Ephesians 419

Ephesians

1:1. holy. The Greek is hagios (#40 a,te; a,te; a,te; a,te;). It is an adjective, but used as a noun and
best translated holy ones. Through the ages the word saints has acquired a meaning
that is not biblical, and thus it can be confusing, especially to new Christians. Every
Christian is a holy one because each Christian has Gods gift of holy spirit sealed
inside him.
faithful. The Greek is pistos (4103 :tce; :tce; :tce; :tce;). It means faithful or believing.
The translation faithful is difficult because Ephesians is not just to the faithful. Lenski
goes with believing, which is certainly true.
1:3. Blessed. The Greek is eulogtos (#2128 .ue,e; .ue,e; .ue,e; .ue,e;), and it means blessed, or
praised. It is an adjective, and so blessed is the better translation here, especially in
light of the fact that the word is used three times in the verse.
Blessed...has blessed...blessing. This is the figure of speech polyptoton, or
many inflections, in which the same root word being used in different parts of speech.
The polyptoton emphasizes the blessing that each party has. Blessed (eulogtos; #2128
.ue,e;) is an adjective; has blessed (euloge; #2127 ), is a verb
(participle); and blessing (eulogia; #2129 ) is a noun. This is the only verse in
the Bible that has blessed three times.
Blessed us in Christ. Christians have been blessed in Christ, and it is only by
virtue that we are in Christ that we are blessed. This is the in in the sense of sphere
and relation, which some Greek grammars refer to as the static en. In that light, it can
be translated, in connection with, in association with, or in union with (see note on
Rom. 6:3). This verse is saying that in Christians are blessed because of their union, their
connection, their association with Christ. We are blessed by virtue of our connection and
association with Christ, not on our own merit. The preposition en (#1722 ), like all
prepositions, has many different meanings, depending on the context. In fact, the BDAG
Greek lexicon says of en: The uses of this prep. are so many and various, and often so
easily confused, that a strictly systematic treatment is impossible. It must suffice to list
the main categories, which will help establish the usage in individual cases.
The important meaning of en for the study of this verse is that it can mark a close
association, or a limit. Especially in Paul or Johannine usage, to designate a close
personal relation in which the referent of the -term is viewed as the controlling
influence: under the control of, under the influence of, in close association with...In Paul
the relation of the individual to Christ is very often expressed by such phrases as
[in Christ], [in the Lord], etc.,...in connection with, in intimate
association with, keeping in mind.
spiritual blessing. This is the only use of spiritual blessing in the Bible, and
it is important that we pay attention to it because Christians have been blessed, but often
we do not seem to directly experience those blessings in our physical life. Nevertheless,
the spiritual blessings are real. For example, we have a guarantee of salvation (Eph. 1:14;
2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5), which is surely a blessing, but we have to apprehend it by faith to really
enjoy it at this time.
heavenlies. The Greek is epouranios (#2032 ) a plural adjective.
Similar to the fact that the word heaven is always plural in Hebrew because it is a
plural noun. This could be the plural of majesty for heaven. The word epouranios
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occurs 5 times in Ephesians. They are all adjectives and all plural, and we have translated
all of them, heavenlies.
There are versions that read blessed usin the heavenly realms, and there are
versions that read blessed uswith every blessing in the heavenly realms. The
blessings are with God in heaven, conferred upon us here on earth. It is not that we in the
heavenly realms are blessed, because we are on earth. (Although some would argue that
Eph. 2:6 says we are in heaven, that is the idiom of the prophetic perfect; see note on
seated in Eph. 2:6.
1:4. foundation. This refers to the foundation of our earth today, even before Adam and
Eve were created. It does not seem to make as good sense to translate it overthrow,
because the destruction of the Genesis 1:1 creation is not so much in mind as the simple
fact that in Gods mind, His Church even predates his creation of mankind.
world. kosmos (#2889 sece;).
to be holy and without blemish. There is a lot packed into this phrase. To say
that we should be holy (KJV, ESV), causes people to miss the point that Christians
are holy in Gods sight by virtue of the sacrifice of Christ and the gift of holy spirit that
God has given to each Christian, which is why we are said to be saints (holy) in the
opening of the various Church Epistles. The Greek verb be is in the infinitive mood,
which Robertson (Word Pictures) notes as the infinitive of purpose, in other words,
Gods purpose was that we be holy, and He blessed us in Christ, making us holy. This is
part of the meaning here, which is repeated in 5:25-27, where Scripture says, Christ
loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holyto present her to himself
as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and
blameless. However, also packed into the idea of to be holy is that we should live holy
lives. Each Christian is spiritually holy, but God did not make us that way with the idea
that we then would ignore our flesh and fulfill the passions it produces on us (Eph. 2:3).
God made us spiritually holy, and He made us to work hard to live a holy life as well.
without blemish. This is a term that relates to the fact that sacrifices had to be
without blemish to be accepted by God. We have blemishes, but He chose us and made
us both holy and without blemish. The Greek is amomos (#299 aae;) and appears
eight times in the NT. All of them can be related to the perfection an offering to God had
to have, and all can be translated without blemish.
in love. There is a big debate about whether this phrase goes with verse 4 or 5.
The commentators are pretty well split. We voted for v. 4 for two major reasons. 1. God
chose us to stand to be holy, without blemish and in love. Love is part of the way
we are to stand before Him. Furthermore, v. 5 already says God acted from His good
pleasure so placing in love in v. 5 is an unnecessary duplication. 2. It is Pauls usual,
if not constant, habit to place en agape after the clause it qualifies (Eph. 4:2,15,16; 5:2;
Col. 2:2; 1 Thess. 5:13; cp. also, though in association with other terms, 1 Tim. 4:12; 2
Tim. 1:13). (W. R. Nicoll, The Expositors Greek New Testament, Wm. B. Eerdmans
Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, reprinted 1990), Vol. 3, p. 251).
1:5. marked us out beforehand. The Greek is proorizo (#4309 :eet,a). The literal
meaning is to mark out before and so that is what we went with. This term gets a lot of
theological attention, being translated foreordained, foreknown, and predestined.
However, there is no reason to assert that God marks the path for us to walk down in such
a way that we have to walk it (that is predestination). Rather, the evidence of Scripture
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is that He marks the path He wants us to take, and then we by our free will must decide to
take it.
adoption. The Greek is huiothesia (#5206 ute.cta), and it only occurs five
times in the New Testament, all in the Church Epistles (Rom. 8:15, 23; 9:4; Gal. 4:5;
Eph. 1:5). According to Vine it means, the place and condition of a son given to one to
whom it does not naturally belong. The Greek Lexicon by Louw and Nida says: to
formally and legally declare that someone who is not ones own child is henceforth to be
treated and cared for as ones own child, including complete rights of inheritance.
Huiothesia literally means, to place as a son.
Adoption clearly indicates that a Christian is a member of Gods family. In the
Roman culture, the adopted son or daughter had four major changes: a change of family,
a change of name, a change of home, and a change of responsibilities (Charles Welch,
Just and the Justifier, The Berean Publishing Trust, London, p. 212, with a fuller
explanation on pp. 208-213).
Most importantly, by using the word adoption, God emphasizes that salvation is
permanent for the Christian, which is why it appears only in the Church Epistles. Some
versions translate huiothesia as sonship, but we believe that is not as good as
adoption. While it is true that someone adopted into the family attains sonship (the
status of a son), adoption is more accurate to the Greek meaning of the word, and it
correctly expresses the fact that the adopted child is permanently placed in the family.
Birth seems so much more desirable than adoption that it is fair to ask why God
would even use adoption. The answer is that the Romans recognized that when a baby
was born, you got what you got, whether you liked it or not. This would include the sex
of the child, birthmarks, etc. Thus, according to Roman law, a naturally born baby could
be disowned from the family. However, people adopting a child knew exactly what they
were getting, and no one adopted a child unless that specific child was wanted as a family
member, so according to law an adopted child could not be disowned. He or she was
permanently added to the family. Many early believers were Roman citizens, and using
the word adoption was one of Gods ways to let the Church know that He chose the
children brought into His family, and they could not be taken from it. The Roman
historian William M. Ramsay writes:
The Roman-Syrian Law-Bookwhere a formerly prevalent Greek law had
persisted under the Roman Empirewell illustrates this passage of the Epistle. It
actually lays down the principle that a man can never put away an adopted son,
and that he cannot put away a real son without good ground. It is remarkable that
the adopted son should have a stronger position than the son by birth, yet it was
so. (W. M. Ramsay, A Historical Commentary on St. Pauls Epistle to the
Galatians, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, MI, reprinted 1979; p. 353).
