56 Ephesians

III

33 1

EPHESIANS

16 17

THE LETTER OF PAUL TO THE C HU RCH AT E P H ES U S

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18

19

20

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21

Address and Greetin gs Rm 1:1 + Ac 9:13 +

1

From Pau l, appointed by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, to th e sain ts' who a re faithful to C hrist Jesus : .Grace and peace to you from G od ou r Father and from the Lord Jesus C hrist.

22 2

23

2:3

the pledge of our inheri tan ce which brings freedom for those whom God has taken for his own ,> to make his glory praised.

14

15

EPHESIANS

The triumph and the supremacy of Christ T hat will explain why I, having once heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus, a nd the love that yo u show " towa rds all the sa ints, •have never failed to remember you in my prayers and to thank God for you . • May the God of ou r Lord Jesus Christ, the Fat her of glory , give you a spirit r of wisdom and perception of what is revealed , to bring you to full knowledge of him. • May he enlighten the eyes of your mind- so that you can see what ho pe his call holds for you, what rich glories he has promised the sain ts will inh erit -a nd how infinitely great is the power that he has exercised for us believers. T his you can tell from the strength of his power -at work in C hrist, when he used it to raise him from the dead and to make him sit at his right hand , in heaven , •far abov e every Sovereignt y, Authority, Power, or Domination,' or any oth er name that can be named, not only in this age but also in the age to come.• He has put all things under his feet, and made him, as the ruler of everything, the head of the Church ; 'which is his body, the fullness of him who fills the whole creation,«

2 Co 1:22 + Rm 3:24+ Ps 66:2

IICo l 1:3-4.9 Phm4-5 Ac 9:13 + I Co 13:13 + 3:14 ,16

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Ex 24:16+

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1 I n 5:20 Hcb3:1 Ac9:1 3 + 3:20 I P 1:5 Is 52:13 Co l 2:12 Ac 2:33 -1 · 1 P 3:22 Col 1:16; 2:15 Ph 2:9 Ps8:6 I Co 15:2425 Col1 :18 'c. 19 +

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Salvation in Christ a free gift And you were dead, through the crimes and the sins -in which you used to live when you were following the way of this world, obeying the ruler who governs the air," the spirit who is at work in the rebellious.• Web all were amo ng them

I. THE MYSTER Y OF SALVATION AN D OF THE CHU RCH

2

God 's plan of salvatio n Tb 13:1

Ga 3:14

Irrl rtf!

Ex 15:16 In 17:24 1 P 1:20 5:27 I' Co 1:8 + I In 3:1 J. I:12 Rm 8:29

R m 3:24 + I!Col l :13-14 Heb 1:3 2:7

Rm 16:25+

Mk 1: 15

Ga 4:4 + C ol 1:16.20 DI7 :6 + Col 1:12 Is 46:10 RV4:11

Ps 66:2

A c 1:4

IICo l l:5; 2:9 Hcb 6: 12 4:30 2 Co 1:22 Ac 2:33 + Rm5:5 +

Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in C hrist. " Before the world was mad e, he chose us, chos e us in Christ, to be holy and spotless, a nd to live through love' in his presence, determini ng that we should become his adopted son s," through Jesu s C hrist for his own kind purposes, to mak e us praise the glory of his grace ,' his free gift to us in the Belo ved," in whom, through his blood, we ga in our freedom, the forgivenes s of our sins. o Such is the richness of the grac e which he" has showered on us in all wisdom and insight. He has let us know the mystery of his purpose,' the hidden plan he so kindly made in Christ from the beginning to act upon when the times had ru n their course to the end; ' that he wou ld bri ng every thing toget her under Christ, as head, everyt hing in the heavens a nd everything on earth. k A nd it is in him' that we were claimed as God's own, '" chosen from the beginning, under the predetermined plan of the one who guides all things as he decides by his own will; chosen to be, for his greater glory , the peop le who wo uld put their hopes in Christ before he cam e. Now you too," in him, have heard the message of the truth and the goo d news of your salvation, and have believed it; and you too have been stamped with the seal of the Holy Spir it of the Pro mise, 0

1

4

10

II

12

13

a . Ad d. 'who a re at E phesus' . The wo rds ' a t Ep he sus' wer e probabl y not pa rt o f th e o ri gina l te xt. Th e wo rd s 'who are' could be part of a very earl y addit ion. So me cr itics th ink the y are authent ic. that th ey were fo llowed b y a b la nk to be ti lled in with t he name of whicheve r church was being sen t the letter , b . All the way throu gh the letter, 1:20; 2:6; 3:10 : 6: 12, Pau l reverts to this openi n g refe re nce to he ave n. The sp irit ual blessings lis ted in th e fol lowing ve rses must wa it ti ll the end of the wo rld before they can be fu lly rea lise d in heaven where t hey have be en form ulated st ncc a ll ete rn ity. c. Fi rst blessin g: th rough their uni on with th e glorified C hr ist the fa ithful a lready eniov. in a hidde n sort of way, th e et ernal ha pp iness to which th e chosen are ca lled. ' l o ve' he re is primarily the lo ve God ha s for u s, a nd th at leads him to 'cho ose' us an d to call u s ro be -no tv ' i cr. Co l 3: 12 ; 1 T h 1:4 ; J T h2: 13: Rm 11;28. b u t does not excl ude ou r love for God th a t r esu lt s fr om a nd is a res ponse to hi s ow n lo ve fo r u s, cf. R m 5:5. d . Second blessi ng: Jesus C hri s t, the on ly So n , is bo t h the sou rce and th e m od el of t he way God ha s c hosen fo r us to become ho ly, i.e. by adorning us as hi s he irs . cf. R m 8:29. e . The wo rd ' urace' ( charts t as it is used he re e mp hasises not so m uch th e in te ri o r gift that m ak es a h um an be ing hol y, as th e grat uitousness of G od 's favour and the way he m an ifests his glory. cf. E x 24: 16f. T hese are the two t he mes thai ru n through this a cco unt of G od ' s blessi ngs: their source is God 's liberality, a nd the ir purpose is to mak e hi s glory appreciat ed by cre atures . Eve rything comes fr om him , and eve rything s ho u ld lead to hi m . f . Var. (V u lg) 'hi s belove d Son'. g . T h ird bl essin g: o u r re de mp tion by an e ve nt in time. i.e. the deat h of Jesus. h. God the Father. I. Fo ur th bles sin g: the revelation of the 'mystery' , Rm 16:25f. I. Lit. ' for a dispensation of th e times' full ness ',

