The New Testament with Commentary Ephesians 2

Our position in Christ

1 He[F] raised you up as well, when you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you once walked, according to the Aeon of this world, the ruler of the domain of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of the disobedience;* 3 among whom all of us also used to conduct ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and of the senses,† and were by nature children of wrath,‡ just like the rest. 4 But God—being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions—made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) 6 and raised us up together and seated us together in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,§ 7 in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, through His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved, through the Faith*—and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one may boast. 10 You see, we are His ‘poem’,† created in Christ Jesus for good works,‡ which God prepared in advance in order that we should walk in them.§

Once far, now near in Christ

11 So then, remember that once you physical Gentiles—called ‘uncircumcision’ by the so-called ‘circumcision’ (that made in flesh with hands)— 12 that at that time you were apart from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and strangers to the covenants of the promise,* having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have come to be near through the blood of the Christ.

Two into one

14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one and broken down the barrier of separation—the law with its commandments and ordinances— 15 having abolished the enmity through His ‘flesh’,† so as to mold the two [Jew and Gentile] into one new man in Himself (thus making peace), 16 and to reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross (by which He killed the enmity).‡ 17 He came and proclaimed peace to us,§ being both far and near, 18 because through Him we both have access to the Father, by one Spirit.*

19 So then, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God's household, 20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,† Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone; 21 in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 22 in whom you also are being built together to become a habitation of God in spirit.‡

*2:2 Strictly speaking the Text has “according to the Aeon of this world, according to the ruler of the domain of the air”—the phrases are parallel, so ‘Aeon’ and ‘ruler’ have the same referent, a specific person or being. This spirit is presently at work (present tense) in ‘the sons of the disobedience’. ‘Sons’ of something are characterized by that something, and the something in this case is ‘the’ disobedience (the Text has the definite article)—a continuation of the original rebellion against the Sovereign of the universe. Anyone in rebellion against the Creator is under satanic influence, direct or indirect (in most cases a demon acts as Satan's agent, when something more than the influence of the surrounding culture is required). Anyone in rebellion against the Creator will also have strongholds of Satan in his mind.

†2:3 This is the way people who do not belong to Christ may be expected to act. Far from being surprised, we should count on it, and our strategies (for living and evangelizing) should count on it.

‡2:3 To be in rebellion against the Creator is to be under His wrath.

§2:6 This is tremendous! Here we have our authority. Christ is now seated at the Father's right, “far above” (1:21) the enemy and his hosts. This verse affirms that we are there too! So in Christ we also are far above the enemy and his hosts. We should be consciously operating on that basis, but since few churches teach this, most Christians live in spiritual defeat.

*2:8 The Text has ‘the’ faith; the reference is to a specific faith, presumably the body of truth that revolves around the person of Jesus.

†2:10 The English word ‘poem’ comes from the Greek word here, ποιημα, and is one of its meanings. Just as each poem is an individual creation of the poet, so we are individual creations, not produced by a production line in a factory.

‡2:10 We are not saved by good works, but for good works. We do good works because we are saved, and if you don't…

§2:10 “Prepared in advance”—I imagine that this refers to God's moral code, the rules of conduct that everyone should follow (if everyone did we would not need jails, rescue missions, etc.).

*2:12 “The promise”—that is what the Text says. The various covenants recorded in the Old Testament differ considerably from each other, but one might say that there is one promise common to all: God promises to bless obedience, those who obey Him. To obey God one needs to have some contact with Him. Without such contact one has no hope.

†2:15 “His ‘flesh’ ” presumably refers to Jesus' physical body that went to the cross. Without the incarnation none of what Paul is discussing would have been possible.

‡2:16 In this paragraph Paul is dealing with the enmity between Jew and Gentile; within the Jewish ‘religion’ Gentiles were definitely second class citizens—to be saved a Gentile had to become a spiritual Jew. Within the Church of Jesus Christ that distinction is done away with; all are on the same footing, regardless of ethnic origin.

§2:17 The Greek manuscripts are badly divided between “us” and ‘you’, so I follow the best line of transmission. Verses 17 and 18 form a single sentence, wherein Paul now handles Jew and Gentile as a unit, “we both”.

*2:18 Up to this point in the letter the Father and the Son have been repeatedly presented as distinct persons; now the Holy Spirit is added, although introduced in 1:13 above. All three persons are in this 18th verse.

†2:20 The truth that Paul is expounding is that in Christ Gentiles join Jews as “fellow citizens” and “members of God's household”, part of “the whole building”. In what sense can that “building” be built upon “the foundation of the apostles and prophets”? Presumably “prophets” is short for the writings that make up the Old Testament Scriptures, or Canon. The Faith is based on revealed Truth, not individual people. Analogously, presumably “apostles” is short for the writings that make up the New Testament Scriptures, or Canon. Again, the Faith is based on revealed Truth, not individual people. Our “growing into a holy temple” (verse 21) depends upon the Holy Spirit and His Sword (not individuals whom God used).

‡2:22 There is no article with ‘spirit’; one ‘habitation’ made up of many individuals refers to the spiritual realm, not the physical. (Recall that in John 4:23-24 Jesus explained that the Father wants worship ‘in spirit’.)