Text -- Ephesians 4:19 (NET)

4:19 Because they are callous, they have given themselves over to indecency for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)

Robertson: Eph 4:19

Being past feeling ( apēlgēkotes ).

Perfect active participle of apalgeō , old word to cease to feel pain, only here in N.T.

Robertson: Eph 4:19

To lasciviousness ( tēi aselgeiāi ).

Unbridled lust as in 2Co 12:21; Gal 5:19.

Robertson: Eph 4:19

To work all uncleanness ( eis ergasian akatharsias pasēs ).

Perhaps prostitution, "for a trading (or work) in all uncleanness."Certainly Corinth and Ephesus could qualify for this charge.

Robertson: Eph 4:19

With greediness ( en pleonexiāi ).

From pleonektēs , one who always wants more whether money or sexual indulgence as here. The two vices are often connected in the N.T.

Vincent: Eph 4:19

Who ( οἵτινες )

Explanatory and classifying: men of the class which.

Vincent: Eph 4:19

Being past feeling ( ἀπηλγηκοτες )

Only here in the New Testament. Lit, the verb means to cease from feeling pain . Hence to be apathetic .

Vincent: Eph 4:19

Have given themselves over ( παρέδωκαν )

See on Mat 4:12; see on Mat 11:27; see on Mat 26:2; see on Mar 4:29; see on Luk 1:2; see on 1Pe 2:23. The verb is frequently used of Christ giving Himself for the world. Rom 4:25; Gal 2:20; Eph 5:5, Eph 5:25. It indicates a complete surrender. Meyer says, " with frightful emphasis." Where men persistently give themselves up to evil, God gives them up to its power. See Rom 1:24.

Vincent: Eph 4:19

Lasciviousness ( ἀσελγείᾷ )

See on Mar 7:22.

Vincent: Eph 4:19

To work ( εἰς ἐργασίαν )

Lit., to a working . In Act 19:25, used of a trade . Not precisely in this sense here, yet with a shade of it. They gave themselves up as to the prosecution of a business. The εἰς unto is very forcible.

Vincent: Eph 4:19

With greediness ( ἐν πλεονεξίᾳ )

The noun commonly rendered covetousness: in an eager grasping after more and more uncleanness. Not with , but in , as the state of mind in which they wrought evil.

Wesley: Eph 4:19

The original word is peculiarly significant. It properly means, past feeling pain. Pain urges the sick to seek a remedy, which, where there is no pain, is little thought of.

Wesley: Eph 4:19

Freely, of their own accord. Lasciviousness is but one branch of uncleanness, which implies impurity of every kind.

JFB: Eph 4:19

Senseless, shameless, hopeless; the ultimate result of a long process of "hardening," or habit of sin (Eph 4:18). "Being past hope," or despairing, is the reading of the Vulgate; though not so well supported as English Version reading, "past feeling," which includes the absence of hope (Jer 2:25; Jer 18:12).

JFB: Eph 4:19

In Rom 1:24 it is, "God gave them up to uncleanness." Their giving themselves to it was punished in kind, God giving them up to it by withdrawing His preventing grace; their sin thus was made their punishment. They gave themselves up of their own accord to the slavery of their lust, to do all its pleasure, as captives who have ceased to strive with the foe. God gave them up to it, but not against their will; for they give themselves up to it [ZANCHIUS].

JFB: Eph 4:19

"wantonness" [ALFORD]. So it is translated in Rom 13:13; 2Pe 2:18. It does not necessarily include lasciviousness; but it means intemperate, reckless readiness for it, and for every self-indulgence. "The first beginnings of unchastity" [GROTIUS]. "Lawless insolence, and wanton caprice" [TRENCH].

JFB: Eph 4:19

The Greek implies, "with a deliberate view to the working (as if it were their work or business, not a mere accidental fall into sin) of uncleanness of every kind."

JFB: Eph 4:19

Greek, "in greediness." Uncleanness and greediness of gain often go hand in hand (Eph 5:3, Eph 5:5; Col 3:5); though "greediness" here includes all kinds of self-seeking.

Clarke: Eph 4:19

5. Who being past feeling - Οιτινες απηλγηκοτες . The verb απαλγειν signifies

1.    To throw off all sense of shame, and to be utterly devoid of pain, for committing unrighteous acts

2.    To be desperate, having neither hope nor desire of reformation; in a word, to be without remorse, and to be utterly regardless of conduct, character, or final blessedness

Instead of απηλγηκοτες, several excellent MSS. and versions have απηλΡ€ικοτες, being without hope; that is, persons who, from their manner of life in this world, could not possibly hope for blessedness in the world to come, and who might feel it their interest to deny the resurrection of the body, and even the immortality of the soul

Clarke: Eph 4:19

6. Have given themselves over unto lasciviousness - Lasciviousness, ασελγεια, is here personified; and the Gentiles in question are represented as having delivered themselves over to her jurisdiction. This is a trite picture of the Gentile world: uncleanness, lechery, and debauchery of every kind, flourished among them without limit or restraint. Almost all their gods and goddesses were of this character

Clarke: Eph 4:19

7. To work all uncleanness with greediness - This is a complete finish of the most abandoned character; to do an unclean act is bad, to labor in it is worse, to labor in all uncleanness is worse still; but to do all this in every case to the utmost extent, εν πλεονεξια, with a desire exceeding time, place, opportunity, and strength, is worst of all, and leaves nothing more profligate or more abandoned to be described or imagined; just as Ovid paints the drunken Silenus, whose wantonness survives his strength and keeps alive his desires, though old age has destroyed the power of gratification: -

Te quoque, inextinctae Silene libidinis, urunt

Nequitia est, quae te non sinit esse senem

Fast., lib. i. v. 413

Thee also, O Silenus, of inextinguishable lust

they inflame; Thou art old in every thing except in lust

Such was the state of the Gentiles before they were blessed with the light of the Gospel; and such is the state of those nations who have not yet received the Gospel; and such is the state of multitudes of those in Christian countries who refuse to receive the Gospel, endeavor to decry it, and to take refuge in the falsities of infidelity against the testimony of eternal truth.

Calvin: Eph 4:19

19.Who being past feeling The account which had been given of natural depravity is followed by a description of the worst of all evils, brought upon men by their own sinful conduct. Having destroyed the sensibilities of the heart, and allayed the stings of remorse, they abandon themselves to all manner of iniquity. We are by nature corrupt and prone to evil; nay, we are wholly inclined to evil. Those who are destitute of the Spirit of Christ give loose reins to self-indulgence, till fresh offenses, producing others in constant succession, bring down upon them the wrath of God. The voice of God, proclaimed by an accusing conscience, still continues to be heard; but, instead of producing its proper effects, appears rather to harden them against all admonition. On account of such obstinacy, they deserve to be altogether forsaken by God.

The usual symptom of their having been thus forsaken is — the insensibility to pain, which is here described — being past feeling. Unmoved by the approaching judgment of God, whom they offend, they go on at their ease, and fearlessly indulge without restraint in the pleasures of sin. No shame is felt, no regard to character is maintained. The gnawing of a guilty conscience, tormented by the dread of the Divine judgment, may be compared to the porch of hell; but such hardened security as this — is a whirlpool which swallows up and destroys. As Solomon says,

“When the wicked is come to the deep, he despiseth it.”
(Pro 18:3.)

Most properly, therefore, does Paul exhibit that dreadful example of Divine vengeance, in which men forsaken by God — having laid conscience to sleep, and destroyed all fear of the Divine judgment, — in a word, being past feeling, — surrender themselves with brutal violence to all wickedness. This is not universally the case. Many even of the reprobate are restrained by God, whose infinite goodness prevents the absolute confusion in which the world would otherwise be involved. The consequence is, that such open lust, such unrestrained intemperance, does not appear in all. It is enough that the lives of some present such a mirror, fitted to awaken our alarm lest anything similar should happen to ourselves.

Lasciviousness (ἀσελγείᾳ) appears to me to denote that wantonness with which the flesh indulges in intemperance and licentiousness, when not restrained by the Spirit of God. Uncleanness is put for scandalous enormities of every description. It is added, with greediness. The Greek wordπλεονεξία, which is so translated, often signifies covetousness, (Luk 12:15; 2Pe 2:14,) and is so explained by some in this passage; but I cannot adopt that view. Depraved and wicked desires being insatiable, Paul represents them as attended and followed by greediness, which is the contrary of moderation.

TSK: Eph 4:19

past : 1Ti 4:2

given : Eph 4:17; Rom 1:24-26; 1Pe 4:3

with : Job 15:16; Isa 56:11; 2Pe 2:12-14, 2Pe 2:22; Jud 1:11; Rev 17:1-6, Rev 18:3

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)

Barnes: Eph 4:19

Who being past feeling - Wholly hardened in sin. There is a total want of all emotion on moral subjects. This is an accurate description of the state of a sinner. He has no "feeling,"no emotion. He often gives an intellectual assent to the truth, But it is without emotion of any kind. The heart is insensible as the hard rock.

Have given themselves over - They have done it voluntarily. In Rom 1:24, it is said that "God gave them up."There is no inconsistency. Whatever was the agency of God in it, they preferred it; compare notes on Rom 1:21.

Unto lasciviousness - see the notes on Rom 1:24-26.

Poole: Eph 4:19

Who being past feeling having lost all sense and conscience of sin: a higher degree or effect of the hardness before mentioned, 1Ti 4:2 .

Have given themselves over unto lasciviousness voluntarily yielded themselves up to the power of their own sensuality and lasciviousness, so as to be commanded by it, without resisting it.

To work not only to burn with inward lusts, but to fulfil them in the outward acts.

All uncleanness all sorts of uncleanness, even the most monstrous, Rom 1:24,26,27 1Co 6:9 Gal 5:19 .

With greediness either with covetousness, and then it respects those that prostituted themselves for gain; or rather with an insatiable desire of still going on in their filthiness.

Haydock: Eph 4:19

Who despairing, [4] (without faith and charity) according to the Latin text and some Greek manuscripts; though according to the ordinary Greek, without grief or sorrow, (to wit, for their sins) have given themselves over to all manner of vices, unto covetousness. [5] Some take notice that the Greek word may not only signify avarice, or covetousness of money, but any unsatiable desires or lusts. See Chap. v. ver. 3. and 5. (Witham)

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[BIBLIOGRAPHY]

Deperantes. The Latin interpreter seems to have read Greek: apelpikotes, as in some manuscripts, but in most other copies Greek: apelgekotes, indolentes. See St. Jerome in his Commentary, p. 368.

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[BIBLIOGRAPHY]

In avaritiam: Greek: en pleonexia, in cupiditate. See ver. 3. of the next chapter.

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Gill: Eph 4:19

Who being past feeling,.... Their consciences being cauterized or seared as with a red hot iron, which is the consequence of judicial hardness; so that they have lost all sense of sin, and do not feel the load of its guilt upon them, and are without any concern about it; but on the contrary commit it with pleasure, boast of it and glory in it, plead for it and defend it publicly, and openly declare it, and stand in no fear of a future judgment, which they ridicule and despise: the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions, and the Claromontane exemplar read, who "despairing": of mercy and salvation, saying there is no hope, and therefore grow hardened and desperate in sin;

have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness; by "lasciviousness" is meant all manner of lusts, and a wanton and unbridled course of sinning; and their giving themselves over unto it denotes their voluntariness in sinning, the power of sin over them, they being willing slaves unto it, and their continuance in it; and this they do in order

to work all uncleanness; to commit every unclean lust, to live in a continued commission of uncleanness of every sort; and that

with greediness; being like a covetous man, never satisfied with sinning, but always craving more sinful lusts and pleasures.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Eph 4:19

¹ sn Greediness refers to an increasing desire for more and more. The point is that sinful passions and desires are never satisfied.

Geneva Bible: Eph 4:19

Who being ^{( b )} past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with ^{( c )} greediness.

^{( b )} Void of all judgment.

^{( c )} They strove to surpass one another, as though there were some gain to be gotten by it.

Commentary -- Verse Range Notes

TSK Synopsis: Eph 4:1-32

1 He exhorts to unity;

7 and declares that God therefore gives divers gifts unto men;

11 that his church might be edified,

16 and grow up in Christ.

18 He calls them from the impurity of the Gentiles;

24 to put on the new man;

25 to cast off lying;

29 and corrupt communication.

Combined Bible: Eph 4:19

The third way of grieving the Holy Spirit is to engage in sexual sins ("sensuality") and the pursuit of promiscuous relationships that use others in order to gratify our growing desires. Pornography leads to an increased appetite for more stimulation, which in turn leads to increased sexual activity. This process yields the myriad of social and health problems that are today's plagues of the inner city and of adolescents in general. "Indulge" is "to practice as a pattern of living" and describes habitual behavior. Hard rock music with rhythms that dull cognitive thought, and suggestive dance routines that simulate the sex act, are simply the first steps in this pathway of physical and mental stimulation. Performers like Madonna, Kiss, the dancers of Soul Train, or any one of a thousand MTV Video casts are only further declinations of what has become sensual common fare on prime time television illustrating this very principle. As a whole, black comedians' routines are fast becoming the worst offenders in this venue. Their language is base, crude and vile and the mental images they draw for their audiences deny dignity and respect for individuals or honor for the authority of God.  

  

  

MHCC: Eph 4:17-24

The apostle charged the Ephesians in the name and by the authority of the Lord Jesus, that having professed the gospel, they should not be as the unconverted Gentiles, who walked in vain fancies and carnal affections. Do not men, on every side, walk in the vanity of their minds? Must not we then urge the distinction between real and nominal Christians? They were void of all saving knowledge; they sat in darkness, and loved it rather than light. They had a dislike and hatred to a life of holiness, which is not only the way of life God requires and approves, and by which we live to him, but which has some likeness to God himself in his purity, righteousness, truth, and goodness. The truth of Christ appears in its beauty and power, when it appears as in Jesus. The corrupt nature is called a man; like the human body, it is of divers parts, supporting and strengthening one another. Sinful desires are deceitful lusts; they promise men happiness, but render them more miserable; and bring them to destruction, if not subdued and mortified. These therefore must be put off, as an old garment, a filthy garment; they must be subdued and mortified. But it is not enough to shake off corrupt principles; we must have gracious ones. By the new man, is meant the new nature, the new creature, directed by a new principle, even regenerating grace, enabling a man to lead a new life of righteousness and holiness. This is created, or brought forth by God's almighty power.

Matthew Henry: Eph 4:17-32

The apostle having gone through his exhortation to mutual love, unity, and concord, in the foregoing verses, there follows in these an exhortation to Christian purity and holiness of heart and life, and that both more general (Eph 4:17-24) and in several particular instances, Eph 4:25-32. This is solemnly introduced: " This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord; that is, seeing the matter is as above described, seeing you are members of Christ's body and partakers of such gifts, this I urge upon your consciences, and bear witness to as your duty in the Lord's name, and by virtue of the authority I have derived from him."Consider,

I. The more general exhortation to purity and holiness of heart and life.

1. It begins thus, " That you henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk - that for the time to come you do not live, and behave yourselves, as ignorant and unconverted heathens do, who are wholly guided by an understanding employed about vain things, their idols and their worldly possessions, things which are no way profitable to their souls, and which will deceive their expectations."Converted Gentiles must not live as unconverted Gentiles do. Though they live among them, they must not live like them. Here,

(1.) The apostle takes occasion to describe the wickedness of the Gentile world, out of which regenerate Christians were snatched as brands out of the burning. [1.] Their understandings were darkened, Eph 4:18. They were void of all saving knowledge; yea, ignorant of many things concerning God which the light of nature might have taught them. They sat in darkness, and they loved it rather than light: and by their ignorance they were alienated from the life of God. They were estranged fRom. and had a dislike and aversion to, a life of holiness, which is not only that way of life which God requires and approves, and by which we live to him, but which resembles God himself, in his purity, righteousness, truth, and goodness. Their wilful ignorance was the cause of their estrangement from this life of God, which begins in light and knowledge. Gross and affected ignorance is destructive to religion and godliness. And what was the cause of their being thus ignorant? It was because of the blindness or the hardness of their heart. It was not because God did not make himself known to them by his works, but because they would not admit the instructive rays of the divine light. They were ignorant because they would be so. Their ignorance proceeded from their obstinacy and the hardness of their hearts, their resisting the light and rejecting all the means of illumination and knowledge. [2.] Their consciences were debauched and seared: Who being past feeling, Eph 4:19. They had no sense of their sin, nor of the misery and danger of their case by means of it; whereupon they gave themselves over unto lasciviousness. They indulged themselves in their filthy lusts; and, yielding themselves up to the dominion of these, they became the slaves and drudges of sin and the devil, working all uncleanness with greediness. They made it their common practice to commit all sorts of uncleanness, and even the most unnatural and monstrous sins, and that with insatiable desires. Observe, When men's consciences are once seared, there are no bounds to their sins. When they set their hearts upon the gratification of their lusts, what can be expected but the most abominable sensuality and lewdness, and that their horrid enormities will abound? This was the character of the Gentiles; but,

(2.) These Christians must distinguish themselves from such Gentiles: You have not so learned Christ, Eph 4:20. It may be read, But you not so; you have learned Christ. Those who have learned Christ are saved from the darkness and defilement which others lie under; and, as they know more, they are obliged to live in a better manner than others. It is a good argument against sin that we have not so learned Christ. Learn Christ! Is Christ a book, a lesson, a way, a trade? The meaning is, "You have not so learned Christianity - the doctrines of Christ and the rules of life prescribed by him. Not so as to do as others do. If so be, or since, that you have heard him (Eph 4:21), have heard his doctrine preached by us, and have been taught by him, inwardly and effectually, by his Spirit."Christ is the lesson; we must learn Christ: and Christ is the teacher; we are taught by him. As the truth is in Jesus. This may be understood two ways: either, "You have been taught the real truth, as held forth by Christ himself, both in his doctrine and in his life."Or thus, "The truth has made such an impression on your hearts, in your measure, as it did upon the heart of Jesus."The truth of Christ then appears in its beauty and power, when it appears as in Jesus.

