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Ephesians
Chapter One
(Caleb Huang)
Detailed Verse by Verse Commentary
Eph. 1:1 “Paul,
an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints who are in
Literal Meaning of Each Word or Phrase:
“Apostle” – a sent one, an apostle; “Paul” – small ; “saints”
– those who are separated out unto God; “faithful”
– one who is loyal, one whose faith is firm, loyal to the end.
Notes Concerning the Background
Some ancient manuscripts
do not have the phrase: “in
Explanation on the Meaning of Words and Phrases
“According to the will of God” – Paul as an apostle does not
originate from himself, but from God’s will.
“An apostle of Jesus Christ” – this phrase indicates: (1) he belongs
to the Lord; (2) he was sent by the Lord; (3) he received the authority from
the Lord to reveal/interpret the truths from God; (4) yet he is not proud, but
he wants to faithfully carry out the calling/mission/burden that the Lord has
placed upon him.
“In Christ” – this means (1) we have a life fellowship and union
with Christ in life; (2) Christ is the realm of our enjoyment and the sphere of
our living (Col. 2:6, literally means “walk
in Him”;
“Who are” (in some translation) according to the original word used
is the word “And.” Due to the
mistranslation of “who are,” some Bible commentators have misunderstood that
the “saints who are in
Enlightenment
in the Word
1) The position of a preacher is not based on our
knowledge, education, or ability, but according to God’s will – according to
His calling and His commission.
2) If we do not know the Lord’s will, we are not
qualified to be His servant/worker.
3) Each servant of God must lay down his own will and
heart’s desire, and give God’s will the utmost priority; therefore, in our
service for the Lord, we must single-mindedly seek first God’s heart’s desire,
and not be influenced by ours or other people’s likes, dislikes and
preferences.
4) The sent one/messenger’s word must follow the order/message
of the sender; therefore, the messages given by the Lord’s workers should not
be his own words, but what God has committed to him to speak.
5) What a preacher should introduce of himself,
should not be his worldly status and position, rather he should reveal that he
is truly a speaker dedicated to speaking according to the will of God.
6) All those workers who are dedicated to doing God’s
will and let Him be the Lord should be confident that God is with him to help
him in shouldering the important commission from God.
7) After the author was saved, he changed his name to
“Paul,” which means “small” (according to the meaning of the original Greek
word). A servant of God should never exalt or uplift himself; rather we should
humbly abase ourselves to serve others (Matt
8) Writing epistles/letters is also a kind of service
to God – it is serving God through writings. Sadly, the great majority of
Christians today neglect the importance of the writing service for God.
9) The “saints”
represent those “who are separated out and consecrated to God.” Unless we
realize that we are “saints,” those
who have an honorable and important position before God with a value that is
indispensable and for whom nobody can substitute, then there is no way God can
build His glorious Church.
10) Though the believers are in this world, yet they
are not of this world (we do not entangle ourselves with this worldly system);
rather we keep ourselves in
Christ, so that we may live a life that is befitting the title “saints.”
11) This epistle is also written to “the faithful in Christ Jesus.” All those
who are faithful and loyal to the Lord must realize God’s heart’s desire
towards the Church from God’s Words in this book.
12) All the genuine bona-fide Christians would not
only treat the Lord as the object of their belief, but would also live a life
that is in oneness with Him.
13) Each believer in Christ has several
status/positions: according to our mortal body, we are on the earth (“to the saints which are in
14) A normal Christian should pay proper attention to
both our living before man on this earth and our spiritual life.
15) Although we are living on this earth today, we
are actually in Christ living a heavenly life. There are many things that the
worldly people may see as being perfectly alright to do, yet we cannot do,
because we are not merely on this earth, but we are also in Christ.
16) Believers in Christ should not despise their
duties and responsibilities on this earth; yet we must live a transcendent life
above this world – living a life in Christ.
17) To all those who live in Christ Jesus, whatever
they do, they do for Christ. Moreover, whatever they do, they do it diligently
with all their might.
18) Our life on this earth and the mundane things of
this world cannot hinder us from our drawing near to Christ and abide in Him.
19) For a believer in Christ: Living in Christ is the
secret of our victorious life on this earth!
Eph. 1:2 “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ.”
Explanation on the Meaning of Words and Phrases:
“Grace” – benefits given by God to man freely for man to enjoy. The
greatest Grace we received from God is God gave Himself to man for man’s
enjoyment. “Peace” – does not mean that our environment will be safe and
smooth; rather it speaks of an inner peace and tranquility in your heart. In
other words, peace is receiving the
salvation of God, which brought us peace with God and with our fellow man. Grace is the source of peace; and peace is the fruit of grace. “from
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” – God is the God of all people
and He is also our Father. God is the Source of grace and peace, which we
can enjoy through the redemption in Christ Jesus.
