in your town, you can be sure that she would not be at all impressed (not for the good anyway).
In all WISDOM and PRUDENCE Knowledge and wisdom and prudence are not entirely the same. Knowledge has to do with the possession of facts and information; wisdom involves the judgment and ability to use and apply that knowledge; and prudence involves the caution and judgment to use knowledge and wisdom aright. God has all the knowledge there is; there is nothing he does not know. And he has all wisdom, the ability to use that knowledge properly. The very maintenance of the universe is a witness to his wisdom. He has the judgment and prudence to always apply that wisdom properly; and he applies that infinite knowledge, and wisdom, and prudence in the salvation of his people. Nothing less than the mind of God could have devised the scheme of our salvation. Every attribute of God is magnified, and no attribute violated in his grace toward his people.
1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself.
HAVING MADE KNOWN unto us the mystery of his will We would never have known it if God had not made it known. Man by his wisdom cannot figure out God, nor the works of God.
1 Cor. 1:21, “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.”
Job 11:7, “Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?”
Having made known UNTO US God conceals from the profane world some of those things which he reveals to his people. He is not under any requirement to reveal his will to anybody, but he does condescend to reveal himself to his own chosen and redeemed.
Matt. 11:25, “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast HID these things from the wise and prudent, and hast REVEALED them unto babes.”
The MYSTERY of his will The will of God is a mystery. Everything God does, he “doeth according to his will” (Dan. 4:35); but the majority of people—even the most religious people—have never even realized that God has a will, or that he acts according to that will. Most people seem to think that God conditions his actions on the will of others. And even those who are most aware of the will of God cannot always understand the WHY of his will. We cannot always understand why he does what he does. Among other things, we cannot understand why he saves those who are entirely undeserving of salvation. The only answer we have, or really need, is that God was pleased to do it that way.
Matt. 11:26, “Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight.”
According to his good pleasure which he hath PURPOSED IN HIMSELF Paul never despairs of pointing out the complete SOVEREIGNTY of God. The religious leaders of our time do not believe it, and the commentators either ignore it, or if they mention it at all, they mention it so slightly, and in such ambiguous terms that we can never be sure of what they said. But there is no doctrine the Bible teaches more clearly than it teaches that God is sovereign. He is answerable to nobody, and he confers with nobody. His actions are his own; they are based on his will, not the will of the creature.
Isa. 40:14, “With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?”
1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth, even in him.
That in the DISPENSATION of the fulness of times “Dispensation” DOES NOT mean an age or a period of time. It is never once used in the scriptures with that meaning. That is a meaning forced on the word by John Darby, C. I. Scofield, and other so-called “dispensationalists,” and, somehow, accepted by others without questioning. Webster, Vine, and Thayer all agree that dispensation and oikonomia, the word from which it is translated, mean administration, or management, and that is the way it is used in the scriptures. “The DISPENSATION of the fulness of times” is simply God’s MANAGEMENT of his affairs in “the fulness of times.” God MANAGES and ADMINISTERS the salvation of his people, and he does not need any help from anybody.
The FULNESS of times God manages and administers his affairs in their details, and he manages them IN THEIR FULNESS, in their completeness. “The FULNESS of times,” all of time, and all of eternity, is gathered together in him. He does the gathering. All of time and eternity was GATHERED TOGETHER IN HIM at Calvary, when he gathered up all of his family in himself, and suffered and died for them on the cross.
Gal. 4:4,5, “But when THE FULNESS OF THE TIME was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, TO REDEEM them that were under the law.”
All of time and eternity revolves around what God accomplished in the person of his Son at Calvary. Before that day the saints LOOKED FORWARD to what he would accomplish; since that day we LOOK BACK to what he has done; and in it all, we LOOK FORWARD to the day when that work will find its conclusion in his gathering all the family home to live with him in heaven.
He might gather together IN ONE all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth: even in him
When Christ suffered on the cross, his sacrificial death paid the sin debt FOR ALL HIS PEOPLE—for those who would some day be born, for those who were then living on the earth, and for those who had already died and been buried. Those who had already died were then already with God in the glory world. (They are there in spirit now; they will be there in body after the resurrection.)
Eccl. 12:7, “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.”
He gathered up all his family—those “which are in heaven,” and those “which are on earth,”—IN ONE, in himself, and REPRESENTED THEM ALL—paid the sin debt for them all—before God. God has only one way of saving sinners. His sacrificial death is the full payment for the sins of all his people.
1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.
In whom also we have obtained an INHERITANCE An inheritance is not a reward, and it is certainly not wages. An inheritance goes to the HEIRS of the estate. It goes to those who are NAMED by the benefactor IN THE WILL. God has a will, and everything he does, he does according to that will (Dan. 4:35). The Son of God, who cannot die, assumed a human nature, such as we have, that in that nature he might die, and bring that will into force.
Heb. 9:16, 17, “For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise, it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.”
It is in the nature of wills that wills name names, and the names of the heirs of this estate were written in God’s book “from the foundation of the world.”
Rev. 13:8, “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, WHOSE NAMES ARE NOT WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF LIFE of the Lamb slain FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.”
Rev. 17:8, “And they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, WHOSE NAMES WERE NOT WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF LIFE FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.”
The benefits of this will are RESERVED for those who are named in the will.
1 Pet. 1:4, “To an INHERITANCE incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, RESERVED in heaven for you.”
Any reservation that does not name names is no reservation.
We have OBTAINED an inheritance It is sometimes objected that the word obtained in this expression indicates some activity on the part of the recipient in order to receive the benefits mentioned. But these three words are all one word in the original language (eklerothemen), and it is in the PASSIVE VOICE. The passive voice signifies that the subject does not act; he is ACTED UPON. They signify something done to or for the recipient, and not something done by him.
Being PREDESTINATED according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will
The word predestinated is used here as it is always used in the scriptures. It has to do with PEOPLE and NOT with EVENTS or ACTS. It has to do with the destiny of his people, and not with their activity along the way. It was not necessary that God should predestinate sin; man has done very well with that without any help. And the word here, as always, has to do with the people of God, and not with the wicked. It is the DESTINY OF THE CHILDREN OF GOD that is predestinated; the wicked are not under consideration. The Calvinistic idea of a “double predestination” is wrong. The Bible never teaches that God predestinated anyone to eternal damnation.
1:12 That we should be to the praise his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
That we…..who first trusted in Christ Here was a Jewish apostle writing to Gentile believers. It was Jewish believers who FIRST TRUSTED IN CHRIST. Later Gentile believers would hear the gospel and believe, and receive the benefits of the New Testament Church, but first the gospel must be preached to the Jews, and some among them believed. In the next chapter Paul will have a lot to say on this subject which he only hints at here.
That we should be to the praise of his glory The judgment of God rested on the nation of Israel. For hundreds of years they had enjoyed benefits that were denied the Gentiles, and they still rebelled against God and his law. As a nation they were shut up in judicial blindness; but out of that blind and rebellious nation God called a people, and blessed them with gospel light, and their love and devotion to him redounded to “the praise of his glory.”
1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.
In whom YE ALSO trusted Keep in mind that Paul was writing to Gentile believers at Ephesus. It was always the purpose of God to bring Gentiles into the New Testament Church.
Eph. 3:5,6, “Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be FELLOWHEIRS, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel.”
First, some among the Jews believed (vs 12); now some among the Gentiles “also trusted.”
AFTER THAT YE HEARD the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation They first heard; then they trusted. The fact that they were able to hear, and then trust indicates that they were a born again people before they heard. Those who are dead in sins cannot hear.
John 8:43, “Why do ye not understand my speech? EVEN BECAUSE YE CANNOT HEAR MY WORD.”
Verse 47, “He that is of God HEARETH God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.”
The GOSPEL of your salvation By its very definition, the word gospel signifies good news. It is neither a proposition, nor an ultimatum; it is the GOOD NEWS of what God has done on behalf of his chosen and redeemed.
In whom also AFTER THAT YE BELIEVED, YE WERE SEALED with that holy Spirit of promise There is a sealing work that is done by the Spirit of God AFTER a person hears and believes the gospel. Sealing and quickening are not the same. A person must be quickened by the Spirit BEFORE he can hear and believe the gospel.
I Cor. 2:14, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: NEITHER CAN HE KNOW THEM, because they are spiritually discerned.”
A seal is defined as “a design or initial placed on a letter, document, etc. as a PROOF OF AUTHENTICITY.” Before he hears, and believes the gospel, and sees the Lord as his only hope of heaven, the Spirit convicts the sinner, and convinces him that he deserves eternal damnation. It brings life, but it also brings condemnation and despair. He sees himself as a lost, ruined, hell-deserving sinner. But once he hears the gospel, and sees the Lord as precious to his soul, he is sealed by the Spirit. That is, the Spirit becomes the PROOF OF THE AUTHENTICITY of his hope in God. The Spirit seals him; it gives him the assurance of salvation; it marks him out as one of God’s own.
The holy Spirit of PROMISE The Spirit becomes his assurance that all those promises God has made to his children are made to him.
1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory
Which is the EARNEST of our inheritance An earnest is “a VALUABLE CONSIDERATION given as a token or assurance of a transaction which is yet to come.” We cannot imagine a more valuable consideration than the Spirit of God living in our hearts, and that Holy Spirit bears witness that there is more to come. We are going, one day, to receive the full benefit of our inheritance; we are then to be taken home to live with God in that home he has prepared for us. It is the purpose of this verse to show that the sealing work of the Spirit, mentioned in verse thirteen, and the witness of the Spirit as “the earnest of our inheritance” are one and the same.
Until the REDEMPTION of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory We are REDEEMED BY PRICE and we will, one day, be REDEEMED BY POWER. We were redeemed by price by the suffering and death of Christ at Calvary. At the resurrection, we will be redeemed by power.
Hos. 13:14, “I will RANSOM them from the power of the grave; I will REDEEM them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.” It is that redemption by power (at the resurrection) that is under consideration in this verse.
1:15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints.
Faith in God and love for the saints go hand in hand. That person who does not love others has no reason to believe that he has faith in God, no reason to think that he is a child of God.
1 John 4:8, “He that loveth not knoweth not God.”
1 John 4:20, “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?”
1:16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers.
Cease not Paul taught the Thessalonians to “pray without CEASING,” (I Thess. 5:17). Prayer ought to be as natural as breathing to the child of God. It ought to be our constant response to our present circumstance—whatever that circumstance may be.
Cease not to GIVE THANKS Most of us are such whiners. We are constantly praying (if we pray at all) “Give me, give me, give me.” It behooves us to take time out from our constant asking to give thanks for the benefits we have already received.
I Thess. 5:18, “In everything GIVE THANKS: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
To give thanks FOR YOU How thankful the saints ought to be for each other. What a lonely place this world would be if we could not find others who have “obtained like precious faith with us” (2 Pet. 1:1).
Making mention of you in my prayers Paul mentioned the saints in his prayers, and called them by name. In Romans, chapter sixteen (vss. 3-15) he spins off a long list of names of the people he begged to pray for him (ch. 15:30-32). It does not make a lot of sense to beg God to look over his family in general. He does that anyway. Our prayers take on meaning when we mention by name those precious souls we are so earnestly praying for.
1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ The Son of God is equal with the Father in every way. But he was sent into the world by the Father (John 4:34); he came to do the will of the Father (Heb. 10:7, John 6:38); he became subject to the Father (1 Cor. 15:28); as man, he prayed to the Father and was supported and sustained by the Father (John 17:1-26); and as such the Father is referred to as his God.
The Father of GLORY All the glory there is is in God; it comes from him, and belongs to him. We could just as well compare the light of a candle to the light of the noonday sun as to compare anything man is, or that man has done, with the glory of God.
May GIVE UNTO YOU the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him If God does not give “wisdom and revelation,” we will never have it. Man cannot “by searching find out God” (Job 11:7). His natural mind cannot “receive the things of the spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:14). They are “foolishness to him.”
May give unto you the SPIRIT It is part of the work of the Spirit to teach us.
I Cor. 2:10, “But God hath revealed them unto us BY HIS SPIRIT: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.”
The wisdom and revelation we need in our service toward God does not come by any innate ability of our own, nor by any sort of instruction we may receive from other men like ourselves; it comes from the Spirit which God gives. It is that Spirit that enables us to know and to understand the things of God.
1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.
The eyes of your understanding being ENLIGHTENED Paul was writing to a born again people; but even born again people stand in need of greater light. Much of the time we stumble around in the dark, and Paul prays that the Spirit would enlighten their understanding.
That ye may know what is the HOPE of his calling Most of the children of God have no idea what their hope is. They believe they are saved, either by their own works, or by a combination of works and grace. But our hope of heaven is in Christ, and in him alone. HE IS OUR HOPE. Our hope is nothing less that Christ himself living in our hearts by faith.
Col. 1:27, “Which is CHRIST IN YOU, HOPE OF GLORY.”
Hope is more than wishful thinking; it is the fond EXPECTATION of better things to come. Far from being a flimsy fantasy, our hope in Christ is “STEADFAST AND SURE;” it is the very “anchor of the soul, and reaches into heaven itself.” Hope reaches where we cannot yet go.
Heb. 6:19, “Which HOPE we have as AN ANCHOR OF THE SOUL, BOTH SURE AND STEADFAST, and which entereth into that within the veil.”
Hope of his CALLING The ground of our hope is the Lord’s CALLING; it is grounded in his having CALLED us from a state of death in sin to a state of life in Christ. The Lord has prepared and reserved every good thing for those whom he CALLS in regeneration.
Rom. 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the CALLED according to his purpose.”
And what the riches of the glory of his INHERITANCE in the saints Our hope of heaven is not based on our work nor our merit; it is an INHERITANCE. God has provided heaven and all that heaven affords for his family, for his HEIRS.
Rom 8:16, 17, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the CHILDREN OF GOD: and if children, then HEIRS; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”
1 Pet. 1:4, “To an INHERITANCE incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, RESERVED in heaven for you.”
This inheritance is reserved for the FAMILY OF GOD, for the HEIRS, for those whose “names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20).
And what the RICHES OF THE GLORY of his inheritance in the saints The saints are, for the most part, not the rich and famous of this world, but their poverty and obscurity in this life is only a prelude to the RICHES and GLORY that await them after awhile.
Matt. 13:43, “Then shall the righteous SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father.”
Rom. 8:18, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present world are not worthy to be compared with the GLORY that shall be revealed in us.”
1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power.
And what is the EXCEEDING GREATNESS OF HIS POWER All of creation bears witness to the great power of God. Nothing short of infinite power could create and sustain the universe. That great power hung the sun, the moon, and the stars in space. It carpeted the earth with plants, and flowers, and trees. It populated the earth with men, and fish, and birds, and animals. And it has sustained all of creation in every age of the world. The same power that holds the earth in its orbit around the sun holds every little electron in its tiny orbit around the nucleus of its own atom. Our minds are too finite to even imagine “the exceeding greatness of his power.”
TO USWARD WHO BELIEVE according to the working of his mighty power That same power that created and sustains the universe extends “to us-ward who believe.” God did not cease to be the powerful God that he is, when he finished the work of creation, nor does he limit the exercise of his power to his sustaining the universe. His power extends “to us-ward who believe.” And notice that we believe “according the WORKING of his mighty power.” It is the actual “working of his mighty power” that accounts for the fact that the saints believe. Had he not worked that great power in us, none of us would have ever believed. The “natural man” does not believe; he cannot even receive “the things of the Spirit of God”
1 Cor. 2:14, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
Man is by nature an enemy and an alien to God; he cannot believe; he cannot even hear spiritual things.
John 8:43, “Why do ye not understand my speech? even because YE CANNOT HEAR MY WORD.”
By the great exercise of his mighty power, God sends his Spirit into the heart of each of his children in the work of regeneration, and one of the evidences of the presence of the Spirit is faith. Faith is a fruit of the Spirit.
Gal. 5:22, “But the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, FAITH.”
It takes more than the faltering efforts of the preacher to introduce faith into the heart of one dead in sins; nothing short of the MIGHTY WORKING AND INDWELLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT can cause one who is dead in sins, and an alien to God, to love God, to believe God, and to trust him. Those folks have far too high an opinion of themselves who believe that they can bring about by their preaching and their persuading what nothing short of the almighty power of God can accomplish. PREACHING, and PRAYING, and BIBLE STUDY help us to understand what faith is all about. They help us to understand what it is that God has done for us and in us, but THEY CAN NEVER PRODUCE FAITH in the heart of one who does not have faith. They can never take the place of the Spirit of God.
1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.
Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead Paul is so careful to point out that THE EXACT SAME POWER that raised Christ from the dead is the very power that extends “to us-ward who believe.” It is “according to the WORKING” of that power that we are made to believe. After the child of God is quickened by that power he still stands in need of further enlightening (vs 18), and he needs instruction in the truth, but it is by God’s exercise of that “mighty power” that he is made to be a believer—he is made to know there is a God, and is given a hunger and thirst for God and for the things of God.
And SET HIM AT HIS OWN RIGHT HAND in the heavenly places God is not the whimpering, whining, begging, pleading, trying, and failing, would-be Savior, that most people seem to believe he is. He demonstrated his great power in the creation of the world, and in the resurrection of his Son from the dead, and then the Lord triumphantly ascended to heaven itself to be SEATED at “the right hand of the majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3). He is our mighty Savior, and our reigning king. The exact same power that raised Christ from the dead, and set him on the right hand of the Father is the power that quickens sinners, and gives them faith, and will, one day, raise them from the dead, and carry them to heaven to forever live in his presence.
1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.
Far above all PRINCIPALITY, and power, and might, and dominion Paul stretches human language to the limit to express the ABSOLUTE SUPREMACY of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is “king of kings, and Lord of lords” (Rev. 19:16), and the “blessed and ONLY potentate” (1 Tim. 6:15). A principality is “the rank, dignity, or jurisdiction of a prince; the territory of a prince.” The Bible refers to three different “principalities and powers:” The “principalities and powers” of Jesus Christ, the “PRINCE OF LIFE” (Acts 3:15, Eph. 3:10), the “principalities and powers” of Satan, the “PRINCE OF THIS WORLD” (John 12:31, Eph. 6:12), and the “principalities and powers” of EARTHLY PRINCES (Tit. 3:1). No matter what the “principality may be, Christ is above it; he is “above ALL principality.”
And power, and might, and dominion The word that is translated power is exousia, and it means power even to the extent of superhuman power. The word that is translated might is dunamis, and means “power” or “miraculous power.” The word that is translated dominion is kuriotes, and it means “mastery, dominion, or government.” Paul used three words, two of them very strong words, and one not so emphatic, to express the forces under consideration. The lesson is that no matter how powerful, or how ordinary, the force may be, our Lord is above it. He has the power over it.
And EVERY NAME that is named Lest anybody should imagine that the supremacy of Christ is not entirely universal, he adds this expression to show that there is nothing that is not put under him. Above all, he has the complete dominion over anybody or anything that would separate him from his people, or separate them from his love.
Rom. 8:38, 39, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor PRINCIPALITIES, nor POWERS, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, NOR ANY OTHER CREATURE, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Not only in this world, but also in that which is to come There is a beautiful similarity between the language of this verse and the language from Romans Eight, “nor things present, nor things to come” (Rom 8:38). There is nothing that ever has been, nor ever will be, that will have the dominion over him.
NOTE: It is customary with all the major commentators to explain that the “principality, and power, and might, and dominion” of this text, and similar language in other texts (Rom. 8:38, Eph. 3:10, Eph. 6:12, Col. 1:16 & 2:15, Tit. 3:1), has reference to various orders of angels, with various ranks of authority; but after spending considerable time in examining all the texts in which these expressions appear, and in consulting the lexicons to see if they might afford any help, I have been unable to find any reason to think that these words are used in any other way, or with any other definition, than the meanings that the casual reader would associate with them.
1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church.
And hath put all things under his feet This is the same language Paul uses in 1 Cor. 15:27, and there he points out the one exception, the only one who is not put under his feet.
1 Cor. 15:27, “For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that HE IS EXCEPTED which did put all things under him.”
God the Father is not made subject to the Son, but rather, it was he who subjected everything else to him.
And gave him to be the HEAD over all things to the church Christ is the “head” of the church. We are answerable to him, and to him alone; his word is our command; we are bound to do all he says, and to leave all else alone. He is the head of the church in every sense. He is the head as the head rules over the body, and he is the head as the husband is the head of the wife, and as the king is the head of his kingdom, or the master is the head of his subjects. As he is our head, we are united and joined to him, and no power on earth can separate us from him (Rom. 8:38, 39).
1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Which is his body The redeemed family of God is the spiritual body of Christ. Paul said, “Now ye are the BODY OF CHRIST, and members in particular,” 1 Cor. 12:27. Christ is the head, and we are his members, and as members of his spiritual body, each of us has his own place to fill, and his own work to do. No one can fill the place of any other person.
1 Cor. 12:14-20, For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing: If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body,” I Cor. 12:14-20.
As members of his spiritual body we are nourished and cherished by him.
Eph. 5:29, 30, For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but NOURISHETH AND CHERISHETH IT, even as the Lord the church: for we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.”
The FULNESS of him that filleth all in all The “fulness of the godhead” dwells in Christ.
Col. 2:9, “For in him dwelleth all the FULNESS OF THE GODHEAD bodily.”
The Son is not inferior to the Father in any sense.
Phil. 2:6, “Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be EQUAL WITH GOD.”
Everything that God is is found in Christ Jesus. He is our “all in all.” And out of his “fulness” we are filled with all good things.
John 1:16, “And of his FULNESS have all we received, and grace for grace.”
Eph. 3:19, “And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be FILLED WITH ALL THE FULNESS OF GOD.”
It is sometimes objected that since we are finite and God is infinite, we are limited and he is unlimited, there is no way that we would possibly be “filled with ALL the fulness of God.” It is true that we could not possibly contain all “the fulness of God” involves; but it is also true that there is no attribute in God that is not a benefit to the children of God. And in the sense that every attribute in God is beneficial to us, we are, indeed, “filled with ALL the fulness of God.”
CHAPTER TWO
2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.
And you hath he QUICKENED Regeneration, being born again, is a quickening; it is a making alive one who before was dead—dead to the Spirit of God, and dead to all things spiritual. It is the work of God to quicken those who were dead, to give spiritual life to one dead in sins.
John 5:21, “For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and QUICKENETH them; even so the Son QUICKENETH whom he will.” Those who are dead in sins do not have the power to quicken themselves; if we have spiritual life, it is because he has given us life.
John 10:28, “And I GIVE unto them ETERNAL LIFE, and they shall never perish.”
John 17:2, “As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should GIVE ETERNAL LIFE to as many as thou hast give him.”
Rom. 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but THE GIFT OF GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE.”
Who were DEAD in trespasses and sins Before the sinner is born again, before he is “quickened,” he is dead in sins, dead to the Spirit, and dead to the things of God. He has no knowledge of the Spirit of God, no faith in God, no love for God, no desire to please God, and no desire to turn from sin. He is in love with sin. Sin is his natural habitat. He is as comfortable with sin, and as much at home with sin as a fish is at home in the water, and comfortable in the water. He can no more hate sin than a fish can hate water. One of the most fundamental errors that religion has ever made is in its failure to see the grievous condition that unregenerate man is in. Before one is born of the Spirit of God, he is in a condition more desperate, and more hopeless than the mind of man can conceive. There are no degrees in death. There is no “dead,” “deader,” and “deadest.”
Those who are “dead in trespasses and sins” are totally, completely, dead to the things of God, and the Spirit of God. Being dead to the Spirit, they are totally unaffected by the things of the Spirit. The preaching of the gospel has no more effect on them than the same preaching has on one who is physically and corporeally dead. The person who is dead and in the grave is no more dead to the natural world than the dead alien sinner (the person who is not born again) is dead to the things of the Spirit. Until he is quickened, spiritual things have no effect on him.
1 Cor. 2:14, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, NEITHER CAN HE KNOW THEM, for they are spiritually discerned.”
Preaching and godly instruction cannot reach him. There is no principle of spiritual life with which preaching can communicate. Preaching to a dead alien sinner, one dead in trespasses and sins, is like broadcasting a radio signal to someone who does not have a radio. He has no capacity to receive the signal. It is like trying to teach a cow to enjoy the beauties of the world surrounding her. She has eyes to see her surroundings, but she cannot see any particular beauty about it. The unregenerate person is not dead and in his grave, but his state of death is just as real, and just as binding as if he was in his grave. The person physically dead is dead to the physical world, and the person spiritually dead is dead to the spiritual world. And the one kind of death is just as total, and just as powerful as the other.
Dead in TRESPASSES AND SINS Sin is the one thing that reigns in his heart. His every desire is a sinful desire, his every motive is a sinful motive, and his every goal is a sinful goal. His very nature is a sinful nature, and he has no ability nor desire to change that nature. Sin is in his nature in much the same way that a mean and unfriendly disposition is in the nature of a rattlesnake.
2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience
Wherein in time past YE walked The children of God were, by nature, no different than others. We were, by nature, just as sinful and vile as any other sinner. We deserved eternal damnation as surely as anyone who will ever suffer eternally. It is only the grace of God that made a difference.
In time past ye WALKED Before we were quickened, and born of God’s Spirit, we “walked” in sin, we behaved ourselves in exactly the same way as others did. We “walked” in it. Our sin was not an occasional thing; it was our “walk,” our constant way of life.
Walked ACCORDING TO the course of this world “According” means “in agreement with,” “in harmony with,” “in a manner consistent with.” Our sinful walk was in harmony with the sinful walk of this sinful world. We were aliens to God, but we were perfectly at peace with the world.
According to the prince of the power of the air Satan is the “prince of the power of the air.”
Paul calls him “the god (little g) of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4). And, “by nature,” our conduct was “according to,” “in a manner consistent with,” his conduct. His conduct is marked by pride, and arrogance, and self-indulgence, and, by nature, our conduct was no different.
The SPIRIT that now worketh in the children of disobedience The dead alien sinner is not entirely devoid of any spirit; but it is the wrong spirit. As those who are born again are motivated by God’s Spirit, the unregenerate are motivated by the spirit of the prince of the power of the air. We are warned very clearly to “try the spirits.”
I John 4:1, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, BUT TRY THE SPIRITS whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”
The CHILDREN OF DISOBEDIENCE He speaks of disobedience as if disobedience was a person. The Bible often uses that sort of language. For instance, Solomon often personifies wisdom and refers to wisdom as a person (Prov. 9:1). Satan does not have children in the sense in which God has children; but he does have children in the sense that they are his devoted followers; they emulate him; they act the way he does; and their conduct pleases him. And as the members of the family of God have a kind of family resemblance that identifies them as his children, so those who are the followers of “the god of this world” have a kind of family resemblance that identifies them as his followers. The Lord told some of them, “Ye are of YOUR FATHER THE DEVIL, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it,” John 8:44.
2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Among whom also we all had our CONVERSATION in times past The word that is translated “conversation” is “anastrepho,” and it means more than the things we might be talking about at any given moment. It signifies our every thought, our every comment, our very way of life.
Among whom also WE ALL had our conversation in time past Before we were born of the Spirit of God we were all just like any other unregenerate person. We were “among” and part of the corrupt mass of mankind. We were among them, and part of them, and partakers with them in their sin.
1 Pet. 4:2-4, “That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. For THE TIME PAST of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, WHEN WE WALKED in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you.”
In the LUSTS of our flesh Our conversation, our very way of life, was after “the lusts of our flesh,” after our carnal, sinful nature. In one way or another “the lusts of our flesh” dominated our hearts and minds, and directed our conduct. There is more involved in “the lust of the flesh” than most people seem to realize. Lust may involve the desire to gratify the lowest passions of our carnal nature; but there is more to lust than that. Among other things it may also involve an improper desire for money, or power, or influence over men. What men usually refer to as a desire for “success” is very often no more than “the lust of the flesh.”
Psa. 10:3,”For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and BLESSETH THE COVETOUS, whom the Lord abhorreth.”
Fulfilling the desires of the FLESH and of the MIND The flesh and the mind of the unregenerate desire nothing but evil. It is not within the capacity of the unrenewed heart to desire that which pleases God.
Gen. 6:5, “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that EVERY IMAGINATION of the thoughts of his heart was ONLY EVIL continually.” The corruption of sin reaches to every part of the sinner. “The desires of the flesh (the lowest, the most vile and base part of the sinner) and of the mind (the higher, more intellectual part of him) are BOTH INFECTED by sin.
2 Pet. 2:14, “Having eyes full of adultery and THAT CANNOT CEASE FROM SIN.”
Fulfilling the desires Not only does the carnal mind entertain the thought of sin, it fulfills the desire. It may not engage in the literal sinful act; but if it does not, it relishes the thought of sin, and turns it over and over in the mind, in order to enjoy, in prospect, what it cannot enjoy in fact. He is a sinner by nature, and it is as natural for him to sin, as it is natural for a snake to slither through the grass, and to the best of his ability, the unregenerate sinner satisfies the “desires of the flesh and of the mind.”
And were BY NATURE the children of wrath even as others It is the nature of rats to be rats; it is the nature of rattlesnakes to be rattlesnakes; and it is the nature of unregenerate man to be a sinner. He was born in sin; he is in love with sin; and he pants and thirsts after sin.
And were by nature THE CHILDREN OF WRATH even as others Had the grace of God not intervened, the elect would have suffered the wrath of God in all its vengeance as surely as any of the wicked ever will. If the children of God are any different from “the children of wrath,” it is because God made a difference.
Ex. 11: 7, “That ye may know how that THE LORD DOTH PUT A DIFFERENCE between the Egyptians and Israel.”
