TRV
Study This Verse
Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Ephesians 1:15–23. His two-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
We have come to the last part of this chapter, which consists of Paul's earnest prayer to God in behalf of these Ephesians. We should pray for the persons for whom we give thanks. Our apostle blesses God for what he had done for them, and then he prays that he would do more for them. He gives thanks for spiritual blessings, and prays for further supplies of them; for God will for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them. He has laid up these spiritual blessings for us in the hands of his Son, the Lord Jesus; but then he has appointed us to draw them out, and fetch them in, by prayer. We have no part nor lot in the matter, any further than we claim it by faith and prayer. One inducement to pray for them was the good account he had of them, of their faith in the Lord Jesus and love to all the saints, Eph 1:15. Faith in Christ, and love to the saints, will be attended with all other graces. Love to the saints, as such, and because they are such, must include love to God. Those who love saints, as such, love all saints, how weak in grace, how mean in the world, how fretful and peevish soever, some of them may be. Another inducement to pray for them was because they had received the earnest of the inheritance: this we may observe from the words being connected with the preceding ones by the particle wherefore. "Perhaps you will think that, having received the earnest, it should follow, therefore you are happy enough, and need take no further care: you need not pray for yourselves, nor I for you." No, quite the contrary. Wherefore - I cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, Eph 1:16. While he blesses God for giving them the Spirit, he ceases not to pray that he would give unto them the Spirit (Eph 1:17), that he would give greater measures of the Spirit. Observe, Even the best of Christians need to be prayed for: and, while we hear well of our Christian friends, we should think ourselves obliged to intercede with God for them, that they may abound and increase yet more and more. Now what is it that Paul prays for in behalf of the Ephesians? Not that they might be freed from persecution; nor that they might possess the riches, honours, or pleasures of the world; but the great thing he prays for is the illumination of their understandings, and that their knowledge might increase and abound: he means it of a practical and experimental knowledge. The graces and comforts of the Spirit are communicated to the soul by the enlightening of the understanding. In this way he gains and keeps possession. Satan takes a contrary way: he gets possession by the senses and passions, Christ by the understanding. Observe,
I.Whence this knowledge must come from the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, Eph 1:17.
The Lord is a God of knowledge, and there is no sound saving knowledge but what comes from him; and therefore to him we must look for it, who is the God of our Lord Jesus Christ (see Eph 1:3) and the Father of glory. It is a Hebraism. God is infinitely glorious in himself all glory is due to him from his creatures, and he is the author of all that glory with which his saints are or shall be invested. Now he gives knowledge by giving the Spirit of knowledge; for the Spirit of God is the teacher of the saints, the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. We have the revelation of the Spirit in the word: but will that avail us, if we have not the wisdom of the Spirit in the heart? If the same Spirit who indited the sacred scriptures do not take the veil from off our hearts, and enable us to understand and improve them, we shall be never the better. - In the knowledge of him, or for the acknowledgment of him; not only a speculative knowledge of Christ, and of what relates to him, but an acknowledgment of Christ's authority by an obedient conformity to him, which must be by the help of the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. This knowledge is first in the understanding. He prays that the eyes of their understanding may be enlightened, Eph 1:18. Observe, Those who have their eyes opened, and have some understanding in the things of God, have need to be more and more enlightened, and to have their knowledge more clear, and distinct, and experimental. Christians should not think it enough to have warm affections, but they should labour to have clear understandings; they should be ambitious of being knowing Christians, and judicious Christians.
II.What it is that he more particularly desire they should grow in the knowledge of.
1.The hope of his calling, Eph 1:18. Christianity is our calling. God has called us to it, and on that account it is said to be his calling. There is a hope in this calling; for those who deal with God deal upon trust. And it is a desirable thing to know what this hope of our calling is, to have such an acquaintance with the immense privileges of God's people, and the expectations they have from God, and with respect to the heavenly world, as to be quickened thereby to the utmost diligence and patience in the Christian course. We ought to labour after, and pray earnestly for, a clearer insight into, and a fuller acquaintance with, the great objects of a Christian's hopes.
2.The riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. Besides the heavenly inheritance prepared for the saints, there is a present inheritance in the saints; for grace is glory begun, and holiness is happiness in the bud. There is a glory in this inheritance, riches of glory, rendering the Christian more excellent and more truly honourable than all about him: and it is desirable to know this experimentally, to be acquainted with the principles, pleasures, and powers, of the spiritual and divine life. It may be understood of the glorious inheritance in or among the saints in heaven, where God does, as it were, lay forth all his riches, to make them happy and glorious, and where all that the saints are in possession of is transcendently glorious, as the knowledge that can be attained of this upon earth is very desirable, and must be exceedingly entertaining and delightful. Let us endeavour then, by reading, contemplation, and prayer, to know as much of heaven as we can, that we may be desiring and longing to be there.
