The Wellspring. No.25
“Understanding
is a Wellspring of Life to him that has it.”
(Proverbs.
16:22)
Occasional papers by Arthur & Rosalind Eedle
PAUL TO THE
“EPHESIANS”
An in-depth study of its beauty and
significance
Part 1. Eph.1:1-14
1. THE BACKGROUND
The Apostle Paul
wrote his letter to the Ephesians whilst staying in his “own hired
house” in
Some have suggested
that he had to wait for two years before his case was heard, but it is more in
keeping with the text to assume that he was heard quite soon after arriving in
Rome, and that he was required to remain under house arrest for “two
whole years” before being released.
The resurrection of
Jesus was in AD 33. The early church, formed at Pentecost, was soon under the
tyranny of men like Saul of Tarsus, and as historical records show that Joseph
of Arimathea landed in
2. THE TEXT (From the New King James Version)
1 ¶ Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will
of God, to the saints who are in
Paul always starts by
giving his credentials, and we do not find it offensive. But if someone today
wrote in similar vein, there might well be an outcry. We do not doubt that God
could call someone to apostolic standing, but in order for him to be
authenticated, his lifestyle would have to pass the apostolic tests.
“In
“Faithful in
Christ Jesus.” It would be more
correct to say “Trustworthy in Christ Jesus.” It is one thing to be a convert, but quite
another to have shown subsequent trustworthiness of life. This should be kept
in mind as we read on.
Verses 3 – 14
are all one sentence in the Greek. It is the longest sentence in the Bible, and
contains 202 words. This is significant, because 202 seems to be Paul’s
“numerical signature.” So
much of Paul’s writing is focused on the Body of Christ. The adult human
body has 202 bones. (206 when first born, but some bones knit together in the
first year.) Another aspect of
Paul’s writing is the nature of our suffering for Christ, and the
ministry of suffering in the life of believers. It is interesting therefore to
find that the sum of Paul’s own stated sufferings (in 2
Cor.11:24-25) amounts to 202.
Five times beaten with forty lashes save one = 195
Three times beaten with rods = 3
Once I was stoned
= 1
Three times I suffered shipwreck
= 3
Total = 202
One further
reflection on this number comes from Paul’s preaching that by grace we
become “sons of God.” The
ancient number for “sons of God” in Hebrew is 153. If we add 49 to
153 we obtain 202, and 49 is 7 X 7, the fullness of spiritual perfection.
1:3 ¶ Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in
the heavenly places in Christ.
“Blessed . . .
blesses . . . blessing.” The Greek word for blessed is EULOGEETOS, a
compound word of EU (well) and LEGO (speak). Hence to bless means to speak well
of someone. We speak well of God, because He has spoken well of us. This is the
intolerable compliment, to use a phrase coined by C.S.Lewis. This verse
gave rise to the Latin saying “Benedictus benedicat” (May the
Blesser be blessed) so frequently used as grace before meals.
“Every
spiritual blessing.” These words
cannot be detached from those that follow.
“In the
heavenly places in Christ.” We
shall have to stop for a moment here, because this is a case of bad
translation. The Greek text reads EN TOIS EPOURANIOIS. En tois (In the)
followed by a compound adjective in the Dative Plural Masculine. It can only
mean “heavenly (ones)”, and because the prefix EPI is added, it
takes on the meaning of “senior heavenly (ones)”. Furthermore, the
word EN, usually translated IN, is often used to mean AMONG. See 1 Cor.2:6 for
example. “We speak wisdom AMONG those who are mature.” (EN TOIS
TELEIOIS)
Hence the expression
should now read “Every spiritual blessing among those senior heavenly
ones in Christ.”
This expression is
found five times in Ephesians and nowhere else in Paul’s writings. Before
going further, let’s have a look at the other four.
1:19 . . . the
exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the
working of His mighty power which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from
the dead and seated Him at His right hand among the senior heavenly ones, far
above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is
named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
2:5 even when we were
dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been
saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together among the senior
heavenly ones in Christ Jesus.
One could stop at
this point and diversify liberally on all this information. But to be brief,
without missing out on the importance of what is said, we can say that the
trustworthy ones in Christ are said to be raised (spiritually) into that high
realm where the most senior members of the hierarchy are to be found. The
purpose of this is to display and testify God’s great wisdom to these
heavenly beings, not all of whom are beneficent, as the last reference shows.