2 Cor. 4:7, “For who maketh thee to differ from another, and what hast thou that thou didst not receive?”
2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for hs great love wherewith he loved us.
But God Now Paul changes direction completely. The line of thought hinges on those two words, “but God.” He has painted our sinful nature, and our sinful way of life, as black as midnight; but now, he paints the grace and mercy of God brighter than day. He has shown that we are great sinners. Now he shows that we have an even greater Savior.
Who is RICH IN MERCY, for his GREAT LOVE wherewith he loved us Paul loads human language to its limit to express—as much as human language can express it—how mighty a Savior we do have. He tells us that he is “rich in mercy,” and that he has “great love,” and that it is “the exceeding riches of his grace” (ch. 1:7); that it is the “exceeding greatness of his power,” and the “working of his mighty power” (ch. 1:19).
2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved.
Even when we were dead in sins In our regenerate state we were not “sin-sick,” as some folks are so fond of saying, we were dead—dead in trespasses and sins. The dead cannot act; they cannot respond to any kind of offer. If God had waited for any movement on our part before he saved us, we would have been forever lost. If God’s grace had not reached us, when we were still dead in sins, and were both unwilling and unable to do anything about it, it would never have reached us.
Rom. 5:6, “For when we were YET WITHOUT STRENGTH, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”
Hath quickened us together WITH CHRIST We were quickened “with Christ.”
The EXACT SAME POWER that raised Christ from the dead quickens his people to spiritual life.
Eph. 1:19,20, “And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.”
In saving his people from their sins, God does not beg, and plead, and whimper, and whine, any more than he did in raising his Son from the dead. It is the same power that does the one that does the other.
By GRACE ye are saved “Grace” means unmerited, or undeserved, favor. If grace came to us when we were dead in sins, it had to be unmeritted favor. We were incapable of doing anything to deserve God’s favor.
2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
And hath raised us up TOGETHER When he suffered, he suffered for us; when he died, he died for us; when he arose, he arose for us, and when he ascended, he ascended for us. He is our federal head and representative, and as he is our representative, what he did as our representative WAS ALL THE SAME AS IF WE HAD DONE IT. When he died, as he is our representative, we died with him, and when he was raised from the dead, WE WERE RAISED UP TOGETHER WITH HIM. He is “the firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Cor. 15:20). His resurrection is the firstfruits; our resurrection will be the conclusion. And at the very time he arose, many bodies of the saints which slept arose (Matt. 27:52, 53), and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many, to show that his resurrection and the resurrection of the saints are really one and the same.
And hath made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus When our Savior, our representative and federal head, ascended to Glory, and sat down on the right hand of the Father, by the principle of representation, we ascended with him and sat down in heavenly places with him. Since our representative is there, and we are joined to him, and represented by him, THAT IS AS GOOD AS IF WE WERE ALREADY THERE. In the mind and purpose of God the salvation of the people of God is just as sure as if it was already complete. Christ is the head of the church (ch. 1:22), and Christ, our head, is in heaven as the representative of all the body.
In heavenly places These are the same “heavenly places” he talks about in ch. 1:3.
It is heaven itself, where God in eternity past pronounced all “spiritual blessings” upon his people.
In Christ Jesus Since our Lord is there, and we are, in the mind and purpose of God, “in him” (ch. 1:4), chosen in him, loved in him, and accepted in him, we are, in that sense, there “in him.”
2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus
That in the ages to come When Paul wrote this, there were only two ages yet to come, the church age, and eternal heaven itself. The Bible consistently refers to the church age as “the last days.”
Acts 2:16, “But THIS IS THAT which was spoken by the prophet Joel. And it shall come to pass in THE LAST DAYS, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.”
Heb. 1:1,2 “God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in THESE LAST DAYS spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom he made the worlds.”
The apostles so consistently, and insistently refer to the church age as “the last days,” that they leave no room for any so-called millennial age between the church age and eternity.
He might show the EXCEEDING RICHES of his grace Nothing else God has ever done, neither creation, nor providence, nor anything else displays the “exceeding riches of his grace” the way it is displayed in the salvation of his people. Even the natural creation, with all its majesty, pales into insignificance, when it is compared with that wonderful work our Lord accomplished on the cross. Ephesians is a book of repetitions. Paul is forever repeating himself in the strongest words the language will afford in order to say it as strongly as he can say it. The book is filled with expressions like “the exceeding riches of his grace,” “rich in mercy,” and “the exceeding greatness of his power.”
In his kindness toward us THROUGH JESUS CHRIST And again he repeats himself to further drive home the point. Everything we have is in and “through Christ Jesus.” God’s one grand purpose in all he does is to display “the glory of his grace” (ch. 1:6, 12, 14), and that glory is very clearly shown “in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”
2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.
For by GRACE are ye saved “Grace” is unmerited, undeserved favor. If the sinner must do anything at all to gain favor with God, then grace is not grace—it is not unmerited. If the sinner can stand in the presence of God, and square his shoulders, and claim, “I am here because I did thus and so,” then that is his ground of boasting; that is his claim on heaven; that is how he merited heaven. But there is nothing the sinner does do, can do, or wants to do, in order to become a child of God. All the good works a sinner does come AFTER he is born of the Spirit of God. Before he is born again, he is not interested in pleasing God, nor able to please God. He is a sinner, by nature, and he is in love with sin. The very thought of righteousness and godliness is repugnant to him. If the sinner must make a decision, respond to an altar call, or believe the gospel in order to gain God’s favor, then those are the things that merit salvation, and salvation is not by grace after all. If without those actions on his part, he is still unsaved, and with those actions he will be saved, it is obvious that those are the actions that save him, and Christ is not the Savior at all. But the text is clear enough: salvation is by grace—by unmerited, undeserved favor—it does not come by some supposed response on his part.
For by grace are ye saved THROUGH FAITH This faith is not an act performed by the sinner. The dead alien sinner does not have faith. “For all men have not faith,” 2 Thess. 3:2. And if he does not have faith, he cannot exercise faith. The unregenerate person is dead in sins; he is not able to perform any act that is acceptable to God. Rather this is implanted faith—faith planted in the heart by the Spirit of God in the work of regeneration. God’s saving his people involves more than his electing them in eternity past, and paying their redemption price in his suffering and death. His saving his people also involves his quickening them from a state of death in sin, and someday, raising them from the grave and housing them with him in eternal heaven. And in that sense, we are saved “by grace through faith.” When God’s Spirit comes into the heart of an individual, it always implants faith. Faith is one of the fruits of the Spirit, and where God’s Spirit is found, this fruit of faith will also be found. Every born again person has faith in God. Christ told the disciples, “Ye believe in God” (John 14:1). Every born again person believes in God. It is the work of the gospel to teach them to believe in his Son. And that is exactly what the Lord told the disciples: “Ye believe in God (a statement of fact), believe also in me (a commandment to be obeyed).” His mind may not understand what he knows in his heart; but in his heart every born again person knows God and believes in him.
And that not of yourselves, it is the GIFT of God. The faith that is here under consideration is not in any sense man’s work; it is GOD’S GIFT, pure and simple. And notice that it is not an offer; it is a gift. There is a great difference between an offer and a gift. An offer implies the consent of the recipient. A gift does not require any such thing.
1:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Not of works Nothing man does—neither what he does, nor what he says, nor what he believes, is, in any sense, the cause of his salvation.
Rom. 11:6, “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.”
Whatever man does is work, and men are not saved by their work. We are not saved by our merit. If anything man does is the ultimate cause of his salvation—if that is what ultimately decides whether he will be saved or not—then that is what saves him. If, after God has done all he can do, men are still not saved, there is no way he can be called the Savior. According to that notion, he did the very best he could, and the man is still not saved. If, then, the man does something—whatever it may be—and the man is saved, there is no way to deny that whatever he did that finally brought about his salvation is the ultimate cause of his salvation. But the text says that our salvation is NOT OF WORKS.
Lest any man should boast There is probably nothing man loves more than he loves to boast. But God has saved his people in such a way that no person is left with the slightest ground of boasting. Nothing any man has ever done for himself, nor any man has ever done for him has anything to do with his eternal salvation.
Rom. 3:27, “Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.”
Rom. 4:2, “For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.”
Eph. 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
For we are HIS WORKMANSHIP We are, by nature, what Adam made us; now we are, by grace, WHAT GOD HAS MADE US. Paul said, “For by the grace of God I am what I am,” 1 Cor. 15:10. He found us dead in trespasses and sins, and he quickened us, and made us alive in Christ. We had no love for God, nor godliness, and he placed the love of God in our hearts.
Created in Christ Jesus To create is to make out of nothing. God took those who were NOTHING, and LESS THAN NOTHING, and made us to be his born again children. Regeneration is called a new birth (John 3:3-7); it is called a quickening, a raising from the dead (vs. 1, and John 3:24, 25), and here it is called a new creation. He uses the same language in other places (Gal. 6:15, 2 Cor. 5:17, and Psa. 102:18). The only way we will ever be in Christ, and have any inheritance in him is to be created in him. If God does not put us there, we will never be there.
Unto good works Good works will never put us in Christ Jesus. The dead alien sinner never does good works. He is a corrupt tree, and he produces corrupt fruit. The unregenerate have a corrupt nature, and that corrupt, proud, spiteful nature is, to one degree or another, manifest in all they do. But, on the other hand, good works are the INEVITABLE FRUIT of being, by grace, in Christ Jesus. We are not saved BY good works; we are created UNTO good works—created in Christ Jesus for the purpose of producing good works. Salvation comes first, the works follow as the consequence.
Which God hath before ordained that we should WALK in them God has ordained that we should (ought to) walk in good works. The born again person still has an old carnal nature, as well as a new spiritual nature, and the two are constantly at war with each other. He can still do things that are not pleasing to God. But, as surely as the Spirit of God dwells in his heart, he will, TO ONE DEGREE OR ANOTHER, manifest the Spirit of God in his daily walk.
He has the principle of love placed in his heart, and it will have an effect on his conduct.
That we SHOULD walk in them God has ordained that we “should” (ought to) walk in good works. This ought to be our constant manner of life. The Spirit has an effect on the life of the child of God. It influences his life and produces good works; but it does not control his life, and direct his every step. The child of God is still liable to stumble and fall into sin.
2:11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands
Wherefore remember that ye being in time past GENTILES in the flesh They were not only dead in trespasses and sins; they were “Gentiles in the flesh.” They were IN PAGAN DARKNESS with regard to the very truth of God. They did not have the access to the Law Service which the nation of Israel enjoyed. The Law could never give life. The best it could do was to identify sin and threaten those who transgressed; but THE GENTILES DID NOT EVEN HAVE THAT. The pagan religious rites the Gentiles had did not even identify sin.
They approved of some of the most sinful and immoral practices. They did not have the gospel, and they did not have such types and shadows (which illustrated and prefigured the Savior) which Israel enjoyed in the Law Service.
Gentiles IN THE FLESH They were “Gentiles,” strangers to the benefits Israel enjoyed; and they were “in the flesh;” they were strangers to the Spirit of God. While now they were walking in good works (vs. 10), before this time, they walked “in the flesh,” and did all they could to gratify the flesh. Previously they were “in the flesh;” they were “dead in trespasses and sins.” Now they were “in the Spirit;” they were made alive in Christ Jesus.
Who are CALLED UNCIRCUMSISION by that which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands Israel had the Law Service, and circumcision, which is the outward sign of the covenant, and they had only contempt for those were not so blessed. They had the oracles of God (Rom. 3:2), and they were not at all interested in sharing what they had. The Law of Moses was given to Israel for their own benefit. The Jews were not even willing to eat with uncircumcised Gentiles (Acts 10:28). They spat out the word “uncircumcision” as a reproach to the Gentiles in the same way the Gentiles spat out the word “circumcision” at them. They each used the words as a challenge and a reproach to the other. The Jews called the Gentiles the “Uncircumcised” as if that word was a kind of vulgarity to be used as a reproach to those who were unworthy of their company, and the Gentiles used the word “circumcision” in the same way.
Circumcision in the flesh made by hands He is not here making a distinction between those who are born again, and those who are not born again. The new birth is sometimes referred to as the “circumcision made WITHOUT HANDS” (Col. 2:11); but this is the circumcision “MADE BY HANDS.” This is talking about those Jews, who have only the “circumcision in the flesh (not in the heart) made by hands.” These mocked the Gentiles, who were not so blessed. Those who are born again are not so inclined to mock those who are not born again.
Those who have only the outward sign in the flesh, and no grace in the heart, are, indeed, likely to mock others. Ishmael was a good example of that (Gen. 21:9).
2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world
That at that time ye were WITHOUT CHRIST Previously, they were WITHOUT CHRIST; they were not yet born again, and Christ did not yet live in their hearts.
Being ALIENS from the commonwealth of Israel An alien is a stranger, a foreigner. He is still talking about their previous condition. At that time these Ephesian Gentiles had no access to those benefits that God had provided for the nation of Israel. They had no right to those benefits, and Israel had no intention of sharing them.
Aliens from the COMMONWEALTH of Israel “Commonwealth,” or “politeia,” signifies “citizenship.” These Gentiles were not citizens of Israel, and they did not have the benefits of citizenship.
And strangers from the covenants of PROMISE God had made any number of promises to Israel, but the Gentiles knew nothing about those promises. The Jews were themselves shut up in judicial darkness, and when the PROMISED MESSIAH came, very few of them recognized him. But these Ephesian Gentiles were strangers and aliens to these promises. They knew nothing about the promises in the first place.
Having no HOPE “Hope” is “the prospect or expectation of better things to come.” The Gentiles had no prospect that things would ever be any better than they were. They had no hope of anything better after this life is over.
1 Cor. 15:19, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” Paul defines “hope” as “Christ in you, the HOPE of glory” (Col. 1:27). In their unregenerate state they did not have Christ in their hearts; and as Gentiles, they did not have the promise that there was a Savior to come.
And WITHOUT GOD in the world God was their creator, and his hand of providence watched over them, but he did not live in their hearts as he later did in regeneration, and they were without the revelation they would later have.
In the world Not only were they strangers to the truth, and devoid of the Spirit, they were adrift, wandering aimlessly in a wicked world. They were not a part of “the commonwealth of Israel,” but they were rather “in the world,” the dark, benighted world, alienated from the truth, and even from the national benefits and privileges which Israel enjoyed.
2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ
But NOW Up to this point he has been talking about what they were “at that time” (vs 12), when they were “dead in trespasses and sins” (vs 1), and “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel” (vs 12); but NOW he begins to talk about what they are “NOW” by the grace of God.
In Christ Jesus Then they were “in the world” (vs 12). They were part of the world, and in love with the world. Now, by the Spirit of God, they are “in Christ Jesus,” and he has become the supreme object of their love.
Ye who sometimes were far off They were as far off as they could be. As Gentiles they were far off from Israel, and as sinners dead in trespassses and sins they were far off from the Spirit of God.
Are made nigh by the blood of Christ The blood of Christ made all the difference. The blood of Christ reconciled them to God in exactly the same way it reconciled his children among the Jews. The Jew has no advantage over the Gentile. We are all saved alike by the blood of Christ, and we all have access to God on the basis of that same shed blood.
Gal. 5:6, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love.”
2:14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us.
For he is our PEACE It is in Christ Jesus that we have peace with God, and with our fellow man. It is in him that Jew and Gentile can enjoy peace with each other. He is not only our peacemaker; he is our peace. He is the source of peace. It is in him that we have peace. He is peace itself—“THE PRINCE OF PEACE” (Isa 9:6).
Who hath made BOTH ONE The Law Service made severe distinctions between Jew and Gentile. But the sacrificial death of Christ made no distinction at all. Jew and Gentile are saved alike. And in the gospel church, all being saved alike, we are all now able to worship God alike—in one New Testament Church. His suffering and death showed the helplessness of the Law Service to save any sinner for heaven, and it fulfilled and set aside the Law. And his ABOLISHING OF THE CEREMONIAL LAW, with all its sacrifices and ordinances, REMOVED THE OBSTACLE that had forever separated Jew and Gentile.
And hath broken down the MIDDLE WALL OF PARTITION between us It was the Ceremonial Law service that separated between Jew and Gentile, and when that was removed, the obstacle was removed, and we were made one.
Gal. 3:28,29, “There is NEITHER JEW NOR GREEK, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are ALL ONE in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, THEN ARE YE ABRAHAM’S SEED, and heirs according to the promise.”
In the Law Service there was a WALL OF PARTITION between the court of the people, into which only Jews could enter, and the outer court, the court of the Gentiles. A Gentile could not, under penalty of death, go beyond that wall. The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary says, “There was a balustrade of stone which separated the court of the Gentiles from the holy place, which it was death for a Gentile to pass.” It goes on, “Hence there was a twofold wall: one, the inner, severing even the Jewish people from the holy part of the temple, where the priests officiated; the other, the outer, separating the Gentile proselytes from the court of the Jews (cf. Ezek. 44:7, Acts 21:28). This twofold wall represented the Sinaitic Law, which both severed all men, even the Jews, from access to God (through sin, which is the violation of the law), and also separated the Gentiles from the Jews.”
Ezek. 44:7, “In that ye have brought into my sanctuary strangers, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, TO POLLUTE IT.”
Acts 21:28, “Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath POLLUTED this holy place.”
When the Ceremonial Law was abolished, that wall was taken away, and Jew and Gentile have the same access to the service of God. But more than that, there was a wall of partition, which separated between man and God, and that wall was taken away in the death of his Son. That wall was taken away at the very instant Jesus “cried with a loud voice and yielded up the ghost” (Matt. 27:50).
Matt. 27:51, “And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent.”
2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace.
HAVING ABOLISHED in his flesh the enmity, even THE LAW OF COMMANDMENTS contained in ordinances Christ has fulfilled the Ceremonial Law; he satisfied its every demand. All its demands have now been met. The law can ask for no more. And as it can demand no more, it is thereby “abolished” and set aside.
In HIS flesh The flesh of birds and animals offered under the law could never satisfy its demands. Heb. 10:4, “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” But Christ suffered in the flesh—in his own flesh—and that sacrifice forever satisfied the law, and set it aside. The ENMITY, even the law of commandments The source of the enmity between Jew and Gentile was the ceremonial law, “the law of commandments contained in ordinances.”
Notice that it was not the Moral Law that was abolished and set aside. The MORAL LAW is still in effect today. It is still wrong to lie, and kill, and steal; and those who do those things will suffer, just as surely as they ever did. It was the Ceremonial Law that was taken away, “the law of commandments contained in ORDINANCES.”
For to make in himself of twain one new man He “abolished” the one, the Ceremonial Law, that he might “make” another, the New Testament Church, the “one new man.”
Of twain one new man He made “of twain,” out of two, the Jew and the Gentile, “one new man,” the New Testament Church.
So making peace The enmity, the Ceremonial Law, is removed, and Jew and Gentile can live together in peace in the church. The enmity between the Jew and the Gentile worked both ways. The Jews despised the Gentiles, and were barely willing to even admit that Gentiles were human. They counted them to be dogs. And the Gentiles despised the Jews, because their religious rites and ceremonies were different from those of any other nation. The other nations recognized the gods of their neighbors. The Jews were forbidden to recognize any other god than Jehovah, and that engendered a jealousy and enmity between the two.
The enmity The “enmity,” and “the law of commandments contained in ordinances,” and the “middle wall of partition” are one and the same.
So making peace He is our peace. He has made peace between God and his people, by making full and complete satisfaction for our sins; and he has made peace between Jew and Gentile, by removing “the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances.”
2:16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby.
And that he might reconcile both unto God That he might reconcile his elect among the Jews, and his elect among the Gentiles to himself by his sacrificial suffering and death.
In one body Christ gave his ONE BODY on the cross as a sacrifice to God that his people might become one—one body—one with him and one with each other.
John 17:11, “Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be ONE, as we are.”
He gave his body as a sacrifice for his people that his people might become his spiritual “body.”
Eph. 1:22, 23, “And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is HIS BODY, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.”
He gave his ONE BODY as a sacrifice, as compared to those MANY BODIES of animal sacrifices offered under the “law of commandments contained in ordinances.”
Col. 1:22, “In the BODY of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight.”
by the cross It was by his sacrificial death on the cross that we were reconciled to God—made to be at peace with him. Having slain the enmity thereby It was by his death on the cross that Christ slew the enmity, that he fulfilled and abolished the law.
Col. 2:14, “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was AGAINST US, which was CONTRARY TO US, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.”
2:17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
And came and preached PEACE Christ “preached peace” himself, but in the sense of this text he preached mainly by the apostles. He spoke by the apostles, preached by the apostles.
2 Cor. 13:3, “Since ye seek a proof of CHRIST SPEAKING IN ME, which to youward is not weak, but is mighty in you.”
The message of the gospel is a message of peace, and that is the message Christ himself preached after his resurrection.
Luke 24:36, “And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, PEACE be unto you.”
John 20:21, “Then said Jesus to them again, PEACE be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.”
To you which were FAR OFF and to them that were NIGH The gospel is preached both to the Gentiles, who were (previously) FAR OFF (vs 13), and to the Jews, who (compared to the Gentiles) were nigh. “Note here when the messengers of Christ deliver his truths, it is in effect the same as if he did it immediately himself. He is said to preach by them, insomuch that he who receiveth them receiveth him, and he who despiseth them (acting and delivering his message) despiseth and rejecteth Christ himself” (Matthew Henry).
Matt. 10:40, “He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.”
2:18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
For by him we both have ACCESS It is only on the basis of the shed blood of Jesus Christ that we have any ACCESS to God.
Eph. 3:12, “In whom we have boldness and ACCESS with confidence by the faith of him.”
Rom. 5:2, “By whom also we have ACCESS by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
Access by one SPIRIT It is not by a priest interceding on our behalf, but by the SPIRIT that we are able to approach to God. The death of Christ not only swept away the Ceremonial Law; it swept away the need for any mortal man to act as our advocate with God.
Rom. 8:26, “Likewise the SPIRIT also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the SPIRIT itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”
2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God.
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners They were once “strangers and foreigners,” aliens to God, and cut off from the true religion; but they are not in that condition any more. They “are made nigh by the blood of Christ” (vs 13).
But fellow citizens with the saints They have every right and privilege in the church that a baptized Jewish believer has. They are now citizens, and “fellowcitizens” with all the saints.
And of the HOUSEHOLD of God The church is likened to a building, and to a city, and to a kingdom. In this verse it is likened to a “household.” We are not only fellowcitizens in this church; we are fellow RESIDENTS in the church, members of the same HOUSEHOLD. Those who were once the objects of the greatest contempt are now residents of the household, residents of the home, enjoying the closest and most special relationship with the other members of the household.
2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone.
And are built upon THE FOUNDATION OF THE APOSTLES AND PROPHETS The apostles and prophets are the foundation of the church only in the sense that THEY LAID THE DOCTRINAL FOUNDATION. They preached those doctrinal and practical principles on which the church is founded.
Rev. 21:14, “And the wall of the city had TWELVE FOUNDATIONS, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”
The apostles and prophets are not themselves the foundation of the church, and, for that matter, neither is their doctrine; but rather the foundation of the church is CHRIST HIMSELF AS HE IS REVEALED IN THAT DOCTRINE.
1 Cor. 3:11, “For OTHER FOUNDATION can no man lay than that is laid, which is JESUS CHRIST.”
There is ONLY ONE FOUNDATION, one doctrine, and that is the doctrine of Jesus Christ. That doctrine has many aspects; but it is only ONE DOCTRINE. The doctrine of the apostles, the doctrine of the prophets, and the doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ are one and the same.
1 Pet. 1:10, “Of which salvation the PROPHETS have inquired and searched diligently, WHO PROPHESIED OF THE GRACE that should come unto you. Searching what, or what manner of time the spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.” Acts 26:22,
“Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come.”
Acts 28:23, “And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.”
Jesus Christ himself being the CHIEF CORNER STONE He is the CORNER STONE. He supports it by his own strength. The cornerstone ties the two walls together. HE TIES UP EVERYTHING IN HIMSELF. He is our all in all. The TWO WALLS meet in the cornerstone. Justice and mercy meet in him. And there is no other place, and no other way that they could meet except in him. The Old Testament prophets and the New Testament apostles meet in him. The Jewish and the Gentile walls meet in him. And above all God and his people meet and are reconciled in him. This building is made up of living stones, and we are based on, and connected to, that one living stone—Christ Jesus. We meet in him.
Matt. 21:42, “Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the HEAD OF THE CORNER: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?”
1 Pet. 2:4,5, “To whom coming, as unto A LIVING STONE, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious. Ye also, as LIVELY STONES, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”
The costly stones of the temple were a figure of this foundation.
1 Kings 5:17, “And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house.”
2:21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth together unto an holy temple in the Lord.
In whom all the BUILDING The people of God are consistently referred to as a building. No house ever built itself; we are God’s building.
1 Cor. 3:9, “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are GOD’S BUILDING.”
Heb. 3:4, “For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.”
Fitly framed together All being born of the same Spirit, we are fitly joined together in faith and love. Every member in the body of Christ has his own particular place, and has his own job to do. Paul likens them to the various members of the body.
I Cor. 12:21, 22, “And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary.”
GROWETH unto an holy temple in the Lord This building is like no other. The foundation and corner stone is a LIVING STONE, and all the other stones that go to make up the building are “lively” (living) stones.
1 Pet. 2:5, “Ye also, as LIVELY stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”
The church is not simply an organization; it is an ORGANISM—IT GROWS.
Eph. 4:16, “From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, MAKETH INCREASE of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”
Unto an holy temple The Jews had the temple at Jerusalem, and they despised the Gentiles, who had no access to that temple. The New Testament Church is itself this new temple made up of lively stones. The Old Testament temple was a TYPE of the church; but the New Testament church is the REAL THING. It is what the Old Testament saints were waiting for and looking for.
2:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
In whom YE ALSO are builded together 1 Cor. 3:16,17, “Know ye not that YE are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth IN YOU? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, WHICH TEMPLE YE ARE.”
For an HABITATION of God through the Spirit God dwelt in the Jewish tabernacle, and later in the temple; now he dwells in the New Testament Church. It is his HABITATION. The greatest beauty of the Tabernacle was not the great amount of gold and silver, and other expensive materials that went into its construction. The glory of the tabernacle was the fact that it was God’s habitation—his meeting place with Israel.
Exo. 25:22, “And THERE WILL I MEET WITH THEE from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony.”
Today he has chosen the church as his habitation; he meets with his people there.
Matt. 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
In the work of regeneration he dwells in the very hearts of his people.
1 Cor. 6:19, “What? know ye not that your body is the TEMPLE OF THE HOLY GHOST which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?”
2 Cor. 6:16, “And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the TEMPLE OF THE LIVING GOD; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
Gal. 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but CHRIST LIVETH IN ME: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
CHAPTER THREE
3:1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles.
For this cause I Paul, the PRISONER of Jesus Christ God has now broken down the “middle wall of partition” between the Jew and the Gentile (ch 2:14) and made “both one” in Christ. The Gentiles are now admitted to those benefits which the Jews thought would always belong only to them.
And FOR THIS CAUSE because Paul has had the boldness to declare this bringing in of the Gentiles, and to go to the Gentiles to preach the gospel, the Jews are so angry with him that they have brought about his IMPRISONMENT, and they would have killed him, if they could.
The PRISONER of Jesus Christ He was imprisoned by the Romans, but Paul calls himself the Lord’s prisoner. God is not ashamed to call us brethren, and to claim his own even when we are in the worst of all circumstances.
Phil. 1:1, “Paul, a PRISONER OF JESUS CHRIST.”
Phil. 1:9, “Yet for love’s sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a PRISONER OF JESUS CHRIST.”
II Tim. 1:8, “Be not thou, therefore, ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me HIS PRISONER: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.”
For you Gentiles Paul was especially the apostle to the Gentiles in a way in which even the other apostles were not.
Acts 22:21, “And he said unto me, Depart; for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.”
Gal. 2:7, 8, “But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed to me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles;)”
3:2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward.
If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God Of course they had heard; the “if” does not indicate a doubt. It is used only to lay a basis for what is to follow. Paul uses the word “if” in the same way in Philippians 2:1, “IF there be therefore any consolation in Christ.” They had heard it from him; he had been their pastor for three years (Acts 20:17, 31).
The DISPENSATION of the grace of God “Dispensation” is defined by Webster to mean (1) a dispensing or (2) an administrative system, management. The word appears just four times in the Bible. Once (I Cor. 9:17) it signifies “a dispensing,” and the other three times it seems to signify a system of management. The word in the original language is “oikonomia,” and Strong defines it as “administration (of a household or estate)” or “stewardship.” The word never signifies a period of time—neither in Webster, nor in the Bible. So-called Dispensationalists use the word in that way, but that is a peculiar definition they have, all by themselves, forced on the word. The grace of God is the same in every day and age, but God administers his affairs differently today than he did during the previous administration of the Law Service.
II Cor. 3:6-9, “Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration righteousness exceed in glory.”
Which is given me TO YOU-WARD Part of the difference between the old “ministration” and the new was that the Gentiles should now be “fellow-heirs” to gospel privileges, and Paul was especially the one whom God called and sent out to proclaim this good news to the Gentiles.
3:3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words.
How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery The mystery that was made known was the bringing in of the Gentiles. Other mysteries were made known to Paul, but this is the mystery that is under consideration here.
Vs 6, “That the GENTILES should be FELLOW-HEIRS, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel.”
This mystery was made known to Paul by revelation.
Eph. 1:9, 10, “Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself; that in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might GATHER TOGETHER IN ONE ALL THINGS IN CHRIST, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him.”
Eph. 2:13, “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”
As I wrote afore in few words He had previously talked about this bringing in of the Gentiles in the two previous chapters.