er, Ga 4:4f. k . T he ma in the me of this letter is how t he who le body of c rea tio n, ha vin g been cut o ff from the C rea tor by sin , is decompo sin g, a nd ho w its rebir th is effec ted by Christ re uniting a ll its p arts into an orga n ism with

h im se lf as the hea d , so a s to re attach it t o God. The human (Jew and pa gan ) a nd th e a nge lic worlds are br ought toge the r a ga in through th e fa ct th at they were s a ved by a s in gle act , c f. 4: lOr. l. C hris t. m. F ift h ble ssing : th e Jew s a re chose n to be the human share a llotted to God, and are to be his witness unti l the coming of the Messiah. Paul, be ing a J ew, here us es ·we'. n. Sixth b lessing: the pagans a re called t o s ha re the sal va t ion th a t had, till then, been rese r ve d for the J ew s ; th at th ey w ill be sav ed is proved by th e fac t th a t th e y receive t he Sp irit as was promised. o . Pa u l co m pletes hi s tri nitarian accou nt of G od's plan wit h t he Spirit, si nce the giving of th e Sp iri t shows th e plan has reached its final stage. Neve r the less, though th is gift h as a lrea dy beg un , it is on ly given in a h idden wa y white th e u ns p irit ual worl d las ts , a nd will onl y be given fully when the k ingdom of G od is co mp let e a nd C hrist comes in glo ry . p , Lit. ' the setting free of that (e ns la ved p eople) which ha s bee n a cq uired' i.e. b y G o d. and at the co s t of the life of hi s Son. T his is on e o f the oc c asio ns wh en Pa u l widen s an a.T. concept (lik e 'bl essing' , 'saint ' , 'choice ' . 'adoption', 'recemeuon'. 's hare' , ' p ro m ise' ) by applying it to the C hu rch as the new Is rael and the body of the saved . q , Om. 'a nd the love that you show'. r . T hi s gift is wh at tec hnically wo u ld be ca lled (a c tual) grace . s. 1 it. ' hea r t ' : used in t he Bible for the seat of k nowledge as well as of lov e. t. N am es t raditiona l in Jew ish literature for a n gelic hierarch ies . u. Lit. 'fills a ll in all' . T he C hu rch , as the body of C h ri st 1 C o 12:12f, can be called t he Iulnes s (nteroma ; cf. intra 3: 19; 4:13) in so far as it includes the who le new c reation tha t shares (s ince it for ms the set ti ng of t he human ra ce) in t he co sm ic rebirth under C hr is t its ruler a nd hea d , cf. C o l l : 15-20f. T he a dve rb ia l ph rase ' a ll in a ll' is used to SUR Re'it so me thing of limitless size, cf. 1 C o 12;6 ; 15:28 ; Co I3 :1!. 2 a. Air is t he ha bita t of demons a nd of t he ir ru ler Sat an . b. P aul writes as a Je w.

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IICoI2:13 : 3:7 H eb 6:1+ 6:12+ I n 12:31 2 Co 4:4

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Ex 34:6 + Rm 5:8 IIC ,,12:13 Rm8: 11 + Co I2: 12; 3:1-4 D19:6

Ps 22:30-31

DI8: 17-18 Rm 1:16 + 2C05:17 +

EPH E SI A N S

33 2

too in the pas t, living sensua l lives, ru led ent irely by our own phys ical des ires an d our own ideas; so tha t by natu re we were as muc h under Go d's a nger as the rest of the world. •But Go d loved us with so much love th at he was genero us with his mercy: - whe n we e were dead through o ur sins, he bro ugh t us to life with C h ristv-i- it is t hrough grace that you have bee n saved -·and raised us u p with him and gave us a place with him in hea ven , in Ch rist Jes us.' This was to show for all ages to come, th rough his goo dness towards us in Christ Jesus, how infinitely rich he is in gra ce.• Because it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith; not by anyt hing of your own, but by a gift from God; 'not by anyth ing that you have done, so that nob ody ca n cla im the credit. We are God's work of ar t, crea ted in Christ Jesus to live the good life as from the beginn ing he had mean t us to live it.