So we learn that not only is there a work for the believers to perform, but
also a battle to be fought.
1:4
According as he chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that
we should be holy and without blame before him in love.
“He chose us”. Greek verbs are designed to show a much greater exactitude of meaning than in modern English, where we have to employ additional words to fix the meaning. Take this verb, to choose. As well as Active and Passive Voices, Greek employs the Middle Voice, and this always has a reflexive connotation, in other words, the action of the verb always has to do with the person. In this instance we may say that God’s choice was made for His own purpose, desire, and pleasure.
“Before the foundation of the
world.” This expression is found in the
N.T., along with the other expression, “Since the F of the W.” To
summarise the information, we have the following –
Matt.13:35 Kingdom truth kept secret FROM the F.of W.
Matt.25:34 The “sheep” inherit the Kingdom
prepared for them FROM the F.of W.
Luke
Heb.4:3 The works came into being
FROM the F.of W.
Heb.9:26 Since then He would have
had to suffer often FROM the F. of W.
Rev. 13:8 Those whose names are not
written in the Lamb’s Book of Life FROM the F. of W. (Also in Rev.17:8)
John 17:24. You loved me BEFORE the F. of W.
Eph.1:4.
1 Peter
A careful comparison of these two
groups shows that the expression “Foundation of the world” needs
some modification. The Greek word “Foundation” is KATABOLEE, having
a literal meaning of “Throwing down” See how the Verb KATABALLO is used –
2 Cor.4:9 cast down but not destroyed.
Rev.12:10 the accuser of our brethren is cast down.
It is in this destructive sense that
we should look at the various references. Literally translated we have “Before
the throwing down of the Cosmos, (i.e. world-order)” In other words
the event that distinguishes the “Before” class from the
“Since” class is the Fall of man and Satan. Looking at the lists
once again will show a further enlightenment of meaning of each reference.
Hence our full translation now becomes as follows – “According
as He chose us (for His own pleasure and purpose) in Him (that is, in Christ)
before the throwing down of cosmic order.”
The “throwing down of cosmic
order” is spoken of in this wise by Paul in Romans 8:20-21. “The
creation was made subject to vanity (emptiness, lack of purpose), not
willingly, but by reason of Him who subjected the same in hope, because the
creation itself will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the
glorious freedom of the children of God.”
“Holy and without blame before
Him in love.” The
two items here may be understood as follows. “Holy” is a word
meaning “separated (unto God)”. This is why believers are called
“Saints” in the N.T., (the same word in Greek), because they have
with deliberation and purpose separated themselves from all that is
worldly. “Without blame” is
one word in Greek, and may be explained by turning again to 1 Peter
The verse in Eph.1:4 speaks of
God’s purpose for His saints, but in Romans 12:1 the onus of
responsibility rests on us. When these two work together, God achieves His goal
in our lives. And lest we should think that in our own strength, determination,
and will power we can achieve this end, we must emphasise the word Paul uses,
to present our bodies.
“In love.” This is the only acceptable sphere
in which God’s purpose can be achieved in our lives. It is God’s
love that draws us unto Himself. It is the recognition of that great love that
causes us to turn away from worldly pleasures. It is the reflection of His love
that should generate all our thinking and doing.
1:5
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.
“Predestinated”. This word has caused a great deal of trouble through the ages, between Calvinists and Arminians. Neither school of thought has the correct understanding of the concept, which has to be linked to the previous verse. The choice was made “Before the fall.” Something of importance occurred before the fall to cause God’s choice to be made. What could it have been? How strange that God should choose from amongst those who would not exist until perhaps thousands of years later.
Without going off at a tangent here,
but working on the basis of the previous studies we have made, it is clear that
ALL human beings were created in the beginning, as spirit beings, and that in
due time each one is sent down into this world, the “shadowlands”
to be tested and tried under this world’s conditions. But before the
fall, and in the heavenly environment, a great polarisation began to occur, as
Satan grew progressively disenchanted with the ways of God, leading ultimately
to his defection and sin in the Garden of Eden. During those days all spirits
were subjected to the turmoil that ensued, and those who stood firmly by the
Lord’s own ways and character were “marked out” by Him. For
that is the true meaning of the Greek word PRO-ORIZO usually translated
predestinate.
