PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Commentary on the Epistle to the Ephesians
Hodge, Charles, 1797–1878 · 114,389 words · 342 reading sections
CHAP. IV. VER. 3. 201
detaching ἐν ἀγάπῃ from this clause and connecting it with the following one, so as to read ἐν ἀγάπῃ σπου- dafovres. The participle σπουδάζοντες is of course con- nected with what precedes. They were to walk worthy of their vocation, forbearing one another, endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit. Of the phrase un…
284 wordsSECTION 182202 EPHESIANS,
union and communion of the members of Christ’s body, which is the fruit and evidence of the Spirit’s presence. As hatred, pride and contention among Christians cause the Spirit to withdraw from them, so love and peace secure his presence. And as his presence is the condi- tion and source of all good, and his absence th…
285 wordsSECTION 183CHAP. IV. VER. 4. 203
love is mentioned and here it is not; and as the sense is simple and good without any deviation from the plain meaning of the words, the great majority of interpret- ers adopt the view given above. V.4. Having urged the duty of preserving unity, the apostle proceeds to state both its nature and grounds. It is a unity …
296 wordsSECTION 184204 EPHESIANS,
one heart. It is not an exhortation to unanimity of feeling, or a declaration that such unanimity exists. Quasi diceret, nos penitus corpore et anima, non ex parte duntawat, debere esse wnritos. The context and the analogy of Scripture, as a comparison of parallel pas- sages would evince, prove that by spurt is meant t…
603 wordsSECTION 185206 EPHESIANS,
of the Spirit, his first sanctifying operations on the heart, cause it to thirst after God. Ps. 42, 1.2. Hope includes both expectation and desire, and therefore the inward work of the Spirit being of the nature both of an earnest and a foretaste, it necessarily produces hope. Another ground of the unity of the church…
289 wordsSECTION 186CHAP. IV. VER. 5. 207
be Lord both of dead and of living. Rom. 14, 9. Such being the nature and the grounds of the sovereignty of Christ, it necessarily binds together his people. The slaves of one master and the subjects of the same sovereign are intimately united among themselves, although the ownership and authority are merely ex- ternal…
282 wordsSECTION 187208 EPHESIANS,
of the Church of England have one faith, because they all profess to adopt the Thirty-Nine Articles, although the greatest diversity of doctrine prevails among them. But true believers have one faith, not only because they profess the same creed, but also because they really and inwardly embrace it. Their union, there-…
274 wordsSECTION 188CHAP. IV. VER. 6. 209
the new dispensation the baptized are foederati ; men bound together in covenant with Christ and with each other. There is but one baptism. All the baptized make the same profession, accept the same covenant, and are consecrated to the same Lord and Redeemer. They are, therefore, one body. “For as many as have been bap…
297 wordsSECTION 189210 EPHESIANS,
life which belongs to us as creatures ; nor intellectual, which belongs to us as rational beings ; but it is spiritual life, called elsewhere the life of God in the soul. And as this life is common, on the one hand, to Christ and all his members—and on the other, to Christ and God, this union of the church is not only …
303 wordsSECTION 190CHAP. IV. VER. 7. O11
V. 7. This unity of the church, although it mvolves the essential equality of all believers, is still consistent with great diversity as to gifts, influence, and honour. According to the apostle’s favourite illustration, it is like the human body, which is composed of many members with different functions. It is not al…
297 wordsSECTION 191212 EPHESIANS,
The giver is Christ; he is the source of the spiritual influence conferring power, and the official appoint- ment conferring authority. He, therefore, is God, be- cause the source of the inward life of the church and of its authority and that of its officers. He is sovereign in the distribution of his gifts. They are d…
296 wordsSECTION 192CHAP. IV. VER. 8. 913
giving gifts. As this was his office, the Scriptures speak of him as a conqueror laden with spoils, en- riched by his victories, and giving gifts to men. That the Psalmist had reference to the Messiah, is evident, because the passage speaks of his ascending. But for a divine person to ascend to heaven, supposes a pre- …
