PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Pulpit Commentary — Ephesians
William Garden Blaikie [1820-1899] · 272,936 words · 299 reading sections
The Pulpit Commentary — Ephesians — Section 181
and, on the other side, the power of bearing with others. In accordance with what is s:iid of. i~ here, as produced by the Spirit, this unity is tho disposition to be guided by the Spmt, and to advance the end which the Spirit bas in view in relation to the cause of Christ. This unity of the Spirit is to find expressio…
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dernity sl1onl<l meantime as brethren" dwell together in unity"! (b) How this unity ie or01,gld 01d. "One Lord." "In whatsoe'l"er notion we take the word 'Lord,' either as a. prir.ee oYer subj~et~, or as a ~ia~ter over servants, or as an owner of goods, or as a. prc- t·ePh'r and president over d1sc1ples, or as a lea…
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being a. supreme authority in all matters of adrninistra.tion. Many questions would come up at the fi~st about the right working of the Church, and they were there on the sprJt ag thou&h Christ had been there to settle them decisively. (/3) They had exli'ao1·di11ary teaching power. '£here were developments of doctrine…
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t.hat 1,e :ire t,, sttnin unto the :same" degree'' of faith. For in our ultimate st.nte there will be differences in the d~"'Tee of faith, which is only to sny that there will be differ- ences i_n ch~cter (no factor t~erein being more important than faith). But, at the same time, 1t 1s true that all will come to a f…
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nppointed him. He drnnk the cup which his heavenly Father put into his hand. He suffered sublimely for those whom he came to save. And if we arc to attain unto the measure of tho stature of the fulness of Christ, we must be ready to suffer, to bear the contradiction of sinners, to sh1id tears over sinners. For if th…
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of the Cb_urch proceed~. ~at _we ~o is not. to regulate ourselves, but rather to put oursel-ves mt-0 accord with Christ m his regulatmg ofus. 'l'he head communicates with all the p.-u-ts of the body; it e&n send commands to them. And thus it is in the Church. In all thi11gs we are commanded from Christ as from the b…
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was chargeable. But at the same time, it is true that there were busy mercantile cities in the old heathen world. And a very great amount of energy was spent by heathen peoples on war. It can only be said that their higher energies were not e-allec:. forth, and that none of their energies (not even those directed to or…
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=in-ii a.s rbore who bad hl'srd Christ, Here a,,crain Christ is the Lesson-" taught in him,"_ ss ~-e mi,:::ht ~y t~u~ht in lan~~c-es or _in ~phy. And not merely so, but th,:, brt,,r1c-..'ll ,l('si.ts 1s lX>mtro to as the embodfrd - " e,cn ns truth is in Jesus.0 IIe c,,:;rnins all the truth of C'>Od, and especially a…
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BS well as falsehood in speech. It is the intention to deceive that makes the lie, what- ever its manifestntions. The goodness of the motive does not alter its character. We may be saying what we do not think, to convey a compliment. Or we may be advanc- ing an argnment in which we do not believe, to serve our party…
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must result in the ejection of Christ and, with him, of peace and right guidance. ~. The positive of Chrutia11ity. "Be ye angry." And wo need not wonder nt tho injunction when we take into account that anger is a hundred times in Soripture attri- buted to God, and also that it is said of Christ that he looked round …
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business nnd do our best (time and circumstance considered). 'There is forthcr th motive with which we a.re to work. There is the incentive of providing for our own, e.nd specially our own household, and of providing for our household not merely fur the present, but, in view of the uncertainty of our life, also as w…
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their final rroemption. Yon, then, who ha,e the seal of the Holy Spirit of God on you as mar~~ fo: rede~ption, grievo_him not by u~e._~ifyiug conversation. 2, The positiv; of <]hristiarnty. llut such as 1s good for cd1fymg as the need may be, that it may give grace to them that hear." Tho Christian element in conver…
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liuman society. So blind in moral judgment and so perverse in heart bas civil society been, o.lmost from the beginning, that it has doomed its best men to degradation, suffering, and often martyrdom. 2. T/uJ high probability of a future retributive dis- pensation. The beheading of John the Baptist, the imprisonment of …
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or ecclesiastical, for there may be doctrinal. and ecclesiastical unity where there is spiritual srp..~rntion. It i~ ~he unity of souls in Christ. Now, every one belonging to this corporat!on s_houl~ d1hgently endeavour to maintain its unity. This unity is c[lusonant with d1vcrs1ty; the waves are different, but the o…
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devil of tho soul. That spirit in Churches which cries, "Oh that I had the wings of a dove ! then would I fly away and be at rest," is discontented selfishness, nothing more. AI11:9 I t~at there should be churches, chapels, and pulpits in England ministering to an m~t1able ave.rice that considers this beautiful world n…
