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God, abolishing the enmity, the twofold enmity, which the Fall had brought to men and the Law had fixed and revealed between themselves and towards God.

Forgiveness.

‘In Whom we have our redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses’ ( th;n a[fesin tw'n paraptwmavtwn ). (1:7.)

The word a[fesi" occurs in the Pauline Epistles only here and in the parallel Col. 1:14 ( t. a[fesin t. aJmartiw'n ).

The verb ajfievnai in the sense of ‘forgive’ is not found in St Paul's writings except (Rom. 4:7) in a quotation from LXX. Ps. 32:1.

But the verb carivzesqai , ‘deal graciously with’ is used by St Paul in eight Epistles (1 Cor., 2 Cor., Gal., Rom., Phil., Col., Eph. and Philem.) and in some of these passages (as in Lk. 7:42 f.) ‘forgiving’ is [the bounty] specially [intended], namely in 2 Cor. 2:7 w{ste toujnantivon uJma'" carivsasqai , 10 w|/ dev ti carivzesqe, kajgwv: kai; ga;r ejgw; o} kecavrismai, ei[ ti kecavrismai, dij uJma'" ejn proswvpw/ Cristou' , in Col. 2:13 carisavmeno" hJmi'n pavnta ta; paraptwvmata , ib. Eph. 3:13 carizovmenoi eJautoi'".. kaqw;" kai; oJ kuvrio" ejcarivsato uJmi'n ou{tw" kai; uJmei'" ; and in this Epistle twice in the verse Eph. 4:32: ‘Be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other even as God also in Christ forgave ( ejcarivsato ) you.’

Grace ( cavri" ).

( a ) The grace—the free and bounteous goodness—of God. ‘Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.’

‘To the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed upon us in the Beloved, in Whom we have our redemption through His blood, forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.’ (1:7.) ‘The exceeding riches of His grace.’ (2:8.) ‘By grace have ye been saved’ (2:5)—‘by grace—through faith’ (vs. 7).

( b ) Apostleship—a stewardship of the Grace of God. ‘The administration (stewardship) of the grace of God which was given me to you-ward.” (3:2.)

‘The gift of the grace of God that was given to me.’ (3:7.) ‘To me—was this grace given.’ (vs. 8.)

( c ) Specific grace given to each member of the Christian Society. ‘But to each one of us was the grace given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.’ (4:7.)

‘Grace be with all them that love the Lord Jesus Christ in incorruption.’ (6:24.) That which is elsewhere a Divine prerogative is, however, once (in 4:29) attributed to human speech: ‘no corrupt speech ...but whatever is good...that it may give grace to them that hear.’

Peace ( eijrhvnh ).

‘Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ’ (1:2)—‘ Peace to the brethren—from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ’

(1:2.)


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