3:4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
Whereby when ye read, YE MAY UNDERSTAND MY KNOWLEDGE in the mystery of Christ There were mysteries revealed to Paul that even the other apostles had to acknowledge were hard to understand.
II Pet. 3:15, 16, “Even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the WISDOM GIVEN TO HIM hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are SOME THINGS HARD TO BE UNDERSTOOD.”
The only explanation for Paul’s special knowledge of these things was that they were taught him by “revelation” (vs. 3).
3:5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.
The key word is “AS.” It was known to the Old Testament prophets that the Gentiles should be brought in.
Isa. 49:6, “I will also give thee for a LIGHT TO THE GENTILES, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.”
But THEY COULD NOT SEE CLEARLY as to what manner of time it was that they were talking about.
I Pet. 1:10-12, “Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or WHAT MANNER OF TIME the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and THE GLORY THAT SHOULD FOLLOW. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, BUT UNTO US THEY DID MINISTER THE THINGS, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.”
Luke 10:23, 24, “And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.”
The Old Testament prophets had a faint view of the gathering in of the Gentiles, but they could see this day in its fulness, nor imagine all the benefits that would come to his people in this day. They could not see it “AS it is NOW REVEALED.” They could not see that the Gentiles would be brought into the church in vast numbers, that they would not be in any way inferior to the Jews, that they would be received without circumcision, that a literal army of gospel preachers would be sent out for the conversion of the Gentiles, and that there would be such a presence of the Spirit in the New Testament worship service.
The sons of men The Old Testament prophets occupied a high and noble office; but Paul refers to them as “the sons of men” (Ezek 2:3) as compared to “the holy apostles and prophets” of the apostolic age.
3:6 That the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel.
That the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs The believing Gentiles were manifestly shown to be what they had truly been all along. We should never imagine that all the Gentiles prior to the gospel day were wicked sinners, and that every one of them is doomed to eternal destruction. God had a people among the Gentiles all along. The Lord said, “Other sheep I HAVE, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be ONE FOLD, AND ONE SHEPHERD,” John 10;16. Notice that they were already his sheep before he brought them into the one fold.
By the gospel By the gospel they are manifested to be “fellow-heirs” with the children of God among the Jews; they are shown to be “of the same (spiritual) body,” and that they are “partakers of the promise” that the Father made to the Son in the everlasting covenant before the world began. The promise was made to the Son, and all those who are in the Son are the beneficiaries of that promise by virtue of being in him.
3:7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.
Whereof I was MADE a minister No man ever made himself a true minister of Christ. Paul did not make himself a minister—he “WAS MADE a minister.” God does the work; he does the calling.
John 15:16, “Ye have not chosen me, but I HAVE CHOSEN YOU AND ORDAINED YOU.”
There is an abundance of work for the preacher to do in studying, and applying himself to the work; but no amount of work can make a man into a minister, if God has not called him, and “made” him a minister.
According to the gift of the grace of God “According” means “in harmony with, in agreement with, in a manner consistent with.” God’s calling men to preach is “in a manner consistent with” the “gift of the grace of God.” When God saves sinners, he saves many whom we would never have expected to be saved, and when he calls men to preach the gospel, he calls many whom we would never have expected to be called. He generally calls those who have little, if any, natural abilities to recommend them to the work, and he sustains and qualifies them in such manner that any honor for their labors redounds to his own glory.
I Cor. 1:26-29, “For ye see your calling brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in his presence.”
Given unto me by the EFFECTUAL WORKING of his power In regeneration the Spirit does an EFFECTUAL work in the heart of the sinner. It enables him to love God, to trust God, and to hunger and thirst for the things of God. He may do “despite unto the Spirit of grace,” and many a child of God has. He may not follow the impressions of the Spirit, but without that Spirit he will never be able to serve God acceptably, nor even want to. And in calling his ministers to preach the gospel, God’s Spirit does an EFFECTUAL WORK on behalf of the preacher. By the assistance of that Spirit he is able to preach with light, and liberty, and power. He may neglect his calling, and fail to make the use that he might have made of his gift, but without that calling, and the assistance of God’s Spirit, no man was ever able to preach the gospel to the benefit and edification of the people of God. Perhaps, there was never a gospel preacher in whom this “effectual working” was more evident than it was in the experience of Paul. Nothing less than the effectual working of the power of an omnipotent God could have made a gospel preacher out of such a persecutor and blasphemer as Saul of Tarsus.
3:8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.
Unto me who am LESS THAN THE LEAST of all saints is this grace given Paul could never forget that he had been a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and that memory kept him little in his own sight.
I Cor. 15:9, “For I AM THE LEAST OF THE APOSTLES, that am not meet to be called an apostle, BECAUSE I PERSECUTED THE CHURCH OF GOD.”
I Tim. 1:13-15, “Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; OF WHOM I AM CHIEF.”
That I should preach among the Gentiles THE UNSEARCHABLE RICHES OF CHRIST Saul the blasphemer could not find enough bad things to say about the Savior. Now Paul the preacher cannot load the language heavy enough to express the greatness of his Lord. Throughout his epistles Paul uses the strongest of language to express his adoration of his Redeemer. Here it is not simply “the riches of Christ;” it is “the unsearchable riches of Christ.” His manner is always the same. In chapter one he says, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE.” Our forgiveness is “according to,” in a manner consistent with “the riches of his grace” (vs 7). We measure cloth by the yard; we measure land by the acre; we measure distance by the mile; but God measures forgiveness by “the riches of his grace.” That is his unit of measure. In chapter two it is “the EXCEEDING RICHES of his grace” (vs 7). And in Romans, chapter eleven, after he has written eleven chapters on salvation by the sovereign grace of God, Paul breaks out in praise, “O the depth of the RICHES both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how UNSEARCHABLE are his judgments and his ways past finding out!” He loads language to its limit, and still he cannot tell it as great as it is. Human wisdom cannot search it out, and human language cannot entirely tell it.
3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
And to make ALL MEN see The “all men” under consideration is the all men to whom Paul was sent. He was not sent to all men in the world, and he obviously could not cause all men in the world to see. Col. 1:28, “Whom we preach, warning EVERY MAN, and teaching EVERY MAN in all wisdom; that we may present EVERY MAN perfect in Christ Jesus:”
And to make all men SEE It is the work of the Lord himself to give light.
John 1:9, “That was the TRUE LIGHT, which LIGHTETH EVERY MAN that cometh into the world.”
But it is the work of the ministry to ENLIGHTEN BY THE GOSPEL those whom God has already ENLIGHTENED BY THE SPIRIT.
Eph. 1:18, “The eyes of your UNDERSTANDING being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.”
Acts 26:17, 18, “Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, TO OPEN THEIR EYES, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”
What is the FELLOWSHIP of the MYSTERY The gathering in of the Gentiles was a great “mystery.” The prophets had foretold that the Gentiles would be brought in, but they had touched the subject so lightly that the Jews still did not understand it. There had been no “fellowship” between Jew and Gentile. The Jews had considered the Gentiles to be dogs, or worse than dogs (Matt. 15:26). But now they were all to be together in one New Testament church. They were to be entirely equal, all partaking of the same benefits. It was given to Paul, more than to any other of the apostles, to explain this great mystery of the fellowship of Jews and Gentiles in the New Testament church.
Which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God Even though the prophets had touched on the subject, there had not been anybody to explain it to them the way Paul was now doing, and because there was no one to enlighten them (ch. 1:18), they were still in the dark; the matter was hid.
Who created ALL THINGS by Jesus Christ The Son of God was the creator, along with the Father, and equally with the Father.
John 1:3, “ALL THINGS were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.
To the intent For the purpose
That now unto the PRINCIPALITIES and POWERS in heavenly places “Principality” means the “rank, dignity, or jurisdiction of a prince; the territory of a prince.” In this case, it has to do with the principality of Jesus Christ, the “Prince of Peace.” “Principalities” is in the plural. The principality and the power are his, both in heaven and on earth.” This new-found knowledge of the church reaches to things in heaven and on earth. They are able to see and understand that the “Prince of Peace” has the authority (“the principalities and the power”) both in heaven and on earth.
Might be known by the church In this age of time the church has received a revelation from God (vs 4), which affords it a knowledge of things spiritual, such as saints in previous ages have not had, and that knowledge reaches to the “principalities and powers” even “in heavenly places.”
The manifold wisdom of God The “wisdom of God” is “manifold.” It is many faceted. Every way we view it, we discover new things that we had never before imagined. It has a beauty, and a splendor, all of which we will never be able to entirely comprehend. But, while we will never be able to comprehend it all, nor understand it all, the church in this age is able to see it in a manner that the saints in previous ages could not.
3:11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
According to the ETERNAL PURPOSE The gathering in of the Gentiles, and the revelation of this to men and angels was not an afterthought with God. It was what he intended to do all along. God never does anything as an afterthought. There is not even the least “shadow of turning” with him (James 1:17).
Job 23:13, “But he is in one mind, and WHO CAN TURN HIM? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth.”
Everything God does he does according to his own “purpose,” and “counsel.”
Eph. 1:11, “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the PURPOSE of him WHO WORKETH ALL THINGS after the COUNSEL OF HIS OWN WILL.
Which he purposed IN CHRIST JESUS our Lord If there is a key expression in the entire book, it is the expression “in Christ Jesus.” Everything we have is in him. We are blessed in him (ch. 1:3). chosen in him (ch. 1:4); accepted in him (ch. 1:6), and so on throughout the book.
II Tim. 1:9, “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own PURPOSE AND GRACE, WHICH WAS GIVEN US IN CHRIST JESUS BEFORE THE WORLD BEGAN.”
3:12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.
In whom There is that expression again. Everything we have is in him.
In whom we have BOLDNESS and access with CONFIDENCE In ourselves we are condemned, hell-deserving sinners, and we can only tremble at the very thought of God; but in him we have “boldness and access with confidence.” We are no longer guilty sinners standing, trembling before the bar of eternal justice; we are still sinners, but now sinners saved by grace. We are in him, and in him there is no condemnation.
Rom. 8:1, “There is therefore now NO CONDEMNATION to them which are IN CHRIST JESUS.”
We are children of the king, and we can approach our heavenly Father with the reverent boldness that a child approaches his father.
Heb. 4:16, “Let us therefore come BOLDLY unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
I John 3:21, “Beloved, if our heart condemn us not then have we CONFIDENCE TOWARD GOD.”
ACCESS with confidence New Testament saints, both Jew and Gentile, have an access to God that the Old Testament saints did not have. Under the Law they stood trembling at the foot of Mt. Sinai, and the thunder of the Law terrified everyone that heard it.
Heb. 12:21, “And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake.”
Today the compassionate Savior calls us saying, “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). They had the oracles of the Law, and the elaborate furniture of the tabernacle and temple service, but a series of veils separated them from the most holy places. Only the priests dared to enter, and they could only enter on stated occasions. But when the Lord died on the cross, “the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom” (Matt. 27:51), and every child of God gained an ACCESS TO GOD that even the priests had not had up until that time.
By the faith of him This faith if “of him.” It comes from him. He gave it to us. We did not have the ability to conjure up faith on our own. Faith is not simply an inclination of the mind. It is a “fruit of the Spirit.” It is found where the Spirit of God is found.
Gal. 5:22, “But the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, FAITH.”
It is only those who have this Spirit-wrought faith in God who are able to come before God with boldness and confidence. Those who do not have faith are terrified at the very thought of God.
3:13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you which is your glory.
Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at MY TRIBULATIONS for you Tribulation can usually be expected by those who take a firm stand for the truth. If we attract attention, we will attract opposition.
II Tim. 3:12, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”
Paul had persecuted others, now he was persecuted.
That ye faint not We should not “faint,” not give up in the face of opposition. Sometimes when we stand firmly for the right, we will be opposed, even by those who are otherwise very good people.
Acts 13:50, “But the Jews stirred up THE DEVOUT AND HONOURABLE WOMEN, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts.”
We should never allow persecution to deter us from our goal, nor cause us to think that if we were in the right we would not face so much opposition.
My tribulations FOR YOU It was because Paul preached the gospel to the Gentiles, these Ephesians among others, that he suffered so much persecution. Which is your glory It is no shame to suffer reproach for the cause of Christ; to the contrary, it a great honor to suffer for him.
II Tim. 1:8, “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but he thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.”
Acts 5:41, “And they departed from the presence of the council, REJOICING THAT THEY WERE COUNTED WORTHY TO SUFFER SHAME FOR HIS NAME.”
I Pet. 4:12-14, “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the FIERY TRIAL which is to try you as though some strange thing happened unto you: But REJOICE, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when HIS GLORY shall be revealed, ye may be GLAD also with EXCEEDING JOY. If ye be REPROACHED for the name of Christ, HAPPY are ye, for the Spirit of GLORY and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is GLORIFIED.”
3:14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The rest of the chapter is Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians. Paul is ever so concerned that they “faint not,” and “for this cause” he earnestly prays for them.
I bow my knees The natural posture in prayer is bowing before God. That was the way the Lord was accustomed to praying.
Luke 22:41, “And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and KNEELED DOWN, and prayed.”
And that was Paul’s usual manner.
Acts 20:36, “And when he had thus spoken, he KNEELED DOWN, and prayed with them all.”
But we should never get the idea that the most important consideration about praying is the position of our bodies. Kneeling is an indication of humility, and submission, and it is normal and natural for a person in prayer to kneel in humble submission before his Lord, but one of the most humble prayers in the Bible was prayed by one who prayed “STANDING afar off.”
Luke 18:13, “And the publican, STANDING afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes to heaven, but smote himself upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.”
Unto the FATHER of our Lord Jesus Christ The Lord taught us to pray to the Father.
Matt. 6:9, “After this manner therefore pray ye: OUR FATHER which art in heaven, Hallowed by thy name.”
But the only way we can approach the Father is by the Son, and in the name of the Son.
John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but BY ME.”
3:15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.
All the children of God constitute one grand family, some already (in spirit) in heaven, some on earth, and some yet unborn. The Jews prided themselves in thinking that they had a monopoly on God. He belonged to them, and them alone, and they were jealous in the extreme, when the gospel began to be preached to the Gentiles. They were “the people of God,” and they were not willing for anybody else to bear that name. One main theme of the book of Ephesians was the bringing in of the Gentiles, and in their beginning to be called by a name that, until now, belonged only to the Jews.
3:16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.
That he would grant you, ACCORDING TO THE RICHES OF HIS GLORY Paul is here praying that God would strengthen them by his Spirit, and he prays for them in the most positive and hopeful manner. He is not praying for “showers of blessing;” he is begging for an abundant outpouring of the Spirit. In Christ they have “redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, ACCORDING TO THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE” (ch. 1:7). “The riches of his grace” is the ground of their salvation.. Now Paul prays that God would strengthen them by his Spirit on that same ground—in that same abundant manner.
To be strengthened WITH MIGHT by his Spirit in the inner man The Spirit not only strengthens his people, it strengthens them “with all might.”
Col. 1:11, “STRENTHENED WITH ALL MIGHT, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.”
No strength that is natural to man could give men the inner strength to suffer as the saints have suffered down through the ages. They have been persecuted, and tortured in the most diabolical manner; and yet, the suffering of the saints stands as a monument to their love for God, and to his strengthening them in the face of the most dreadful danger.
To be strengthened with might BY HIS SPIRIT in the inner man Their tormentors have never been able to understand the courage and the fortitude of the saints, but their tormentors have never understood that the very Spirit of God lives in the hearts of those whom they are persecuting. The same Spirit that “garnished the heavens” dwells in the heart of these believers, in their “inner man,” and gives them a strength which those who know nothing about that Spirit will never understand.
3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love.
That Christ may DWELL IN YOUR HEARTS by faith Paul is not praying that Christ would come into their hearts in the work of regeneration; God will quicken each of his redeemed in his own good time, and our prayers have nothing to do with that. Like the wind, God’s Spirit “bloweth where it listeth,” (John 3:8) where it pleases, and our prayers can neither direct it nor hinder it. It is no accident that God likens his Spirit to the wind. There is nothing in nature that so clearly illustrates the irresistible power of the Spirit the way it is illustrated by the mighty power of the wind. He is talking about the manner in which Christ dwells—knowingly and feelingly—in heart of the faithful, obedient child of God.
Rev. 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
That is not talking about Christ trying to gain entrance to the heart of the dead alien sinner. One dead in sins cannot hear (John 4:43), and he cannot respond (John 5:40). He is talking to a “lukewarm” child of God (vs 16), and bidding him to “open the door” that he may come in to “sup with him”—knowingly and feelingly to DWELL WITH HIM and have communion with him.
John 14:23, “If a man love, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and MAKE OUR ABODE with him.”
Again this is not talking about regeneration; there is an “if” attached. This is that dwelling with him, and enjoying communion with him that we gain by our faithful walking in obedience to him.
That ye, being ROOTED AND GROUNDED in love That child of God, who walks in loving obedience to his Lord, enjoys communion with him, and the love of God becomes the fertile soil, in which he, experimentally, takes root and grows.
Col. 2:7, “ROOTED AND BUILT UP IN HIM, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.”
Col. 1:23, “If ye continue in the faith GROUNDED AND SETTLED, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel.”
Psa. 1:3, “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
Matt. 13:8, “But other fell into GOOD GROUND, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.”
3:18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height.
May be able to COMPREHEND with all saints Previously these Gentiles had been shut up in pagan darkness; now they have the same privileges and benefits as the believing Jews had; and they are able to “comprehend,” to understand, as well as any others.
What is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height They were able to understand, as far as men can understand, the vastness of the love of God, and of his benefits toward his people.
Rom. 11:33, “O the DEPTH of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how UNSEARCHABLE are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!”
Job 11:7-9, “Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty to perfection? It is HIGH as heaven; what canst thou do? DEEPER than hell; what canst thou know? The MEASURE thereof is LONGER than the earth, and BROADER than the sea.”
3:19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge We can never know all there is to know about the love of Christ; his love “passeth knowledge.” It is not within our capacity to know all about it. But as we are “rooted and grounded in love” we come to know his love to the extent of our ability to know. The more closely we walk with him, the more we feel to experience his love as a present reality in our own hearts and souls.
The love of Christ, WHICH PASSETH KNOWLEDGE It is not within the capacity of our finite minds to fully comprehend the love of God.
Eph. 3:8, “Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the UNSEARCHABLE riches of Christ.”
Phil. 4:7, “And the peace of God, which PASSETH KNOWLEDGE, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
That ye might be filled with all the fulness of God As we cannot fully comprehend the love of God, we certainly cannot, in our finite beings, receive and contain all of the “fulness of God.” That is not what he is saying. He is saying that out of GOD’S “FULNESS” we receive OUR FULNESS.
John 1:16, “And of HIS FULNESS have all we received and grace for grace.” Paul is praying that the Ephesians “might be filled”—filled to overflowing—with the fulness of God. And the saints are, by grace, not only filled with the “fulness of God;” they are filled with “ALL the fulness of God.” There is not one attribute in God that is not a blessing and a benefit to the family of God.
3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask of think, according to the power that worketh in us.
Now UNTO HIM From verse fourteen onward Paul has been praying for the people to whom he is writing. Now he breaks forth in praise toward God, giving honor to the one whom he fully expects to answer his prayer.
Now unto him that is ABLE TO DO exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think Paul continues to load the language as heavily as language can be loaded to carry a burden that language can never adequately carry. It is not possible for language to adequately express what God is, and all he is able to do, and does do, for his people. The religious world thinks that God does the best he can with the help he gets. But Paul insists that our God is “ABLE TO DO,” and because that does not adequately express the thought, he goes on to say that he “is able to do ABUNDANTLY,” but that is still not enough, and he says that he “is able to do EXCEEDING ABUNDANTLY;” but it is still not sufficient, so he goes on to say that he “is able to do exceeding abundantly, ABOVE ALL THAT WE ASK OR THINK.” He has expressed the thought as strongly as human language can say it, and he leaves it at that. The religionists of this day are wrong; the Bible says it as plainly and as strongly as it can be said, that GOD IS ABLE to do anything he chooses to do.
Dan. 4:35, “He doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and NONE CAN STAY HIS HAND, or say unto him, What doest thou?”
Isa. 42:4, “HE SHALL NOT FAIL nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.”
According to the power that WORKETH IN US He has already shown, in chapter one, verses 19, and 20, that the power that works in his children, and makes them believers, is the very same power that “wrought in Christ” and “raised him from the dead.” Now he shows that this same power still “WORKETH IN US,” and it is “according to” (in a manner consistent with) this power, that GOD WILL WORK IN THEM to answer the requests that Paul has made on their behalf in the preceding verses.
3:21 UNTO HIM BE GLORY in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
Unto him be glory in the church God is glorified in the church, magnified in the church, praised in the church. Any assembly that does not magnify and praise God is not the church.
Psa. 29:9, “The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: AND IN HIS TEMPLE DOTH EVERY ONE SPEAK OF HIS GLORY.”
Modern religion, with all its emphasis on man and man’s achievements is far removed from the church.
Unto him be glory in the church BY CHRIST JESUS It is “by Christ Jesus,” and in Christ Jesus that God is glorified. Most religious people seem to have the idea that Christ is a whimpering, whining, begging, pleading, trying, failing, would-be Savior. There is no glory that redounds to the name of God from such an idea as that. It is only as Christ is seen as the mighty Savior, who is powerful to save, and who does indeed save his people, that God is truly glorified.
Matt. 1:21, “And thou shalt call his name Jesus: FOR HE SHALL SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS.”
THROUGHOUT ALL AGES, world without end. Amen God could not be glorified in the church “throughout all ages,” if the church did not exist throughout all ages. This is one of the many texts that promise the continued existence of the church.
Dan. 2:44, “And in the the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, WHICH SHALL NEVER BE DESTROYED: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, AND IT SHALL STAND FOR EVER.” Amen So be it.
CHAPTER FOUR
4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worth of the vocation wherewith ye are called.
I therefore THE PRISONER OF THE LORD Paul was imprisoned because of the fury of his own countrymen, the Jews, against him. The Jews hated Paul; they counted him to be a traitor to his own people, and they did everything they could to hinder him. But Paul consistently calls himself the Lord’s prisoner (Eph. 3:1, II Tim. 1:8, Phil. 1:9). The Lord is not ashamed to claim his own, even when they are in the greatest adversity.
Heb. 2:11, “For which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren.”
Paul pleads with others not to be ashamed of him, even though he was at that time suffering for the Lord’s sake.
II Tim. 1:8, “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, NOR OF ME HIS PRISONER: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.”
The apostles rejoiced “that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name” (Acts 5:41).
Beseech you One of the differences between the Law and the gospel is in the way that each addresses its subjects. The Law thunders, and threatens, and terrifies. Do you remember the entire nation of Israel trembling at the foot of Sinai? Our instinctive reaction to the Law is to run and hide. The gospel is gentle, an consoling; it says, “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). The Law terrifies, and threatens; the gospel comforts; it beseeches, and begs, and pleads.
Beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called There are any number of things Paul could have asked for. He was a prisoner. He could have asked them to send him material supplies, or he could have asked them to work for his release. But those things were really unimportant to Paul, compared to this request. His greatest desire was that they “walk worthy,” that they behave themselves in such manner as would adorn their profession of faith in Christ.
That ye WALK WORTHY Webster defines “worthy” as meaning “having worth, value, or merit.” There is no way that we can so walk as to “merit” eternal life. That is not under consideration at all. But we can “WALK WORTHY” of our calling. That is to say that the only conduct that is “WORTH” anything is that conduct—that walk—that reflects the influence of the Spirit of God living in our hearts.
The VOCATION wherewith ye are called “Vocation” simply means “calling.” It is “the calling wherewith ye are called.” We are called by the Spirit from a state of death in sin to a state of life in Christ, and we are called by the gospel from a life of disobedience to a life of obedience. And it behooves us, being DOUBLY CALLED to serve God, that we live in a manner which honors and adorns that calling.
4:2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love.
With all LOWLINESS “Lowliness” is the opposite of pride. Pride is the mother of every sin. It was pride that tripped up Adam in the Garden of Eden, and pride has been man’s downfall ever since. “Lowliness,” on the one hand, and pride, on the other, have marked the boundary between the true religion and the false, all down through time. Pride, and arrogance, and self-righteousness, and a conceit in ones own accomplishments have always accompanied the false religion. But “lowliness of mind,” and a sense of ones own unworthiness have always accompanied the true religion.
Phil. 2:3, “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in LOWLINESS OF MIND let each esteem other better than themselves.”
Acts 20:19, “Serving the Lord with all HUMILITY OF MIND, and with many tears.”
And MEEKNESS Webster defines “meekness” as meaning “patient and mild; not inclined to anger and resentment.” There is nothing that will make us more “patient and mild” with others than it will to see ourselves as we really are, to see ourselves as sinners saved by grace, if indeed we are saved at all. Such a clear and honest view of ourselves will produce “lowliness of mind,” if anything is going to do it, and that lowliness of mind will cause us to be “patient and mild” with others, when we may see in them some of the same defects we know to be in ourselves.
And LONGSUFFERING “Longsuffering” is the key to any continuing relationship. no marriage would ever survive if the parties were not longsuffering with the faults of each other. Parents and children could not bear to live under the same roof if they did not learn to be patient with each other. How much more does it behoove us to learn to be patient and longsuffering with those in the household of faith. Most of the troubles that arise in the church could be avoided with a sufficient supply of “longsuffering.”
Forbearing one another IN LOVE There is the one key of all keys. If we truly love one another, we will be patient, and meek, and longsuffering with each other. We will “forbear” every little offense; we will overlook every little insult; and if we cannot overlook it, we will bear with it, and forgive it. Love is a bond that seals our hearts together when everything else would tear us apart.
4:3 Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
ENDEAVORING to keep the unity of the Spirit In our very best efforts we are still always ENDEAVORING; we never reach the goal. Our goal in every undertaking must always be complete unity, with those of like precious faith; no other goal is acceptable.
Endeavoring to keep the UNITY OF THE SPIRIT Bear in mind that he is still talking to the Ephesians. Formerly they had been “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world” (ch. 2:12). They were, at that time, dead in sins, and aliens to all the benefits that God had showered on the nation of Israel. Even those Gentiles who had been born of the Spirit were cut off from the benefits of the Law Service. The same law that was a benefit to Israel was a wall of separation against the Gentiles. The very nature of the law signified separation. Now the Law Service has been fulfilled, and set aside. Its “carnal ordinances” (Heb. 9:10) have been replaced by “a new and living way” (Heb. 10:20). The “true worshipers” now worship God “in SPIRIT and in truth” (John 4:23). The old “ministration of death written and engraven in stones” (II Cor. 3:7) has been replaced by the new “ministration of the SPIRIT” (II Cor. 3:8), written in their minds and in their hearts (Heb. 8:10). The Law Service drove a wedge between them; now the SPIRIT draws them together, and in heart they are “knit together in love” Col. 2:2). This newfound love and UNITY is a cloud of glory to the church, and we should strive with all our hearts to keep this “UNITY OF THE SPIRIT.” How very easy it is to allow discord and confusion to work havoc, where the Spirit once reigned supreme.
In the BOND OF PEACE First he exhorts them to lowliness, and meekness, and longsuffering, and love; then he encourages them to “keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” This “unity” and “bond of peace” are the consequence of lowliness, and meekness, and longsuffering, and love in our dealings with others. Where those are not to be found, unity and peace will not be found. But there is a beautiful BOND that ties together the hearts of those who love the Lord, and who have the proper outlook and attitude in their dealings with each other.
Col. 3:14, 15, “And above all these things, put on CHARITY, which is the BOND of perfectness. And let the PEACE of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body, and be ye thankful.”
4:4 For there is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling.
For there is ONE BODY All the FAMILY OF GOD make up one spiritual body in Christ (I Cor. 12:1-27). And as all the family of God make up one spiritual body in Christ, so all the members of the CHURCH make up ONE BODY in Christ.
Eph 1:22, 23, “And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the CHURCH, Which is HIS BODY, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.”
In I Corinthians, chapter twelve, Paul draws a parallel between the two. In the first twenty-seven verses he shows that all the members of Christ’s spiritual family make up one spiritual body, and in verse twenty-eight, he goes on, “AND (in like manner) God hath set some IN THE CHURCH, first apostles, secondarily prophets, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.”
In Romans twelve he was clearly talking about MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH, when he showed that all the members go to make up one spiritual body. He identifies them by their SPECIAL GIFTS ACTUALLY EXERCISED IN THE CHURCH.
Rom. 12:4-8, “For as we have many members in ONE BODY, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are ONE BODY in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.”
Bear in mind that Paul’s consistent theme is the bringing in of these Gentiles into the BODY and membership of the church right along with the Jews.
And ONE SPIRIT The same SPIRIT that quickened Jewish believers and enlightened them to the truth, and to the benefits of the church, quickened these Gentiles and enlightened them. God does not have one church for the Jews and another for the Gentiles, nor one Spirit for the Jews and another for the Gentiles. He is dealing with all alike.
Even as ye are CALLED Every one of those God chose and predestinated (ch. 1:4, 5) he CALLS in regeneration.
Rom. 8:30, “Moreover whom he did PREDESTINATE, them he also CALLED.”
Even as ye are called in ONE HOPE of your calling The hope of Jewish and Gentile believers is the same; and that hope is “Christ in you, THE HOPE of glory” (Col. 1:27). Hope is more than wishful thinking; it is the very indwelling of Christ in the hearts of his believing children, and giving them hope. Hope is “the EXPECTATION of better things to come.” It is difficult to see how those who belittle the thought of “having a hope” would want to change that. Would they prefer the doubt of better things to come, or perhaps, the expectation of worse things to come?