333 13

Co l 1:2 1.27 Rm 9:4-5 2: 17

Ps 148:14 Is 9: 5 Ga 3:28' 1Co I2: 14 +

Col 3: 14- 15

Is 57: 19 Zc 9: 10 4:4

3: 12 + 2 Co 13: 13 + Ex 12:48 + Ps 122:3-4 Ac 9:13 + Id 8: 16 Rm 15:20 I Co 3:lOf 2 Co 6: 16 4:11-12 Rv 2 1:14 1 Co ]: 16+ I P 2:5 IICo l 1:24-29 4: 1 Ph 1: 13 Co 1 4: 18

2 Tm 2:9

16 8

Rm 16:25 + I C o 7:40 2 Co 11:5f 4 :1/

In 14:26 +

2:12- 19

2 Co 3:6 C ol 1:23 I Th2:4 I Co /5 :8/ Ga 2:8 P h 4: 13 Co l 1:29

I C o 2:7-9 + I P 1:12

1:4 2:18

Rin 5:1

17 18

10

19

20 21

Do not forget, th en, that there was a time when you! who were pagans I I physically , termed t he Unc ircumcised by those who spea k of themselves as the Ci rcumcision by reason of a phys ical operation, -do not forget, I say, th at 12 you had no C h ristv and were excluded from membership of Israe l, aliens with no part in the cove na nts with the ir Pro mise;" you were immersed in th is world, witho ut hopei a nd witho ut God.' • But no w in Christ Jesus, yo u t ha t used to be 13 so far apart from us ha ve been brought ver y close, by the blood of Ch rist." For he is the peace between us, a nd has made the two int o one a nd bro ken 14 do wn th e barri er which used to keep them apart,' act ua lly destr oying in his . own person the hosti lity -ca used by the rules and decrees of the Law. '" T his 15 was to crea te o ne single N ew Man " in himself out of the two of them a nd by restor ing peace -thro ugh the cross, to unite them both in a single Body« a nd 16 reco ncile them with God . In his own person he killed the hostil ity. -Later he 17 ca me" to bring the goo d news of peace, peace to y ou who were fa r a way and peace to those who were near at hand. -Thro ugh him, both of us have in the o ne Sp irit q 18 o ur way to co me to the Fa ther. So yo u T a re no lon ger aliens o r fo reign visito rs: you are citizens like all t he 19 sa ints, a nd pa rt of Go d's household. •You a re part of a bu ilding tha t has the 20 a po stles a nd pro phets' for its foundatio ns, and C hrist Jesus himself for its mai n co rners to ne. ·As every' st ructure is aligned on him , all grow into o ne holy temple 2 1 in the Lo rd; -a nd you too, in him , a re being built into a ho use wher e God lives, 22 in the Spirit. Paul, a servant of the mystery er of Chr ist Jes us for the sa ke of you pagans. . . •Yo u have 3 SoprobaI, Pablyul,heara prison d how I ha ve been ent rusted by G od with th e grace" he mean t for yo u, -a nd that it was by a revelatio n" that I was given the kno wledge of the mys tery, as I ha ve j ust desc ribed it very shortly. • If you rea d my wor ds, yo u will have so me idea of the dept hs that I see in the myst ery of Ch rist. -This mystery that has now been revealed through the Spirit to his holy apostles a nd prophe tswas unknown to a ny men in pas t generations; -it mea ns that paga ns now share the same inheritance," tha t they are parts of th e sa me body, a nd t hat the sa me promise has been made to them , in Christ Jesus, thro ugh the gos pel. • I ha ve been made t he serva nt of tha t gospel by <1 gift of gra ce fro m Go d who ga ve it to me by his own power. • I, who am less tha n the leas t of all the saints, have been en tr usted with this special grace, not only of proclaimin g to th e pagans the infin ite tr easure of Christ • but also of ex plai n ing! how the mystery is to be disp ensed. Through all the ages , this has been kept hidde n in God, the creato r of everything. Why? -So that the Sovereig nties an d Powers shou ld learn! on ly now, thro ugh the Ch urch, how co mprehensive Go d's wisdo m rea lly is, exact ly accord ing to the plan which he had had from a ll eternity in Chris t Jesu s our Lord. -This is why we are bold enough to a pproach God in co mp lete

3:2 1

co nfidence, through our faith in him ; •so, I beg you , never lose co nfidence just beca use of the trial s th at I go th rough on yo ur acco unt: they a re you r glory.v

Col 1:22" Heb 4: 16 .. I P 3:18 .. Col 1.24 2 T m 1:8

Paul's prayer 14 15

Reconciliat ion of the Jews a nd the pagans with each other and with God

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E PHESIANS

10

II

12

This, then, is what I pray, kneeling before the Fa ther,' -frorn whom every 1:17 family, i whether spir itual or natural, takes its nam e: Out of his infinite glor y, may he give you the power through his Spirit 2 P 1:3 1:8+ for your hidden self to grow strong, 'so that Christ may live in your hearts Ac In 14:23 Rm 7:22+ through faith, and then, planted in love and built on love, ' you will with all Col 1:23: 2:7 the saints have strength to grasp the breadth a nd the length, the height and AColc 9:13+ 2:2 the depth ;' •until , know ing the love of Christ," which is beyond all knowledge,' you are filled with the utter fullness of Go d. m Col 2:9+ Glory be to him whose power, working in us, can do infinite ly more" than we . ~:~'lf:13 can ask or imagine; -g lory be to him from generation to generation in the C hurch a nd in Christ Jes us for ever a nd ever. Amen . c . 'We' he re mean s bo th the p aean s . and the Jews. cf. v , 3. V. 3 is a pa rent hes is.

