Verse by Verse

1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,

² with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,

³ endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

therefore (v.1) — referring back to the blessings and exalted position in Christ listed in the first three chapters

prisoner of the Lord (v.1) — ‘prisoner in the sphere of the Lord” — Paul was prisoner because of his connection to Christ

beseech (v.1) – beg — “I beg of you, please.”

walk (v.1) = to conduct one’s self, to order one’s behavior

worthy (v1) = to weigh as much as — Their walk should “weigh as much as” their profession of belief in Christ.

calling (v.1) = summons (unto salvation)

all lowliness (v.2) — all possible lowliness, every kind of lowliness — Originally in Greek it meant “abject servility, grovelling,” but in the New Testament, it means “thinking truly and, therefore, lowly of ourselves, having a sense of our own moral smallness.”

gentleness (v.2) — the grace of soul that enables us to accept God’s dealings with us as good

longsuffering (v.2) = patience as regards to persons — not easily provoked

bearing (v.2) = to sustain, to bear up — a further explanation of “longsuffering”

love (v.2) = agape

endeavoring (v.3) = take care, make haste, do one’s best, exert one’s self

keep (v.3) = guard, exercise watchful care

unity (v3) = unanimity, agreement — brought about by the Spirit

²⁰ Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

²¹ to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

exceedingly abundantly (v.20) — The compound word is a superlative of superlatives in force. It speaks of the ability of God to do something, that ability having more than enough potential power, this power exhaustless, and then some on top of that. Thus, Paul says that God is able to do super abundantly above and beyond what we ask or think, and then some on top of that. — Wuest, page 91

ask (v.20) = to ask in one’s own interest

think (v.20) = consider

the power (v.20) — dunamis — the Holy Spirit

works (v.20) = puts forth energy

to Him (v.21) — the Father

glory (v.21) — should be “the” glory — the glory due to God

by Christ Jesus (v.21) — should be “in” Christ Jesus

to all generations, forever and ever (v.21) = unto all the generations of the ages of the ages — an expression of the magnitude of eternity

¹⁷ that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

¹⁸ may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height —

¹⁹ to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

dwell (v.17) — The personal presence of the Lord Jesus in the heart of the believer is not in view here. That is taken for granted. The word “dwell” is katoikesai, made up of oikeo, “to live in as a home,” and kata, “down,” thus “to settle down and be at home.” The tense is aorist, showing finality. The expanded translation is; “that Christ might finally settle down and feel completely at home in your hearts.” — Wuest, page 88

through faith (v.17) — not faith for salvation, but faith that He will grant the fulness of the Spirit

The words, “being rooted” and “grounded” are perfect tense participles in the Greek text. They are the result of the strengthening by the Spirit and the consequent at-home-ness of the Lord Jesus in the believer’s heart and His fellowship with him. The word “rooted” has the idea of securely settled, and “grounded,” that of deeply founded. Love here is that love which the Holy Spirit produces and with which He floods the heart of the yielded saint. The inner spiritual condition of the heart enables the saint “to comprehend” (v.18) and “to know” (v.19). — Wuest, page 89

love (vs. 17 and 19) = agape

able (v.18) = to be eminently able, to have full strength

comprehend (v.18) = to lay hold of so as to make one’s own — to take full possession of — to apprehend — conceptual knowledge

with all saints (v.18) — this spiritual capacity is available to all saints who receive the fulness of the Holy Spirit as a result of their faith

width … length … depth … height (v.18) — an expression of the vastness of the love of Christ

to know (v.19) = knowledge gained by experience — The conceptual knowledge gained in v.18 becomes experiential knowledge as we realize the love of Christ

passes (v.19) — The word “surpassing” is a participle of hyperballo, “to throw over or beyond, to transcend, exceed, excel.” This love surpasses knowledge, gnosis, “experiential knowledge.” That is, no matter how much the saint experiences of the love of Christ, yet there are oceans of love in the great heart of God that have not been touched by his experience. — Wuest, page 90

with (v.19) = to, unto — to the measure or standard of

fullness of God (v.19) — the fullness which God imparts through the dwelling of Christ in the heart; Christ, in whom the Father was pleased that all the fullness should dwell (Colossians 1:19), and in whom dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead (Colossians 2:9). — Wuest, pages 90-91

I study Scripture in small chunks so I can go slowly and be sure that I’m not missing anything. But I need to remember that the smaller passages need to be studied in the context of their surrounding, larger passages. The love and fullness in these verses are tied directly to, and inseparable from the Mystery—the complete and final revelation of God’s plan—and cannot be apprehended without an understanding of what that means.