283 wordsSECTION 193214 EPHESIANS,
lowers. Thus Christ conquered. He destroyed him that hath the power of death, i. e. the devil. He de- livered those who through the fear of death were sub- ject to bondage. Heb. 2,15. Having spoiled princi- palities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them. Col. 2.15. When a strong man armed keep…
275 wordsSECTION 194CHAP. IV. VER. 8. 215
prostravit, sed ex rebellibus quotidie facit sibi obse- quentem populum, quum verbo suo carnis nostree lasci- viam domat; rursus hostes suos, h.e. impios omnes quasi ferreis catenis continet constrictos, dum illorum furorem cohibet sta virtute, ne plus valeant, quam illis concedit. This clause of the quotation is, howe…
273 wordsSECTION 195216 EPHESIANS,
Dr. Addison Alexander in his comment on Ps. 68, 18, remarks, ‘To receive gifts on the one hand and bestow gifts on the other are correlative ideas and expressions, so that Paul, in applying this description of a theo- cratic triumph to the conquests of our Saviour, substi- tutes one of these expressions for the other.”…
283 wordsSECTION 196CHAP. IV. VER. 8. 217
entrance into Canaan, and the experience of the church, but this analogy was a designed prefiguration—God’s dealings as the head of the ancient theocracy, were typical of his dealings with the church. His deliver- ing his people, his conquering their enemies, and his enriching his followers with their spoil, were all a…
287 wordsSECTION 197218 EPHESIANS,
mutable, is in Hebrews 1, 10, applied to Christ. On the same principle what is said in Ps. 68, 18, of Jeho- vah as ascending to heaven and leading captivity cap- tive, is here said to refer to Christ. There is still a third principle to be taken into consideration. Many of the historical and prophetic descriptions of …
565 wordsSECTION 198220 EPHESIANS,
The apostle, therefore, here teaches that God, the subject of the sixty-eighth Psalm, descended “ into the lower parts of the earth;” that “he ascended up above all heavens,” and that this was with the design “that he might fill all things.” The Hebrew phrase 738 mismnn to which the apos- tle’s τὰ κατώτερα μέρη τῆς γῆ…
579 wordsSECTION 199222 EPHESIANS,
tion is greatly to be preferred. Ta πάντα properly means the universe; and if taken to mean any thing else, it must be because the context demands it, which is not the case here. Secondly, this passage is eyi- dently parallel with ch. 1, 21, where also it is said of Christ as exalted, that “he fills the universe in all…
551 wordsSECTION 200224 EPHESIANS,
inward gifts qualifying them for their work. This is clearly stated by Calvin in his comment on this verse ; to a certain difficulty, he says, “ Respondeo, quoties a Deo vocati sunt homines, dona necessarie conjuncta esse officiis; neque enim Deus, apostolos aut pastores instituendo, larvam illis duntaxat imponit ; sed…
555 wordsSECTION 201226 EPHESIANS,
vicars, i. e. men clothed with special powers for a special purpose and for a limited time, may be admit- ted, but this does not determine the nature of the office of an evangelist. They exercised these powers not as evangelists, but as delegates or commissioners. And some, pastors and teachers, τοὺς δὲ ποιμένας καὶ δ…
537 wordsSECTION 202228 EPHESIANS,
ferent interpretations. The root ἄρω means to unite or bind together. Hence ἄρτιος signifies united, complete, perfect; and the verb καταρτίζω is literally to mend, Matt. 4, 21; to reduce to order, to render complete, or perfect, Luke 6, 40; 2 Cor. 13, 11; to prepare or ren- der fit for use, Heb. 10, 5; 13, 21. The sub…
581 wordsSECTION 203230 EPHESIANS,
which the ministry perform, viz. the edifying of the body of Christ. This last view is perhaps the best. “ He could not,” says Calvin, “ exalt more highly the ministry of the Word, than by attributing to it this effect. For what higher work can there be than to build up the church that it may reach its perfection ? Th…
566 wordsSECTION 204232 EPHESIANS,
hend all the elements of that state of mind of which the Son of God, God manifested in the flesh, who loved us and gave himself for us, who died on Calvary and is now enthroned in heaven, is the object. <A state of mind which includes the apprehension of his glory, the appropriation of his love, as well as confidence a…
