After the salutation, and thanksgiving for the Ephesians, he treateth of election and adoption by grace: and, because the height of this mystery cannot easily be attained unto, he prayeth that they may come to the full knowledge and possession thereof in Christ.
Anno Domini 62.
BECAUSE the Ephesians, in their heathen state, had held the mysteries of their idol gods in the higher veneration, on account of the supposed importance of the discoveries which were made in them to the initiated; and because they esteemed the initiated, on account of these discoveries, more honourable and happy than the rest of mankind, the Apostle began this Epistle with displaying the great dignity and happiness of the members of the Christian church, whether Jews or Gentiles; not by a formal declaration of their honours and privileges, but by thanksgivings to God, for having bestowed these great honours and privileges on them. Thus, first of all, he thanked God for his having blessed the Gentiles with every spiritual blessing in the Christian church, equally with the Jews, although they did notobey the law of Moses, Ephesians 1:3.—And, because the Judaizing teachers affirmed, that this was contrary to God's purpose respecting the Jews, the Apostle, in his thanksgiving, took notice, that God had bestowed these blessings on the Gentiles, as well as on the Jews, agreeably to an election of them before the foundation of the world, that they might be holy through love to God, on account of his great goodness to them, and through love to man from a regard to the commandment of God, Ephesians 1:4.—Next, he thanked God for having predestinated holy persons, of all nations, to be his own children; that is, to be the objects of his love, and the heirs of his happiness, not through obedience to the law of Moses, but through faith in Jesus Christ, agreeably to his own benevolence, Ephesians 1:5.—which is now made known by the gospel, in order that men may gratefully praise him for his goodness, which is admirably displayed by the great favour shewn to them on account of his beloved Son, Ephesians 1:6.—by whose blood, or death, and not through the sacrifices either of Judaism or of Heathenism, we, his Sons, shall obtain redemption, even the forgiveness of our sins, according to the greatness of his goodness, Ephesians 1:7.—the knowledge of which, St. Paul told the Ephesians, God had made to abound in all genuine Christians, particularly in the apostles, together with sufficient wisdom and prudence to fit them for publishing it to the world, ver.
Having mentioned the knowledge of the goodness of God in the redemption, St. Paul blessed God particularly for having made known to them the mystery of his will concerning his pardoning sins through the blood of Christ, and his making the Gentiles heirs of the inheritance of heaven, through faith, equally with the Jews, agreeably to his own benevolent purpose, which he had formed from the beginning, of his own accord, Ephesians 1:9.—Here it is proper to observe, that the riches of God's goodness, in resolving to pardon men's sins through the blood, or death of his Son, and to bestow that great blessing on the Gentiles equally with the Jews, are called, in this place, the mystery of God's will, because these things had hitherto been kept secret, Romans 16:25, and because they were discoveries of infinitely greater importance to mankind, and much more certain, than all the discoveries made to the initiated, in the most famed of the heathen mysteries. May we not, therefore, suppose, that this honourable appellation was given by the Apostle to the gospel, to render it venerable in the eyes of the Ephesians, and of all the Gentiles, who admired the heathen mysteries?—Farther, the Apostle told them, that God's benevolent intention, in making known to him, and to his brethren apostles, the mystery of his will, was, that, by their publishing it to the world, he might, in the gospel dispensation, gather together Jews and Gentiles into one church, or fellowship, under Christ, Ephesians 1:10.—That by faith in him, and not by obedience to the law of Moses, the Jews themselves might inherit the blessings promised in the covenant to the spiritual seed of Abraham; to whichblessingshehad predestinated believers of all nations, agreeably to his purpose, who bringeth all things to pass, not according to the will of any man, or body of men, but according to his own sovereign pleasure, Ephesians 1:11.—And, in particular, that the believing Jews might occasion praise to God for his goodness and truth in the performance of his promises, by receiving the inheritance as a free gift through faith, and not as a debt through the law, Ephesians 1:12.—By whom, (namely, by the Christ,) ye Gentiles also have inherited the promises made to the spiritual seed of Abraham, having believed the word of truth, even the good news of your salvation, which was preached to you: by whom, also, after ye believed, ye were sealed as God's children and heirs, with the Holy Spirit; so that ye can have no doubt of your salvation being by faith, without obedience to the law of Moses, Ephesians 1:13.—Which Holy Spirit, therefore, to believers, whether they be Jews or Gentiles, is the earnest, or assurance, that the inheritance shall be bestowed on the faithful; and is to continue in the church until the complete redemption of the faithful saints—a redemption purchased by the blood of Christ, and consummated at the general resurrection, Ephesians 1:14.—Thus it appears, that the honours and privileges belonging to believers, as the children of God, and asmembers of the Christian church, or fellowship, are infinitely greater and more valuable than those of which the initiated, or members of the heathen fellowships, boasted.
