The fourth chapter marks the beginning of the practical section of the letter. From here on in the writer is concerned with our responses to the doctrines taught in the first three chapters. This is not to say that chapters 4‑6 do not contain doctrine, but the primary emphasis is the outworking of these truths upon Christians, both individually and corporately.

Chapter 4:1-16 Unity in Service.

Chapter 4 begins in the same way as chapter 3. But this time, Paul is using his circumstances (i.e. his imprisonment) to beseech the Ephesian church to walk worthy of the vocation with which [they were] called (v. 1). This verse makes it clear that just being born‑again is not enough if we are to please God. To please our Lord we must be useful and obedient. It is vital that Christians understand their vocation, what their function is within the Body.

The first fruit of a Christian should be lowliness and meekness (v. 2). Without these characteristics in the life of the believer, further spiritual progress is impossible. We are to be like our Master, Who was “meek and lowly in heart” (Matt. 11:29). Lowliness is the same as humility. Christians should be humble people, remembering from what terrors they have been rescued, by Whom they have been rescued, and what it took to save them (Heb. 12:3-4). Meekness or gentleness is a disposition that, although it is in control of emotions, nevertheless, does not assert itself.¹ To be meek is to have an excellent spirit; it is to have inner strength tempered by a humble sense of duty to God (cf. Num. 12:3). Perhaps the finest description of the combination of these two qualities is given by Solomon in Proverbs 16:32, “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty: and he that rules his spirit than he that takes a city.”²

Humility and meekness are not qualities often found in the Lord’s people, but they are absolutely essential for healthy and constructive Christian relationships. Nobody can relate to their brother or sister in Christ in the way God wants them to relate if they are full of pride (cf. Rom. 12:3). Verse 2 continues, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love (cf. 3:17). This we can do when we let Christ reign in our affections (cf. 1 Cor. 13:4, 5), tempering our egos and expanding our concern for others.

Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (v. 3). The greatest indication that we are living in a Laodicean‑type age is the disunity we see in the Body of Christ. This displeases God and blasphemes His Gospel! How can we claim to be spiritually mature if we are not striving after a bond of unity within our local congregations? And how can we function properly within the greater Church when we have a fractious spirit? Unity is uppermost in the mind of the apostle as he writes this section of Ephesians. This is comes out strongly in the next three verses.

Paul mentions seven points of unity in verses 4‑6, and he ties them together with the Trinitarian formula. Note Spirit in verse 4; Lord (Jesus) in verse 5; and Father, verse 6.

There is one body and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling (v. 4). One Lord, one faith, one baptism (v. 5); One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all (v. 6).

Focusing on these unities helps one appreciate the marvel of the new birth:

One Body ‑ All believers in the universal Church. (1:23, Col. 3:15)

One Spirit ‑The indwelling Holy Spirit. (2:22, Rom. 8:9, 10; Gal. 4:6)

One Hope ‑ The hope of eternal life with Christ. (Col. 1: 12, 1 Pet. 1:4)

One Lord ‑ Our Saviour, Jesus Christ. (Jn. 13:13)

One Faith ‑ Which we take to be the Christian Faith. (v. 13, Jude 3)³

One Baptism ‑ Which we take to be Spirit‑baptism. (1 Cor. 12:13, Rom. 6:3, 4)⁴

One God and Father ‑ Our Heavenly Father. (1:17, 2:14)

… Who is above all, and through all, and in you all (v. 6). He is above all His creation (cf. Ps. 8:1), through all His creation (cf. Col. 1:16, 17; Acts 17:2 and in all His saints (cf. Jn. 14:23). Theologically, this is very rich, for Paul here brings together in one work the purpose behind the world and mankind – understood especially as redeemed men and women. The passage may also be taken as referring to the church, all of whom are under the Divine command, and indwelt by God’s Spirit who works through them.

Because of our vital union to the Godhead, every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ (v. 7). The Lord Jesus Christ bestows spiritual gifts - by the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:7-11) - to believers in order that they may contribute to the growth of His Church. Paul already said that he has been given special grace for the apostolic task (3:7-8), but all believers need to be aware that they too have a gifting to be employed in His service. 

Many commentators have wondered about verses 8 and 9. First, what does it mean by He led captivity captive (v. 8)? In context, we believe the application to be “Christ, [Who] having captivated sinful people by redeeming them (they are His), is Victor and gives them as gifts to the Church.” (Hoehner, BKC, 634). Every believer has a gift, and if he or she uses it with humility and meekness, they become themselves a gift to the Church.

Now this, ‘He ascended,’ what does it mean but that He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? (v. 9). Every one believes that Christ ascended to the Father after His Passion. But not everyone believes that He descended into the lower parts of the earth—even though He said He would (Matt. 12:40). Peter, in his Pentecost sermon, quoting Psalm 16:10, states that Christ’s soul was not left in hades (cf. Acts 2:27, 31). What are we to make of this? Are we, like Calvin and many expositors, to take it as a figurative expression of Christ’s humiliation upon earth? (cf. J. Calvin, 275). I confess that I am left unsatisfied by the explanations, whether literal or figurative, which I have encountered. In light of such OT references as Ezekiel 31:16, Amos 9:2, and Isaiah 14:15 we should not dismiss the possibility of a literal fulfillment out of hand. Was not Christ made sin for us? (Jn. 3:14) Could He not have left our sins in hell and spent three days and three nights in Abraham’s bosom? (Lk. 16:22, 25—with the thief on the cross, Lk. 23:43).⁵ It is beyond our ability to say anything for sure. We enter the realms of speculation here and I do not feel qualified to decide the issue.