3.The exceeding greatness of God's power towards those who believe, Eph 1:19. The practical belief of the all-sufficiency of God, and of the omnipotence of divine grace, is absolutely necessary to a close and steady walking with him. It is a desirable thing to know experimentally the mighty power of that grace beginning and carrying on the work of faith in our souls. It is a difficult thing to bring a soul to believe in Christ, and to venture its all upon his righteousness, and upon the hope of eternal life. It is nothing less than an almighty power that will work this in us. The apostle speaks here with a mighty fluency and copiousness of expression, and yet, at the same time, as if he wanted words to express the exceeding greatness of God's almighty power, that power which God exerts towards his people, and by which he raised Christ from the dead, Eph 1:20. That indeed was the great proof of the truth of the gospel to the world: but the transcript of that in ourselves (our sanctification, and rising from the death of sin, in conformity to Christ's resurrection) is the great proof to us. Though this cannot prove the truth of the gospel to another who knows nothing of the matter (there the resurrection of Christ is the proof), yet to be able to speak experimentally, as the Samaritans, "We have heard him ourselves, we have felt a mighty change in our hearts," will make us able to say, with the fullest satisfaction, Now we believe, and are sure, that this is the Christ, the Son of God. Many understand the apostle here as speaking of that exceeding greatness of power which God will exert for raising the bodies of believers to eternal life, even the same mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him, etc. And how desirable a thing must it be to become at length acquainted with that power, by being raised out of the grave thereby unto eternal life!
Having said something of Christ and his resurrection, the apostle digresses a little from the subject he is upon to make some further honourable mention of the Lord Jesus and his exaltation. He sits at the Father's right hand in the heavenly places, etc., Eph 1:20, Eph 1:21. Jesus Christ is advanced above all, and he is set in authority over all, they being made subject to him. All the glory of the upper world, and all the powers of both worlds, are entirely devoted to him. The Father hath put all things under his feet (Eph 1:22), according to the promise, Psa 110:1. All creatures whatsoever are in subjection to him; they must either yield him sincere obedience or fall under the weight of his sceptre, and receive their doom from him. God GAVE him to be head over all things. It was a gift to Christ, considered as a Mediator, to be advanced to such dominion and headship, and to have such a mystical body prepared for him: and it was a gift to the church, to be provided with a head endued with so much power and authority. God gave him to be the head over all things. He gave him all power both in heaven and in earth. The Father loves the Son, and hath given ALL things into his hands. But that which completes the comfort of this is that he is the head over all things to the church; he is entrusted with all power, that is, that he may dispose of all the affairs of the providential kingdom in subserviency to the designs of his grace concerning his church. With this therefore we may answer the messengers of the nations, that the Lord hath founded Zion. The same power that supports the world support the church; and we are sure he loves his church, for it is his body (Eph 1:23), his mystical body, and he will care for it. It is the fulness of him that filleth all in all. Jesus Christ filleth all in all; he supplies all defects in all his members, filling them with his Spirit, and even with the fulness of God, Eph 3:19. And yet the church is said to be his fulness, because Christ as Mediator would not be complete if he had not a church. How could he be a king if he had not a kingdom? This therefore comes in to the honour of Christ, as Mediator, that the church is his fulness.
Historical interpretation
Historical Reception
2 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
He now moves on to specific exhortations for the Ephesians, and at the same time he warns them not to entertain contrary ideas. He first expresses himself generously: “having heard,” he says, “of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.” For this is the sum of things, this is virtue, this is the mystery, that there should be faith in Christ Jesus. This faith also encourages one to love all the saints, all who have faith in Christ and have been sanctified through him. Thus one who is faithful in Christ loves the saints.… “Therefore I also, having heard of your faith, love you.”
Never was anything equal to the yearnings of the Apostle, never anything like the sympathy and the affectionateness of the blessed Paul, who made his every prayer in behalf of whole cities and peoples, and writes the same to all, "I thank my God for you, making mention of you in my prayers." Think how many he had in his mind, whom it were a labor so much as to remember; how many he made mention of in his prayers, giving thanks to God for them all as though he himself had received the greatest blessing.
"Wherefore," he says, i.e., because of what is to come, because of the good things that are laid up in store for them who rightly believe and live. And it is meet then to give thanks to God both for all the things which mankind have received at His hands, both heretofore and hereafter; and meet to give Him thanks also for the faith of them that believe.
"Having heard," saith he, "of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you, and which ye show toward all the saints."
He on all occasions knits together and combines faith and love, a glorious pair; nor does he mention the saints of that country only, but all.
"I cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers."