2. Another branch of the general exhortation follows in those words, That you put off, concerning the former conversation, the old man, etc., Eph 4:22-24. "This is a great part of the doctrine which has been taught you, and which you have learned."Here the apostle expresses himself in metaphors taken from garments. The principles, habits, and dispositions of the soul must be changed, before there can be a saving change of the life. There must be sanctification, which consists of these two things: - (1.) The old man must be put off. The corrupt nature is called a man, because, like the human body, it consists of divers parts, mutually supporting and strengthening one another. It is the old man, as old Adam, from whom we derive it. It is bred in the bone, and we brought it into the world with us. It is subtle as the old man; but in all God's saints decaying and withering as an old man, and ready to pass away. It is said to be corrupt; for sin in the soul is the corruption of its faculties: and, where it is not mortified, it grows daily worse and worse, and so tends to destruction. According to the deceitful lusts. Sinful inclinations and desires are deceitful lusts: they promise men happiness, but render them more miserable, and if not subdued and mortified betray them into destruction. These therefore must be put off as an old garment that we should be ashamed to be seen in: they must be subdued and mortified. These lusts prevailed against them in their former conversation, that is, during their state of unregeneracy and heathenism. (2.) The new man must be put on. It is not enough to shake off corrupt principles, but we must be actuated by gracious ones. We must embrace them, espouse them, and get them written on our hearts: it is not enough to cease to do evil, but we must learn to do well. " Be renewed in the spirit of your mind (Eph 4:23); that is, use the proper and prescribed means in order to have the mind, which is a spirit, renewed more and more." And that you put on the new man, Eph 4:24. By the new man is meant the new nature, the new creature, which is actuated by a new principle, even regenerating grace, enabling a man to lead a new life, that life of righteousness and holiness which Christianity requires. This new man is created, or produced out of confusion and emptiness, by God's almighty power, whose workmanship it is, truly excellent and beautiful. After God, in imitation of him, and in conformity to that grand exemplar and pattern. The loss of God's image upon the soul was both the sinfulness and misery of man's fallen state; and that resemblance which it bears to God is the beauty, the glory, and the happiness, of the new creature. In righteousness towards men, including all the duties of the second table; and in holiness towards God, signifying a sincere obedience to the commands of the first table; true holiness in opposition to the outward and ceremonial holiness of the Jews. We are said to put on this new man when, in the use of all God's appointed means, we are endeavouring after this divine nature, this new creature. This is the more general exhortation to purity and holiness of heart and life.

II. The apostle proceeds to some things more particular. Because generals are not so apt to affect, we are told what are those particular limbs of the old man that must be mortified, those filthy rags of the old nature that must be put off, and what are the peculiar ornaments of the new man wherewith we should adorn our Christian profession. 1. Take heed of lying, and be ever careful to speak the truth (Eph 4:25): " Wherefore, since you have been so well instructed in your duty, and are under such obligations to discharge it, let it appear, in your future behaviour and conduct, that there is a great and real change wrought in you, particularly by putting away lying. "Of this sin the heathen were very guilty, affirming that a profitable lie was better than a hurtful truth; and therefore the apostle exhorts them to cease from lying, from every thing that is contrary to truth. This is a part of the old man that must be put off; and that branch of the new man that must be put on in opposition to it is speaking the truth in all our converse with others. It is the character of God's people that they are children who will not lie, who dare not lie, who hate and abhor lying. All who have grace make conscience of speaking the truth, and would not tell a deliberate lie for the greatest gain and benefit to themselves. The reason here given for veracity is, We are members one of another. Truth is a debt we owe to one another; and, if we love one another, we shall not deceive nor lie one to another. We belong to the same society or body, which falsehood or lying tends to dissolve; and therefore we should avoid it, and speak truth. Observe, Lying is a very great sin, a peculiar violation of the obligations which Christians are under, and very injurious and hurtful to Christian society. 2. "Take heed of anger and ungoverned passions. Be you angry, and sin not, "Eph 4:26. This is borrowed from the Septuagint translation of Psa 4:4, where we render it, Stand in awe, and sin not. Here is an easy concession; for as such we should consider it, rather than as a command. Be you angry. This we are apt enough to be, God knows: but we find it difficult enough to observe the restriction, and sin not. "If you have a just occasion to be angry at any time, see that it be without sin; and therefore take heed of excess in your anger."If we would be angry and not sin (says one), we must be angry at nothing but sin; and we should be more jealous for the glory of God than for any interest or reputation of our own. One great and common sin in anger is to suffer it to burn into wrath, and then to let it rest; and therefore we are here cautioned against that. "If you have been provoked and have had your spirits greatly discomposed, and if you have bitterly resented any affront that has been offered, before night calm and quiet your spirits, be reconciled to the offender, and let all be well again: Let not the sun go down upon your wrath. If it burn into wrath and bitterness of spirit, O see to it that you suppress it speedily."Observe, Though anger in itself is not sinful, yet there is the upmost danger of its becoming so if it be not carefully watched and speedily suppressed. And therefore, though anger may come into the bosom of a wise man, it rests only in the bosom of fools. Neither give place to the devil, Eph 4:27. Those who persevere in sinful anger and in wrath let the devil into their hearts, and suffer him to gain upon them, till he bring them to malice, mischievous machinations, etc. " Neither give place to the calumniator, or the false accuser"(so some read the words); that is, "let your ears be deaf to whisperers, talebearers, and slanderers."3. We are here warned against the sin of stealing, the breach of the eighth commandment, and advised to honest industry and to beneficence: Let his that stole steal no more, Eph 4:28. It is a caution against all manner of wrong-doing, by force or fraud. "Let those of you who, in the time of your gentilism, have been guilty of this enormity, be no longer guilty of it."But we must not only take heed of the sin, but conscientiously abound in the opposite duty: not only not steal, but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing that is good. Idleness makes thieves. So Chrysostom, To gar kleptein argias estin - Stealing is the effect of idleness. Those who will not work, and who are ashamed to beg, expose themselves greatly to temptations to thievery. Men should therefore be diligent and industrious, not in any unlawful way, but in some honest calling: Working the thing which is good. Industry, in some honest way, will keep people out of temptation of doing wrong. But there is another reason why men ought to be industrious, namely, that they may be capable of doing some good, as well as that they may be preserved from temptation: That he may have to give to him that needeth. They must labour not only that they may live themselves, and live honestly, but they may distribute for supplying the wants of others. Observe, Even those who get their living by their labour should be charitable out of their little to those who are disabled for labour. So necessary and incumbent a duty is it to be charitable to the poor that even labourers and servants, and those who have but little for themselves, must cast their mite into the treasury. God must have his dues and the poor are his receivers. Observe further, Those alms that are likely to be acceptable to God must not be the produce of unrighteousness and robbery, but of honesty and industry. God hates robbery for burnt-offerings. 4. We are here warned against corrupt communication; and directed to that which is useful and edifying, Eph 4:29. Filthy and unclean words and discourse are poisonous and infectious, as putrid rotten meat: they proceed from and prove a great deal of corruption in the heart of the speaker, and tend to corrupt the minds and manners of others who hear them; and therefore Christians should beware of all such discourse. It may be taken in general for all that which provokes the lusts and passions of others. We must not only put off corrupt communications, but put on that which is good to the use of edifying. The great use of speech is to edify those with whom we converse. Christians should endeavour to promote a useful conversation: that it may minister grace unto the hearers; that it may be good for, and acceptable to, the hearers, in the way of information, counsel, pertinent reproof, or the like. Observe, It is the great duty of Christians to take care that they offend not with their lips, and that they improve discourse and converse, as much as may be, for the good of others. 5. Here is another caution against wrath and anger, with further advice to mutual love and kindly dispositions towards each other, Eph 4:31, Eph 4:32. By bitterness, wrath, and anger, are meant violent inward resentment and displeasure against others: and, by clamour, big words, loud threatenings, and other intemperate speeches, by which bitterness, wrath, and anger, vent themselves. Christians should not entertain these vile passions in their hearts not be clamorous with their tongues. Evil speaking signifies all railing, reviling, and reproachful speeches, against such as we are angry with. And by malice we are to understand that rooted anger which prompts men to design and to do mischief to others. The contrary to all this follows: Be you kind one to another. This implies the principle of love in the heart, and the outward expressions of it, in an affable, humble, courteous behaviour. It becomes the disciples of Jesus to be kind one to another, as those who have learned, and would teach, the art of obliging. Tender-hearted; that is, merciful, and having tender sense of the distresses and sufferings of others, so as to be quickly moved to compassion and pity. Forgiving one another. Occasions of difference will happen among Christ's disciples; and therefore they must be placable, and ready to forgive, therein resembling God himself, who for Christ's sake hath forgiven them, and that more than they can forgive one another. Note, With God there is forgiveness; and he forgives sin for the sake of Jesus Christ, and on account of that atonement which he has made to divine justice. Note again, Those who are forgiven of God should be of a forgiving spirit, and should forgive even as God forgives, sincerely and heartily, readily and cheerfully, universally and for ever, upon the sinner's sincere repentance, as remembering that they pray, Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Now we may observe concerning all these particulars that the apostle has insisted on that they belong to the second table, whence Christians should learn the strict obligations they are under to the duties of the second table, and that he who does not conscientiously discharge them can never fear nor love God in truth and in sincerity, whatever he may pretend to.

In the midst of these exhortations and cautions the apostle interposes that general one, And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, Eph 4:30. By looking to what precedes, and to what follows, we may see what it is that grieves the Spirit of God. In the previous verses it is intimated that all lewdness and filthiness, lying, and corrupt communications that stir up filthy appetites and lusts, grieve the Spirit of God. In what follows it is intimated that those corrupt passions of bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, and malice, grieve this good Spirit. By this we are not to understand that this blessed Being could properly be grieved or vexed as we are; but the design of the exhortation is that we act not towards him in such a manner as is wont to be grievous and disquieting to our fellow-creatures: we must not do that which is contrary to his holy nature and his will; we must not refuse to hearken to his counsels, nor rebel against his government, which things would provoke him to act towards us as men are wont to do towards those with whom they are displeased and grieved, withdrawing themselves and their wonted kindness from such, and abandoning them to their enemies. O provoke not the blessed Spirit of God to withdraw his presence and his gracious influences from you! It is a good reason why we should not grieve him that by him we are sealed unto the day of redemption. There is to be a day of redemption; the body is to be redeemed from the power of the grave at the resurrection-day, and then God's people will be delivered from all the effects of sin, as well as from all sin and misery, which they are not till rescued out of the grave: and then their full and complete happiness commences. All true believers are sealed to that day. God has distinguished them from others, having set his mark upon them; and he gives them the earnest and assurance of a joyful and glorious resurrection; and the Spirit of God is the seal. Wherever that blessed Spirit is as a sanctifier, he is the earnest of all the joys and glories of the redemption-day; and we should be undone should God take away his Holy Spirit from us.

Barclay: Eph 4:17-24

Paul appeals to his converts to leave their old way of life and to turn to Christ's. In this passage he picks out what he considers the essential characteristics of heathen life. The heathen are concerned with empty things which do not matter; their minds are darkened because of their ignorance. Then comes the salient word; their hearts are petrified.

The word which Paul uses for the petrifying of their hearts is grim and terrible. It is porosis (4457). Porosis comes from poros, which originally meant a stone that was harder than marble. It came to have certain medical uses. It was used for the chalk stone which can form in the joints and completely paralyse action. It was used of the callus that forms where a bone has been broken and re-set, a callus which is harder than the bone itself. Finally the word came to mean the loss of all power of sensation; it described something which had become so hardened, so petrified that it had no power to feel at all.

That is what Paul says the heathen life is like. It has become so hardened that it has lost the power of feeling. In the Epistle to a Young Friend, Robert Burns wrote about sin:

"I waive the quantum o' the sin,

The hazard of concealing:

But och! it hardens a' within,

And petrifies the feeling!"

The terror of sin is its petrifying effect. The process of sin is quite discernible. No man becomes a great sinner all at once. At first he regards sin with horror. When he sins, there enters into his heart remorse and regret. But if he continues to sin there comes a time when he loses all sensation and can do the most shameful things without any feeling at all. His conscience is petrified.

Paul uses two other terrible Greek words to describe the heathen way of life. He says that they have abandoned themselves to every kind of unclean conduct in the insatiable lust of their desires; and that they have done so in their shameless wantonness.

The word for shameless wantonness is aselgeia (766). It is defined by Plato as "impudence"; and by another writer as "preparedness for every pleasure." It is defined by Basil as "a disposition of the soul incapable of bearing the pain of discipline." The great characteristic of aselgeia (766) is this--the bad man usually tries to hide his sin; but the man who has aselgeia (766) in his soul does not care how much he shocks public opinion so long as he can gratify his desires. Sin can get such a grip of a man that he is lost to decency and shame. He is like a drug taker who first takes the drug in secret, but comes to a stage when he openly pleads for the drug on which he has become dependent. A man can become such a slave of liquor that he does not care who sees him drunk. A man can let his sexual desires so master him that he does not care who sees him satisfy them.

The Christless man does all this in the insatiable lust of his desires. The word is pleonexia (4124), another terrible word, which the Greeks defined as "arrogant greediness," as "the accursed love of possessing," as "the unlawful desire for the things which belong to others." It has been defined as the spirit in which a man is always ready to sacrifice his neighbour to his own desires. Pleonexia (4124) is the irresistible desire to have what we have no right to possess. It might issue in the theft of material things; it might issue in the spirit which tramples on other people to get its own way; it might issue in sexual sin.

In the heathen world, Paul saw three terrible things. He saw men's hearts so petrified that they were not even aware that they were sinning; he saw men so dominated by sin that shame was lost and decency forgotten; he saw men so much at the mercy of their desires that they did not care whose life they injured and whose innocence they destroyed so long as these desires were satisfied. These are exactly the sins of the Christless world today, sins that can be seen invading life at every point and stalking the streets of every great city.

Paul urges his converts to have done with that kind of life. He uses a vivid way of speaking. He says: "Put off your old way of life as you would put off an old suit of clothes; clothe yourself in a new way; put off your sins, and put on the righteousness and the holiness which God can give you."

Constable: Eph 4:1--6:21

III. THE CHRISTIAN'S CONDUCT 4:1--6:20

Practical application (chs. 4-6) now follows doctrinal instruction (chs. 1-3).

Constable: Eph 4:1--6:10

A. Spiritual walk 4:1-6:9

Paul had explained the unity of Jewish and Gentile believers in the church and had prayed for the realization of that unity in experience (2:11-3:21). He now told how to attain a spiritual walk, namely a life that manifests the Holy Spirit's control.

"The key word in this last half of the book is walk (Eph. 4:1, 17; 5:2, 8, 15), while the key idea in the first half is wealth."

Constable: Eph 4:17-32

2. Walking in holiness 4:17-32

In the first part of this chapter Paul stressed the importance of living in unity in the church. He turned next to the importance of living in holiness.

"The Bible was written to be obeyed, and not simply studied, and this is why the words therefore' and wherefore' are repeated so often in the second half of Ephesians (4:1, 17, 25; 5:1, 7, 14, 17, 24)."¹¹⁴

Constable: Eph 4:17-19

The old man 4:17-19

The apostle began by reminding his readers how not to walk, namely as they used to walk before their conversion to Christianity.

4:17 The "therefore" in this verse is coordinate with the one in verse 1. Here we have more instruction concerning walking worthily. Paul's exhortation that follows repeats Jesus' teaching on the importance of holiness. Christians should not conduct themselves as Gentiles who do not know the Lord. Those unbelievers do not typically have a useful aim or goal in life, the idea behind "the futility of their mind [thinking]."

4:18 Here Paul traced the attitude of typical unsaved Gentiles to its source. Lack of worthy purpose rests on unclear understanding (cf. Rom. 1:21; 2 Cor. 4:4). This in turn results from separation from the life that comes from God (cf. 2:12). Separation arises from natural ignorance of God (cf. 1 Pet. 1:14). That in turn rests on insensitivity to God and His ways (cf. Rom. 1).

4:19 As a result of this condition, unsaved Gentiles typically give themselves over to lives of sensual self-indulgence (cf. Rom. 1:24-28). The Greek word aselgeia, translated "sensuality," contains the idea of wanton violence.¹¹⁵

College: Eph 4:1-32

EPHESIANS 4

II. DUTIES: THE CHRISTIAN'S RESPONSE

TO SALVATION (4:1-6:24)

A. THE CHRISTIAN IN CHURCH LIFE (4:1-16)

1. Unity in the Body (4:1-6)

¹ As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. ² Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. ³ Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you were called - ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Chapter four marks a major turning point in the epistle. Paul now leaves the grand theology of how God gives salvation, to take up the practical application of how man lives it. If a person chooses to be "in Christ" and a part of the covenant people, there are certain obligations which are laid upon him. These duties are for his own good, and they in no way earn him the favor which God has given him. They are simply the lifestyle the Christian should expect to live.

4:1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then,

As in most of his epistles, Paul eventually comes to the "therefore" or "then" (ou , oun ). This conjunction makes a transition, denoting that what follows is a logical and necessary result from what has preceded. In this case, what has preceded is the explanation of God's work in salvation and reconciliation, climaxing in his indwelling power and presence (3:14-21).

Paul identifies himself as a prisoner for the Lord, or more literally, "in the Lord" (ejn kurivw/ , en kyriô ). Since for Paul the whole sphere of Christian living is "in the Lord," his imprisonment is seen as no exception. And if being "in the Lord" has resulted in his imprisonment, what will it involve for his readers? Paul does not dramatize the fact that he is chained to a soldier, awaiting a verdict of life or death (Acts 28:16). It is a matter of fact, appropriate to the discussion, but mentioned in passing (cf. Eph 6:20). It should remind Paul's readers that he has earned the right to be heard.

I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

To "urge" (parakalevw , parakaleô ) or "exhort" originally meant to call to one's side. This kind of exhortation is not so much a command to go do something, but an appeal to join forces with the speaker in doing something. It is often a stirring call to action in public or military life.

Paul's call to action is literally "to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called." In an absolute sense, there is no way the Christian can live or walk in a way that is "worthy" of God's call. What Paul is urging is that his readers recognize the purpose to which God has called them, and to conduct themselves accordingly. "Worthy" introduces the high standard to which the Christian's living is expected to conform. Even when this standard seems out of reach, it is still the right goal; to be content with anything less would be unworthy. Paul's exhortation can be stated succinctly: "Be what you are!"

4:2 Be completely humble and gentle;

Lest there be misunderstanding about what it means to walk in harmony with God's redemptive purpose, Paul lists several specifics. Taken together, these comprise a grand appeal to unity in the body of Christ. In order to reach that unity (v. 3), four steps are prerequisite. (See also Phil 2:1-3 and Col 3:12-15.)

The first step in the "worthy walk" toward unity is to be "completely humble" (tapeinofrosuvnh , tapeinophrosynç ). Also translated "lowliness of mind," this word was always used in a bad light in the secular literature of Paul's day, because lowliness was not considered to be much of a virtue. It was associated with contemptible servility, an attitude proper only for slaves. In the Greek version of the O.T., however, the word began to take on a positive connotation: God will bring down the proud and exalt the lowly.

The second step toward unity is to be "gentle" or "meek" (prau?th" , prautçs ). The word does not suggest weakness or pusillanimity, but power held under control (see comments on Gal 5:23). The weak person yields because he is helpless to do anything else; the meek person yields his superior strength because he seeks the well being of others. While the Greeks were willing to admit this was a virtue among friends, harshness was better suited for enemies. Moreover, they cautioned, this gentleness should not lead to self-abasement ("complete humility").

be patient, bearing with one another in love.