In verse 10, Paul shows that the same One who descended, also ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things (cf. 1:23). Now this risen and ascended Sovereign Lord gives certain people to the Church for its nurturing. There are four offices in the list in verse 11. The first two: apostles and prophets, were foundational offices (cf. 2:20); and as foundations only begin a building, and are not seen once the building is in progress, so these offices were only given in the 1^st century AD. There are no more apostles and prophets!⁶ There were not many to begin with! On the other hand, the next two offices, those of evangelists and pastor-teachers, are very much needed in the present day. An evangelist is a man who moves from place to place spreading the Gospel. He does not preach to the converted. Paul was, for the most part, an evangelist (as well as being an apostle). Much for what passes as evangelist work today is nothing more than tickling the ears of the unlearned in the churches.⁷

A pastor is an undershepherd who feeds the flock. This is his principle duty (Acts 20:28). How can he do this if he is not a teacher? Pastors must be able to teach their congregations (1 Tim. 3:2, 4:13‑16, 5:17, Tit. 1:9, etc.). These two aspects of the same office reveal the great responsibility that rests upon the shoulders of those who take the oversight of a local church (cf. Heb. 13:17). They must guide and care for their people, but they must also feed them, in order that they may grow (cf. v. 14, 2 Pet. 2:2). The great purpose to be kept in mind is unity. But this is not to be understood as “unity at any price.” Too many evangelical Christians, following the lead of misguided and (we must say it) unfaithful church celebrities, will have ecumenical unity by blurring distinctions between the historic faith, and the doctrinally suspect (e.g. Romanism, Neo‑Orthodoxy, Open theism, the Apostolic Movement, Emergent, etc.). Unlike those mentioned the apostle Paul is not about to throw away the doctrinal teaching of the previous chapters, and these truths provide the underpinning for his applications.

Evangelists and pastor-teachers are to work for the building of the Body of Christ. This work must continue to be faithfully done till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, and to a perfect man (cf. 2:15, Col. 3:10, 11) unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ (v. 13). What Paul means is that when every saint is perfectly conformed to the will of his Lord, the Church will be a perfect reflection of the One who called it out (Cf. 2:20, 21; Tit. 2:14). This is not possible in this life, in these bodies. Nevertheless, every believer is responsible to be the best Christian he can be. If this admonition is ever taken seriously, the Church will shine brightly as a powerful witness in this dark world.

This is a high calling indeed, and elsewhere Paul himself says that he strives for it (Phil. 3:14ff). But knowing the indolence of many, Paul incites us to be henceforth…no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine (v. 14). It is characteristic of children to be unsettled in their minds and feelings about things, but this innocence, which is so charming in youth, also means that their minds can be impressed by falsehood and cunning craftiness. We should not be childlike in our approach to the teachings of the Bible (cf. 1 Cor. 13:11, 14:20). Even new Christians are instructed by Peter to “desire the sincere milk of the Word,” which will be the cause of their spiritual growth (1 Pet. 2:2). It is doctrine that is needed to train our minds in truth. To think biblically we must think theologically. The inference is obvious. Christians would not be carried about with every wind of doctrine if they understood (and were taught!) right doctrine. Sadly, many pastors today seldom include sound doctrine in their sermons and Bible studies. Small wonder then that so many believers are not where they should be in their comprehension of the Word and in the knowledge of God and His Christ.

In verses 15 and 16, we are given the characteristics of maturity. The first is speaking the truth in love. Elsewhere, we are reminded that “love…rejoices in the truth” (1 Cor. 13:6). It is a great shame that even speaking the truth in love is sometimes more likely to turn people against us (cf. Gal. 4:16) than to bring them closer to us. But notice how the importance of speaking the truth in love one to another is brought out by what follows. We quote verse 15 in full: But speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the Head, even Christ. Love and truth are the building materials of spiritual growth. They must be blended together in the Christian’s life. Without them the whole Body cannot be joined and knit together by what every joint (i.e. every saint in the Body) supplies. Weak Christians make a weak Church. The problem starts in the local church and spreads to the Church in general. The fault is not in Christ, who supplies us with the strength and ability to do His will; the fault is in us, and in our pastors and teachers. We should all contribute our energies, our best energies, toward the increase of the Body and to the edifying of itself in love (v. 16).

Intro.

Psalms 113 to 118 form what is known as the “Hallel”; a set of Psalms that have for millennia been sung at the Feast of the Passover and other festivals. At the Passover Psalms 113 and 114 were sung before the meal and Psalms 115 through 118 were sung after it. Thus, in the Gospels we read that at the Last Supper, “after they had sung a hymn they went out to the Mount of Olives.” (Matt. 26:30). This means that this text was on the lips of our Lord just prior to His arrest and Passion!