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d . ' w it h C hr ist ' : var. ' i n C hr ist' . 'it is t hrou gh grace" : var , (Vu lg) ' t h r o u gh w hose grace'.

e , He re as in Co I2:12; 3' 1·4 t he use of th e past tense shows tha t the resu rrection a nd triumph of C h ris tia ns in heav en is co nside red as ac tua lly ex lsti na. wh er eas t he fu ture ten se in Rm 6:3- 11; 8: 1I ,I 7f treats it as sornet h tng that ha s st ill to take p lace . T reatt ng th e esc hatolo pica l rea lity as a lready existin g is a cha rac ter ist ic of Pa u l's lett er s writt en fro m pri so n. r. Th e de scrip tion of thi s p ast th at Pa u l now Rives is meant to a p ply to a ll pag an s in a gene ra l way - no t speci fica lly to th ose he is writ in g 10 . J:. I.e . yo u had no Mes s ia h . h . T he successive cov ena nts m ad e by God wit h Ab ra ha m. Isaac. Jaco b . M oses . Da vid etc .: cf. Ex 19: 1 + ; Lv 26:42.45 : Si 44· 45; Ws 18:22 : 2 M H:15 : Rm 9:4. i . Ho pe o f a Messi a h . wh ich was h it herto contlned to Isr ael. 1:12 . l . T he pa ga ns had m an y go ds but not the o ne tru e God , I Co 8:5f. k. T he cr uci fixio n of C h r ist th at br ou ght togeth er Jews and p agan s vv. 14-15, a nd reconc iled bot h with t he Father v v , 16·1 8. I. T he wa ll sc nar a u n g the co urt of th e Jew s from th e co urt of th e paeans in the Temp le. cr . Ac 2 1:28f. m . T he Mosaic La w Rave the Jews a pr ivileged s ta t u's and sep ar a ted the m from paeans. Jesu s abolis hed thi s Law by Iul ftll tnx it on ce for all on th e cross . Co l 2: 14 +. n . T h is New Ma n is t he prototype of th e ne w huma nit y t hat G od recreat ed (2 Co 5:17 ! ) in th e pe rs o n of C h rist , th e seco nd Adam (1 Co 15:45) aft er ki llin g t hc sinfu lly corr upt race of t he first Ada m in the cr uc i tl xi o n (R m 5: 12f ; 8:3; 1 Co 15:21l . T h i~ Ne w Ad am has been crea ted in ' the go od ness a nd holiness o f th e tru th ' 4:24 , a nd he is un iqu e becau se in h im th e bo u nd ar ies be tween a ny on e RfOUP and th e rest o f th e hum an race a ll di s appea r, Co l 3: 10f: Ga 3:27f. o . Th is ' s inalc Bod y' is bo t h t he p hys ica l bod Y o f Jesu s th at w us exec u ted by cr uci fixion . Co l 1:22 ,1 • a nd the C h urc h or ' m ys tic a l' bod y of Chr ist in wh ich, o nce they a re reconciled . a ll th e pa rts func tion ill th ei r ow n p lace. I Co 12: 12 f-. p. T h ro ugh the apostles who in his nam e pr each ed t he GOl1d News of salv at io n and pea ce . Q. T he o ne Spirit tha t elves life to th e si ng le body (o f C hris t w ho is nne with his C hu rc h) is the Ho ly Spirit who ha s cha nged t he form of th e body now it ha s risen . and by doin R so has com e do w n on eac h of th e pa rts of wh ich it is made up . T he t rini tar ian st ructure uf thi s SCI.:Iio n is repe a ted in v. 22. r . P a u l inser ts v v , 14· 18 (h ow C h r is t has uni ted pa ga ns an d Jews) be twee n his co ntras ting descrip t ions of pag an s be fo re (vv. 11-13 ) a nd after ( 19-22) co nvers io n . a. T he N.T. prophets, cf . 3:5 ; 4:1( ; Ac 11:27 1 , loKether with the apos tles. are the wit nesse s to who m the d ivine p lan was firs t revealed a nd wh o were th e nrst

to p rea ch th e G oo d New s. cf . Lk 11:49 : M t 23:34 ; 10:41. T h is is why I he C hu rch as we ll as bei ng fo u nded on C hr is t, I Co 3: 10f. is a lso said to be fou nded on th em . t . 'ev ery": var . ' the ent ire'. 3 a. V. 1 (co ntin ued in v. IS) br eaks off a bru ptly. the pare nt he tica l devel opment of vv, 2- 14 bei ng su ggested by th e m enti on of nagn ns in v. I . On th e grace of be ing th e ap o st le of th e pa gan s, cf . 3:7f; R m 1:5 : 15:15f ; I Co3: 10: Oa2:9, b . C f. 2 Co 12:1,7. Th c imm ed iat e refer en ce is to wha t was revealed to P aul on the way 10 Da mascus, ef. Ga 1:16 : Ac 9:15 : 22:21; 26: 16-18. c. T he N .T. p rophet s. cr. 2:20 + . T he O .T. p rophet s had o nly a n o bsc ure a nd im perf ect kn owled ge of th e myst er y of the Mess iah , cf. I P 1: 1Q..12 ; Mt I3 : !? d . l .e. as th e Jud aeo-Chri sri an s. cf . 2: 19. e. Var . (V u IR) "sho win g clearly to all ' . f . T he evil SPir its were un awar e o f God 's plan for sa lvatio n a nd so t hey per su ad ed hum a n be ings to cr ucify C hr is t, I Co 2:8 : and it is on ly the existen ce o f the C hu rc h th a t make s the m aware of it no w, er. I P 1: 12.

