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Ephesians 2

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From Death to Life by Grace 1–10

1
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; ​
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Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: ​
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Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. ​
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But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, ​
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Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) ​
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And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: ​
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That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. ​
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For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ​
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Not of works, lest any man should boast. ​
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For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. ​

Gentiles Brought Near in Christ 11–22

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Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; ​
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That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: ​
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But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. ​
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For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; ​
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Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; ​
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And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: ​
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And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. ​
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For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. ​
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Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; ​
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And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; ​
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In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: ​
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In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Ephesians 2

Verse 1

dead in trespasses and sins — Nekros is a corpse; 'trespasses' is paraptoma, a false step or fall. The verb 'quickened' is carried over from v.5, where the sentence's main verb stands: sunzoopoieo, 'made alive together'. That verb is found only there and in Col 2:13.

Verse 2

the prince of the power of the air — Archon, a ruler; Christ calls him 'the prince of this world' (John 12:31). Aer is the air around the earth, and the powers set against believers are listed in Eph 6:12. 'Children of disobedience' returns in Eph 5:6 and Col 3:6, each time with 'the wrath of God'.

Verse 3

by nature the children of wrath — Phusis, native disposition or constitution, which Paul also uses of the Jews: 'We who are Jews by nature' (Gal 2:15). Wrath is orge. 'We all' places Paul with those 'even as others', so the verse leaves no one out of the former state.

Verse 4

rich in mercy — 'But God' (de theos) turns the sentence from the three verses before it. 'Mercy' is eleos, and 'love' is agape, the noun of the verb 'he loved'. Titus 3:4–5 joins the same terms: 'the kindness and love of God our Saviour', and 'according to his mercy he saved us'.

Verse 5

quickened us together with Christ — Sunzoopoieo, 'made alive together', found only here and in Col 2:13, where it stands beside the forgiving of 'all trespasses'. It begins three verbs joined by 'together' (vv.5–6). 'Ye are saved' is a perfect tense, a salvation that stands; it recurs in v.8.

Verse 6

made us sit together in heavenly places — Sunegeiro, 'raised up with', is the verb of Col 2:12 and 3:1. 'Heavenly places' (epouranios) occurs five times in Ephesians (1:3, 1:20, 2:6, 3:10, 6:12): the place where Christ was set 'at his own right hand' (1:20) is where believers are seated 'in Christ Jesus'.

Verse 7

the ages to come — 'Ages' is aion, the word rendered 'course' in v.2. Endeiknumi, 'shew', is the verb Paul uses of himself in 1 Tim 1:16, 'that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering'. 'Exceeding' (huperballo) recurs in Eph 1:19 and 3:19; 'kindness' (chrestotes) in Titus 3:4.

Verse 8

by grace are ye saved through faith — Grace (charis) is the source, and faith (pistis) the way it is received ('through'); 'saved' is perfect tense, as in v.5. Whether 'that' points to faith or to the whole salvation, nothing is 'of yourselves': 'it is of faith, that it might be by grace' (Rom 4:16).

Verse 9

Not of works, lest any man should boast — Kauchaomai, to boast: 'Where is boasting then? It is excluded' (Rom 3:27). If Abraham were justified by works, 'he hath whereof to glory; but not before God' (Rom 4:2). Titus 3:5 states the same: 'Not by works of righteousness which we have done'. The word 'works' (ergon) returns in v.10.

Verse 10

his workmanship — Poiema, a thing made, found in the New Testament only here and Rom 1:20 ('the things that are made'). 'Created' (ktizo) is the verb of v.15, 'one new man'. 'Before ordained' (proetoimazo) occurs only here and Rom 9:23. 'Walk' (peripateo) answers v.2: they once walked in trespasses.

Verse 11

Gentiles in the flesh — Ethnos, the nations. 'Uncircumcision' (akrobustia) was the name given by the 'Circumcision', the mark 'made by hands' (cheiropoietos). Circumcision was 'a token of the covenant' (Gen 17:11); Col 2:11 sets beside it 'the circumcision made without hands'.

Verse 12

the commonwealth of Israel — Politeia, citizenship, found only here and in Acts 22:28, where it is translated 'freedom'. Atheos, 'without God', occurs only here in the New Testament. Five losses are listed: Christ, citizenship, the covenants, hope, God. Rom 9:4 names what 'pertaineth' to Israelites, including 'the covenants' and 'the promises'.

Verse 13

far off… made nigh — Makran and engus, the pair of Isa 57:19, 'Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near', which v.17 takes up. Acts 2:39 has 'all that are afar off'. The nearness comes 'by the blood of Christ', as in Eph 1:7, 'redemption through his blood'.

Verse 14

the middle wall of partition — Christ himself 'is our peace' (cf. Mic 5:5, 'this man shall be the peace'). Mesotoichon, 'middle wall', is found only here; phragmos, 'partition', is the 'hedge' of Mark 12:1. In Acts 21:28 Paul is charged with bringing 'Greeks also into the temple'. v.15 names what was abolished.

Verse 15

the law of commandments contained in ordinances — Dogma, a decree, the word for Caesar's decree (Luke 2:1) and for the apostles' 'decrees' (Acts 16:4). Katargeo, 'abolished', means to render inoperative; Rom 3:31 uses it for 'make void', yet 'we establish the law'. Col 2:14 has the 'ordinances' nailed 'to his cross'.

Verse 16

reconcile both unto God — Apokatallasso, to reconcile fully, found only here and Col 1:20–21. The two are reconciled 'in one body by the cross', where the enmity is 'slain' (apokteino). The cross here is the same event as 'his flesh' (v.15) and 'the blood of Christ' (v.13).

Verse 17

came and preached peace — Euangelizo, to bring good tidings, the verb of Acts 10:36, 'preaching peace by Jesus Christ'; Isa 52:7 has 'that publisheth peace'. 'Afar off' and 'nigh' are from Isa 57:19, where the LORD speaks: 'Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near'.

Verse 18

access by one Spirit unto the Father — Prosagoge, admission or a bringing in, found only here, Rom 5:2 and Eph 3:12 ('boldness and access with confidence'). The verse names the Son ('through him'), the Spirit and the Father, and Christ says, 'no man cometh unto the Father, but by me' (John 14:6). 'We both' means Jew and Gentile.

Verse 19

fellowcitizens — Sumpolites, found only here in the New Testament; it answers 'aliens from the commonwealth' in v.12. 'Strangers' (xenos) is the word of v.12, and 'foreigners' (paroikos) are resident aliens. 'Household' (oikeios) appears only here, in Gal 6:10 ('the household of faith') and in 1 Tim 5:8.

Verse 20

the foundation of the apostles and prophets — The two are named together in Eph 3:5 and 4:11, and 'other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ' (1 Cor 3:11). Akrogoniaios, 'chief corner stone', is found only here and 1 Pet 2:6, citing Isa 28:16; Christ cites Ps 118:22 in Matt 21:42.

Verse 21

an holy temple — Naos, the shrine or sanctuary itself. Sunarmologeo, 'fitly framed together', occurs only here and in Eph 4:16 ('fitly joined together'). The building 'groweth', as in 1 Pet 2:5, 'lively stones, are built up a spiritual house'; and 1 Cor 3:16 says, 'ye are the temple of God'.

Verse 22

an habitation of God — Katoiketerion, a dwelling place, found only here and in Rev 18:2. Sunoikodomeo, 'builded together', occurs only here, and 'ye' is plural. The LORD's word in Ex 25:8, 'let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them', is taken up in a people built 'through the Spirit'.