Ephesians Verse by Verse

Grant R. Osborne

• Publisher: Lexham Press
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781577997733
• Topic: Teologia e religione
• Subtopic: Commento della Bibbia

While he was in prison, Paul wrote a letter to the Ephesian Christians whose magnificent themes have echoed throughout the centuries: the exaltation of Christ, the church as his body, believers as his new creation, and his defeat of the cosmic powers that opposed him. Throughout, he makes clear that everything we are and have is ours only "in Christ."In Ephesians Verse by Verse, Grant R. Osborne offers a clear exposition of this letter that takes seriously both its first--century context and what it means for us today. Pastors, Bible study leaders, and invested laypeople will all benefit from Osborne's careful reading of the text and commitment to making sense of the New Testament without scholarly jargon.The Osborne New Testament Commentary Series is a set of commentaries on every New Testament book. In each volume, Grant R. Osborne seeks to carefully exposit the text in plain language, bringing out the treasures in each book and making them accessible for today's readers.

THE BLESSINGS OF SALVATION

(1:1–14)

Paul’s letters follow conventional lines of Hellenistic letter writing, moving from writer to recipient to greeting and then to a thanksgiving and prayer-wish. In this letter Paul saves the latter two aspects for the end of his prologue (1:16–19) and in so doing frames the first half of his letter with prayer (1:16–19; 3:14–19). As in all his letters, he begins by extending to the Ephesians the covenant blessings of grace and peace.

PAUL GREETS THE EPHESIAN CHRISTIANS (1:1–2)

As in Romans, Paul here names only himself as the sender of the letter (in most of his letters he names one or two associates as well). Elsewhere in the Prison Letters Timothy is named with Paul, perhaps as co-author (Phil 1:1; Col 1:1; Phlm 1). Here Timothy may have been busy with other ministry matters. As in Colossians 1:1 (and 1 Cor 1:1), Paul designates himself as “an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.” The title “apostle” can at times be used to designate a messenger sent by a church (like Epaphroditus in Phil 2:25 or Paul’s coworkers in 2 Cor 8:23). Here it has a technical sense, referring to those designated by God to lead the church, called “apostles” by Christ (of the Twelve) in Mark 3:14 and including Paul, as well as Barnabas (Acts 14:14) and Apollos (1 Cor 4:9). The emphasis is on Paul’s authority as one sent (inherent in the Greek term apostolos) as the special envoy of Christ to lead the church.

The true authority behind Paul is seen in the added “by the will of God,” meaning that the Lord placed him in his office and stands behind him in his ministry. This especially looks back to the Damascus road experience of Acts 9, when Jesus called Paul to himself and gave him his commission to the Gentiles (see especially Acts 26:17–18). So Paul writes as Jesus’ commissioned ambassador, speaking with the authority of Christ Jesus behind his words.

Paul is writing this letter to “God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus.” Paul often addresses his readers as “saints” or “holy people” (Greek hagioi; see Rom 1:1; 1 Cor 1:1; 2 Cor 1:1; Phil 1:1; Col 1:2), building on the frequent Old Testament designation of the Israelites as “God’s holy people” (Exod 19:5–6; 22:31; Lev 11:44; 19:2; Ps 16:3). This meant that God had chosen them out of all the people of earth and set them apart to belong to himself. Paul’s words indicate that the church is now the new covenant community that carries on the legacy of these people of the old covenant as the special possession of God, called out to exemplify his holiness and character to a lost world.

These believers are not only called to be holy but are also mandated to be “faithful” (Greek, pistos). This refers not so much to their lives of faithfulness as to their spiritual faith in Christ Jesus. In other words, they are set apart for God on the basis of their faith response to his Son. Because of their commitment to Christ they are also committed to his spiritual and ethical mandates; they are faithful in their lifestyle as a result of having faith in Christ.

Most likely the “in Ephesus” of 1:1 was not in the original letter but was added later on. It is missing from the third-century papyrus 𝔓46 (one of the most reliable), the codices Sinaiticus and Vaticanus (also reliable, this time from the fourth century), and several other ancient manuscripts. It is commonly accepted, therefore, that this letter was a general or circular letter written to all the churches of the province of Asia.1 It is still valid to keep “in Ephesus” in the text, however, as this was the mother church of the province (see the letters of Revelation 2–3), and the letter would likely have been circulated from there. I will use “Ephesus” or “Ephesians” throughout the commentary to refer to the recipients.

The greeting (1:2) follows Paul’s regular practice in his letters, that of combining the Greek greeting (charis, “grace to you”) and the Jewish greeting (shalom, “peace to you”), yet at the same time theologizing both into eschatological promises. Here he is saying in effect, “What you have been hoping for in your very greetings—divine grace and peace—is now being offered to you in Christ Jesus.” For these believers these sacred promises from God have been realized. They already have God’s grace and divine peace in their lives. This is called “inaugurated eschatology,” the view of the early church that in Jesus the future has been brought into the present. Here future hope (for God’s eternal grace and peace) has become a present reality in Jesus.