4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism.
One Lord There is only one Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and he is the LORD of these Ephesians, as surely as he is of others.
One faith There are different sorts of faith, as implanted faith, received in regeneration (Eph. 2:8), and gospel faith, or faith in practice, which must be contended for (Jude 3); but wherever it is found, and of what sort it is, there is no difference between the faith of these Gentiles and of others.
One baptism Again there are different sorts of baptism, as baptism by the Spirit (I Cor. 12:13), and water baptism (Acts 2:38), as there are different sorts of faith, but Paul’s emphasis is still the same. The baptism of these Ephesians and of Jewish believers is one and the same. Paul is proclaiming the answer to the prayer that Christ prayed just before his suffering and death, when he begged the Father that those whom the Father gave to him (both those who were following him at that time, and those who would come after) might be TRULY ONE.
John 17:20, 21, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be ONE; as thou Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be ONE in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.”
4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
One God and Father of all Paul keeps pounding on the same theme. The Jews had believed that God was their own personal property. Now these Ephesians had the same access to God that the Jews (the believing Jews) had.
Who is above all In every aspect of the church, both Jew and Gentile, past, present, and future, God is ABOVE ALL. He is the supreme head of the church. He is “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Rev. 19:16). His word is our law; his precepts are our command. We belong to him.
I Cor. 6:20, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
And through all God did not establish the church and leave it to fend for itself. He is THROUGH ALL and involved in all aspects of the church. It is impossible for the church to exist or to function without him. We cannot preach without him. Our efforts may be ever so well intended, but without the unction of his Spirit, all our efforts have a hollow ring. We cannot serve him acceptably without his assistance.
Heb. 12:28, “Let us have GRACE, whereby we may serve God ACCEPTABLY with reverence and godly fear.”
Both in our public worship, and in our private devotions, we are entirely dependent on him.
And in you all By his Spirit God lives in the heart of every one of his children.
Gal. 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but CHRIST LIVETH IN ME: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
Col. 1:28, “Which is CHRIST IN YOU, the hope of glory.”
John 14:17, “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and SHALL BE IN YOU.”
4:7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
But unto every one of us is GIVEN GRACE Grace means “unmeritted or undeserved favor.” The only grace there is a GIVEN GRACE. If it was earned, it would not be grace. The sinners that we are, we do not deserve any good thing we have ever received from God. We do not deserve to be saved from sin, nor to receive a home in heaven; and we do not deserve any of those gifts (vs 8) that God bestows on us in this life. In this passage Paul is talking about those gifts God has graciously given to his servants in the church (vss 11, 12).
Rom. 12:6, “Having then GIFTS differing according to the GRACE that is GIVEN TO US, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith.”
Those gifts God has given us are as surely the product of grace as salvation for heaven itself is. We may abuse those gifts—and even lose them—but that does not alter the fact that our receiving them in the first place was based, not on our merit, but on the grace of God.
According to the MEASURE of the gift of Christ Even those gifts God bestows on his own are measured “ACCORDING TO THE MEASURE” of his bounty. God is not limited by our weakness. God can and does, sometimes, use the very weakest of vessels in his service, and that in a mighty way. And by the same token, some of the most “qualified” of prospects have proven to be almost useless in their benefit to the church.
I Cor. 1:26-29, “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the things which are mighty: and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in his presence.”
We should always bear in mind that in our service toward God, if our heart and our motives are right and acceptable in his sight, we are not drawing out of the reservoir of our puny abilities, we are drawing from the unbounded fulness of his blessing. That is the only way we can explain how that sometimes such “foolish,” and “base,” and “despised” of vessels have been used in mighty ways in his service. God delights in filling “nothings,” and “nobodies” out of his own unwasted fulness, and thereby, reflecting glory on his own name.
4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.
Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, HE LED CAPTIVITY CAPTIVE We were, by nature, dead in sins (ch. 2:1); we were “TAKEN CAPTIVE” by Satan (II Tim. 2:26); we were SERVANTS to sin, BONDSLAVES to sin (Rom. 6:16); and the “fear of death” kept us in a constant state of BONDAGE (Heb. 2:15). But in his suffering and death the Lord has set us free (John 8:36); HE HAS CAPTURED OUR CAPTORS. Now he has the “keys of hell and of death” (Rev. 1:18); he has TRIUMPHED over every evil force that had held us in bondage (Col. 2:15); they are delivered into “chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment (II Pet. 2:4); and they will one day be cast into the furnace of fire (Rev. 20:10, 14).
Eph 2:1, “And you hath he quickened, who were DEAD in trespasses and sins.”
II Tim. 2:26, “And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the DEVIL, who are TAKEN CAPTIVE by him at his will.”
Rom. 6:16, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to body, his SERVANTS ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness.”
Heb. 2:15, ” And deliver them who through FEAR OF DEATH were all their lifetime subject to BONDAGE.”
John 8:36, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
Rev. 1:18, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen: and have the KEYS OF HELL AND OF DEATH.”
Col. 2:15, “And having SPOILED PRINCIPALITIES AND POWERS, he made a shew of them openly TRIUMPHING over them in it.”
II Pet. 2:4, “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.”
Rev. 20: 10, 14, “And the DEVIL that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever…….And DEATH AND HELL were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.”
When he ascended up on high When he suffered and died on the cross, the Lord fully, for time and eternity, paid our sin debt; and when Christ arose from the dead, the Father acknowledged that divine justice was completely satisfied with the work of God’s Son. If divine justice had not been satisfied, Christ would still be in the grave. And “WHEN HE ASCENDED UP ON HIGH” the Lord marched triumphantly into glory—the conquering king. He had trodden sin, and death, and Satan under his feet.
And GAVE GIFTS unto men There are very few things more pitiful than for a person who has all of his life been a slave, and now he receives his freedom—but he does not receive anything else to go with that freedom. For all of his life his every activity has been dictated for him. And now he has no earthly idea what to do next. God does not leave his children in that condition. He “gave gifts unto men.” He puts them to work. He gives them new appetites, and new desires. And he endows them with new gifts—new capabilities—for his service. And notice that these are BESTOWED GIFTS. These were not skills they learned in their captivity; these are divinely bestowed gifts that God has provided for his children to enable them to be happy and productive in his service.
4:9 Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth.
What is it but that he also descended first into THE LOWER PARTS OF THE EARTH The expression indicates the formation of Jesus Christ—the Son of Man—IN THE WOMB of his mother Mary.
Psalms 139:13-15, “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me IN MY MOTHER’S WOMB. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought IN THE LOWEST PARTS OF THE EARTH.”
But his descent was not complete in his incarnation; he went on to descend into the grave itself. “He descended to the earth in his incarnation. He descended into the earth in his burial.” (Matthew Henry).
Phil. 2:8, 9, “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became OBEDIENT UNTO DEATH, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath HIGHLY EXALTED HIM, and given him a name which is above every name.”
4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.
He that descended is the same also that ASCENDED UP FAR ABOVE ALL HEAVENS The Son of God descended from heaven to “the lower parts of the earth” (vs. 9). He descended first to the womb of the virgin Mary, and then into the grave itself. But the grave could not hold him. He arose from the dead, and then he ascended back into heaven itself.
Acts 1:9-11, “And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you INTO HEAVEN, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go INTO HEAVEN.”
Heb. 4:14, “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is PASSED INTO THE HEAVENS, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.”
Heb. 7:26, “For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made HIGHER THAN THE HEAVENS.”
Heb. 9:24, “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but INTO HEAVEN ITSELF, now to appear in the presence of God for us.”
He that descended is THE SAME ALSO that ascended up far above all heavens The apostle is careful to point out that the Jesus that ascended is the very same person that descended. There was no change is him. He is the same person. The incarnation did not bring about any change in him. He did not cease to be God when he became man. He is “the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Heb 13:8).
Acts 1:11, “THIS SAME JESUS, which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”
That he might FILL ALL THINGS He first ascended to heaven, and then he FILLED ALL THINGS—he filled every spiritual need for the church. He had in store everything the church needed, but those needs would not be filled until he went away.
John 16:7, “For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”
In the next verse he will explain in detail exactly what he meant by filling all things.
4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.
And he gave some, APOSTLES The apostles were the Lord’s first, and most extraordinary gift to the church.
I Cor. 12:28, “And God hath set some in the church, FIRST APOSTLES.” They were his CHOSEN ones, his SENT ones.
John 15:16, “Ye have not chosen me, BUT I HAVE CHOSEN YOU, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.”
He called them and sent them out before his death and resurrection; but they were not fully equipped to the work until after his ascension. That is what is under consideration in this text.
Acts 1:4, 8, “And being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me…..But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” The apostles were an extraordinary set of men. Their ministry was accompanied and confirmed by MIGHTY SIGNS AND WONDERS.
II Cor. 12:12, “Truly the SIGNS OF AN APOSTLE were wrought among you in all patience, in SIGNS, AND WONDERS, AND MIGHTY DEEDS.”
Another mark of the apostles was that they had all seen the Lord after his resurrection.
I Cor. 15:7, “After that, he was seen of James: THEN OF ALL THE APOSTLES.”
I Cor. 9:1, “AM I NOT AN APOSTLE? am I not free? HAVE I NOT SEEN JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD? are not ye my work in the Lord?”
Still another mark of the apostles was that they received their calling—and their doctrine—directly from the Lord himself.
Gal. 1:1, “Paul, AN APOSTLE, (not of men, neither by man, but BY JESUS CHRIST, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead:)”
Gal. 1:11, 12, “But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, BUT BY THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST.”
And some, PROPHETS The second gift the Lord set in the church was that of prophet.
I Cor. 12:28, “And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, SECONDARILY PROPHETS.”
It was another of the extraordinary, and temporary, gifts that God provided for the church. The prophets were never intended to be a permanent fixture in the church. Paul prophesied that “whether there be prophecies, they shall fail” (I Cor. 13:8). That is, there will come a time when there will not be any more prophets. That time came long ago, but there was a time, when there were prophets in the New Testament Church. They were extraordinary gifts for an extraordinary time.
Acts 11:27, 28, “And in those days came PROPHETS from Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar.”
Acts 21: 10, 11, “And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judea, A CERTAIN PROPHET, named Agabus. And when he was come unto us, he took Paul’s girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.”
And some, EVANGELISTS The evangelists were not apostles; but the scriptures never call anyone an evangelist who was not, at least, contemporary with the apostles, and a companion to the apostles.
Acts 21:8, “And the next day we that were of Paul’s company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of PHILIP THE EVANGELIST, which was one of the seven; and abode with him.”
Luke is careful to point out that this Philip was “Philip the evangelist” rather than Philip the apostle (Matt. 10:3), and that he was “one of the seven” (Acts 6:1-5), rather than one of “the twelve.”
II Tim. 4:5, “But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an EVANGELIST, make full proof of thy ministry.”
These are the only three times that anyone is ever referred to as an evangelist.
And some, PASTORS AND TEACHERS With this gift he changes his manner of speaking. He does not say, “And SOME pastors, and SOME teachers;” “pastors and teachers” is all one gift, so he expresses it all together as one expression. The pastor of the church is the teacher of the church. This is God’s permanent gift to the church. The apostles did their job so well that we no longer need anyone to fill that office. There are no more evangelists and prophets. But the church will need “pastors and teachers” until the end of time. The word “pastor” means “shepherd.” They are called pastors to signify that they are to see after the Lord’s flock, to see after his sheep. They are also called “elders,” and “bishops.” The scriptures make absolutely no difference between “elders,” and bishops,” and “pastors.” They are one and the same.
Tit. 1:5, 7, “For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest ORDAIN ELDERS in every city, as I had appointed thee…..For a BISHOP must be blameless, as the steward of God.”
In this passage Paul uses the terms interchangeably to show that there is no difference between the two. It is the job of the pastor to feed and, instruct, and guide the church.
Acts 20: 17, 28, “And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the ELDERS of the church…….Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you OVERSEERS, TO FEED THE CHURCH OF GOD, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”
I Pet. 5:1-3, “The ELDERS which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: FEED THE FLOCK OF GOD which is among you, taking the OVERSIGHT thereof, not of constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ENSAMPLES to the flock.”
I Thess. 5:12, “And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which LABOR AMONG YOU, and are OVER YOU in the Lord, and ADMONISH YOU.”
4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.
FOR etc. God gave these gifts “for”—in order to—the work that is here described. If God had not given the gifts, the work could never have been done. No man has it within his own capacity to do the work on his own. He does not have the ability to do the work of an apostle, and he does not have the ability to do the work of a pastor. God takes the most unlikely of subjects; he calls them, and by his Spirit, he qualifies them to do a work that no man could do by himself (I Cor. 1:26-31).
For the PERFECTING of the saints No man ever achieved entire perfection. As long as we live, we will continually fall short of the standard. Perfection is still the standard; it is still the goal; we must ever strive to do better in the Lord’s service. But absolute sinlessness is not the subject under consideration in this verse. The word is katarismos, and it means “COMPLETE FURNISHING.” And that is what the preaching of the gospel does. When the gospel is preached fully and faithfully, it furnishes the church with everything that it needs to know and to do religiously. Man, by his wit and ingenuity, has never added anything to the church that benefitted the church. The scriptures are a thorough furnisher to every good work, and if the scriptures do not provide any particular advise, or any particular practice, we would do well to leave it alone.
II Tim. 3:16, 17, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction in righteousness: that the man of God may be PERFECT, THOROUGHLY FURNISHED unto all good works.”
For the work of the MINISTRY The word is diakonia, and it means “minister,” or “servant,” or “teacher.” Again we come right back to the simple definition of a pastor; he is to be a shepherd, and a servant, and a teacher.
For the EDIFYING of the body of Christ To “edify” means “to instruct; especially to instruct or improve morally or spiritually.” It is the work of the ministry to instruct the saints, and to build them up in their understanding, and in their service toward God. In these three expressions Paul gives THE ENTIRE WORK OF THE GOSPEL MINISTER. HE IS TO MINISTER TO THE SAINTS. And observe that there is not one word about rescuing anybody from eternal damnation, not one word about altering the eternal destiny of anybody, not one word about adding anybody to the family of God. Paul knew as much about the purpose of the gospel minister as anybody, and he was writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. If God had put the eternal salvation of untold millions of poor sinners in the hands of preachers, you can be sure that Paul would have said so. The fact that Paul did not mention it ought to be sufficient proof that IT IS JUST NOT SO.
4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.
Till we all come in the UNITY of the faith Bear in mind that Paul is still talking to these Ephesian Gentiles, who were being brought into the full fellowship of the New Testament Church. They were as surely members of the church as they would ever be. But there was still a hostility that, to some extent, existed between Jewish and Gentile believers. Remember the conflict at the church at Antioch over Gentiles being allowed to take communion along with Jewish believers (Gal. 2:11-21). And in Hebrews, chapter eight, Paul says only that the old covenant was “READY to vanish away” (Heb. 8:13). In actual fact, the Law Service was no longer valid and binding. It had been completely fulfilled and set aside by the suffering and death of the Lord. But, in practice, it still had a great hold on the minds of those who had all of their lives been subject to it. Acts 21:20, “Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of the Jews there are which believe; and they are all ZEALOUS OF THE LAW.” And the Law would not entirely lose that hold until the destruction of Jerusalem in Seventy A. D., when the strict observance of the Law would no longer be possible. And until the observance of the Law become, for the most part, impossible, there could never be the “UNITY OF THE FAITH” that they would later enjoy.
And of the KNOWLEDGE of the Son of God The gospel can never teach one to know God, nor to know his Son; but the gospel does teach us to KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT GOD AND ABOUT HIS SON. It is this “knowledge of the Son of God” that we are longing for and searching for.
Phil. 3:10, “THAT I MIGHT KNOW HIM, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.”
Unto a PERFECT MAN Paul likens the fully furnished, fully established, New Testament Church to a “perfect man.” The expression is “andra teleion,” and it means, literally, a full grown man. The word “perfect” has nothing to do with “sinless perfection.” It simply means “full grown.” The Law Service was a time of childhood.
Gal. 4:1, “Now I say that the heir, AS LONG AS HE IS A CHILD, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all.”
But the fully furnished, fully established, New Testament Church is a full grown man.
Heb. 5:13, 14, “For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to THEM THAT ARE OF FULL AGE, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
Unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ Compared to the Gentiles, who were shut up in Pagan darkness, the Jews derived great benefits from the Law Service.
Rom. 3:1, “What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way, because that UNTO THEM WERE COMMITTED THE ORACLES OF GOD.”
But those benefits were largely limited to what they could receive from the “divers washings, and carnal ordinances” (Heb. 9:10) of the Law Service. All of the various sacrifices and ceremonies of the Law symbolized Christ and his finished work; but Christ was never clearly seen, even by the most devoted Law worshiper. Now in the gospel church we are come “unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” In the preaching of the gospel our Lord stands forth in all his “STATURE” and in all his “FULNESS.” He is seen more clearly in the church today than he ever was in the old day. And by his Spirit he fills the church with all sorts of spiritual gifts out of his own “fulness.”
4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.
That we henceforth be NO MORE CHILDREN We cannot grow into grace, but we can “grow in grace.”
II Pet. 5:18, “But GROW IN GRACE, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
We can grow and become more spiritually mature. Paul was encouraging these, who had been children, to grow in the knowledge of the Lord, and to reach that spiritual manhood that is available to the believer in the New Testament Church.
I Cor. 3:1, 2, “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto BABES in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.”
I Cor. 14:20, “Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.”
TOSSED TO AND FRO and carried about with every wind of doctrine He likens those who are immature and uninformed to such a light and unstable thing that it can be blown about with every little puff of wind. Those who never “grow in grace” are unstable, and ungrounded. They never know which way they are headed. They never seem to realize that what they are saying just now contradicts what they said just awhile ago.
Heb. 13:9, “Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.”
James 1:6, “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering, for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and TOSSED.”
Every wind of doctrine “False doctrine, which may be compared to wind for its lightness and emptiness, and for its swelling and puffing nature, and for the noise and bluster it makes, and for its rapidity and force, with which it sometimes comes and bears all before it” (Gill).
By the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive Paul compares those who promote and advocate false doctrine to the most cunning and crafty of men. He says that they are “cunning,” and crafty; they use “the sleight of men”—the trickery of men—and their very purpose is to deceive. They are not interested in the truth.
I Cor. 4:2, “But have renounced the hidden things of DISHONESTY, not walking in CRAFTINESS, nor HANDLING THE WORD OF GOD DECEITFULLY.”
II Pet. 3:5, “For this they WILLINGLY ARE IGNORANT OF, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water.”
The word of God is so precious, and it is such a comfort to our souls that it is hard to imagine those who willfully twist and distort the scripture for the very purpose of deceiving the unwary. But both the scriptures and our own experience have convinced us that it is so.
II Cor. 11:13-15, “For such are FALSE APOSTLES, DECEITFUL WORKERS, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”
4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.
But speaking the truth IN LOVE As deceit, and craftiness, and dishonesty characterize the false religious systems of the world, love is the outstanding characteristic of the New Testament Church and of the truth. It seems to be a fairly easy matter to detect whether love reigns in the heart of the preacher. It will show in his countenance, and it shows up in his every activity.
May GROW UP into him in all things He is still talking about our growing in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord.
May grow up INTO HIM in all things We “grow up into him” in the same sense that we abide in him, and walk in him, and spiritually, come to look like him.
John 15:7, “If ye ABIDE IN ME, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”
I John 2:6, “He that saith he ABIDETH IN HIM ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.”
Eph 5:2, “And WALK IN LOVE, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.” I
Pet. 2:21, “For even hereunto were ye called; because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that YE SHOULD FOLLOW HIS STEPS.”
Paul probably expressed the thought of this closeness to the Lord, and our growing up into him, the most clearly in his letter to the Phillipians.
Phil. 1:21. “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
The more closely the child of God walks in the steps of his Lord, the more he begins to look like him. II Cor. 3:18, “But we all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Which is the head, even Christ We should never allow any growth, or imagined growth, on our part to cause us to forget that in all things Christ is the head. We are answerable to him in all things, and in every aspect of our lives. Paul has talked more fully about Christ being the head of the church in chapter one (vss 22, 23), but he brings the thought before us again.
4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
From whom the WHOLE BODY He is talking about the “whole body” of the VISIBLE CHURCH.
Eph 1:22, 23, “And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the Church, which is HIS BODY, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.”
He will use an expression later in this verse which shows that, in this verse at least, the “body” has reference to the militant church, the visible church. Paul consistently compares the church to a body, made up of its many members.
Rom. 12:4, 5, “For as we have many members in ONE BODY, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are ONE BODY in Christ, and every one members one of another.”
Fitly JOINED together and COMPACTED by that which every joint supplieth Every member in the body has its own special place, and its own special work to do. No member can take the place of any other. When the church is functioning as it ought to do, every member is “joined together and compacted” with every other member, so that each member performs its own job, and no member could do without all the other members. They are “FITLY joined together” in that every member has his own place, and HE FITS in his place, he takes his own proper place alongside all the other members.
I Cor. 12:14-23, “For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble are necessary: And those members of the body, which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.”
The various members of the body are “JOINED TOGETHER” in that they are all dependent on each other; they all support each other, and nourish each other; and they all either rejoice or grieve together.
I Cor. 12:24-27, “For our comely parts have no need: BUT GOD HATH TEMPERED THE BODY TOGETHER, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked: That there should NO SCHISM in the body; but that the members should have the SAME CARE one for another. And whether one suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”
And they are “COMPACTED” in that they all form one FIRM AND TIGHTLY KNIT BODY.
Col. 2:2, “That their hearts might be comforted, BEING KNIT TOGETHER IN LOVE.”
That which EVERY JOINT supplieth “Joint” points back to the fact that the various members are “JOINED together.” A “joint” is “the place where two parts are joined.” And it is this joint, this connection with the rest of the body, that supplies these benefits to each of its members. There are benefits that can be gained in no other way than by being joined to the body—being joined to the visible church.
According to the EFFECTUAL WORKING in the measure of every part There are some plans that work, and others don’t. It does not work for a person to try to properly reform himself—in plans and schemes of his own making. It is the will of God that we ought to repent of our sins, join the church, be baptized, and—in the church—walk in obedience to the commands of the Lord. We have no right to omit any part of that plan. There are those who believe they can serve the Lord just as well without joining the church and being baptized as they can in the church. But that just does not work—it is not EFFECTUAL. It never works for us to rebel against the revealed will of God for our lives. There is an “EFFECTUAL WORKING” that manifests itself in our lives by that union with the body that comes when we are “joined together” with the rest of the body—when we join the church, and walk in obedience to the Lord’s commands. We are supported, and strengthened, and warmed by each other. The various members of the body must have each other. No member is complete in himself. No eye, no hand, no foot, all by itself is a complete body, and it cannot function all by itself. It must have the other members of the body if it is going to survive. And if we are going to survive and prosper in our spiritual experience, we must be joined to the rest of the body. We must have “that which every joint” (every individual, personal connection to the body) provides.
In the MEASURE of every part Not every member has the same capacity. Some are five talent servants, and some are two talent servants (Matt. 25:14-30). But in our Lord’s example the five talent servant and the two talent servant made exactly the same use of what they each had to work with. They each doubled what they had (vss 20, 22), and they each received the same commendation from their Lord (vss 21, 23). The Lord does not require us to use what we do not have.
II Cor. 10:12, 13, “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they MEASURING themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. But we will not boast of things without our MEASURE, but according to the MEASURE rule which God hath distributed to us, a MEASURE to reach even unto you.”
Maketh INCREASE of the body unto the EDIFYING of itself in love No activity of ours can “increase” the family of God. God makes “it not to grow” (II Sam. 23:5). This one word is sufficient to show that this verse is talking about the VISIBLE CHURCH. We cannot add one to the family of God, nor take one from it; but by our faithful service to him we can have an effect for good on the local, visible church. As we serve him, and follow his commandments, God blesses the church, both with regard to our number and our spiritual well being. To “edify” means “to confirm, to support, to build up.” It comes from the same root word as edifice—building. As the various members of the body fill their place, the church is edified—it is built up.
4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind.
This I say therefore, and testify IN THE LORD Having completed the doctrinal part of his instructions, in this verse Paul draws himself to full stature, and admonishes them in the name of the Lord. His own personal reputation is not enough; he draws on all the authority that belongs to the Lord himself in spelling out how we ought to live. He has pointed out that the saints are members of the body of Christ; now he admonishes us to behave accordingly.
That ye HENCEFORTH walk not as other Gentiles walk These Ephesian Christians were Gentiles, and they had “in times past” walked in the same way that other Gentiles walked. Now Paul admonishes them that “henceforth” they behave themselves in a better manner.
Eph. 2:3, “Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”
In the VANITY of their mind Vanity is bound in our carnal nature. “Vanity” is defined as “any thing or act that is vain, futile, or worthless.” It is also defined as “a being vain, or excessively proud of oneself, or of one’s possessions.” Both definitions apply. By nature we vain, futile, and worthless, and the thoughts of our mind are according to our nature. But worthless as we are, our carnal nature is nonetheless excessively proud of itself. Even after we are born of his Spirit, we are still afflicted with the old carnal nature, and nothing short of the gospel of grace will ever teach us what we are by nature, and what God has made us by his grace. None of the false religions, neither the pagan religions of Paul’s day, nor the various denominations of our day, will ever benefit anyone in his war against the vanity of his own mind. Rather, those religions pander to our vanity by telling us that we can, by our own accomplishments, earn salvation, and somehow, obligate God to save us.
Psa. 39:5, “Verily every man at his best state is altogether VANITY.”
Vs. 6, “Surely every man walketh in A VAIN SHEW.”
In the vanity of their MIND Man is not only by nature depraved in his carnal lusts, and his basest instincts; he is depraved in his very mind itself. His mind, his reason, his judgment, and every thinking and knowing part of him is riddled with vanity, and he has a vain, distorted view of himself, and of God, and of sin. And from such a polluted source, you can not expect anything but polluted thoughts and acts.
4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.
Having the understanding darkened The person who is dead in sins may have good understanding in natural things; he may be a genius in those things. But his understanding is darkened in regard to spiritual things. Spiritual things are out of his reach.
John 8:43, “Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word?”
I Cor. 2:14, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
Sometimes even those who are born again may take such “pleasure in unrighteousness” that God gives them over to delusion, and their minds are darkened as well. And those seem to be the people under consideration in this text.
II Thess. 2:10-12, “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.”
These are obviously a disobedient, but born again people—they could have received the love of the truth, if they would. The unregenerate are not able to receive the love of the truth.
Being alienated from THE LIFE OF GOD through the ignorance that is in them This is not talking about those who are dead in sins. This condition is not traced to the sin of Adam, but rather to their own “ignorance.” And in light of that, it appears that the “life of God” does not refer to the Holy Spirit as a life giving force, but rather to that pathway of life, joy, and peace, which the believing, faithful child of God finds in following his Lord.
Matt. 7;13, 14, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto LIFE, and few there be that find it.”
It is that ABUNDANT LIFE that only comes to those who are already made spiritually alive by God’s Spirit.
John 10:10, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it MORE ABUNDANTLY.”
Being alienated To “alienate” means “to estrange; make unfriendly; as, his behavior alienated his friends.” It signifies that the relationship could have been better, again pointing to the fact that these who are “alienated” could have been in a better condition.
Because of the blindness of their heart This is talking about those Gentiles who were shut up in “ignorance” and “blindness,” and greatly in need of the gospel message. Those who have never heard and believed the gospel message are ignorant and blind to that message, and it is the work of the preacher to teach those who can be taught.
Acts 26:16-18, “But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, UNTO WHOM NOW I SEND THEE. TO OPEN THEIR EYES, AND TO TURN THEM FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”
4:19 Who being past feeling, have given themselves over to lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
Who being PAST FEELING It is possible for a person to so persist in sin that his conscience becomes seared. He no longer FEELS condemnation for sin, as he once did, and he no longer FEELS any great need for God, nor for the gospel.
I Tim. 4:1, 2, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall DEPART FROM THE FAITH, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their CONSCIENCE SEARED WITH A HOT IRON.”
The fact that one may have the Spirit living in his heart as a life giving force is no guarantee that he will always be able to feel the witness of that Spirit.
Giving themselves over to LASCIVIOUSNESS to work all UNCLEANNESS with greediness “Lasciviousness” simply means lust. It is grievous to see any child of God allowing his life to be controlled and consumed by the lust of the flesh; but when he turns his back on God and on the gospel, there is no limit to which he cannot fall. Sin is a cruel taskmaster, and when one gives himself over to the base instincts of his own nature, sin will dominate his life and destroy him.
“Uncleanness” is simply another way of saying “filthiness.” When a person so misbehaves as to become “past feeling,” and gives himself over to lust, his mind becomes dominated by all sorts of FILTHY THOUGHTS AND IMAGINATION. No one should ever get the idea that he has reached such an advanced state that he could never fall into such a dreadful condition. Until we die we will all be afflicted by the old carnal nature we inherited from Adam, and that person who believes that he could never fall has never seen himself as he really is, apart from the grace of God. Even Paul feared lest he should somehow become “a castaway.”
I Cor. 9:27, “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a CASTAWAY.”
With GREEDINESS The lust of the flesh involves more than the desire to gratify the sexual fantasies of the carnal nature. It also includes the desire to heap up vast amounts of material possessions—especially when that gain comes from taking from others, and defrauding others. Many a person has become so intent on gaining “SUCCESS,” whatever that may be, that his life becomes dominated by an all consuming lust for the outward trappings that are supposed to indicate “success.” Any person has fallen into that trap, whenever his desire for money, or power, or name recognition, begins to rival his devotion to his Maker.