1. The Testimony of a Child of God

At one time or another most Christians have dealt with folks who were quite indignant about the Christian claim to actually know their sins are forgiven and that they are safe for all eternity.

To make such a statement - to believe that one may have perfect assurance about going to heaven when we die, strikes some people as presumptuous in the extreme. Their experience of life tells them that nothing is for certain - not in this life, so how can we be sure of what will be in the next life (if there is one)? How could any rational person say with the Apostle Paul, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”? “No” they say, “that is just in that old book, you can’t believe what that book says.”

Now, if their contention is true, or if it has any grounds, then I would have to admit that we Christians can’t really know what we profess to know. We cannot know for sure that when we die we shall enter into new life; that we shall, as it were, be released from the grip of death and shall step out of this life and into eternal bliss with our God and our Redeemer. If they are correct, they need not listen to the Gospel. The Gospel, in fact, would not be worth the preaching!

Self-evidently, I am not in agreement with such a view. But what makes me disagree? What is it that makes me so sure? What is it that compels me to want to tell people this Good News? Why do I want to see men and women and children join me in coming to Jesus Christ?

Is it because I want them to join my religious club? That I would feel better if there were more who believed as I do? Is it because I have an unwholesome desire to get an audience to hear me wax eloquent about my pet dogma?

What is it about Christians anyway? Why do they risk suspicion and ridicule by telling others about Jesus?

The answer is simple. It is this: They have met Jesus! They have come to Him, claiming His promise that “as many who come to Me I will never cast away” (Jn. 6:37). They have changed their minds about Him and believed Him and have gone away transformed! They have come to Him with the sentence of death in them and the gnawing sense that their is a judgment at the end of this life (cf. Rom. 1:32), but they have been given “newness of life” as a gift and they know it! Not at all because they are “good” or “religious” but because they have been inwardly, rationally and emotionally convinced that the Gospel is true - that it is a message from an offended God who would still be reconciled. That it has power behind it - the power of the Spirit of God! Now they cannot but testify of the hope He has put within them.

Here in our text is one such testimony: “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.”

In the context it is clear that the Psalmist was referring to his deliverance from those who were seeking his imminent destruction (as is made plain in the Psalm), but as the older writers saw, the note of hope transcends the present life (verses 19-23 convince me that this is so) and reaches through to grasp the immortal life which is the right of the child of God, one who has been cleansed of sin by the blood of Christ crucified in their place. As the Christian reads this verse it immediately provokes the soul’s response.

2. Three Exclamations of Faith

Our text includes within it three separate yet connected exclamations. These express the faith of the writer in the midst of his troubles. We see:

a. A Note of Triumph

b. A Note of Joy

c. A Note of Purpose

It is not unusual to find more than one level in a person’s assertion of belief. Often the personal element involved, the relationship which the speaker has with God, produces a mixture of things like self-reflection, anticipation, and joyous proclamation or testimony. There are three expressions of faith in this great verse.

a. A Note of Triumph

“I shall not die!” - It is almost trendy nowadays to say that “when you’re dead you’re dead.” In this dismal outlook physical death is the brick wall which wipes out our individual existences. Of course, this implies that the only significance to our lives must be found in this life. And this belief is only a thin disguise for the fear which death produces in the human heart. But such wrong-headed emptiness as this is foreign to the faith of the child of God.

For believers the sting of death has been removed. Death has been swallowed up by life. Death is not a wall, but a hurdle, which the angels will help us over (Lk. 16:22). Death is a defeated adversary, it has already been overpowered by the Son of Man, who has gone on ahead of us to prepare a wonderful place for us.

b. A Note of Joy

No wonder then that the Psalmist speaks of joy. For he who has trusted in the Author of life (Jn. 1:4) has more than enough cause to rejoice. For he has returned to the Creator and to the will of the Creator, a Creator who has appointed everlasting truth and gladness for His own.

c. A Note of Purpose

How lost this world is! It meanders through its existence without ever knowing where it is going or why it is here. How true are the Savior’s words (Matt. 7:24f.).

We have found our purpose. We are not accidents. The Universe is not finally impersonal. We are part of a Grand Scheme, intentionally placed on the canvass that God has planned and is painting. We know whom we have believed and are persuaded…

We have the assurance of New Life! I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord!

Amen.

If God were not to be enjoyed in heaven, but only vast wealth, immense treasures of silver, and gold, great honour of such kind as men obtain in this world…all these would not make up for the want of God and Christ, and the enjoyment of them there. If it were empty of God, it would indeed be an empty and melancholy place. - The godly have been made sensible, as to all creature-enjoyments, that they cannot satisfy the soul; and therefore nothing will content them but God. Offer a saint what you will, if you deny him God, he will esteem himself miserable. God is the centre of his desires; and as long as you keep his soul from its proper centre, it will not be at rest. - Jonathan Edwards, “God the Best Portion of the Christian,” Works, Vol. 2, 105.

Last time we saw that it is unwise to put out fleeces a la Gideon and expect to get any direction from the exercise. This is because a. Gideon had a vast army to go up against, and, b. because we are to walk by faith, not by sight. So let us pursue this question of the specific will of God further.