Roman customs and laws differed from those of the Jews, and it is by
understanding Jewish laws and customs that we see why birth is used in Peter and
James, and adoption is used in Romans, Galatians, and Ephesians: Among the Jews,
adoption had no importance, and hardly any existence. The perpetuity of the family,
when a man died childless, was secured in another way, viz., the levirate. Only sons by
blood were esteemed in the Hebrew view (Ramsay, Historical CommentaryGalatians;
p. 341). The levirate that Ramsay refers to was the law stating that if a man died
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childless, his wife was to marry the mans brother, and then her oldest son would be
counted as the child of the dead man and carry his name (Deut. 25:5-10; Mark 12:18-27).
God made salvation permanent for Christians, which was radically different from
before the Church started on the Day of Pentecost. He worked very hard to communicate
that change to His Church, which is composed of both former Jews and former Gentiles
(when a Jew or Gentile believes, he or she does not lose his nationality, but in Gods eyes
is now a Christian, a new creation in Christ). Thus, in Scripture that has a distinctively
Jewish flavor, such as Peter and James, God speaks of birth (anagennao, 1 Pet. 1:3, 23;
apokueo, James 1:18), because birth and genealogy were very important to the Jews.
They would immediately understand that a child born into Gods family was a
permanent member of His family. God also uses a word for birth (paliggenesi) in Titus
3:5 (It is noteworthy that all three of these Greek words for birth are unique to writings to
the Christian Church, another indication of the permanence of Christian salvation.
However, in books such as Romans, Ephesians, and Galatians, which were
addressed to people with a Gentile background, He also speaks of adoption. The same
truth is communicated by both terms: the Christian becomes a permanent member of the
family of God, because he is forever sealed in Christ (Eph. 1:13), and has a guaranteed
hope (2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5; Eph. 1:14; NIV, ESV). While no verse in the Old Testament even
hints that one day God would make salvation permanent, the permanence of salvation for
Christians is the hallmark of the Sacred Secret.
This total change to permanent salvation is clearly taught in Galatians 4:1-5. The
first three verses of the chapter show that before Jesus came, though the people of God
were heirs, they were equal to slaves, being under guardians and enslaved to the basic
principles of the world. Gods equating Old Testament believers to minor children equal
to slaves is very important, because a slave is not guaranteed a place in the
family. Galatians goes on to say that when the fullness of time came, God sent His Son
(4:4) so that we might receive adoption into His family.
Galatians 4:5 then says: [God sent His Son] in order that he might redeem those
who were under the law in order that we might receive the adoption. The two in order
that clauses show that for people to be adopted into Gods family, Christ first had to
redeem them, and before Christ redeemed them they were under the law. Without Jesus
paying the redemption price, no adoption was possible. Thus no Old Testament believer
was adopted into Gods family because adoption was not available yet. Adoption was
available only after Christ died, and God started to bring people into His family by
adopting and birth on the Day of Pentecost, 50 days after Christ died on the cross.
Thus, permanent salvation was not available until Christ died, and was first made
available when the Church started on the Day of Pentecost. For more on the permanence
of Christian salvation, see Graeser, Lynn, Schoenheit, The Gift of Holy Spirit: The Power
to be Like Christ (Christian Educational Services, Indianapolis, IN, 2006), Appendix A:
The Administration of the Sacred Secret. The words as sons does not appear in the
Greek text. If we are adopted, then we are adopted. The phrase as sons was apparently
brought into the KJV from the Latin Vulgate.
to. The Greek preposition is eis (1519 .t;). Prepositions are very flexible and
have many meanings. Bullinger gives some of the ways that the Greeks used prepositions
in a mathematical sense, but that only applied in some cases and in math. It is wrong to
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think that the Greeks were not as flexible with their prepositions as we are. The word
unto is archaic and unnecessary. To is perfectly acceptable.
good pleasure. The Greek word is eudokia (#2107 ). This word is
difficult to translate. It contains the idea of good, of pleasure, and of intent. Thus some
translations go with kindly intent. We decided to stick with the ASV and let the word
will carry the fact of intention.
he. Here it refers to God, and the REV keeps pronouns that refer to God in
lower case except in a few contexts. The primary reason for doing this is that there are
places in the text where who the he is, is very unclear, and by capitalizing it now we
will be forced later to put a specific meaning on it that the biblical text does not place on
it.
1:6. freely bestowed on us The root of this phrase is grace, and the Greek has a
wonderful word-relation: his grace, in which he graced us. At this point we have
decided to go with the ASV, which carries the meaning of the word and is very clear.
1:7. redemption. See commentary on Colossians 1:14.
transgressions. This is a difficult word to exactly translate. The Greek is
paraptma (#3900 :aa:aa) which is to misstep, to fall by the wayside. This
misstep is not necessarily intentional, although it can be. Thus, in life, trespasses, are
much more common than sins. Meanings of paraptma include: faults, deviations
from truth, lapse, error, mistake, wrongdoing. We went with transgressions.
Often we trespass from a lack of wisdom and experience. It is a blessing to know that
Jesus not only forgave our intentional sins and faults, he forgave us our trespasses as
well.
riches. The Greek word is singular, but the plural translation is okay because
riches is a singular reality. We could have gone with wealth but that has too strong a
connotation of money.
1:8. lavished on. The phrase that is more literal, made to abound toward us is
awkward for the modern reader and abound is not normally considered a verb. We
went with lavished on, as do a number of the modern versions.
prudence. This was the best translation we could think of.
1:9. making known is better translated having made known, especially in light of the
context, which is past.
sacred secret. The Greek is musterion (#3466 ucte|) and is best translated
secret rather than mystery. The Greek word musterion means a secret in the
religious sphere. A secret can be known if it is revealed, while a mystery denotes
something unknowable (Vine, Expository Dictionary, Mystery; Bullinger, Lexicon,
Mystery; Thayer, Lexicon, musterion). The musterion was revealed. This fact can
also be seen within Scripture itself. Ephesians 1:9 says that God made known to us the
musterion of His will. God made His secret known to us when He revealed it in His
Word. By definition making known a mystery would be impossible. Versions of the
Bible that translate musterion as secret include The New English Bible, The
International Standard Version, the Complete Jewish Bible by David Stern, The Bible by
James Moffatt, J. B. Phillips New Testament, The New Testament in the Language of
the People by Charles Williams, The Better Version of the New Testament by Chester
Estes, Youngs Literal Translation, and The Emphasized Bible by Joseph Rotherham
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in him. This is not himself. It refers to Christ, as does the in him in verses 4,
7, 10, 11, and 13. Although there are some versions that go with in himself, the middle
voice (of he purposed) is already reflexive, so saying in himself would be redundant
and unnecessary.
1:10. The key to understanding this verse is recognizing the administrations and how they
work, and also that Christ will head up (the literal Greek) the administration in the
future.
in the heavens. This is the literal Greek, which takes the form of the Hebrew
text, in which heaven is always plural (prob. a plural of majesty to emphasize the
largeness of the heavens, cp. note Eph. 1:3).
1:11. We were assigned a portion. See Lenski.
plan. We felt that counsel, as some versions have, was not the clearest
translation. It is not that God had a large council meeting and many people were
involved. Plan is much better.
1:13. when you heard...and when you believed in him, you were sealed. This verse is a
great key in properly understanding salvation, the new birth, and receiving the gift of
holy spirit. Every Christian receives (is baptized in) the holy spirit the moment he has
faith in Christ. The individual may not outwardly manifest the holy spirit by things like
speaking in tongues or prophecy at that time (in fact, he may never outwardly manifest
the spirit), but he has the holy spirit born and sealed inside him.
The King James Version can confuse people about the timing of believing and
being sealed with the holy spirit. It reads, In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard
the word of truth...in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy
Spirit of promise. The two times the phrase after that is used in the KJV can confuse
the modern reader and make him think that a person is sealed with holy spirit some time
after he believes. This is not the case. R. C. H. Lenski states the truth quite succinctly:
The moment we come to faith the sealing occurs. The thought is not that we must
believe a while, and that some time later in the course of our believing the Spirit is
bestowed. The problem is that 400 years ago when the King James was written, the
phrase after that was sometimes used when when would have been more appropriate
(cp. Mark 8:25; Acts 1:8; Gal. 3:25; Eph. 1:13; 1 Thess. 2:2; Titus 3:4). The confusion
caused by the use of the phrase after that does not occur in the modern versions,
because they do not use that phrase.
promised holy spirit. The Greek text read, the holy spirit of promise. This
is a genitive of relation, and means the holy spirit that was promised, and that promise
was first made in the Old Testament. This is a very confusing verse to theologians,
because of the doctrine of the Trinity. Once we understand that holy spirit in this verse
refers to the gift of God that is given to each Christian at the time they are saved, the
verse becomes clearer. Furthermore, we have to understand this verse in light of the
Administration in which we live, the Administration of the Sacred Secret. We today do
not have the same gift of holy spirit that God gave to some Old Testament believers such
as Moses or Deborah. Rather, what we have is the firstfruits of the gift of holy spirit that
God promised to pour out in the Millennial Kingdom. (For information on the gift of holy
spirit we Christians have, see Graeser, Lynn, Schoenheit, The Gift of Holy Spirit: the
Power to be Like Christ, and Appendix A of that book is on The Administration of the
Sacred Secret).
