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1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the
saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
1:2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord
Jesus Christ.
1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath
blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the
world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus
Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 1:6 To
the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted
in the beloved.
1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of
sins, according to the riches of his grace; 1:8 Wherein he hath
abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 1:9 Having made known
unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which
he hath purposed in himself: 1:10 That in the dispensation of the
fulness of times he might
gather together in one all things in Christ,
both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: 1:11 In
whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated
according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the
counsel of his own will: 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his
glory, who first trusted in Christ.
1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your
salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye
were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 1:14 Which is the
earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased
possession, unto the praise of his glory.
1:15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus,
and love unto all the saints, 1:16 Cease not to give thanks for you,
making mention of you in my prayers; 1:17 That the God of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of
wisdom and revelation in the
knowledge of him: 1:18 The eyes of your
understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of
his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in
the saints, 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to
us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and
set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 1:21 Far above
all
principality, and
power, and
might, and
dominion, and
every name
that is
named, not only in
this world, but also in that which is to
come: 1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be
the head over all things to the church, 1:23 Which is his body, the
fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
back to:
Ephesians
Book: Ephesians
Chapter: 1
Overview:
A
Salutation, and an account of saving blessings, as prepared
in
God's eternal election, as purchased
By Christ's
Blood.
(1-8)
And as conveyed in effectual
Calling: this is applied to the
believing Jews, and to the believing
Gentiles.
(9-14) The
Apostle thanks
God for their
Faith and
Love, and prays for the
continuance of their knowledge and
Hope, with respect to the
heavenly inheritance, and to
God's powerful working in them.
(15-23)
1,2. All Christians must be saints; if they come not under that
character
On Earth, they will never be saints in
Glory. Those
are not saints, who are not
Faithful, believing in
Christ, and
true to the profession they make of relation to their
Lord.
By
Grace, understand the free and undeserved
Love and favour of
God, and those graces of the
Spirit which come from it;
By
peace, all other blessings, spiritual and temporal, the fruits
of the former.
No peace without
Grace.
No peace, nor
Grace, but
from
God the
Father, and from the
Lord Jesus Christ; and the
best saints need fresh supplies of the graces of the
Spirit, and
desire to grow.
3-8 Spiritual and heavenly blessings are the best blessings;
with which we cannot be miserable, and without which we cannot
but be
So. This was from the choice of them in
Christ, before
the foundation of the world, that they should be made holy
By
separation from
Sin, being set apart to
God, and sanctified
By
the Holy
Spirit, in consequence of their election in
Christ. All
who are
Chosen to happiness as the
End, are
Chosen to
Holiness
as the means. In
Love they were predestinated, or fore-ordained,
to be adopted as children of
God By Faith in
Christ Jesus, and
to be openly admitted to the privileges of that high relation to
himself. The reconciled and adopted believer, the pardoned
sinner, gives all the praise of his
Salvation to his gracious
Father. His
Love appointed this method of
Redemption, spared not
his own Son, and brought believers to hear and embrace this
Salvation. It was rich
Grace to provide such a
Surety as his own
Son, and freely to deliver him up. This method of
Grace gives
No
encouragement to evil, but shows
Sin in all its hatefulness, and
how it deserves vengeance. The believer's actions, as
Well as
his words, declare the praises of Divine
Mercy.
9-14 Blessings were made known to believers,
By the
Lord's
showing to them the
Mystery of his sovereign will, and the
method of
Redemption and
Salvation. But these must have been for
ever hidden from us, if
God had not made them known
By his
written
Word, preached
Gospel, and
Spirit of
Truth.
Christ
united the two differing parties,
God and
Man, in his own
person, and satisfied for that wrong which caused the
separation. He wrought,
By his
Spirit, those graces of
Faith and
Love, whereby we are made one with
God, and among ourselves. He
dispenses all his blessings, according to his good pleasure. His
Divine teaching led whom he pleased to see the
Glory of those
truths, which others were left to blaspheme. What a gracious
promise that is, which secures the
Gift of the
Holy Ghost to
those who ask him! The sanctifying and comforting influences of
the Holy
Spirit Seal believers as the children of
God, and heirs
of
Heaven. These are the
First-fruits of holy happiness. For
this we were made, and for this we were redeemed; this is the
great design of
God in all that he has done for us; let all be
ascribed unto the praise of his
Glory.
15-23 God has laid up spiritual blessings for us in his Son the
Lord Jesus; but requires us to draw them out and fetch them in
By Prayer. Even the best Christians need to be prayed for: and
while we hear of the welfare of
Christian friends, we should
pray for them. Even true believers greatly want heavenly
Wisdom.
Are not the best of us unwilling to come under
God's
Yoke,
though there is
No other way to find
Rest for the soul? Do we
not for a little pleasure often part with our peace? And if we
dispute less, and prayed more with and for each other, we should
daily see more and more what is the
Hope of our
Calling, and the
riches of the Divine
Glory in this inheritance. It is desirable
to feel the mighty power of Divine
Grace, beginning and carrying
On the work of
Faith in our souls. But it is difficult to bring
a soul to believe fully in
Christ, and to venture its all, and
the
Hope of eternal
Life, upon his
Righteousness. Nothing less
than Almighty power will work this in us. Here is signified that
it is
Christ the
Saviour, who supplies all the necessities of
those who trust in him, and gives them all blessings in the
richest abundance. And
By being partakers of
Christ himself, we
come to be filled with the
Fulness of
Grace and
Glory in him.
How then do those forget themselves who seek for
Righteousness
out of him! This teaches us to come to
Christ. And did we know
what we are called to, and what we might find in him, surely we
should come and be suitors to him. When feeling our weakness and
the power of our enemies, we most perceive the greatness of that
mighty power which effects the
Conversion of the believer, and
is engaged to perfect his
Salvation. Surely this will constrain
us
By Love to live to our
Redeemer's
Glory.