After displaying the great excellency of the gospel revelation, and the honours and privileges belonging to the members of the Christian church, and tacitly contrasting these with the heathen mysteries, and with the privileges of the initiated, the Apostle told the Ephesians, that the good news which he had received of their faith and love, made him daily give thanks to God on account of their happy state, Ephesians 1:15-16.—and pray to God to give them both true wisdom and revealed knowledge, in order that they might continue to acknowledge Christ as their Saviour, notwithstanding they should be persecuted for so doing, Ephesians 1:17.—also that he would enlighten the eyes of their understanding, that they might knowthe greatness of those privileges, which, by calling them into his fellowship, he had taught them to expect; and know likewise the glory of the inheritance which he had prepared for his children, the saints, Ephesians 1:18.—and what the exceeding greatness of his power is, with respect to his faithful people, in making them at present alive from their trespasses and sins, (chap. Ephesians 2:5.) and in raising them hereafter from the dead to enjoy the inheritance; of which power, the Apostle told them, God hath already given an illustrious example, in raising Christ, the head of the Christian fellowship, from the dead, and setting him down at his own right hand, Ephesians 1:19-20.—far above all the different orders of angels in heaven, and potentates on earth, Ephesians 1:21.—and hath subjected all things under his feet, and hath given him to be head over all things for the benefit of the church, Ephesians 1:22.—which being animated, governed, and protected by him, as the human body is by its head, it is his body, by which his character, as Lord and Saviour of the church, or Christian fellowship, is rendered complete, and is filled by him with all manner of gifts and graces, in order that every member of his body, or fellowship, may grow, under him, in perfection and happiness, Ephesians 1:23.
This sublime account of the resurrection of Christ,the head of the Christian church, or fellowship; and of God's setting him down in his mediatorial character, at his own right hand, as ruler both of the angelical hosts, and of the princes and potentates on earth; and of his putting all things under his feet; and of his making him head over all things for the benefit of the church; and of his being rendered complete, as the head of the Christianfellowship, by the union of its members to him; and of his making them alive from the death of sin; and of his filling them with miraculous gifts and moral graces, was, I think, designed by the Apostle as a contrast, first, to the character and powers of the false gods, worshipped by the heathens as the heads of their fellowships; and, secondly, to the honours, advantages, and privileges which the initiated derived from their participation in these mysteries; and all with a view to make the Ephesians sensible how far inferior, in dignity and happiness, the members of the heathen fellowships were, to the members of the Christian church, which is a fellowship protected and governed by so high and powerful a head as Christ; whom God hath raised, as Mediator in his glorified humanity, to the government of the universe, for the purpose of making the faithful members of this noble fellowship holy and happy through all eternity.
EPHESIANS,] St. Paul passed through Ephesus in the year 54, but without making any stay: the following year he returned thither again, and stayed three years. During his abode there, he completed a very flourishing church of Christians, the first foundations of which had been laid by some inferior teacher. As Ephesus was frequented by persons of distinction from all parts of Asia Minor, St. Paul took the opportunity of preaching in the adjacent countries; and the other churches of Asia were considered as the daughters of the church of Ephesus: so that an Epistle to the Ephesians was, in effect, an Epistle to the other churches of Asia at the same time. St. Paul was carried prisoner to Rome, for the first time, in the year 61; and, during his confinement there, which was not very close, he wrote the Epistles to Philemon, the Colossians, the Ephesians, and the Philippians. Hence all their Epistles bear a great resemblance in their stile and manner. This Epistle was intended to establish the Ephesians in the faith; and, for that purpose, to give them more exalted views of the love of God, and of the excellency and dignity of Jesus Christ; to shew them, that they were saved by grace; and that the Gentiles, however wretched they had been once, now enjoyed equal privileges with the Jews; to encourage them by declaring, with what steadiness the Apostle himself suffered for the truth, and with what earnestness he prayed for their establishment and perseverance in it: and, finally, to engage them to the practice of those duties which became them as Christians. The city of Ephesus was distinguished by peculiar vices and sins, which are alluded to in this Epistle, and in those to Timothy. First, it was the genuine seat of the idolatrous worship of Diana, who was called Σωτειρα, or, "The Saviour-Goddess;" in opposition to which St. Paul calls the true Deity Σωτηρ, or, "The Saviour-God," in his first Epistle to Timothy, ch. Ephesians 1:1 Ephesians 2:3. Secondly, the Ephesians were remarkable for the practice of superstitious arts, Acts 19:18-19. Thirdly, they were peculiarly vain in their dress, 1 Timothy 2:9-10. Fourthly, they were remarkable for lewdness and drunkenness, and gloried in obscenity of language, Ephesians 5. Michaelis thinks that the Christians of Ephesus were also tainted with the errors of the Essenes; an account of which I shall give in my notes on the first Epistle to Timothy. If it be remembered, that the most flourishing sects of philosophers were settled in this place, and in its neighbourhood; that Pythagoras was here; that Samos, where he was born, was an island of Ionia; and that the followers of Parmenides, Zeno, and Democritus, were to be found there, even in the time of Chrysostom; it is not to be doubted that the Apostle would make use of extraordinary caution in writing; and it is evident that this Epistle is full of the sublimest doctrines, and written in a stile equal to the nobleness of his sentiments, and the learning of those to whom it was addressed. Though this, perhaps, at first sight, may render his meaning a little obscure, yet, by the assistance of the two following Epistles,—which were both written while he was in the same circumstances, upon the same occasion, and to the same purpose;—the sense and doctrine of the Apostle here may be so clearly seen, and so perfectly comprehended, that there can be hardly any doubt left about it, to any one who will examine them diligently, and carefully compare them together.