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:r: Va r. 'o ur s torv'. h. Ad d. ( Vu IK) ' of o ur Lo rd Jesu s C hris t'. I. A p lay o n th e G ree k word s for ' fat her ' a nd ' fam ily' ( pater ; natrta l: nat rta is used for a ny so cial i/:fOUP descended fro m a co mmo n a nces to r and t he on e ancestor co m m o n to hum an beings and aneels is God, the supreme Fat her . l. Sto ics used thi s ex p ressio n to mea n the to cnli tv of th e cos mos . Pa u l u ses it to s ug ges t th e cos m ic (u nc ti on o f C hr ist in the rebirth of the world . 11 co u ld he referre d to t he size o f rh e m yst ery of sa lva t io n . or p re fe ra bly to C hris t's uni ver sal lo ve on w hich (nex t verse ) t he mys ter y depends. Cf. 1:t7·I'}.23: 2:7; 3:8: C (11 2:2f. k . This love fo r us th at Ch rist proved bv acce n ung deat h. 5:2,25 ; Ga 2:20 . is ident ica l with the lo ve the fa the r has. 2:4 ,7; 2 Co 5: 14. 1tH9 ; Hm N:35.37.39 . rr. 1 Co 13:1 I . I. T he love o f ( ;od ca n no t be ' ~ r a s PC:d ' (v. 18. us inR a ph ih1S\lph il.:s l te rm technica l in Greek ) hut can be 'k now n' by a myst ic' s awareness of it th r ou gh lo ve , d . 1:17f: J: .1f : Ho 2:22 -t ; J n 10:14 r • T his a ware ne ss is so me th ing de eper t ha n scientltl c k no wledge . d . 1 Co 1.\. and is mo re lik e knowing tha t on e is lo ved by the o the r than kno w in g the o th er that on e loves, cf'. Ga 4:9: even a w ure ncss of thi s so rt ho weve r can never ' uru sp ' t his sor t llf lo ve. m. Lit. 'in order th a i yo u may be 'Hied to a ll th e fu lness (f/ fl'ru" ", ' (If (; (\0'. (var. ' in orde r [h at a ll t he fu lness o f God m ay be fUled · .) C h ris t wh o is filled wit h t he divine life nt ls C hr istians with it, Col 2:9, a nd in Ih is way a C hris tia n enters bot h the C h urc h and th e new COSm(l' which he he lp s to build a nd whi ch Is the Iutness uf t he tot a l C hrist, 1:23: 2:22: 4:12- 13; Col 2: 10 I . n . Va r. (V u lR') 'can do a ll' . g.

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EPHESIANS

A call to unit yO

I, the .pr isoner in the. Lo rd, implore yo u ther~fore to .lead a life wo rthy of yo ur Bear With one another chantably, In complete selflessness, Co I3:14- IS gent leness and patience. -Do all you can to preser ve the un ity of the Spirit by the I c~'ro:r;~ peace tha t binds yo u together. -There is one Bod y, one Spirit, just as yo u were all rg~2tIJ: called into one a nd the same ho pe when you were ca lled. -There is one Lord, one n~?j1i~ + fa ith, o ne baptism, -and one God who is Fa ther of all, over all, through all a nd wit hin a ll." Rm 12:6 Eac h one of us, howe ver, has been given his own share of grace," given as Ch rist a llo tt ed it. It was sa id that he wou ld: IICOI 3:12- 14 4

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Ps 68: 18 Ac 2:33

Try, t~en, to imitate God, a~ ~hild:en of his .that he loves , -and follow Ch~ist ~+N~+ by loving as he loved you, giving himself up In our place as a frag rant offering f~:/f6 you the re must be not even a mention of ~:1&l8 fornication or impurity in any of its for ms, or promiscuity: this would GaS:I9+ 4 hardly become the saints ! -There must be no coar seness, or salacious talk and Ac9:13 + 5 j okes-all th is is wrong for you ; raise your vo ices in thanksgiving instead. -For t 6:24 you can be quite certai n th at nobody who a ctua lly indulges in fornication M I Co 6:9-10 3:5 or impurity or promiscuity-which is wors hipping a false god a-can inherit Col Heb 13:4-5 anything of the kingdom of G od. Do not let anyone deceive you with empty Co/ :?:4.8 a rguments: it is fo r this loose living that God's anger comes down on those who IICo13:6 4:18 ~ rebel against him. Make sure that you a re not included with them. You were Jb 24: 13 8:12+ 9 darkness once, but now you are light in th e Lord ; be like children of light, -for I2nCo 4:6; 6:14 the effects of the light are seen in complete goodness a nd right living and truth. Coll: 12-l3 I Th 5:4-8 I? T ry to discover what the Lord wants of you, having noth ing to do with the fut ile 12 works of darkness b ut exposing them by contrast. -The things which are done 13 in secret are things that people are as hamed even to speak of; but a nything 14 exposed by the light will be illuminated -and anything illum inated turns into In 3:20-21 light. b That is why it is said; v

5 and a sacrifice to God. -Among

II. E XHOR TATION

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EPHESIANS

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Tt 1:5 + 2:2 1: 4: 16 Co l l :23 -t-: 3:11 1.'21 + I Co 14:20

Co l 2:4.8 Tb4:6 irCol }: 19

W he n it says, 'h e ascende d', wha t ca n it mean if not that he descended' rig ht down to the lower regions of the earth?" -T he on e who rose h igher than all the heavens to fill all thi ngs" is no ne other than the o ne who descended. -A nd to some, his gift was that they sho uld be apostles; to so me, prophets; to some, evangel ists; to some, pasto rs and teachers ;« oSO th at t he saints together' make a unity in the work of ser vice, build ing up the body of C h rist. -In th is way we a re a ll to co me to unity in o ur fai th and in our knowled ge of the Son of God, unt il we becom e the perfect Man; ' fully mature with th e fu llness o f Christ hi mse lf. Then we shall not be children any longer, or tossed one way and another and ca rried alo ng by every wind of doctrine, at the mercy of all the tricks men play a nd the ir cleverness in practising deceit. If we live by the truth and in love, we sha ll grow in a ll ways into Christ, who is the hea d -by whom the whole body is fitted a nd joined together, every j oint- addi ng its own st re ngth, for eac h sepa ra te part to work according to its function. So the body grows until it has built itself up, in love. 0