584 wordsSECTION 205234 EPHESIANS,
ment as a Christian, Heb. 12, 23; and the church is perfect when it has reached the end of its development and stands complete in glory. In 1 Cor. 13, 10, τὸ τέλειον stands opposed to τὸ ἐκ μέρους, and there as here indicates the state which is to be attained here- after when we shall know even as we are known. The st…
284 wordsSECTION 206CHAP. IV. VER. 13. 235
(or stature) of Christ.’ The church is to become a per- fect man, 1. 6. it is to attain the measure of the full maturity of Christ. In other words, it is to be com- pletely conformed to him, perfect as he is perfect. This interpretation, which supposes πληρώματος to qualify adjectively ἡλικίας, is in accordance with a …
288 wordsSECTION 207236 EPHESIANS,
believe. The context instead of forbidding, demands this view of the apostle’s meaning. It would be incon- gruous to say we must reach perfection in order to grow. But it is not incongruous to say that perfection is made the goal in order that we may constantly strive after it. V. 14. What has been said may be suffici…
283 wordsSECTION 208CHAP. IV. VER. 14. 937
strange doctrines.” And the apostle James compares the unstable to “a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed,” 1, 6. One of the principal elements of the perfection spoken of in v. 13, is stability in the truth ; and, therefore, the state of imperfection as con- trasted with it is described as one of instabili…
286 wordsSECTION 209238 EPHESIANS,
the cunning or craft used by those who wish to entrap or capture. 7 There are two things in this connection which can hardly escape notice. The one is the high estimate the apostle places on truth; and the other is the evil of error. Holiness without the knowledge and belief of the truth, is impossible; perfect holine…
554 wordsSECTION 210240 EPHESIANS,
following word, so as to give the sense, “let us increase in love.” But this leaves the participle too naked, and is not indicated by the position of the words. Besides, in the next verse, which is part of the same sentence, we have αὔξησιν ποιεῖται εἰς οἰκοδομὴν͵ ev ἀγάπῃ, which would be a needless repetition of the s…
306 wordsSECTION 211CHAP. IV. VER. 16. 241
priate bonds. 3. It is symmetrical. 4. It is a growth in love. Such is the general meaning of this passage ; though there is much diversity of opinion as to the meaning of some of the terms employed, and as to the relation of the several clauses. First as to the meaning of the words: Συναρμο- λογέω (ἁρμός and λέγω) to…
287 wordsSECTION 212242 EPHESIANS,
may refer to the mutual assistance furnished each other by the constituent members of the body. Thus Luther, who paraphrases the clause in question,—durch alle Gelenke, dadurch eins dem andern Handreichung thut —by every joint whereby one member aids another. Or it may refer to the supplies of vital influence received …
560 wordsSECTION 213244 EPHESIANS,
tween these two latter methods. In favour of the second is the position of the words—and also the con- στα of the figure. It is more natural to say that the divine influence is according to the working of every part, i. e. according to its capacity and function 5 than to say, “the growth is according to the working, &e…
545 wordsSECTION 214246 EPHESIANS,
for the edification of the church, by the communication of that truth in connection with which alone the Holy Ghost is given. All this Rome perverts. She says that prelates, whom she calls apostles, are the channels of the Holy Spirit, first to the priests and then to the people; and that this communication, is not by…
94 wordsSECTION 215SECTION II.—Vs. 17-32.—Cnu. V. 1-2.
17. This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye hence- forth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their 18. mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because 19. of the blindness of their heart: who, being past feeling, h…
229 wordsSECTION 216CHAP. IV. 94
tion proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. 30. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed 31. unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and eyil-speaking, be put away from you, 32.…
125 wordsSECTION 217ANALYSIS.