¹³ Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

¹⁴ For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

¹⁵ from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

¹⁶ that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,

therefore (v.13) — referring to vs. 1-12 in which Paul explains his ministry of the mystery

ask (v.13) = to ask for in one’s own interest

lose heart (v.13) = lose courage

tribulations (v.13) — Paul wrote this letter from prison.

The greater the office of the sufferer, the more did the afflictions which he was content to endure for them redound to their honor; and the better this was understood by them, the less should they give way to weakness and discouragement. — Wuest, page 86

for this reason (v.14) — for the ministry of the mystery, but specifically here that they would stay strong and not lose courage

bow my knees (v.14) — earnest prayer — not necessarily, but possibly, including the physical act

to (v.14) – facing — indicating Paul’s focus on God

We noticed that the first prayer [Ephesians 1:16] is addressed to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, for God as such is the Source of all counsels, but this second prayer, which has to do more with family relationship, is addressed to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

When I think of God, I think of the Maker of all things, the Planner of all things who fitted the ages together. But I think of the Father as the One from whose bosom the eternal Son came into this world, becoming Man for our Salvation. Ere He left this scene He said to Mary, “I ascend unto My Father, and  your Father; and to My God, and your God” (John 20:17). There, you see, you have the two thoughts: God the Source of all counsels; the Father, the Source of all affections — family affection, the very center of family relationship. — Ironside, pages 155-156.

of our Lord Jesus Christ (v.14) — not in some manuscripts

from whom (v.15) = lit. “out from whom”

the whole family (v.15) = lit. “every family”

The sense, therefore is “the Father, from whom all related orders of intelligent beings, human and angelic, each by itself, get the significant name of family, community.” The various classes of men on earth, Jew, Gentiles, and others, and the various orders of angels in heaven, are related to God, the common Father, and only in virtue of that relation has any of them the name of family. — Wuest, page 87

His glory (v.16) — all the perfections of God in their inexhaustible fulness and wealth

in (v.16) = into — a preposition indicating motion

inward man (v.16) — the personal, moral self, the moral “I” of which man is self-conscious

¹⁰ to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places,

¹¹ according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,

¹² in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.

to the intent (v.10) — pointing back to verses 8 and 9 — Paul is explaining why grace was given him to preach the mystery

manifold (v.10) = much, variegated, marked with a great variety of colors

by (v.10) = through the intermediate agency of

principalities and powers (v.10) — angels

Only in the Church can the angels come to an adequate comprehension of the grace of God. They look at the Church to investigate the mysteries of redemption. 1 Peter 1:12 speaks of the things which the angels have a passionate desire to stoop down and look into, like the golden cherubim that overshadow the Mercy Seat, ever gazing upon the sprinkled blood that is upon it. The preposition para, “beside,” is prefixed to the verb “stoop down,” which speaks of the angels as spectators viewing the great plan of redemption from the side lines, not being participants in it. — Wuest, page 85

boldness (v.12) = freedom and unreservedness of speech

access (v.12) = entree

confidence (v.12) — “Confidence” is pepoithesis, from peitho, “to persuade.” It comes from the perfect participial form which refers to a past process of being completely persuaded, with the present result that we are in a confirmed and settled state of utter confidence. — Wuest, page 86.

⁸ To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

⁹ and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;

less than the least (v.8) = lit. “more least”

unsearchable (v.8) = that which cannot be traced out — untraceable (in Scripture)

We challenge you to find these Pauline teachings in the Prophetic writings (Genesis through Acts 9 and James through Revelation): Israel set aside in unbelief; the Church, the Body of Christ made up of Jews and Gentiles without distinction; commission of reconciliation; salvation by grace through faith alone; terms of salvation — Christ’s death, burial and resurrection presented as good news; our spiritual baptism into Christ by the Holy Spirit; blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies; seated with Christ in the heavenlies; a heavenly hope and calling; the pretribulational rapture; etc. — Sadler, page 141.