Enlightenment
in the Word
1) Just as the apostle Paul himself was imprisoned
(3:1), yet his concern was primarily for others; we too should pray for others
to enjoy the grace and peace of Christ even though we ourselves are in the
midst of suffering.
2) The root word in Greek for “grace” is charisma.
This means that we Christians ought to have something lovely in our character
that attracts people. A Christian faith devoid of the charisma of Christ is not
a true Christ faith.
3) Grace is a gift. Man cannot gain the grace of God
by himself, because there is nothing in man or nothing that he can do to merit
this grace.
4) “Grace”
comes first, followed by “peace” –
this order should not be changed. It is impossible for us to gain peace without our first seeking to gain
the grace of God.
5) The “peace”
enjoyed by Christians has nothing to do with our environment or surrounding,
nor is it affected by the outward things of this world.
6) We should not try to seek for peace apart from
God, because there is only one source/origin of peace, namely, God Himself!
7) All the spiritual blessings and benefits can only
be derived from Christ Jesus our Lord!
Eph. 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,”
Literal Meaning of Each Word or Phrase:
“Blessed” – to bless, to eulogize, to give thanks, and praise.
Explanation on the Meaning of Words and Phrases
From this verse all the
way to chapter one verse 14 is one long sentence. This entire section of the
Scriptural text has 3 commendations – some Bible scholars have divided this
long sentence into 3 sections of praise: 1) Blessings to God the Father (vv.
1:4
“Blessed … blessed us … blessings” – the 3 words have the same Greek
root word, that is “bless,” which has the original meaning of “to eulogize” or
“to speak well of.” The first of these 3 words is used towards God, while the 2
other words are used towards us. We “blessed”
God the Father because we felt grateful for what He is and what He has done for
us; thus, we speak well of Him. God has “Blessed
us …” because has accepted us in the
Beloved; thus He spoke well of us. And “blessings”
is the concrete, tangible expression of God’s speaking well of us in its
essential content.
The blessings God has
given us have the following factors: 1) The source
is “God”; 2) the domain is “in the heavenly
places”; 3) the nature is “spiritual”; 4) the type is “every” spiritual blessings; 5) the channel is “in Christ”; 6) the time period is continual – “has blessed us.”
Enlightenment
in the Word
1)
A
common general believer in Christ mainly seeks to gain blessings from God, but
he does not consider that God Himself wish to gain some blessings through our
mouths (this is implied in the original Greek word for “blessed”).
2)
We
are not worthy to receive any blessing from our own standing and merit, yet we
have received “every spiritual blessings
in the heavenly places”; on the other hand, God is worthy to receive all
the blessings that we can render to Him through our fruit of our lips, yet He
rarely received any blessings from us.
3)
The
blessings that we render to God are often limited to the stage of what God has
granted to us of the “earthly blessings,” yet we still do not know how to
adequately give blessings to God for the “spiritual
blessings” He has given us.
4)
God
alone is the Source of every true blessing; thus if we depart from God, we
cannot possibly receive any true blessings.
5)
The
blessings God gives to us are mainly “spiritual blessings;” therefore, it is
not something that man can seek after or gain on this earth apart from God.
6)
We need
to have spiritual insight in order for us to enjoy and appreciate these
spiritual blessings.
7)
Worldly
blessings tend to cause us to love the world more and forsake God. Spiritual
blessings cause us love God more and to advance in our spiritual life.
8)
Since
the spiritual blessings we received is of “every”
kind; therefore, it is capable of meeting all kinds of our needs as dictated by
our environment.
9)
The
greatest Grace God has given us is Christ Himself! He is all-inclusive and
all-encompassing: Life, Grace, Blessings, Glory, Wisdom, Knowledge, (just to
name a few items) are all founded and realized in Christ. In short, if we have
Christ, we have everything! Our goodness is not founded elsewhere apart from
Christ.
10) Christ is the treasure house and the content
of all our spiritual blessing. Apart from Christ, all is empty and void.
11) We are not drawing out from Christ what
benefits we need from Him; rather we need to be in Christ and allow what is in
Christ to flow to us.
12) This blessing is not something that we
have to wait into the future for us to enjoy, but it is something that has
already been given to us. The problem is… you and I don’t know how to enjoy and
apply His blessings.