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During the Old Testament and Gospel periods, God gave the gift of holy spirit in
a very limited way: it was upon only certain selected people, and He gave it conditionally
and by measure. However, God promised much better things for Israels future. He
promised that in the Millennial Kingdom He would pour out holy spirit in abundance to
everyone who believed. Furthermore, what God promised to Israel, He has given grace to
the Christian Church, which explains why holy spirit in Christians is called the promised
Holy Spirit [holy spirit] (Eph. 1:13), and the firstfruits of the Spirit [spirit] (Rom.
8:23). Therefore, the things about holy spirit that were foretold for the Millennial
Kingdome apply to Christians also, even though holy spirit was not specifically foretold
for Christians. Christians even have holy spirit with manifestations that were not
promised in the Old Testament, and these are speaking in tongues and the interpretation
of tongues. The Church Epistles make the point that the gift of holy spirit that Christians
have today is the promised holy spirit (Acts 2:33, Eph. 1:13).
Jesus spoke to his disciples about the promised holy spirit in Luke 24:49 and Acts
1:4. In the Old Testament God promised to give holy spirit to Israel, not the Church. No
one knew there was going to be a Christian Church, because it was part of the Sacred
Secret that God hid in Himself. God promised that holy spirit would be poured out in the
kingdom of Christ, but because He has given it to Christians, Scripture calls what we
have the firstfruits of the spirit (Rom. 8:23).
God calls what we have firstfruits because we have today what He promised for
the believers in the Millennial Kingdom. There are some major differences between the
gift of holy spirit that God gave in the Old Testament and the gift of holy spirit God
promised to give in the Millennial Kingdom, which we today get by grace.
1) In the Old Testament and Gospels, holy spirit was upon only a few
believers, but in the Millennial Kingdom it will be in all believers. Even though there
were millions of Israelites who lived during Old Testament times, only a few were
blessed to receive the gift of holy spirit. In contrast to that, in the Millennial Kingdom
God will pour out the gift of holy spirit on every believer. Verses such as Joel 2:28, 29
and John 7:38 make that very clear. Today, in the Administration of Grace, every
believer gets holy spirit just as will happen in the Millennial Kingdom.
2) In the Old Testament and Gospels, God gave holy spirit in a limited way,
by measure, but in the Millennial Kingdom it will be poured out in abundance. In
contrast to the limited measure of holy spirit God gave in the Old Testament and Gospels,
He promised to give holy spirit in abundance in the Millennial Kingdom. We read that
Joel said, I will pour out my Spirit [spirit] on all people (Joel 2:28; cp. also Isa.
32:15; 44:3). The words pour out are significant, and indicate great abundance. There is
no place in the OT or Gospels that Gods gift of holy spirit is said to be poured out, but
that is the promise for the Millennial Kingdom. It needs to be noted, however, that even
though God promised He would give people an abundance of holy spirit, He did not
specifically promise that they would be filled, even though that is clearly implied. In
contrast, it is clear in Scripture written to the Church that every Christian is filled with
holy spirit.
3) In the Old Testament and Gospels, God gave holy spirit conditionally, and
the recipient could lose it. King Saul is an example of a person in the OT who lost the
gift of holy spirit because of his disobedience to God (1 Sam. 16:14), and David prayed
that God would not take it from him (Ps. 51:11). In the Millennial Kingdom, holy spirit
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will be given permanently, and by grace we receive it permanently also. It is vital to
understand this aspect of the gift of holy spirit. For Christians, it is the presence of holy
spirit inside them that makes them a Christian. When an unbeliever today confesses
Christ as Lord, he gets the gift of holy spirit at that instant. The presence of holy spirit
inside that person makes him a holy one (often translated saint, cp. Rom. 1:7, etc.), is
the seed that is in him (1 Pet. 1:23), is why he is said to be born again (1 Pet. 1:23), is
why he is called a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17), and is why he is said to have a
guarantee of salvation (2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5; Eph. 1:14). In the Old Testament the gift of
holy spirit was said to be upon people, but in contrast, God promised that when He
gave holy spirit in the Millennial Kingdom, it would be in them (cp. Ezek. 11:19; 36:26,
27; 37:14). Jesus thoroughly knew the Old Testament and its promises, and made sure his
followers knew that holy spirit would be in people (John 14:17). Throughout the Old
Testament and Gospel periods, the gift of holy spirit was upon people conditionally, and
God could therefore take it back. In contrast to the way God gave holy spirit in the Old
Testament, in the Millennial Kingdom He will give holy spirit permanently to those
believers who had been raised from the dead, brought into the kingdom, and settled in the
land (Ezek. 37:12, 14; Isa. 59:21). The permanence of the relationship between the
Millennial Kingdom believer and God is the basis for many promises of the OT, such as
when God said of resurrected Israel believers that He would no longer hide His face
from them (Ezek. 39:29). He told them he will give them a new heart, taking away
their heart of stone and giving them a heart of flesh (Ezek. 36:26), and all the people will
know Him (Jer. 31:33 and 34).
4) In the Old Testament and Gospels it is never stated that holy spirit would
influence a person to live a godly life. However, Scripture promises that in the
Millennial Kingdom, holy spirit will influence people toward godliness.
One of the most exciting things about the gift of holy spirit that God promised to give in
the Millennial Kingdom was that it would help people live godly lives. There is no
evidence in the Old Testament or Gospels that a purpose or characteristic of the gift of
holy spirit that they had was that it produced a positive transforming influence, helping
them become more godly. Certainly people such as Moses or Elijah, who walked in great
spiritual power, were aware of God more acutely and thus would have worked hard to
live godly lives, but there is no statement in the Old Testament or Gospels that one of the
purposes of the gift of holy spirit that God gave in those times was to help transform
people toward godliness. However, the gift of holy spirit in the Millennial Kingdom (and
for us today) is that the promised holy spirit is specifically stated to help people live
godly lives. Jesus even called it the helper on many occasions (cp. John 15:26;
sometimes this is translated comforter, or encourager). In Ezekiel, God promised that
when holy spirit is poured out on resurrected people in the Millennial Kingdom, they will
be able to talk with Him directly and intimately, and not be hidden from His face any
more (Ezek 39:29). Having holy spirit does not remove free will or force a person to obey
God, and we all know that Old Testament believers who had holy spirit, and Christians
(who all have holy spirit) disobey the commandments and sin. Nevertheless, holy spirit,
as it is given in the Administration of Grace to Christians, and will be given to believers
in the Millennial Kingdom, does have a very powerful influence on the person.
Ezekiel 36:27 says the holy spirit will cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to
observe my ordinances. Isaiah 44:3-5 also testifies to the godly influence of holy spirit.
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The Church Epistles testify to the godly influence that holy spirit has in the life of a
believer, as it fights with the sin nature that lives in us (Gal. 5:17).
1:14. deposit guaranteeing. This is a deposit that guaranteed delivery. The presence
of holy spirit in a person guarantees that he will be saved.
1:15. Because of this. The Greek is dia touto (#1223 eta #3778 eue), which means
because of this, for this reason.
1:16. I do not stop. The meaning of the Greek.
remembering you. We felt like mention, as some versions have, has come to
mean an afterthought in English, which is not Pauls point at all. Kittel pointed out that it
could be idiomatic. We felt remembering you was the heart of the text.
1:17. revelation. For what revelation is, see commentary on Galatians 1:12 and 1
Corinthians 12:8.
1:18. his inheritance in the holy ones. The commentators disagree completely. Some
say that the vocabulary and context clearly indicate that Gods inheritance is distributed
to the saints, while others state that the context of Ephesians clearly says that it is the
saints who are Gods inheritance. Actually, both meanings clearly have merit. It is true
that the saints shall receive an inheritance from God, but it is just as true that we are His
inheritance, for the Lords portion is His people (Deut. 32:9). In this section of Ephesians
the use of autos (#846 aue;) is generally placed after whatever Paul wants to be of God,
and the flow of that pattern indicates that, although the text can be read to mean that we
are His inheritance, the more probable meaning is that his inheritance is given to the
believers. Translating literally from the Greek text leaves the possibility of both meanings
in the text, and given the ambiguity of the passage, we felt that this was the best policy.
1:19. to us, the believing ones. This is very literal, but makes the point that the power
of God is manifested in the lives of those who are currently believing, not just in those
who at one time confessed Christ as Lord.
(according toall things in all). This is the Figure of speech Parembole
(Bullinger, Figures), a form of parenthesis. The Parembole starts in verse 19b and goes
through verse 23. It explains and gives great depth of meaning to the phrase surpassing
greatness of his power. How great is Gods power to us? It raised Christ from the dead,
seated him at Gods own right hand in heaven, and raised him far above all other powers
in the universe. And it is that power that is to us who believe.