__________

Observe, it was not simply hidden in the Bible, as though the Old Testament contained this message and we only needed to ferret it out. But it was hidden in God, and could not have been apprehended by man at all excepting by divine revelation. — Ironside, page 151.

riches of Christ (v.8) = wealth in Christ, wealth Christ has

make … see (v.9) = bring to light

all (v.9) — not in some texts

fellowship (v.9) = administration, stewardship, dispensation

beginning of the ages (v.9) — This mystery was formed before the ages of time began and kept secret since they started — until they were given to Paul.

through Jesus Christ (v.9) — not in the best manuscripts

⁶ that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel,

⁷ of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.

should be (v.6) = in Greek, this reads “the Gentiles are”

of the same body (v.6) = “belonging jointly to the same body”

promises (v.6) — God’s promise to Himself

Christ (v.6) — the best manuscripts have “Christ Jesus”

Now what is this mystery which in other ages was hidden from the sons of men? We are told in verse 6: “That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same Body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel.” In what does this differ from the Old Testament declaration that God would bless the Gentiles through Israel? The great difference, I take it, is this: According to the Old Testament prophets the day is coming when Israel will be restored to covenant relationship with God and will be brought into a place of special blessing here on the earth, and the Gentile nations living at that time will be blessed with and in subjection to them. But the great truth for our age is, that God is now calling out a people for the heavens to be the Body of His Son throughout the ages to come, and through whom He will administer the affairs of a redeemed universe. This Body is composed of those who were once by nature Jews and others who were Gentiles, but who have both been brought into the new creation by a second birth and united to the Lord Himself by the Spirit, thus becoming one Body with Him and each other. It was this great truth that Paul was specially called to minster “according to the gift of the grace of God,” which had been bestowed upon him. The Holy Spirit effectually worked in and through him to bring lost sinners of the Gentiles into this wonderful place of privilege and inalienable blessing. — Ironside, page 149.

minister (v.7) = a servant seen in his activity, one who serves

the gift of the grace (v.7) = the gift consisting in the grace — the office of apostleship

The ministry of this Mystery was a gift to the Apostle Paul, not because of any merit in him, for it was a gift of grace; and that same grace furnished him with spiritual power adequate to the discharge of the ministry. Gift, grace and power are the important words in this verse. — Williams, page 924.

1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles —

² if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you,

³ how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already,

⁴ by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ),

⁵ which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:

for this reason (v.1) — refers back to “building together of the saints” in Ephesians 2:20-22

prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles (v.1) — see Acts 22:21-22

for (v.1 — 2nd usage) = on behalf of the Gentiles and for their good

Although God had made a provision for the Gentiles to be saved through Israel in prophecy, a cursory reading of the Old Testament will produce this conclusion: No one was sent to the Gentiles. They were “strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12). — Sadler, page 118.

if (v.2) = “if, indeed, as I may assume,” assuming that — They had heard it, and Paul was now reminding them.

dispensation (v.2) = lit. “law of the house” = oversight, management, administration

revelation (v.3) = lit. “an uncovering, a laying bare”

mystery (v.3) — a secret purpose of God which when uncovered is understood by the Spirit-taught believer — no other writer of Scripture — only Paul — mentions the Body of Christ

knowledge (v.4) = mental apprehension —  insight depending on judgment and inference

mystery of Christ (v.4) = mystery relating to Christ

other (v.5) = another of a different kind

ages (v.5) = the period covered by a generation of men, a generation

sons of men (v.5) = men, with the idea of generations — Paul is reinforcing the point that no humans knew these truths until they were revealed to Paul by God who knew them from the beginning

now (v.5) — as opposed to “other ages (earlier in this verse) — further evidence that the apostles and prophets were the apostles (Paul, Timothy, Titus) and prophets of grace, not the Old Testament prophets and 12 apostles of the kingdom — see Sadler’s comments on Ephesians 2:19-22

Spirit (v.5) — Paul received the mystery by direct revelation from the Lord Jesus Christ. The other apostles and prophets received it through the illumination of the Spirit. We also receive it by illumination of the Spirit through the writings of Paul.

¹⁹ Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

²⁰ having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,

²¹ in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,

²² in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

now, therefore (v.19) — concluding the thoughts in vs.14-18 and drawing the conclusion

strangers (v.19) = alien, of a different quality or nature — those separated by natural or territorial demarcation

foreigners (v.19) = lit. “has a home alongside” — those separated by absence of civic privileges. The two terms, “strangers and foreigners” refer to all non-citizens.

building (v.21) — the Church, the Body of Christ

fitted (v.21) = to join closely together — “fitly framed” in the KJV — an architectural metaphor

temple (v.21) — the inner sanctuary, not the entire temple with its outbuildings.