4:20 But ye have not so learned Christ.
In the next verse he explains in what sense they had “learned Christ.” They had “heard him,” and “been taught by him.” They had heard the voice of the Lord himself in the work of regeneration, and they had been taught by his Spirit dwelling in their hearts. Paul is pointing out that if they did walk as other Gentiles walked, it was not because of what Christ had taught them that they walked in that manner. They had “not so learned Christ.” Christ living in our hearts gives us a desire and an appetite for better things.
4:21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus.
If so be that ye have HEARD HIM It is the voice of God himself that quickens the sinner in the work of regeneration. He hears the voice of the Lord himself, and by that life giving voice he is quickened from death to life.
John 5:25, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall HEAR THE VOICE OF THE SON OF GOD and they that HEAR shall live.”
John 10:27, My sheep HEAR MY VOICE, and I know them, and they follow me.”
And have BEEN TAUGHT BY HIM God teaches his children INDIRECTLY by the gospel, but that gospel teaching will never have its effect if the sinner has not first been taught DIRECTLY by God himself.
John 6:45, “It is written in the prophets, And they shall be ALL TAUGHT OF GOD. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.”
Isa. 54:13, “And all thy children shall be TAUGHT OF THE LORD.”
The “fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, etc,” (Gal. 5:22). We learn those things from the Spirit of God living in our hearts, and if we have not learned them from his Spirit, we will never learn them from any other source.
As the truth is in Jesus There is no discord between what God teaches us by his Spirit and what he teaches us by the scriptures and by the gospel. If what the child of God feels in his heart, and what he reads in the Bible do not agree, then he is obviously misunderstanding one or the other. The scriptures and the Spirit are those “two immutable (unchangeable) things” in which it is impossible for God to lie. It is because he has already been taught in his heart by the Spirit that the sinner is able to hear the gospel and to rejoice in it. Because of what he has learned from the Spirit, he is able to say, “That is right; that is exactly what I believe.” He would always be somewhat suspicious of the gospel if he had not already been taught those same things by God himself.
John 14:26, “But the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall TEACH YOU ALL THINGS, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
Sometimes these things are said to be done by the Son and sometimes by the Spirit, but the fulness of the Godhead dwells in each of its members, so that what is done by one can very often be said to be done by the other two.
IF SO BE that ye have heard him The gospel is directed to a particular people. It is directed to those who have heard the voice of the Son of God, and quickened by him. It is not directed to those who have never heard. They could not hear the gospel message so as to receive its benefits (I Cor. 2:14).
4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.
THAT YE PUT OFF concerning the former conversation THE OLD MAN So long as we live we will be afflicted by our “old man,” our flesh, our carnal nature. We can never get rid of it, but we can put it off.
Rom. 6:6, “Knowing this, that OUR OLD MAN is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”
Col 3:8, 9, “But now PUT OFF all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have PUT OFF THE OLD MAN with his deeds.”
Heb. 12:1, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us LAY ASIDE every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”
The Bible uses several different expressions to indicate this warfare between the “old man” and the “new man,” between the flesh and the spirit. In this text we are told to “put off….the old man,” like an old filthy garment.
Jude 23, “And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the GARMENT spotted by the flesh.”
Other times we are told to subdue it, and bring it into subjection.
I Cor. 9:27, “But I keep under my body, and BRING IT INTO SUBJECTION: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”
The former conversation In time past the saints were “the children of wrath, even as others” (Eph. 2:3) and our conversation (our entire life and conduct) was in agreement with our old carnal nature. It could not be any other way. A carnal nature was all we had. We were flesh, all flesh, and nothing but flesh. We did not have spiritual life and we had no interest in spiritual things. But now, having been born of his Spirit, and having heard the gospel message, he bids us to put off that old way and to walk in a way pleasing to God.
I Pet. 4:3, “For the TIME PAST of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries.”
Which is CORRUPT Being born again did not change our carnal nature; it did not cause the flesh to become better. The flesh is CORRUPT and it will never be any better.
Rom 7:18, “For I know that in me (that is in MY FLESH,) dwelleth NO GOOD THING: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.”
We can never reform the flesh, and we cannot put it out—we cannot get rid of it. But we can put it off; we can war against it, and subdue it.
According to the DECEITFUL LUSTS The “old man” is not only corrupt; he is DECEITFUL. He will persuade you that wrong is right, and right is wrong. He will make you believe that what you are about to do is not really so bad after all (“everybody else does it”). Or he will persuade you that it will be alright just this once. Sometimes he will convince you that “this is just too good an opportunity to pass up.”
Jer. 17:9, “The heart is DECEITFUL above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it.”
4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.
We are MADE NEW by the work of the Spirit in regeneration.
II Cor. 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is A NEW CREATURE: old things are passed away; behold all things are become NEW.”
He is a new creature—a new creation—in Christ Jesus. He has a new nature, which he did not have before. And being made newly alive in Christ, he is commanded to “BE RENEWED,” to be revived, and refreshed in our service toward God. The Spirit has a RENEWING and TRANSFORMING effect on those who are the beneficiaries of its work.
Rom. 12:2, “And be not conformed to this world; but be ye TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.”
We cannot be renewed in our flesh, our “old man;” it can never be made any better, but we can be renewed in the spirit of our mind. It is with the spirit of our mind that we serve God.
Rom. 7:25, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the MIND I myself serve God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”
The Spirit does a “washing,” a cleansing work, in regeneration, and that work is instantaneous. But it also does a “renewing” work in the hearts of his children, and that is a continual work.
Tit. 3:5, “But according to his mercy he saved us, by the WASHING of regeneration, and RENEWING of the Holy Ghost.”
Phil. 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
And that ye put on the NEW MAN In the previous verse Paul has instructed us to “put off…the old man,” the old carnal nature, with its carnal, fleshly ways. Now in this verse he instructs us to “put on the NEW MAN, the new spiritual nature. When we “put off the old man,” we put off that carnal, fleshly conduct that is characteristic of the nature we inherited from Adam. And when we “put on the new man,” we put on that conduct that identifies the saints.
Col. 3:8, 9, 10, 12, “But now ye also PUT OFF ALL THESE; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have PUT OFF THE OLD MAN with his deeds. And have PUT ON THE NEW MAN, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him…..PUT ON therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering.”
One of the most often expressed principles in the Bible is the fact that, in their day to day conduct, the saints are CLOTHED with righteousness.
Isa. 61:10, “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God, for he hath CLOTHED me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”
II Cor. 5:2, 3, “For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be CLOTHED upon with our house which is from heaven. If so be that being CLOTHED we shall not be found naked.”
I Pet. 5:5, “Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be CLOTHED with humility.”
Rev. 3:18, “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich, and white raiment, that thou mayest be CLOTHED, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.”
It is in the sense that we PUT ON this new man that we put on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Rom. 13:14, “But PUT YE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.”
Gal. 3:27, “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have PUT ON CHRIST.”
Which after God is created IN RIGHTEOUSNESS AND TRUE HOLINESS By nature we were CONCEIVED IN SIN and BORN IN SIN. Psa. 51:5, “Behold, I was SHAPEN IN INIQUITY: and IN SIN did my mother conceive me.”
Sin was our natural habitat. We were as comfortable in sin, and as much as home in sin, as a fish is comfortable in the water. We had no desire for any other way of life. But now, in regeneration, we are “created IN RIGHTEOUSNESS and TRUE HOLINESS.” We have a new nature, which desires new things.
II Cor. 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a NEW CREATURE: OLD THINGS are passed away; behold all things are BECOME NEW.”
And this “new creature,” this new nature, desires new things. As sin is the natural habitat of the old man, “righteousness and true holiness” are the natural habitat of the new man.
Which after GOD Our sinful condition is traceable to Adam; man can take credit for his sin. But this new creation is the work of God, and God alone.
Which AFTER GOD In the new creation we are created AFTER THE IMAGE of our creator.
Col. 3:10, “And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge AFTER THE IMAGE of him that created him.”
Which after God is CREATED If we were ever going to be pleasing in God’s sight, it was necessary that we be CREATED ANEW. There was no way that we could reform ourselves; we were completely satisfied with ourselves as we were. The flesh was never going to be any better.
Eccl. 1:15, “That which is crooked cannot be made straight, and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.”
Jer. 13:23, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good that are accustomed to do evil.”
Any good works any one of us has ever done are the result of that new creation in Christ Jesus.
Eph. 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS UNTO GOOD WORKS, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
Righteousness and TRUE HOLINESS All of our own righteousness is as “filthy rags” (Isa. 64:6). Everything that springs from our carnal nature is motivated by pride, and ambition, and greed. The only service that is acceptable to God is that service that is motivated by his Spirit dwelling in our hearts.
4:25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.
Wherefore PUTTING AWAY lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor Beginning with this verse and continuing through the remainder of the book, Paul explains exactly what he means by putting off the old man, and putting on the new. He identifies by name those kinds of conduct that we are cease, and those activities that we are to follow. And the first thing we are told to lay aside is “lying.” Perhaps, he mentions lying first, because it is the most common of all sins. Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44); he lied in the Garden of Eden, and he has been lying, and prompting others to lie, ever since. A lying nature is bred in the bone of the old carnal nature. The flesh has an innate fear of the truth. It is in the nature of men to lie to others, and to lie to themselves. Much of the problems that men encounter in life might have been avoided, if they would have admitted the truth to themselves.
Speak every man the truth with his NEIGHBOR In the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37) the Lord showed that our “neighbor” is not simply the person who lives next door to us, or with whom we come in constant contact. We are required to be honest with all men, not only with the household of faith.
For we are members one of another Paul has pointed out repeatedly that the church is the body of Christ, and that when one member suffers, all the members suffer with it (I Cor. 12:12-31, Eph. 1:22, 23, 4:11-16). We are told to put away lying, both for our own sakes—and for the sake of the OTHER MEMBERS OF THE BODY. It is not true that your sin does not hurt anybody but you; when you sin, you sin against the Lord—and against every other member of the body.
4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath.
Be ye angry, and sin not It is not necessarily sinful to be angry. The Lord sometimes became very angry at the misconduct of those around him.
Mark 3:5, “And when he had looked round about on them with ANGER, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts.”
Christ never sinned in any instance, but he often became angry at those who dishonored and blasphemed the name of God. There is nothing wrong with that kind of anger. “If we would be angry and not sin (says one), we must be angry at nothing but sin” (Matthew Henry). The sin comes when we become angry and spiteful at personal offenses, when we imagine that someone has done us wrong, and we harbor malice in our hearts. The Lord pronounced great judgment on those who become angry, and malicious, and unforgiving.
Matt. 6:14, 15, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will you Father forgive you.”
If we pour out our wrath on others, we can expect the (parental) wrath of God upon ourselves.
Let not the sun go down upon your wrath This expression is an explanation of the first. If we would “be angry and sin not,” it is necessary that we recover from our anger in a short time. If we carry our anger to bed with us, and so save it for another day, it is obvious that our anger has burst forth from its proper bounds, and it is now controlling us, rather than we controlling it. It is possible to be angry without sinning (or else Christ would never have become angry), but we cannot harbor anger in our hearts, and nurse it, and cultivate it, without that anger making us spiteful and malicious.
4:27 Neither give place to the devil.
Paul has been talking about harboring anger in our hearts, and warning us not to let the sun go down on our wrath. Now he warns us not to “GIVE PLACE to the devil,” to make room for the devil in our thoughts and minds. When we retain anger against others, and savor the thought in our minds, or when we entertain lust or greed, we “give place to the devil,” we make room for him, as if he was a welcome visitor in our lives.
4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth
Let him that stole steal no more Stealing is such a repulsive offense, and it so commonly understood that we ought not to steal, that you would think it did not even need to be said. Everyone ought to know that we should not steal. But as clearly as everyone understands that we ought not to steal, Paul inserts this admonition almost at the first of his practical instructions. Lying is the only other offense he mentions before he mentions stealing. Perhaps that is because, after lying, stealing is the next most commonly committed offense. Covetousness, the desire to have what belongs to someone else, is bound up in the carnal nature. But there are other restrictions that keep people from stealing. Nobody wants to be branded a thief; and certainly, nobody wants to be caught and punished for stealing. But, very often, those who would never think of themselves as thieves, are very adept at stealing, nonetheless. The man who disconnects his car’s speedometer to make his warranty last longer, and perhaps, get the manufacturer to pay for a repair that otherwise he would have had to pay himself, is just as much a thief as the man who walks in the front door of the dealership with a gun, and robs the cashier. Otherwise honest people very often do it, and then justify themselves, saying, “It is all part of the game.” The merchant who charges “all the market will bear” just because he can get away with it is a thief. And the worker who takes credit for an idea that was not his, or for work he did not do, is certainly not an honest man. The list goes on and on. No matter how honest a person may think himself to be, it behooves us all be always on our guard for fear that we will lay claim to what is not our own.
But rather let him labor, WORKING with his hands the thing which is good The best prevention for stealing is WORK. It keeps the person from being in need, and tempted to steal. And it keeps him busy. There are enormous benefits in staying busy. It has been said that “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” Idleness leads to every kind of offense. Those who are too lazy to work will usually bear watching—they will occupy their time some way.
I Thess. 4:11, 12, “And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with you own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.”
II Thess. 3:10-12, “For even when we were with you this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness, they work, and eat their own bread.”
The thing which is good Paul does not try to recommend any particular kind of endeavor. Any effort that earns an honest wage, or turns a reasonable profit, is acceptable employment. One person’s ability and temperament may fit a menial job; another person may perform another, more highly paid service. Every person should look for whatever best suits him. And he has no right to criticize someone who is engaged in another line of endeavor. But whatever we do, we ought to do it with all our might.
Eccl. 9:10, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, DO IT WITH ALL THY MIGHT.”
That he may have to give to him that needeth The fact that somebody may have all he needs is no excuse for not working. EVERYBODY OUGHT TO WORK. If he does not need what he may earn, there are all sorts of people in need. Some of them are in need, because they are too lazy to help themselves, but there are countless other people, who are in need, in spite of their best efforts. LET HIM HELP THEM. If a person is perfectly able to work, but he loves his leisure more than he cares for those who are genuinely in need, he is certainly not manifesting that spirit of love which is the hallmark of a born again person.
Acts 20:35, “I have showed you all things, how that so LABORING ye ought to SUPPORT THE WEAK, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Luke 3:11, He answered and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.”
4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth Paul’s line of progression is beautiful. He goes from talking about lying, to stealing, to improper conversation. He takes the very worst, and most common, offenses, and places them in order at the head of the list. “Corrupt communication” is one of the most dangerous of all offenses.
Matt. 15:18, “But those things which PROCEED OUT OF THE MOUTH come forth from the heart, and they defile the man.”
It is certainly a fact that FOUL, FILTHY LANGUAGE defiles the man. It indicates, as clearly as anything can, the sad condition he is in, spiritually; and the scriptures warn us very sharply to keep our conversation clean.
Eph. 5:3, 4, “But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient; but rather giving of thanks.”
Col 3:8, “But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.”
GOSSIP is another form of “corrupt communication,” and it has destroyed the reputation of many an innocent person. No matter how innocent a person may be, once the slanderous report has gone out, it can never be entirely recalled. Lev. 19:16, “Thou shalt not go up and down as a TALEBEARER among thy people.”
Prov. 20:19, “He that goeth about as a TALEBEARER revealeth secrets; therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.”
Ezek. 22:9, “In thee are men that CARRY TALES to shed blood.”
And then there are those who CRITICIZE. Nothing ever pleases them. Nobody ever measures up to their standard. They criticize the pastor; they criticize their brethren; they criticize the government. They have a chilling effect on everything and everybody around them. Nothing can grow in their presence. The CRITIC, the SCORNER, is a blight on the household of faith, and he is really out of place among obedient children of God.
Prov. 22:10, “CAST OUT THE SCORNER, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease.”
I Cor. 5:11, “But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a RAILER, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.” The “railer,” the critic, usually seems to feel that he is head and shoulders above those people he is constantly criticizing; but in this text the Lord lists him along with some mighty bad company.
But that which is good to the use of EDIFYING To edify means “to build up, to instruct, esp. to instruct or improve morally or spiritually.” Our conversation should be a benefit to those who hear us. It should build them up, and help them. It should leave them better than we found them. “Corrupt communication” can never do that. Corrupt communication fouls and injures the minds of those who talk and those who listen.
I Thess. 5:11, “Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and EDIFY one another, even as also ye do.”
Col. 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom,
TEACHING AND ADMONISHING one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
That it may MINISTER GRACE unto the hearers Our conversation can never impart grace to those who hear us. That is not the thought at all; only God can do that. But it can “minister” the grace that is already in the heart of the speaker and the hearers, and that is the way the expression is used in this verse. According to Strong, the word that is here translated “minister” is a flexible verb (“greatly modified by the connection”), which can mean (among many other things) “bring forth,” “minister,” “show,” and “utter.” Our conversation should “bring forth” the fact that the grace of God is in our hearts; it should “show” that we are subjects of grace, and thereby benefit ourselves and those who hear us.
Col. 4:6, “Let your SPEECH be alway with GRACE, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.”
4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption
And GRIEVE not the holy Spirit of God The Spirit of God dwells in the heart of every born again person. He is our best friend, and our constant companion. He enables us, and motivates us, to do right, and he corrects us, and chastises us, when we do wrong. He enlightens us, and guides us, in the ways of the Lord. And he is exceedingly GRIEVED when we misbehave.
Isa. 63:10, “But they rebelled, and VEXED his holy Spirit.”
Psa. 78:40, “How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and GRIEVE him in the desert.”
Whereby ye are SEALED unto the day of redemption A “seal” is defined as “a design or initial placed on a letter, document, etc. as a PROOF OF AUTHENTICITY.” By the Spirit of God dwelling in the hearts of his people, and manifesting itself in their life and conduct, God places his seal—his mark of ownership—on his children. He marks them out as his own. The Holy Spirit, and its powerful work in the hearts of his people, demonstrates the “authenticity” of their hope in God, and of his claim on them. And in the minds of those who see us, our misconduct brings into question this sealing work of the Spirit. It can never undo the work of God; but it does raise a question in our minds.
Eph. 1:13, 14, “In whom ye also trusted, after ye heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation: in whom also after ye believed, ye were SEALED with that holy Spirit of promise. Which is the earnest of our inheritance UNTIL THE REDEMPTION of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”
Unto the day of REDEMPTION We are REDEEMED BY PRICE, and we will, one day, be REDEEMED BY POWER. We were redeemed by price by the suffering and death of Christ at Calvary. At the resurrection, we will be redeemed by power.
Hos. 13:14, “I will RANSOM them from the power of the grave; I will REDEEM them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.”
If there was ever any doubt that somebody was a child of God, that doubt will be removed on that grand day, when God raises him from the grave, and takes him home to live with him in glory. There can never be any doubt after that. But UNTIL THAT DAY it is by the Spirit of God, living in our hearts, and manifesting itself in our lives, that we are “SEALED,” marked out as the children of God, the property of God.
4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.
Paul has earlier told us to “PUT OFF the old man,” now he tells us to “PUT AWAY” those feelings and actions that characterize the old man. “BITTERNESS, and WRATH, and ANGER” are those improper feelings that rage in the heart; and “CLAMOUR, and EVIL SPEAKING” are the commotion, and railing that will very soon result from those feelings, if they are not “put away.” “Bitterness, and wrath, and anger” cannot be for very long concealed in the heart. They are like acid; they will eat their way through to the outside. And when they do, they will cause all sorts of “clamour,” all sorts of commotion, and they will manifest themselves in “evil speaking” against the object of those feelings. “MALICE” is defined as “active ill will; desire to harm others; spite.” In verse 26, Paul told us, “Be ye angry, and sin not.” Anger itself is not necessarily wrong. The Lord himself became angry at times. And we read about “the wrath of God.” But in the very same verse that said, “Be ye angry, and sin not,” we are also told, “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.” Our carnal nature is such that if we retain anger in our heart for very long, it is sure to break out of its bonds, and take control of us. It will dominate our minds, and it will inevitably produce MALICE, “active ill will, the desire to harm others.”
Rom. 1:29, “Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, MALICIOUSNESS; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whisperers.”
I Cor. 5:8, “Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of MALICE and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
Tit. 3:3, “For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in MALICE and envy, hateful, and hating one another.”
4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.*
And be ye kind one to another Not even nature will tolerate a vacuum. If we “put away” one set of feelings, we must “put on” another set of feelings in their place. We must fill up the empty place. We cannot be neutral. If we want to put away “bitterness, and wrath, and anger,” we must learn to BE KIND ONE TO ANOTHER. If we fail to fill up the void, feelings of anger, wrath, and the like, will rush right back in.
Matt. 5:44, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”
Unless we are kind, even to those who oppose us, we can never be manifest to be the children of God—either in our own minds of in the minds of those around us.
Vs. 45, “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.”
Tenderhearted No man was ever “TENDERHEARTED,” whom God had not first given a tender heart. Man is by nature as hardhearted as stone. He has no feelings for anybody, no love for anybody.
Ezek. 11:19, “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the STONY HEART out of their flesh, and will give them an HEART OF FLESH.”
God having given us a tender heart; it is our place to be “tenderhearted,” to follow the lead of that Spirit God had placed in our hearts.
FORGIVING one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you There are very few things more dangerous for the child of God than refusing to forgive. God’s parental forgiveness toward us is conditioned on our forgiveness of others.
Matt. 6:14, 15, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive you.”
If that does not scare you, it ought to. God tells us, in language too simple to be misunderstood, that if we forgive others, he will forgive us, and if we do not forgive others, he will not forgive us. Notice that he is our “Father,” if we forgive, and he is our “Father,” if we do not forgive. It is PARENTAL FORGIVENESS that is under consideration, it is not JUDICIAL PUNISHMENT. Heaven and hell are not under consideration. No child of God is about to lose his home in heaven by failing to forgive; but he does face a life of misery in this present world. He faces a life devoid of the parental forgiveness of his Lord, and the sweet communion that he might otherwise have had with him.
Matt. 18;32-35, “Then his Lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.”
Even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you We should not need any other motive for forgiving others that to know that God has forgiven us. A sense of our own unworthiness, and realizing the unspeakably great debt of sin we were forgiven, ought to have such a humbling effect on us that are willing and eager to forgive.
For Christ’s sake Every thing God has done for us, he did “FOR CHRIST’S SAKE.” In ourselves we did not deserve saving; we were not worth saving. Those who believe that the great price God paid for our redemption was, somehow, an indication of some great worth he saw in us have never learned their lesson. In ourselves we were nothing and less than nothing. We were sinful and rebellious. We had no claim on God, and we had no right to expect anything from God. Far from having any claim on God, we had earned, and justly deserved, an eternity of damnation and misery for our sins. But God chose us in Christ, and loved us in Christ, and redeemed us in Christ—and saved us for Christ’s sake.
CHAPTER FIVE
5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children.
Be ye therefore followers of God We are to follow God, and to adapt his ways to our lives, to the extent we are able, and in every way that we are able. There are some characteristics (attributes) in God that we cannot imitate. God is omnipotent, and omniscient, and omnipresent; that is, he is all-powerful, and all-knowing, and everywhere present. We are none of those things, and we never will be. But he is also loving, and kind, and merciful. Those are what theologians call the communicable attributes of God. And it is those attributes that we are to imitate to the very best of our ability.
Luke 7:36, “Be ye therefore merciful, as your father also is merciful.”
Matt. 5:45, 48, “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the just and on the unjust.”
We are to follow the Lord, and only the Lord. Paul instructed the Corinthians to follow him, but then, in the very same breath, he put limits on the extent to which we are to follow any man. We are to follow the preacher, or any other spiritual leader—only to the extent that he follows the Lord.
I Cor. 11:1, “Be ye therefore followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”
As dear children We are to follow the Lord in the manner that children who love their parents, and are loved by their parents, follow them. We are to follow him in child-like faith, convinced that whatever he tells us to do is bound to be for our good. He would never command us to do anything that would injure us. We are to follow him, being fully convinced that he is all-wise, and that he can never make a mistake—that we never need to second-guess anything he tells us. If he says it, it must be right.
Matt. 18, 3, 4, “And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as LITTLE CHILDREN, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as THIS LITTLE CHILD, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
And walk in LOVE There is no other commandment so fundamental, and so essential, to our service toward God as the commandment to love. Every other commandment hangs on that commandment.
Matt. 22:37-40, “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
We are not only to love; we are to “walk in love,” our life and conduct is to be motivated, and characterized by love.
John 13:34, “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”
As Christ also hath LOVED us The love of God for his people is the ground, and the motivating cause, of our love for him. We did not love him in order to get him to love us; but rather, it was his love for his people that brought about their love for him. He loved us when there was nothing about us to merit his love.
Rom. 5:8, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
I John 4:19, “We love him, because he first loved us.”
And hath GIVEN HIMSELF for us God gave the very best that heaven had as the redemption price for his people—he gave himself.
John 15:18, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
Gal. 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and GAVE HIMSELF for me.
Heb. 10:10, “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
Loved US, and hath given himself for US The love of God is discriminating. God loved a particular people, and he gave himself for those people. God did not love all of Adam’s race. If he had, not one of that race would ever suffer eternally. God’s love is eternal, and he would never allow one he loved to go to that terrible place.
Jer. 33:3, “The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an EVERLASTING LOVE: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”
Rom. 9:13, “As it is written, Jacob have I LOVED, but Esau have I HATED.”
And not only is his love discriminating, his sacrificial death was discriminating and particular as well. He “gave himself” for a particular people.
John 10:15, “As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR THE SHEEP.”
Christ did not die in vain. He will have all he paid for. If he died for all of the human race, then he will have all the human race with him in heaven. The fact that the Bible teaches that some men will suffer eternally is proof sufficient that Christ did not pay the purchase price for all of the race. God is not so capricious and unjust that he would send people to an eternal hell after their redemption price was paid. An unscrupulous merchant might collect the debt twice; but God will never collect our sin debt twice—first at the hand of our Lord, and then at our hand.
An offering and a sacrifice TO GOD The Lord offered himself TO THE FATHER. The plea goes out all over the land for the sinner to “accept Christ.” But the scriptures never instruct us to accept Christ. He was never offered to the sinner. He offered himself to God as “an offering and a sacrifice” to satisfy our sin debt with the Father. The grand question of the ages is not whether we accept him, but rather, whether he accepts us.
Eph. 1:6, “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath MADE US ACCEPTED in the beloved.”
For a SWEETSMELLING savour Nothing is SWEETER, nor more SATISFYING, to God than the work his Son has done on behalf of his people in reconciling them to himself by his own suffering and death.
Matt. 3:17, “And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am WELL PLEASED.”
Isa. 53:11, “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be SATISFIED.”
The satisfaction God has in the finished work of his Son was typified in the SWEETSMELLING SAVOUR of the Old Testament offerings.
Gen. 8:21, “And the Lord smelled a SWEET SAVOUR; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.”
Lev. 1:9, “But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a SWEET SAVOUR unto the Lord.”
God is pleased when his children walk in humble obedience to him, and their service is, likewise, a sweet savour to him.
I Cor. 2:15, “For we are unto God a SWEET SAVOUR of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish.”
Phil. 4:18, “But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a SWEET SMELL, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.”
5:3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints.
But fornication Fornication is “voluntary sexual intercourse between unmarried persons.”
And all uncleanness The Bible consistently refers to all sexual misconduct, whether fornication, or adultery, or incest, or the like as “uncleanness.”
Or covetousness Covetousness usually refers the improper desire for gain; but in this verse it probably refers to the insatiable desire to satisfy the lusts of the flesh with regard to the sins he has just mentioned above.
Let it not be once NAMED among you, as becometh saints Paul is not forbidding that these subjects ever be mentioned in any manner. If he was, he would be condemning himself for having just now mentioned them. And since the Holy Spirit inspired him to write the things he wrote, we would not dare take that position. It is the duty of the man of God to identify these sins and to warn against them. These Ephesians to whom Paul was writing were Gentiles, and they lived in the midst of a sinful, heathen nation. The Gentiles did place some small restraint on sexual misconduct (I Cor. 5:1), but for the most part, the Gentiles did not count fornication to be immoral. They thought there was nothing wrong with it. They believed that the very gods they worshiped were fornicators. In this age when fornication, and adultery, are so rampant, and a large portion of society approves of it, and defends it, it is especially important that the decent people express their most vigorous disapproval. He is telling us that we ought not to talk about it in any other way than with the clearest disapproval. We ought not to JOKE ABOUT IT, and discuss the prospect. There are those, who probably would not actually commit the acts discussed, but THEY LOVE TO TALK ABOUT IT. They relish the thought. Thinking about it, and talking about it, stirs up their basest instincts, and excites their minds, and in some small sense, it gives them the sensual gratification they secretly long for.
5:4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
Neither FILTHINESS The Jews placed great emphasis on physical cleanliness, and they challenged the Lord because his disciples did not wash their hands as frequently as they did.
Mark 7:2-4, “And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with UNWASHEN hands, they found fault. And when they come from the market, except they WASH, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the WASHING of cups, and pots, brazen vessels, and of tables.”
But the Lord showed that the cleanness of their hands was not nearly so important as the cleanness of the thoughts, and their conversation.
Mat. 15:17-20, “Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.”
It is this FILTHINESS, this uncleanness in word and deed, that Paul is talking about, and warning against.