13) Every believer already knows how to enjoy
the first spiritual blessing we have received through faith – our salvation.
Henceforth, we need all the more to exercise our faith to draw out the various
spiritual blessings in Christ.
14) Whatever we need in our spiritual life,
God will abundantly supply us.
15) Nowadays there are a lot of blessings/praises
mixed in with and are aimed at uplifting man. May all the praises/blessings be
to God that He may receive all the glory.
16) All the spiritual grace and authority are
received in Christ alone. All our prayers and thanksgiving are also offered to
God through Christ. Thus, apart from Christ, there is no real spiritual
activity that is counted in the eyes of God.
Eph. 1:4 “Just
as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be
holy and without blame before Him in love,”
Literal Meaning of Each Word or Phrase:
“Foundation” – put down under, lay a foundation; “chose” – to choose, or select;
“Holy” –
unlike others, separate, separated out; “blame”
– impurity, blemish, spot.
Notes Concerning the Background
“Without blame” – this phrase is used in the Old Testament in
relation to the offering of sacrifices. According to the Jewish law, before an
animal can be used as a sacrificial animal, it has to go through a thorough
meticulous examination; if there is any spot or even a tiny defect, it must be
rejected and is not fitted as a sacrificial animal for God.
Explanation on the Meaning of Words and Phrases
There are 4 points
concerning the matter of God’s selection: 1) The meaning is “selection,”
not a “collection” as some might suggest. God purposely selected us out of this
world, separated us out, it is not an act resulting from an accidental idea. 2)
The time we were selected was “before the foundation of the world.” 3)
The basis is that we are chosen “in
Christ.” 4) The goal is that we may
be “holy and without blame before Him in
love” – not that we would be holy only positionally, but also in our
living.
Enlightenment
in the Word
1)
It is
not man who has chosen God, but God has chosen man. This indeed is most marvelous.
(cp. John 15:16).
2)
God’s
selection is based on His purposeful plan and action, and definitely not based
on an accidental/random bestowment. In other words, our salvation is the
actualization of what God has foreordained before the foundation of the earth.
3)
God’s
selection is the initiative of God’s sovereignty based entirely on His own
insight, pleasure and need in His selecting men; therefore, there is no one who
can change His selection.
4)
God’s
selection is not blind and devoid of a goal. God has chosen us so that He may
receive praises from us (Eph. 1:6).
5)
God
does all things “in Christ.” God
never does anything outside of/apart from Christ.
6)
Christ
is the only value and criterion of God’s selection. Without Christ, no matter
how good we are, God will reject.
7)
God’s
work is not to attain to an anticipated ideal; rather it is the outworking of a
completed goal.
8)
Even
though we are unclean and living in an unclean setting; yet God sees us in
Christ as being holy and without blemish.
9)
It is
God’s special grace bestowed on us that we can draw nigh “before Him” and fellowship with Him.
10) “That
we should be holy” is not only in our position to be Christians set apart
in our standing, but also in our living – living a holy life.
11) We could not become “holy” in our own efforts, but it is entirely of God’s grace.
12) “Holy”
is the result of God’s selection and not the reason for our selection.
13) Since the Lord’s love is that we would
enter into the way of the reality of holiness; therefore, we must constantly
keep ourselves in His love (Jude 21).
Eph. 1:5 “Having
predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the
good pleasure of His will,”
Literal Meaning of Each Word or Phrase:
“According to” – shows what is the basis; “pleasure” – determination, intention;
“Predestined”
– mark out ahead of time, predetermined before the boundary is cut; “Adoption as sons” – to gain sonship.
Notes Concerning the Background
According to the ancient
Greek custom, the father has full authority over the children. There were some
children who cannot easily receive the inheritance from their father until they
grow up and pass through a sonship procedure in order to be officially gain the
status of sonship and legitimately enjoy the full privileges of a son.
Explanation on the Meaning of Words and Phrases
This verse
touched on 4 points concerning the matter of predestination: 1) The reason is God’s love for us as indicated
by the phrase “in love.” 2) The basis is “according to the good
pleasure of His will ” 3) The Significance:
“having predestinated us” – God has predestinated us before the creation of the
earth or marked us out ahead of time. 4) The result: that we should gain “adoption as sons” or sonship, sons in
life not merely adoption. Sonship speaks of also our having gained the
qualification to receive the inheritance of God (cp. Eph.
Enlightenment
in the Word
1)
Those
whom God has chosen, He also predestined. God’s predestination proofs that His
selection is not something that can be changed, because He has already marked
us out.