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Summary
Following a magnificent declaration of the spiritual blessings bestowed upon believers in Christ, Paul transitions to a heartfelt expression of thanksgiving and prayer for the Ephesian church. This verse, Ephesians 1:15, marks the beginning of Paul's intercession, revealing that his gratitude is deeply rooted in the confirmed reports he has received regarding their vibrant faith in the Lord Jesus and their demonstrable love for all fellow believers. It establishes the spiritual vitality of the Ephesian community as the foundation for his subsequent petitions for their deeper knowledge and understanding.
Context
Literary Context
Ephesians 1:15 serves as a crucial pivot point in Paul's letter. The preceding verses (Ephesians 1:3-14) are a grand theological exposition, a single, flowing Greek sentence overflowing with doxology for God's redemptive plan, encompassing election, adoption, redemption, and the sealing of the Holy Spirit. This section establishes the divine initiative and the vast spiritual inheritance of believers. With verse 15, Paul shifts from theological declaration to pastoral application, moving from "what God has done" to "how the Ephesians are responding" and "what Paul prays for them." It sets the stage for his profound prayer for spiritual enlightenment and power in Ephesians 1:16-23.
Historical & Cultural Context
The city of Ephesus was a major metropolitan center in the Roman province of Asia Minor, renowned for its temple of Artemis (Diana), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was a hub of pagan worship, magic, and diverse philosophical thought, making the establishment and growth of a Christian community particularly challenging yet significant. The church in Ephesus had been founded by Paul during his third missionary journey (as described in Acts 19), and he had spent over two years teaching there. The reports of their "faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints" would have been especially encouraging given the pervasive idolatry and moral challenges of their cultural environment, indicating a genuine transformation and adherence to Christ's teachings amidst a hostile backdrop.
Key Themes
This verse contributes significantly to several overarching themes within Ephesians and Paul's broader theology. It highlights the interconnectedness of faith and love as the twin pillars of Christian maturity, demonstrating that true belief in Christ inevitably expresses itself in tangible love for the community of believers. It reinforces the theme of apostolic thanksgiving and intercession, a common feature in Paul's letters (e.g., Philippians 1:3-6), underscoring his deep pastoral concern and joy over the spiritual progress of his converts. Furthermore, it subtly introduces the theme of spiritual growth and knowledge, as Paul's subsequent prayer in Ephesians 1:17-19 builds upon this foundation of existing faith and love, seeking a deeper apprehension of the glorious truths already declared.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This primary verb signifies "to hear" in various senses, including to give audience, to come to the ears, or to understand. In this context, it indicates Paul's reception of information, suggesting that the spiritual vitality of the Ephesian church was not a secret but widely known, likely through messengers or fellow believers who had visited. It implies an active, attentive hearing that leads to a response of thanksgiving.
Derived from a word meaning "persuasion," pístis encompasses credence, moral conviction of religious truth, and especially reliance upon Christ for salvation. It is not merely intellectual assent but a profound, active trust and faithfulness. Here, it refers to the Ephesians' genuine and active belief in the person and work of the Lord Jesus, forming the bedrock of their Christian identity.
This term denotes a specific kind of love: affection, benevolence, and often, in the New Testament, a divine, unconditional, and self-sacrificial love. Distinct from mere human affection (philia) or desire (erōs), agápē is volitional and active, demonstrating care and concern for others, even those who may not be inherently lovable. Its presence among the Ephesians indicates a practical outworking of their faith.
Meaning "sacred," "pure," "morally blameless," or "consecrated," hágios refers to all believers who are set apart by God for His purposes. It does not denote a select, elite group but rather the entire body of Christ, consecrated through their union with Him. The phrase "love unto all the saints" therefore emphasizes the comprehensive and inclusive nature of their love, extending to every member of the Christian community.
Verse Breakdown
"Wherefore I also"
This phrase, employing the Greek conjunctions diá (G1223, "through, because of") and toûto (G5124, "this thing"), explicitly links Paul's subsequent thanksgiving to the preceding theological exposition (Ephesians 1:3-14). It signifies that "because of" or "for this reason" (referring to the glorious spiritual blessings just enumerated), Paul is moved to respond. The "I also" (Greek kagṓ, G2504) indicates that Paul's response of thanksgiving is a natural and personal echo of the doxology he has just offered.
"after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus"
Paul's thanksgiving is not based on mere assumption but on concrete reports he has received. The "hearing" (Greek akoúō, G191) signifies reliable information about their spiritual state. The core of this report is their "faith" (Greek pístis, G4102), which is specifically directed "in the Lord Jesus" (Greek en tō Kyriō Iēsoú, G1722, G2962, G2424). This highlights that their faith is not a vague spirituality but a definite, personal trust and reliance upon Jesus Christ as their supreme Master and Savior.