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When he ascended to the height , he captured prisoners, he gave gifts to men,"

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I P 3: 19 +

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Wake up from your slee p, r ise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you ,"

12 13

So be very careful about the sort of lives you lead, like intelligent and not like senseless peo ple. -This may be a wicked age, but your lives should redeem it. 1~ And do not be tho ught less but recognise what is the will of the Lord. -Do not d rug yourselves with wine, this is simply dissipation; be filled with the Spirit. 19 Sing the wor ds a nd tunes of t he psalms and hymn s whe n yo u are to gether , 20 and go on singing a nd cha nting to the Lord in your hea rt s, oSO that a lways and everywhere you ar e giving tha nks to God who is our Father in the na me of our Lord Jes us C hrist.

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The new life in Christ In par ticular, I wa nt to u rge you in the name of th e Lo rd, not to go o n living 17 Rm 1:1 8-32 IICol l: 2 1 th e ai mless kind of life that pagans live. Intellectua lly they a re in the da rk , 18 I P 1:18: 4:3 an d they are estran ged from the life of God, without knowledge because th ey ha ve sh ut their hea rts to it. -Their sense of right and wrong once d ulled ,' they 19 have a ba ndoned them selves to sexua lity an d ea gerly pursue a car eer of indecenc y o f every kind . '" Now that is ha rd ly the way you have learnt fro m Ch rist, -u nless ~? IICo I3 :9-1O you fa iled to hear him properly when you were tau ght what the truth is in Jesus. Co l 3:5 You mu st give up your o ld way of life; you must put aside you r old self, whi ch 22 gets co rrupted by following illusory desires. Your mind mu st be renewed by a 23 2: 15 + Co l 3: 10 + spiritua l re volutio n ° SO that you can put on the new self that has been c rea ted in 24 God's way, in the goo d ness and holin ess of the tru th. " Zc 8: 16 So from now on, there mu st be no more lies: You must speak the truth to one 25 Co l 3:9 1 Co 12:12 + Ps 4:4 LXX another, since we a re all parts of on e another. -Even If you are angry, you must not 26 M rS:22 2 C o 2:1 1 sin,' neve r let the sun set on your anger -or else yo u will give the devil a footho ld . 27 Ac 18:3+ : An yo ne who was a th ief must stop steali ng; he sho uld try to find so me useful 28 20 :34-35 I 'fb 4:11 manual work ins tead, and be ab le to do som e goo d 0 by helping ot her s'! that are M t15:11 Guard against foul talk; let your words be for the improvement of 29 Jm 3:10-12 in need. ot hers, as occasion offers, and do goo d to yo ur listeners, -otherwise you will 30 Is 63:10 1:13 + on ly be gr ieving the Holy Sp irit of God who has marked you wit h his sea l for Rm 1:29+ Col 3:8 you to be set free when the day comes. q N ever ha ve grudges against others, or 31 lose your temper, or raise your vo ice to a nybody, or ca ll eac h ot her names, [i't~~2. or allow any sort of sp itefu lness. Be friends with one a nother, and ki nd, 32 C ol 3: 13 forgiving each ot her as readily as G od for gave yo ur in Christ . 0

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a . Pau l list s thr ee different t h rea ts to the C hurch's uni ty: ar gumen ts be twee n C hr ist ians vv. 1-3 , d iversity of ser vice in t he C hu rch vv . 7- 11. u no r tho do x teachi ng vv , 14-15. T hese t h rea ts ar e all ave rt ed by a pp lyin g the pri nci p le of u nit y in C h ris t. vv. 4-6, 12- 13.18. b . Var. (VUIR) ' with in a ll of u s' . c. Cha risma o r speci al graces give n to indi vidu als fo r th e be nefit of the whole co m m un ity . cf. 1 Co 12:1 d. F ollowi ng r abbinic pr acti ce Pa u l qu o tes th is text fo r t he sak e o f two p hr ase s: ' he asce nded ' vv , 9- 10. a nd ' he nave Rifts' v. I I . wh ich he in terp rets as t he asce nsi o n of Jes us a nd th e d escent o f t he Sp irit . e, A dd . ( Vu IR) ' firs t o f all ' . I. Lit. ' int o the lo wer pa n s o f th e eart h' . T he m os t ap p ro pr iate inter pretati on is that ' t he ear th ' is itsel f the ' lo wer reg io n' to whic h C hr is t descended to Rive 't he gi fts ' to ma nk ind an d Pa ul' s a r gu men t is t ha t ' these ~ i fts ca n o nly be fro m the o ne who ascend ed ' . But t he phra se can be ta ken to mean t he sub te rra nean kin gd om o f t he dead , N b 16:33(, to which C h r ist desce nd ed be fore t he resu rr ect io n , 1 P 3:19f. 1:. By asce nd ing th ro u gh all the cosm ic sp heres a nd ta king p os sess io n o f t hem a ll o ne af ter a no the r. C h r is t becomes the head of the who le ptero ma or to ta l co sm os 1: 10 + . and m a kes t he en tire u ni ver se ack no wledge hi m as 'Lo r d ' . cr. 1:20-23 ; C ol 1:19 ; Ph 2:R- 11. h. Pa u l li m it s his li st to charisms that re la te to teachi ng and wh ich are the only o nes th a t apply in t his co n tex t. vv. 13- 15. I. T he p art icul ar ' sa ints' P au l m en ti o ns here see m to be m iss io naries and o the r teach ers, cf. 3:5. b u t m ay incl ude all t he faith ful in so far a s t hey a ll help to b uild UP t he C hurc h. cf. Ac 9:13 + . I. T h is does not refer p ri ma ri ly to t he ind ivid ua l C hris t ia n . T he se nse is co llec tive . It ca n be ta ke n as referring to Christ hi ms elf. th e Ne w M an. th e archetype

