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2. Prayer for their fuller enlightenment (Eph. 1:16 b-21).
3. The work of GOD for men in Christ: personal disqualifications overcome (1:22-2:10).

4. The union of Jews and Gentiles in one Divine Body: national differences set aside (2:11-22).

1:15-2:22. The opening hymn of praise is followed by a thanksgiving for the faith of the readers (vs. 15, 16 a ), and a prayer for their fuller knowledge of the privileges of the Christian faith (16b-21), which leads to a description of the work of GOD for men through Christ (1:22-2:10), and specially of the union of Jews and Gentiles in one body (2:11-22).

1. Thanksgiving for the faith of the Ephesians (1:15, 16a).

15. For this cause I also having heard of the faith which is among you in the Lord Jesus and which ye shew toward all the saints 16 cease not to give thanks for you.

15. dia; tou'to ...] For this cause ... even that the Gentiles have now been included within the Church, so that the fulness of salvation has been brought within sight.


kajgwv ] I also , though as a Jew I might have been inclined to cherish jealously the peculiar privileges of my people.
ajkouvsa"...tou;" aJgivou" ] having heard of the faith which is among you resting in the Lord Jesus and which ye shew unto all the saints. The phrase pivsti" ejn tw'/ kurivw/ jIhsou' , which forms as it were a compound word (comp. Col. 1:4 pivsti" uJmw'n ejn C. jI. ), represents faith not only as ‘directed to’ ( prov" , 1 Thess. 1:8 hJ pivsti" uJmw'n hJ pro;" qeovn ) or ‘reaching to (into)’ ( eij" , Acts 26:18 pivstei th'/ eij" ejmev ), but as ‘grounded and resting in’ the Lord Jesus. Thus we find pivsti" hJ ejn C. jI. 1 Tim. 3:13; 2 Tim. 3:15 (in Gal. 3:26 ejn C. jI. is probably to be taken with uiJoiv ejste and not with pivstew" ). The use of oJ kuvrio" jIhsou'" is significant. The confession ‘ kuvrio" jIhsou'" ’ was the earliest Christian creed: 1 Cor. 12:3; Rom. 10:9 ( eja;n oJmologhvsh/" to; rJh'ma...o{ti Kuvrio" jIhsou'" ).
kai; th;n eij" p. t. aJg. ] The insertion of th;n ajgavphn after kaiv in the later text is borrowed from Col. 1:4. ‘The faith shewn to all the saints’ was the practical expression of the faith which rested on union with Christ. Comp. Philem. 5 th;n pivstin h}n e[cei"...eij" pavnta" tou;" aJgivou" .
16.
ouj pauvomai...proseucw'n mou ] This combination of prayer with thanksgiving is characteristic: 1 Thess. 1:2; Rom. 1:8 ff.; Phil. 1:3 f.; Col. 1:3 (2 Tim. 1:3). With ouj pauvomai compare pavntote , Eph. 5:20; 1 Thess. 1:2; 2 Thess. 1:3, 11; 2:13; 1 Cor. 1:4; Rom. 1:10; Col. 1:3; Phil. 1:4; ajdialeivptw" 1 Thess. 2:13;5:17 (1 Thess. 1:2; Rom. 1:9); ejn pantiv 1 Thess. 5:18.

In orationibus, non ut quidam [in] jucunditate convivii: mihi autem nihil oratione jucundius (Primas.).

2. Prayer for their fuller enlightenment (1:16b-21).

16. Making mention of you in my prayers , 17 that the GOD of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him; 18 to the end that having the eyes of your heart enlightened ye may know what is the hope of His calling, what the riches of the glory of His


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