"and love unto all the saints"
This clause presents the second crucial component of the report that fuels Paul's gratitude. Their faith in Christ is not isolated but manifests outwardly in "love" (Greek agápē, G26). This love is directed "unto" (Greek eis, G1519, indicating direction or purpose) "all the saints" (Greek pâs ho hágios, G3956, G40). The inclusion of "all" underscores the comprehensive and impartial nature of their love, extending to every fellow believer, regardless of background or status, demonstrating the unifying power of the Holy Spirit within the church.
Literary Devices
Ephesians 1:15 effectively employs Transition as its primary literary device, serving as a pivotal bridge between the doctrinal exposition of verses 3-14 and the subsequent prayer in verses 16-23. The phrase "Wherefore I also" explicitly signals this shift, connecting Paul's personal response to the preceding theological truths. The verse also utilizes Juxtaposition by presenting "faith in the Lord Jesus" and "love unto all the saints" as twin, indispensable virtues. This pairing emphasizes that genuine Christian life is characterized by both a vertical relationship with God (faith) and a horizontal relationship with fellow believers (love). Furthermore, the verse embodies Apostolic Thanksgiving, a common Pauline literary convention where the apostle expresses gratitude for the spiritual state of his recipients, thereby affirming their spiritual growth and setting a positive tone for the exhortations and teachings that follow.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Ephesians 1:15 powerfully encapsulates the essence of authentic Christian living: a vibrant, personal faith in Jesus Christ that inevitably overflows into tangible, unconditional love for the community of believers. This inseparable link between vertical faith and horizontal love is a foundational theological principle throughout the New Testament, reflecting the two greatest commandments given by Christ Himself. Paul's thanksgiving for these qualities in the Ephesians underscores their vital importance as evidence of genuine spiritual life and maturity, demonstrating that the profound spiritual blessings of Ephesians 1:3-14 are indeed bearing fruit in the lives of the believers. This verse serves as a reminder that the church's strength and witness are rooted not just in doctrinal correctness, but in the practical outworking of these core virtues.
Reflection and Application
Ephesians 1:15 offers a profound template for evaluating and cultivating our own spiritual lives and the health of our communities. Paul's gratitude is not for material success or worldly influence, but for the fundamental spiritual realities of faith and love. This challenges us to prioritize these virtues in our personal walk and in our corporate church life. Is our faith in the Lord Jesus a living, active trust that shapes our decisions and worldview, or merely a nominal affiliation? Does that faith naturally translate into a selfless, comprehensive love for "all the saints"—not just those we find agreeable, but the entire body of Christ, with all its diversity and imperfections? Paul's example also calls us to cultivate a spirit of thanksgiving for the spiritual growth we observe in others, fostering encouragement and unity within the church. When we hear reports of genuine faith and love, whether in our local congregation or globally, it should prompt us to give thanks and to pray for even deeper spiritual understanding, just as Paul did.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why does Paul give thanks for their faith and love, rather than other qualities?
Paul's thanksgiving for the Ephesians' "faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints" is highly significant because these two qualities represent the foundational and most vital expressions of genuine Christian life. Faith in Christ is the indispensable means by which one enters into a relationship with God and receives all the spiritual blessings detailed in Ephesians 1:3-14. Love for fellow believers, on the other hand, is the primary evidence and fruit of that faith, demonstrating its transforming power and fulfilling Christ's new commandment (as seen in John 13:34-35). These are not merely good moral virtues, but the essential marks of true discipleship and the Spirit's work within a community.
What does "all the saints" mean in this context? Does it refer only to specific, highly devout individuals?
In the New Testament, particularly in Paul's letters, the term "saints" (Greek hagioi) refers to all believers in Christ, not an elite group or those who have achieved a certain level of spiritual perfection. It signifies that they are "set apart" or "consecrated" by God through their union with Jesus Christ. Therefore, "love unto all the saints" means that the Ephesian believers demonstrated a comprehensive and impartial love that extended to every member of the Christian community, regardless of their background, social status, or personal preferences. This inclusive love is a powerful testament to the unity created by the Holy Spirit within the body of Christ (as discussed in Ephesians 4:1-3).
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Ephesians 1:15, though focusing on the believers' response, finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Himself, who is the perfect embodiment and source of both faith and love. Our "faith in the Lord Jesus" is not merely a human act but a response to God's gracious initiative in Christ, who is the "author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2). He is the object of our faith, the one in whom all God's promises are "Yes" and "Amen" (2 Corinthians 1:20). Furthermore, the "love unto all the saints" that Paul commends in the Ephesians is a direct reflection of Christ's own sacrificial love for His church. He "loved the church and gave himself up for her" (Ephesians 5:25), setting the supreme example of agapē love. Thus, the faith and love observed in the Ephesian believers are not merely human virtues, but the Spirit-empowered fruit of their union with Christ, demonstrating His transforming power and continuing work within His body, the church, as He builds it up in love (Ephesians 4:15-16).