2. How Then Can I Know What God Wants Me To Do?

In his helpful book Decision Making and the Will of God, Garry Friesen puts forth what he calls “the Wisdom View” (p. 199). Friesen defines his view thus (I have clarified some of his wording and added some thoughts of my own):

a. The revealed commands and principles of God’s Word (i.e. God’s ethical code), are to be obeyed. Thus, where we know what God requires of us (e.g. the Beatitudes, the Armor of God, The Ten Commandments minus the Jewish Sabbath, etc.) we should be striving to please Him. This is the burden of passages like 1 Thess. 4:1f. or Rom. 6:11.

b. In those areas where the Scriptures give no specific command or principle, and it is not a question or morality per se, the believer is free to responsibly choose his or her course of action – provided they do not violate God’s ethical requirements as set forth especially in the New Testament (e.g. Eph. 4:1-5:21). All decisions must be faith-decisions, since “whatever is not of faith is sin.” (Rom. 14:23).

c. The objective of the Christian always to make wise decisions, decisions both spiritual and practical. Thus, the Book of Proverbs comes to the fore here. See e.g. Prov. 3:5-6; 16:3.

Earlier in the book Friesen gives J. I. Packer’s definition of wisdom: “Wisdom is the power to see, and the inclination to choose, the best and highest goal, together with the surest means of attaining it.” Wisdom, (Chokma - which denotes practicality as well as problem-solving), is discovered by those who fear the Lord (Prov. 9:10). This fear forces God into every decision and compels pride and self-centeredness to leave (or at least to take a subordinate place). The culture of pragmatism and the obsession with image which permeates not just secular America but Christian America too (and to the same extent!), means that the thoughtful believer who truly wishes to know God’s guidance will be careful to keep the fear of God always as a mark before him.

To this definition I add these comments of John Stott: “The [general] will of God for the people of God has been revealed in the Word of God. But we shall not find His ‘particular’ will in Scripture. To be sure, we shall find general principles in Scripture to guide us, but detailed decisions have to be made after careful thought and prayer and the seeking of advice from mature and experienced believers.” – John R. W. Stott, Authentic Christianity, 248.

It is a commonly held belief among Christians that one of the most perplexing problems we experience is knowing what the will of God is for our lives. The reason for this is not hard to find. For one thing, we are most sensitive to this question in times of stress, when the stakes are high and our emotions are perturbed. We want a clear path to appear in front of us – we want to know what our heavenly Father would have us do.  In these situations we turn to God and pray for guidance.  But frequently we discover that the help does not come to us when and how we think it should, and we begin to wonder if there is some secret key to the will of God which we need to discover.

1. The Problem with Fleeces

Everyone is familiar with what Gideon did when he wanted absolute assurance that he was not deluded, but that the Lord truly had told him to take on the Midianites – he laid a fleece out, not once but twice (Judg. 6:36-40).

So we say to ourselves, well, if God honored Gideon’s prayer for guidance and God answered him, He may honor my request – after all, we say to ourselves, we just want to do the right thing in God’s sight. So we spread before God our fleeces, metaphorically speaking. For example, we pray,

“Father, if I am meant to go into business with this guy then let such and such happen.”

Or,

“Lord, if it is your will for me to meet the women who will be my wife then let her come and talk to me at church tonight (P.S. and let her friend who despises me be home sick or something).” We may even cite Gen. 24:12-14 to help our case!

But there are several things wrong about this procedure:

First, it tempts God in that we make stipulations that we then want God to meet. We forget that our Father is also the King.

Second, it contradicts the injunctions which tell us that we must walk by faith and not by sight (or sign).

And third, not infrequently, when our desired ‘sign’ occurs (or some semblance of it), we still feel as much in the dark about things as before.

Further, there are a few exegetical matters which need to be thought through:

First, Gideon already had been given a very clear sign from God and had been told what he must do (Judg. 6:15-23).

In the second place, Gideon had to go to war with a vastly inferior army (135,000 Midianites against his 35,000 Israelites who would be whittled down to 300 - Judg. 7:1-6). “Accordingly,” wrote Leon Wood, “Gideon felt in need of reassurance that God truly wanted him to proceed with this frightening venture.” – Leon J. Wood, The Distressing Days of the Judges, 211-212.

The extraordinary circumstances in which Gideon found himself called for a “double-check.” But they did not call for any new information. In short, Gideon had warrant for his prayer, we do not.

Chapter 3:1-13: The Mystery of the Church.

For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles…(v. 1). Most commentators believe that Paul wishes to speak about his situation as a Roman prisoner. He feared that his imprisonment might cause some to depreciate his teaching, and he did not want the Ephesians asking, “If God has done all Paul says He’s done, why is Paul in prison?” Paul addresses this in verse 13ff. But it appears verses 2‑12 are a digression; an explanation of Paul’s special knowledge.¹

The dispensation of the grace of God (v. 2) is a reference to God’s imparting new revelatory knowledge about the Church to His apostle. As the apostle to the Gentiles, Paul was entrusted with the dispensing of this knowledge to the Gentiles. The grace of God here, as in all Scripture, is not an impassive thing. Rather, it refers to God gifting Paul (though grace mustn’t be viewed as a substance) so that he in turn would be a gift to the churches.