The third step, or prerequisite, toward unity is to be "patient" (makroqumiva , makrothymia ). Literally, this means to have a "long temper" in contrast to a short-fused temper. Like gentleness, this also is a fruit of the Spirit (see comments on Gal 5:22). The same divine quality that allows God to be patient with sinners (2 Pet 3:9) enables the Christian to endure the exasperating behavior of others. Perhaps the best way for us to "lengthen" the fuse on our tempers is to remember how much God has had to overlook and forgive in our own lives.

The fourth step is "bearing with" (ajnevcomai , anechomai ) one another in love. Also translated "forbearing," this word is the equivalent of our phrase "putting up with." It is an amplification of what is meant by being patient. "Bearing with others means fully accepting them in their uniqueness, including their weaknesses and faults, and allowing them worth and space." All of this is to be done "in love," because only love can empower the Christian to maintain these attitudes toward others in times of stress.

These four steps must be taken before real unity is possible in the body of Christ. Whenever there are quarrels and disunity, one or more of these virtues can be identified as conspicuously absent. The attitude necessary for unity may be summarized in this way (including "eagerness" from the next verse):

Humility "I may be wrong."

Gentleness "I'm willing to listen, and change."

Patience "I'll give you time to think it through."

Bearing with "I'll put up with you even when we disagree."

Eagerness "I really want this to work."

4:3 Make every effort

Unity cannot be achieved or maintained just by being passive, so the Christian must "make every effort" to see that the body is united. This Greek word (spoudavzw , spoudazô ) means basically to "make haste," "to push on with something quickly, assiduously, zealously." Barth notes that "it is hardly possible to render exactly the urgency contained in the underlying Greek verb. Not only haste and passion, but a full effort of the whole man is meant, involving his will, sentiment, reason, physical strength, and total attitude."

to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

The unity of the Spirit is to be "maintained," not "attained." The oneness of the body of Christ is created by the Spirit; it is kept and preserved by the members of that body. This unity began when "we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body" (1 Cor 12:13) and continues as we are "built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit" (Eph 2:22). The Spirit has made us one; we live together in one body. Therefore we should recognize that we are one, and live together in peace. The "bond of peace" is paralleled in Col 3:14 with love, which "binds together" all the Christian virtues "in perfect unity."

4:4 There is one body

Paul now gives a sevenfold basis for unity. These seven things describe what all Christians have in common. They are centered on the triune Godhead, and are reminiscent of Paul's words in 1 Cor 12:4-6: "the same Spirit . . . the same Lord . . . the same God." While not a formal creed, these seven constitute an irreducible minimum upon which Christians must stand.

The first of these seven facts of unity is the one body. The church, the body of Christ, is made up of all those whom God has accepted into his family. It is the one body of Gentiles and Jews now reconciled to God (Eph 2:15); it is the one family of believers in heaven and on earth (Eph 3:15). Though we are many, yet in Christ we form one body (Rom 12:15). The essential oneness of God is reflected in the oneness of his church. Though represented in many local congregations, yet the universal church is one body.

and one Spirit

Amid a sometimes bewildering diversity of gifts in the early church, there is still "the same Spirit" (1 Cor 12:4). The Holy Spirit is present in every member, activating and energizing the whole body. From day one at Pentecost, the Spirit has been available to all men on the same basis. The Spirit does not divide, but makes us all members of one body (1 Cor 12:13).

- just as you were called to one hope when you were called -

Every member of the one body was "called" to share in the same hope by the message (Eph 6:17) and the convicting (John 16:8) of the Holy Spirit. Thus each part of the triad of this verse is linked together.

The "one hope" which all Christians share is the same "hope to which he has called you" in 1:18. Though we cannot see our final salvation and entrance into eternal life, we have a steadfast expectation of receiving it. We who share this hope are drawn together in unity because our lives are all oriented in the same direction. (See Rom 8:24-25; Tit 1:2; 1 Pet 1:13.) This hope is not something individual and private, but something public and corporate, to "share the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light" (Col 1:13).

4:5 one Lord,

The second triad underlying the unity shared by all Christians is Lord/faith/baptism. As F. F. Bruce notes, "It is not difficult to understand why 'one faith' and 'one baptism' are attached to 'one Lord'; he is the object of his people's faith (Eph 3:12) and it is into him that they have been baptized (Rom 6:3)."

The "one Lord" (kuvrio" , kyrios ) is "the one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live" (1 Cor 8:6). While "Lord" sometimes refers to the Father in the N.T., regularly it refers to Jesus Christ. In addition, God the Father is named separately in the next verse, completing the reference to the triune Godhead. The Father himself made Jesus our Lord (Acts 2:36), and to the Father's glory one day every tongue will acknowledge this fact (Phil 2:11).

one faith,

Sometimes the word "faith" (pivsti" , pistis ) refers to the body of truth and doctrine revealed by God, as in Jude 3. However, in all uses of "faith" in Ephesians Paul has reference to "saving faith," the personal trust and commitment to Jesus which is the basis of our salvation (e.g., 2:8 and 3:17). By faith we embrace the one Lord; by faith we share a common salvation.

one baptism;

Faith and baptism form a natural linkage: "When they believed . . . they were baptized" (Acts 8:12). Accordingly, Barth notes that "in the early church only people who believed were baptized." On the human side, the one baptism in which every Christian had shared was water baptism, the public rite of confession of the one faith in the one Lord. On the divine side, this water baptism was conjoined with the participation of the Spirit (1 Cor 12:13). In the beginning there was no question about baptism's form, immersion, because that was the clear meaning of the Greek word (baptivzw , baptizô ). There was no question about its purpose, which included forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16), bestowal of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; 1 Cor 12:13), and union with Christ (Rom 6:1-5; Gal 3:27; Col 2:11-12). All Christians had shared the same baptismal experience, in which the water and the Spirit were both involved.

The "one baptism" cannot be a baptism in the Spirit to the exclusion of water. Nowhere in the N.T. is anyone ever commanded to be baptized in the Spirit. (How could a person obey such a command?) Furthermore, even after Cornelius had received the miraculous outpouring of the Spirit, Peter commanded him to be baptized in water (Acts 10:44-48).

It may be questioned why the Lord's Supper is not also mentioned. While it is linked to unity in 1 Cor 10:17, it is not a ground or condition of that unity, but a subsequent expression of it.

4:6 one God and Father of all,

The first triad (v. 4) is based on the work of the Spirit; the second triad (v. 5) is based on our union with Christ; now the third triad is based on our sharing in the one God. The ascending order (Spirit, Christ, Father) repeats the sequence of 3:16-19 (see also 1 Cor 12:4-6).

The ultimate unity of the church - indeed, of the entire creation - is based on the Fatherhood of God. He is the source of all things and the origin of all existence. His Fatherhood is redemptive in nature, bringing all believers into the heavenly family (1:3, 17; 2:18; 3:14, 15).

who is over all and through all and in all.

Paul expands his mention of God the Father into the third triad by the use of three prepositions: over, through, and in. While these three words accurately express God's relation to every part of creation, they are especially true in his dealing with the church. God is "over" all his children as their transcendent Father. He is "through" all when they are the agents or instruments through whom he works. He is "in" all as they become "the dwelling place of God in the Spirit" (Eph 2:22).

2. Diversity in the Body (4:7-11)

⁷ But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. ⁸ This is why it ^a says: "When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men." ^{b 9} (What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? ¹⁰ He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) ¹¹ It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,

^a 8 Or God ^b 8 Psalm 68:18

4:7 But to each one of us

Within our unity in Christ there is diversity. The sevenfold emphasis on "one" is followed by a contrasting "to each one." While Christians stand together on the seven facts of unity just listed, we each take our own individual positions of service. The individual functions of each member do not destroy the body's unity; indeed, they enhance it.

grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.

The ability of each member to perform his assigned service is described in the words "grace has been given." Just as in Paul's own case (Eph 3:2, 7), this "grace" involves a job responsibility. In similar language Paul tells the Romans, "So in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us" (Rom 12:5-6). Each Christian uses "whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms" (1 Pet 4:10). Since Christ is responsible for bestowing his Spirit on believers, it is not inconsistent to credit him in this verse with bestowing the gifts of the Spirit on them as well.

4:8 This is why it says:

Paul turns to Psalm 68:18 to prove his point. After he quotes the passage in this verse, he will show in vv. 9-10 why the quotation should be taken in reference to Christ. Paul's line of argument would have been clear to the first century mind, but is less so to readers today. It is important to notice that the passage has two parts, each with its own function. The first part proves that the fulfillment is in Christ; the second part confirms the theme which Paul is asserting: "He gave gifts to men."

"When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train

In the context of Ps 68 the conquering God is seen going up to Mount Zion in victory. From Sinai to the promised land God has made his people victorious over their enemies. A triumphal parade displaying prisoners of war is an emphatic statement of this victory. While the original text is addressed to God and says, "you" led captives, it is an easy transition to use the words to describe God and say "he" led captives.

These words find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. When he ascended into the heavenly Zion, the new Jerusalem, he had conquered the forces of Satan. The principalities and powers were disarmed and defeated by Jesus, who led them as his captives in his triumphal victory parade (Col 2:15).

and gave gifts to men."

Paul's minor shift from "you" to "he" is now followed by a major departure from the standard O.T. text. While Paul quotes the passage as saying "gave gifts to men," the original text (both Hebrew and LXX) has "received gifts from men." Two things help to explain Paul's apparent reversal of the text. First, certain ancient versions (the Peshitta and one of the Targums) do state the Psalm as Paul quotes it. Second, the overall context of this Psalm is a picture of God giving ( vv. 5-6, 10-11, 19, 35). As the last verse of Ps 68 makes clear, the reason God received gifts from defeated pagans was to "give power and strength to his people." Thus, in Ps 68:18 the giving is implied in the receiving. Understood in this light, the verse Paul quotes is interpreted true to its setting and is not being taken out of its proper context.

4:9 (What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended

Paul uses a typical first century line of argument here. He who ascends must first have descended. What goes up must first have come down. And obviously, he who first came down and then ascended is Jesus Christ. Thus, Paul argues, the ancient Psalm is properly applied to Christ. Ascent and descent are connected in John 3:13 in a strikingly similar manner.

to the lower, earthly regions?

Literally, "the lower parts of the earth." Various interpretations of this phrase are possible: (1) A descent into Hades; (2) The descent of the incarnation; (3) A descent in the form of the Spirit, following his ascension. Phil 2:7-8 may be the best commentary on this, showing how Christ stooped to taking on human form - even to the point of dying on the cross.

4:10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens,

As in the Philippians passage, the lowly descent is followed by glorious exaltation. God lifted him up and "appointed him to be head over everything" (Eph 1:22). Christ has "gone through the heavens" and is presently "exalted above the heavens" (Heb 4:14; 7:26).

in order to fill the whole universe.)

Just as God could say, "Do not I fill heaven and earth?" (Jer 23:24), now the exalted Christ pervades the universe. He who has been made head over everything also "fills everything in every way" (Eph 1:22-23). From his position of superiority over all the universe, Jesus sustains (Heb 1:3) and holds together all things (Col 1:17).

4:11 It was he who gave some to be apostles,

Having established his point with the authority of Scripture, Paul returns to the thought of v. 7, the diversity of gifts given through the grace of Christ. While v. 7 concerns the general fact of variety in the giving of grace to all believers, v. 11 focuses on specific examples of this variety. Moreover, while other Scriptures depict the gifts as being the ministries given to certain individuals (1 Cor 12:4-11), in this passage the gifts are the individuals themselves who exercise the ministries. In the words of Andrew Lincoln, "What does the exalted Christ give to the church? He gives people, these particular people who proclaim the word and lead."

The first of four such groups of leaders given to the church are the "apostles" (ajpovstoloi , apostoloi ). These men were handpicked by Jesus to be "sent forth" as his representatives on earth after he ascended into heaven. They were promised inspiration (John 14:26) and their preaching would carry authority (John 20:23). The apostles are named first in Paul's listing because of their priority among other leaders (see 1 Cor 12:28, "first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers"). With the exception of Judas, who was replaced prior to Pentecost, no provision was ever made for the successive replacement of apostles. They served as the foundation of the church (Eph 2:20; cf. Rev 21:14), which is laid but once. They and their close associates produced the New Testament Scriptures, which perpetuate that foundation.

some to be prophets,

Prophets, the second group of leaders, are closely linked with apostles in Eph 2:20 and 3:5. These leaders had the gift which enabled them to speak directly from God (1 Cor 12:10, 28), usually with a prediction concerning the future. Especially in the earliest years of the church, before the New Testament was written and widely circulated, these gifted leaders were vital to the local congregation. Just as with the apostles, the prophets did not arrange to have successors. They were foundational, not a permanent office for every generation (Eph 2:20; 1 Cor 13:8-10). The sufficiency of Scripture makes prophets unnecessary today.

some to be evangelists,

By definition, the "evangelists" (eujaggelisthv" , euangelistçs ) are those who proclaim the "good news" of the gospel. Such a preacher did not have the authority of an apostle, nor the inspiration of a prophet. Hendriksen styles them as "traveling missionaries." One must be careful, however, to make a definition broad enough to include Philip (Acts 21:8) and Timothy (2 Tim 4:5). Both of these leaders appear to be working with an established church, doing considerable "pastoral" service (esp. in the case of Timothy).

Unlike apostles and prophets, evangelists are found in every generation of the church. The work of evangelism has been given to the church "to the end of the age" (Matt 28:20).

and some to be pastors and teachers,

The fourth category of gifted leaders is "the pastors and teachers." A single definite article in Greek links the two terms as describing a single category of leaders. The word "pastor" (poimhvn , poimçn ) is a common Greek word for a shepherd. It is used interchangeably in the N.T. with the terms "elder" and "overseer." (Cf. 1 Pet 5:1-5; Acts 20:17, 28; 1 Tim 3:1-7; Tit 1:5-7.) Such men were to be "able to teach" (1 Tim 3:2), providing nurture and instruction to new converts. In this way, the work of the evangelist is complemented by the work of the pastor/teacher. Teachers preserved and expounded the message of the apostles and the O.T. They were specialists who served in behalf of the church to inculcate divine truth.

It must not be thought that these four categories of leadership are exhaustive. Other N.T. lists of leaders present additional areas of giftedness (1 Cor 12:4-11, 28-30; Rom 12:6-8; 1 Pet 4:10-11; etc.). Neither are these four categories exclusive of each other. Paul served in all four areas; Timothy served in three. Rather than setting up rigid offices in the church, the N.T. describes the kinds of work that need to be done and recognizes the kinds of leaders who do the work.

3. Maturity in the Body (4:12-16)

¹² to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³ until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. ¹⁴ Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. ¹⁵ Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. ¹⁶ From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

4:12 to prepare God's people for works of service,

Literally, "toward the equipping of the saints unto work of service." The noun "equipping" (katartismov" , katartismos ) occurs only here in the N.T. The verb from which it is derived, however, occurs thirteen times. A survey of these uses will show quite clearly what the leaders are to do for "the saints":

1. To teach (Luke 6:40)

2. To equip with everything good (Heb 13:21)

3. To supply what is lacking (1 Thess 3:10)

4. To prepare for use (Heb 10:5)

5. To form, mold, and shape (Heb 11:3)

6. To mend and repair (Matt 4:21)

7. To correct faults (2 Cor 13:11)

8. To restore a fallen brother (Gal 6:1)

9. To bring into functioning harmony (1 Cor 1:10)

Those who are to be equipped are all God's "holy" people, who have been "set apart" to him. Their shepherd/teachers are to help them get ready to do the work of service. (The translation "ministry" may give a false impression of "clergy" work.) This word for "service" (diakoniva , diakonia ) originally meant serving at a table. In the N.T. this kind of service includes such things as:

1. Providing food (Luke 8:3)

2. Waiting tables (Acts 6:2)

3. Meeting physical needs of those who are hungry, thirsty, lonely, naked, sick, or in prison (Matt 25:44)

4. Delivering famine relief money (Rom 15:25)

5. Serving as a deacon (1 Tim 3:10)

6. Proclaiming the Word of God (1 Pet 1:12)

Two-thirds of the sixty-six uses of "service" or "to serve" in the N.T. have to do with meeting physical needs. Therefore, the key to gaining the right focus on ministry is to stop thinking of serving the "church program" and to start thinking about serving the needs of people.

so that the body of Christ may be built up

The body of Christ is comprised of the people in the church. When all the body members are put to work, the body grows and matures (v. 16). People grow to maturity through service. So long as the saints are merely consumers of the program and product of the church, they will remain immature and selfish. Just as Christ came not to be served, but to serve (Matt 20:28), so must his body learn the satisfaction that comes from being concerned about the needs of others.

4:13 until we all reach unity in the faith

In the midst of all the diversity of gifts and variety of ministries among the saints, the body moves toward ultimate unity. Unlike the God-given unity of v. 3, the unity spoken of here is a goal not yet attained. The emphasis on "all" (oiJ pa'nte" , hoi pantes ) confirms that the saints themselves are involved in growing through service; the leaders do not do it all. The "all" also eliminates the possibility of the emergence of an elite class in the church, such as later came to be promoted by the Gnostics.

Unity "in the faith" is not total doctrinal conformity. Men will never agree on every opinion, this side of heaven. As in v. 5, Paul is thinking of "faith" as total trust and commitment to Jesus. Faith unites believers to Jesus Christ, and thereby faith unites believers to one another.

At the same time, faith in the Son of God cannot be detached from historical truth. The church cannot be united in commitment to Jesus while disagreeing about who he is and what he has taught. A united, mature church will "no longer be infants . . . blown here and there by every wind of teaching" (v. 14).

and in the knowledge of the Son of God

The knowledge (ejpivgnwsi" , epignôsis ) which marks the well built-up church is not just the intellectual knowledge of all the facts about Jesus. It is personal involvement with him (Eph 3:19). Paul earnestly sought the "surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus," (Phil 3:10) so he seeks it for the Ephesian readers as well. This intensely personal experience with Christ is also a corporate experience. Unity with the Son necessitates unity with his body.

and become mature,

This third goal of the built-up church is literally "unto a mature man." Paul uses the right word for "man" (ajnhvr , ançr ), the term for the adult male, connoting full maturity of strength. Paul's word for "mature" (tevleio" , teleios ) can mean "perfect," but in application to men it regularly means "full grown" (Phil 3:15). The concept stands in sharp contrast to the helpless "infants" of the next verse.

attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Paul's fourfold goal in this verse for the well built-up church is unity, knowledge, maturity, fullness. This fourth part of the goal is for the church to aim at the standard of the glorified Christ. His fullness is his complete, balanced character; it is to be replicated in the life of the church. Final attainment of this goal will not be achieved by the church on earth, but the believer can be content to aim for nothing less.