Nor FOOLISH TALKING, nor JESTING This expression has given some people the idea that every kind of joking, and teasing, and every kind of lightheartedness is sinful. They have the idea that the only proper expression for an obedient child of God is a long face and a sad expression. They cannot bear for anything to be said in their presence, that does not reflect the utmost seriousness, and gravity of thought. Such an idea makes for dull company, to say the least. But that is not what the apostle is talking about. Bear in mind that the text always fits the context. He has been talking about “fornication,” and “uncleanness,” and “filthiness.” In the next verse he talks about the “whoremonger,” the “unclean person,” etc. It is easy to see that in this expression he is talking about “FOOLISH TALKING” AND “JESTING” ABOUT THESE SAME SUBJECTS. The text has nothing at all to do with good, clean humor. He is talking about the filthy talk—and the dirty jokes—that some people seem to enjoy. It is sad to say that we hear some of these, even from those people from whom we would have expected better things. The apostles and prophets were not entirely devoid of a sense of humor. The prophets of Baal probably could not see Elijah’s sense of humor, when he told them to “Cry aloud,” that perhaps their God was asleep (I Kings 18:27). But he was teasing them, nonetheless.
Which are not CONVENIENT If anything is “convenient,” it is comfortable; it is easy, and natural. The most common characteristic of filthy jokes is that they take the most “easy, and natural” application of words, and twist and distort them to mean something that is foul, and dirty. It is difficult to talk around anybody who has that frame of mind. He will take every expression he can seize on, and twist it to make something dirty out of it.
But rather GIVING OF THANKS If you have a tendency to think and talk about such foul subjects, the very best defense is to think and talk about the good things the Lord has done for you. If you are afflicted with those who like to talk about filthy subjects, just bring your conversation around to THANKING GOD for his goodness, and see if the conversation does not take a turn. Likely some of your companions will just leave. But if they have nothing better to talk about than the filthy subjects they have been discussing, you are better off not to spend too much time talking to them.
I Thess. 5:18, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
5:5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetousness man, who is an idolator, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
For this ye know, that no WHOREMONGER A “whoremonger” is one who traffics in prostitutes,” who makes merchandise of prostitutes.
Nor UNCLEAN PERSON By “unclean person” he means a person who makes it his practice to feed his mind on filthy thoughts, and to engage in filthy practices.
Nor COVETOUS MAN, who is an IDOLATOR Covetousness and idolatry go hand in hand, because they are actually different aspects of the exact same thing. Nobody was ever an idolater who was not covetous, and nobody was ever covetous who was not an idolater. Covetousness is the desire to gain for yourself what belongs to somebody else. Idolatry is defined as the “worship of idols.” It is the worship of any other God than the God of the Bible. Most folks seem to have an entirely inadequate idea of what constitutes idolatry. I have heard it said that, “You can make a god out of anything; you can make a god out of your car, or your business, or you can make a god out of your golf score.” But that is not really true. Nobody ever made a god out of his car—nor matter how much he may wash it, and wax it, and spend time with it. He never made a god out of his business, not even if he spends every waking hour with it. Those are not really his god. HIS REAL GOD IS HIMSELF. Those other things are the OFFERINGS THAT HE OFFERS UP TO HIS REAL GOD. Those are the things he uses to make his real god—HIMSELF—feel important. Nothing is too good for his god, and he is willing to go to any length to make his god feel important. He will even take what belongs to somebody else, if he can get it, to present to his god. There has never been any form of idolatry that was not covetous, and self-serving. Every form of idolatry exalts the creature (the self) above the creator.
Rom. 1:25, “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.”
Every form of idolatry attempts to seize for oneself the honor that belongs only to God.
Hath any INHERITANCE in the KINGDOM of Christ and of God Those who are guilty of the offenses under consideration have no place in the church, in the “kingdom of Christ and of God.”
The church is made up of sinners; none of us have ever attained perfection, and we never will in this life. But while that is so, there are some kinds of conduct that cannot be tolerated in the church. Those kinds of conduct so scandalize the good name of the church and of her Lord that they must be dealt with. If a member will not refrain from those offenses he must be put out of the church.
I Cor. 6:9, 10, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not INHERIT the KINGDOM OF GOD? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall INHERIT the KINGDOM OF GOD.”
Gal. 5:19-21, “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not INHERIT the KINGDOM of God.”
I Cor. 5:9-13, “I wrote unto you not to company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore PUT AWAY FROM AMONG YOURSELVES that wicked person.”
The KINGDOM of God and of Christ The church of God is not a democracy; its principles are not open to debate. It is a KINGDOM, and the word of our king is our guide. We have no right to deviate from his commands; it is our duty to discover, as best we can, what he has commanded, and to observe it.
The kingdom of God AND of Christ It is the kingdom of the one as surely as it is the kingdom of the other. John 10:30, “I and my Father are ONE.” They are two persons, but truly one God; you cannot separate them.
5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
Let no man DECEIVE you with VAIN words There are those who would deceive the children of God, and turn them out of the way, if they can. Even “Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” (II Cor. 11:14). Satan managed to DECEIVE Eve in the garden (I Tim. 2:14), and he has been deceiving her offspring ever since. The false religious systems of this world are false at their very heart, and the only way they can teach men is by DECEIVING them.
Col. 2:4, 8, 18, “And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words…..Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and VAIN DECEIT, after the traditions of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ….Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshiping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, VAINLY puffed up by his fleshly mind.”
II Cor. 4:2, “But have renounced the hidden things of DISHONESTY, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God DECEITFULLY.”
II Thess. 2:3, Let no man DECEIVE you by any means.”
With VAIN words “Vain” means “having no real value or significance; worthless, empty,” and that fully describes any doctrine that is taught in opposition to the doctrine of God. And the “vain words” of men and their traditions can only lead to a religion that is worthless and empty.
Matt. 15:9, “But in VAIN they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”
Notice that these people were actually worshiping God, but their worship was still in “VAIN,” because their worship was based on a false doctrine; it was based on the “commandments of men,” rather than the revelation of God.
For because of these things cometh the wrath of God on the children of disobedience In these words we get the primary lesson of this verse. The “vain words” that these deceivers are teaching are the thought that a person can engage in the offenses under consideration and escape the wrath of God. God does chastise his own, and that very harshly, when they commit these vile and filthy sins.
Heb. 12:5-8, And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the CHASTENING of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: for whom the Lord loveth he CHASTENETH, and SCOURGETH every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure CHASTENING, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father CHASTENETH NOT?”
Psa. 89:32, “Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.”
COMETH the wrath of God on the children of disobedience Notice that this wrath “COMETH” on the “children of disobedience. This is not talking about that eternal wrath of God which will one day fall on the wicked; it is talking about the wrath which THIS VERY DAY “COMETH” on the “children of disobedience,” upon those disobedient children who behave in such manner. The “vain words” of deceivers had taught them that they could misbehave and get away with it, but Paul warns them very sharply that “the wrath of God” was at that very time falling on those disobedient ones who disregarded these warnings.
5:7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
The warning is clear enough; if we are PARTAKERS WITH THEM in the sin, we will be PARTAKERS WITH THEM in the “wrath of God” that is to follow. We cannot engage in the one and expect to escape the other.
5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.
For ye were sometimes DARKNESS In our unregenerate state we were not only in the dark, we were DARKNESS ITSELF. We were darkness personified. Darkness was our very nature. It is bad enough to be in the dark, but to be darkness itself is a condition that man cannot remedy. Darkness and light will not dwell together. Darkness cannot stand the light.
Wherever the light comes, darkness flees. And that was our nature, we fled from the light as instinctively, and as predictably, as darkness flees from the light.
John 3:20, “For every one that doeth evil HATETH THE LIGHT, NEITHER COMETH TO THE LIGHT, lest his deeds should be reproved.”
I Pet. 2:9, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you OUT OF DARKNESS into his marvellous light.”
But now are ye LIGHT in the Lord The scriptures teach us that the saints are “in the light,” that they “have the light” and that they ARE LIGHT. As they were once darkness personified, in some sense, they now personify the light.
Matt. 5:14, “YE ARE THE LIGHT of the world.” The saints do not personify the light in the same way that they once personified darkness. Our sin was our own, and our sinful state was our own. We could take credit for it. But we are in the light, and we are the light—only in the sense that we are “LIGHT IN THE LORD.” We still have a carnal nature, and when we follow that nature, we still walk in the dark.
John 8:12, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” It is because he has SHINED IN OUR HEARTS that we have light.
II Cor. 4:6, For God, who commanded the LIGHT TO SHINE OUT OF DARKNESS, HATH SHINED IN OUR HEARTS, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
Notice that the light did not simply shine INTO our hearts; it “shined IN our hearts.” The revivalist tries to shine the light into the heart of those who are dead in trespasses and sins, but it will never work. There must first be a work done in the heart. The light must first shine IN the heart.
Walk as children of light It is not enough to profess to have the light, we must walk in the light. We must conduct ourselves in a manner that manifests the light that shines in our hearts.
John 12:36, “While ye have the light, believe in the light that ye may be the CHILDREN OF LIGHT.”
I John 1:7, “But if we WALK IN THE LIGHT, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
5:9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;).
For the fruit of the Spirit We must first have the light before we can walk in the light. Those who are darkness itself can never walk in the light; they will not “come to the light.” And those who do not have the Spirit cannot bear the “fruit of the Spirit.” Paul compares the Spirit to a tree that bears all sorts of precious fruit, but if that tree is not planted in their heart, it will never bear its fruit in their life.
Gal. 5:22, 23, “But the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
Those are the “fruit of the Spirit,” and if you ever find those characteristics manifest in the life and conduct of any person, you can be sure that the Spirit of God dwells in his heart.
In all goodness, and righteousness, and truth “Goodness,” and “righteousness,” and “truth,” are just the opposite of the “filthiness,” and “covetousness,” and deceit Paul has been warning against. It is not enough to abstain from evil, we must learn to do good. Not even nature will tolerate a vacuum. It is only by following the Spirit, and walking his light, that we are able to root those other things out of our lives.
5:10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
Others might “deceive you with vain words;” they might tell you that the offenses Paul is warning against are not really so bad after all. But, by their godly lives, the saints PROVE the kind of conduct God will accept. Not every kind of conduct is acceptable. But the saints walk in humble submission to him, and the spiritual blessings of God upon them PROVE that this is acceptable to him.
Rom. 12:2, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may PROVE what is that good, and ACCEPTABLE, and perfect, will of God.”
Heb. 12:28, “Let us have grace, whereby we may SERVE GOD ACCEPTABLY with reverence and godly fear.”
5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
And have no FELLOWSHIP with the unfruitful works of darkness He does not forbid us to have any contact at all with those who are immoral. If we were to accomplish that, we “must needs go out of the world” (I Cor. 5:10). The offending party may be a member of our own family, or a co-worker on the job. It is obviously not possible to completely avoid those whose lives we do not approve. And besides, the Lord told us that we are to be “the salt of the earth” (Matt. 5:13). If we are to act as salt to the earth—to have a preserving influence on the earth—we must come into contact with those whom we hope to benefit. But we are to “have no fellowship” with their “unfruitful works.” We must not take any part in their wicked conduct, and we must not act as if we approve of such conduct in them.
II Cor. 6:14-17, “Be not ye unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what FELLOWSHIP hath righteousness with unrighteousness: and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.”
This is, no doubt, what was intended to be taught by the Law, when it said, “Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together” (Deut. 22:10).
“Amos 3:3, “How can two walk together, except they be agreed?”
Furthermore, if the offending party is a member of the church, we are commanded to put him away, to exclude him from the membership of the church. No member of the church ever achieved perfection, and we cannot expect it, either in ourselves or in others. But these grievous offenses the apostle has been dealing with in this chapter are such that the church cannot tolerate them within their membership without bringing great reproach upon themselves, and upon the name of the Lord.
II Thess. 3:6, “Now we command you brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye WITHDRAW YOURSELVES from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received from us.”
I Cor. 5:13, “Therefore PUT AWAY from among yourselves that wicked person.”
Unfruitful works That is not to say that the “works of darkness” bring forth no fruit at all. They do bring forth corruption; but they bear no good fruit, no “fruit to perfection.”
Gal. 6:8, “For he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap CORRUPTION; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”
Rom. 6:21, “WHAT FRUIT had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.”
Luke 8:14, “And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring NO FRUIT TO PERFECTION.”
But then, it is significant that the activities of the flesh are referred to simply as “works” (Gal. 5:19), while the activities of the spirit are referred to as “fruit” (vs. 9, Gal. 5:22). The Bible makes a distinction between the “FRUIT of the Spirit,” which springs from a principle of spiritual life, and the “WORKS of darkness,” which spring from death and darkness. Nothing can grow where there is no light.
But rather reprove them Reproof is a significant part of the message of truth. II Tim. 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for REPROOF, for CORRECTION, for instruction in righteousness.” We need to be very careful, for fear that we are simply guilty of judging, but we must never approve of immorality, and we must always remind ourselves and others of the clear moral standards, which God has revealed in his word.
Isa. 58:1, “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgressions, and the house of Jacob their sins.”
5:12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
In verses 3, 4, and 5, he has identified the sorts of offenses he is talking about. But he will not be any more explicit than he has already been. We can reprove sin, and warn against sin, without spelling out all the lurid details. We have sometimes heard people reproving sin in such graphic detail, that it almost seemed that they were receiving pleasure in talking about the very thing they were condemning. Paul says they ought to be ashamed.
Which are done of them in secret These are the “works of darkness” he is talking about. And works of darkness are, by their very nature, often done in secret. They fear the light, and will not come to the light (John 3:20). They are afraid their deeds will be found out, and they will be exposed. But the carnal nature is such that it believes that there is more pleasure to be gained from those things that are done in secret—from the “works of darkness”—than there are from those things done in the light. The adulterer convinces himself that he gains more pleasure from his secret conduct, carried on in the dark, than he could have found at home with his wife.
Prov. 9:17, “Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in SECRET is pleasant.”
5:13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
But all things that are REPROVED are made MANIFEST by the LIGHT These Ephesian Gentiles had been all their lives in their native darkness. Their entire culture approved of the most immoral conduct. But now the LIGHT of the gospel was shining in their land. Conduct that had, up until now, been entirely acceptable was being REPROVED. It was being MANIFEST, shown to be exactly what it really was, and it was being REPROVED in the sharpest terms. The saints reproved the world by their doctrine, and by their godly lives.
II Tim. “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season, REPROVE, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”
Phil 2:15, “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as LIGHTS in the world.”
I Pet. 3:16, “Having a good conscience; that whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.”
For whatsoever doth make manifest is LIGHT God is light, and he gives light to all that have light. There is no light outside of him. If the saints have light, it is because he has given them light. The world is in darkness, and it can provide nothing but darkness.
John 8:12, “I am the LIGHT OF THE WORLD: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the LIGHT OF LIFE.”
Matt. 5:14, “Ye are the LIGHT OF THE WORLD. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.”
5:14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that SLEEPEST The unregenerate, the dead alien sinner, is not asleep—he is dead. But this is addressed to those who are ASLEEP. It is addressed to the child of God who is so careless, so indifferent to the things of the Spirit that he has gone to sleep.
And ARISE from the DEAD And not only is he asleep, he is SLEEPING AMONG THE DEAD. Those who are observing him could very well think that he was dead. He is not up, and walking, and moving around. He looks very much like the dead. When the child of God sleeps among the dead, you could not very easily tell from his life and conduct that there was any real difference between him and those who have no spiritual life. It is impossible for the dead to raise themselves. He is not telling them to rise from the dead, but rather to RISE FROM AMONG THE DEAD—to rise from the place where they have been sleeping—sleeping among the dead.
Isa. 60:1, “ARISE, shine for thy LIGHT is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.”
And Christ shall give thee LIGHT He is not promising to give them life; these are living—but sleeping—children of God he is addressing. When the sleeping child of God rouses from his sleep, and claims the word of God as his guide, and walks in its precepts, God gives him the LIGHT he needs to direct his steps.
Psa. 119:105, “Thy word is a LAMP unto my feet, and a LIGHT unto my path.”
I John 1:7, “But if we walk in the LIGHT, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
5:15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.
See then that ye walk CIRCUMSPECTLY “Circumspect” means “carefully attentive to all circumstances, cautious, careful.” It signifies to LOOK ALL AROUND. He is simply telling them to be careful, to watch where they are going. The obedient child of God must be aware of what is going on around him. He must not only watch what is directly ahead of him; he needs to watch what may be coming from either side. We are to watch as well as pray.
Matt. 26:41, “WATCH and pray, that ye enter not into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
I Pet. 5:8, “Be sober, be VIGILANT; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”
Not as fools, but as wise The only true wisdom is to fear God, and to keep his commandments. However wise a person may appear to be otherwise, he is very foolish, if he believes that he can prosper by ignoring God’s commandments.
Psa. 11:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of WISDOM.”
Psa. 5:5, “The FOOLISH shall not stand in thy sight; thou hatest all workers of iniquity.”
It is the great folly of this age that, with the great accumulation of knowledge we have seen, men are more foolish than they have ever been with regard to this one simple lesson.
5:16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil
Redeeming the time “Redeeming the time” means literally “buying the time.” It is a term borrowed from merchants, and it means to seize the OPPORTUNITY, to be constantly on the alert. The men of this world are constantly on the alert. The merchant is on the alert for the best time to make a profit. The general is on the alert for the best time to launch his attack. And, for that matter, the libertine is on the alert for an opportune moment to gratify the flesh. The child of God should be just as alert for the opportunity to do good.
Col. 4:5, “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, REDEEMING THE TIME.”
Gal. 6:10, “As we have therefore OPPORTUNITY, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”
Paul was so very urgent in his instructions to the Corinthians. He told them to act NOW, take action NOW, don’t wait until the opportune moment passes.
II Cor. 6:2, “For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee; behold, NOW is the accepted time; behold, NOW is the day of salvation.”
Because the days are evil Because we do live in an ungodly age, we should be ever more alert to find opportunities to serve God, and to advance his cause. In spite of the evil that is all around us, we are able to preach the gospel without interference at the present time. That should prompt us to seize every opportunity to preach the gospel while we can. The day is, no doubt, coming, when we will not have this opportunity.
John 12:35, “Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little is the light with you. WALK WHILE YE HAVE THE LIGHT, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.”
Eccl. 11:2, “Give a portion to seven, and also to eight: for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.”
Eccl. 12:1, “REMEMBER NOW thy creator in the days of thy youth, WHILE THE EVIL DAYS COME NOT, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.”
5:17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
Wherefore be ye not unwise “Be ye not unwise” is an emphatic way of saying, “Be wise.” And in the context of this verse, to be wise is to seize the opportunity, to redeem the time. It signifies not allowing an opportunity to pass without using it to advantage.
Col. 4:5, “Walk in WISDOM toward them that are without, REDEEMING THE TIME.”
Understanding what the will of the Lord is The “will of the Lord” is that we ought to live lives that reflect the work of God’s Spirit in our hearts. And “understanding” that fact, we ought to live lives separated from the world, not conformed to the evil world around us. We ought to avoid those offenses Paul has been dealing with, and to “walk as children of light” (vs. 8).
Rom. 12:2, “And be not conformed to this world: but ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, WILL OF GOD.”
I Thess. 4:3, For this is the WILL OF GOD, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication.”
I Thess. 5:18, “In everything give thanks: for this is the WILL OF GOD in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.
And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess The Bible does not absolutely forbid the use of any wine at all. The Lord’s first miracle was turning the water into wine at the marriage at Cana of Galilee (John 2:1-11), and Paul instructed Timothy to “drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities” (I Tim. 5:23). The great danger is in drunkenness. It is in being “drunk with wine.” Notice that Paul instructed Timothy to only “use a LITTLE wine.” But the carnal nature of man is such that if he allows himself a little, he is apt to allow himself a lot. He is apt to allow the wine to overpower him, and control him. It is very risky business for a person to begin even with a little wine. The risk of drunkenness is too great, and with drunkenness there comes every kind of other offense. It dulls the judgment, and stirs up the lust of the flesh, and places the person in danger of doing every vile and hateful thing that men are prone to.
Prov. 20:1, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”
Prov. 23:29, 30, “Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.”
Isa. 5:11, 22, “Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them…..Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink.”
Luke 23:34, “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and DRUNKENNESS, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.”
“This was a sin very frequent among the heathens; and particularly on occasion of the festivals of their gods, and more especially in their Bacchanalia: then they were wont to enflame themselves with wine, and all manner of inordinate lusts were consequent upon it: and therefore the apostle adds, “wherein,” or in which drunkenness, is “excess” (Matthew Henry).
Drunkenness was one of those offenses for which Paul says the offender must be excluded from the membership of the church.
I Cor. 5:11, “But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a DRUNKARD, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.”
I Cor. 6:10, “Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor DRUNKARDS, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
But be filled with the spirit Those who drunk wine, more often than not, drink it for the uplift it gives, for the exhilaration of it. God does not take away something without giving us something much better in return. The exhilaration that comes from the drinking of wine can never compare with the exhilaration, the great spiritual joy, that comes from being “filled with the Spirit.” Man has never known true joy until he has felt the Spirit of God stirring like a mighty river moving in his heart. The witness of the Spirit in the heart is such that on the day of Pentecost the mockers accused the disciples of being “full of new wine.”
John 7:38, “He that believeth in me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow RIVERS of living water.”
I Pet. 1:8, “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with JOY UNSPEAKABLE and full of glory.”
Acts 2:13, Others mocking said, These men are FULL OF NEW WINE.”
II Cor. 5:13, “For whether we be BESIDE OURSELVES, it is to God: or whether we be SOBER, it is for your cause.”
Those who delight in drinking wine very often cannot drink enough to satisfy their appetite. By the same token, those who have drunk at this fountain can never get enough. But while he may never get enough, he does receive “rivers of living water.” One may overindulge in drinking wine, but he will never overindulge in drinking from this river. The more of wine that a person drinks, the worse condition he gets in, but the more he drinks at this river, the better his condition.
5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs Various writers try to point out the distinction between “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” Gill believed that these were simply different ways of referring to the Psalms of David. Matthew Henry,
Jamieson-Fausett-Brown, and others think that the psalms were songs sung with musical accompaniment, and that the others were sung in different ways, and there are those who try to justify the use of musical instruments in their worship on the strength of that interpretation of that one word. We have not been able to find any clear explanation from any writer as to the distinction between these three expressions. But the language of the text itself makes some things very clear. First, the use of musical instruments in public worship is not under consideration. The verse has no reference to public worship in the first place.
Speaking to yourselves……singing and making melody IN YOUR HEART to the Lord These expressions indicate clearly enough that the text is not talking about public worship. It has to do with your private devotions. It has to do with the “song in your heart,” with the songs of praise that ring IN YOUR HEART as you go about your daily activities. Second, the number three, like the number seven, indicates completeness; these three expressions include every form of singing praise to the Lord “in your heart.” Paul has instructed us in the previous verse not to be “drunk with wine,” but to be “filled with the Spirit.” He is still commenting on that same theme. Drunkards are accustomed to singing their dirty little songs. And if they do not sing them out loud, the filthy thought still rages in their minds. He has warned us against drunkenness, and all that goes with it; now he gives us something better. The commandments of God never leave us with a vacuum. Not even nature will tolerate a vacuum. God always gives us something better. Our minds are always going to be occupied in some way. In this chapter Paul has been dealing with “filthiness” in mind and deed. The only way we can ever hope to keep unclean thoughts out of our minds (and unclean thoughts generally result in unclean activities) is to occupy our minds with better things. The person who is humming “Amazing Grace” is not nearly as likely to feed his mind on lustful, lascivious thoughts as the person is, who goes around humming some beer commercial he saw last night on television.
5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Giving thanks always for all things The natural result of giving praise is giving thanks. If we go about our day singing praise to God in our hearts, we will be just as consistent in thanking him for all he has done for us. We cannot be “always” expressing our thanks in an audible voice. That is not what he is talking about. He is talking about our heart-felt devotion to him, and our heart-felt thankfulness to him. And the nearer we come to always singing his praise in our hearts, the nearer we will come to “giving thanks always” for his goodness.
I Thess. 5:17, 18, “Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
Giving thanks always FOR ALL THINGS We have so much to be thankful for: for our hope of eternal heaven, for the Spirit of God stirring in our hearts, for our home in the church, for our families, for the material blessings of this life—and even for the adversity that comes our way. God sometimes sends his blessings in ways that we would never have imagined. Some of the greatest blessings we have ever received came to us in the form of the greatest trials. Sometimes God gives us the strength we need for trials to come by sending us lesser trials to prepare us.
II Thess. 1:3, We are bound to THANK GOD always for you, brethren.”
I Thess. 3:9, “For WHAT THANKS can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God.”
I Pet. 4:14, “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, HAPPY ARE YE; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you.”
Rom. 8:36, 37, “As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are MORE THAN CONQUERERS through him that loved us.”
Unto God and the Father Every good thing we ever received, we received from God. He is the source of all good.
James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the FATHER OF LIGHTS, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ Every good thing God ever gave us, he gave us because of his Son, because of the love that reaches us through his Son. In ourselves, we are vile, wretched sinners; but in him we are the beloved of God, chosen and redeemed by him.
Col. 3:17, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, GIVING THANKS unto God and the Father BY HIM.”
Heb. 13:15, “BY HIM therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips GIVING THANKS TO HIS NAME.”
5:21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
Submitting yourselves one to another With these words Paul introduces the subject for the rest of this chapter and part of the next. Wives are to SUBMIT to their husbands (vs. 22); children are to OBEY their parents (ch. 6:1); and servants are to BE OBEDIENT to their masters (ch. 6:5). Along with this theme he will explain the mutual duties of husbands and wives, of parents and children, and of masters and servants; but the theme in it all is submission. In other passages he deals with the duty that subjects owe to their leaders, that churches owe to their pastors, and above all, the submission that we all owe to our Maker; but in this passage, it is these three areas of submission that he will deal with.
I Pet. 5:5, “Likewise, ye younger, SUBMIT yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.”
In the fear of God It is our natural tendency to prize our independence. We like to think we are “our own man,” that we are not afraid of anybody. But it is not the fear of husbands, or parents, or masters, nor of what they might do to us, that should teach us submission. We should learn to be subject to those who are over us—because we fear God—and he has taught us submission.
Prov. 9:10, “For the FEAR OF THE LORD is the beginning of wisdom.”
II Cor. 5:11, “Knowing therefore the TERROR OF THE LORD, we persuade men.”
5:22 Wives submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
Wives submit yourselves unto your own husbands Feminists do not like it, and very few people practice it; but the Bible pattern is clear. God intended for the husband to be the head of the house. That principle is not only scriptural; it is the only practical arrangement. No other arrangement will work. Suppose that during the last presidential election, the voters had decided that George Bush and Michael Dukakis both wanted to be president so much, that we should just let them both be president. We would give them equal authority to make decisions, and overlapping responsibility. What kind of shape do you think the country would be in by now? How do you think the recent war would have turned out? Suppose General Motors decided they needed two presidents, both of them with policy making authority. Do you believe it would help their operation? The country, and General Motors, would probably be in about the same condition that most marriages are in today. Most of the problems in families today are caused by the fact that husbands and wives have forgotten their mutual responsibilities to each other. There is a proper order for the family, and we cannot ignore that order without the direst consequences.
Gen. 3:16, “Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband and HE SHALL RULE OVER THEE.”
Col. 3:18, “Wives SUBMIT yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.”
Tit. 2:5, “To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, OBEDIENT to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.”
I Pet. 3:1, Likewise, ye wives, be in SUBJECTION to your own husbands; that if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives.”
As unto the Lord The loyalty of the church to her Lord, and her submission to him is the proper pattern for the wife in her relationship to her husband.
5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church, and he is the saviour of the body.
For the husband is the HEAD of the wife, even as Christ is the HEAD of the church The relationship between a loving husband and a devoted wife is a figure of the relationship that exists between the Lord and his bride, the church. And in the same manner that the church is subject to Christ, the wife is to be subject to her husband.
Eph. 1:22, 23, “And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the HEAD over all things to the church, which is his BODY, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.”
Col. 1:18, “And he is the HEAD of the BODY, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.”
Rev. 19:7, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his WIFE hath made herself ready.”
And he is the savior of the body The husband is not the savior of his wife in the same way that Christ is the savior of his BODY, the church. But there is a sense in which the husband is to be the savior of his wife. He is to provide her with such things as she needs. He is to save her from hunger, and need, and privation. And, to the best of his ability, he is to save her from such danger as may come her way.
5:24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
Paul repeats essentially the same thought for the third time in as many verses. When God repeats himself, he does it for our benefit. It is because we might have missed it the first time. Here he repeats it the third time. When God repeats himself so often, we need to be doubly sure that we have learned the lesson. The lesson under consideration is an enormously important lesson that needs to be learned, not only by the church, but by all of society as well. In the same manner that the church is subject to Christ, it is the place of the wife to be subject to her own husband.
In every thing The wife is not bound to be subject to her husband in absolutely everything he might conceivably require. He might instruct her to be dishonest, or immoral, or sacrilegious. No husband has the right to ask his wife to do anything she could not in good conscience do. And if she cannot be faithful to her Lord, and at the same time, do what her husband demands, her first loyalty is to her Lord. She is to be “subject” to her husband IN EVERYTHING that Christ requires of his bride the church. Christ has never required his bride to do anything that was immoral, and he has never required her to do anything that was not for her benefit. And as the relationship between Christ and his bride, the church, is the pattern for the relationship between husbands and wives, no husband has the right to ask his wife to do anything that good judgment, simple morality, and faithfulness to her Lord would forbid her to do.
5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.