How that by revelation He made known to me the mystery…(v. 3). The mystery being the revelation about the Church found…in a few words, in the preceding chapters. By reading those chapters, the church at Ephesus would understand Paul’s…knowledge in the mystery of Christ (v. 4). What is this mystery? It is the truth that the saints were predestined in Christ to be holy, spiritually‑minded children of God, who corporately, in one body (Jew and Gentile) would grow “into a holy temple in the Lord.”

The revelation of the mystery of Christ (i.e. believers being in Christ) is specifically said to be unknown in other ages…(cf. Col. 1:26), and now revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit (v. 5). This means that Old Testament saints had no conception of the Church as the Body of Christ (cf. 1 Pet. 1:10‑12).² Although some progressive dispensationalists teach that the mystery here is more along the line of something formerly unrealized I do not think the Old Testament gives one any encouragements in that direction. Matthew’s Gospel is the only one of the four to mention the Church explicitly (e.g. Matt. 16:1 and he clearly views it as something that Christ will build after His ascension. It is one of the new things with which the Evangelist is concerned in his Gospel. Hoehner makes our point for us: “This mystery was not known before the NT era. Only after the death of Christ was it revealed to the holy apostles and prophets by means of the Holy Spirit.” (H. Hoehner, Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary, 444).

The prophets in this verse are New Testament believers with a prophetic gift, and are not to be confused with Old Testament prophets who held the prophetic office. Verse 6 highlights the content of the mystery as it pertained to the Ephesian church. It was, that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the Gospel.

It is a great privilege to be commissioned by God to preach … the unsearchable riches of Christ (v. 8). This is why a preacher must be a good steward of the mysteries of the Gospel (1 Cor. 4:1). It was an even greater privilege to be made a minister of the apostolic office, so that God enabled one…to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery (cf. 2:14‑19)³ which from the beginning of the world has been hidden in God… (v. 9). It might seem a contradiction in terms to proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ if they cannot be fully known. But just because something is fathomless, does not mean that some of its depths cannot be comprehended. The more we seek to understand what Christ is to us, the greater He becomes to us. Yet there is always an strong element of incomprehensibility in every biblical doctrine. We must never lose sight of the fact that God is incomprehensible to us unless and to the degree in which He makes Himself known to us.

The apostle Paul again speaks of…the gift of the grace of God which was given unto him. The last clause of verse 7…by the effectual working of His power shows the truth of what has been already said about grace being active, not passive.

The Church, which is being ‘built together for a habitation of God through the Spirit” (cf. 2:22) is a demonstration of the wisdom of God to all created beings—both good and evil. In this new humanity in Christ, angels and devils view…the manifold wisdom of God (v. 10)…which God purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord (v. 11) in eternity past. They find it bewildering that …we have boldness and access with confidence…into the very throne-room of the Most Holy (cf. Heb. 4:16). The Book of Hebrews reminds us in chapter 9:7, that “the high priest alone once every year,” could enter into the holy of holies, but then, “not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people.” Now, in Christ, the Christian—on the basis of his adoption into God’s family (cf. Eph. 1:5)—is bidden to come continually to the throne of grace in prayer. God wants us to come into His Presence!

The words…by the faith of Him (v. 12) indicate not Christ’s faith, but our faith in Christ (cf. Rom. 3:22). By this, “he intimates, that everything which faith ought to contemplate is exhibited to us in Christ.” (Calvin, 257)

Now that he has explained his knowledge, Paul can return to the subject of his present afflictions. The last thing he wants the Ephesians to do is to give up because of his tribulations (v. 13). Paul’s imprisonment in Rome came as a result of him fulfilling his commission to dispense the mystery of the Gospel to the Gentiles. Therefore, this successful stewardship brought the riches of Christ to Ephesus, and, he can say from his prison cell, Christ is our glory (cf. Gal. 6:14).

Chapter 3:14-21. Another Prayer: for strength and understanding.

For this cause…(v. 14)⁴ Paul begins an ascending prayer to God on behalf of his hearers. He does this by emphasizing the family relationship of every believer…in heaven and earth (v. 15). The prayer begins in verse 16. That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory (cf. 1:17) to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man (v. 16). The Spirit’s power within us is able to keep us persevering in the face of afflictions (cf. 2 Cor. 4:16, 17). To yield to God’s Spirit is to give glory to God’s Spirit. To bar His gracious influence upon our lives – even when He takes us into valleys and times of difficulty, is to defy God, showing a spirit of independence which is at cross purposes to His wise purpose.

Christ is to be welcomed by believers to preside over them. He should…dwell in [our] hearts by faith, as the center of our lives. Only if Christ is welcome in the heart is a Christian capable of being rooted and grounded in love (v. 17). If love does not undergird our thoughts and motives, our spiritual perception will be impaired. Paul wants every Christian to be…able to comprehend with all saints (the whole family of God) what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height (v. 1 the dimensions of the stupendous riches within the grace of God in Christ.⁵ Paul wants the Ephesians to know the unknowable, he wants them…to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge (cf. Phil. 4:7 and also, Job 11:7‑9). The love of Christ is the starting point of every blessing the Christian will ever have. To know all mysteries and yet be without love makes a man nothing (cf. 1 Cor. 13:2). It is love which grasps these truths, and turns them into praises! It is love which sets doctrine ablaze! No wonder then that love is essential if the ending of Paul’s prayer…that you might be filled with all the fulness of God (v. 19) is to be realized in the Church.