It was God’s promise to all
such as stayed loyal to Him, that in this world they would be
“called”. The Holy Spirit would, in one of innumerable ways, speak
to the soul and draw him or her to the Lord. This is why Jesus said, “No
man can come to me, except the Father who sent me draw him.” (John
6:44) Of course, if only such as these
were saved from amongst the whole world, it would make the Calvinist’s
position secure, but later on in this chapter we shall learn that the choice
was made as a selection, in order to meet the requirements of ALL THE REST.
“Unto the adoption of
children.” The language of translations
frequently dilutes the grandness of the original. “Adoption of
children” is all one word in Greek. HUIOTHESIA. HUIOS is “son”, and THESIA means
“placing.” We are
“placed as sons”, rather than being adopted. Let us then use the word
“sonship” to denote the Greek word. “Having marked us out
beforehand for sonship” would be the best way of translating the
expression.
“According to the good
pleasure of His will.” Words such as these confound our
minds, that fallen creatures such as we are, should be showered with such
undeserved love. As parents we can look upon our children with much love and
tenderness, and find that it is often our “good pleasure” to bestow
on them some gift that will be received with joy. We can understand that from
the human angle, but God does so to us as sinners, before we have been
brought into His banqueting house as sons. Words cannot adequately convey the
richness, and the utter uniqueness, of the heart of God towards His own
creation.
1:6
To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us
accepted in the Beloved.
This is how Paul wrestled with the
concept. “To the praise of the glory of His grace”. Valuable N.T.
words, “praise”, “glory” and “grace”. A
little later he says that he bows his knees to the Father because of the
amazing love shown in this revelation.
“Accepted in the
Beloved.” Another
poverty-stricken translation. Not “accepted” but rather
“engraced.” God’s grace, His love to the loveless, should
then be reflected in our lives as we show grace to others. Those who have had a
revelation of their own depravity, will never again speak disparagingly of
others, no matter how wicked they may be, for the one who has forgiven them,
will equally forgive the other. When the time is right, the Spirit of God will
speak into the heart of wickedness and bring about new birth. “He who has
been forgiven much, loves much.”
(Luke 7:47) Beloved is a
title for the Lord that exudes such warmth to the heart of a believer. One is
reminded that it was the constant title used by the Shulamite maiden of her
shepherd lover in the Song of Songs. Indeed she uses that title some 33 times
in the short book. Observe the tender call of the Bridegroom -
1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the
forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.
“Redemption”. A legal word meaning, “to let go free upon paying the price.” One is reminded of the Pawnbroker’s shop. Yes, our Lord shed His precious blood, gave His very life, that we may “go free”. One may conjure up the thoughts of one who, having stood condemned in the dock, is suddenly pronounced free. It is a heady feeling, the mind swimming in the sensation of release, cleanliness, and freedom.
“The forgiveness of
sins.” It should read “the remission
of offences”. It is an uncommon word for Paul. He only uses it here, and
in Col.1:14, where it is almost identical to this verse. In Classical Greek the
word APHESIS means remission, acquittal, discharge. In fact the word
contains a similar connotation to redemption.
“The riches of His
grace.” That sums it up. Paul was so aware
of his Lord’s grace and bounty to him, “the chief of sinners”
(1 Tim.1:15), the “less than the least of all saints” (Eph.3:8)
that he could not help but write in such glowing terms of his freedom, his
discharge, his release from all condemnation.
1:8
which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His
will.
“Abound.” Literally, “overflow” as of a rushing torrent.
“Wisdom.” The word suggests a power imparted to man whereby he attains an insight
into God’s purpose and plan.
“Prudence.” Or intelligence, a word that is
constantly connected with the declaring of hidden truths.
“Having made known to us.” Just as the Lord revealed hidden truths concerning the Kingdom with the
parables, so at this later stage the Holy Spirit revealed to Paul something
beyond. It was the fulfilment of the Lord’s promise, that when the Holy
Spirit came, there would be a revelation of “things to come” that
could not be revealed just then.