Husbands, LOVE YOUR WIVES, even as Christ also loved the church Paul has shown that the wife ought to be subject to her husband in the same manner that the church is subject to Christ, and now, lest anybody might think that is being too severe, he shows that the husband is to love his wife in the same manner that Christ loved the church. This matter of husbands and wives is A TWO WAY STREET. It works both ways. The husband has NO RIGHT TO DOMINEER over his wife. He is to love her and cherish her. He is to take care of her, and provide for her. Her welfare is to be always on his mind. He is to constantly demonstrate his sincerest, and most heartfelt love for her, both in public and in private. Peter says that he should give HONOR to her (I Pet. 3:7). “Honor” means “high regard and great respect.” Now if the husband loves his wife with such an all-consuming love as this, if her welfare is his constant concern, if he exhausts himself in providing for her, if he would never consider doing anything that would injure her, nor allow anyone else to injure her, if he holds her in such “high regard and great respect,” there is no reason the wife should be afraid to occupy her God-appointed place in subjection to her husband. And if the husband does not hold his wife is such high regard as this, and if he does not treat her so tenderly as this, he has no right to complain if his wife is unwilling to submit to him. It is the place of the wife to submit to her husband in everything that simple morality, and faithfulness to her Lord will allow; but if the husband does not fulfill his proper duties as a husband, he should not be surprised that his wife is also unwilling to fulfill hers.
Even as Christ also loved the church Bear in mind that the love of Christ for his church is an UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. The husband is to love his wife in the same manner that Christ loved the church. Now we are not entirely capable of unconditional love. But to the best of his ability, the husband is to love his wife with an unconditional love. If the husband waits for his wife to come to his terms before he is willing to fulfill his proper place as a husband, and if the wife waits for her husband to meet her approval before she is willing to fulfill her place, they will never have a happy, scriptural marriage. The only way that husbands and wives can ever hope to be happy together is, to the very best of their abilities, to REMOVE ALL CONDITIONS from their love and devotion to each other, and to remove all conditions from their willingness to occupy their own special places as husband and wife.
Col. 3:19. “Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.”
I Pet. 3:7, “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving HONOR unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.”
And GAVE HIMSELF for it The love of Christ for his bride, and his sacrificial death to rescue her from sin and death, is to be the PATTERN for the husband in his love for his wife. Christ loved his bride enough to die for her. If the husband does not love his wife as he loves life itself, he is not the loving, devoted husband that he ought to be.
Acts 20:28, “To feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”
Gal. 1:4, “Who GAVE HIMSELF for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father.”
Gal. 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and GAVE HIMSELF for me.”
Any couple that is contemplating marriage ought to bear these things in mind. If the man does not love his prospective bride with such an all-consuming love as this, if he is not willing to exert every energy to provide for her, if he is not willing to do without in order for her to have the things she needs, if he does not love her as he loves life itself—then he is not able to perform his duties as a husband, and HE OUGHT NOT TO MARRY HER. He ought not to burden the poor woman with a husband who does not love her as he ought. And if a woman does not love and respect her prospective husband enough to allow him to occupy his God-appointed place as the head of the house, if she does not respect his judgment enough to submit to his judgment, SHE OUGHT NOT TO MARRY HIM. If she marries him, she is stuck with him. God does not allow the termination of marriages on the same flimsy basis that the courts of the land do. Now, the wife may feel that she is smarter than her husband, and her judgment is better than his, and in a lot of cases, that is, no doubt, the case. But whether she is smarter than he is, and has better judgment than he does, or not, she will always, in some manner, be subject to his judgment, in spite of all her efforts to the contrary. She may try to “hold him on a short leash.” She may try to monitor his actions, and make sure that his poor judgment does not injure the both of them. But if he has such poor judgment, there may very well come a time, when they are in poor financial condition—and he quits the only job he has, or has the prospect of finding. He may come home one day driving a shiny new car which they cannot possibly pay for. If you do not respect his judgment enough to submit to him, don’t marry him. Keep looking.
5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.
With the washing of water by the WORD Every text is interpreted by its context, and the context has to do with the submission of the wife to her husband, and of the submission of the church to her Lord, her husband. The Lord loved the church, and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it (in a timely sense) by the washing of water by the word—the written word. The word that is translated “word” is “RHEMA,” THE WRITTEN WORD. The word for the living word is “LOGOS.” It is the sanctifying and cleansing effect the written word, the truth, has on the visible church that is under consideration. The Lord gave himself for all his redeemed family, but all the redeemed family are not under consideration in this text. This text is talking about the VISIBLE CHURCH. It is talking about those who are sanctified and cleansed by hearing and observing the written word. It is talking about those who have submitted themselves to the Lord in GOSPEL OBEDIENCE. Not all of the family of God have done that. But “as the Church is subject unto Christ,” (vs 24), as they have submitted themselves to him in gospel obedience, so ought wives to submit themselves to their husbands.
That he might SANCTIFY and cleanse it The word that is translated “sanctify” is “hagiadzo,” and it signifies “to separate, to set apart.” The gospel, when believed and observed, has the effect of separating us from the world, and the sinful conduct of the world.
“And HAVE NO FELLOWSHIP with the unfruitful works of darkness (vs 11).
II Cor. 6:17, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye SEPARATE, saith the Lord.”
John 17:17, “SANCTIFY them through thy truth, thy WORD is truth.
And CLEANSE it with the washing of water by the word The gospel also has a cleansing effect on believers. It helps to clean up their life and conduct.
Psa. 119:9, “Wherewithal shall a young man CLEANSE his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy WORD.”
John 15:3, “Now ye are CLEAN through the WORD which I have spoken unto you.”
5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be without blemish
That he might PRESENT it to himself This presenting of the church to her Lord takes place here IN THIS LIFE. In this verse the Lord is said to present the church to himself. On another occasion PAUL is said to present the Corinthian church to the Lord.
II Cor. 11:2, “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I MAY PRESENT YOU as a chaste virgin to Christ.”
No man, neither Paul, nor any other mortal, will present the family of God to the Father on that grand day. That work is left to the Savior himself. Another text shows that this presenting is CONDITIONAL.
Col. 1:22, “In the body of his flesh through death, to PRESENT you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight.”
This is precisely the same theme that is expressed in the text before us. But notice that in his Colossian letter Paul makes it clear enough that this presentation is CONDITIONAL. Read verses 22 and 23 together. “In the body of his flesh through death, to PRESENT you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight, IF YE CONTINUE IN THE FAITH grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel.”
It is abundantly clear, from this text, that if they do not “continue in the faith,” they will not be so presented. Salvation for eternal heaven is not conditional; but this presenting is. This text has to do with this life.
A GLORIOUS church The church is not really very impressive by the world’s standards. She is too small in numbers, and too poor in material things, to impress the world. But there is a GLORY that belongs to the church, that none of the assemblies of men can match.
Psa 45:13, “The king’s daughter is all GLORIOUS within: her clothing is of wrought gold.”
Psa 87:3, “GLORIOUS things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah.”
Psa 145:11, 12, “They shall speak of the GLORY of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; to make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the GLORIOUS majesty of his kingdom.”
In his second letter to the Corinthians Paul compares the GLORY OF THE CHURCH to the much less GLORY OF THE LAW SERVICE. And he shows that the glory of the church far exceeds the glory of the Law—even with all its pageantry and symbolism.
II Cor. 3:7-11, “But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was GLORIOUS, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the GLORY of his countenance; which GLORY was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather GLORIOUS? For if the ministration of condemnation be GLORY, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in GLORY. For even that which was made GLORIOUS had no glory in this respect, by reason of the GLORY that excelleth. For if that which is done away was GLORIOUS, much more that which remaineth is GLORIOUS.”
Not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing but that it should be holy and without blemish. Now Paul shows how the church differs from the Law Service, and from all the religious institutions of men. Her GLORY lies in her SUBMISSION to her husband, her Lord, and in his BLESSINGS upon her, and FELT PRESENCE with her. The submission of the church to Christ as a pattern for the submission of the wife to her husband has been the theme all through this passage, and Paul is still continuing the same theme. The true church is submissive to her husband. She endeavors to do all he says, and to leave all else alone. She has “NO SPOT OR WRINKLE.” She will not allow in her service anything her husband did not command. She is convinced that if he did not provide her with a particular practice or endeavor, she does not need it. She is convinced that all the efforts of men to change the church, and make it more attractive to the world, are just SPOTS AND WRINKLES. They make it less attractive in the Lord’s sight, and if they are persisted in, that local assembly just ceases to be a church that God will recognize as his own. The church of God is without “spot or wrinkle,” and those who decorate themselves with the world’s ornaments are just not the Lord’s church. The wicked and the righteous were both able to reap the benefits of the Law Service. A man might be ever so wicked, but if he would keep the “carnal ordinances” of the Law Service, he could enjoy the same legal benefits that the righteous enjoyed. But the New Testament Church is different in that she is commanded to “put away from among yourselves that wicked person” (I Cor. 5:13). The church is without “spot or wrinkle,” she does not knowingly retain the wicked within her membership, and if she does, she ceases to be a true New Testament Church. Songs 4:7, “Thou art all fair, my love; there is NO SPOT in thee.”
Col. 1:22, “In the body of his flesh through death, to present you HOLY and UNBLAMEABLE and UNREPROVEABLE in his sight.”
II Cor. 11:2, “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to ONE HUSBAND, that I may present you as a CHASTE VIRGIN to Christ.”
5:28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
When two people marry, they become “one flesh” (Gen. 2:24). They are still two persons, with two different personalities, and two different temperaments; but in a very real sense, they become one. They are joined together in such manner that when one suffers, the other suffers, and when one rejoices, the other rejoices. And if that is not the case, the marriage is not as it should be. They are so joined that when the husband benefits his wife, he benefits himself, when he injures his wife, he injures himself, and when he loves his wife, he loves himself.
5:29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church.
He is enlarging on the theme he followed in the previous verse. The marriage union, if it is as it ought to be, is such a close union that one cannot hate the other without hating “his own flesh,” without doing injury to himself. Self interest teaches a person to nourish and cherish his own body, to take care of it, and to preserve it from any danger. And the same self interest ought to teach him that it is for his own benefit to love his wife, and to nourish and cherish her. And he ought not to nourish and cherish her in a half-hearted way, but with his whole heart, “even as the Lord the church.”
5:30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
For we are MEMBERS of his BODY The church is the mystical (spiritually symbolic, allegorical) BODY of Christ, and each of her MEMBERS are the various MEMBERS of that body.
Eph. 1:22, 23, “And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the CHURCH, which is HIS BODY, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.”
Rom. 12:5, “So we, being many, are ONE BODY in Christ, and every one MEMBERS one of another.”
I Cor. 12:27, “Now ye are the BODY of Christ, and MEMBERS in particular.”
The lesson is that, as any man loves his own natural body, and does everything he can to care for it, and protect it, and as Christ loves his body, the church, and does everything necessary to care for it, and protect it, so the man should love his wife, and care for her, and protect her. “He that loveth his wife loveth himself” (vs 28).
Of his FLESH, and of his BONES Paul is not making a distinction between the BODY, and FLESH, and BONES of the Lord. “Flesh” and “bones” refer to the “body,” they go to make up the body. By flesh and bones he simply means the various MEMBERS of the BODY. In I Cor. 12:14-27, he refers to the body as eyes, ears, hands, and feet. Here he refers to it as flesh and bones.
5:31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
These are the same words the Lord used in the first marriage ceremony, when he brought Eve to Adam, and thus married them to each other. God established the marriage union in the very morning of time, and he performed the first marriage ceremony himself. And in that ceremony he defined marriage, and the purpose of marriage, and set its limits. Four thousand years had passed since that first marriage ceremony, but Paul repeats the exact same formula. The proper relationship between a husband and wife is the same in every day and age. The feminists, and our modern revisionists are wrong. If the nature of the marriage union did not change in its first four thousand years, it is not going to change.
Gen. 2:21-24, “And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and BROUGHT HER UNTO THE MAN. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife.”
Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother The man is not to leave his father and mother in every sense whatsoever. He continues to have an obligation to his parents as long as they live. If they are in need, he is to come to their rescue.
I Tim. 5:4, “But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to REQUITE THEIR PARENTS: for that is good and acceptable before God.”
He is to maintain a close and personal relationship with them, and live a life that honors them (ch. 6:2). But in marriage he finds a new and stronger union than the union between parents and children. He is to “cut the apron strings.” One of the greatest hindrances to marriages is the interference of well-meaning, but misguided, parents. The parents have guided these young people, and instructed them, all their lives, and it is the hardest task for most parents to realize that their relationship with their children is not the same after they marry. There is nothing wrong with young couples occasionally consulting their parents about some problem. After all, the parents have probably faced the same problem at some time or another themselves. But they must realize that theirs is an entirely new family, a new household, with its own identity, and its own responsibilities. And any marriage is in great danger if they do not learn that their greatest allegiance is to each other, and that they are to consult each other before they even consider consulting anyone else. Sometimes young couples have found it necessary to relocate geographically, to move to another town, in order to gain the independence that any marriage must have.
And shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be ONE FLESH There is probably nothing in nature that quite compares to the beautiful union that exists between husband and wife. “In natural marriage, husband and wife combine to form one perfect human being; the one is the complement of the other” (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown). They love each other, and support each other, and COMPLETE EACH OTHER. Neither one is quite complete without the other. This thought has worked itself into our language. Sometimes a man will refer to his wife as his “better half,” the other “half” of himself. The sex act is both a symbol, and an expression, of this union between the husband and wife. In this act they become physically, and emotionally one. But it is also sadly true that when a person engages in that act outside of marriage, he becomes one with his partner in fornication.
I Cor. 6:16, “What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is ONE BODY? for two, saith he, shall be ONE FLESH.”
5:32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
This is a great MYSTERY The relationship between Christ and the church was “a great mystery,” which the Jews did not understand, and could not figure out, until God revealed it in his own good time.
Eph. 3:5,6,9, “Which in other ages was NOT MADE KNOWN unto the sons of men, as it is NOW REVEALED unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the SAME BODY, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel…….And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the MYSTERY, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.”
But I speak concerning Christ and the church “The leaving of father and mother prefigured Christ’s coming forth from the father, and coming into this world in human nature, and his disregard to his earthly parents, in comparison with his people, and his service for them; the man cleaving to the wife very aptly expresses the strong affection of Christ to his church, and the near communion there is between them; and their being one flesh denotes the union of them; and indeed the marriage of Adam and Eve was a type of Christ and him that was to come, as well as in being a federal head to his posterity: Adam was before Eve, so Christ was before his church; God thought it not proper that man should be alone, so neither Christ, but that he should have some fellows and companions with him” (John Gill).
5:33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself He has been talking about the “great mystery” of the relationship between Christ and the church. Now he points out that the very simple, literal lesson has to do with them, and with their relationship as husbands and wives, and he repeats the instructions he has already given in the preceding verses. The lesson is fundamental and important. It bears repeating.
And the wife see that she REVERENCE her husband Now he introduces a thought he has not dealt with before. The wife is not only to submit to her husband, she is REVERENCE him. Webster defines “reverence” as “a feeling of deep respect, love, and awe.” He further defines “awe” as “a mixed feeling of reverence, fear, and wonder, caused by something sublime.” Peter developed this same theme.
I Pet. 3:6, “Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him LORD: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.” Webster defines “lord” as “a person having great power and authority; ruler, master.” It becomes abundantly evident that the marriage union involves a relationship that most people have never imagined. It is very clear that the wife is to have great respect for her husband, and the husband is to “honor” his wife (I Pet. 3:7), to hold her in “high regard and great esteem.” Now there is no way that either party can expect to demand, and receive, the great respect that is called for. But if the husband occupies his proper place, if he truly does love his wife as he loves himself, if he rises early, and works late to provide for her, if he would never knowingly do anything to injure her, if her welfare is constantly on his mind, his wife should have no problem with paying him the respect that he is due, and allowing him to occupy his God-appointed place as the head of the house. And if his wife returns that love, if she occupies her place as his “help meet” (Gen.2:18), his suitable helper, the husband should have no problem with holding her in such “high regard, and great esteem.”
One other thought in closing, and it is impossible to understand this great theme without understanding this one thought. Paul never once talks to the husband about the duties of the wife. And he never once talks to the wife about the duties of the husband. He always talks to the wife about her own duties, and to the husband about his duties. It is not the place of either party to “straighten out” the other. It is the duty of each to discover what his or her place is, and to occupy that place—without complaining, and without conditions.
CHAPTER SIX
6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
The Bible provides the very fabric of our social order. In the previous chapter Paul has clearly spelled out the respective duties of husbands and wives to each other. And if that order was faithfully followed, it would solve many of the problems that perplex our race. In this chapter he spells out just as clearly the duties of children to their parents, and parents to their children, and of servants and masters to each other. On other occasions (Rom. 13:1-7, and Tit. 3:1) he explains the duties of subjects to their governments. There is no aspect of our lives for which the Bible does not give us adequate instruction as to how to behave ourselves.
Children OBEY your parents in the Lord It is the duty of children to obey their parents. Isaiah the prophet complained in his day about the unruliness of children.
Isa 3:12, “As for my people, CHILDREN are their oppressors, and WOMEN rule over them.”
That was just before the entire nation was conquered, and carried off into slavery. God has established a proper order for the government of the home, and the disregard of that order brings great danger to the family—and to society itself. Our nation is having great difficulty in building jails fast enough to house all the people who need to be there. There is one underlying cause for almost all of the lawlessness in the land today. Parents are not exercising discipline in their own homes, and when children will not obey their parents, you cannot pass enough laws to get them to obey anybody else.
Col. 3:20, “Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.”
Prov. 23:22, “Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.”
Children obey your parents IN THE LORD Paul does place some limit on the requirement of children to obey their parents. They are to obey them “in the Lord.” They are to obey such instructions as they can obey and still be faithful to their Lord. These instructions apply to all men; they reach to the very foundation of society itself. And sometimes it happens that parents do instruct their children to do wrong. It is a very common matter for parents to ask their children to lie for them. No one is bound to do wrong, no matter who instructs him to do so.
Acts 5:29, “Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.”
For this is right Paul is talking to children, and he does not enter into any profound argument with them. He just says that it is “right.” In the chapter before, in talking to the wives about their proper place, he enters into a profound discussion of the beautiful, and mysterious, relationship between Christ and the church, and he uses that as an argument that wives ought to have a similar relationship to their own husbands. But in talking to children, he simply says that it is right. Children ought not to be forever questioning and challenging; it is enough to know that it is right.
6:2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise).
Honor thy father and mother The commandment to honor father and mother is the first commandment in the second table of the law. The ten commandments were divided into two tables, the first having to do with our duty to God, and the second having to do with our duty to man. And before God commanded to refrain from killing, from adultery, from stealing or from any other offense, he commanded to “honor thy father and thy mother.” The Jews considered it to be the “mightiest of the mightiest” of all the commandments. They chafed under the load, and tried to explain it away, but they did recognize the great importance of the commandment. It is the very foundation of all social order. “Honor” means “high regard and great respect,” and any nation that does not hold its parents in high regard can never expect anything but social disorder and moral chaos. It is the disregard of this commandment, as much, if not more, than any other thing, that is causing such great trouble in our land today.
Ex. 20:12, “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.”
Deut. 5:16, “Honour thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.”
Matt. 15:4-6, “For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; and honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of none effect by your tradition.”
Which is the first commandment with promise This commandment was the FIRST commandment in the second table of the law, and it was the only commandment with a specific promise connected with it. The second commandment in the first table of the law had a promise connected with it, but it was a general promise; it had to do with the keeping or breaking of any part of the law. There was a specific promise, and specific penalties connected with this commandment. In the next verse Paul will discuss this promise.
6:3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
That it may be well with thee This expression was not in the original commandment (Ex. 20:12); it was added in the second giving of the law in Deuteronomy.
Deut. 5:16, “Honour thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and THAT IT MAY GO WELL WITH THEE, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” Things do not always go well with the saints; sometimes they suffer great adversity. But ordinarily things do go much better with those who serve the Lord and keep his commandments than they do with transgressors. Prov. 13:15, “Good understanding giveth favor: but the way of transgressors is hard.” There is great advantage in serving the Lord. Any opposition that comes our way is little compared to the blessings that are ours in serving the Lord.
And thou mayest live long on the earth There are three aspects to this promise. One, keeping this commandment, they could continue to enjoy the land of Canaan which God had given them, or breaking it, they would be dispersed throughout the nations. This was the original intent of the commandment, and it only applied to the nation of Israel.
Ezek. 22:7,15, “In thee have they set light by father and mother…..And I will scatter thee among the heathen, and disperse thee in the countries, and will consume thy filthiness out of thee.”
Two, the law provided for the execution of those who dishonored their parents. Ex. 21:17, “And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.” Again, this warning only applied to Israel. And three, those who dishonor their parents stand to shorten their own lives. This applies to us all. Notice that now it does not say that their lives would be prolonged “IN THE LAND which the Lord thy God giveth thee,” (Deut. 5:16). This says, “that thou mayest live long ON THE EARTH.” This letter was written to Gentiles at Ephesus, and it applies to us all. Those who live in such way as to cast shame and reproach on their parents stand to shorten their lives. Those people, who think that they have AN APPOINTED TIME TO DIE, and that they are going to live out their appointed days, no matter how vile and disgusting their lives may be, are wrong. You can shorten your days.
Prov. 10:27, “The fear of the Lord PROLONGETH DAYS: but the years of the wicked SHALL BE SHORTENED.”
6:4 And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath Paul has pointed out that children are to be subject to their parents; now he cautions parents, and especially the fathers, that they are to be very cautious how they use their authority. Theirs is a high responsibility. They must not exercise authority just for the sake of demonstrating their authority. They should be cautious not to provoke their children unnecessarily. Their developing minds, and their growing sense of independence, make them very subject to being provoked. No father can effectively correct and guide his children if he cannot retain their respect. And no matter that he is in the right, if he constantly provokes his children with his tyranny, and his inflexible demands, he will soon lose their respect. And once that is gone, all hope of guiding them effectively is gone.
Col. 3:21, “Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.”
But bring them up in the NURTURE and ADMONITION of the Lord “Nurture” means “training, rearing, upbringing.” “Admonition” means “a mild rebuke, reprimand.” As much as we are able, we are to be mild, and compassionate, and considerate in our instructions to our children. It helps to remember that we were once in their exact same situation, and if we will remember that we probably had then the same disposition, and the same inclinations, that they have now, it might help us in our understanding of them. We are to temper authority with restraint, to temper rebuke with compassion. We are to be loving, but firm, to be considerate, but consistent. We must be careful not to forbid on the one occasion what we laugh at on another occasion. That confuses, and discourages, the children. They do not know what to expect.
Deut. 6:7, “And thou shalt TEACH them diligently unto thy children, and shalt TALK of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”
Prov. 22:6, “TRAIN UP a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
Abraham was a good example for every parent. Gen. 18:19, “For I know him, that he will COMMAND his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.”
As loving, and considerate, and compassionate as we may be, we must always bear in mind that there does come a TIME FOR REBUKE. “Admonition” is “a mild rebuke,” but it is still rebuke. There do come times when we must REBUKE FIRMLY, and with all AUTHORITY. The father can never, in the name of compassion, abdicate his place as the head of the house. He must guide the house. Children need a source of authority; and, whether they will admit it or not, most of them actually want it. They want to know where the limits are. They may rebel against the limits; but they still want to know what the limits are. Anything less leaves them in a state of confusion.
Prov. 19:18, “CHASTEN thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.”
Prov. 29:17, “CORRECT thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.”
6:5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ.
Servants, BE OBEDIENT to them that are your masters according to the flesh The Bible gives adequate instruction with regard to any relationship that we may have. He has dealt with husbands and wives, then with parents and children; now he deals with masters and servants. It would be hard to find any duty that the New Testament has more to say about than it does about the duty of servants to their masters. Perhaps that is because so many people find themselves in that relationship. And here he expresses the duty of servants in two words: “BE OBEDIENT.” For the most part, we are not able to select our station in life. At least that has been the case during most of the history of the church. And, even during this age of great independence and great opportunity, most of us are still in a situation of being answerable to someone else in our daily employment. And our duty in that connection is the same as it is in any other. We should be faithful. To the best of our ability we should follow our instructions.
Col. 3:22, “Servants, OBEY in all things your masters according to the flesh.”
I Tim. 6:1, “Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.”
Tit. 2:9, “Exhort servants to BE OBEDIENT unto their own masters, and to please them in all things; not answering again.”
I Pet. 2:18, “Servants BE SUBJECT to your master with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.”
Your masters ACCORDING TO THE FLESH Your employer, or as it has been in many cases in history, your slavemaster, is only “your master ACCORDING TO THE FLESH;” he only has power over your body, and that in things temporal. He has no authority over you in things religious and spiritual. The child of God is, and always will be, the Lord’s freeman. If God has made you free, it is not possible that any man can enslave you, except in things fleshly and temporal.
I Cor. 7:22, “For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the LORD’S FREEMAN: likewise also he that is called, being free is Christ’s servant.”
John 8:36, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be FREE INDEED.”
And as grievous as this bondage “according to the flesh” may be, even it is only for a time. It will soon pass away.
Job 3:19, “The small and the great are there; and the servant is FREE from his master.”
With fear and trembling “Fear and trembling” are to mark our service toward God, and if we are to serve our masters “as unto Christ,” then “fear and trembling” must mark our service to them as well.
II Cor. 7:15, “And his inward affection is more abundant toward you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with FEAR AND TREMBLING ye received him.”
Phil. 2:12, “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with FEAR AND TREMBLING.”
Now that “fear and trembling” is not to be directed toward our masters nearly so much as it is to be DIRECTED TOWARD GOD. We can have, and very often do have, a very friendly and congenial relationship with our employers. In today’s society the employer very often has as much to fear from his employees as they do from him. The labor force can literally “make or break” most employers. But our fear of God should make us very wary of being unfaithful in things temporal.
In SINGLENESS OF HEART as unto Christ We are to serve our employers with ONE THING in view, and that is “to give an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay.” We are not to serve with one eye on earning a paycheck, and the other on trying to see how much we can get away with.
James 1:8, “A DOUBLE MINDED man is unstable in all his ways.”
6:6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.
Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers There are those who will only work, or work with any diligence at least, when the boss is looking. They are only “menpleasers,” and not even very good menpleasers.
Col. 3:22,23, “Servants, OBEY in all things your masters according to the flesh; NOT WITH EYESERVICE, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartliy, as to the Lord, and not unto men.
But as the SERVANTS OF CHRIST, doing the WILL OF GOD from the heart If we are to do “the will of God,” we must serve our employers “as the servants of Christ.” We must serve them honestly and fairly, because it is the “will of God” that we should serve them honestly and fairly. We are to serve them out of fear of God, not simply out of the fear of men. If a man works only because he is afraid he will lose his job, he is likely to do so “with eyeservice,” he is likely to work only when the boss is looking. But if he tries to “give an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay,” because he fears God, and he is afraid to be dishonest with his employer, because God sees him, even when his employer does not, he is much more apt to be a profitable employee.
Rom. 13:5, “Wherefore ye must needs be SUBJECT, not only for wrath, but also FOR CONSCIENCE SAKE.”
6:7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men.
With GOOD WILL doing service It is easier to serve “with good will” if we realize that our service, for better or worse, reflects on our Lord. If we are rebellious employees, we give people the idea that “Christians make very poor employees.” If we serve honorably and profitably, we give them the idea that Christians are a benefit to themselves and to all those with whom they come into contact. And we might as well face it; we have to do the work—one way of the other. And it is MUCH EASIER to do the job if we do it WITH GOOD WILL. It is easier to do any job if we put our heart into it.
As to the Lord and not to men “Observe, service, performed with conscience, and from a regard to God, though it be to unrighteous masters, will be accounted by Christ as service done to himself” (Matthew Henry).
6:8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
You never go wrong by doing right. God will make up the deficit. “Though his master should neglect or abuse him, instead of rewarding him, he shall certainly be rewarded by the Lord Christ” (Matthew Henry). God sometimes blesses those who are the most neglected, and deprived, with such blessings as others have never imagined. HAPPINESS IS LARGELY A STATE OF MIND, and God is able to supply the pauper with a kind of joy and contentment in his destitute state such as few millionaires ever have.
Prov. 19:17, “He that hath pity on the poor LENDETH UNTO THE LORD; and that which he hath given will he PAY HIM AGAIN.”
Rom. 2:6, “Who will render to every man according to his deeds.” Everyone of us stands daily before God in judgment, and God deals with us, and rewards us, or chastises us, daily in light of our conduct.
II Cor. 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”
Col. 3:24, “Knowing that OF THE LORD ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”
Whether he be bond or free You can never entirely enslave one whom God has set free. You may place shackles on his feet, but his spirit is free.
I Cor. 7:22, “For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the LORD’S FREEMAN.
Gal. 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is NEITHER BOND NOR FREE, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Col. 3:11, “Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision, nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, BOND NOR FREE: but Christ is all, and in all.”
6:9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.
And ye masters, do the SAME THINGS unto them He has told the servants to obey. But that is not what he means by “the same things.” That is not the place of masters. He is telling them to discharge their duty as masters—with it always on their minds that their first duty is to the Lord. It is just as important that masters should be faithful, God-fearing masters, as it is that servants should faithful, God-fearing servants. They have just as much obligation to the Lord to be faithful.
Lev. 25:43, “Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour; but SHALT FEAR THY GOD.”