Paul ends his prayer with a doxology.⁶ A doxology is an expression in words ascribing glory to God. Now to Him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly (Note the use of two superlatives because Paul is speaking about God.) above all that we ask (in prayer) or think (but don’t dare to pray), according to the power that works in us (cf. 1:19‑3:7, 16).

To Him be glory (v. 21). The objective of the saints is to strive together to bring glory to the Father in their profession as Christians (Christ‑followers). This is the meaning of the words glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages. Those like the Ephesians, who have lived before us, and have gone on to their reward, we, the believers of the present, and those who may came after us, have one great duty: we are, “… bought with a price: therefore (we are told) glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6:20). This is the purpose of the Church…world without end (v. 21), and we may concur with Paul in the hearty Amen with which he brings his prayer, and this chapter, to a close.

This genial providence, this grace without judgment, this love without justice, this forgiveness without redemption, forms the background of the crisis of our [read 21st] century. - G. C. Berkouwer, The Providence of God, 28.

Chapter 2:11-22 The One New Man.

The Apostle has just shown that the way out of the deathly grip of sin and Satan is the way of God’s grace. Now he moves on to discuss some practical implications of salvation in Christ. The Gospel reaches out to all men, Jew and Gentile, and makes them brothers. In this way, it reconciles two opposing parties. But it also reconciles men to God. The Gospel therefore, brings peace both horizontally—between man and man—and, vertically—between man and God.

Therefore, remember…(v. 11). The apostle, a Jew, invites the Ephesian Gentiles to remember their condition previous to the coming of Christ into the world. The Jews thought the Gentiles were dogs. The Letter of Aristeas, for example, written by a Jew about 170 years before this epistle, refers to Gentiles as “worthless persons.”⁴ To distinguish themselves from the heathen, the Jews referred to themselves as “the Circumcision.” They did this, not because they alone practiced the rite,⁵ but because of its significance in identifying Israel with the God of the Old Testament Mosaic Law. It is hardly surprising to learn of the Jews speaking about Gentiles as the Uncircumcision (v. 11). By drawing their attention to this, Paul is not exhibiting racist tendencies, but he is highlighting the social gulf, which existed between Jews and Gentiles. This he continues to do in verse 12, where he reminds his hearers that at that time (before the Gospel came to them) you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise.

Only Israel was the recipient of the prophecies concerning Christ (the Messiah). He was sent primarily to the twelve tribes (Matt. 10:5, 6) and then as a light to the Gentiles (Is. 42:6, Lk. 2:32). Paul puts this even more lucidly in Romans 9:4, 5. As one commentator has said it, “Though some Gentiles were admitted into Judaism as proselytes, Gentiles as a whole were excluded; they were thus alienated.” (H. Hoehner, Ephesians in The Bible Knowledge Comm. Vol. 2, 625). The term commonwealth of Israel probably refers to godly Jews rather than the nation itself. The covenants of promise were made by God with Israel and with no other nation (Rom. 9:4). So Jesus truly could say, “salvation is of the Jews” (Jn. 4:22).

With no promises and no covenants and no revealed Law, the Gentile world indeed had no hope, and [was] without God (though they had many gods) in the world (v. 12). All that Paul said of the Ephesians is true of any unsaved person. Without Christ we have no hope and are without God; we are godless!

But now in Christ Jesus you who sometimes were afar off (as shown by verses 11‑12) are brought near (v. 13). The Gentiles were brought under the umbrella of God’s promises in Christ. What accomplished this? The blood of Christ (cf. Col. 1:14). It is the Blood that accomplished this reconciliation of Jews and Gentiles in Christ, and made peace between the two factions. Paul continues, for He (Christ) is our peace…(v. 14). Now Paul, who employed the pronoun you in verses 11‑13, can once again talk of our peace, because Christ has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of partition between us (v. 14). This He did on the Cross (cf. Col. 2:14ff), thus the Cross resolves racial conflict by resolving the spiritual man versus God conflict.

The enmity (v. 15) between the two sides was heightened by the role ascribed by the Jews to the law of commandments contained in ordinances. One may take this either as “the entire Mosaic legal system with all its commands that decree: ‘Thou shalt! Thou shalt not!”‘ (R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of …Galatians, Ephesians and Philippians, 441), or, as a reference to “the ceremonial laws, including dietary regulations, circumcision, rites of purification, sabbath and festival observances, sacrifices, and so forth.” (A. Patzia, 195). Colossians 2:14‑22 inclines us to choose the latter, especially when one calls to mind the power of ceremonies and ordinances to exclude. On the other hand, the whole Law itself served the Jews’ purpose of negative discrimination, and so this aspect of the Law is also probably meant here.