Dunamis (#1411 eu|at;) = power; energeia (#1753 .|.,.ta) = energizing; kratos
(#2904 sae;) = might; ischus (#2479 tc,u;) = strength.
1:20. the Christ. The presence of the definite article and this specific context makes
this reading preferable to just Christ.
out from among the dead. See Romans 4:24. Wuest: from among the dead.
The word dead is a genitive plural adjective, and needs a noun to complete the sense,
thus it means dead people. The text says that Christ was raised from the dead [people],
not, from the state of his being dead.
1:21. arch (#746 a,) = rulership.
coming one. The Greek is mell (#3195 .a), and refer to the age that was
close at hand, the Messianic Age. This is more than a simple future. The Greek almost
certainly expresses an immanence that is very difficult to translate into the English.
1:22. This verse continues the effect of Gods energizing the Christ, which started in
verse 20. This is a good example of the prophetic perfect that something that will
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absolutely happen in the future is placed in the past (aorist) tense (see note on seated, in
Ephesians 2:6).
for the congregation. There is debate as whether to the church or for the
church (NIV, RSV) is more accurate. The word appoint is a translation of didmi
(1325 eteat). Didmi is used here as equivalent to appoint. We have chosen, for the
congregation as a translation of the dative case. The dative case is generally translated
either with the preposition to or for, e.g. to the congregation or for the
congregation. Since didmi is not used to mean give but rather appoint, we felt for
the congregation was a better translation of the dative case because Christ is appointed
head over everything for the sake of the church, which was very much Gods plan. This
verse is not saying that Christ is over the head of everything in (to) the church, but that
he is head over everything, period, for the sake of the church.
2:1. And you he made alive. The ellipsis anticipates verse 5.
when you were dead. a legitimate translation of the present participle.
due to your trespasses and sins. There is no word in, this is the dative case.
See note on Colossians 2:14.
2:2. you once. This is a good translation of pote (#4218 :e.).
according to the course of this world. The Greek is according to the ain
(#165 ata|) of the kosmos (#2889 sece;). When a person walks in accord with the ain
of this kosmos, he walks in a way that conforms to the world in its present fallen and
corrupt state. The Greek word ain gets translated age, most of the time, but it is
important that we think of age the same way the Greeks did. Generally, when we think
of age, we mean a period of time. Although the word did refer to a period of time, it
referred to the thinking and attitudes that existed in that age. Trench writes that ain
refers to All that floating mass of thoughts, opinions, maxims, speculations, hopes,
impulses, aims, aspirations, at any time current in the world, which it may be impossible
to cease and accurately define, but which constitutes a most real and effective power,
being the moral, or immoral, atmosphere which at every moment of our lives we inhale,
again, inevitably to exhale,all this is included in the ain. (Richard C. Trench,
Synonyms).
Just as the owners of a Mexican or Chinese restaurant work hard to create an
atmosphere that represents their home country, the Adversary works hard to make sure
that this world has an ungodly atmosphere, and that atmosphere is the ain of this
world (kosmos). The unsaved and ignorant Christians do not even notice that the
atmosphere of this world is ungodly, and they follow the culture without thinking much
about it.
Because the word ain includes the idea of time and behavior, we felt that in this
verse the behavioral aspect was being emphasized because of the verb walk, and went
with ways.
of the authority of the air. The Greek reads, the authority (genitive singular)
of the air. The Devil is the ruler of the authority of the air. The air can be literal,
because the Devil controls and to some extent lives in the air. However, the air can
legitimately refer to the atmosphere of evil that exists in the world, which is part of the
understanding of ain. This may be an excellent example of the Figure of Speech,
amphibologia, double meaning. Both meanings are true, can be textually supported by
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the vocabulary. The authority can refer to the authority he has, or that he exercises
through demons, and can even include the demons themselves.
workings. The Greek is energe (#1754 .|.,.a), a verb that means works
or energizes. We have used both translations in Ephesians.
sons is literal and cultural.
defiance. The Greek is apeitheia (#543 a:.t.ta), and refers to willful
disobedience.
2:3. passions. The Greek word is epithumia (#1939 .:tuta), and refers to an over
desire. Passion is a good translation in this context, whereas the word lust connotes a
sexual desire that the Greek text simply does not communicate.
carrying out. Doing would be more literal but difficult, and in slang colors
the meaning. Pursuing is more to the point, which is following the whims of the flesh.
Mind is more accurately thoughts (plural), but it does not make good sense
in English to say the desires of the thoughts since the thoughts are the desires.
Wrath is a good translation, see Bullinger. It has the idea of desire for revenge
or justice. It is in the mind, not in the action, so anger could be a good translation, but
given the scope of the NT, wrath is better.
2:5. when we were is the participle, but it makes the reading awkward and so we
followed other versions, which translate it when we were.
due to. See note on Colossians 2:14.
transgressions. The Greek is paraptoma (see note on Eph. 1:7).
2:6. seated. The verb is in the aorist tense, as if the seating had already occurred, even
though actually we have not yet been seated in heaven. This is a figure of speech, in this
case an idiom which comes under the category that some scholars refer to as the
prophetic perfect. In the Hebrew and Aramaic in which the Bible was written, when
something was absolutely going to happen in the future, it was often spoken of as if it had
already occurred in the past. In this case, we have not yet been seated in heaven, but the
fact that we are born again guarantees that we will be, so that fact is expressed by the
idiom, and we are said to be seated in heaven.
Hebrew scholars are familiar with this idiom and refer to it as the prophetic
perfect, the historic sense of prophecy, the perfective of confidence, etc. It is also
referred to as here now, but not yet or alreadynot yet. We should not be surprised
that different scholars refer to the idiom by different names because idioms in languages
do not have specific names--they are just the way people in that culture speak.
E. W. Bullinger recognized that a future event was sometimes referred to in the
past tense as if it had already occurred, and instead of referring to it as an idiom of the
language, referred to it as a figure of speech called heterosis (The past for the future;
Bullinger, Figures).
The average Christian has no knowledge of the idiom because most of the times it
occurs in the Bible, the translators have not translated it literally, but instead have
changed the tense of the verb so the English is easy to read and understand. Thus, the
prophetic perfect is rarely apparent in English Bibles. In fairness to the translators,
because the English language seldom uses anything like the prophetic perfect, most
Christians would only be confused if the idiom was translated literally into English. For
example, the Greek text of Jude 14 says that the Lord came with thousands of his saints
(cp. NASB). Scholars of the biblical languages recognize that Jude was simply using the
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prophetic perfect to indicate the certainty of the Lords coming in the future with
thousands of saints. But if they translated the verse literally, the average Christian would
probably become confused and wonder, When did the Lord come with thousands of his
saints? The first and only time he came he had only a small group of apostles and
disciples.
Although the idiom of the prophetic perfect is originally a Semitic concept, it
occurs in the New Testament Greek. Often the idioms of the Hebrew language and culture
come over into the New Testament text as well. E. W. Bullinger explains that the idioms
of the Hebrew language and culture are reflected in the Greek text:
The fact must ever be remembered that, while the language of the New
Testament is Greek, the agents and instruments employed by the Holy
Spirit were Hebrews. God spake by the mouth of his holy prophets.
Hence, while the mouth and the throat and vocal chords and breath were
human, the words were Divine. No one is able to understand the
phenomenon; or explain how it comes to pass: for Inspiration is a fact
to be believed and received, and not a matter to be reasoned about. While
therefore, the words are Greek, the thoughts and idioms are Hebrew.
Some, on this account, have condemned the Greek of the New Testament,
because it is not classical; while others, in their anxiety to defend it, have
endeavored to find parallel usages in classical Greek authors. Both might
have spared their pains by recognizing that the New Testament Greek
abounds with Hebraisms: i.e., expressions conveying Hebrew usages
and thoughts in Greek words (Bullinger, Figures of Speech, pp. 81920).
When the Hebrew idiom of the prophetic perfect is brought into Greek, it is
expressed in several different ways, because the Greek tenses are structured differently than
the Hebrew tenses. Thus, technically in Greek, under the category of the prophetic perfect
idiom, there is the prophetic perfect (perfect tense used to express a future event), and
proleptic aorist (aorist tense used to express a future event).
The prophetic perfect and proleptic aorist are vital idioms for students of the Bible
to understand, because of the important meaning it brings to the text. By writing about a
future event in the past tense, God is emphasizing that the event will absolutely come to
pass. If God simply used the future tense to write about future events, the aspect of absolute
certainty that the idiom communicates would be lost. Here in Ephesians 2:6, for example,
God could tell us, we will be seated in heaven with Christ. However, there might then be
mitigating factors that would keep us from going to heaven, which is exactly what those
people who say that Christians can lose their salvation teach. By saying that Christians are
already in heaven is one of the ways God says that our salvation is not in doubt; we
Christians will absolutely be with God.