The reason such incredible blessings can take place is their source. They don’t stem from Paul or just from the church but come “from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” The fatherhood of God and the lordship of Christ undergird these heavenly gifts and guarantee their reality. The “Abba” (intimate Aramaic word for “father”) theme stresses the love and care of God, and “Lord” stresses the sovereign power of the exalted Christ exercised on the believers’ behalf.

PAUL LISTS FIVE BLESSINGS OF SALVATION THAT STEM FROM GOD AND CHRIST (1:3–14)

This section is the prologue of the letter, introducing key themes that will guide Paul’s discussion throughout and tracing all the blessings that God’s salvation has provided for believers. It is unique in Paul’s letters, coming as it does before the thanksgiving and prayer that normally are part of the opening greeting. It is clear that he wants his readers at the outset to understand and rejoice in all that the Triune Godhead has done for his children. This comes in the form of a benediction, what the Jews called a berakah or “praise cry.” The eulogētos (“blessed be”/“praise”) of verse 3 governs the whole of 1:3–14. Each section could be translated with “praise”: “praise God for predestining us” (1:4–6), “praise God for redeeming us” (1:7–8), and so on. This will guide the outline of this section. Such eulogies appear often in both the Old Testament (Gen 24:27; 1 Kgs 8:15; Ps 41:13) and the New Testament (2 Cor 1:3–4; 1 Pet 1:3–6). Here Paul is stressing the blessed results of the fatherly love of God and the sovereign work of Christ from verse 2.

INTRODUCTION: SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS IN THE HEAVENLIES (1:3)

Praise language occurs three times in this section (1:3, 12, 14), the latter two instances providing a refrain (“to the praise of his glory”) that frames the whole prologue in praise. “Praise be” asks God to receive the blessing or praise of his people for all he has done for them. In verse 2 God is “our Father”; here he is “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The idea of Yahweh as the “God of Jesus” centers on his incarnate reality as the God-man; this will be explored further in verse 17. Jesus is the Son of God, we the children of God. This reenacts Romans 8:14–17, where we, the adopted children of God, are identified as “joint-heirs” with Christ. As in verse 2, Christ is “Lord” or exalted sovereign over this world and over the redemption that God has effected for us.

The basis for our blessing God is that he “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing.” This is the theme verse, and the rest of the section enumerates these blessings one by one. The term “bless” occurs three times here in Greek: “Bless the God who blesses us with every blessing.” There are two qualifications: it is every blessing, and each one is spiritual. God holds nothing back as he lavishes all his riches (1:7–8) upon us. Everything we need is poured out on us by divine generosity. When we shower God with our praise, it is our natural response to the God who has poured out his blessings on us.

These blessings are spiritual because they come to us on the spiritual plane and because they come through the Holy Spirit in the sense of Ezekiel 36:26–27 (“I will put a new spirit in you” and “put my Spirit in you”). The blessings of the eschaton (the end) that has been inaugurated are experienced spiritually by us right now. These spiritual gifts encompass the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22–23 and the spiritual gifts of 1 Corinthians 12:4–11, 27–31, but are not restricted to these. What are intended here are the salvific blessings of this section—indeed, everything God has for us as his people.

We experience these blessings “in the heavenly realms,” referring not to heaven itself but to the spiritual realm that is now our true home (see also Eph 1:20; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12). In this world we are “foreigners and exiles” (1 Pet 1:1, 17; 2:11), and we are now citizens of heaven (Phil 3:20) rather than of any earthly nation. We are members of a new family and belong to a new country. In this new spiritual reality we experience all the blessings God has for us.

Moreover, we have all this “in Christ,” a major Pauline theme that expresses both union with Christ and the resulting membership in his body, the church. Some form of “in him” occurs in nearly every verse in this section, and this is a dominant theme throughout this letter. Everything we are and have is ours only “in Christ.”

BLESSING 1: PREDESTINATION (1:4–6)

Chosen to be holy and blameless (1:4)

The first blessing Paul enumerates is closely related to the idea of “God’s holy people” in verse 2. God “chose us in him before the creation of the world” to be his special people and thus to be set apart for him. This is presented as the reason (“for/because”) we praise God. Since he has blessed us by choosing us before this world was even created, we must bless him for it. Divine election involves an eternal choice, worked out originally in his choice of Abraham (Gen 12:1–3, whom God blessed to be a source of blessing to the nations) and of Israel (Deut 14:2, to be God’s “treasured possession”).

