you with the Christ.
4. plouvsio" ejn ejlevei ] Compare James 2:5 plousivou" ejn pivstei , 1 Tim. 6:18 ploutei'n ejn e[rgoi" kaloi'" .
The image is characteristic of the tone of thought in the Epistle. See Eph. 1:18 With ejn ejlevei dia; th;n pollh;n (v.l. multam , V. nimiam ) ajgavphn compare 1 Pet. 1:3 oJ kata; to; polu; aujtou' e[leo" ajnagennhvsa" hJma'" , Tit. 3:5. The motive of GOD in the redemption of the world is simply mercy and love. This truth is affirmed alike by St Peter, St Paul and St John (Eph. 3:16).
5.
kai; o[nta" hJma'"
]
even when we were
...His love survived our spiritual death (John 3:16; 1 John 4:10).
sunez. sunhvg. sunekavq
.] The three words express a climax in the manifestation of the love of GOD. He quickened the dead with life: He restored them to the full use of the powers of their former life: He raised them, without the loss of the perfection of their humanity, to a life in the heavenly order.
The Latin forms
convivificavit
, conresuscitavit (v.l. coexcitavit) are characteristic.
sunezwopoivhsen
] Col. 2:13.
cavritiv ejste seswsm
.]
by grace ye have been saved.
The abrupt return to the second person (so Eph. 2:8) is natural and full of force. The tense must be noticed. It can be said of the believer,
swvzetai, swqhvsetai, ejswvqh, sevswstai
. 1 Cor. 1:18; 2 Cor. 2:15 (
oiJ swzovmenoi
); Rom. 5:9 f. (
swqhsovmeqa
); Rom. 8:24 (
ejswvqhmen
); 2 Tim. 1:9 (
tou' swvsanto" hJma'"
).
6.
sunhvgeiren
] Col. 2:12; 3:1. The Resurrection of Christ was ideally the quickening of all believers, the firstfruits of humanity.
sunekavqisen
] Compare Phil. 3:20. These acts which are complete on the Divine side have to be realised on the side of man: Rom. 8:11; 2 Cor. 4:14; Apoc. 3:21. Cf. Rom. 6:3 ff.
For man, as for the Son of man, the victory is completed in the triumph.
7. Thought cannot give distinctness to the vision of the counsel of God wrought out in the succession of ages. Through all redeemed man seen in Christ Jesus is seen as a glorious witness to the amazing wealth of God's grace, moving, it may be, other races to faith and hope and love, to thanksgiving and praise, through which their destiny will be reached.
Comp. 1 Pet. 1:12; 1 Cor. 4:9.
to; uJperb. pl. t. c.
] His grace corresponds with His power: Eph. 1:19
to; uJperb. meg. th'" dun. aujtou'
.
ejn crhstovthti
] That kindness which is tender and considerate. Among human graces it stands in Gal. 5:22 between long-suffering and goodness, in 2 Cor. 6:6 between long-suffering and holy spirit, and in Col. 3:12 between tender compassion and humility. As a Divine attribute it is joined with forbearance and long-suffering in Rom. 2:4, with
filanqrwpiva
in Tit. 3:4, and contrasted with
ajpotomiva
in Rom. 11:22.
Compare Matt. 11:30; Lk. 6:35; 1 Pet. 2:3 [cit. from Ps. 34:8]. 8, 9. These verses are parenthetical, repeating and developing the brief parenthesis in Eph. 2:5.
th'/ ga;r c.
] It is as if the Apostle said: I dwell on these facts of the grace and the kindness of GOD, familiar to us from past experience, lest any thought of deserving should arise in your minds, for it is by grace ye have been saved through faith.
note.