This Section contains first a general exhortation to holiness, vs. 17-24; and secondly, injunctions in respect to specific duties, vs. 25-ch. V. 2. The exhortation to holiness is, agreeably to the apostle’s manner, first in the negative form not to walk as the heathen do, vs. 17-19, and secondly, positive, to walk as C…
175 wordsSECTION 218248 EPHESIANS,
which is more and more conformed to the image of God, vs. 20-24. Therefore, they must avoid lying and speak the truth, v. 25; abstain from anger and guard against giving Satan any advantage, vs. 26.27. Avoid theft, and be diligent and liberal, v. 28. Avoid all corrupting language, but let their conversation be edifying…
95 wordsSECTION 219COMMENTARY.
V. 17. The apostle, having in the preceding section taught that Christ had destined his church to perfect conformity to himself, and made provision for that end, as a natural consequence, solemnly enjoins on those who profess to be Christians to live in accordance with this high vocation. “This therefore I say and test…
452 wordsSECTION 220250 EPHESIANS,
is, according to the anthropology of the Bible, as incon- gruous, as that one part of the soul should be happy and another miserable, one faculty saved and another lost. Another principle nearly allied to the former is the moral and spiritual excellence of truth. Truth is not merely speculative, the object of cognitio…
537 wordsSECTION 221252 EPHESIANS,
tinguished from νοῦς in the preceding verse, and from καρδία in the last clause of this one. “ Alienated from the life of God,” means strangers to that life. “The life of God,’ means the life of which God is the author. It is spiritual life. That is, the life of which the indwelling Spirit is the principle or source. …
564 wordsSECTION 222254 EPHESIANS,
walk in vanity, being (i.e. because they are) darkened as to the understanding, alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, through the hardness of their heart.’ Darkness of mind is the cause of ignorance, ignorance and consequent obduracy of heart are the cause of alienation from God. This is…
269 wordsSECTION 223CHAP. IV. VER. 19. 255
therefore, give themselves up ¢o excess, to practise all kinds of uncleanness, ἐν πλεονεξίᾳ, with greediness, i. e. insatiably. The parallel passage, 2 Pet. 2,14, “ Hav- ing eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin,’ would favour this interpretation so far as the idea is concerned. But the word πλεονεξία a…
286 wordsSECTION 224256 EPHESIANS,
different forms of the same truth. Men are restrained from evil by the hand of God, if he relaxes his hold they rush spontaneously to destruction. All systems of education, all projects of reform in social or political life, not founded in religion, are, according to the doc- trine of this passage and of all Scripture,…
280 wordsSECTION 225CHAP. IV. VER. 21. 257
heard about Christ. To hear, in this connection, im- plies intelligence and obedience, as in the frequently oc- ewrring phrase, “He that hath ears to hear, let him ” and “To-day if ye will hear his voice, &e.,” hear ; and in a multitude of other cases. To hear the voice of God or of Christ, therefore, is not merely t…
290 wordsSECTION 226258 EPHESIANS,
argument is: ‘If you know Christ you will forsake sin, because he is holy—truth, i. e. moral excellence is in him. If you have been taught any thing in virtue of your communion with him, you have been taught to put off the old man.’ Another interpretation supposes καθώς to mean as, expressing the manner. ‘If ye have b…
280 wordsSECTION 227CHAP. IV. VER. 22. 259
interpretation, therefore, is on the whole to be pre- ferred. V. 22. Sanctification includes dying to sin, or mor- tification of the flesh, and living to righteousness; or as it is here expressed, putting off the old man and putting on the new man. The obvious allusion is to a change of clothing. To put off, is to ren…
309 wordsSECTION 228260 EPHESIANS,
7, 14, “I am carnal,” “In me there dwelleth no good thing,” v. 18; or, “law in the members,” v. 23; or “the flesh” as opposed to the spirit, as in Gal. 5, 16. 17. This evil principle or nature is called old because it precedes what is new, and because it is corrupt. And it is called ‘‘ man,” because it is ourselves. We…
278 wordsSECTION 229CHAP. IV. VER. 23. 261