There are many examples of the prophetic perfect in the Bible. For instance, God
told Noah to build the ark. After telling him how to build it, the Hebrew text, translated
literally, reads that God said, And you have come into the ark (Genesis 6:18). The ark
was not even built at that time. Another is when God said to Abraham, To your
descendants I have given this land (Genesis 15:18; cp. NASB). This promise was made
to Abraham before he even had any descendants to give the land to, but God states His
promise in the past tense to emphasize the certainty of the event. Later, when Abraham
was bargaining with God to save Sodom, God told Abraham that if fifty righteous people
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could be found in the city, He would spare it. To make His point clear, God used the
prophetic perfect and said, If I find at Sodom fifty righteous people, I have spared the
whole place (Genesis 18:26). Another example occurs when Joseph interpreted
Pharaohs dream and foretold that there would be seven years of plenty and seven years
of famine. When mentioning the years of famine, Joseph used the prophetic perfect for
emphasis and said, And there have arisen seven years of famine (Genesis 41:30). The
prophecy of the coming Messiah given by the prophet Balaam is placed in the
prophetic perfect for emphasis. Although it would be more than 1,400 years before the
Messiah would come, the Hebrew text has, A star has come forth out of Jacob and a
scepter has arisen out of Israel (Num. 24:17). Although Isaiah wrote more than 700
years before the birth of Christ, the Hebrew text reads, To us a child has been born, to
us a son has been given, and the government has been on his shoulders, and he has been
called Wonderful, Counselor (Isa. 9:6).
A different idiom, but one that is very closely related to the prophetic perfect is
the prophetic present. It is very similar to the prophetic perfect, which as we have seen,
was used when an event was certain to happen. However, the prophetic present also
usually indicates that the event being referred to was close at hand. For information on
the prophetic present, see the note on Luke 3:9.
For a more detailed explanation of the Prophetic Perfect with quotations about it
from linguists and grammarians, see John Schoenheit, The Christians Hope: the Anchor
of the Soul, (Christian Educational Services, Indianapolis, IN, 2004), Appendix E.
Grammarians that mention the idiom include: Kautzsch, Gesenius Hebrew Grammar;
Davidson, Hebrew Grammar; Waltke and OConnor, An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew
Syntax; Seow, A Grammar for Biblical Hebrew; Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the
Basics).
2:7. that. The Greek is hina (#2443 t|a) usually has either indicates a purpose in
order that, or a result, so that. Leaving the word that in the text gives the reader the
flexibility to decide what God means. See extensive note on
by. The Greek en (#1722 .|) means by in this context, it is the instrumental
sense of en.
have been saved. This is a periphrastic perfect. It uses a form of the verb to be
and a perfect passive participle to represent the essence of a perfect tense, i.e., the action
is in the past with effects continuing into the present.
so that. The Greek hina is expressing a result.
2:8. saved. This is the idiom of the prophetic perfect (see commentary on Eph. 2:6).
The idiom of the prophetic perfect in large part explains why the New Testament
sometimes says that salvation, redemption, glorification, and adoption are an
accomplished reality in some verses, but in other verses says those things are still future.
There are verses stating that we Christians have already been saved (Eph. 2:8, You have
been saved through faith), verses that state we are in the process of being saved now
(1 Cor. 1:18, But to us who are being saved, it [the cross] is the power of God), and
verses stating that our salvation is still future (Rom. 13:11, Our salvation is nearer
now than when we first believed and 1 Thess. 5:8, which says that the helmet of the
Christian is the hope of salvation). So, which is it? Are we saved now or is salvation
something we have to wait and hope for? The prophetic perfect gives a window into
understanding that question.
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No one, Old Testament or New Testament, is saved now in the sense that he is
already rescued from death and the consequences of sin in this world. We all still wrestle
with sin and death. Although God is working out the process of our salvation now, our
complete salvation is still future. We will have new bodies, we will be rescued from
death, and we will be freed from sin and sickness. But right now, we Christians have
Gods gift of holy spirit born inside us, and that is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance
until the redemption of those who are Gods possession (Eph. 1:13; 2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5).
The fact that our future salvation is guaranteed means that, in the idiom of biblical
language, it can be spoken of as if it were already accomplished. Thus, we Christians
refer to ourselves as saved even though we struggle with sin, sickness, and death in our
day-to-day lives. When we are finally saved, we will have new, glorified bodies and
will no longer struggle with sin and death. We will have been finally rescued from this
life by the Lord Jesus Christ.
There are other things that Christians will absolutely have in the future that are
spoken of in the Bible in both the past and future tense. The Bible says the believer is
already redeemed (Rom. 3:24; Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14), but also awaiting redemption (Rom. 8:23;
Eph. 1:14; 4:30). We are said to have been adopted into Gods family (Rom. 8:15, translated
sonship in the NIV), and yet we are still awaiting adoption (Rom. 8:23). We are said to
be glorified (Rom. 8:30), but our glorification is also said to be future (Rom. 8:17 and
Col. 1:27 say we have the hope of glory). We are spoken of as already justified
(Rom. 5:1), but Galatians 5:5 says, we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness
for which we hope (justified and righteous are from the same root word in Greek
one is a noun, the other a verb). These examples all show the interplay between the
reality that our salvation, redemption, and glorification are future, with the reality that
because they are guaranteed to us, they can be spoken of in the idiomatic language of the
Bible, as accomplished realities.
Christians who are not careful to rightly divide Gods Word can end up like the
six blind men arguing about what an elephant was like (cp. the poem, The Blind Men
and the Elephant by John Saxe). In the poem, each blind man had grabbed a different
part of the elephant and was vigorously defending his position. The man who had the leg
declared the elephant was like a tree, the one who had the ear said he was like a fan, the
one who had the trunk asserted he was like a snake, and so forth. So too, Christians can
grab different verses in the New Testament and begin arguing as if the Bible could
contradict itself. That is not how to establish truth in the Christian world. The Bible is
God-breathed and does not contradict itself. It uses words according to the language,
culture, and idioms used in biblical times. Paul did not finish writing the Church Epistles
and walk away saying, Ha! Theyll never figure that out. Certainly not. He wrote using
words and phrases that reveal truth. The truth revealed by the prophetic perfect idiom is
that the Christian does not need to worry about his salvation, redemption, or glorification.
Although these things are not yet fully realized, the presence of the holy spirit in the
Christian and the sure word of prophecy guarantees them when the Lord returns.
faith. The Greek is pistis (#4102 :tct;), a noun. In both ancient secular Greek
and in the Bible pistis means confidence, trust, assurance. When the people of the first
century got the letters of Paul, for example, they did not say, What is pistis?, as if Paul
had invented a new word. Pistis was in common use in the Greek language, and had been
Ephesians 433
for centuries. It is in the writings of the Greeks, including Aristotle, Plato, Herodotus, etc.
The first definition of pistis in the Liddell and Scott Greek Lexicon is trust in others.
When the Greek New Testament was translated into Latin, fides was the natural
choice as a translation of pistis, because fides means trust, confidence, reliance, belief.
As the English language developed, our English word faith came from the Latin word
fides. There should be nothing mysterious about pistis, fides, or faith. We know what trust
is. Merriam-Webster defines it as assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or
truth of someone or something.
It needs to be clearly understood that the ancient and biblical definition of pistis
differs completely from the modern definition of faith. If both pistis and fides mean
trust, how did faith come to be defined in our modern culture as firm belief in
something for which there is no proof (Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary, 11
th

edition)? The actual historical process is long and tedious, but the concept is simple. The
Church asked people to trust doctrines that were neither logical nor clearly backed up by
Scripture. For example, the doctrine that the host (bread) and wine that are used in
Roman Catholic Mass become the body and blood of Christ is not logical, nor is it
backed up with solid Scriptural exegesis. Priests know this, and so they ask people to
Take it by faith, meaning, Believe this even though there is no proof. Over time,
belief in something for which there is no proof became the accepted definition of faith.
This is especially harmful because people then import that made-up definition of faith
back into the Bible, although that is not what faith means when used in the Bible.
There is nothing wrong with take it by faith (trust) if there is actually something
(such as a promise) to trust. When Jesus told the blind man that if he washed in the Pool
of Siloam he would be healed, the blind man had faith in, trusted, Jesus and his promise,
washed, and was given sight by a miracle. However, if there is nothing to trust in and
nothing trustworthy to believe, then to ask people to take it by faith is wrong, and
contributes to the misunderstanding of God and the Bible. Biblical faith is neither magic,
unreasonable, nor illogical. It is simply trust.
Ephesians 2:9 and 10 make it clear that faith is not works. We are saved by
grace through faith, not by works. This is Gods definition of terms. Thus, by Gods
definition, faith is not a work.
this. This refers to salvation, because they are both nominative. Thus the
verse could be expanded to read, you have been saved through faith, and this
salvation is not of yourselves. The verse is not saying that the faith does not come
from us, because it does. The word saved is in the passive voice, for it is the Lord Jesus
who saves us when we have faith. Our part is to have faith, at which point the Lord saves
us, we do not save ourselves by our faith.