4:14 Then we will no longer be infants,

To define the goal of maturity more sharply, Paul describes its opposite: helpless infants. This word (nhvpio" , nçpios ) can mean merely young children in a neutral sense (Gal 4:1-3), but often the term carries with it the value judgment of "infantile and stupid" (1 Cor 3:1-2; 13:11; Heb 5:13). It was necessary, no doubt, for all believers to begin as babies in their faith, but they are to stay at this level "no longer." God wants his people childlike, but not childish.

tossed back and forth by the waves,

The immature church has not come to united faith, knowledge, maturity, and fullness. Lacking the stability of being "rooted and established" (Eph 3:17), the immature church faces the peril of the house built on the sand. The effects of the storm on the unstable person are also seen in James 1:6 and Jude 12-13.

and blown here and there by every wind of teaching

The waves are paralleled by the winds; both represent the unsettling effects of false teaching. Like helpless bits of flotsam and jetsam swirling at the mercy of the waves and the wind, the infantile believer faces confusion, error and lack of direction. Similarly, Heb 13:9 warns, "Do not be carried away by all kinds of false teaching."

and by the cunning and craftiness of men

False teachers may be very clever. Since they are not limited to working with the truth, they can shape their teaching to make it attractive and appealing. Even our translation "cunning and craftiness" probably borders too closely to the kind of cleverness that men admire. Their "cunning" (kubeiva , kybeia or cubeia ) is from the Greek word for the dice used in gambling, where cheating was standard practice. Their "craftiness" (panourgiva , panourgia ) means literally they were "ready to do anything" to take an unfair advantage.

in their deceitful scheming.

Literally, "in deceitful methods of error." "Deceitful" (meqodeiva , methodeia ) means having clever methods or strategies. "Error" (plavnh , planç ) means getting off course. Paul's descriptions tell this sad truth: False teachers cheat; they adulterate the truth; they will do anything they can, use every method at their disposal, to deceive and lead off course. Their father is the father of lies (John 8:44).

Paul had warned the elders from Ephesus in Acts 20:30 that even from their own number "men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them." Apparently it was now beginning to happen.

4:15 Instead, speaking the truth in love,

Christians must not remain at the mercy of false teachers. "Instead," they must take action - but what action? Shall they meet clever deception with even more clever scheming? Paul's antidote for cunning lies is truth. The Ephesians must not merely "speak the truth," they must adhere to truth in every respect; they must practice absolute integrity. (The Greek phrase is literally "truthing in love.")

We do not combat the father of lies with guile and subterfuge. We fight in the full armor of God, which begins with truth (Eph 6:14). However, allegiance to truth does not allow us to be blunt and cruel in the pretext of being frank and honest. Paul's command is to be truthful "in love." "Of any proposed action or word we ask not only 'Is it true and right?' but also 'Is it kind and loving?'"

we will in all things grow up

Let us trace the line of thought back through the last four verses. Paul's goal is for the infant (v. 14) to grow to maturity in the fullness of Christ (v. 13). This is the reason the saints (v. 12) are to be equipped by the leaders (v. 11). When all God's people are enlisted in active service in the kingdom, "we all" (v. 13) grow "in every respect."

into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

Christ causes the body to live and grow (cf. Col 2:19), and the purpose of all its activity is to accomplish the will of the Head. The flow of attention rises from each individual part upward to the ruling Head (see Eph 1:22 and 5:23-24).

4:16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament,

As branches derive their life and strength from the vine (John 15:1-11), so the church derives its spiritual vitality and energy from the Lord. In an ongoing process, believers are continuing to be built into a growing structure. Coming from every people, tribe, and nation, they are "joined" (sunarmologouvmenon , synarmologoumenon , "harmoniously fit together") and "held together" (sumbibazovmenon , symbibazomenon , "firmly knit together") as the hands and feet are connected by joints and ligaments to the body.

grows and builds itself up in love,

With vitality and direction coming from the Head, the body of Christ "makes the increase of the body unto the building up of itself in love." Since not every kind of cellular growth is productive (e.g., cancer, obesity, deformity), it is important that the body of Christ "grows as God causes it to grow" (Col 2:19). Just as God causes the healthy human body, when properly supported and held together, to experience normal growth, so the church can expect to grow and be built up in love.

as each part does its work.

Literally, "according to the energizing in measure of each individual part." The key to godly growth that accomplishes the purpose of the Head is for every part of the body to function. The leadership (v. 11) cannot do all the ministry, while the saints merely watch. When certain parts of the body have to try to perform roles normally handled by other parts, two things result: (1) those parts must leave off doing their own important function; (2) they perform less efficiently in the new roles for which they are less well suited.

B. THE CHRISTIAN IN PERSONAL LIFE (4:17-5:21)

1. The Old Nature vs. the New (4:17-24)

¹⁷ So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. ¹⁸ They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. ¹⁹ Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. ²⁰ You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. ²¹ Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. ²² You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³ to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

4:17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord,

Paul now proceeds with the exhortation he began in 4:1 and broke off in 4:3. "So . . ." has resumptive force, focusing again on what it means to live a worthy life. Paul calls for a new standard of conduct, solemnly "insisting on it" (martuvromai , martyromai , to affirm or testify in court).

that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do,

These Gentile believers must not allow themselves to live (peripatei'n , peripatein , "to walk") any longer as other Gentiles live. Unlike the Jews, who usually had a higher standard of conduct because they recognized God's law, the Gentiles were morally careless, especially in sexual matters. God's people must add purity to their unity and maturity (4:1-16).

in the futility of their thinking.

"Futility" describes the empty and purposeless lives of people who do not know God. The word implies idle vanity, foolishness, and frustration. In Lystra Paul called the pagans to "turn from these futilities" (Acts 14:15). Peter reminded his readers they had been "redeemed from the futile lifestyle" they had inherited from their fathers (1 Pet 1:18). A more exact parallel is found in what Paul wrote to the Romans:

Romans Ephesians 1:21 their thinking became futile 4:17 in the futility of their thinking 1:21 their foolish hearts were darkened 4:18 darkened in their understanding 1:24 God gave them over . . .to impurity 4:19 have given themselves over to sensuality 4:18 They are darkened in their understanding

Like the person in the darkening twilight who cannot see things very clearly, the Gentiles had allowed their sense of moral distinctions to become blurred. The eyes of their hearts were not enlightened (cf. Eph 1:18), and they suffered from a moral and spiritual black-out. The "understanding" or "thought" (diavnoia , dianoia , as in 2:3) with which they should have wholly loved God (Matt 22:37) did not even know him or his ways.

and separated from the life of God

Although every child enters life in good standing with God (Matt 18:3; 19:14), progressive darkening of the mind finally separates him from God. This alienation was especially true of the Gentiles (Eph 2:12). As Paul also wrote to the nearby Colossians, "Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior" (Col 1:21). To be cut off from God is also to be cut off from "the life of God," the blessings of his mercy and election.

because of the ignorance that is in them

The Gentile's moral darkness and consequent alienation was a result of "ignorance" (a[gnoia , agnoia ) of God. While the word in secular literature usually means a mere lack of knowledge, in Scripture the word implies a refusal to know. "Not to know the Lord is as much as to ignore him." Ignorance in this context is certainly no excuse; it is sin. They "suppress the truth by their wickedness" (Rom 1:18); they "did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God" (Rom 1:28).

due to the hardening of their hearts.

This phrase worsens the case against the Gentiles. They are not victims of inadvertent ignorance; their ignorance is a willful product of their hard hearts. The word for "hardening" (pwvrwsi" , pôrôsis ) was used for a soft mass or tissue that calcified or turned to stone. The "heart" (kardiva , kardia ), as regularly in classical and biblical literature, is viewed as the seat of the will and understanding, not of the emotions.

4:19 Having lost all sensitivity,

The hardening process finally left them "past feeling; unable to feel pain." A similar idea is found in 1 Tim 4:2, where some have had their consciences "seared as with a hot iron." By their own consent and choice the Gentiles had reached a point where they no longer had the moral discernment or feeling to care about the degrading lives they led.

they have given themselves over to sensuality

Romans 1:24-32 says God "gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts," while in this verse Paul says "they gave themselves." In either case it was the desire of the sinful heart, not the desire of God, that precipitated the action. The word translated "sensuality" (ajsevlgeia , aselgeia ) is the strongest Greek word for depravity, indicating a total disregard for decency (see notes on Gal 5:19). It encompasses riotous and excessive living, frequently with unrestrained sexual behavior in view.

so as to indulge in every kind of impurity,

Like sensuality, "impurity" (ajkaqarsiva , akatharsia ) is a work of the flesh (Gal 5:19). It indicates the kind of moral pollution that makes a man unfit to come before the presence of God. Not content merely to abandon God and sink into sin, the Gentiles wanted to practice "every kind" of impurity.

with a continual lust for more.

In their perverted way of seeing things, each different kind of sin was a delicacy to be desired. They practiced each new sin greedily, "in covetousness" (ejn pleonexiva/ , en pleonexia ). Their insatiable appetite for sin could never be satisfied (cf. 1 Pet 4:3).

4:20 You, however, did not come to know Christ that way.

But Paul's readers are strongly contrasted with those who are thus alienated from God. While dualism in Greek philosophy taught that the actions of the body had no effect on the inner man, no such folly is taught in Christ. The mind and body are inseparably connected in acts of immorality. "Do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil" (1 John 3:7-8).

4:21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him

Since Paul is addressing an audience larger than just his own original converts in Ephesus, he says "surely you have heard." To "hear" of Christ draws attention primarily to the first stage of hearing the gospel; to be "taught" highlights the further state of formal instruction.

in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.

Truth was an important ideal in the life of Jesus, being used twenty-five times in the Gospel of John alone. Jesus said, "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32); "I am the way and the truth and the life" (John 14:6). "Jesus" without any addition is not found elsewhere in Ephesians, and is rare in any of Paul's epistles.

4:22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life,

The words "You were taught" are added by the NIV to pick up the line of thought from the previous verse. The "former way of life" has been graphically described by Paul in vv. 17-19 and is not acceptable for a Christian. Three infinitives will sum up the new lifestyle that the readers are taught: to put off, to be made new, and to put on.

to put off your old self,

The old "self" (ajnqrwpo" , anthrôpos , "man") is the personality ruined by sinful desires and alienated from God. It is the "old self" that was crucified with Christ and buried in baptism (Rom 6:6). But Paul finds it necessary to instruct those who are already saints (Eph 1:1) that they must still "put off" the old nature, just as they would remove a soiled, worn-out garment. They are already God's holy people; now they must act like it!

which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;

The stains that corrupt or defile the old nature are "the desires of deceit." These desires (ejpiqumivai , epithymiai , "lusts") are deceitful because they beguile people into sin and error. They promise fulfillment, but they deliver corruption and destruction.

4:23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds;

"To be made new" (ajnaneou'sqai , ananeousthai ) is a present infinitive, drawing attention to the continuing aspect of the action. The renovating of one's life is not an instantaneous thing, but a project still in progress.

The renewal takes place "in the spirit of your minds" by internal transformation. The process begins when the Spirit of Christ re- places the old self at conversion (Gal 2:20), and continues as the Christian is "transformed by the renewing of the mind" (Rom 12:2).

4:24 and to put on the new self,

Once the "old self" is put off like a filthy garment (cf. Isa 64:6), the "new self" can be put on. The verb "put on" (ejnduvsasqai , endysasthai ) is found only in Paul in the N.T. In Gal 3:27 and Rom 13:14 the believer puts on Christ; in Col 3:9-10 and the present verse the believer puts on the new self. "This, however, is only a different way of saying the same thing. Christ ruling in our lives is the new nature."

created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

In the beginning man was created in the image of God (Gen 1:26-27), but man sinned and then continued to fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23). Now in Christ there is a new beginning! The fallen sinner can be re-created in the image of his Creator. While the believer has been charged to be earnest to change his ethical lifestyle, the word "created" is a reminder that God himself is the primary producer of the change.

"True righteousness and holiness," then, is much more than man's own feeble attempts at self-righteousness. It involves an inner transformation which produces a whole new self.

2. Members of One Body (4:25-32)

²⁵ Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. ²⁶"In your anger do not sin" ^a : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷ and do not give the devil a foothold. ²⁸ He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. ²⁹ Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

^a 26 Psalm 4:4

4:25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor,

As in Col 3:8-14, Paul identifies exactly what it means for the believer to put off the old self and put on the new. To begin with (see Eph 6:14), the believer must put off "the lie" (yeu'do" , pseudos ). What sharper break with the old life could he make than to abandon the ways of the "father of lies" (John 8:44) and to take his stand with God, for whom it is "impossible to lie" (Heb 6:18)?

And the Christian must do more than avoid the outright lie; he must "speak truthfully." The half-truth, which is also half-lie, simply will not do. The "neighbor," in the context of the following clause, is anyone in the body of Christ.

for we are all members of one body.

People lie or withhold truth when they conclude that the other person is not competent to handle the whole truth in some desired manner. To convey a falsehood to a fellow believer, to deem him unworthy of knowing the truth, rips the fabric of unity in the "one body." As members of a "social organism" Christians must be able to share an honest, intimate association with one another.

4:26 "In your anger do not sin":

Anger is specified in both Ephesians and Colossians as a vice which the Christian must put away. Jesus warned that "anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment" (Matt 5:22). James declares that "man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires" (James 1:20). Yet in the present verse Paul seems to allow, or even command, the Christian to "be angry" (ojrgivzesqe , orgizesthe ). As Paul quotes these words from Ps 4:4, does he intend the imperative verb as a concession ("if you get angry, as is inevitable") or as a command ("when appropriate, get angry with righteous indignation")? Since in just five more verses Paul forbids anger, it is unlikely that he commands it here. Moreover, as Bruce comments, "There is a subtle temptation to regard my anger as righteous indignation and other people's anger as sheer bad temper."

If feelings of anger are sometimes unavoidable, there are two things the Christian can do to avoid letting his emotions get him into trouble. The first is "do not sin." An action taken in the heat of anger is almost always the wrong action. Only God can properly execute wrath and vengeance (Rom 12:19).

Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,

The second action the Christian must take is to get rid of anger within the day. Few things have higher priority than seeking reconciliation with a brother (Matt 5:24). Animosity must not be harbored as a growing resentment.

4:27 and do not give the devil a foothold.

When emotions are out of control, the devil steps in to exploit the situation. Whether in an action taken in the heat of passion, or in a smoldering resentment, the devil is given room to operate.

4:28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer,

The thief (oJ klevptwn , ho kleptôn , "the one stealing") must stop what he is doing, now that he is a believer. While the KJV says "he who stole," the present tense of the participle and the words "steal no longer" indicate a continuing and habitual problem.

but must work, doing something useful with his own hands,

The nobility of manual labor was known among the rabbis, as well: "He who does not teach his son a craft teaches him to be a robber." Paul himself was willing to work with his hands, making tents in Corinth (Acts 18:3; cf. 1 Thess 4:11-12; 2 Thess 3:6-12). It was to the Ephesian elders themselves that Paul said, "You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions" (Acts 20:34).

that he may have something to share with those in need.

Stealing is replaced by hard work. The cured thief learns to do something "useful," and with his newly earned bounty he learns to share. This is not foolish idealism; it is sound common sense. The dignity of labor and the joy of sharing leave no room for the desire to steal.

4:29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,

"Do not let" could be well translated "Stop it from going on." The "unwholesome" (saprov" , sapros ) talk belongs to the category of "rotten" fruit (Matt 12:33), "decayed" trees (Matt 7:17), and "spoiled" fish (Matt 13:48). What comes "out of a man's mouth" defiles him, for "the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart" (Matt 15:11, 18). In the immediate context of this verse, "rotten words" are those which do not build up.

but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs,

Bluntly stated, Paul's rule is this: "If you can't build up, shut up!" However, this does not call for constant false flattery. Criticism can be edifying, when offered in the proper spirit by the proper person.

that it may benefit those who listen.

As the penitent thief learns to do "useful" work to share with others, the former slanderer learns to "benefit" others with his upbuilding words. It is not enough to cease doing bad things; the Christian must start replacing them with good things.

4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,

Paul's readers must "stop" (as v. 29) grieving the Spirit with their abuse of their fellowman. In the context of the verses which immediately precede and follow this warning, we especially grieve God's Spirit by what we speak. The Spirit who speaks (1 Tim 4:1), teaches (John 14:26), and intercedes (Rom 8:27) has feelings and can be grieved. An impersonal force could be resisted or quenched, but "grieve" is movingly personal (cf. Isa 63:10).

with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

The Spirit is the seal, or identifying mark, placed on each child of God (Eph 1:13-14). When the Lord returns to claim his own, each of them will be recognized by the Spirit within them (Rom 8:9). Redemption, in one sense, has already taken place at the cross (Eph 1:7). The final realization of redemption, however, will take place at the end of this age "when the sons of God will be revealed" and they receive "the redemption" of their bodies (Rom 8:19, 23).

4:31 Get rid of all bitterness,

"Bitterness" (pikriva , pikria ) is "the temper which cherishes resentful feelings." It is a feeling of animosity or spite, nearly always in the N.T. in connection with speech.

rage and anger,

While "rage and anger" are often overlapping synonyms, the Stoics distinguished "rage" (qumov" , thymos ) as an initial explosion of hot temper and "anger" (ojrghv , orgç ) as a more settled feeling of gnawing hostility. This latter word of pent-up wrath is often used of the "wrath of God" (Rom 1:18 and Eph 5:6). Rage and anger are contrasting expressions of the same vice; Christians should not congratulate themselves for having one, but not the other.

brawling and slander,

"Brawling" (kraughv , kraugç , "clamor") is shouting out in anger. It is characteristic of a mob or assembly that covers up lack of sober arguments with its loudness (Luke 23:23; Acts 19:28; 23:19). "Slander" (blasfhmiva , blasphçmia ) is literally "speaking against. In reference to God it is "blasphemy"; in reference to man it is reviling and cursing, including the use of ominous and obscene words.

along with every form of malice.

All this is summed up in the word "malice" (kakiva , kakia ), which takes in any attitude or action which intends to harm one's neighbor. With this word Paul summarizes his rhetorical climax: "there has been a progression from anger's inner center ( pikria ) through its initial eruption ( thymos ) and steady festering (orgç ) to its external expression (kraugç ) and damaging of others (blasphçmia )." This evil disposition has no place in the new nature of the man newly created after God's own likeness.