2)
Since
God’s predestination issues out of His love, and His love is one that loves us
to the uttermost (Jn. 13:1); therefore, God’s predestination cannot be half
done, it will bring us all the way till we reach the goal.
3)
All
the blessings we receive from God are given to us by His holy, unconditional
love. All that we do for God today should also issue out of our pure and chaste
love for Him for them to be of any value to Him.
4)
God’s
predestination of us is not done with reluctance, but it was “according to the
good pleasure of His will.” God has predestinated us not because we are lovely
or perfect, rather His love is poured out upon us who are most unlovable.
5)
God’s
will cannot change, it cannot be setback, but it will surely be perfected.
Thus, what God has predestined in us will also be fully attained to their
goals.
6)
God
did not predestined us to be His slaves, but to be His sons to enjoy all the
riches of God – this is the greatest blessing given by God.
God predestined us not only to be His sons to receive
His life, but more importantly for us to receive the “sonship” so that we may
gain our heavenly inheritance.
Eph. 1:6 “To
the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the
Beloved.”
Literal Meaning of Each Word or Phrase:
“Glory” – God expressed; once God’s glory is expressed, the entire
universe will give praise to Him;
“Glory of His
grace” – some translation puts it “glorious grace, but based on the
original text, it is better translated “glory
of His grace,” which describes the
fact that we have been privileged to receive God and even enjoy God Himself
(for the meaning of “grace” please refer to the notes in verse 2 of this
chapter). God is manifested in the flesh (which is the meaning of “glory”); in
other words, God is expressed in is Grace.
Enlightenment
in the Word
1)
Verse
6 is a continuation of verse 5, meaning as we approach our selection and the
predestination by God, bringing us the sonship, the ultimate result is “to the praise of the glory of His grace.”
2)
God
places more importance on His grace and glory over the good deeds of man. Man
usually attempts to do good in order to earn the grace of God, but God wants us
to simply receive His grace and to express His glory.
3)
We
Christians are the objects of God’s grace. The more we enjoy God, the more we
can express God and glorify Him. Thus, we can see that grace is the cause, and
glory is the fruit/result.
4)
It is
God who has graced us that caused us to be able to enjoy Him. And as we glorify
God, He can in turn enjoy us. Thus, we have a mutual enjoyment between God and
man.
5)
The
greater we allow ourselves to be lost in God (causes Christ to increase and
they decrease Jn.
6)
If we
don’t have Christ, we have a gap caused by sin separating us from God, causing
enmity between us. We must be “in Christ”
for us to receive His grace; God too has to be in Christ to give us His grace.
7)
We
must be in Christ for us to be the recipients of His grace (accor. to the
original text). Christ is the purpose and the meaning of God granting us grace.
If it was not for Christ, God has no need/reason to give grace to man.
8)
The
reason why God’s grace is characterized as “glorious” is not only because it is
capable of unveiling the glory of the grace-Giver, but also capable of bringing
the recipients of His grace into glory.
9)
In
our works for God, there is no room for the glory of any man; thus, in whatever
capacity we serve the Lord, the services that bring pleasure to God and open
the door for His work – that kind of service definitely brings praise to His
glory.
Eph. 1:7 “In
Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to
the riches of His grace.”
Literal Meaning of Each Word or Phrase:
“Redemption” – redeemed out, pay the price, pays the ransom money to
release the slave; “sins” – to stumble to the roadside;
“Forgiveness”
– to dissolve/resolve, to clear and excuse, to cancel, to no longer take into
consideration.
Notes Concerning the Background
Under the
Romans Empire, there was the practice of a slave system, which allows for the
purchase and sales of slaves. As long as someone is willing to pay a price,
they can purchase or redeem a slave. The purchaser/redeemer can then either
make the slave his servant or grant him full freedom – it is entirely up to the
customer/redeemer to determine his fate. In particular, the word “redemption” is mainly used to indicate
that a ransom money has been paid to redeem a slave.
Explanation on the Meaning of Words or Phrases:
This verse tells us
clearly of the redemption of Christ: 1) The price:
“through the blood (of His beloved Son)”
– the shedding of blood is the evidence of penalty being borne by Him; this
indicates that the beloved Son of God took upon Himself the penalty of our
sins. 2) It’s significance: “we have redemption” – this points to how
God has redeemed us through the blood of Christ paid as the ransom to redeem us
back to God from our former state of being condemned as sinners and guilty of
our sins and awaiting punishment.