Christ’s work on the Cross did not just save our souls; it paved the way for the creation of God’s new people, the Body of Christ. This is what is meant by Christ making in Himself one new man from the two [Jew and Gentile], so making peace (v. 15). Peace, that is, between the two groups.

Paul has dealt with the horizontal aspects of the Gospel; now in verse 16ff he can deal with the vertical effect. Christ died that He might reconcile both to God in one body by the Cross, thereby putting to death the enmity (v. 16; 3:6). This one new body is the entire number of born again believers of every age: the Church universal. (The theology of Ephesians does not support the notion that only the local church is significant in the New Testament. Paul’s idea here is much grander than that.)⁶

Verse 17 is interpreted in a number of different ways by commentators. We know that Jesus Himself did not preach peace to the Gentile nations (those which were afar off) though He did preach peace to them that were near (the Jews). What then is Paul’s meaning? As the Cross has been alluded to in verses 13, 15, and 16 (explicitly) he could be referring to the death of Christ which, metaphorically speaking, preached the Gospel to all men. But more than likely he means that the Gospel was spread by the apostles and prophets (cf. 2:20) and other believers; Christ working in them.

For through Him (Christ) we both have access by one Spirit to the Father (v. 18). Both Jew and Gentile are one in the Spirit (cf. I Cor. 12:13). Both are now the sons of God, there being no more difference between them. Note here the Trinitarian formula in verse 18. The Father sent the Son to die for sinners, the Spirit, sent forth by them both (Jn. 15:26) is the Agent of the new birth. This is most important for dispensational interpreters to take to heart, because it is easy to ignore the marvel that is the Church in this age in ones zeal for the Jews. We must remember that God is now dealing with the Church!

In these closing verses Paul uses the simile of a building. The Ephesians are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints of the household of God (v.19). In line with the thought-flow of these verses “the saints” are believing Jews with whom the Gentiles are now unified in Christ. This building has as its foundation the apostles and prophets. This refers either to the apostles and the New Testament prophets, such as Agabus (Acts 21: 10, 11; cf. also, I Cor. 12:29, 14:29‑37) which appears to be the apostle’s meaning in 4:11, or, it may simply refer to the apostles as prophets (cf. M. Turner, 1232). Either way, Old Testament prophets are not meant. The inspired teaching of these men (and women,⁷ cf. Acts 21:8, 9) really did lay the foundation of the New Testament Church. Of course, Paul does not leave out Jesus Christ. He is styled the chief corner stone. The function of the cornerstone was to align all the other stones of the building with itself, both horizontally and vertically.

In Christ, the building is framed together (v. 21) and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In other epistles, the individual Christian’s body is called “the temple of the Holy Spirit” (e.g. 1 Cor. 6:19). Here, however, the temple is a picture of the one spiritual building of God (cf. 4:15, 16; 1 Pet. 2:5). All Christians are built together for a habitation of God through the Spirit (v. 22) and so each individual within the Body of Christ ought to add to (and not detract from!) to its ongoing growth by his Spirit‑led life (cf. 4:13‑16).

One of the grossest distortions of the sovereignty of God in his decree and providence is that of passive quiescence, fatalistic inactivity and stoical indifference.  This attitude of mind is notorious for its frequency and but it is disastrous in its results.  The faith in God’s providence that is true and the hope in God’s faithfulness that is well grounded have as their complement the strictest adherence to and perseverance in the way of divine commandment.  The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us. - John Murray,  Collected Writings, vol. 3, 166.

Chapter 2:1-10: Salvation by God’s Grace.

This chapter can be divided between verses 1‑10, which speak of the method of our salvation; and verses 11‑22, which speak of reconciliation (first, that of the Gentiles and the Jews brought together in Christ vv. 11‑15, second, both reconciled unto God vv. 16‑22). Both argue from what has already been said in chapter one about the power of Christ in us as our resurrected Lord.

And you has He quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins. If one is going to speak about the grace of God, as Paul does in this section, one cannot ignore the effects of the Fall upon mankind. All men born into the world are dead in trespasses and sins (cf. Col. 2:13). This deadness (the term nekrous is used figuratively not literally - they are children of disobedience!) is total in regards to spirituality. The day Adam disobeyed God was the day God said he would die, and he did; not physically, but spiritually; that is, he was alienated from the life of God. His spirit was separated from its Creator, and his heart and mind were corrupted by sin. “There being nothing of that spiritual life in them [mankind after the fall] which consisteth of the union of the soul with God.” (J. Fergusson, The Epistles of Paul, 144). This is the doctrine known as Total Depravity.¹ It is vital that men understand their plight with God. They are utterly unable to do anything ‘spiritual’ without the Holy Spirit. And since “God is a Spirit” (Jn. 4:24) all an unsaved man’s religion and good works are as filthy rags in His sight (Isa. 64:6). From this spiritually dead condition has He quickened us. This means that Christ has infused His life (by the Spirit) into His redeemed ones.

The effects of this alienation from God are spelled out graphically in verses 2‑3. We walked according to the course of this world, a course that was (and is) veering far from the path God originally devised for man (which we may call the path of righteousness). In 1 John 2:15‑17, we are advised, “love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.” The reason for this is because this world is under the thrall of Satan (cf. 2 Cor. 4:4). In opening his letter to the Galatians, Paul refers to “this present evil world,” from which Christ has delivered us. According to Ephesians 2:2, all men without Christ walk according to the course of this world. But this is not all; they walk according to the prince of the power of the air, that is, Satan (cf. Jn. 8:44). Satan rules over all the unregenerate.

