We have seen that we all as believers are looked upon in the sight of God as dead, buried, and risen with Christ. We are viewed as on earth, not seated in heavenly places as in Ephesians, where we are looking at the purposes of God. Our faith is to see our new position as one with Christ, possessing Him as our new life—this is where our chapter begins.
Verses 1-4. “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God.”
This leads our hearts up to Him who is our life, and inclines us to “set our affections on things above,” thus turning our minds to heavenly and spiritual things, “not on things on the earth,” because of our new position. “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”
He is our life. When He appears, then shall all His saints appear with Him in glory. He cannot appear without them, for they are one with Him.
Verses 5-7 tell us that sin in the flesh is in us still. This verse uncovers to us how vile it is. We are not to allow it to live, we are to keep it in the place God has given it—in the death of Christ. We can turn our eyes to Him and sing,
“O fix our earnest gaze
So wholly, Lord, on Thee,
That, with Thy beauty occupied,
We elsewhere none may see.”
In this occupation with Him, we find strength for victory over sin and Satan’s power. Our Lord Jesus bore the penalty of our sins, and gives us the victory over the power of sin in our members.
The disobedient sinner who will not come to the Savior, must bear the wrath of God, because of living in sin. “In the which ye also walked sometime when ye lived in them.” What an escape we had! Well may we thank God for His great mercy toward us, in opening our eyes to see our lost condition, and then to see His love in giving His Son to die for our sins.
Verses 8-11. That which would come out of those members is to be put off, not allowed. We are to put off “anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication” out of our mouths. We are not to lie to one another, seeing that we have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that has created him.
Truth is what Christ is, and the new life in the believer has His character of life, and will not be satisfied to walk in any other path but His. It is Christ in us, and is to come out in our ways, as we shall see in what follows. All human distinctions disappear in this new life. It is the same life of Christ, and acts the same in every person.
Believers have put off the old man, and have put on the new in the death and resurrection of Christ; and in their practice now, are to put off (verse 8) what would come from the members of the old man, and now in practice, are to put on the dress of the new. The inner man, Christ in us, desires to clothe us with what suits Him. “Christ is all, and in all.”
Verses 12-14. “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved.” God calls us His elect, chosen ones, holy and beloved, and as such, the things that were seen in the Lord on earth in all perfection, are now to be grown as fruit for Him in us who have Christ as our life.
Bowels of compassion gives us the thought of the deep well spring of His heart, that has flowed into ours, to flow out again in kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a complaint against any: even as Christ forgave us, so we are to forgive one another.
What a deep stream of blessing it was that flowed out from Him to His disciples, and all that came to Him. Alas! how small has been the measure of blessing that has flowed from us to others! Blessed Master, help us to be more like Thee!
Then to all these we are to add love, the bond of perfectness, that which gives godliness the first place in our actions and ministry to others. Not amiability of nature, but holiness to the Lord. It is the flowing out of the grace that has come to us from Himself.
Verse 15. Also the peace of Christ is to preside over every other thought that might arise. The peace in which God dwells (Phil. 4:77And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)) is the peace in which Christ walked through this world where there were so many things to try Him, as He walked with His God and Father. Philippians 4:66Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (Philippians 4:6) is how we can obtain it, and dwell in it. And also in this verse 15, it is with one another as members of the one body walking in unity.
And then comes these important words, “And be ye thankful.” This is bowing to God’s will, yea, expresses satisfaction with God’s ordering for us. A thankful heart is always a happy heart. It finds no room for murmuring, though it may sorrow and mourn over sin, as when the Lord wept over guilty Jerusalem.
Verse 16. “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another; in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
In Ephesians we find all these things connected with the Holy Spirit dwelling in the believer. In this epistle it is, we repeat, Christ our life, and all these are the outcome of Christ our life and our object.
The word of Christ dwelling in us gives wisdom, and in rich measure, teaching us how to apply it to ourselves and others. And our happy hearts unite in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord. A little foretaste of heaven’s joy.
Verse 17. “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.” How completely our life is seen here in conscious relationship with Christ, in the life which we have in Him. We can apply it in everything we do. He is the object that controls us, and everything is done to suit Him; and through Him, dwelling in the consciousness of divine love, we give thanks to our God and Father. The Christian life is characterized by having Christ Himself as its aim and object in all we do in every respect.
Verses 18 to chapter 4:1. Apply this life to the circle of our relationships as given and established by God, with wise advice and warnings in view of our wills bringing in difficulties.
“Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.”
“Husbands love your wives, and be not bitter against them.”
The wives and husbands are thus to exercise grace toward each other in the exercises necessary to live together in the grace of eternal life. To love his wife is especially enjoined on the husband, and not to allow bitterness in his heart toward her, and that alludes to the failure, or tendency to it in the wife in her subjection, and in the husband in his love.
Children are to be obedient to their parents in all things: for this is well pleasing to the Lord.
Fathers are to be careful not to provoke their children—not to discourage them. God our Father is careful not to discourage His children, though needing to discipline them every day. The precious home (if Christ is acknowledged) of kind affections practiced in the home, is a safeguard to the children, needed increasingly as the state of this world grows darker.
“Servants (that is, slaves), obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as men pleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: and whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.”
The slave is Christ’s freeman, and the freeman is Christ’s slave (1 Cor. 7:2222For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant. (1 Corinthians 7:22)). This exhortation to the slave is excellent for all Christians as to the spirit in which we all should serve the Lord Christ. It is the life of Christ, and how He served the Father, is the example for us all.
May the Lord help us to serve Him in singleness of heart, that He may be able to say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”