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CoNCL-c;sroN. Here, then, in the unities of Christianity are the bonds of true union amongst men. Notwithstanding all the discords and conflicts that rage and revel through the world, there lies deep down in the heart of humanity an ineradicable desire J.-,,. ura ity. The greatest e-v-ents that have marked and helpe…
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tho work of the ministry, for the edifyincr of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge° of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of tho stature of the fulness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children 1 tossed to and fro, and carried·about with every w…
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Vers. 17-19.-_Symptoms of mo-ral, madness. "This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, hanng the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their h…
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rejection _of ~he restorative in enjoyment. By the adoption of the partial and the fleeting to the rejection of the complete and permanent, he pursues a course that involves the ruin of himself, the utter loss of all good. Are not these facts sufficient to show the darkness of the sinner's mind and the dense ignoran…
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1. THE TRUE JlETHOD OF STUDYING CHRISTIANITY 11.EQUlRES TH.lT IT SHOULD DB STI'DIED IN CHRIST. "Truth . . . iu Jesus." Christianity must be looked upon all seen in Christ, I. Rot as seen. in religww professors. 'l'his would give a false view. :2.. Sot as sm1 in mig,"ous books. This would give a false view. 3. Not as se…
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2. Sinful anger. "Be· ye angry, and sin not." We say, "sinful anger," for the text implies _that there is an anger that is not sinful. Anger is the mind in emotional antagonism, and in a world of unreality, sin, and crime there is much to justify the strongest antagonism of the soul. Christ himself looked upon the cond…
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pe~ce. shall Pr<:ve.il. Such ~ ~ome of _the evils that Christianity abjures, and, in abJtmng, it abJures that which 1s the disgrace, the guilt, and the curse of mankiod. With an exulting confidence, I say to infidels that whatever is bad in the world or the Church, inst&1d of growing out of Christia.nity, is in direct …
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beggarly deliverance, like shipwrecked mariners flung upon the beach, half drowned and bereft of everything. When we enter the C~ristian life we commence a course of high service, vast enterprise, and splendid aims. 3. The purpose of thi~ vocation is to glorify God and bless the world by realizing the idea of the Chris…
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I. WHEREIN CHRISTIAN m'ITY CONSISTS. 1. Ea:ternally it comists in tM "one body." Plainly the "one body" is the Church, the community of Christians. It should be clear to an impartial reader of the Ne,v Testament that neither Christ nor bis apostles oontemplated the ideal of the kingdom of heaven on earth as we see t…
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the gift. We cannot be blessed by Divine grace in crowds and masses. The Church can only be endowed with grace when her private members are personally blessed. We do not receive grace by becoming part of the grand Catholic Church. But we realize the unity of the Church when we have been first blessed with Christ's grac…
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Church is the development of individual. Christians from spiritual infancy to spiritual manhood; the second is the consolidation of the several megibers of the Church into the one body of Christ-the ~nward growth to the stature of the fulness of Christ, the outward growth of the various parts of that great organism …
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of truth, the truth thus revealed must be of first moment. Emotion without truth is vapid sentiment; and action without truth can have no moral character, and is as likely to be hurtful as useful. It is a blind man's groping. We can dispense with a superfluity of dogma. We have too many words about truth. But truth its…
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hatred and becomes a great sill. 2. 'We must, not cl1erish anger for wng; • The mercy of God is everlastinfl; his wrath is for a sel!.Son (Ps. ciii. 9). • It is the devil only whose habitual mood is anger. Men may, do fearful harm by the sudden: ebullition of a hasty temper-harm which may be repented of in vain for …
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Anger rouses anger as fire kindles fire. 'fhe reference to forgiveness shows that St. Paul is especially condemning outbursts of wrath against people who have treated us maliciously. 3. Evil example. "Clamour and railing" are public offences. When many men concur in pouring wrath on a selected victim it is difficult to…
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,knote that 8pcoific aot of love whioh ne..-er be Rdmitted even to the thoughts or is immediately in new. And gave him• the imaginRtion. self for us. The Pauline phrase (Gal. ':'er. 4.-And filthiness; a.1uXPJTT1r, im- i. 4; ii. 20; Titus ii. H; 1 Tim. ii 6), plyrng thn\ such things are disgrnoeful, ~iruple. but ..-…