The spirit that now works in the children of disobedience is not the devil² himself, but the spirit of this wicked world. We speak of the ’spirit of the times,’ by which we mean the life view adopted by the media, centers of education, the fashion industry, etc. This spirit is “an impersonal force or mood which is actively at work in non‑Christian people.” (J. R. W. Stott, The Message of Ephesians, 74). It is that spirit which the demonic powers “raise up in wicked men against Christ and against God” (T. Goodwin, Puritan Exposition of Ephesians, 612).[i] The apostle wants to remind the Ephesians that their past lives were lived only to fulfill the desires of the flesh and of the mind. These desires may run in many directions, some lewd, some religious, some academic, etc. But they are power and authority over life due to their not being reined in by the higher authority of God’s Word.

The unregenerate man then cannot live to God, for, according to verse 3, he only lives to himself! This is what makes men children of wrath. Every human being born into this world who does not experience the saving grace of God, is under the wrath of God (cf. Jn. 3:36). The apostle paints a doleful picture indeed! But he has not painted it any darker than it is. He is setting the stage for the doctrine of the radical grace of God the Gospel.

But God…(v. 4) Now Paul can write about salvation! The Gospel is good news only because we can say: But God. Sin has left us helpless, inveterate enemies of the Almighty, “but God” has intervened to reconcile us to Himself. Who has yet fully understood verse 4? He is indeed rich in mercy! (Micah 7:1 The verse telescopes out to: But God…Who is rich in mercy…For His great love wherewith He loved us.

No one can understand God until they understand something about their own sin and misery. We must deal with men about their sin and make sure that they understand something of that before we can hope to give them any real understanding of the God Who is great in mercy and in love.

Even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us (i.e. made us alive again spiritually, cf. Rom. 4:17) together with Christ…(v. 5). The contrast is as great as it can be: we were dead in sins, we are now alive in Christ. This contrast compels Paul to insert, by grace you are saved. For how can someone of whom verses 1‑3 are true, be accepted in God’s eyes other than by God’s free grace? But God has not only quickened us; He has raised us up together, and has made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (v. 6). We can look at this verse in two ways: either, a) Christ represents us in Heaven where He sits physically (1:20), or, b) in some way, believers are spiritually present before God’s throne. We know we have been born from above, and that “our conversation (citizenship) is in Heaven…” (Phil. 3:20) and we know that we can “come boldly unto the throne of grace…” (Heb. 4:16). Therefore, we do not think it unbelievable (even if we find it mysterious) to assume that the second alternative is correct (cf. Col. 3: 1, Jn. 3:13).

Why did God do this? Verse 7 provides an explanation which looks forward to our future hope. God loves us (v. 4) and our completed salvation magnifies His grace. Ahead of us in the ages to come…(v. 7), God will show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us. All God’s grace, and everything that it brings us, is mediated through Christ Jesus.³

Having shown the complete alienation of sinners from God (vv. 1‑3), and the hope which lies ahead (vv. 6, 7) the apostle is in a position to write for by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. All Christians know these familiar verses (vv. 8‑9), but often take them in isolation without understanding their purpose within the context of Ephesians 2. If we do not set grace up over against men’s sin, we dilute the force of these verses. Salvation must be by grace…and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. The only way sinners have access to God’s grace is through faith (Rom. 5:2), but we are not to make the common mistake of making “faith” the gift here. Exegetically this would be to relate a feminine noun (“faith”) to a neuter pronoun (“this”) which is a non- sequitur. It is best to take the neuter pronoun as referring to the first part of verse 8 (for by grace are you saved through faith). This would make the “gift” refer to the concept of salvation. As Hoehner has it, “the “gift” is that which is outside of ourselves and is to be received. Therefore, the gift of salvation has its origin n God, its basis is grace, and it is received by means of faith.” (H. Hoehner, Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary, 344. Cf. C. L. Mitton, Ephesians, NCB, 97).

Because salvation is a gift, it cannot be earned, most certainly not by men dead in trespasses and sins (v. 1). No man will stand before God and convince Him that his good deeds, done in the flesh, entitle him to the same salvation and inheritance as those who have humbled themselves and fled to the Cross. So Paul says that we are saved not of works, lest any man should boast (v. 9; cf. also Gal. 2:16).

What then is the place of works? This question is answered in verse 10. Good works are important to God, “…so important that God created us in order that we should perform them.” (W. Hendriksen, Galatians and Ephesians, 124). Works done in the flesh do not have God in them, either as their object, or in their working. God only called those things which He created “good” (cf. Gen. 1). The new birth of the Christian is in fact a new creation of God. We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works… [cf. Tit. 2:14] which God has previously ordained that we should walk in them (cf. 1:4). Therefore, what a contrast there should be between the walk of the unsaved man pictured in verses 2, 3 and the walk of the redeemed child of God! (cf. 5:8; 1 Jn. 5‑7).