2:10. The his is emphasized, but it is difficult to do in English. The translation, His
handiwork are we.
having been created = aorist passive participle.
2:12. Being alienated implies that there once was a relationship, but in fact there never
was any such relationship. Hence, excluded is a better translation.
Covenants of promise = The promise is the collective promises of the OT.
Thus covenants is plural when promise is singular.
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without God. The Greek is godless, but the English word godless means
ungodly, not without God which is what the author is trying to communicate and does
communicate in the Greek language.
2:15. As to the punctuation of 14 and 15 and as to the fact that it is the middle wall of
partition that is the mutual enemy (enmity), see Expositors NT, and Robertsons NT
Word Pictures, and Word Studies in the NT by Vincent. The phrase in his flesh can
modify either broken down the middle wall v. 14 or with abolished the Law in verse
15. The commentators are divided, and with good reason. It was by his flesh that he did
both. We felt that since verse 16 pointed out that he slew the enmity, i.e., the middle wall,
on the cross, the context favored the placement of in his flesh with breaking down the
middle wall.
Law of commandments. This is a genitive of apposition; the Law, that is to
say, the commandments in decrees.
decrees. The Greek is dogma (#1378 ee,a), see note on Acts 16:4.
2:16. by it having slain the enmity. Ironically, Christ used the cross, which was used to
slay him, to slay the enmity. For the it or him autos, referring to the cross see
Robertson.
2:19. foreigners. Indicates someone who is in the land but is not a citizen.
2:20. cornerstone. There is no actual word for chief as the KJV has. The Greek text
has akrogniaios (#204 ase,a|tate;), which is the far corner or extreme corner,
thus being the cornerstone.
2:21. being fitted together. The Greek word has more to it than just the concept of
joined together. It has overtones of the pieces being chosen so that they fit together,
after which, of course, they are joined together. Especially in the context of a Temple,
which was constructed of stone, fitting the pieces together was of utmost importance.
The stones in the foundation wall at the Temple in Jerusalem, although thousands of
years old and weighing many tons, are fitted so well that a knife blade will not go
between them.
sanctuary. The Greek word is naos (#3485 |ae;), which means the inner
sanctuary, and then, occasionally, by association, the temple building that houses the
inner sanctuary. Then, by metonymy, the Greek word naos is used of the body (Bullinger,
Vine). In contrast, the Greek word hieron (#2411 t.e|) means the temple building along
with its porches, outer courts, and all associated out buildings. Interestingly, the hieron is
never used figuratively in the Bible, it is always literal. In Jerusalem, Herods hieron
(t.e|) was a massive complex inclosing some 37 acres. The 35 page article, Temple,
Jerusalem, in The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible has drawings and
diagrams of Solomons Temple (hieron) as well as that of Ezekiel and Herod.
The need for the distinction between the naos and the hieron was necessitated by Gods
Old Testament regulations concerning the Tabernacle, and then the Temple. God placed
an important distinction between the outer courts, where all the priests could minister,
and the inner sanctuary, i.e., the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place (KJV, Holy of
Holies). This distinction became to be supported by vocabulary, and the inner rooms
came to be called the naos (and, as was stated earlier, eventually by association the
Temple building proper that contained it), while the naos along with the outer courts
came to be referred to as the hieron.
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We use the word sanctuary to translate the word naos, and Temple or temple
complex to translate the word hieron.
3:2. since. In the indicative mood, if does not always have the conditional meaning,
if the condition is taken as fulfilled. The translation if confuses the English reader who
does not see from the Greek that the condition has been fulfilled. To avoid confusion and
carry the sense we translated this as since. See Dana and Mantey, A Manual Grammar
of the Greek New Testament p. 289. A good example of this is John 7:4. Jesus brothers
knew he was doing miracles, so the verse should read (and does in versions such as the
NIV), since you are doing these things. Lenski calls this the condition of reality
(cp. his note on 1 Thess. 4:14). In this case, there was no doubt about the Ephesians
having heard of the Administration of the Sacred Secret. Paul had been there for more
than two years teaching (Acts 19:10). Other good examples of this grammatical
construction are 1 Corinthians 15:12; 15:44; 1 Thess. 4:14. If the context of the verse
makes it clear that the if is meant as a since, we may leave the translation as since
in the REV. However, if the context may confuse the reader, as here in Ephesians 3:2, we
translate it since for understanding.
We have chosen administration as the translation of oikonomia (#3622
etse|eta). For a more complete understanding of the Administration of the Sacred
Secret, and an explanation of administrations in the Bible, see Graeser, Lynn, Schoenheit,
The Gift of Holy Spirit: The Power to be like Christ, Appendix A The Administration of
the Sacred Secret.
3:3. revelation. For what revelation is, see commentary on Galatians 1:12 and 1
Corinthians 12:8.
3:4. The Greek word noe (#3539 |e.a) has as its first definition in Louw and Nida: to
comprehend something on the basis of careful thought and consideration. It is the
action that occurs in the nous (#3563 |eu;), the mind. It is more than a simple perception,
but not necessarily a full comprehension. We felt understand was an appropriate
translation, as the NASB.
The Greek word sunesis (#3539 |e.a), often translated understand is often the
result of understanding. Louw and Nida say: that which is understood or
comprehended. Zodhiates says: the word denotes the ability to understand concepts and
see relationships between them. We have gone with the English word insight (again,
as the NASB) because when a person sees the relationship between the facts and concepts
in the world around him we say he has insight.
3:9. the administration of the sacred secret. This is a literal rendering of the Greek text,
understanding the word oikonomia as administration. For a more complete
understanding of the Administration of the Sacred Secret, and an explanation of
administrations in the Bible, see Graeser, Lynn, Schoenheit, The Gift of Holy Spirit: The
Power to be like Christ, Appendix A The Administration of the Sacred Secret.
administration. There are some Greek texts that read fellowship of the
Sacred Secret instead of administration of the Sacred Secret. However, the evidence
shows that reading to be a later change to the Greek text. Metzger (Textual Commentary)
writes: The Textus Receptus, in company with a scattering of late minuscules, replaces
etse|eta [administration] with the interpretative gloss set|a|ta (hence AV
fellowship). The true reading is supported by p
46
, all known uncials, almost all
minuscules, all known versions and patristic quotations. It can be easily understood that
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as the understanding of the administrations in scripture declined, that administration
was replaced in some texts with the more easily understood, fellowship.
3:10. many sided. The Greek reads, polupoikilos (#4182 :eu:etste;). Pertaining to
that which is different in a number of waysmany and diverse, manifold, many-sided
(Louw-Nida). This is the only occurrence in the NT and it has the idea of most varied,
or (very) many sided. It alludes to the variegated facets of Gods wisdom (Hoehner,
Ephesians, p. 461). Gods wisdom is one, yet it can be termed multifarious because it
weaves a thousand apparently tangled threads into one glorious pattern. So out of the
most diverse elements, where the strongest opposites clashed, where men saw only
impossibilities, God, coming with means which looked hopelessly inadequate to men,
worked out results which no man would have dreamed, and no angel could have
foreseen (Lenski, p. 483).
4:3. unity of the spirit. This is the genitive of production, meaning the unity produced
by the spirit (Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, p. 105). This is picked up in
Kistemakers translation: unity imparted by the Spirit, although Kistemaker is thinking
in terms of Spirit being the third Person in the Trinity rather than God and Christ
working to produce unity in the Body of Christ via the gift of holy spirit that is born and
sealed in each Christian (Eph. 1:13, 14). The genitive of production is very similar to the
genitive of origin, except the word in the genitive (in this case spirit) is more active in a
genitive of production; rather than simply being the source of the unity, the spirit is both
the source and producer of that unity. It is of note that we are called only to maintain
this unity, not to produce it. The unity we are supposed to maintain is the natural result of
holy spirit being inside each believer. It makes us all brothers and fellow-members of the
same Body, and works in us to conform us to the image of Christ (Gal. 5:17), and it is the
primary vehicle through which God and Christ can give us revelation and move us
towards both wanting to do, and doing, Gods will (Phil. 2:13).
4:8. Quoted from Ps. 68:18.
4:11. Ephesians 4:11 mentions five specific ministries in the Church that are especially
given by the Lord Jesus to prepare and equip Christians for service to God. Scripture does
not refer to these ministries collectively by a particular name, so different Christian
groups have referred to them in different ways. Some call these five ministries (apostles,
prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers) gift ministries, but that is misleading
because every Christian has a gift ministry, that is, a ministry he or she is specifically
enabled to carry out in the Body of Christ. The word ministry simply means service,
and every Christian has been specifically enabled and empowered to serve. These five
ministries have also been called ascension gift ministries, but again, after his ascension
Jesus gave each Christian a ministry (Eph. 4:8), so in fact every Christian has an
ascension gift ministry.