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ohildren of disobedienoe. The sophistry is Ver. 11.-And have no fellowship with swept o.way by an awful fa.et-the wrath the unfruitf11l works of darkness. The point cometh, is coming, and will come too in the of this exhortation is in the adjective "un- future lil'e. ~ comes in the form of natural fruitful." The works …
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clement which makes all clear." W-e should iDfiuitely vital, so ns to know what is truly thus have in t.he latter clause a proposition, best. . affirming as universal what in the former Ver.16.-Redeeming the time, beoalllle tho clause is affirmed of one particular case: days are evil; or, buying up for yoursellles …
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one person singing one hymn, then another strictly. Most commentators connect it with anotLcr, and eo on; and the meetings the three immediately preceding participles would seem to havo been for eociBl Christian (speaking, singing, giving thanks), but ore enjoyment rather thu.n for the public wor- unable to find a l…
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of his family, thongh his ssnng powel' can of way, but to do e'l'erything tbl\t he bo D<'n>r C<-.me ne,ar the high len-1 of Christ's. lie'l'es will advnnce her well-being, espe- A hu~band ret"kl- of these obligations ciRlly in the highest sense. He finds her ,;rtu,.11..- C.."ftSE'S to hani anv olaim on the polluted …
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the eharp eyo of the apostle fin de o.n o.uo.logy but I am speaking with referenoe to Christ between the rclo.tion ot the wife to the o.nd the Church. The matter referred to husband and that of the Church to Cliriat, is the typical rt:lation between the marriage expo.nded in the next vereo. of man and wife, and the uni…
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, ers. 15-21. - Walk circumspectly, OT strictly. The apostle goes on to urge_ o. circumspect, wise, and earnest life, closely conformed in aH things to the will of God,. fashioned according to that idea of wisdom which is set forth in the proverb, Cl The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Nothing is of mo…
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Ver. 1.-" Follou:ers of God.''._ This is the high destiny of God's children. I. 'l'HE DUTY HERE COMMANDED. "Be ye imitators of me." It is to do (1) what Guel does ; (2) because be does it ; (3) as ho does it. The special point of imitation here is the duty of showing a for@:iving spirit t…
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Vere. 3-5.-Warnings against impurity of all kinds. The sins here described were common among the heathen, and received no adequate check from their moral guides. Indeed, the old pagan world regarded them as things indifferent. They are, for the most part, sins against ourselves, as the sins condemned in the previous ve…
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Ver. 4.-Wa;rni11g against mibecoming speech. '''Neither· filthiness nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks," J. 'l'HERE ARE TITREE VARIETIES OF UNEDIFYING SPEECH. 1.. "Filthiness:"· This term, tho_ugh_ refcrr!ng to_ acts as much as words, points espec!ally to that obs…
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may do so by conniving at them, by not checking or punishing them, by not mourning over them, as well as by actually committing them. It is & dishonour to God, a lure to others, a mischief to ourselves, to stand in the way of transgressors. IL THA'l' BELIEVEns OUGHT TO MAmTAIN A VERY SEPARATE WALK IN THE WORLD. They w…
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Vers.11-13.-Separation and rebuke the true attitude toward works of darknus. The apostle thus describes the duty of Christians in reference to evil works. L 'l'HE CHARACTER OF THESE WOBKB. "Unfruitful works of darkness." They spring out of darkness, they del~ht in darkness, they lead to darkness eternal. They are n…
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fool seeks the company of the foolish. 5. We are to keep in view the end of our wall,, "Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls" (1 Pet. i. 9). lJJ. 'l'IIE APPLICATION OF THIS PlUNCIPLE TO THE PROFITABLE UBE OF OPPORTUNITY, "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.''. '£here. can be n…
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Vera. 18-21.-The true antidote to drunkenness. There is n. real contrast here exhibited between fulness of wine and fulness of the Spirit. There is an intensity of feeling produced in both cases. "There is one intensity of feeling produced by stimu- lating the senses ; another, by vivifying the spiritual life within. T…
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Vers. 22_~24.-.The duti«; of wives._ In enfo_r~ing relative duties the apostle reminds us that religion ~kes hold of all posS1ble cond1t1?ns and callings of men. Religion is the great formative grace for men. We are set m a curiously various scheme of rela- tions, in which the two principles of union and subjection ar…
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husband." . 'l'his_ express!ve phrase points to the closeness, exclusiveness, and specialty of the_ reln.t1onsh1p•. ~t Is thus a great mischief to unsex woman by denying or dis- regardrng the supenonty of man. 4. The similarity of the relation to that between the Ohurch and Ohrist. "As the Church is subject unto Christ…