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of a ll who are re born 2: 15 + . or else (an d thi s se nse is to be p re ferr ed ) as refe rring to th e to tal C hr ist. I.e. t he who le b od y. l Co 12:12 +. m ad e of hea d v. 15 ; 1:22 : Col 1:18, a nd the res t of tn e b od y v. 16 : 5:30 . k. Va r. (Yu lg) 'eac h mem be r ' . I. Var. ( V u lg ) 'B ein g devoi d of hop e ' . m. Or 's exua li ty an d every k ind of indecency an d gre ed ' . n. Eac h hum a n bei n g sho uld ' p ut o n t he N ew Ma n' . Ep 2:15 + (here . as in v. 22, tra nsla ted 'self ' ). so as to be re-creat ed in hi m . cf. Ga 3:27 ; R m 13: 14. In so me p laces Pa u l ta lks in the sa me wa y a bo u t the ' new crea ture', 2 Co 5: 17 +. o . Lit. 'worki ng the go od thi ng wl th h is o wn ha nd ' . 'Good' and '(own ) hand ' are om itte d o r in terch anged in var ious readi ngs: th e ori gina l text m ay have been a mbig uo us . P. Va r. (V u lg) 'fo r b u ild ing up th e fa ith ' . Q . T he o ne H o ly Spi rit t hat ke ep s t he one bo dy of C hr ist u nit ed , 4:4 : I Co 12: 13. is 'g r ieved ' . cr. 4:30 ; Is 63: 10 . by a ny t hing th at har ms the u nity of the bo dy. r. ' yOU' ; var . 'u..•. T he sa me in 5:2.

5

a , 'p ro m iscu ity' : li t. 'greed' , a p p aren t ly sexu al gree d in t his co ntex t. U nco nt ro lle d greed treats all crea tu res with th e wor sh ip d ue to Go d a nd so turns t hem int o ido ls . b. T he wr ong sort o f way to tal k a bo ut se xua l immorali ty is the way th at lea ves the sub jec t in a d an gerou s o bsc ur ity. v, 3. To talk abou t it in suc h a wa y, ho wever. that it is recog nised fo r wha t it is w ill lea d to its be ing co rrec ted; t h is sort of ligh t is the li gh t of C hrist th a t p u ts an end to d a rk ness. c, Th is (l ik e I T m 3: 16) see ms to be an extr act fro m an ea r ly C h r ist ian h ymn . O n bapt ism as an en ligh ten in g, er, H eb 6:4 ; 10 :32 (ef. R m 6:4 + ). d . Var , 'a nd you will to uch C h ris t' ,

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The morals of the home Ps 87:5 Give way to o ne another in obed ience to C hrist. •W ives sho uld rega rd their lIe ", 1 3: 18 I P 3:1-7 husba nds as they rega rd the Lord, -si nce/ as Ch rist is hea d o f the C hurch a nd t C u 11:3 saves the whole body, so is a husband the hea d of his wife; - and as the C hurc h 1:12 '; ! ) subm its to C hrist, so sho uld wives to their hus ba nds, in everything.• Hu sbands 5:2 11(\1 13: 19 should love their wives just as C h rist lo ved the C hu rch a nd sacr ificed h imself I P 3:7 Rm6 :41 T I3:5 -7 for her -to make her holy. He made her clean by wash ing her in water with a form 2('011 :2 of words, -so that when he took her to him self she wou ld be glo rious, with no Co l 1:22 Rv 19:7-8 : speck or wrinkle or a nyth ing like that, but holy and fault less '! ·In the same way , 2 1:2.9- 1 I husbands must lo ve their wives as they love th eir o wn bodies ; for a man to love his wife is for him to lo ve h imself. . A ma n never hates his o wn bod y, bu t he feeds it a nd looks after it; and that is the wa y Ch rist trea ts the C hurch, • because it is I Co 12: 12 1 his body-and we arc its living par ts. ' -For this reason, a man must lea ve his fath er Gn 2:14 M 119:5p and mo ther and be join ed to his wife , and the two will become one body. -This R m 16:25 +- mystery has many impl icat ion s ; but I am saying it a pplies to C hrist a nd the C hurch.' -To sum up; you too, each o ne of you , must love his wife as he lo ves himsel f; and let every wife respect he r hu sba nd . Pr 6:20 C hild ren, be o bed ient to your parents in th e Lo rd v-i-tha t is yo ur d uty . -Thc Si 3:1·6 IICo I 3:2{}- 21 first co mma ndment that has a promi se attached to it is: Honour yo ur father Ex 20:12 and mother, -and the promise is: and you will prosper and ha ve a long life in the land. Pr 13:24 + An d pa rents , neve r d rive your child ren to resentment bu t in bring ing them u p correct them a nd guide them as th e Lo rd does . IICo I3 :22Sla ves, be obedient to the men who a re called yo ur mas ters in th is worl d, 4: 1 T . 2:9- 1O with deep respect > and sincere loyalt y, as you are obedient to Christ: ' not only Rm 6: 15 + whe n you are under th eir eye, as if you had o nly to please men , but beca use yo u I P 2: 18 a re sla ves of C hrist and wh o leh eartedl y do the will of God . • Work hard and willingly, bu t do it for th e sake o f the Lo rd and not for the sak e of men . • You can be sure that everyo ne, whethe r a slave o r a free man, will be properly rewarded by the Lo rd for whatever wo rk he ha s done well . -A nd those of you wh o are em plo yers, treat yo ur slaves in th e sa me spirit; do without th reats , remembering Jb 31:15 that they and you hav e the same Master in heaven and he is not impressed by o ne D II0: 17 + pe rson more than by another.