The Word of God says that the purpose for these five ministries is for the
equipping of the believers (Eph. 4:12; NASB), and many other versions besides the
REV recognize that equip or equipping is an excellent translation in this verse. It is
good practice for Christians to use the vocabulary of the Bible whenever possible to
describe spiritual realities, and thus a good way to refer to the five ministries in Ephesians
4:11 is to call them, equipping ministries.
4:12. for the equipping. The Greek phrase is pros ton katartismon (:e; e|
saatce|), which is literally, for the equipping. The Greek word katartismos (#2677
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saatce;) means a process of adjustment that results in a complete preparedness
(Friberg Lexicon), and can be translated as equipping, preparing, training, perfecting.
There are some versions that read, to equip instead of for the equipping, however, in
this case, for the equipping is better, because it is more literal to the Greek text and
because it more clearly implies that the process of equipping is an ongoing one. The work
that the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers do in the Body of Christ is an
ongoing one, both in the individual lives of the believers, and in the entire Body as new
believers are saved while others fall asleep in the Lord.

4:14. trickery. The Greek is kubeia (#2940 su.ta). Literally it means dice playing,
but because the people who played dice often cheated, just as they do today, the word
became used for the deceptions brought about by men, or trickery.
4:17. implore. This verb, marture (#3140 au.a), almost always means to testify,
bear witness, however, here it has the meaning of urging or insisting upon something
(BDAG).
4:24. true righteousness and holiness. Figure of speech, Antimereia (cp. Bullinger,
Figures). The Greek uses the phrase holiness of truth, using true as a noun instead of an
adjective to put the emphasis on true. We have been born again and taken on the divine
nature of God (2 Pet. 1:4). We literally are new and now have to put that new man on,
which we do by living by the spirit. Because we have been created in TRUE
righteousness and holiness, we now must speak truth (v. 25), and live righteously and
holy lives, and the next verses direct us in holy living.
4:25. Quoted from Zech. 8:16.
4:26. angry. Orge is more of a long term, burning anger often associated with revenge,
while thumos (another Greek word often translated anger) is the boiling agitation of
the feelings. Thumos is more passionate but temporary compared with orge (cp. Trench,
Synonyms).
4:29. Let no corrupting talk proceed out of your mouth. The verb, let proceed, is
imperative present, and ties this phrase into the one that begins verse 30, grieve which
is also imperative present. Verses 29-32 are closely tied together, having a lot to do with
communication. We are not to let proceed any corrupting communication come from our
mouths, as this would grieve God, the Holy Spirit. Instead, we are to put away those
things that are the source (root) of corrupt communication, bitterness, anger, wrath, etc.
corrupting. The Greek is sapros (#4550 ca:e;), and it means to be rotten or
putrefied, like rotten fruit. In this context it means unwholesome to the extent of being
harmful, bad, evil, unwholesome, (BDAG).
4:30. grieve. How do we grieve God? The context tells us. We allow bitterness, anger,
wrath, to live in us (verse 32), and these produce the fruit of communication that corrupts
(verse 29).
the Holy Spirit of God. This refers to God. The Greek reads, the Spirit the
Holy of God. This is the genitive of apposition, and could be translated the Holy Spirit,
namely, God. It was the Spirit of God that hovered over the waters in Genesis 1:2 for
example. But why refer to God as the Holy Spirit in this verse? The context is the key.
We have been created in true holiness (v. 24), and God wants us to reflect His holy
nature. When we do not take advantage of the holy nature which has been created in us
and live in an unholy manner, we grieve the Holy Spirit, namely God.
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4:31. defaming speech. The Greek noun is blasphmia (#988 ; pronounced
blas-fay-me'-ah), and was used of someone speaking against another. The primary
meaning of as they were used in the Greek culture was showing disrespect to a person or
deity, and/or harming his, her, or its reputation. (For more on blasphmia, see note on
Matt. 9:3).
5:2. gave himself up for us. Much more strongly supported than gave himself up for
you. (Metzger, Textual Commentary)
sweet-smelling fragrance is literally a genitive, fragrance of a sweet smell, but this
may be an instance of an adjectival genitive, see Lenski.
5:16. making the best use of. The Greek is exagoraz (#1805 .a,ea,a), and it means,
1) to redeem by payment of a price to recover from the power of another, to ransom, buy
off; 2) metaphorically, of Christ freeing the elect from the dominion of the Mosaic Law at
the price of his vicarious death 3) to buy up, to buy up for ones self, for ones use 4) to
make wise and sacred use of every opportunity for doing good. Definition 4 fits here, and
the concept is that God asks us to buy back the time we have from day to day and use it
for His purposes.
5:18. reckless actions. See commentary on recklessness in Titus 1:6.
5:21. Submit yourselves one to another. As to the word submit, hupotass (#5293
), Robertson says, The construction here is rather loose, coordinate with the
preceding participles of praise and prayer. It is possible to start a new paragraph here and
regard hupotassomenoi as an independent participle like an imperative. We agree with
Robertson and see submit as starting a new subject and being a command of God.
Although much has been made of verse 22, that wives should submit to their husbands,
simply reading the text shows that we Christians are to submit to one another (in fact, the
word submit does not even appear in verse 22, even though most English versions
include it in the verse).
If we are to submit to one another, then we have to ask, how is that to be done
correctly? The answer to that question is to determine the spheres of authority that we
each have and submit according to that authority structure. A common mistake it to see
submission in a completely vertical paradigm, where one person, the leader, has
everyone submit to him in everything, and that structure is followed from the top down,
until the lowest person in rank, so to speak, the low man on the totem pole, has no one
submit to him in anything. The proper way to see submission is like a circles of authority
in which leadership is by area or by category, and a person who submits in one area
will have authority in another.
A pastor in a church will have authority under his roof in certain areas, but if he
visits another church will be under the authority of that pastor. If he visits the home of
members of the church, they will have authority in their own home. Also, if the church
has a finance committee, he will be under the authority of that committee when it comes
to spending money.
5:22. the wives to their own husbands, as to the Lord. To properly understand this
verse, we must pay attention to the fact that it is the last half of the sentence that started in
verse 21. Although most versions translate it as a new sentence, even the modern Greek
text is punctuated such that it is the last part of verse 21. That is why the word submit is
missing from the Greek text in verse 22--because it is in the first part of the sentence,
which is in verse 21. Most English versions have to add submit in verse 22 because
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they have made verse 22 into a new sentence. If we read a proper translation, however,
we see that the sentence reads, Submit yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ,
the wives to their own husbands, as to the Lord.... When we read the verse that way, we
can see that wives submitting to their husbands as they would to the Lord is just one
example of the mutual submission being referred to in verse 21.
Two points need to be made about the submission of the wife. One is that since
the wife submits as she would to the Lord, we can see the subject of the verse is
submission to godly and loving requests. The wife submits to the husband as she would
submit to the Lord Jesus, not as if she were being told to submit to the Devil and ungodly
requests. The submission of the wife is not absolute submission, but proper
submission. The second point that needs to be made is that just because this verse points
out that wives are to submit to their husbands does not mean that there are no areas where
the husband submits to the wife. Again, we must keep in mind that the sentence started
with us submitting one to another. 1 Timothy 5:14 says the women are to rule the
household, and the single Greek word that is translated into that phrase is oikodespote
(#3616 ), a compound word built from oikos, house, and despots, a ruler
or master (in Scripture, home owners, slave owners, and Jesus Christ are referred to as
despots). Thus, in many household affairs, the Lord has given the woman primary
responsibility, and the husband should submit to her in those areas. For more on
submission, see the commentary note on Colossians 3:18.
5:27. without blemish. See note on Ephesians 1:4.
5:31. Quoted from Gen. 2:24, occurs again in Matthew 19:5 and Mark 10:7.
be glued to. The Greek word is proskolla (#4347 :ecseaa), and Thayers
Lexicon says, properly, to glue, glue to, glue together, cement, fasten together; hence
universally, to join or fasten firmly together; in the N. T. only the passive is found.
6:2, 3. Quoted from Deut. 5:16.
6:5. sincerity. The Greek is haplots (#572 a:e;), and BDAG says, In our lit. esp.
of personal integrity expressed in word or actionsimplicity, sincerity, uprightness,
frankness Of simple goodness, which gives itself without reserve, without strings
attached, without hidden agendas.
6:6. to win their approval when their eye is on you. The Greek is ophthalmodouleia
(#3787 e|aeeeu(.)ta), which is service that is performed only to make an
impression in the owners presence (BDAG). Occasionally it happens that the only way
to make a Greek word clear is by translating it as a phrase, and that is the case here. The
word eye-service does not communicate the meaning of the Greek.
