<- Previous   First   Next ->

the fulfilment of His counsel unceasingly, and now at length the steps towards it can be seen.

For provqesi" see Eph. 1:11; Rom. 8:28; 9:11; 2 Tim. 1:9. h}n ejpoivhsen ejn ...] which He accomplished , brought to fulfilment, in ... (not formed or purposed). Comp. Apoc. 17:17. For poiei'n see Winer, 3.38, 5.

The rendering ‘which he purposed’ gives finally the same general meaning, but it is less forcible, less suitable to the context, and it would have naturally required ‘in the Christ’ without the Lord's historic name.
ejn tw'/ c. jI. tw'/ k. hJ. ] in the Christ , the hope of Israel, even Jesus , the Son of man, our Lord. Compare Eph. 3:1 (note). In the two parts of this title we have a summary of the first characteristic confessions of Jew and Gentile: ‘Jesus is the Christ’ (Acts 5:42; 17:3; comp. 9:34), and ‘Jesus is the Lord’ (1 Cor. 12:3; Rom. 10:9).

12. ejn w|/ ...] in Whom , in vital fellowship with Him, we have freedom of address and freedom of access to GOD. The right of address and the right of access are coupled together ( th;n parr. kai; pro" ., not th;n parr. kai; th;n pro" .) as parts of the right of personal communion with GOD.

For parrhsiva see Heb. 3:6; 4:16; 10:19; 1 John 3:21; 5:14. For prosagwghv see Eph. 2:18 (note).
ejn pepoiq .] The privilege of communion is realised in personal confidence through our faith in Christ. For pepoivqhsi" see 2 Cor. 3:4.
th'" pivst. aujtou' ] our faith in Him. Comp. Mark 11:22; Gal. 2:16, 20; 3:22; Rom. 3:22; Phil. 1:27; 3:9; James 2:1; Apoc. 14:12.

13. St Paul goes back to the thought of his imprisonment (Eph. 3:1 oJ devsmio" ) and points out that his readers should not be disheartened at the afflictions which his teaching had brought to him (comp. Eph. 6:22). These were as nothing in comparison to the privilege of preaching the Gospel, so that they were their ‘glory,’ inasmuch as they shewed the grandeur of the truth which they had received.
diov ...] therefore , since the message of a universal Gospel is immeasurable in its range and the spring of personal assurance.
aijtou'mai ] I beg you. The rendering ‘I pray that I may not lose heart’ appears to be equally inconsistent with the whole tenor of the passage and with the language. h{ti" ] seeing they are. For the attraction compare Eph. 6:17; 1 Cor. 3:17; 1 Tim. 3:15.

2. Prayer that those who receive it may be enabled to apprehend its lessons

(14-19).

Eph. 3:14-19. St Paul resumes his broken sentence (vs. 1), but again only to contemplate in prayer the view of GOD'S providence opened by the coming of Christ. Just as (in Eph. 3:2-13) he had dwelt on the grandeur of his own mission, he now is filled with the thought of the opportunities offered to his readers. Their own experience would, if rightly interpreted, throw fresh light on the Divine wisdom; and therefore he prays that they, through the presence of Christ within them, might, with fuller knowledge of the sphere and power of Christ's love, be enabled to discharge their office for the whole body.

14. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father , 15 from Whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name , 16 that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inward man: 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that


<- Previous   First   Next ->