“ Which is corrupt,” φθειρόμενον ; “ which tends to destruction.” This latter rendering is to be preferred, because the epithet o/d includes the idea of corruption. It would be, therefore, tautological to say, ‘ the corrupt man which is corrupt.’ It is the old man or corrupt nature which tends to perdition (qui tendit…
272 wordsSECTION 230262 EPHESIANS,
9. 10, these terms express the whole process by which the soul is restored to the image of God. It is a pro- cess of renewal from the beginning to the end. The apostle says, “his inner man is renewed day by day.” 2 Cor. 4, 16. The distinction between νέος, young, new as to origin ; and καινός, fresh, bright, unused, n…
290 wordsSECTION 231CHAP. IV. VER. 23. 263
which in Col. 3, 10, is expressed by avaxawow, and in Rom. 12, 2, and Tit. 3,5, by ἀνακαίνωσις, is here ex- pressed by avavedw. The subject of this renewal, that as to which men are to be made new, is expressed in the clause τῷ πνεύ- ματι τοῦ νοὸς ὑμῶν, i. 6. as to the spirit of your mind. This combination is unexampl…
286 wordsSECTION 232264 EPHESIANS,
spirit, mind, heart, soul, are used in Scripture both for the whole immaterial and immortal element of our nature, that in which our personality resides ; and also for that element under'some one of its modes of mani- festation, sometimes for one mode and sometimes for another ; as νοῦς sometimes designates the soul as…
290 wordsSECTION 233CHAP. IV. VER. 24. 265
an old man, decrepit, deformed, and tending to cor- ruption, so the latter is personified as a new man, fresh, beautiful, and vigorous, like God, for it is τὸν κατὰ Θεὸν κτισθέντα, κτὰ., after God created in righteous- ness and holiness of the truth. In the parallel passage it is said to be renewed “after the image of …
276 wordsSECTION 234266 EPHESIANS,
which lead to destruction; the principle of spiritual life is here personified as ἀλήθεια, truth, which pro- duces righteousness and holiness. Truth is spiritual knowledge, that knowledge which is eternal life, which not only illuminates the understanding but’ sanctifies the heart. The Holy Ghost is called the Spirit o…
268 wordsSECTION 235CHAP. IV. VER. 25. 267
which man was originally created. That image did not consist merely in man’s rational nature, nor in his immortality, nor in his dominion, but specially in that righteousness and holiness, that rectitude in all his principles, and that susceptibility of devout affections which are inseparable from the possession of the…
273 wordsSECTION 236268 EPHESIANS,
his neighbour. A neighbour, 6 πλησίον, the Scripture teaches us, is any one near to us, a fellow man of any creed or nation ; and to all such we are bound to speak the truth. But the context shows that Paul is here speaking to Christians, and the motive by which the duty is enforced shows that by neighbour he here mean…
602 wordsSECTION 237270 EPHESIANS,
by saying, ὀργιζόμενοι μὴ ἁμαρτάνετε, being angry sin not. This is perhaps the most satisfactory view of the passage. It is indeed objected that the apostle is here speaking of sins, and that in v. 31, he forbids all anger, and therefore any interpretation which assumes that anger is not itself a sin is inadmissible. B…
561 wordsSECTION 238272 EPHESIANS,
things tolerated by the customs of men; many modes of getting the property of others into our own posses- sion practised even by those professing to be Christians, are in the light of the divine law only different forms of theft, and will be revealed as such in the judgment of the last day. The spirit of the apostle’s …
560 wordsSECTION 239274 EPHESIANS,
λόγος campos the apostle includes, as appears from Col. 3, 8, all irreligious, malicious and impure language, which not only injures others, but grieves the Holy Spirit. As a temple is sacred, and every thing that pro- fanes it is an offence to God, so the indwelling of the Holy Ghost in the people of God is made the r…
589 wordsSECTION 240276 EPHESIANS,
mand to lay aside every thing which corrodes our own minds or wounds the feelings of others. Under this head are the particulars which follow, viz. wrath ; Supos, (from Svw, to burn,) means the mind itself as the seat of passions and desires—then the mind in the commotion of passion. "Opy7, anger, is the passion itself…
578 wordsSource & rights
Public-domain historical edition (1856). Text from OCR of an original Internet Archive scan; OCR may contain recognition errors.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.