6:10. be empowered. The Greek verb is endunamo (#1743 .|eu|aea), and it is a
imperative present 2nd person plural. The voice of the verb can be either passive or
middle, but the passive voice fits better here. Donald Hagner correctly notes, The power
does not come from the believer, but from an external source, which would be God or
the Lord Jesus (Hagner, Ephesians, p. 820). The believer is commanded to do what it
takes to be filled with the power of God.
that is. The Greek word kai can be conjunctive, as and, or it can be and in
addition, as also, or it can be explanatory as even. In this case, a more literal, but
less easily understood way to translate the phrase would be, be strong in the Lord, even
in his mighty strength. The kai here is not conjunctive or in addition as if being strong
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in the Lord and in his strength were two separate things. We are to be strong in the Lord,
by being strong in his mighty strength.
in the might of his strength. This is an attributed genitive: mighty strength.
It could also be genitive of origin: might that originates from his strength; or genitive
of production: might produced by his strength. To allow for multiple understandings
we left the of formulation intact in the translation, rather than translate the genitive to
its primary meaning. The Greek reads, in the might [kratos] of his strength [ischus].
This one verse places an amazing amount of emphasis on the power that we have in
Christ, and the power that we need if we are going to stand for God throughout our lives.
This verse contains the word power (dunamis), which refers to inherent power or
ability. It also has might (kratos), the ability to express or exhibit resident strength,
(usually spoken of as the resident strength of a nation, for example); and also the
exercising of that strength. Thus we speak of mighty nations as those that have a lot of
strength they can bring to bear on a situation militarily, economically, or politically. It
also has strength (ischus), which is translated well as strength. It is the capability or
capacity to exert force or power.
6:12. wrestle. The Greek is pal (#3823 :a), The primary meaning of the Greek
word is to wrestle. The word wrestle is a very good translation, even in this context
of a soldiers armor. While it is true that over time the usage of pale broadened to include
various struggles, which is why quite a few versions say struggle instead of wrestle,
pale always retained its undertone of the wrestling contest. Furthermore, hand-to-hand
combat was common enough among professional soldiers that being a good wrestler
helped a lot on the battlefield (cp. Harold Hoehner, Ephesians; Baker Academic, Grand
Rapids, MI, 2002, p. 825.
6:14. having belted around your waist with truth is the way the text reads literally. This
can be an awkward sentence, so a couple versions have, having fastened the belt of truth
around your waist. The force of the aorist participle, having fastened, is important. It
could be less literally translated, standafter you have belted around your waist with
truth. Also, having belted is in the middle voice, as is having put on of the breastplate
and the shoes, emphasizing the fact that we have to put these things on. They are not
automatic armor that comes with the New Birth.
breastplate of righteousness. The Roman soldier wore a breastplate that
covered his vital organs. The Christian is to put on the breastplate of righteousness. To
fully understand the breastplate of righteousness, we must remember that righteousness
has two meanings in the Administration of Grace in which we live (John Schoenheit,
RighteousnessEvery Christians Gift From God, Christian Educational Services, 2002).
Righteousness is the God-given righteousness, or right standing, that we have before God
because Jesus died for our sins, and it is also the right standing we have before God
because of right living before God. When Romans 5:17 mentions the free gift of
righteousness that Christians have, that is our righteousness due to the work of Christ.
When 1 Timothy 6:11 instructs us to follow after righteousness, or 2 Timothy 3:16 says
that the Bible provides instruction in righteousness, that is right living before God.
The breastplate of righteousness in Ephesians 6:14 includes both meanings.
First, no matter how hard we try to live obediently before God, we will sin. If we do not
understand that our sins are forgiven, and that due to the work of Christ we stand
righteous before God, the weight of that sin on our conscience can be unbearable. Many
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people have been made ineffective in their lives and ministries, and some have
abandoned the Christian faith altogether, due to the guilt that they feel from not being
able to obey God. They have not put on the breastplate of righteousness, and guilt and
shame have penetrated their vital organs. The knowledgeable Christian is aware that his
sins are forgiven in Christ, and does not hold on to the guilt produced by his mistakes.
Freed from that weight, he can stand effectively for the Lord.
The breastplate of righteousness is also the breastplate of our righteous life.
Living righteously before God protects the Christian in many ways. There is physical
protection, such as from the ravages of alcohol, drugs, sexually transmitted disease, and
so forth. Also, the mind is protected from the consequences of willful sin, such as shame
and guilt. The Bible says that those who practice sin become slaves to sin, and that is
true. The savvy Christian puts on the breastplate of righteousness by living righteously
from day to day so he can readily stand against the wiles of the Devil.
6:15. In this case, the footwear of God is the readiness, or preparation, one has for the
evil day that is given by the Good News of peace. The reference to the gospel of peace in
this context is not referring to evangelism, that is not the context here. Rather it is
referring to the peace that Christians must have in their mind and heart to stand firm day
after day under the onslaughts of the Adversary. The Christian who has not prepared
himself to be peaceful will have a difficult life, for every day brings new challenges to
worry about. In contrast, people who love the Law of God and follow it have great peace,
and can stand in the battle of life.
6:16. the shield of faith. The shield of faith is a genitive of apposition, and means,
the shield, that is to say, our faith. In other words, the shield is our faith. Faith, which
is trust in God, does not keep the blows of the Adversary from coming, and having a
shield does not mean we will not feel the blows. But our trust in God keeps us from being
killed by the Adversary; we withstand attack after attack with our love for God and
commitment to Him intact.
arrows. The Greek word is generic, and can refer to any thrown projectile such
as an arrow or spear. However, since it was the arrows that were generally set on fire,
fiery arrows makes more sense from a customs point of view. Todays dart would not
generally be of much danger.
6:17. The helmet of salvation of Ephesians 6:17 is more accurately called the helmet of
the hope of salvation in 1 Thessalonians 5:8. The word salvation is used in its
general sense in this verse, and is not restricted to only Christian salvation to everlasting
life, although that is included. Neither the world nor the Christian are saved at this time.
The Bible refers to us as saved, and we refer to ourselves that way, due to an idiom in
the original languages of the Bible known as the prophetic perfect (see note on
seated, in Ephesians 2:6). The essence of the prophetic perfect idiom is that if
something is absolutely guaranteed to happen in the future, it is often spoken of as if it
had already occurred. Because our salvation is guaranteed, we speak as if we have it now,
and the salvation of the world from its present distress is guaranteed also.
The entire creation is in bondage and is groaning in pain (Rom. 8:21, 22), and
Christians are groaning in pain also (Rom. 8:23) and everything in creation needs to be
saved, rescued from the power of sin. Nothing any of us can do will change that now,
but God will rescue His creation in the future. The Lord Jesus will descend from heaven
and conquer the earth, and the earth will once again become a paradise. God promises
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that in the future we will live on a beautiful earth in new, energetic, bodies, and our lives
will be free of sickness, hunger, war, and injustice. God has given us that wonderful Hope
for the future, and it can sustain us through our lives, especially in hard times. No matter
how difficult our lives get on earth, our hope for a wonderful future shines through the
darkness and points to better things to come. Because of this the Bible refers to the Hope
as the anchor of our soul (Heb. 6:19). As the anchor of our soul, it is fitting that our
hope of salvation for ourselves and creation is referred to as our helmet. Life can be so
difficult and discouraging that it is hard to think straight. Each year vast numbers of
people get caught up in the difficulties of life and make unwise decisions. Many people
completely lose sight of any value or purpose in their life and commit suicide. The hope
of salvation says, Hang in there, your troubles will not last long, and then things will be
better. The hope of salvation helps protect our minds, and helps keep us calm and
rational in troubled times, allowing us to keep standing for God. When properly
understood, the hope of salvation is a very effective helmet, protecting the thoughts of the
Christian and helping him to stand for the Lord year after year.
the sword of the spirit. The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God, and is the
only offensive weapon the believer has as he wrestles with evil. It is important to
remember that the sword is the sword of the Spirit. The genitive in this verse is
probably the figure of speech Amphibologia, encompassing two meanings at once. Thus
the genitive has both the force of a genitive of possession, i.e., that it is the Spirits
sword not our sword, and also the force of a genitive of origin, the sword given to us by
the Spirit, to use in our earthly lives.
In the Greek text, the verb telling us to take the helmet and sword is in the
imperative mood. That means that God is not just stating that we should take these pieces
of armor, or asking us if we would like to, He is commanding us to take them and put
them on. If we do not put on the helmet and take up and use the sword, we are in effect
telling God that we are quite content to not enter into His service in our fullest capacity.
One important reason why God would command us to take the sword of the Spirit, the
Word of God, is that if we do not really understand it, we can unknowing be used by the
Devil against the purposes of God to hurt other people. That has happened many times in
history. The Christians that tortured other Christians during the Inquisition, for example,
thought they were doing Christs work. Although that is an extreme example, the same
kind of thing, people working against God when they think they are working for him,
happens on a much smaller scale every day. Christians are called to stand for God, and
the sword of the spirit is an essential part of our armor if we are going to be successful at
doing that throughout our lifetime.