Forbearing threatening The word that is translated “forbearearing” is “aneimi,” and it means “to let up, to slacken.” It does not necessarily mean to absolutely refrain. God does not place the employer under unbearable restraints. In dealing with servants, it is sometimes necessary for the master to explain what the consequences of continued misconduct will be. If the employer had no way whatsoever to control his work force, and keep them in line, there are very few jobs that would ever be completed satisfactorily. But while he is not required to absolutely avoid any threatening whatsoever. He is to “let up, to slacken.” He is not to threaten unnecessarily, to be constantly menacing his workers, and making them uncomfortable. Common sense ought to teach him that workers are more productive if they are in a reasonably good frame of mind. Most people will do much more out of a sense of gratitude, than they will out of a sense of slavish fear. That is the main reason that slavery has ceased to be a common arrangement in the world today. People have not gotten so much better that they have decided to do away with slavery. They have just realized that it does not work nearly so well as other systems do. But if he does not realize the futility of constant threatening, the Lord points out that he ought not to do it.
Knowing that your Master also is in heaven The master himself is also a servant. He has a Master, and it must be his constant concern to please HIS Master, and there is no way that he can please his Master if he mistreats those who are given to his charge.
Col. 4:1, “Masters give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that YE ALSO HAVE A MASTER in heaven.”
Neither is there respect of persons with him The master commands more respect among men than the servant does; but not so with God. The high and mighty are no different, and they occupy no higher a station with God, than the lowliest servant. The thing that makes the difference is not their station, but rather their faithfulness to the own Master.
Rom. 2:11, “For there is NO RESPECT OF PERSONS with God.”
Col. 3:25, “But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is NO RESPECT OF PERSONS.”
Acts 10:34, “Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS.”
Gal. 2:6, “But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: GOD ACCEPTETH NO MAN’S PERSON:)”
6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Finally, my brethren The children of God are all on a level. We are all “brethren;” we are all children of the same Father, members of the same family. The lowliest member of the family is a brother to the apostles and prophets. Even Christ himself is “not ashamed to call them BRETHREN” (Heb. 2:11).
BE STRONG in the Lord, and in the power of his might Paul is about to describe the armor that God has provided for those who would be faithful in his service. But first, he exhorts us to BE STRONG. Armor is not worth much if we do not have sufficient strength to use the armor. But the problem is that we are not strong. We are weak and helpless. In ourselves we have neither the will nor the ability to fight. But we are not commanded to fight in our own strength; he commands us to “be strong IN THE LORD.” The only strength we have is in him; but that strength is sufficient. With the strength he gives we are able to face any foe.
II Cor. 12:9, “And he said unto me, MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT for thee: for MY STRENGTH is made perfect in weakness.”
Phil. 4:13, “I can do all things THROUGH CHRIST which STRENGTHENETH me.”
II Tim. 2:1, “Thou therefore, my son, BE STRONG in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”
Eph. 3:16, “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be STRENGTHENED with might by his Spirit in the inner man.” Col. 1:11,
“STRENGTHENED with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.”
6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Put on the whole armour of God This is God’s armor; he made it, and he gave it to us. Without him we are soft, and helpless, and defenseless; but through him we are “more than conquerers.” The saints are engaged in a battle, the hottest and most dangerous battle they will ever experience. That battle is against the forces of evil; but God has provided every soldier in his army with all the armor he will ever need. In the next few verses Paul will describe the armor that God has provided.
Rom. 8:37, “Nay, in all these things we are MORE THAN CONQUERERS through him that loved us.”
II Cor. 10:3,4, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but MIGHTY THROUGH GOD to the pulling down of strongholds;)”
II Cor. 6:7, “By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the ARMOUR OF RIGHTEOUSNESS on the right hand and on the left.”
PUT ON the whole armor of God God has provided the armor; but he commands us to put it on.
Rom. 13:12, “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us PUT ON THE ARMOR OF LIGHT.”
We are not robots; God does not do everything for us. He does for us those things which we do not have the ability to do for ourselves. But having given us spiritual life in the work of regeneration, and having provided us with all the armor, and all the weapons we need, and having identified the enemy and his strategy, God commands us to “put on the whole armor of God” and to fight. There is no room in the Lord’s service for a coward. If we would be any benefit to ourselves, or to the household of God, we must be willing to put on our armor and fight.
That ye may be able to stand against the WILES of the devil A “wile” is “a sly trick; strategem; trickery; deceit.” Satan does not fight fair; he never has. He is a master of deceit. He knows where your weakest point is, and he will strike you there. If it is your inclination to try to enjoy “the best of both worlds,” to follow the spirit and still gratify the flesh, he will assure you that you can do all sorts of things that you ought not to do, and “get away with it.” He will convince you that there is “no harm” in what he is enticing you to do (after all “everybody does it”). If you are of a spiteful and vindictive nature, he will convince you that it is right and proper to retaliate against somebody who opposes you. He will convince you that you are really doing your opponent a favor (“Somebody needs to straighten him out for his own good”). If you are one that really tries to follow the Lord, he will disguise his approach, and if he can, he will make you believe that in following him you are actually following the Lord. He will become ever so religious, and try to corrupt your religion. That is how he captured the Pharisees. Satan is more wily than you are, more cunning and crafty than you. He is smarter than you are. If you try to outsmart him, you will lose. The only way you can ever hope to overcome is to put on the armor and fight.
Gen. 3:1, “Now the serpent was MORE SUBTLE than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.”
II Cor. 11:14, “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”
6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
For we wrestle not against FLESH AND BLOOD “Flesh and blood” is a scriptural way of referring to man (Matt. 16:17, Gal. 1:16). Our spiritual conflict is not a wrestling match with other “flesh and blood” men such as we are. It is much more serious than that. Fighting and wrangling with other men, however strong they may be, and however many there may be of them, is a very small thing, compared with the terrible and dangerous warfare in which we are engaged.
But against PRINCIPALITIES, against POWERS A “principality” is “the rank, dignity, or jurisdiction of a prince; the territory of a PRINCE.” In this text it has to do with the “territory” of the “PRINCE of this world,” the territory or kingdom of SATAN, and his followers. The Bible refers to Christ as “the Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6), the “Prince of Life” (Acts 3:15), and a “Prince and a saviour” (Acts 5:31). And the Bible refers to Satan, the great MIMIC, as the “prince of this world,” and the “prince of the power of the air.”
John 12:31, “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the PRINCE OF THIS WORLD be cast out.”
John 14:30, “Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the PRINCE OF THIS WORLD cometh, and hath nothing in me.”
John 16:11, “Of judgment, because the PRINCE OF THIS WORLD is judged.”
Eph. 2:2, “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the PRINCE OF THE POWER OF THE AIR, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” Satan is the great MIMIC, the great MOCKER. He tries to be all that God is. He tries to usurp the power and the glory that belongs only to God. The Lord is the PRINCE OF LIFE; he is King of kings, and Lord of lords. All power and authority belongs to him. But Satan, the “prince of this world,” has his own little “principality” of usurped influence. And in this “principality” of usurped influence God suffers Satan to have his way—for awhile. Bear in mind that a “principality” is the “TERRITORY OF A PRINCE,” in this case, the “prince of this world.” In his own time God will crush the adversary—and his principalities—under his heel. But until that day comes the saints are at war with these “principalities and powers.” While these “principalities and powers” are such that God can crush them whenever he will—they are mighty empires to us, and it requires our greatest effort, with all the strength that God gives us to stand against them.
Against POWERS We must never underestimate the power of the enemy. The word that is translated “powers” is “exousia.” It signifies power, even to the extent of “superhuman” power. It also signifies “delegated influence.” But we will get back to that in a minute. Satan and his followers are able to exercise enormous power within his own territory.
Against the RULERS of the DARKNESS of this world Satan is the “prince of this world,” and his power is “the power of darkness.”
Luke 22:53, “But this is your hour, and the POWER OF DARKNESS.”
He works in “darkness,” and he exercises his power through the “power of darkness.” He keeps his subjects under control by keeping them in the dark. He claims to give them light (Lucifer means “the bright one, or the shining one”), while he keeps them in the greatest darkness. And he exercises this power through his many “RULERS.” To advance his cause Satan has overspread the world with his many rulers. Satan is not omnipresent; he goes “to and fro in the earth” (Job 1:7). If he goes “to and fro,” it is obvious that he is not everywhere at the same time. And because he cannot be everywhere at the same time, he does the next best thing; he scatters his leaders—his RULERS—where he cannot always be. And to gain for these “rulers” as much power as he can, he has set up his hierarchies, with their many levels of authority, to assist them, and to give them authority, and credibility. His “rulers” would not be able to accomplish much if they could only speak for themselves, but because he has set up his many organizations, his many graded hierarchies, with these leaders speaking for their various constituencies, these “rulers” are able to speak with an authority, and a credibility, which they would not otherwise have. And because they have these organizations, these hierarchies, they are able to RULE over those who have chosen to place them in authority and to follow them. And this leads us very naturally to the meaning of the “powers” under consideration. The word that is translated “powers” is “exousia,” and it means “power,” even to the extent of “superhuman power.” It also means “delegated influence.” By the means of these hierarchies, these “principalities,” these “rulers” are able to exercise power such as no human—no one human—could possibly have. And they do that by the means of a “delegated influence,” by the power that has been delegated to them by the many members of their organizations.
And we would not dare to ignore the fact that there are SPIRITUAL FORCES, “UNCLEAN SPIRITS,” in the world, which do exert a kind of influence (“superhuman power”) that we do not claim to understand. Those spirits were in the world during the time of the Lord and the apostles, and they opposed their work, and it would be naive to think that they were no longer around, or that they no longer exercise their diabolical powers. We could not doubt that those spirits, or demons, or devils (call them what you will) do have a profound and mysterious effect of events in our day.
Against spiritual wickedness in high places These “high places” are the high places that men are able to climb to in this life. Men of great natural ability are able to gain very high stations in life, and to exercise enormous influence over their fellow men. And Satan aspires to place his followers in those “high places.” For the most part, Satan does his work through hierarchies, through organizations of graded authority. And anywhere you find hierarchies, you should be very wary. MAN HAS NEVER BEEN ABLE TO PUT TOGETHER ANY ORGANIZATION THAT SATAN COULD NOT TAKE OVER. That applies to any kind of organization that man has ever put together, whether it be political, or civil, or religious. If you can organize it, Satan can operate it. And you can be sure that if you do organize it, to one degree or another, Satan will operate it. With any hierarchy there comes an arrogance, a kind of pride, that is totally alien to the nature of the true church. This is the reason that God did not provide his church with any kind of hierarchy. Christ is the King, the ONE HEAD, over the church, and all the other members of the church are on a level.
Against SPIRITUAL WICKEDNESS in high places The church has never had nearly so much trouble with those who are simply immoral and wicked in their day to day conduct as she has had with SPIRITUAL WICKEDNESS. It is against those who are spiritually wicked that we must contend the most. The drunkards, and thieves, and murderers, of the Lord’s day did not persecute him. It was the religious leaders of that day—the scribes, and Pharisees, and Sadducees. Those were the most religious people of that day—and they were the greatest enemies of the truth. Satan does his greatest damage when he pretends to be a follower of the Lord.
II Cor. 11:13-15, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”
6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand.
Wherefore Paul has pointed out the great and dangerous warfare in which the saints are engaged. Now, because we are engaged in such a warfare, he gives us instructions as to how to protect ourselves. The times are too dangerous, and the adversary is too cunning, for us to go into battle without the proper preparation.
Wherefore TAKE unto you the whole armor of God The key word is “take.” We are not to make armor; we are to “take” the armor that God has already provided. Any armor that we might make would be like Saul’s armor (I Sam. 17:38,39). David could not use Saul’s armor, because he had not “proved them.” But God’s armor has been proven. The saints have been proving God’s armor all down through the ages. It has protected them and kept them safe in every day and age.
The WHOLE armor of God It is not sufficient to follow the Lord and trust him in some things; if we are going to follow him, we must trust him, and rely on his armor, in all things. There is not one item in this list of armor that we can do without, and still be safe in this warfare.
That ye may be able to WITHSTAND in the evil day To “withstand” signifies more than just standing; it signifies “to oppose, to resist, to endure.” It indicates that there is an attack coming. And those who stand for the right can expect that there is an attack coming.
II Tim. 3:12, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus SHALL SUFFER PERSECUTION.” Paul does not leave any doubt. The “evil day” will come. If we live godly, and stand for the right, the adversary will retaliate. He will attack, and it is only when we are protected by the armor that God provides that we are “able to withstand.”
And having done all to STAND Sometimes the only thing we know to do is to STAND. We do not know whether to turn to the right hand or to the left. The difficult questions of the hour confuse us. We hear conflicting voices, all of them claiming to be in the right. When we do not know anything else to do, we can still STAND. We can simply stand firm on the sure and simple principles that have served us all along. We need never be ashamed that the only thing we know to do is to stand. Some great and mighty deliverances have come to those who have had the courage to simply stand where they were. God told Moses to “STAND STILL, and see the salvation of the Lord” (Ex. 14:13). He stood still, and saw one of the mightiest deliverances that God has ever provided for any people, when God divided the Red Sea, and the Children of Israel marched through on dry ground.
6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness.
Stand therefore Again Paul tells us to stand. In our warfare it is ever so important that we stand our ground, that we be ready to stand and fight, that we do not turn and run. Paul lists several items of armor that God has provided for us; but he has provided NO ARMOR FOR THE BACK. If we turn and run, we are in jeopardy.
Having your loins girt about with truth The very first item he mentions is truth. It is truth that introduces us to all the others. If we are not acquainted with the truth, we will never understand what any of these weapons are for, nor even understand that we are engaged in a battle. It is the “loins” that are girt about with truth. The bulk of physical strength is in the loins. We will never have the strength we need, if we are not “girt about with truth.” Peter gives us some insight into what this girding is all about.
I Pet. 1:13, “Wherefore GIRD UP THE LOINS OF YOUR MIND, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Truth gives strength, and determination, and direction, to the MIND. It strengthens the mind and protects it against the fierce onslaughts of the adversary and his “cunningly devised fables.”
Luke 12:35, “Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning.”
And having on the breastplate of righteousness This is not talking about our righteousness. Isaiah says that “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isa. 64:6), and the filthy rags of our righteousness make very poor armor. This is talking about the righteousness of Christ. Paul refers to it as “the breastplate of faith and love” (I Thess. 5:8). It is faith in the righteousness of Christ, and love for him that protect us against the accusations of the adversary. Satan can accuse us; he can point out our many shortcomings, and we cannot deny that we are guilty. But this “accuser of our brethren is cast down” (Rev. 12:10); his accusations are no longer valid. We are not trusting our own righteousness to protect us. We serve God to the best of our ability, and still we know that our obedience is not enough. But faith in him and in his imputed righteousness provides us the defense we need. The breastplate protects the heart and the other vital organs. Faith in the righteousness of Christ, as his only hope of heaven, protects the heart of the little child of God from being so cast down—at the thought of his own sinfulness—that he could not endure the accusations that come his way.
6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
He has been encouraging us to stand; now he tells us how to stand. Feet have to do with walking and standing, and we are to stand or walk, having our feet PREPARED by the gospel. Without the instruction that we receive from God, we do not know how to walk, or to stand.
Jer. 10:23, “It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.”
The gospel instructs us where to stand, and how to stand; it tells us what to stand for, and what to stand against.
Isa. 52:7, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the FEET of him that bringeth good tidings, that PUBLISHETH PEACE; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth.”
The gospel of peace “Peace within forms a beautiful contrast to the conflict raging without. We maintain peace with God so long as we maintain war with Satan” (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown).
Isa. 26:3, “Thou wilt keep him in PERFECT PEACE, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee.”
Phil 4:7, “And the PEACE OF GOD, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
ABOVE ALL taking the shield of faith He places faith—believing, and trusting, and relying on God—above all else. There is no other armor that protects us nearly so well as simply taking God at his word. Those who are constantly doubting God, and questioning him, are always in danger.
Wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked “Our enemy the devil is here called THE WICKED ONE. He is wicked himself, and he endeavors to make us wicked. His temptations are called DARTS, because of their swift and undiscerned flight, and the deep wounds that they give to the soul: FIERY DARTS, by way of allusion to the poisonous darts which were wont to inflame the parts which were wounded with them, and therefore were so called, as the serpents with poisonous stings are called fiery serpents. Violent temptations, by which the soul is set on fire of hell, are the darts which Satan shoots at us. Faith is the shield with which we must quench these fiery darts” (Matthew Henry).
I John 5:9, “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our FAITH.”
I Pet. 5:9, “Whom resist steadfast in the FAITH, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”
6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And take the helmet of salvation In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul instructs them to put on “for an helmet the HOPE of salvation” (I Thess. 5:8). Since Paul uses the terms interchangeably, they obviously mean the same thing. The “salvation” that is to be our helmet in this warfare is the “hope of salvation” that provides us comfort and assurance in this life. Bear in mind that the entire passage has to do with the warfare that the children of God engage in, right here in this life. It does not have to do with gaining eternal heaven. It has to do with our conflict with “spiritual wickedness in high places” in this world. The helmet is provided to protect the head, the SEAT OF UNDERSTANDING. The gospel does not give divine life; but it does bring understanding. It does not save anybody from eternal hell; but IT DOES SAVE THEM from the misconduct, and despair, and confusion, that they were in, before they heard and understood the gospel.
I Tim. 4:16, “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this, thou shalt both SAVE THYSELF, and them that hear thee.”
And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God In talking about this spiritual armor, Paul began with the “loins girt about with TRUTH;” he closes it with “the sword of the Spirit, which is the WORD OF GOD.” He ends where he began. Our warfare begins and ends with the word of God. Any other guide will lead us astray. Notice that the “word of God” is “the sword of the SPIRIT.” It is a spiritual weapon. Paul said, “The weapons of our warfare are NOT CARNAL, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” (II Cor. 10:4). Those who believe they can study the Bible, and use the Bible in the same way they use any other book are wrong. It is a spiritual weapon, and it can only be used as we are assisted by the Spirit. If the Spirit does not use the Scriptures as its mighty sword, to drive the truth home into our hearts, we will never benefit from it. Without this enlightening of the Spirit we are completely unable to understand its most precious principles, and to benefit from them.
I Cor. 2:14, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are SPIRITUALLY DISCERNED.”
6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.
Praying ALWAYS with all prayer and supplication It is obviously not possible to be constantly on our knees in prayer, nor to go around every moment of the day, calling on God in prayer. There are other things that we must do some of the time. But Paul does tell us to pray “always,” and he tells the Thessalonians to “pray without ceasing” (I Thess. 5:17). It is not necessary to try to explain the text away. It means just what it says. Prayer does not require a multitude of words, and for that matter, it does not always require words. Paul says that the Spirit makes intercession for us “with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Rom. 8:26), with groanings which cannot be put into words. There is a saying that “prayer is the sincere desire of the heart, unuttered and unheard.” There is very much of truth in the thought. Any prayer that does not involve the “sincere desire of the heart” is not really prayer; and that “sincere desire of the heart” does not really require words. And in that sense, it is possible to be in an entirely prayerful frame of mind, while we are occupied in other activities. And, considering the danger of the times, and our own personal weakness, we need very desperately to be constantly begging God for his assistance to sustain us every hour of the day. The very instant that we lose sight of that fact, we are in danger.
Luke 18:1, “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men OUGHT ALWAYS TO PRAY and not to faint.”
Rom. 12:12, “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing INSTANT IN PRAYER.”
Col. 4:2, “CONTINUE IN PRAYER, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.”
Prayer and supplication Paul makes a distinction. There is more to prayer than asking for the things we need. Prayer involves adoration, praising God for all he is and all he does. And it involves thanksgiving for all he has done, and “supplication,” humbly asking for all the things we need for him to do.
In the Spirit Prayer that is not “in the Spirit” is not really prayer. There is a difference between reciting words and praying. God complained to Israel about their insincere prayers.
Isa. 29:13, “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men.”
It is the Spirit that gives force to our prayers, and makes the difference between praying and reciting vain and meaningless words. The Spirit enables those to pray, who are completely at a loss for words, and even at a loss to know what to ask for.
Rom. 8:26, 27, “Likewise the SPIRIT HELPETH OUR INFIRMITIES: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the SPIRIT ITSELF MAKETH INTERCESSION for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”
Jude 20, “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, PRAYING IN THE HOLY GHOST.”
And WATCHING thereunto We are taught to WATCH and to pray. The two are very often found together. We are not to be so simple, and trusting that we believe everybody is interested in our welfare. There are evil forces in the world, and we need to keep our eyes open.
Matt. 26:41, “WATCH AND PRAY, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Mark 13:33, “Take ye heed, WATCH AND PRAY: for ye know not when the time is.”
I Pet. 4:7, “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therfore sober, and WATCH UNTO PRAYER.”
With all perseverance If our prayer is not answered soon, we ought to keep on praying. Sometimes our prayer is not answered, because we are asking for the wrong thing. God sometimes answers our prayers in the negative. Sometimes he says, “No, you can’t have it; you don’t need it; it would not be to your benefit.” But sometimes we ask for the right thing, and still God does not immediately give us what we ask for. Prayer is not some kind of spiritual switch that turns God on and off, like a automatic dispenser. God answers in his own time and way. You cannot rush him. If you are convinced that what you are asking God for is for his glory, and your benefit, KEEP ASKING. In Luke 18:1-8, the Lord told of a judge, “which feared not God, nor regarded man,” but because a certain widow kept coming to him with her request, he finally gave her what she asked for. He went on to say, “Shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, THOUGH HE BEAR LONG WITH THEM” (vs 7).
And supplication FOR ALL SAINTS Our prayers are usually so selfish. We pray too little to start with, and when we do pray, almost all of our requests are for our own personal benefit. We pray, “Gimme, gimme, gimme.” Our prayers will never really be what they ought to be, until we are less selfish in our requests.
6:19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel.
And for me Paul has just asked them to make “supplication for all saints,” and he is careful to put himself in the request. While they are praying for others, he asks them to pray for him. Paul was very different from many in this day. We hear preachers today inviting their followers to write to them, and they promise to pray for those who write. They seem to think they have a connection with heaven that their people do not have. But Paul requests the people to pray for him. One of the most heart-touching pleas in the Bible is Paul’s request to the members of the church at Rome to pray for him (Rom 15:30-16:15). He was writing to obscure members, most of whom we never read about at any other time in the Bible; but Paul was convinced that they were a praying people, and that when they prayed, God heard and answered their prayers.
That utterance may be given to me Every preacher who endeavors to preach the gospel is dependent on God to assist him in the effort. If ever there was a man, who might have been sufficiently prepared to preach on his own, Paul was the man. He was the most highly trained of all the apostles. He was trained “at the feet of Gamaliel,” one of the foremost educators of that day (Acts 22:3). He excelled above his fellow students (Gal. 1:14), and he is clearly the best known of all of the apostles. But he was always aware of his great dependence on God to assist him to preach.
I Cor. 2:1-4, “And I brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined to not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.”
That I may open my mouth BOLDLY There is a boldness that comes with the assistance of the Spirit. In himself the preacher may be weak and timid, but when he is empowered by the Spirit of God, he has a boldness that is not his own. A little rabbit can be as bold as a lion, when God’s Spirit is with him.
Acts 4:13, “Now when they saw the BOLDNESS of peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.”
Acts 4:29, “And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all BOLDNESS they may speak thy word.”
To make known the MYSTERY of the gospel There are mysteries connected with the gospel that no man can entirely unravel. If men could entirely explain them, they would not be mysteries. Paul calls the resurrection a “mystery” (I Cor. 15:51); no man can explain how God will raise the dead. The Bible teaches very clearly that it will happen; but it never explains how it will be done. We could not understand it, if it was explained. And he calls the incarnation a “mystery” (I Tim. 3:16). If the very heaven of heavens cannot contain him, we cannot understand how the Son of God could be born of a virgin, and have such a body as we have. We believe the fact of it, but we can never explain how it was done. But probably the greatest mystery of all is the “mystery of his will” (Eph. 1:9). God acts according to his will, and we can never entirely understand that will. Above all, we cannot understand how that a wise, and holy God could love poor, hell-deserving sinners, and work out such a grand scheme to save them from hell, and prepare for them a home with him in heaven.
I Cor. 15:51, “Behold, I shew you a MYSTERY; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.”
I Tim. 3:16, “And without controversy great is the MYSTERY of godliness: GOD WAS MANIFEST IN THE FLESH, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”
Eph. 1:9, “Having made known unto us the MYSTERY OF HIS WILL, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself.”
6:20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
For which I am an AMBASSADOR An ambassador is an official who lives in a foreign land, and represents his homeland, and looks out for the interests of his fellow countrymen, who also live in that foreign land. Paul says that we are “ambassadors for Christ.”
II Cor. 5:20, “Now then we are AMBASSADORS for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us.” The minister is God’s spokesman; he proclaims the word of God; he expounds and explains God’s message to his people, who are still living here in this foreign land. His concern is for the spiritual welfare of heaven’s citizens, while they sojourn here in this strange land.
An ambassador in BONDS International law provides “diplomatic immunity” for ambassadors; it is illegal to place them in bonds. But Paul was an ambassador, and he was “in bonds.” The rulers of this world have never been on good relations with our king, and they do not respect his ambassadors. They would destroy his kingdom, and do away with all his people, if they could. It should be no surprise that they arrest and persecute his ambassadors. But though they persecute his people, and arrest his ambassadors, they cannot bind the word of God. The gospel prospers as much under adversity as it does in more peaceful times. For that matter, adversity has done more to spread the gospel than it has ever been able to do to stop it.
II Tim. 2:9, “Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but THE WORD OF GOD IS NOT BOUND.”
That therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak There is a boldness that comes with knowing that we are heaven’s ambassadors. The gospel minister has all the authority of the revealed word of God behind him. There has never been a more authoritative book written than the Bible. And if the preacher knows that what he says is in agreement with the scriptures, he has no cause to be afraid of any man. He need never be afraid of contradiction. Truth will never contradict the Bible, and why should he be alarmed if falsehood opposes him.
Rom. 8:31, “What shall we then say to these things? IF GOD BE FOR US, who can be against us?”
6:21 But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things.
But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do At the time Paul wrote this letter he was in Rome under what we would now call “house arrest.”
Acts 28:30,31, “And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.”
He wanted the various churches to know how he was getting along. His enemies had done all they could do to stop him, and yet, they were unsuccessful. He was still preaching. He could not travel at will, but he “received all that came to him.” He wanted the churches to know that the work went on. Had they thought that Paul had been completely silenced, it would, no doubt, have discouraged them.
Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord The Ephesians were probably already aquainted with Tychicus. Paul had preached at Ephesus for three years (Acts 20:31), and Tychicus had been one of Paul’s traveling companions prior to that (Acts 20:4). So it is possible, since Tychicus was with Paul in Rome, and he had been with Paul before he went to Ephesus, that he might have been with Paul during the three years that he preached at Ephesus. At any rate, he had traveled with Paul, and Paul had great confidence in him. Paul calls him “beloved,” and “faithful,” and he is sure that he will give the Ephesians an accurate account of his circumstances.
Shall make known to you all things Those who complain that folks are forever watching them would probably bear watching. Paul was perfectly happy for them to know everything that Tychicus could tell them. He did not have any secrets.
6:22 Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts.
Whom I have sent unto you FOR THE SAME PURPOSE Paul sent Tychicus to carry this message to Ephesus, and he sent him to carry the SAME MESSAGE to Colosse (Col. 4:7,8), and he probably sent him to Crete to carry a message to Titus (Tit. 3:12).
II Tim. 4:12, “And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus.”
Col. 4:7,8, “All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellowservant in the Lord: Whom I have sent unto FOR THE SAME PURPOSE, that he might know your estate, and comfort your hearts.”
Tit. 3:12, “When I shall send Artemus unto thee, or Tychicus, be diligent to come unto me to Nicopolis: for I have determined there to winter.”
Tychicus was Paul’s messenger. But it is significant that Paul points out that it was FOR THE SAME PURPOSE that he sent Tychicus to Ephesus, and Colosse, and Crete. He simply sent him to carry a message about his welfare, and to comfort the churches. Paul, no doubt, instructed Tychicus to comfort them concerning his present condition. Paul was not trying to assign Tychicus to any field of labor. The apostles did not have the authority to assign the field of labor to each other, nor to the ministers, who labored with them. The nearest thing we find in all of the New Testament to any preacher sending another preacher on a preaching mission was when Paul tried to send Apollos to Corinth.
I Cor. 16:12, “As touching our brother Apollos, I GREATLY DESIRED HIM to come unto you with the brethren: but HIS WILL WAS NOT AT ALL TO COME at this time; but he will come when he shall have convenient time.”
Notice that Paul says that he “greatly desired him” to go. Paul tried very hard to get Apollos to go to Corinth; but APOLLOS FLATLY REFUSED TO GO. It appears that the Spirit has put that account in the scriptures to provide us with proof that no man has the authority to assign another man his field of labor.
That ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts Paul is making very clear the limited request he has made of Tychicus. He was simply sent to carry a message from Paul, and to comfort the Ephesians concerning Paul’s circumstances.
6:23 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
He closes the letter the way he began, by praying for the benefits of the Spirit on them. He desires that they might enjoy peace, love, and faith. Those are all the “fruit of the Spirit.” Men cannot manufacture these benefits. Where you find the fruit, you can be sure that the Spirit is present. He is praying that this fruit may “abound” in their hearts and lives.
Gal. 5:22, “But the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT is LOVE, joy, PEACE, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, FAITH.”
II Pet. 1:8, “For if these things be in you, and ABOUND, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
From God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ If a benefit comes from the Father, it also comes from the Son. There is no discord in the Trinity. They are in perfect agreement.
6:24 Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
“Sincerity” is the hallmark of the obedient child of God. It is significant that Paul closes out this very profound epistle with a benediction on “sincerity.” No service means anything if it is not sincere. Without sincerity, any worship is nothing more than mockery.
II Cor. 1:12, “For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and GODLY SINCERITY, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.”