In the prayer of Chapter 1 we had the distinct parts:
1st “That we may know what is the hope of His calling” (verses 3-5).
2nd “What is the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (verse 11).
3rd “What is the exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe” as seen in Christ’s resurrection and ascension. This last is more developed in Chapter 2.
In this epistle, the moral corruption in which man is living, is not described as in Romans. Here man is seen as dead to God in trespasses and sins. It was needful in Romans to bring in death on the sinner. It is needful in Ephesians to give the dead sinner life in new creation.
Verses 1, 2 address the Gentile, “And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” They were under Satan’s power.
Verse 3. We have the Jew, “Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” They were no better than the Gentiles.
Both Jew and Gentile were therefore dead to God. God must work in resurrection power to give them life: such was our terrible condition!
Verses 4-7. “But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ (by grace are ye saved), and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus; that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” It is not here the sinner coming to Christ. It is God working in mighty power and sovereign grace to bring the sinner in.
“God, who is rich in mercy” (if otherwise we could not have been saved), “for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins,” this passes all our understanding, how He could love us, yet He did, and saved us by His grace, and quickened us together with Christ, and raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ, that in the ages to come (that is forever) He might display the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. He found us dead in sins, and brought us out of death with Christ, as in His resurrection by the power of life, to set us in light, and in the favor of God as a new creation in Christ Jesus. Jew and Gentile are alike in this new position in Christ; distinctions are gone; all are one in Christ.
Verses 8-10. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” The precious faith and all, is of God (2 Peter 1:11Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: (2 Peter 1:1)). “Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
The fruit is of the same kind as the life. It is not works of the flesh, but what is produced by His Spirit in our new resurrection life, that is, life in the Risen Christ. All is the fruit of God’s grace in the new position and character of the life received. We are to walk worthy of Him as the Head of a new creation who has prepared us for this very thing, and given us His Spirit as our power to keep Christ as our pattern before us.
Verse 11. The Gentiles were to remember how deeply they had sunken. The Apostle does not recognize good in circumcision of the flesh in the Jew here, but it serves to intensify the place of distance the Gentiles were in. They “were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.” What a change to the present position that grace has given them!
Verse 13. “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”
“So nigh, so very nigh to God,
We cannot nearer be;
For in the person of His Son,
We are as near as He.”
Verses 14, 15. “For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of (enclosure) partition, having abolished (or annulled) the enmity, the law of commandments in ordinances; for to make in Himself of the twain, one new man, so making peace.” All that kept the two separate is gone, for the man in the flesh is gone, and both are in Christ risen from the dead, law or ordinances are done with in this new position.
Verses 16-18. “And that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby, and came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.” They are both one now, one body, members one of another, and both have privileges exceeding even the priests of Israel. “For through Him, we both have access by One Spirit unto the Father.” What blessedness is ours now to enjoy! What holy intimacy! We might well ponder this verse. There is no veil for us now. Through Christ Jesus we enter, the blessed Holy Spirit leading us into the presence of our God and Father, there to delight in all that He delights in.
Verse 19. “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but ye are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.” We are of the household of God, the family. Heaven is our home, there is our citizenship, we are fellow citizens now, but we have become strangers on earth, and have lost our citizenship here. Our home is where He is, to whom we belong.
Verse 20. “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone.” These are the New Testament apostles and prophets. The Old Testament prophets did not know anything of the blessings of this present period of grace – the mystery that was hid from before the foundation of the world.
Verse 21. “In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord.” This is progressive; it is going on, but is not complete yet. It answers in figure to Solomon’s Temple. All the stones cut out and prepared according to the Great Architect’s plan, all fitting their own peculiar place in that glorious scene, only to be seen in all its grandeur when it is completed in glory, when it will be to His glory “by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen” (Eph. 3:2121Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. (Ephesians 3:21)).
Verse 22. Here we have another aspect of the house: this is always complete for our use all the way home, like the Tabernacle on the journey, God dwelling in His house here on earth. We have the blessing of this blessed fact now.
In 1 Corinthians 3 we have it under man’s responsible hand in building, and so wood, hay and stubble, have come into it, but however great the ruin of it outwardly, to faith we can recognize God dwelling with us as it is spoken of here, “In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” Here it is looked at as a fact in the blessing of it without reference to human responsibility in building.
No one can be a true member of Christ, without being really united to Christ the Head; neither a true stone in the house of God; but the house can be the dwelling place of God, although that which is not a true stone may enter into its construction.
How wonderful are God’s ways in all these unfoldings. May we have the eyes of our hearts opened intelligently to them more and more!