4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another,

In stunning contrast to what preceded, Paul says, "Be kind." "Kind" (crhstoiv , chrçstoi ) is more than gentle and polite; the word also means "useful" and "serviceable." It has the flavor of action and productivity. God showed his "kindness" to us (Eph 2:7) when he took steps to save us. "Compassionate" (eu[splagcnoi , eusplangchnoi ) originally had reference to the inner organs of the body, especially the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys. This area of the body was noticed to produce strong feelings, even pain, when a tragedy was encountered. For this reason these organs were considered the seat of deepest emotion.

forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

"Forgiving" (carizovmenoi , charizomenoi ) is literally "extending grace." Those who are re-created in the image of God should reproduce the free grace of his forgiving love. The word family of charizomai includes the ideas of happiness, pleasure, favor and goodwill. Therefore, if we forgive "just as" God in Christ forgave us, we will do it with a smile on our face!

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV

Introduction / Outline

Robertson: Ephesians (Book Introduction)

The Epistle to the Ephesians

From Rome a.d. 63

By Way of Introduction

There are some problems of a special nature that confront us about the so-called Epistle to the Ephesians.

The Authorship

It is not admitted by all that Paul wrote it, though no other adequate explanation of its origin has ever been given. So far as subject matter and vocabulary and style are concerned, if Colossians is Pauline, there is little or nothing to be said against the Pauline authorship of this Epistle.

Relation to Colossians

As we have seen, the two Epistles were sent at the same time, but clearly Colossians was composed first. Ephesians bears much the same relation to Colossians that Romans does to Galatians, a fuller treatment of the same general theme in a more detached and impersonal manner.

The Destination

The oldest documents (Aleph and B) do not have the words en Ephesōi (in Ephesus) in Eph_1:1 (inserted by a later hand). Origen did not have them in his copy. Marcion calls it the Epistle to the Laodiceans. We have only to put here Col_4:16 " the letter from Laodicea" to find the probable explanation. After writing the stirring Epistle to the Colossians Paul dictated this so-called Epistle to the Ephesians as a general or circular letter for the churches in Asia (Roman province). Perhaps the original copy had no name in Eph_1:1 as seen in Aleph and B and Origen, but only a blank space. Marcion was familiar with the copy in Laodicea. Basil in the fourth century mentions some MSS. with no name in the address. Most MSS. were copies from the one in Ephesus and so it came to be called the Epistle to the Ephesians. The general nature of the letter explains also the absence of names in it, though Paul lived three years in Ephesus.

The Date

The same date must be assigned as for Philemon and Colossians, probably a.d. 63.

The Place of Writing

This would also be the same, that is Rome, though Deissmann and Duncan argue for Ephesus itself as the place of writing. Some scholars even suggest Caesarea.

The Character of the Epistle

The same Gnostic heresy is met as in Colossians, but with this difference. In Colossians the emphasis is on the Dignity of Christ as the Head of the Church, while in Ephesians chief stress is placed upon the Dignity of the Church as the Body of Christ the Head. Paul has written nothing more profound than chapters Ephesians 1-3 of Ephesians. Stalker termed them the profoundest thing ever written. He sounds the depths of truth and reaches the heights. Since Ephesians covers the same ground so largely as Colossians, only the words in Ephesians that differ or are additional will call for discussion.

JFB: Ephesians (Book Introduction)

THE headings (Eph 1:1, and Eph 3:1, show that this Epistle claims to be that of Paul. This claim is confirmed by the testimonies of IRENÆUS, [Against Heresies, 5.2,3; 1.8,5]; CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, [Miscellanies, 4, P. 65, and The Instructor, 1.8]; ORIGEN, [Against Celsus, 4,211]. It is quoted by VALENTINUS, A.D. 120, namely, Eph 3:14-18, as we know from HIPPOLYTUS [The Refutation of All Heresies, p. 193]. POLYCARP [Epistle to the Philippians, 12], testifies to its canonicity. So TERTULLIAN [Against Marcion, 5,17]. IGNATIUS [Epistle to the Ephesians, 12], which alludes to the frequent and affectionate mention made by Paul of the Christian state, privileges, and persons of the Ephesians in his Epistle.

Two theories, besides the ordinary one, have been held on the question, to whom the Epistle is addressed. GROTIUS, after the heretic Marcion, maintains that it was addressed to the Church at Laodicea, and that it is the Epistle to which Paul refers in Col 4:16. But the Epistle to the Colossians was probably written before that to the Ephesians, as appears from the parallel passages in Ephesians bearing marks of being expanded from those in Colossians; and Marcion seems to have drawn his notion, as to our Epistle, from Paul's allusion (Col 4:16) to an Epistle addressed by him to the Laodiceans. ORIGEN and CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, and even TERTULLIAN, who refers to Marcion, give no sanction to his notion. No single manuscript contains the heading, "to the saints that are at Laodicea." The very resemblance of the Epistle to the Ephesians, to that to the Colossians, is against the theory; for if the former were really the one addressed to Laodicea (Col 4:16), Paul would not have deemed it necessary that the churches of Colosse and Laodicea should interchange Epistles. The greetings, moreover (Col 4:15), which he sends through the Colossians to the Laodiceans, are quite incompatible with the idea that Paul wrote an Epistle to the Laodiceans at the same time, and by the same bearer, Tychicus (the bearer of our Epistle to the Ephesians, as well as of that to Colosse, Eph 6:21; Col 4:7); for who, under such circumstances, would not send the greetings directly in the letter to the party saluted? The letter to Laodicea was evidently written some time before that to Colosse, Archbishop USHER has advanced the second theory: That it was an encyclical letter headed, as in Manuscript B., "to the saints that are . . . and to the faithful," the name of each Church being inserted in the copy sent to it; and that its being sent to Ephesus first, occasioned its being entitled, as now, the Epistle to the Ephesians. ALFORD makes the following objections to this theory: (1) It is at variance with the spirit of the Epistle, which is clearly addressed to one set of persons throughout, co-existing in one place, and as one body, and under the same circumstances. (2) The improbability that the apostle, who in two of his Epistles (Second Corinthians and Galatians) has so plainly specified their encyclical character, should have here omitted such specification. (3) The still greater improbability that he should have, as on this hypothesis must be assumed, written a circular Epistle to a district, of which Ephesus was the commercial capital, addressed to various churches within that district, yet from its very contents (as by the opponents' hypothesis) not admitting of application to the Church of that metropolis, in which he had spent so long a time, and to which he was so affectionately bound. (4) The inconsistency of this hypothesis with the address of the Epistle, and the universal testimony of the ancient Church. The absence of personal greetings is not an argument for either of the two theories; for similarly there are none in Galatians, Philippians, First and Second Thessalonians, First Timothy. The better he knows the parties addressed, and the more general and solemn the subject, the less he seems to give of these individual notices. Writing, as he does in this Epistle, on the constitution and prospects of Christ's universal Church, he refers the Ephesians, as to personal matters, to the bearer of the Epistle, Tychicus (Eph 6:21-22). As to the omission of "which are at Ephesus" (Eph 1:1), in Manuscript B., so "in Rome" (Rom 1:7) is omitted in some old manuscripts: it was probably done by churches among whom it was read, in order to generalize the reference of its contents, and especially where the subject of the Epistle is catholic. The words are found in the margin of Manuscript B, from a first hand; and are found in all the oldest manuscripts and versions.

Paul's first visit to Ephesus (on the seacoast of Lydia, near the river Cayster) is related in Act 18:19-21. The work, begun by his disputations with the Jews in his short visit, was carried on by Apollos (Act 18:24-26), and Aquila and Priscilla (Act 18:26). At his second visit, after his journey to Jerusalem, and thence to the east regions of Asia Minor, he remained at Ephesus "three years" (Act 19:10, the "two years" in which verse are only part of the time, and Act 20:31); so that the founding and rearing of this Church occupied an unusually large portion of the apostle's time and care; whence his language in this Epistle shows a warmth of feeling, and a free outpouring of thought, and a union in spiritual privileges and hope between him and them (Eph 1:3, &c.), such as are natural from one so long and so intimately associated with those whom he addresses. On his last journey to Jerusalem, he sailed by Ephesus and summoned the elders of the Ephesian Church to meet him at Miletus, where he delivered his remarkable farewell charge (Acts 20:18-35).

This Epistle was addressed to the Ephesians during the early part of his imprisonment at Rome, immediately after that to the Colossians, to which it bears a close resemblance in many passages, the apostle having in his mind generally the same great truths in writing both. It is an undesigned proof of genuineness that the two Epistles, written about the same date, and under the same circumstances, bear a closer mutual resemblance than those written at distant dates and on different occasions. Compare Eph 1:7 with Col 1:14; Eph 1:10 with Col 1:20; Eph 3:2 with Col 1:25; Eph 5:19 with Col 3:16; Eph 6:22 with Col 4:8; Eph 1:19; Eph 2:5 with Col 2:12-13; Eph 4:2-4 with Col 3:12-15; Eph 4:16 with Col 2:19; Eph 4:32 with Col 3:13; Eph 4:22-24 with Col 3:9-10; Eph 5:6-8 with Col 3:6-8; Eph 5:15-16 with Col 4:5; Eph 6:19-20 with Col 4:3-4; Eph 5:22-33; Eph 6:1-9 with Col 3:18; Eph 4:24-25 with Col 3:9; Eph 5:20-22 with Col 3:17-18. Tychicus and Onesimus were being sent to Colosse, the former bearing the two Epistles to the two churches respectively, the latter furnished with a letter of recommendation to Philemon, his former master, residing at Colosse. The date was probably about four years after his parting with the Ephesian elders at Miletus (Acts 20:6-38), about A.D. 62, before his imprisonment had become of the more severe kind, which appears in his Epistle to the Philippians. From Eph 6:19-20 it is plain he had at the time, though a prisoner, some degree of freedom in preaching, which accords with Act 28:23, Act 28:30-31, where he is represented as receiving at his lodgings all inquirers. His imprisonment began in February A.D. 61 and lasted "two whole years" (Act 28:30) at least, and perhaps longer.

The Church of Ephesus was made up of converts partly from the Jews and partly from the Gentiles (Act 19:8-10). Accordingly, the Epistle so addresses a Church constituted (Eph 2:14-22). Ephesus was famed for its idol temple of Artemis or Diana, which, after its having been burnt down by Herostratus on the night that Alexander the Great was born (355 B.C.), was rebuilt at enormous cost and was one of the wonders of the world. Hence, perhaps, have arisen his images in this Epistle drawn from a beautiful temple: the Church being in true inner beauty that which the temple of the idol tried to realize in outward show (Eph 2:19-22). The Epistle (Eph 4:17; Eph 5:1-13) implies the profligacy for which the Ephesian heathen were notorious. Many of the same expressions occur in the Epistle as in Paul's address to the Ephesian elders. Compare Eph 1:6-7; Eph 2:7, as to "grace," with Act 20:24, Act 20:32 : this may well be called "the Epistle of the grace of God" [ALFORD]. Also, as to his "bonds," Eph 3:1, and Eph 4:1 with Act 20:22-23. Also Eph 1:11, as to "the counsel of God," with Act 20:27. Also Eph 1:14, as to "the redemption of the purchased possession," with Act 20:28. Also Eph 1:14, Eph 1:18; Eph 2:20; Eph 5:5, as to "building up" the "inheritance," with Act 20:32.

The object of the Epistle is "to set forth the ground, the course, and the aim and end of THE CHURCH OF THE FAITHFUL IN CHRIST. He speaks to the Ephesians as a type or sample of the Church universal" [ALFORD]. Hence, "the Church" throughout the Epistle is spoken of in the singular, not in the plural, "churches." The Church's foundation, its course, and its end, are his theme alike in the larger and smaller divisions of the whole Epistle. "Everywhere the foundation of the Church is in the will of the Father; the course of the Church is by the satisfaction of the Son; the end of the Church is the life in the Holy Spirit" [ALFORD]. Compare respectively Eph 1:11; Eph 2:5; Eph 3:16. This having been laid down as a matter of doctrine (this part closing with a sublime doxology, Eph 3:14-21), is then made the ground of practical exhortations. In these latter also (from Eph 4:1, onward), the same threefold division prevails, for the Church is represented as founded on the counsel of "God the Father, who is above all, through all, and in all," reared by the "one Lord," Jesus Christ, through the "one Spirit" (Eph 4:4-6, &c.), who give their respective graces to the several members. These last are therefore to exercise all these graces in the several relations of life, as husbands, wives, servants, children, &c. The conclusion is that we must put on "the whole armor of God" (Eph 6:13).

The sublimity of the STYLE and LANGUAGE corresponds to the sublimity of the subjects and exceeds almost that of any part of his Epistles. It is appropriate that those to whom he so wrote were Christians long grounded in the faith. The very sublimity is the cause of the difficulty of the style, and of the presence of peculiar expressions occurring, not found elsewhere.

JFB: Ephesians (Outline)

• INSCRIPTION: ORIGIN OF THE CHURCH IN THE FATHER'S ETERNAL COUNSEL, AND THE SON'S BLOODSHEDDING: THE SEALING OF IT BY THE SPIRIT. THANKSGIVING AND PRAYER THAT THEY MAY FULLY KNOW GOD'S GRACIOUS POWER IN CHRIST TOWARDS THE SAINTS. (Eph. 1:1-23)
• GOD'S LOVE AND GRACE IN QUICKENING US, ONCE DEAD, THROUGH CHRIST. HIS PURPOSE IN DOING SO: EXHORTATION BASED ON OUR PRIVILEGES AS BUILT TOGETHER, AN HOLY TEMPLE, IN CHRIST, THROUGH THE SPIRIT. (Eph. 2:1-22)
• HIS APOSTOLIC OFFICE TO MAKE KNOWN THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST REVEALED BY THE SPIRIT: PRAYER THAT BY THE SAME SPIRIT THEY MAY COMPREHEND THE VAST LOVE OF CHRIST: DOXOLOGY ENDING THIS DIVISION OF THE EPISTLE. (Eph. 3:1-21)
• EXHORTATIONS TO CHRISTIAN DUTIES RESTING ON OUR CHRISTIAN PRIVILEGES, AS UNITED IN ONE BODY, THOUGH VARYING IN THE GRACES GIVEN TO THE SEVERAL MEMBERS, THAT WE MAY COME UNTO A PERFECT MAN IN CHRIST. (Eph. 4:1-32) Translate, according to the Greek order, "I beseech you, therefore (seeing that such is your calling of grace, the first through third chapters) I the prisoner in the Lord (that is, imprisoned in the Lord's cause)." What the world counted ignominy, he counts the highest honor, and he glories in his bonds for Christ, more than a king in his diadem [THEODORET]. His bonds, too, are an argument which should enforce his exhortation.
• EXHORTATIONS TO LOVE: AND AGAINST CARNAL LUSTS AND COMMUNICATIONS. CIRCUMSPECTION IN WALK: REDEEMING THE TIME: BEING FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT: SINGING TO THE LORD WITH THANKFULNESS: THE WIFE'S DUTY TO THE HUSBAND RESTS ON THAT OF THE CHURCH TO CHRIST. (Eph. 5:1-33)
• MUTUAL DUTIES OF PARENTS AND CHILDREN: MASTERS AND SERVANTS: OUR LIFE A WARFARE: THE SPIRITUAL ARMOUR NEEDED AGAINST SPIRITUAL FOES. CONCLUSION. (Eph. 6:1-24)

TSK: Ephesians 4 (Chapter Introduction)

Overview

Eph 4:1, He exhorts to unity; Eph 4:7, and declares that God therefore gives divers gifts unto men; Eph 4:11, that his church might be edified, Eph 4:16. and grow up in Christ; Eph 4:18, He calls them from the impurity of the Gentiles; Eph 4:24, to put on the new man; Eph 4:25, to cast off lying; Eph 4:29, and corrupt communication.

Poole: Ephesians 4 (Chapter Introduction)

CHAPTER 4

MHCC: Ephesians (Book Introduction)

This epistle was written when St. Paul was a prisoner at Rome. The design appears to be to strengthen the Ephesians in the faith of Christ, and to give exalted views of the love of God, and of the dignity and excellence of Christ, fortifying their minds against the scandal of the cross. He shows that they were saved by grace, and that however wretched they once were, they now had equal privileges with the Jews. He encourages them to persevere in their Christian calling, and urges them to walk in a manner becoming their profession, faithfully discharging the general and common duties of religion, and the special duties of particular relations.

MHCC: Ephesians 4 (Chapter Introduction)

(Eph 4:1-6) Exhortations to mutual forbearance and union.

(Eph 4:7-16) To a due use of spiritual gifts and graces.

(Eph 4:17-24) To purity and holiness.

(Eph 4:25-32) And to take heed of the sins practised among the heathen.

Matthew Henry: Ephesians (Book Introduction)

An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of The Epistle of St. Paul to the Ephesians

Some think that this epistle to the Ephesians was a circular letter sent to several churches, and that the copy directed to the Ephesians happened to be taken into the canon, and so it came to bear that particular inscription. And they have been induced the rather to think this because it is the only one of all Paul's epistles that has nothing in it peculiarly adapted to the state or case of that particular church; but it has much of common concernment to all Christians, and especially to all who, having been Gentiles in times past, were converted to Christianity. But then it may be observed, on the other hand, that the epistle is expressly inscribed (Eph 1:1) to the saints which are at Ephesus; and in the close of it he tells them that he had sent Tychicus unto them, whom, in 2Ti 4:12, he says he had sent to Ephesus. It is an epistle that bears date out of a prison: and some have observed that what this apostle wrote when he was a prisoner had the greatest relish and savour in it of the things of God. When his tribulations did abound, his consolations and experiences did much more abound, whence we may observe that the afflictive exercises of God's people, and particularly of his ministers, often tend to the advantage of others as well as to their own. The apostle's design is to settle and establish the Ephesians in the truth, and further to acquaint them with the mystery of the gospel, in order to it. In the former part he represents the great privilege of the Ephesians, who, having been in time past idolatrous heathens, were now converted to Christianity and received into covenant with God, which he illustrates from a view of their deplorable state before their conversion, ch. 1-3. In the latter part (which we have in the Eph 4:1, Eph 5:1, and Eph 6:1 chapters) he instructs them in the principal duties of religion, both personal and relative, and exhorts and quickens them to the faithful discharge of them. Zanchy observes that we have here an epitome of the whole Christian doctrine, and of almost all the chief heads of divinity.