3) The result:
“the forgiveness of our sins.” Our
forgiveness is according to His redemption; without His redemption there is no
forgiveness. 4) The reason: “according to the riches of His grace” – this is a more accurate translation
according to the original Greek manuscript than some version which translated
“according to the abundance of grace.” This phrase describes God’s overflowing
abundant grace, which urged Him to prepare our redemption.
Enlightenment
in the Word
1)
The
Christ that God gave to us is not someone that He disliked and wanted to
discard; rather, it was His most beloved Begotten Son Whom He gave to us as a
sacrifice.
2)
God’s
redeeming us by the sacrifice of His Beloved Son was for the purpose of saving
us to the ultimate end of us bearing the likeness and the loveliness of His
dear Son.
3)
God’s
“redemption” is the basis of our “forgiveness” – without “redemption” there is no “forgiveness.” Or one can say that “forgiveness” is the product of the work
of “redemption” on sinners.
4)
There
is nothing we have done nor can ever do to bring us forgiveness from God. It is
of God that we are in Christ Jesus (1 Cor.
5)
The
blood of Christ, God’s Beloved Son, has answered all of God’s righteous
requirements. In other words, God’s redemption and forgiveness is based on His
righteous principle/requirements, but our receiving of his redemption and
forgiveness is according to “the riches
of His grace.” God’s righteous penalty fell upon His Beloved Son; yet we
enjoy the blessings of His great grace.
Eph. 1:8 “Which
He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,”
Literal Meaning of Each Word or Phrase:
“In all” – every kind, all; “He
made to abound” – causes more to appear abundantly, especially caused to
appear full abundantly.
Explanation on the Meaning of Words or Phrases:
God used “all
wisdom and prudence.” “Wisdom” – the intellect to know
thoroughly the truth; the stress here is on the aspect of the principle and the
plan.
“Prudence”
– the intellect to relate/apply wisdom expressed in motion; the stress here is
on the aspect of the regulation and execution.
God’s grace being granted/came to us was not only
prepared by His wisdom, it also involves the arrangements of His intellect
and/or prudence.
There are many Bible commentators who thought that
the “wisdom and knowledge” are not referring to God’s gracious handy-work, but
is referring to one of God’s gracious gifts to man, causing man to depend on
the clear abundance of grace.
“Which He made
to abound toward us” – the grace given to us is like a great overflowing
water.
Enlightenment
in the Word
1)
The
more you dig into the significance of God’s grace, the more mysterious it
seems; the more you understand it, the more you sense the depth of its riches.
2)
There
are many Christians who only receive the grace of God shallowly and scantily…
what a pity! The problem is not with God, but with us, who failed to adequately
enjoy and apprehend His grace.
3)
The
grace that God has given us is the very best, because He used His “wisdom and prudence” to grant us this
grace. He knows what kind of grace is most suited to each one of us and He also
knows under what kind of circumstance that is most appropriate to grant us the
grace that we need.
4)
Since
the grace God has given us was granted to us “in all wisdom and prudence,” our enjoyment of His grace must also
be drawn/received through His wisdom and intellect. May God grant us the
“Spirit of wisdom and revelation” (Eph.
Eph. 1:9 “Having
made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which
He purposed in Himself,”
Literal Meaning of Each Word or Phrase:
“Purposed” – prepared and established ahead of time; “good pleasure”
– determination, good intention; “mystery”
– hidden secret, long concealed matter.
Explanation on the Meaning of Words or Phrases:
“According
to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself” : God has a good
pleasure, that is to make us the recipients of His grace in His Beloved Son.
For this reason, He needed to redeem us; this is what He purposed in
Himself.
“The mystery of
His will” : God has a will which was hidden for times and generations as a
mystery; it’s a mystery that man cannot comprehend in his own reasoning and
understanding, but now has been revealed to us!
Enlightenment
in the Word
1)
God
does not delight in us being foolish and remain in the dark in regards to His
will; thus, His desire is that we would understand His will (Eph.
2)
God’s
will can be known through our diligent seeking Him, He no longer made it
difficult/impossible to be known.
3)
If we
are willing to lay down our worldly wisdom and pride and come with a humbled
heart to seek the spiritual wisdom (Matt.
Eph. 1:10 “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,”
Literal Meaning of Each Word or Phrase:
“Dispensation” – opportunity, time, a time period; “fulness” – maturity, completion,
fullness, entirely finished; “gather
together in one” – under the same leading, gather together a row of
numbers, to lead in uniting, to sum up, the original text has the meaning of
“once more” or to “repeat.”