That choice was based not on Israel’s worthiness or strength or place among the other nations but entirely on God’s love for them. Throughout Ephesians the emphasis is on divine love and not human worth. God’s electing mercy and grace are unmerited and undeserved (Rom 9:11–12; Eph 2:8–9—by grace, not works), the product entirely of love (Rom 8:35–39—nothing can separate us “from the love of Christ” or “the love of God”). Note that God chooses us “in him,” centering on the “in Christ” motif discussed in the last verse. Every part of our salvation, including our election, is made possible by and takes place in Christ. Moreover, the choice was made in eternity past. God had plans for each of us from the beginning, and our special nature “in him” is especially precious.

Some have taken the choice here to be corporate—that is, God chooses the church as a corporate entity, and individuals enter it by faith decision. While this makes a certain sense, it is probably incorrect. In truth, God’s elect will is both individual and corporate. This is in keeping with the “in him” that qualifies “chose us,” for the “in Christ” motif has two dimensions—union with Christ (the individual dimension) and membership in his body (the corporate dimension). Each of us has been chosen from eternity past to be part of Christ’s messianic community, the people of God’s kingdom. The believer is chosen by the preexistent Christ to be God’s child, part of his family, and a joint heir with Christ. We are first joined with Christ and then joined with each other as members of the messianic community.

The fact that this choice was made in eternity past, even before this world was created, is startling. God knew that Adam and Eve would fall into sin and that I would be born into a sinful world and live my life in sin (Rom 5:12), and he still decided to create this world and me! The depth of his love can never be truly understood. The key, of course, is that God had already decided to come, become incarnate, and die on the cross for my sins before he performed the act of creation. The possibility of my salvation was ensured before the decision to create had been made! My only response can be, “Wow! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!”

The purpose of our election is “to be holy and blameless in his sight.” In the greeting the Ephesian Christians are called “God’s holy people” (1:1), and now they are called to live up to that name. The Christian life contains both privilege (the gift of salvation) and responsibility (the demand to live life God’s way). This reflects the Holiness Code of Leviticus 17–26, whose central theme is “be holy, because I am holy” (Lev 11:44; 19:2; 20:7, 26; see also 1 Pet 1:16). It is important to realize that believers are chosen not just for salvation but for sanctification as well. Those who belong to God are mandated to live lives of holiness. The “carnal” Christian is mentioned only once in Scripture (1 Cor 3:3); elsewhere this same adjective speaks of material or worldly things. Such a person is considered an aberration, a contradiction to all that is Christian. Yet in our time this has become almost accepted in our churches. It should not be so!

It is essential that God’s true followers actually follow—that is, live lives that refuse the ways of the world. To be holy is to be blameless; this phrase is echoed in 5:27, where Christ presents the church to himself as “holy and blameless.” Also, in the sister letter of Colossians 1:22, God presents his people as “holy … without blemish”—the same Greek term as here—“and free from accusation.” In the Old Testament the second term was used of the sacrificial animals that were “without blemish” (Exod 29:1; Lev 1:3). The term later came to be used of moral purity (Ps 15:2; Prov 10:9), and that is how it is used here. “Before him” or “in his sight” means that God is watching and will decide how blameless each person actually is. It is easy for Christians to be satisfied with appearing to live faithfully. We must remember that we will ultimately give account not to each other but to God (Heb 4:13).

Chosen for sonship (1:5)

In verse 5 Paul reiterates this central truth and provides further detail. It is debated whether the phrase “in love” belongs with verse 4 (“holy and blameless before him in love,” so KJV, NET, NLT, NRSV or verse 5 (“in love he predestined us,” so NIV, ESV, NASB). If it is the former, we are to anchor our holy lives in love; if the latter, God’s acts of creation and election stem from his great love. In my opinion the phrase fits better with verse 5 and God’s elective action. In spite of knowing what creation would entail and the agony of heart that creating us would produce, his unfathomable love led him to choose to create us and make us his own.

The result of this great love is that he “predestined us for adoption.” God’s action in choosing us is now further defined as predestining, an unusual verb that occurs not at all in the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament) and only six times in the New Testament. It means to “foreordain” or “predetermine,” and it is done only by God in the New Testament (see Acts 4:28; Rom 8:29–30; 1 Cor 2:7). Clearly this means that before he created the world God determined whom he would adopt as his children.

The word for “adoption” (hyiothesia) means “sonship,” and it refers to the process in the Roman world by which a child was brought into a new family, receiving all the rights of a natural child and taking the name of the new family. No doubt in Paul’s mind also are the many passages in which the people of Israel are designated the sons of God (for example, Deut 14:1; Isa 30:9), as well as the Davidic covenant of 2 Samuel 7:14: “I will be his father, and he will be my son.” The messianic community is a special adopted child of God.

The choice to adopt the believer t...