Matthew Henry: Ephesians 4 (Chapter Introduction)

We have gone through the former part of this epistle, which consists of several important doctrinal truths, contained in the three preceding chapters. We enter now on the latter part of it, in which we have the most weighty and serious exhortations that can be given. We may observe that in this, as in most others of Paul's epistles, the former part is doctrinal, and fitted to inform the minds of men in the great truths and doctrines of the gospel, the latter is practical, and designed for the direction of their lives and manners, all Christians being bound to endeavour after soundness in the faith, and regularity in life and practice. In what has gone before we have heard of Christian privileges, which are the matter of our comfort. In what follows we shall hear of Christian duties, and what the Lord our God requires of us in consideration of such privileges vouchsafed to us. The best way to understand the mysteries and partake of the privileges of which we have read before is conscientiously to practise the duties prescribed to us in what follows: as, on the other hand, a serious consideration and belief of the doctrines that have been taught us in the foregoing chapters will be a good foundation on which to build the practice of the duties prescribed in those which are yet before us. Christian faith and Christian practice mutually befriend each other. In this chapter we have divers exhortations to important duties. I. One that is more general (Eph 4:1). II. An exhortation to mutual love, unity, and concord, with the proper means and motives to promote them (Eph 4:2-16). III. An exhortation to Christian purity and holiness of life; and that both more general (Eph 4:17-24) and in several particular instances (Eph 4:25 to the end).

Barclay: Ephesians (Book Introduction)

A GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE LETTERS OF PAUL

The Letters Of Paul

There is no more interesting body of documents in the New Testament than the letters of Paul. That is because of all forms of literature a letter is most personal. Demetrius, one of the old Greek literary critics, once wrote, "Every one reveals his own soul in his letters. In every other form of composition it is possible to discern the writercharacter, but in none so clearly as the epistolary." (Demetrius, On Style, 227.) It is just because he left us so many letters that we feel we know Paul so well. In them he opened his mind and heart to the folk he loved so much; and in them, to this day, we can see that great mind grappling with the problems of the early church and feel that great heart throbbing with love for men, even when they were misguided and mistaken.

The Difficulty Of Letters

At the same time there is often nothing so difficult to understand as a letter. Demetrius (On Style, 223) quotes a saying of Artemon, who edited the letters of Aristotle. Artemon said that a letter ought to be written in the same manner as a dialogue, because it was one of the two sides of a dialogue. In other words, to read a letter is like listening to one side of a telephone conversation. So when we read the letters of Paul we are often in a difficulty. We do not possess the letter which he was answering; we do not fully know the circumstances with which he was dealing; it is only from the letter itself that we can deduce the situation which prompted it. Before we can hope to understand fully any letter Paul wrote, we must try to reconstruct the situation which produced it.

The Ancient Letters

It is a great pity that Paulletters were ever called epistles. They are in the most literal sense letters. One of the great lights shed on the interpretation of the New Testament has been the discovery and the publication of the papyri. In the ancient world, papyrus was the substance on which most documents were written. It was composed of strips of the pith of a certain bulrush that grew on the banks of the Nile. These strips were laid one on top of the other to form a substance very like brown paper. The sands of the Egyptian desert were ideal for preservation, for papyrus, although very brittle, will last forever so long as moisture does not get at it. As a result, from the Egyptian rubbish heaps, archaeologists have rescued hundreds of documents, marriage contracts, legal agreements, government forms, and, most interesting of all, private letters. When we read these private letters we find that there was a pattern to which nearly all conformed; and we find that Paulletters reproduce exactly that pattern. Here is one of these ancient letters. It is from a soldier, called Apion, to his father Epimachus. He is writing from Misenum to tell his father that he has arrived safely after a stormy passage.

"Apion sends heartiest greetings to his father and lord Epimachus.

I pray above all that you are well and fit; and that things are

going well with you and my sister and her daughter and my brother.

I thank my Lord Serapis [his god] that he kept me safe when I was

in peril on the sea. As soon as I got to Misenum I got my journey

money from Caesar--three gold pieces. And things are going fine

with me. So I beg you, my dear father, send me a line, first to let

me know how you are, and then about my brothers, and thirdly, that

I may kiss your hand, because you brought me up well, and because

of that I hope, God willing, soon to be promoted. Give Capito my

heartiest greetings, and my brothers and Serenilla and my friends.

I sent you a little picture of myself painted by Euctemon. My

military name is Antonius Maximus. I pray for your good health.

Serenus sends good wishes, Agathos Daimonboy, and Turbo,

Galloniuson." (G. Milligan, Selections from the Greek Papyri,

36.)

Little did Apion think that we would be reading his letter to his father 1800 years after he had written it. It shows how little human nature changes. The lad is hoping for promotion quickly. Who will Serenilla be but the girl he left behind him? He sends the ancient equivalent of a photograph to the folk at home. Now that letter falls into certain sections. (i) There is a greeting. (ii) There is a prayer for the health of the recipients. (iii) There is a thanksgiving to the gods. (iv) There are the special contents. (v) Finally, there are the special salutations and the personal greetings. Practically every one of Paulletters shows exactly the same sections, as we now demonstrate.

(i) The Greeting: Rom_1:1 ; 1Co_1:1 ; 2Co_1:1 ; Gal_1:1 ; Eph_1:1 ; Phi_1:1 ; Col 2 ; 1Th_1:1 ; 2Th_1:1 .

(ii) The Prayer: in every case Paul prays for the grace of God on the people to whom he writes: Rom_1:7 ; 1Co_1:3 ; 2Co_1:2 ; Gal_1:3 ; Eph_1:2 ; Phi_1:3 ; Col_1:2 ; 1Th_1:1 ; 2Th_1:2 .

(iii) The Thanksgiving: Rom_1:8 ; 1Co_1:4 ; 2Co_1:3 ; Eph_1:3 ; Phi_1:3 ; 1Th_1:3 ; 2Th_1:3 .

(iv) The Special Contents: the main body of the letters.

(v) Special Salutations and Personal Greetings: Rom 16 ; 1Co_16:19 ; 2Co_13:13 ; Phi_4:21-22 ; Col_4:12-15 ; 1Th_5:26 .

When Paul wrote letters, he wrote them on the pattern which everyone used. Deissmann says of them, "They differ from the messages of the homely papyrus leaves of Egypt, not as letters but only as the letters of Paul." When we read Paulletters we are not reading things which were meant to be academic exercises and theological treatises, but human documents written by a friend to his friends.

The Immediate Situation

With a very few exceptions, all Paulletters were written to meet an immediate situation and not treatises which he sat down to write in the peace and silence of his study. There was some threatening situation in Corinth, or Galatia, or Philippi, or Thessalonica, and he wrote a letter to meet it. He was not in the least thinking of us when he wrote, but solely of the people to whom he was writing. Deissmann writes, "Paul had no thought of adding a few fresh compositions to the already extant Jewish epistles; still less of enriching the sacred literature of his nation.... He had no presentiment of the place his words would occupy in universal history; not so much that they would be in existence in the next generation, far less that one day people would look at them as Holy Scripture." We must always remember that a thing need not be transient because it was written to meet an immediate situation. All the great love songs of the world were written for one person, but they live on for the whole of mankind. It is just because Paulletters were written to meet a threatening danger or a clamant need that they still throb with life. And it is because human need and the human situation do not change that God speaks to us through them today.

The Spoken Word

One other thing we must note about these letters. Paul did what most people did in his day. He did not normally pen his own letters but dictated them to a secretary, and then added his own authenticating signature. (We actually know the name of one of the people who did the writing for him. In Rom_16:22 Tertius, the secretary, slips in his own greeting before the letter draws to an end.) In 1Co_16:21 Paul says, "This is my own signature, my autograph, so that you can be sure this letter comes from me" (compare Col_4:18 ; 2Th_3:17 ).

This explains a great deal. Sometimes Paul is hard to understand, because his sentences begin and never finish; his grammar breaks down and the construction becomes involved. We must not think of him sitting quietly at a desk, carefully polishing each sentence as he writes. We must think of him striding up and down some little room, pouring out a torrent of words, while his secretary races to get them down. When Paul composed his letters, he had in his mindeye a vision of the folk to whom he was writing, and he was pouring out his heart to them in words that fell over each other in his eagerness to help.

INTRODUCTION TO THE LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS

The Supreme Letter

By common consent the Letter to the Ephesians ranks very high in the devotional and theological literature of the Christian Church. It has been called "The Queen of the Epistles"--and rightly so. Many would hold that it is indeed the highest reach of New Testament thought. When John Knox was very near his end, the book that was most often read to him was John CalvinSermons on the Letter to the Ephesians. Coleridge said of Ephesians that it was "the divinest composition of man." He went on: "It embraces first, those doctrines peculiar to Christianity, and, then, those precepts common with it in natural religion." Ephesians clearly has a place all its own in the Pauline correspondence.

And yet there are certain very real problems connected with it. These problems are not the product of the minds of over-critical scholars, but are plain for all to see. When, however, these problems are solved, Ephesians becomes a greater letter than ever and shines with an even more radiant light.

The Circumstances Of The Writing Of Ephesians

Before we turn to the doubtful things, let us set down the certainties. First, Ephesians was clearly written when Paul was in prison. He calls himself "a prisoner for Christ" (Eph_3:1 ); it is as "a prisoner for the Lord" that he beseeches them (Eph_4:1 ); he is "an ambassador in chains" (Eph_6:20 ). It was in prison, and very near to the end, that Paul wrote Ephesians.

Second, Ephesians has clearly a close connection with Colossians. It would seem that Tychicus was the bearer of both these letters. In Colossians Paul says that Tychicus will tell them all about his affairs (Col_4:7 ); and in Ephesians he says that Tychicus will give them all information (Eph_6:21 ). Further, there is a close resemblance between the substance of the two letters, so close that more than 55 verses in the two letters are verbatim the same. Either, as Coleridge held, Colossians is what might be called "the overflow" of Ephesians, or Ephesians is a greater version of Colossians. We shall in the end come to see that it is this resemblance which gives us the clue to the unique place of Ephesians among the letters of Paul.

The Problem

So, then, it is certain that Ephesians was written when Paul was in prison for the faith and that it has in some way the closest possible connection with Colossians. The problem emerges when we begin to examine the question of to whom Ephesians was written.

In the ancient days letters were written on rolls of papyrus. When finished, they were tied with thread, and, if they were specially private or important, the knots in the thread were then sealed. But it was seldom that any address was written on them, for the very simple reason that, for the ordinary individual, there was no postal system. There was a government post, but it was available only for official and imperial correspondence and not for the ordinary person. Letters in those days were delivered by hand and therefore no address was necessary. So the titles of the New Testament letters are not part of the original letters at all. They were inserted afterwards when the letters were collected and published for all the Church to read.

When we study Ephesians closely, we find it in the last degree unlikely that it was written to the church at Ephesus. There are internal reasons for arriving at that conclusion.

(a) The letter was written to Gentiles. The recipients were "Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision, separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise" (Eph_2:11 ). Paul urges them "no longer to live as the Gentiles do" (Eph_4:17 ). The fact that they were Gentiles did not of itself mean that the letter could not have been written to Ephesus; but it is a fact to note.

(b) Ephesians is the most impersonal letter Paul ever wrote. It is entirely without personal greetings and without the intimate personal messages of which the other letters are so full. That is doubly surprising when we remember that Paul spent longer in Ephesus than in any other city, no less than three years (Act_20:31 ). Further, there is no more intimate and affectionate passage in the whole New Testament than Act_20:17-35 where we have Paulfarewell talk to the elders of Ephesus, before he left Miletus on his last journey. It is very difficult to believe in face of all this that Paul would have sent a letter to Ephesus which was so impersonal.

(c) The indication of the letter is that Paul and the recipients did not know each other personally and that their knowledge of each other came by hearsay. In Eph_1:15 Paul writes: "Because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus." The loyalty of the people to whom he was writing was something which had come to him by information and not by experience. In Eph_3:2 he writes to them: "Assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of Godgrace that was given to me for you." That is to say: "If you have heard that God gave me the special task and office of being the apostle to Gentiles such as you." The Churchknowledge of Paul as the apostle to the Gentiles was something of which they have heard, but not something which they knew by personal contact with him. So, then, within itself the letter bears signs that it does not fit the close and personal relationship which Paul had with the Church at Ephesus.

These facts might be explained; but there is one external fact which settles the matter. In Eph_1:1 none of the great early manuscripts of the Greek New Testament contain the words in Ephesus. They all read: "Paul...to the saints who are also faithful in Christ Jesus." And we know, from the way in which they comment on it, that that was the form in which the early Greek fathers knew the text.

Was Paul The Author?

Some scholars have gone on to find still another difficulty in Ephesians. They have doubted whether Paul was the author of the letter at all. On what grounds do they base their doubts?

They say that the vocabulary, is different from the vocabulary of Paul; and it is true that there are some seventy words in Ephesians which are not found in any other letter written by Paul. That need not trouble us, for the fact is that in Ephesians Paul was saying things which he had never said before. He was travelling a road of thought along which he had not before travelled; and naturally he needed new words to express new thoughts. It would be ridiculous to demand that a man with a mind like Paulshould never add to his vocabulary and should always express himself in the same way.

They say that the style is not the style of Paul. It is true-- we can see it even in the English, let alone in the Greek--that the style of Ephesians is different from that of the other letters. The other letters are all written to meet a definite situation. But, as A. H. McNeile has said, Ephesians is "a theological tract, or rather a religious mediation." Even the use of language is different. Moffatt puts it this way--generally speaking, Paullanguage pours out like a torrent; but in Ephesians we have "a slow, bright stream, flowing steadily along, which brims its high banks." The length of the sentences in Ephesians is astonishing. In the Greek Eph_1:3-14 ; Eph_1:15-23 ; Eph_2:1-9 ; Eph_3:1-7 are each one long, meandering sentence. McNeile very beautifully and rightly calls Ephesians "a poem in prose." All this is very unlike Paulnormal style.

What is to be said to this? There is first the general fact that no great writer always writes in the same style. Shakespeare can produce the very different styles of Hamlet, A Midsummer NightDream, The Taming of the Shrew, and the Sonnets. Any great stylist--and Paul was a great stylist--writes in a style to fit his aim and his circumstances at the time of writing. It is bad criticism to say that Paul did not write Ephesians simply because he has evolved a new vocabulary and a new style.

But there is more. Let us remember how Paul wrote most of his letters. He wrote them in the midst of a busy ministry, when, for the most part, he was on the road. He wrote them to meet a demanding problem which had to be dealt with at the moment. That is to say, in most of his letters Paul was writing against time. Now let us remember that Paul, if he wrote Ephesians, wrote it when he was in prison. That is to say, he had all the time in the world to write it. Is it any wonder that the style of Ephesians; is not the style of the earlier letters?

Moreover, this difference in style, this meditative, poetical quality is most apparent in Eph 1-3, and they are one long prayer, culminating in a great doxology. There is in fact nothing like this in all Paulletters. This is the language of lyrical prayer, not the language of argument or controversy or rebuke.

The differences are far from proving that Ephesians is not by Paul.

The Thought Of The Epistle

Certain scholars wish to go on to say that the thought of Ephesians is beyond the thought of any of the other letters of Paul. Let us see what that thought is. We have seen that Ephesians is intimately connected with Colossians whose central thought is the all-sufficiency, of Jesus Christ. In Jesus Christ were hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col_2:3 ); all the fulness of God dwelt in him (Col_1:19 ); in him the whole fulness of deity dwells bodily (Col_2:9 ); he alone is necessary and sufficient for mansalvation (Col_1:14 ). The whole thought of Colossians is based on the complete sufficiency of Jesus Christ.

The thought of Ephesians is a development of that conception. It is summarized in two verses of the first chapter, in which Paul speaks of God as, "having made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth." (Eph_1:9-10 ).

The key thought of Ephesians is the gathering together of all things in Jesus Christ. In nature as it is without Christ there is nothing but disunity and disharmony; it is "red in tooth and claw." Mandominion has broken the social union which should exist between man and the beasts; man is divided from man; class from class; nation from nation; ideology from ideology; Gentile from Jew. What is true of the world of outer nature is true of human nature. In every man there is a tension; every man is a walking civil war, torn between the desire for good and the desire for evil; he hates his sins and loves them at one and the same time. According to both Greek and Jewish thought in the time of Paul, this disharmony extends even to the heavenly places. A cosmic battle is raging between the powers of evil and the powers of good; between God and the demons. Worst of all there is disharmony between God and man. Man, who was meant to be in fellowship with God, is estranged from him.

So, then, in this world without Christ, there is nothing but disunity. That disunity is not Godpurpose but it can become a unity only when all things are united in Christ. As E. F. Scott has it: "The innumerable broken strands were to be brought together in Christ, knotted again into one, as they had been in the beginning." The central thought of Ephesians is the realization of the disunity in the universe and the conviction that it can become unity only when everything is united in Christ.

The Origin Of PaulThought

How did Paul arrive at this great conception of the unity of all things in Jesus Christ? Most likely he came to it in two ways. It is surely the inevitable outcome of his conviction, stated so vividly in Colossians, that Christ is all-sufficient. But it may well be that there was something else which moved Paulmind in this direction. He was a Roman citizen and proud of it. In his journeys Paul had seen a great deal of the Roman Empire, and now he was in Rome, the imperial city. In the Roman Empire a new unity had come to the world. The pax Romana, the Roman peace, was a very real thing. Kingdoms and states and countries, which had struggled and warred with each other, were gathered into a new unity in the Empire which was Rome. It may well be that in his imprisonment Paul saw with new eyes how all this unity centred in Rome; and it may well have seemed to him a symbol of how all things must centre in Christ, if a disunited nature and world and humanity were ever to be gathered into a unity. Surely, so far from being a conception that was beyond his thinking, all Paulthinking and experience would lead him precisely to that.

The Function Of The Church

It is in Eph 1-3 that Paul deals with this conception of the unity in Christ. In the second three chapters he has much to say of the place of the Church in Godplan to bring about that unity. It is here that Paul strikes out one of his greatest phrases. The Church is the Body of Christ. The Church is to be hands to do Christwork, feet to run upon his errands, a mouth to speak for him. So, then, we have a double thesis in Ephesians. First, Christ is Godinstrument of reconciliation. Second, the Church is Christinstrument of reconciliation. The Church must bring Christ to the world; and it is within the Church that all the middle walls of separation must be broken down. It is through the Church that the unity of all the discordant elements must be achieved. As E. F. Scott has it: "The Church stands for that purpose of world-wide reconciliation for which Christ appeared, and in all their intercourse with one another Christians must seek to realize this formative idea of the Church."

Who But Paul?

This is the thought of Ephesians. As we have seen, there are some who, thinking of the vocabulary and the style and the thought of this letter, cannot believe that Paul wrote it. E. J. Goodspeed, the American scholar, has put forward an interesting--but unconvincing--theory. The probability is that it was in Ephesus about the year A.D. 90 that the letters of Paul were first collected and sent out to the Church at large. It is Goodspeedtheory that the man responsible for that collection, some disciple of Paul, wrote Ephesians as a kind of introduction to the whole collection. Surely that theory breaks down on one salient fact. Any imitation is inferior to the original. But so far from being inferior Ephesians might well be said to be the greatest of all the Pauline letters. If Paul did not write it himself, we have to postulate as its writer someone who was possibly greater than Paul. E. F. Scott very relevantly demands: "Can we believe that in the Church of Paulday there was an unknown teacher of this supreme excellence? The natural assumption is surely that an epistle so like the work of Paul at his best was written by no other man than by Paul himself." No man ever had a greater vision of Christ than this which sees in Christ the one centre in whom all the disunities of life are gathered into one. No man ever had a greater vision of the Church than this which sees in the Church Godinstrument in that world-wide reconciliation. And we may well believe that no man other than Paul could rise to a vision like that.