“The mystery of His
will.” The Greek word MUSTERION always
contained the idea of a “hidden sacred secret.” The word was well
known in Classical Greek for celebration of the Eleusinian mysteries of Demeter
or Ceres. In the N.T. the word is “cleansed” from ancient
mythological usage, and made to refer to the hidden ways and works of God. This
particular “mystery” is now to be spelled out.
1:9 according to His good pleasure
which He purposed in Himself, that in
the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one
all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth----in
Him.
The grandeur of these words simply
leaves one with a gasp. It was grand enough to know that the Lord’s death
and resurrection had brought new life to mankind, to all who believed in the
Son of God, but the vast extent of what Jesus accomplished at
“The good pleasure.” The Father now revels in His delight to tell the world the full story of
His Son’s accomplishment.
“Which He purposed in
Himself.” The
verb “purposed” is in the Middle Voice, and so once again we note
the reflexive nature of the verb. The purpose was for His own good, His own
pleasure, His own design. It had always been there, right from the time when He
began to create the Universe, but the revelation had to wait until this
particular time before it could be made known.
“The dispensation.” Words of this type can be passed
over without conveying their underlying meaning. “Dispensation” is
OIKONOMIA, derived from OIKOS, the word for “house”. Hence it means
“the management of household or family affairs”, and on the broader
front, “the management or administration of the State.”
“Of the fullness of the
times.” Fullness indicates finality. The mystery
therefore relates to that future time when the whole purpose of God is reaching
its concluding stages. Times is a misnomer. There are two Greek words,
KRONOS and KAIROS. The former speaks strictly of time, whereas the
latter speaks of season. It is the latter word here in this verse, and
we must be careful to use it in the proper sense. Time is a linear
function, but season is that portion of time that allows certain
things to happen. We speak of the season of harvest. It occurs each
year, and cannot occur except at a particular time during the year. In the same
way this final phase of God’s work cannot occur until the time is ripe
for its outworking. Paul calls it the fullness of the seasons. There
have been many seasons of God’s working throughout history, but this will
be the final season, the winding up of all His works of redemption,
until He declares, “Behold, I have made all things new.” (Rev.21:5)
“He might gather together in
one.”
These six words translate just one
word in Greek, which is admittedly a very long word –
ANAKEPHALAIOSASTHAI. Liddell & Scott’s Lexicon gives the following
meaning of this word, “To comprehend in a summary, to sum up.” This
is to be preferred to the idea of “gathering”. The “summing up” is a term
related to rhetoric, like the Latin collectio, describing the rapid
repetition and summarising of an orator’s points prior to his final
conclusion. See how Paul uses it in Romans 13:9. “For ‘you shall
not commit adultery, you shall not kill, you shall not steal, you shall not
bear false witness, you shall not covet,’ and if there be any other
commandment IT IS SUMMED UP BRIEFLY IN ‘you shall love your neighbour as
yourself.’”
“All things in the
Christ.” This “summarising” means that God
will bring together each separate part of His ages-long mission in such a way
that the expression “in the Christ” may be a fitting description of
the whole. A well-planned city explains the point of the individual houses. It
is an ordered whole. The post office will look at the address on the envelope
and see the name of the person, the street, the district, but finally they must
see the name of the city, “
“Both which are in heaven and
upon earth – in Him.” Literally, “those over the heavens and those upon the
earth.” This peculiar expression “over the heavens” is not
found elsewhere, and can only refer to what we said in verse 4, about the
“senior heavenly ones”. But whatever Paul had in mind, one thing is
certain. God’s summing up is not just for the benefit of the human race.
It will include all those in the heavenly regions as well. No wonder that
“the angels desire to look into” these things, as Peter said in his
first letter. (
This mystery was vouchsafed to Paul
alone, as he declared in chapter 3:8-9. “Unto me, the less than the least
of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the nations the unsearchable
riches of the Christ, to make all see what is the administration of the
mystery hidden from the ages in God.” No wonder that Peter should comment
about his “beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, has
written to you, as in all his letters, in which are some things hard to
understand.” (2 Peter 3:16)
1:11 In Him also we have obtained an
inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all
things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in
Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
This is where Paul starts to make a distinction between the Jews and the Gentiles. In the Greek the word “we” is in an emphatic position, and should be seen as set against “in whom also you” in the next verse.