I thought Sadler was excellent on this passage, so I’ve included a lot of what he says.

The term “now” used here by Paul signals that a significant dispensational change has taken place.

But now we are no more strangers but fellowcitizens with the saints. In essence the apostle is saying that the Ephesians were fellowcitizens with the other members of the Body of Christ, which is true of all those who have trusted Christ down to this very day.

Paul broadens the scope when he reveals that we are also numbered with the household of God. In this context the phrase “household of God” is a collective reference to all of the blood-washed saints from every age.

The apostle goes on to add that we are “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets.” Exactly who were these apostles and prophets? Some insist that this refers to the 12 apostles and the Old Testament prophets.

If these were the apostles and prophets of the kingdom the order would be reversed, for in God’s Prophetic Program the prophets preceded the apostles, as seen in Luke 11:49.

We believe that these were the apostles and prophets of grace who preached Christ according to the revelation of the Mystery. Of course, Paul is the primary apostle of this dispensation, but there were those who also held this office in a secondary sense. When Paul wrote to those at Thessalonica about his ministry among them he states: “Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the APOSTLES of Christ” (1 Thessalonians 2:6). These apostles of Christ are identified for us by the Holy Spirit as being Paul, Silas and Timothy (1 Thessalonians 1:1).

In Paul’s epistles the order is always the same, apostles first, followed by the prophets, for this is the order in which they were given. (1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 3:5; Ephesians 4:11).

So then, as members of the Body of Christ, we are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets of  grace who proclaimed the Lord of glory in His exaltation. Christ is the chief cornerstone which is synonymous with the foundation. It is the point of reference from which all measurements are taken. Thus, if we want to measure up to God’s standard today, we, too, must acknowledge Paul’s apostleship and message.

But it is equally important to recognize the connections between the two programs of God. For example, the Savior who shed His blood for Israel is the same Savior who died for our sins. The Spirit who indwelt the saints at Pentecost is the same Spirit who indwells believers in the age of grace. As we have seen, the members of the Body of Christ are also numbered with the household of God and therefore joined to the living temple which God planned and purposed before the foundation of the world. This helps to explain why Paul uses the metaphor of a ”temple” when speaking of us collectively (Ephesians 2:21).

 [Inside the Old Testament temple, separated from the Court of the Gentiles] we have the Holy Place, which represents all of those who have been saved under the Prophetic Program. The living stones that have been placed into this side of the structure rest on the sure foundation, which is Christ relative to His earthly ministry. This explains why Peter says to his readers: “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). With the setting aside of the nation Israel in unbelief, God has temporarily discontinued the construction on this part of the building. He has, however, revealed another set of plans for a new addition to the structure.

A new masterbuilder, Paul, is summoned, through whom God reveals His secret purpose, which was hidden from ages and generations past. Consequently, Paul was very careful NOT to “build upon another mans’ [Peter’s] foundation” (Romans 15:20). Instead, he pours out a new section of foundation in his epistles, which is Jesus Christ according to His heavenly ministry (1 Corinthians 3:10-11).

It is interesting that the term “temple” used here by the apostle in Ephesians 2 is the Greek word Naos, which refers to the sanctuary, and in this context to a specific section of it called the Holy of Holies. In this holy sanctum dwelt the very presence of God Almighty. Only the High Priest was permitted to enter this area once a year on the Day of Atonement. Anyone else was under the sure sentence of death if they even dared to draw near. But now, through the blood of Christ, God dwells in our midst, thus we can “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

When Solomon constructed the temple in Jerusalem he commanded, “and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house.” Solomon paid a king’s ransom to purchase the stones for his temple, but it is nothing to be compared with what it cost our Savior to purchase us from the quarry of sin. Every stone that was placed in Solomon’s temple was made ready before it was brought to the structure so that, “there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building” (1 Kings 6:7). These stones were cut to such precision at the quarry that when they were brought to the site each fit perfectly into its place without a sound. In like manner, the sound of the hammer was only heard on a hill called Calvary, as they drove nails into the hands and feet of our Lord. The living stones that were chiseled from His finished work are still being slipped quietly into the temple of God. We are perfect and complete in Him. — Sadler, pages 110-115.