The Destination Of Ephesians

We must now return to the problem which earlier we left unsolved. If Ephesians was not written to Ephesus--to what church was it written?

The oldest suggestion is that it was written to Laodicea. In Col_4:16 Paul writes: "And when this letter has been read among you, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you read also the letter from Laodicea." That sentence makes certain that a letter had gone from Paul to the church at Laodicea. We possess no such letter amongst Paulletters as they stand. Marcion was one of the first people to make a collection of Paulletters, just about the middle of the second century, and he actually calls Ephesians the Letter to the Laodiceans. So from very early times there must have been a feeling in the Church that Ephesians was actually sent in the first instance to Laodicea.

If we accept that interesting and attractive suggestion, we still have to explain how the letter lost its individual address to Laodicea and came to be connected with Ephesus. There could be two explanations.

It may be that, when Paul died, the church at Ephesus knew that the church at Laodicea possessed a wonderful letter from Paul; and wrote to Laodicea asking for a copy. A copy may have been made and sent off, omitting only the words in Laodicea in the first verse, and leaving a blank as the earliest manuscripts have a blank there. Almost thirty years later the letters of Paul were collected for general publication. Now Laodicea was in a district which was notorious for earthquakes, and it may well have been that all its archives were destroyed; and that, therefore, when the collection was made, the only copy of the Letter to the Laodiceans was that which survived in Ephesus. That letter may then have come to be known as the Letter to the Ephesians, because it was in Ephesus that the only extant copy survived.

The second suggested explanation was propounded by Harnack, the great German scholar. In the later days the church in Laodicea sadly fell from grace. In the Revelation there is a letter to Laodicea which makes sad reading (Rev_3:14-22 ). In that letter the church of Laodicea is unsparingly condemned by the Risen Christ, so much so that he says to her in that vivid phrase: "I will spew you out of my mouth" (Rev_3:16 ). Now in the ancient world there was a custom called damnatio memoriae, the condemnation of a manmemory. A man might have rendered many a signal service to the state, for which his name might occur in books, in the state annals, in inscriptions and on memorials. But if such a man ended in some base act, some utter wreck of honour, his memory was condemned. His name was erased from all books, obliterated from all inscriptions, chiselled out of all memorials. Harnack thinks it possible that the church of Laodicea underwent a damnatio memoriae so that her very name was obliterated from the Christian records. If that were so, then the copies of the Letter to Laodicea would have no address at all; and when the collection was made at Ephesus, the name of Ephesus might well have become attached to it.

The Circular Letter

Both these suggestions are possible but still another suggestion is far more likely. We believe that Ephesians was not in fact written to any one church, but was a circular letter to all PaulAsian churches. Let us look again at Col_4:16 . He writes: "And when this letter has been read among you, have it read also in the church at Laodicea; and see that you read also the letter from Laodicea." Paul does not say that the Colossians must read the epistle to Laodicea; they must read the epistle from Laodicea. It is as if Paul said: "There is a letter circulating; at the present moment it has reached Laodicea; when it is sent on to you from Laodicea be sure to read it." That sounds very like as if there was a letter circulating among the Asian churches,. and we believe that letter was Ephesians.

The Quintessence Of Paul

If this be so, Ephesians is Paulsupreme letter. We have seen that Ephesians and Colossians are very close to each other. We believe that what happened was that Paul wrote Colossians to deal with a definite situation, an outbreak of heresy. In so doing he stumbled on his great expression of the all-sufficiency of Christ. He said to himself: "This is something that I must get across to all men." So he took the matter he had used in Colossians, removed all the local and temporary and controversial aspects, and wrote a new letter to tell all men of the all-sufficient Christ. Ephesians, as we see it, is the one letter Paul sent to all the eastern churches to tell them that the destined unity of all men and of all things could never be found except in Christ, and to tell them of the supreme task of the Church that of being Christinstrument in the universal reconciliation of man to man and of man to God. That is why Ephesians is the Queen of the Epistles.

Study Method

In Ephesians Paulargument is very closely woven together. It often proceeds in long complicated sentences which are difficult to unravel. If we are really to grasp his meaning, there are passages where it will be better to read the letter, first in fairly long sections and then break down these sections into shorter passages for detailed study.

FURTHER READING

Ephesians

T. K. Abbott, Ephesians and Colossians (ICC; G)

J. Armitage Robinson, St. PaulEpistle to the Ephesians (MmC; G)

E. F. Scott, The Epistles to Colossians, Philemon and Ephesians (MC; E)

Abbreviations

ICC: International Critical Commentary

MC: Moffatt Commentary

MmC: Macmillan Commentary

NCB; New Century Bible

E: English Text

G: Greek Text

Barclay: Ephesians 4 (Chapter Introduction)

Ephesians 4 Introduction (Eph_4:1-10)

With this chapter the second part of the letter begins. In Eph 1-3 Paul has dealt with the great and eternal truths of the Christian faith, and with the function of the Church in the plan of God. Now he begins to sketch what each member of the Church must be if the Church is to carry out her part in that plan. Before we begin this chapter, let us again remind ourselves that the central thought of the letter is that Jesus has brought to a disunited world the way to unity. This way is through faith in him and it is the Church's task to proclaim this message to all the world. And now Paul turns to the character the Christian must have if the Church is to fulfil her great task of being Christ's instrument of universal reconciliation between man and man, and man and God within the world.

Worthy Of Our Calling (Eph_4:1-10 continued)

4:1-10 So then, I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to behave yourselves in a way that is worthy of the calling with which you are called. I urge you to behave with all humility, and gentleness, and patience. I urge you to bear with one another in love. I urge you eagerly to preserve that unity which the Holy Spirit can bring by binding things together in peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called with one hope of your calling. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism. One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in all. To each one of you grace has been given, as it has been measured out to you by the free gift of Christ. Therefore scripture says, "He ascended into the height, and brought his captive band of prisoners, and gave gifts to men." (When it says that "he ascended." what else can it mean than that he also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the same person as he who ascended above all the heavens, that he might fill all things with his presence.)

The Christian Virtues (Eph_4:1-3)

The Christian Gentleman (Eph_4:1-3 Continued)

The Undefeatable Patience (Eph_4:1-3 Continued)

The Christian Love (Eph_4:1-3 Continued)

The Basis Of Unity (Eph_4:4-6)

The Gifts Of Grace (Eph_4:7-10)

The Office-Bearers Of The Church (Eph_4:11-13)

The Aim Of The Office-Bearer (Eph_4:11-13 Continued)

Growing Into Christ (Eph_4:14-16)

The Things Which Must Be Abandoned (Eph_4:17-24)

Things Which Must Be Banished From Life (Eph_4:25-32)

Things Which Must Be Banished From Life (Eph_4:25-32 Continued)

Things Which Must Be Banished From Life (Eph_4:25-32 Continued)

Constable: Ephesians (Book Introduction)

Introduction

Historical background

Almost all Christians believed in the Pauline authorship of Ephesians until the nineteenth century when destructive biblical criticism gained influence (cf. 1:1; 3:1). The critics built a case against Pauline authorship from linguistic and stylistic features, literary comparisons chiefly with Colossians, historical evidence, and doctrinal peculiarities.

"When all the objections are carefully considered it will be seen that the weight of evidence is inadequate to overthrow the overwhelming external attestation to Pauline authorship, and the Epistle's own claims."¹

Most conservative New Testament scholars hold to the tradition that Paul wrote Ephesians along with Colossians, Philemon, and Philippians, the other "Prison Epistles," during his first Roman imprisonment, 60-62 A.D. (3:1; 4:1; 6:20; cf. Acts 28:16-31). During this time Paul was under house arrest. He lived in his own rented quarters under guard by Roman soldiers. He could have visitors and could minister without hindrance as far as his confinement permitted (Acts 28:16, 30-31). He was not chained in a prison cell at this time as he was during his second Roman imprisonment when he wrote 2 Timothy (cf. 2 Tim. 1:16). For some interpreters, the reference to Paul having recently sent Tychicus to Ephesus in 2 Timothy 4:12 seems to put the composition of Ephesians in the second imprisonment (cf. Eph. 6:21-22). However the similarities between Ephesians and Colossians have led most scholars to conclude that Paul wrote these two letters at the same time. The evidence for his having written Colossians and Philemon during the first imprisonment is strong.

Paul knew Ephesus and the church in that city well. He had ministered in Asia Minor, the Roman province of which Ephesus was the capitol, with Ephesus as his headquarters for about three years, 53-56 A.D. (Acts 19:1-20:1). It appears that he sent this epistle to the Ephesian church so the Christians there would subsequently circulate it among the other churches.² Three other New Testament books went first to Ephesus: 1 and 2 Timothy, and Revelation (cf. Rev. 2:1). Tychicus evidently delivered this epistle to the Ephesian church (Eph. 6:21-22).

Purpose

Paul's frequent references to the church as a mystery, previously unknown but now revealed, identify the apostle's main purpose in writing as having been the exposition of the mystery of the church (1:9; 3:3-4, 9; 5:32; 6:19). His emphasis on the church as Christ's body in which both Jewish and Gentile believers are one suggests that Paul wrote to promote unity in the Ephesian church and in the universal church. The emphasis on the importance of love is also strong. More than one-sixth of Paul's references to love in his 13 epistles occur in Ephesians. This also shows that he wanted to promote Christian unity in the church.

Message³

The Book of Ephesians enables us to view God's creation from an alpine altitude. When we study this book, it is as though we have climbed a high mountain peak because the book gives us that kind of perspective on what God has created. Recall the opening scenes in The Sound of Music movie where Maria Von Trapp is standing in a high meadow looking over the valleys and mountains beyond. Yet the creation Ephesians opens up to our vision is not the physical creation but the church and its position and importance in the panorama of God's program. The church is the subject of Ephesians.

One of the features of this book that distinguishes it from other Pauline epistles is its universal character. Ephesians deals with matters of perspective that are important to all churches of all ages. Ephesians is not like 1 Corinthians that concerns itself with the situation of one local congregation primarily. It is more like Romans that deals with the great revelations that transcend local church polity.

Ephesians is an exposition of one of the most important statements Jesus ever uttered during His earthly ministry. That statement is in Matthew 16:18: "I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it." Other epistles similarly expound other teachings that Jesus gave while He walked this earth. For example, the Epistle of James is really an exposition of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. John's first epistle is an exposition of Jesus' Upper Room Discourse. Likewise Ephesians explains Jesus' teaching concerning the church. All the New Testament epistles deal with the church, of course. However, Ephesians lifts us above all the other revelation on this subject and puts the church in perspective in the plan of God. Paul developed both the building of the church and the conflict of the church, suggested in Jesus' statement, here.

Paul introduced the central teaching of Ephesians in its first verse. We read, "To the saints . . . in Christ Jesus." This phrase indicates the composition of the church. It alerts us to what will follow in the epistle. The phrase "the saints" reflects the diversity and differences that exist in the church. Paul had much to say in this letter about God's individual blessing of believers (e.g., 1:3-2:10). However the phrase "in Christ Jesus" emphasizes the unification of these individuals in one united church. Paul also had much to say about the corporate calling of believers in this letter (e.g., 2:11-3:19). The church is one organism that God has created from individual believers in this age whom God has united in a vital relationship with Jesus Christ. The figure of the human body with its diverse members controlled by one head (2:14-16) is the perfect illustration of the church.

As we examine the central teaching in Ephesians we can see that it falls into two parts. First, there is revelation concerning the eternal character of the church. Second, there is teaching about the temporal conduct of the church.

Consider first the revelation concerning the eternal character of the church. Ephesians tells us three things about the character of the church.

First, it reveals its conception. The church was in the plan of God from eternity past. It was not something God devised the day Jesus Christ died because the Jews had rejected their Messiah. Some dispensational expositors have referred to the church as a parenthetical part of God's eternal plan. That does not mean the church was an after-thought by God. The church is just as much a part of God's plan for human history as the nation of Israel. God did not reveal it in the Old Testament. It is a mystery, a New Testament revelation not revealed previously. Nevertheless it was always part of God's plan. This is important for us to realize because when we see that God brought the church into existence it is easier to believe that Satan will never destroy the church.

The second thing Ephesians reveals about the eternal character of the church is its construction. Whereas God viewed the church in the past as part of His eternal plan, He is constructing it in the present by His eternal power. In Ephesians there is much emphasis on power, the tremendous power of God. Paul prayed that his readers would grow in their understanding of the eternal power of God, the power that raised Jesus from the grave (1:18-19). Paul used four different Greek words for power in 1:19. This is the same power that has raised the Christian up and seated him or her with Christ in the heavenly realms now (2:4-6). Moreover it is the same power available to you and to me as we engage our spiritual enemy who is trying to tear down the church (6:10-11). Too often the church fails because Christians think it cannot succeed. We fail to appreciate the eternal divine power presently available to build the church and to defeat its foes.

The third thing we learn from this epistle about the character of the church is its consummation. This too involves an eternal perspective. Ephesians reveals that the church will serve the purpose of God throughout eternity future (2:4-7; 3:8-10). The church will demonstrate the richness of God's grace to all beings forever (2:7). It will also demonstrate the richness of God's wisdom to all beings forever (3:10).

In summary, Ephesians reveals the important place the church has in God's eternal plan for history. In the past He conceived of it as part of His eternal plan. In the present He is constructing it with His eternal power. In the future He will bring it to consummation in fulfillment of His eternal purpose.

Whereas the revelation of the church's eternal character constitutes a major portion of this epistle Paul also taught much about the temporal conduct of the church. The church's eternal character has major implications for its temporal conduct (4:1). We can organize this part of the revelation under three headings as well.

The first implication of the character of the church that I want to point out that Paul stressed relates to its construction. Since the church is what it is, the unified body of Christ, it is very important that Christians preserve this unity (4:1-3). Note that this is not a unity among professing Christians that we must achieve. It is a unity among genuine Christians that we must preserve. We must be very careful to avoid causing divisions in the body of Christ. One of the seven things Solomon wrote that the Lord hates is someone who spreads strife among his brothers (Prov. 6:19).

A second implication of the character of the church relates to its confession. The church, Paul urged, must make a confession or give testimony to God. This is the will of God (5:15-17). We do this by sanctifying all of life to God, setting it apart to Him for His honor and glory. Consequently Paul talked about the basic relationships of life--husbands and wives, parents and children, employers and employees. Our faith must have an impact on these relationships. The church makes its confession before the world not primarily by formulating creeds of belief but by demonstrating sanctification in conduct.

Third, another implication of the character of the church that Paul explained relates to its conflict with the forces opposed to God's purposes. We must arm ourselves, stay alert, and take a stand against these spiritual forces (6:10-11).

To summarize, the church must maintain unity as it grows. It must sanctify every relationship as it makes its confession to the world. It must also stand firm against its spiritual enemies as it conflicts with Satan's forces. You see how these points clarify Matthew 16:18: "I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it." The church cooperates with God as He builds it in three ways. It must remain united itself. Second, it must present a message of purity and holiness to the world by its sanctified relationships. Third, it must fight God's enemies after putting on the whole armor of God.

Attempting to summarize the teaching of Ephesians into a short message statement I would phrase it this way. Ephesians reveals that the church is part of God's eternal plan, and it grows as a result of God's power working through believers' lives, overcoming their spiritual enemies.

We come next to the abiding appeal that this letter contains. I said Paul summarized the central revelation of Ephesians in 1:1, "the saints . . . in Christ Jesus." Similarly he summarized the timeless exhortation of this letter in 4:1, "Walk . . . worthy of the calling with which you have been called."

First, we are to walk in view of God's eternal plan. That is, we should live now with God's purposes throughout eternity clearly in view. God chose us before the creation of the world so He could conform us to the image of His Son (1:4; Rom. 8:29). We are to "grow up . . . into Him . . . even Christ" (4:15). The measure in which we are living in holiness and in love is the measure in which we are conforming to God's eternal plan. Paul did not tell us to be holy because decency demands it, or because God may discipline us if we don't. We are to live thinking about God's eternal plan and remembering that God had our individual lives in His mind from eternity past.

We can walk according to God's plan only by appropriating His almighty power. God is able to enable us to walk in this plan by His power. "Now to Him who is able to do exceeding . . ." (3:20-21). We have the power to walk worthily. However, we must allow God's Spirit to control us if we want to walk in harmony with God's will (5:18).

Third, we are to walk opposing God's unseen enemies as well as in view of God's eternal plan and appropriating God's almighty power. We need to balance the passive "be filled with the Spirit" with the active "stand firm" (6:14). Our enemies are not primarily other people but the unseen demonic personalities behind them. In former years, people scoffed at the idea of demons and malignant spiritual forces. Today there is a more realistic awareness of their existence and powerful influence. We must engage spiritual enemies with spiritual arms: truthfulness, righteous conduct, the gospel, trust in God, the Word of God appropriate to the need, and prayer (6:14-18).

Finally let me make application of the message of this epistle to us.

The measure of the church's power to change the world is the measure of her other-worldliness. Many in our day criticize the church for being uninvolved, or at least not involved enough, with the physical problems of people. Ephesians teaches us that the way to help people the most is by dealing with unseen issues: unity, love, holiness, prayer, and evangelism. We do the church's work much more effectively by praying than by picketing, by protesting, and by politicking. The measure of the church's power to help the world is the measure of her other-worldliness. The church must remember her heavenly calling in the eternal plan of God to realize all God purposes for her.

Conversely the measure of the church's other-worldliness is the measure of her influence in the world. If we really see God's purpose for the church, we can never remain unconcerned about or uninvolved with the physical problems of people. Was our Lord insensitive to suffering, unconcerned about injustice, or lacking in compassion toward the oppressed? Never, and He is the Head into whom we are to grow up.

"The church of God can never help God when she ceases to be other-worldly. When she is other-worldly she helps the world; and cannot avoid doing so."⁴

Constable: Ephesians (Outline)

Outline

I. Salutation 1:1-2

II. The Christian's calling 1:3-3:21

A. Individual calling 1:3-2:10

1. The purpose: glory 1:3-14

2. The means: knowledge 1:15-23

3. The motive: grace 2:1-10

B. Corporate calling 2:11-3:19

1. Present unity 2:11-22

2. Past ignorance 3:1-13

3. Future comprehension 3:14-19

C. Doxology 3:20-21

III. The Christian's conduct 4:1-6:20

A. Spiritual walk 4:1-6:9

1. Walking in unity 4:1-16

2. Walking in holiness 4:17-32

3. Walking in love 5:1-6

4. Walking in light 5:7-14

5. Walking in wisdom 5:15-6:9

B. Spiritual warfare 6:10-20

IV. Conclusion 6:21-24

Constable: Ephesians

Ephesians

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Copyright 2003 by Thomas L. Constable

Haydock: Ephesians (Book Introduction)

THE

EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL, THE APOSTLE,

TO THE EPHESIANS.

