The Pulpit Commentary — Ephesians — Section 9

ditrerentlyoonstHuted thewfll of an infinitely baptism. The Impression of It Ill partly holy Being is from that of frail and fallen within believers and partly without. creatures. The fallen creature's will is often Within, it is the felt result of the working whimsico.l, the result of some freak or fancy; of the Holy Spirit-the feeling of satisfac- often, too, it is the outcome of pride, avarice, tion and delight in the work o.nd person of sensual o.ffection, or some other evil feeling; Christ, of love, confidence, and joy flowing but God's will is the expression of hie in- out toward God, and the desire and endea- finite perfections, and must always be in• vour in all things to be conformed to his will. finitely holy, wise, and good. Wilfulness Without, it is the fruit of the Spirit, the in man is utterly different from wilfulneBB new man, created in righteoueneSB and holi- in God ; but the recoil we often have from ness after the image of Christ. Within, the doctrine of God's doing all things from the Spirit bears witness with their spirits; hie mere bene plaoitunn, or according to the without, the transformed life corroborates counsel of hie own will, arises from a tendency the inward witness, and gives it to the to necribe to hie will the caprice which is world. The first is never complete without true only of our own. the second, nor the second without the first. Ver. 12.-That we should be to the praise The spiritual history of believers is thus of hie glory, we who had before hoped in presented : (1) hearing the truth ; (2) be- Christ. The ••we" which hitherto has been lieving; (3) being sealed- The Spirit is applied to the whole Church, Jewish and called the Spirit of the promise, because Gentile, begins to have a more limited refer- he is often promised in the Old Testament ence, and to contrast with "you" in ver. 13. (Isa. xxxii. 15 ; Ezek. mvi. 20 ; Joel iii. The first " we" in this verse embraces all, I, etc.). as in the preceding part of the chapter; the Ver. 14.-Who is the earnest of our in- second (omitted in the A.V.) is conditioned heritanoe. The gift of the Spirit is not by the words following, and is applicable only-a seal, but an earnest, firstfruit, or in- to the Jewish Christiane, who, through the stalment, a pledge that the rest shall follow. promises given to the fathers, had seen The seal of the Spirit not only assures us of Christ's day afar o~ and had thus hoped the full inheritance to come, bnt gives us a in him. Thie special reference to ~p.as is right conception of its nature. It shows us followed i=ediately by a reference to bp.i,s. the kind of provision God makes for those Ver. 13.-In whom are ye also, having whom he takes as his heritage, bis peculiar heard the word of the truth, the good news people. It is an inward heaven the Spirit of your salvation. A.V. ho.a "in whom ye brings them. " The kingdom of God is also trusted," or hoped, supplying a verb not meat Rnd drink, bat righteousness and from ..-po71>....-1,ctl-r,u in ver. la, but without peace and joy in the Holy Ghost." The the prefix. This seems hardly natural, full inheritance will consist in a heart in because the prefix ..-pil is charo.cteristic o.nd full sympathy with God, and in those occu- emphatic in ver. 12. It is a much lees pations and joys, intellectual o.nd moral, sbo.iu to supply simply l<T.-~, the important which are most congenial to such o. heart. point being tho.t you are now in him-in Unto the redemption of the purchased pus• Christ. This expression, "in Christ," is one session. The until of the A.V. is not textual, of the hinges of the Epistle; it occurs times and does not give the force of ,ls, which al.most without number, denoting the inti- implies that the earnest of the Spirit is a mo.te vital · union through faith between contribution toward the result described; it Christ and his J>eople, o.s of the members to tends to realize it. " Redemption '' here is the head, in virtue of which they not only not quite equivo.lent to" redemption" in ver. get the benefit of his atonement, but aha.re 7; for there it is a thing o.ccomplished, here his vital influences, live by faith on the Son it is a thing to come. It is obvious thRt of God. Having heo.rd o.nd received the here the meaning is the completed redemp- truth as it is in Jesus, the glad tidings of tion-the full and fino.l deliverance of the salvation through a crucified Jesus, they Lord's heritage from all sin and sorrow, became one with him, just as freely as did from all the evils and disorders of this life. the believing Jews, and to the same blessed 'l'he term ..-,p,..-o,f,,11s, tro.nslated" purcha.sed effects. More than tho.t-in whom also possession," is an unusual one. But its having believed, ye were sealed with the resemblo.nce to 1«pwv<T1os, the Septun.giut Roly Spirit of the promise; thus receiving a rendering for "a special people;" its use by new ground for thankfulness, a new proof Peter, >..aos 1r,p...-ol71,re01s, "a peculiar people;" of the riches of the gro.ce of God. Many the use of the verb l,c,c>..'l<Tlcw .-oii 0,oii, ~w explain this seal of baptism, whioh un- 1r,p,nro,~uaTo B,& Toll aYµ.a.Tos atl'rou, " the doubtedly seals Christ and all his blessings Church of God, which he bath purchased to believers. But though the seal of tl1e with his own blood; "-show that it must Holy Spirit may ho.ve been given in and be rego.rded in this place as denoting the with bo.ptiem, it is not identical with special, own, purchased posscission of God,  6 THE ;El'ISl'LE TO THE EPHESIANS, [ott; 1. l---28J