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Commentary
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 Ephesians Chapter 1 Paul writes to the ephesians on the subject of the prophetic reality - the basis for the first chapter is the continuing work of God. First Christ came in obedience as a man and afterwards the Holy Spirit is physically present to many obedient heirs through Christ today. Then Christ will return and the Holy Spirit will be with Him and us; finally the Father will come on the last day. In this manner is revealed the mystery of God that towards us He reveals more of Himself as from perfection to greater perfection amongst us as His people. Paul further alludes to these increasingly good promises to His people by this increasing perfection in the first chapter. Christ will not come to show Himself as again merely an obedient man when He returns but will have all things put under His feet before He puts all under His Father - so that the purchased possession - (the earth and all those of faith elected to live in it) might be presented to Him as a worthy dwelling "place" - not that God dwells in temples built by hands, but then not only within a living temple of lively stones either! Thus we have the second coming, the resurrection of the obedient saints upon Christ's coming and the last day of the Father's arrival with the great judgement. All these, from the premise that towards us God excels His glory upon the work of grace that is the new covenant by Christ. Paul also alludes to the earth as God's footstool. - That this present world will pass away and be remade with the Most High dwelling amongst His people. The devil will be defeated here forever - and everything will be remade new for and to the perfect will of God, without evil. We will continue in the Lord's grace - but within the will of God for His glory. Paul opens with an allusion to the trinity and body of Christ - an apostle (as by the Holy Spirit) of Jesus Christ, by the will of God (the Father) to the saints and the faithful in Christ Jesus. (v1) - The subject of this letter is the unity of the body of believers in Christ, and the revealing of the opposition of satan that seeks to cause division. Paul blesses them to remain in the grace of God to repentance, and to have peace that they are saved, sealed with the Spirit given from God. (v2) Paul praises and blesses God that through Christ the believers have an inheritance from God, a full inheritance even before God in all heavenly places, so that from God to us, the entire creation and His kingdom is purposed towards their salvation so that Christ will have a people. (v3) That is, salvation by an election of grace -(from within the subset of the called that are chosen and saved) by which the elect are known before by God and chosen from before the world - that the creation continues for the purpose of salvation as the Lord's footstool. Salvation is by Christ that we should become holy and blameless when all things are made new. (v4) The Holy Spirit is given to train us in repentance and correctness before God - obedience within the same gift of eternal life (to which we are "predestined" as heirs) to our justification. The sign of eternal life given to us as heirs being the Holy Spirit itself. The Spirit being a seal of adoption, that we continue in obedience to God. (v5) Then in the grace of the Holy Spirit and the given eternal life our purpose is to add praise to His glory for accepting us, that our thanks might be more to his glory than our destruction. (v6) In Christ, we have redemption through His obedience and blamelessness - He judges us upon the grace we have in Him under the new covenant. (v7) By His obedience to death on the cross, (His blood shed) we share in His blamelessness before God, as being accepted in 'the beloved' kinship of God (as by relation of blood) - the same family of God as co-heirs with Christ to eternal life under grace (the covering by His blood) who gave that eternal life to us. God has extended His grace towards us in wisdom and in understanding of His return and increasing perfection, as also towards His closeness to His people. So that His purpose for us is to His design and pleasure; (v9) that all that exists might be put under the reign of Christ's ministry of grace, both men and angels as well as the earth and the heaven. (The marriage of the lamb) by the victory of the cross. (v10) Within the same Jesus Christ, the Lord of all we have an inheritance of eternal life - being predestined into perfect behaviour and justified with our faith by the ministering of the Holy Spirit who works in us to the will of the Father - that Christ has a people under grace. (v11) That in Christ we should be able to praise God to greater effect than the cost of the grace extended over our sins. (v12) In Christ the believers put their trust after having heard the gospel and then were sealed with the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a promise of the eternal life gifted by Christ (predestined towards their judgement as blameless also, according to grace.) (v13) The Holy Spirit being the evidence but more so the down payment on our inheritance of eternal life with Christ. Then we have been purchased by Christ from the world, and by extension the inheritance we have in Christ is also purchased - the earth itself is purchased for Christ (and the heirs as well) so that God will be glorified amongst His people at His coming. (v14) Paul continues with praise for the believers' faith and brotherly love towards each other (v15) and mentions they are in His prayers. (v16) Paul prays for them to have the wisdom and knowledge through the Holy Spirit that they might understand the purpose God has for His elect. (v17,v18) The power of God to accomplish it; (v19) when the work at the cross of Christ was accomplished, and by extension of perfection, of God to the completeness of the coming of His Kingdom at the resurrection which heralds all things promised to those in Christ. (v20) For God's Kingdom is come, and Christ has been set in judgement and power above all princes and kings and governments of the earth as well as every other name.(v21) That Christ's victory is to bring the fullness of God's supremacy in all things from the resurrection to distant eternity; and we as heirs in Christ brought into the realisation of the same by our faith. (v22) The believers then being Christ's body - the fruitfulness of God's purpose within His creation and also the body that satisfies God in His purpose, as does Christ in perfect likeness to God. |
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