337 22

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everything. • I am sending him to you precisely for this purpose, to give you news about us and reassure you. May God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ grant peace, love and fa ith to all th e brothers. • May grace and eternal life be with all who love ou r Lord Jesus Christ. '

26 27 2M

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The spiritual war R m 13:12 Fi na lly, gro w strong in the Lord, wit h the strength of his power. -P ut God's 2 Co 6: 7: 10:4 a rmour on' so as to be a ble to res ist the devil's tac tics. -For it is not against huma n Jm 4:7 M I1 6: 17 + enemies tha t we have" to struggle, but aga inst the So vere ignt ies and the Powers 1 P 5:8-9 who originate the dark ness in thi s world, th e spiritua l army of evil in the heavens.' That is why you m ust rely on God 's a rmo u r, or yo u will not be able to put up any res istance when the worst happen s, o r have enough resou rces to hold yo ur gro u nd . ~~:W5: SO stand your ground, with truth buck led round your waist, a nd integrity n~~~~ fo r a breastp late, - wea ring for sh oes o n yo ur feet the eagern ess to spread the IS4Ji':~9; gospe l of peace -and a lways ca rry ing the shield of fa ith so that you ca n use it to JJnl;j~:' :7 put out the burn ing arrows of the evil o ne. -And then yo u must accept salvation Hcb 4:12 f rom God to be yo ur helm et a nd receive the word of G od from th e Spirit to use as a sword . ' ~o: ~:i:.; Pr ay a ll the time, asking for what yo u need , praying in the Sp irit on every possi ble occas io n. N ever get tir ed of staying awake to pray fo r a ll th e saints ; R m 15:30 + and pr ay fo r me to be given an o ppo rtunity to o pen my mouth! and speak Rm 16:25+ without fear and give o ut the mystery of the gospel. - of' wh ich I am an a mbassador in ch ains; pray that in proc laimi ng it I ma y speak as bold ly as I ought to .

IICo1 4:7

Personal news and final salutation I should like you to know, as well, what is ha ppening to me and what I am doing; my dear brot her Tychicus, my loyal. he lpe r in the Lord, will tell you

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c. By drawin g a parallel be twee n a hum an marri a ge and th e marria ge of C h r ist to his C hurc h , vv, 23·3 2. Pa u l makes these t wo co ncep ts illu m ine ea ch othe r. C h r is t is th e hu sba nd o f th e C hurch becau se he is her head a nd bec a use he lo ves th e C hu rc h as m uc h as a man lo ves his o wn body wh en he lo ves hi s wife. Hav i ng es ta b lished thi s, th e co m parison naturally sug ges ts an ide a l fo r human ma rriage. T he sy m bo l of Isra el as th e wife o f Ya hwe h is c om m on in th e O .T., Ho 1:2 + . f. It was cus to m a ry in t he M id d le E ast , at the tim e this le tt e r wa s wr itten , for t he 'sons of th e wed di ng ' to esc ort th e b ride to her husba nd after she had ba thed a nd d ress ed . As applied my s ticall y to the C hurc h, C h ri s t washes his bride him self in the bath of baptism, a nd makes her im m ac ul a te (note the men tion of a baptisma l fo rm u la) a nd int roduces her to h imse lf. g . Add . (Y u lg) 'made fr o m h is fles h a nd bl ood ' . h . Pa ul m a ke s thi s G n text a pr ophecy of th e marria ge o f C hri st a nd the C hurc h : a m ys te ry. like t ha t of t he sa lva t io n of th e pa gan s . that has been hidd en but is no w rev ealed , cf. I: !:"f ; 3:3f. 6 a, O m . 'in th e Lo rd '. b . Lit. ' fear and trembling', cf. 1 Co 2:3 + . c. G od in the O .T . a rm s himself agai ns t ht s enem ies,

cr. Is 11:4-5 : 59: 16- 18;

Ws 5: 17-23 . T he se are the a rms of Yahweh wit h whic h, Pa ul say s, the C hr is tia n is to a rm him self. d . Va r. ' you ha ve ' . e . T hese a re th e spirits who we re th ou ght to mo ve th e s ta rs an d , c on seq ue ntly, th e u ni ver se. T hey lived in ' t he he a ve ns' , 1:20f : 3:10 : Ph 2:10 . or in 'the a ir', 2:2, t.e . th e space betwee n th e sur face of th e ea r th and th e he av en wh er e G o d lives. So me of the m a re amon g the 'e le m en ta l principles of th e world ' , Ga 4:3. Th ey di sobeyed God and wa nt to en slave the human ra ce to themselves in sin 2:2. We used to be their slaves b ut C hris t came to free u s, 1:21; Co l 1:13 : 2:15.20, a nd if C bris ua ns a re armed with the powe r o f C hris t. t he y wiIJ be ab le to fig ht t hem . f . Li t. ' that I ma y be give n speech in opening of my mou th' , He b raism, cf. Ez k 3:27: 29:21: Ps 5 1: 15 ; cf . Col 4 :3. R. O m . 'o f the aoscet' .

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h . O r 'May grace be with all wh o lo ve our Lord Jesu s C hr ist in ete rnal life'. Ad d. (VuIS .) ' A me n" cf . Ph 4:23. .

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