¹⁴ For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,

¹⁵ having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,

¹⁶ and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.

¹⁷ And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 

¹⁸ For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

He (v.14) — in Greek, it’s intensive — He Himself, He and no other, He in His own Person

made (v.14) = to join together that which is separated — (here) Jew and Gentile

middle wall of separation (v.14) — Christ has broken down the middle wall of partition, that is, the law with its animal sacrifices, feasts, baptisms, Sabbaths, etc. This wall stood tall and strong for over fifteen hundred years. It barred the Gentiles access to the true and living God. There was no place this was more acutely evident than the temple. The following inscription was recently unearthed from Herod’s temple in Jerusalem by archeologists:

No Gentile may enter the barricade which surrounds the Sanctuary and enclosure. Anyone who is caught doing so will have himself to blame for his ensuing death.

But now, we are free from the law. Christ has “abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances” (v.15). Christ delivered us from the obligation of fulfilling the demands of the law as a condition of justification. He accomplished this by redeeming us from the curse of the law. The curse of the law was the pronouncement of “death” due to sin. But Christ who knew no sin was made a curse for us (Galatians 3:13). In other words, He died our death, freeing us from the bondage of the law.  — Sadler, pages 107-108.

Acts 21:28 —Crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This [Paul] is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, the law, and this place; and furthermore he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.”

abolished (v.15) = rendered inoperative

enmity (v.15) — referring (here) to the middle wall (v.14) between Jew and Gentile

new man (v.15) — not the individual believer but the Church, the Body of Christ — as in 1 Corinthians 12:12-13

The new creation and the new union have their ground and principle in Christ. What was contemplated, too, was not simply the making of one man where formerly there were two, but the making of one new man. The result was not that, though, the separation between them was removed, the Jew still remained Jew and the Gentile, still Gentile. It was something new, the old distinctions between Jew and Gentile being lost in a third order of “man” — the Christian man. The word “make” is not “to make,” but “to create.” The word “new” is not “new” in time but “new” in quality. The word “man” is not “a male individual,” but the generic, racial term, speaking of an individual, here of the new creation made up of male and female, the mystical body of Christ. — Wuest, page 76.

and (v.16) — continuing the thought in v.15 and extending it. — Now reconciliation to God is introduced — a reconciliation to a condition which had been lost — the unity of the human race before God brought in the Jew as a separate and distinct nation.

reconcile (v.16) = reconcile things that are at variance.

one body (v.16) — Ephesians 4:4; Colossians 3:15

having slain the enmity (v.16) — between (here) the sinner and God

came (v.17) = having come

preached (v.17) = lit. “brought good news”

This passage has troubled some …, insofar as it seems to imply that Christ preached this message during His earthly ministry. Of course, we know this could not have been the case since this truth was hidden. The answer lies in the fact that the revelation of the joint Body was to be manifested in due time through Paul’s gospel (1 Timothy 2:3-7 cf. Titus 1:1-3). So, it is through Paul’s message that Christ is making known that Jews and Gentiles are reconciled in one Body by the Cross. — Sadler, page 109.

you who were afar off (v.17) — Gentiles

those who were near (v.17) — Jews

Verse 18 is an appeal to the truth of what has just been stated based on experience. — The Spirit is witness to the truth that Jews and Gentiles are now one body. All three members of the Trinity are in view in this verse.

access (v.18) — used of those who secure for one an interview with a sovereign

In Christ’s baptism into death at Calvary all Jewish believers die, and cease therefore to be Jews, and, likewise, all Gentile believers die and cease to be Gentiles. They rise with Christ, and as one body — a new man — they are brought into a new creation — separated from the earth and placed in and with Christ in the heavenlies. There He as the Head and they as the members form the Church.

This purpose of God respecting the Church in the heavenlies and His counsel concerning Israel and the nations in the earth, do not conflict. All His promises made in the Scriptures to the Hebrew Church will most surely be fulfilled in the earth. The nations will be blessed with Israel as Israel. The distinction between Israel and the nations will be maintained; for Israel will be set at the head of the nations; and all together they will become the Kingdom and the power of Christ. But the Church’s home and hopes are heavenly. — Williams, page 922.