“We have obtained an
inheritance.” As the verb is passive, it would
have been better to say “we were inherited”. There is quite a lot
of difference between man obtaining an inheritance, and God obtaining
an inheritance. In this verse we are being told that the body of believers are
God’s own inheritance. That is a sobering thought.
“Being predestined according
to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His
will.” This is a repeat of what had already
been said in an earlier verse, and needs no further comment.
“Who first trusted in the
Christ.” The word PRO-ELPIZO means
“having formerly hoped in the Messiah.” The Jews had the advantage, being the chosen
people, to whom the oracles of God were not only available, but also directed,
and in the O.T. prophets there was much written about the coming of their
Messiah. Hence they had a hope. But Paul goes on to say in the next
chapter that the Gentiles were at that time “without hope, and
without God in the world, but now . . made near by the blood of Christ.”
(2:12-13)
Paul was instructed to take the Gospel message to the Gentiles, and many of those who heard were moved by the Holy Spirit unto belief, and having believed, Paul tells them that they were sealed. Paul referred to this when writing to the Corinthians. “God, who also sealed us and has given us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.” (2 Cor.1:22)
“Sealed.” The Greek is SPHRAGIZO, and means “to seal, to mark with a stamp
of approval.” The noun often refers to the “mark of a signet-ring.”
Hence the believers who were sealed we given the stamp of God’s approval,
and received the mark of His own signet-ring. In Revelation “the servants of God were sealed in
their foreheads.” (Rev.7:3)
“The Holy Spirit of
promise.” Just
a Hebraism for “the promised Holy Spirit.”
A little problem arises here, and
has not been attended to by the translators. We are given to understand that
the person of the Holy Spirit is our “guarantee.” But this is
incorrect because the word “who” is masculine in Greek, and relates
to the word “guarantee”, not to the Holy Spirit, which is neuter.
Therefore we are obliged to change this, and see that the sealing is
the guarantee. It should there read, “We are sealed by the promised Holy
Spirit, which (sealing) is the guarantee . . .”
“Guarantee.” The older English word was “earnest,” as in the A.V. The
Greek word ARRABON is of Hebrew origin, and a transliteration of the Hebrew
word. It means a pledge. It is
interesting to note that in modern Greek ARRABON is used for an engagement
ring. This is a beautiful thought, because if we, as members of the Bride
of Christ, are to be seen wearing His engagement ring, then all the world will
know who our future Husband will be. But do our lives bear that out? Do they see
us in that position, or do we hide our light under a bushel?
“Until the redemption of the
purchased possession.”
This redemption, this
“buying back” now relates, not to forgiveness of sin, but to the
resurrection of the body. Paul makes it quite clear when writing to the
Philippians. “We are looking for our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who
will change our humbled body and fashion it like unto the body of His
glory.” (Phil.3:20-21)
“To the praise of His glory.”
Paul’s
conclusion to this long paean of praise, this great sentence of 202 words. Is
this not one of the grandest passages in all the N.T. writings? Shall not our
hearts thrill at the immensity of God’s love, and the greatness of His
plans for all His creation, in heaven and on earth?
Here is a paraphrase of verses 3 – 14, to
include all the information learned in this study.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing among those senior
heavenly ones in Christ, according as He chose us before the throwing down of
cosmic order, that we should be separated unto Him, and unblemished before Him
in love, having marked us out beforehand for sonship through Jesus Christ to
Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory
of His grace in which He has engraced us in the Beloved, in Whom we have
redemption through His blood, and the discharge from all offences according to
the riches of His grace, which He made to overflow to us in all wisdom and
spiritual intelligence, having made known to us the sacred secret of His will,
according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself that in the
administration of the fullness of the seasons, He might sum up all things (all
His works) in “the Christ”, those over the heavens and those upon
the earth, in Him, in Whom we were inherited, marked out beforehand according
to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His
will, that we who formerly hoped in the Messiah should be to the praise of His
glory, in whom also you, having heard the word of truth, which is the
good news of your salvation, having believed, you were sealed, given the mark
of approval by the promised Holy Spirit, which sealing is the pledge, the
guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the acquired possession,
to the praise of His glory.