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between Ghi·1$t and the Olmrch. All tbe lo,e and self,sacri6ce and service which Christ expended upon the Church supply the t_ype of a husband's duty to his wife.-'!'. C. Vers. 25---32.-Tlie wmon between <Jhrist and tke Ohurch. The apostle unites, with nn exposition of the duties of conjugal life, a very impi:essive …
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body, of his fleeb, and of his bones" (vcr. 30). I. This does not refer to the incarna- tion, for the assumption of human nature allied our Saviour to the whole race of man. This membership applies to believers only. 2. Neither does it refer, as Romanists say, to the Lord's Supper, in which, partaking of his flesh, we …
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in their pinched and miserly souls. (,}od is an angry God against those who love sin, and our only course is to forsake it. Harless and Olshausen believe the word here rendered "covetousness" to mean in this connection "intemperance," the desire, not for gold, but for fleshly gratification-the making a god of the be…
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commends the high excitement of the Spirit, with all its pleasurable manifestations. In other words, he speaks of inspiration, but condemns the spirituous while he commends the spiritual We have thus suggested- !. THE NEED OF SOME BTIMULUB FROM BEYOND OUJIBELVES. (Vers. 17, 18.) Thb is apparent from the fact that ever…
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wife; and the loyalty of Christ's people to their Master indicates the loyalty the wife should show the husband. Husbands and wives thua owe to Christ the purification of their relations and the sanctification of the home I • • L JESUS LEFT ms HEAVENLY HOIIE '"TO DE UNI'PED '1'0 BIB BRIDE, THE' CHUBOII. (Ver. 31.) …
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to belted knights or tales of chivalry for our ideas about devotion to our wives, but to the foot of the cross, that wo may see in Jesus our perfect Example! Ill. THI!: CHURCH'S REVERENTIAL LOVE TO CHRIST IS THE IDEAL OF WIFELY DEVOTION. (Vers. 22-25.) If Paul would summon husbands up to the heights of con- secration …
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you, iu1<1 ga,..e himself up for ns, an offering and a sacrifice to God for an odour of a s"·e.:t sme:I." C!/;.rist is prese,1ted for imitation in Mi love. We are not to understantl that i"'"e was &n attribute more distinctive of Chriat than of God. For love is the greatest attribute of God. But we are to understand…
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that they will not talk about or hint 1Lt things connected with fornication arlll uncleanness. 'l'o take to them in conversation indicates II coarseness of mind, a polluted state of the imagination. That is the proper circle, whether family, or Church, or neighbourhood, from which the very name of such things is banish…
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that he can go on .n his sin without incurring the opprobrium of meu, and (pru-tly from the difficulty of drawing the exact line between the-'right nnd the wrong love of gain) without suspecting himself that it is getting a hold upon him, and thiµi (without such checks as the others have) getting hardened in his sin…
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moral character, unveiled and brought into distinctness before the moral consciousness, by the light of Christian truth, which is at work in your reproof; by the light, I say, it is made manifest-for, it is added, 'everything that is made manifest is light,' has ceased thereby to have the nature of darkness, and is now…
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have a task, a definite_ task! a ~k that taxes his energies, And if he does not have it bf necessity of .PT?Cunng his daily bread, yet should he have it by necessity of steadying bunself. ~ut lt 1s not g?od for the bcw ~ be always bent, and, if we manage well, we shall find time(and find 1tgood for the domg of our t…
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of our time, as we owe the firstfruits of our substance. From Christ we get the whole plan of our life. 'fhe right management of our time, then, is to understaml what the will of the Lord is, what Uhrist would hi.ve us to do. Seeking Christ's mind as to the employment of our time, we may expect that we shall obtain fro…
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l'0wer:,., rnkC'S :rn11y his cleame&- of hcsd, his ste:uiiness of hand, and his general vigour, iu,~u,'t's ,ii,-:ease a?d premature death (:igain violnting the previous precept iu throwing away years that. m the pat.hs oC temperance wouldhavo been his). The drunkard is pl"l.s:iflll ,,f his trorUi to his ft1lo111S, a…
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known how to take advantage of harmonious sound in encouraging men to go into battle in "the shrill t111mp, the spirit-stirring drum, the ear-piercing fife." It is also known how to use it e.s e.n auxiliary in the service of superstition, revelry, and vice. And God, in his infinite wisdom, has seen fit to make use of t…
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,ve have to thank God even for our afflictions, which nre blessings in disguise; for though, in so far as they are evil, we are to be reconciled to them, yet we hnve to thank God 1·0r that which is good in them, viz. the merciful design, the accompanying com- t1.,rt, the resulting benefit, And as we receive all ouly…
963 wordsSource & rights
Public domain historical Pulpit Commentary. Source page identifies the volume as Public Domain; text extracted from its historical PDF.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.