INTRODUCTION.

Ephesus was a famous city, the metropolis of Asia Minor, upon the Ægean Sea, now called the Archipelago. In it was the temple of Diana, one of the seven wonders of the world. St. Paul had staid there two years, and preached another year thereabouts. See Acts xx. The chief design of this Epistle was to hinder the Ephesians, and others in the neighbouring cities, from being seduced by false teachers, who were come among them. In the first three chapters he extols the grace of God, in mercifully calling the Gentiles. It was written when St. Paul was a prisoner; (see Chap. iv. 1. and vi. 20.) but whether during his first imprisonment, at Rome, an. 62 [in the year A.D. 62], or in the latter imprisonment, as others judge about an. 65, in uncertain. (Witham) ---Ephesus was the capital of Lesser Asia, and celebrated for the temple of Diana, to which the most part of the people of the East went frequently to worship. But St. Paul having preached the gospel there for two years the first time, and afterwards for about a year, converted many. He wrote his Epistle to them when he was a prisoner at Rome, and sent it by Tychicus. He admonishes them to hold firmly the faith which they had received; and warns them, and also those neighbouring cities, against the sophistry of philosophers and the doctrine of false teachers, who were come among them. The matters of faith contained in this Epistle, are exceedingly sublime, and consequently very difficult to be understood. It was written about twenty-nine years after our Lord's ascension. (Challoner) --- Ephesus was the chief city in Asia Minor, much given to superstitions, and not less to debauchery and libertinism. In it was the famous temple of Diana. St. Paul had preached in this place three years; (Acts xx.) so that all, both Jews and Gentiles, heard the word of the Lord, till he was driven away by Demetrius, the silversmith. At his departure, he left Timothy (1 Timothy i.) to maintain the purity of the gospel, and preserve them from the fables, which St. Paul had warned the Ephesians, would be introduced among them by rapacious wolves, and men talking perversely, to lead disciples after them. The Gentile converts held fast to the doctrines they had received from St. Paul: the Jews were the chief innovators. To the former the apostle writes this Epistle, praising their steadfastness, and instructing them more fully in the hidden mysteries of faith, viz. redemption, justification, call of the Gentiles, predestination, and the glorification of Christ, and his body, the Church. In the fourth, and succeeding chapters, he exhorts them to the practice of morality, and to fulfill their respective duties of parents, children, masters, servants, &c. and finally reminds all the soldiers of Christ, to be armed with spiritual weapons against all the assaults of the devil. St. Jerome observes that this Epistle, especially the first three chapters, are intricate and difficult; probably owing to the sublimity of the subject. The last three contain the most interesting morality. (Estius. passim.) See also Acts xviii. 19. et seq. and xix. 1. et sequ. --- When Cardinal Pole was consulted by what method the obscure passages of St. Paul's Epistles could be best unfolded, he replied: Let the reader begin with the latter part, where the apostle treats of morality, and practise that which is delivered there; and then let him go back to the beginning, where points of doctrine are discussed with great acuteness and subtilty.

====================

Gill: Ephesians (Book Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO EPHESIANS

The city of Ephesus is, by Pliny ^a, called the other light of Asia; Miletus was one, and Ephesus the other: it was the metropolis of the lesser Asia, and one of the twelve cities of Ionia, and the first and chief of them: it is said to be built by the Amazons ^b: it was famous for the magnificent temple of Diana; and the inhabitants of it were very much given to superstition and idolatry, and even to devilish arts, Act 19:19. It abounded with orators and philosophers, and men of great wisdom and learning ^c; and was formerly a very rich, trading, flourishing city, but now a village, and a poor desolate place; it retains the name of Efeso, though the Turks call it Aia Salik. Hither the Apostle Paul first went after he had been at Corinth, though he then made but a short stay; when he came thither again, he found twelve disciples, and was the instrument of making a great many more: here he continued two or three years and formed a Gospel church, very large and flourishing, to whom he writes this epistle; and which was written by him when he was a prisoner at Rome, as appears by several passages in it, Eph 3:1, and seems to have been written much about the same time as were the epistles to the Philippians, and to the Colossians, and to Philemon. Dr. Hammond thinks it was written about the year 58, and Dr. Lightfoot places it in 59, and the fifth year of Nero. The occasion of it was the foresight the apostle had of false teachers that would spring up in this church, after his death, and spread their pernicious doctrines, and draw away disciples after them, and do great mischief in the church; wherefore the design of this epistle is to establish the saints in the doctrines of the Gospel, that so they might not be carried away with the errors of the wicked: the subject matter of it is most excellent; it treats of the most sublime doctrines of grace, of divine predestination, and eternal election, of redemption by Christ, and of peace and pardon by his blood, of conversion by the power of efficacious grace, and of salvation by the free grace of God, in opposition to works: it also very largely treats of the nature and usefulness of the Gospel ministry, and of gifts qualifying for it, and of the several duties of religion incumbent on Christians; and the method which is used is exceeding apt and beautiful, for the apostle first begins with the doctrines of the Gospel, which he distinctly handles and explains, and then proceeds to enforce the duties belonging to men, both as men and Christians.

Gill: Ephesians 4 (Chapter Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO EPHESIANS 4

The apostle having in the three former chapters treated of the doctrines of grace, and explained and established them, proceeds in the three following to exhort to the duties of religion; and in this advises to a becoming conversation in general, and to brotherly concord and unity in particular; and dehorts from several vices, and encourages to the contrary virtues. And inasmuch as these Ephesians were called with an holy calling, he entreats them, if they had any regard for him as a prisoner of Christ, that they would walk worthy of it, Eph 4:1, and directs to the manner in which they should act becoming it, with all humility, patience, forbearance, and love; seeking to preserve a spiritual harmony, unity, and peace, one among another, Eph 4:2, for the encouragement of which, he makes use of various arguments, taken from the unity of the body, of which they were members; from their being quickened and influenced by one and the same Spirit; from having the same hope of eternal happiness, to which they were called; from their having one Lord over them, who is Christ; from their having the same like precious faith in him; from their being baptized with the same baptism in him; and from their having one, and the same God and Father, Eph 4:4, and from all of them having gifts, though different, for mutual usefulness; which gifts are described by the author and donor of them, Christ, Eph 4:7, which is proved Eph 4:8, out of a passage in Psa 68:18, which is explained of the humiliation and exaltation of Christ, of his descent from heaven, and ascension thither; the end of which latter was to fill all things, or persons, with gifts, Eph 4:9, of which a particular enumeration is given, Eph 4:11, the design of which is, to fit men for the work of the ministry, and by them to convert sinners, and edify saints, Eph 4:12, which ministry is to be continued, until all the saints arrive to a perfection of spiritual knowledge, and make up one perfect man, or body of men in Christ, Eph 4:13, for the use and end of the Gospel ministry is not, that such who are converted by it should continue children, be in suspense about truth, and under the deceptions of men, Eph 4:14, but that through speaking the truth in love, they should grow up into Christ their head; from whom supplies of grace are communicated, for the increase and edification of every member of the body, Eph 4:15, and seeing these Ephesians to whom the apostle writes were separated in the effectual calling from the rest of the Gentiles, they ought not to walk as the others did; whose minds were vain, their understandings darkened, and their hearts blinded, hardened, and ignorant; and had no sense of things, but were given up to all manner of wickedness, Eph 4:17, whereas they had learned Christ, and through hearing had been taught the truth of the Gospel, as it was in him, Eph 4:20, wherefore it became them in their conversation, not to follow the dictates of corrupt nature, called the old man, that being full of lusts, corrupt, and deceitful, but to act becoming the renewing work of the Spirit upon their souls, and agreeably to the new principles of the grace of God created in them, in order to righteousness and holiness, Eph 4:22, and in particular it became them to avoid lying, and on the contrary to speak truth to one another; and that for this reason, because they were members of the same body, and of one another, Eph 4:25, and likewise to abstain from sinful anger, and not continue a wrathful disposition, Eph 4:26, nor was it advisable to yield to the suggestions, solicitations, and temptations of Satan, Eph 4:27, nor to commit theft, but on the other hand give themselves to manual labour at some commendable calling, that they might have for their own use, and others too, Eph 4:28, and it was also right to be careful not to suffer corrupt and unchaste words to come out of their mouths, but such as would be grateful and useful to others, Eph 4:29, and the rather this, and all the rest of the things mentioned, and likewise what follows, should be attended to; since by such evil lusts, words, and actions, the Holy Spirit of God is grieved, who should not, since he is the sealer of the saints unto the day of redemption, Eph 4:30. And the chapter is concluded with a dehortation from several vices of the mind and tongue, respecting wrath and revenge; and an exhortation to the contrary virtues, kindness, tenderness, and forgiveness; to which encouragement is given, by the example of God, who forgives for Christ's sake, Eph 4:31.

College: Ephesians (Book Introduction)

INTRODUCTION

We are saved by grace through faith! We do not earn our salvation - it is the gift of God. This is the shocking good news of Ephesians. Even though we were dead in sin and fully deserved God's wrath, he saved us and brought us into the body of Christ. It is a glorious privilege to be a part of Christ's body, and it carries with it a glorious responsibility.

We are saved by grace, for good works. God saved us so that he could live in us and work through us. We are filled with his fullness and re-created in his likeness. We are imitators of God. His power works in us, making possible more than we could ever ask or think. We are strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. The message of Ephesians is a message of salvation: God gives it; man lives it.

THE WRITER

From earliest times the church has acknowledged Paul as the author of Ephesians. But while Ephesians has been called "the quintessence of Paulinism," it is now widely denied that Paul wrote the book. Despite the current trend in scholarly criticism, there are good and sufficient reasons for upholding Paul as the author.

Reasons to Support Paul as the Author

1. The letter claims to have been written by Paul (1:1 and 3:1), and has several personal references (1:15-16; 4:1; 6:19-20). Those who deny this claim must assume the burden of proving otherwise.

2. The letter was widely known and accepted in the early church, and no one (not even the heretic Marcion) disputed that Paul was the author.

3. The letter is filled with Pauline features. Is it more likely that an imitator copied Paul's writing style in 90 to 95% of the epistle, or that Paul himself wrote it, diverging from his usual style 5 to 10% of the time?

4. The letter closely parallels Colossians.

5. The practice of writing letters in the name of someone else was not as widely practiced in the early church as some claim.

6. A comparison with the church literature of the period from which a non-Pauline Ephesians is supposed to come (such as 1 Clement) indicates that the letter is far more akin to Paul than to the supposedly contemporary church literature of the late first century.

7. The major themes - justification by faith, grace, atonement by Christ, the place of the Jews and the law - agree with Paul's uncontroverted letters.

8. The nature of the letter accords well with what Paul would have written from prison, as a final summation of what the church is.

Challenges to Pauline Authorship

It must be admitted that many scholars have advanced reasons to reject Paul as the author of Ephesians. Their challenges will be listed and briefly answered:

1. Style and Vocabulary: The sentences are often long and complicated, with heavy use of synonyms and adjectives. Certain words and phrases ("devil," "heavenly realms") are not found in other Pauline letters.

However, it must be seriously questioned whether our collection of Paul's brief letters can establish what his style and vocabulary was. Furthermore, an author must be free to exercise flexibility in his style when he writes to a different audience on a different subject. Finally, "devil" is found in 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus (but the critics deny the Pauline authorship of all three of these as well).

2. Literary Dependence: There are so many parallels between Ephesians and other letters, especially Colossians, that Ephesians must have been copied and expanded by an admirer of Paul. Of the 155 verses in Ephesians it is estimated that 73 have verbal parallels in Colossians.

However, the similarities could more easily result because the letters all had the same author. There is good evidence that Ephesians and Colossians were written at the same time, which would account for their frequent parallels. (It should be noted that the "style and vocabulary" argument is that Ephesians is too different, while the "literary dependence" argument is that Ephesians is too much the same.)

3. Historical Considerations: The Jew/Gentile tension has ceased; the "holy apostles" are revered as in retrospect; and the "dividing wall" at the temple in Jerusalem has been torn down. Therefore, the letter must have been written after Paul had already died.

However, the Jew/Gentile tension was not as big a problem in some locations; the apostles were held in reverence from the very beginning (Acts 2:42; 5:12-13); the symbolic "dividing wall" could still stand in the temple when it had already been torn down in the church.

4. Doctrinal Arguments: The "church" is now universal, rather than local; various themes are handled differently in other Pauline letters; the view of marriage differs from 1 Cor 7.

However, these arguments are more apparent than real. From the beginning Jesus saw his church on a universal scale (Matt 16:18) and nothing prevents Paul from using this concept. Certain themes (such as "the mystery," "in Christ," the Trinity) may be expressed in different terms in Ephesians, but it is foolish to force a strict uniformity on Paul or to prohibit him from adding any insights to what he has already written.

In conclusion, it must be said that those who dispute what the church has accepted from the beginning have not proved their case. There is more than sufficient reason to accept the epistle as from Paul's own hand, and to feel his pulse beating in every line.

THE AUDIENCE

The Recipients of the Letter

There are several reasons to question whether Paul addressed this epistle to the Ephesian saints:

1. Several of the earliest manuscripts do not include the words "in Ephesus" in 1:1.

2. Marcion, while a heretic, referred to it as "the epistle to the Laodiceans" at a very early date (about A.D. 140).

3. Though Paul spent three years in Ephesus, longer than any other location on his missionary journeys, the letter is strangely impersonal. He "has heard" about their faith (1:15). Unlike his other epistles, Paul addresses no local problems, and closes without a single personal greeting.

4. The epistle has the mature, universal tone of a letter sent as an encyclical, in this instance to all the churches of Asia Minor.

At the same time, most manuscripts do include "in Ephesus" and the church has traditionally called this epistle "to the Ephesians." If Paul did intend that the letter be sent to churches throughout Asia Minor, it is logical that it would have been sent first to the leading city, and from there copies would be circulated. It is likely, then, that Paul did send this epistle to the Ephesians, but not to them alone.

The Locale

Ephesus was the most important city in the Roman province of Asia, located on the west coast of what is now Turkey. It was a leading commercial center, situated at the intersection of two major trade routes. It was a city where East met West, with the resulting exchange of ideas and philosophies. Ephesus boasted the temple of Artemis (Diana), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Four times the size of the famed Parthenon in Athens, this temple also served as the bank of Asia Minor, one of the few places where money could be safely deposited. An enormous theatre in the center of the city could seat from 25,000 to 50,000 people.

Within its population of one-third of a million, Ephesus also had a large colony of Jews. After rejection by the local Jewish community, Paul found it possible to teach daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. From this strategic center the gospel message spread "so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord" (Acts 19:10).

Ephesus and the other cities of Asia Minor to which Paul sent this epistle are also mentioned in Rev 1:4-3:22. By that time the church in Ephesus needed to repent and return to its first love. Ephesus continued as a leading center of Christianity for several centuries.

THE DATE AND PLACE OF WRITING

Proceeding with the conclusion that Paul himself wrote this epistle, it is necessary to identify when and where he did so. We know that Paul wrote from an imprisonment (3:1; 4:1) in which he was confined with chains (6:20). We can safely assume, furthermore, that at this same time Paul also sent letters to the Colossians and to Philemon. But where was Paul imprisoned?

Rome

The traditional - and most likely correct - view is that Paul wrote from the imprisonment in Rome described in Acts 28:16-30. Paul was allowed to live in a private dwelling, with a soldier to guard him. This continued for two years, and during the latter part of this time Paul wrote Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon - and no doubt Philippians, as well. A date around A.D. 62 is likely.

Caesarea

Paul is also known to have spent two years imprisoned in Caesarea (Acts 24:27), before his voyage to Rome. It has been suggested that Onesimus would have been more inclined to escape the 500 miles to Caesarea than to attempt the long voyage to Rome. While this location is possible, yielding a date of A.D. 58-60, no real evidence can be introduced in its support.

Ephesus

Somewhat surprisingly, some critics have attempted to make Ephesus the site of Paul's prison epistles. This would be an even more convenient location for the escape of Onesimus. However, neither the book of Acts nor church history know anything of an imprisonment in Ephesus. Paul did refer to fighting "wild beasts" in Ephesus (1 Cor 15:32), but since the city did not have a coliseum and Paul was a Roman citizen, this is probably a metaphor for the fierce men who opposed him. Because this view has no historical support, it has only its novelty to commend it.

Probable Reconstruction of Events

During his imprisonment in Rome, Paul met and converted the runaway slave Onesimus. Not long afterward, he received troubling news about doctrinal problems in Colosse (Col 1:9), the home town of Onesimus (Col 4:9). Paul determined to send the letter of Colossians to correct their errors, and decided to send Onesimus back to Philemon at the same time. Having penned letters to address these two problems, Paul also wrote a letter to the saints in Ephesus, intending that it be circulated among all the churches of Asia Minor. The resulting epistle has been called "the divinest composition of man."

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV

College: Ephesians (Outline)

OUTLINE

I. DOCTRINE: God's Plan for Salvation - Eph 1:1-3:21

A. God's Blessings - 1:1-23

1. Salutation - 1:1-2

2. Present Blessings in Christ - 1:3-14

3. Potential Blessings in Christ - 1:15-23

B. God's Salvation - 2:1-22

1. Saved from Sin - 2:1-10

2. Saved from Separation - 2:11-22

C. God's Participation - 3:1-21

1. God Working in Paul - 3:1-13

2. God Working in All Christians - 3:14-21

II. DUTIES: The Christian's Response to Salvation - 4:1-6:24

A. The Christian in Church Life - 4:1-16

1. Unity in the Body - 4:1-6

2. Diversity in the Body - 4:7-11

3. Maturity in the Body - 4:12-16

B. The Christian in Personal Life - 4:17-5:21

1. The Old Nature vs. the New - 4:17-24

2. Members of One Body - 4:25-32

3. Walking in Love - 5:1-2

4. Walking in Light - 5:3-14

5. Walking in Wisdom - 5:15-21

C. The Christian in Domestic Life - 5:22-6:9

1. Wives and Husbands - 5:22-33

2. Children and Parents - 6:1-4

3. Slaves and Masters -6:5-9

D. The Christian in Warfare - 6:10-24

1. The Nature of the Enemy - 6:10-12

2. The Armor of God - 6:13-18

3. Paul's Own Farewell - 6:19-24

-College Press New Testament Commentary: with the NIV