The Pulpit Commentary — Ephesians — Section 36

Paul= the af10$t.le of Jesus, the ma.n sent fort.h by the risen and reigning Lord to e.angelize the ht•athen. Such I\ consciousness of Christ's consecration gave him great rower. Il. HB HKBE SALUTES LIVING SAINTS. (Ver. 1.) Monod has pertinently remarked that, while others seek their saints among the dead, Paul seeks saints, and so should we among the living. Saintliness should characterize all Christians. In fact, a Christia~ is a" person set apart, separated from the world, and reserved for the service of Jesus Christ and for the glory of God, according as it is written, 'This people have I formed for myself, they shall show forth my praise.'" Accordingly, Paul did not hesitate to ca.ll the Christians at Ephesus "saints," for he expected from them ea.intly lives. The very name raised the standard of Christian profession throughout the Church at Ephesus. And would it not be well for us to use it, a.nd to strive always to deserve its use? It is to be feared that our saints, like those of Rome, are for the most pa.rt dead and gone; whereas what the age needs is saintliness embodied in flesh and blood before it. It is only then that it shall come to acknowledge the power of the Christian faith. Of conrse, Paul did not imply that every professor at Ephesus was sa.intly. He used the term presumptively, as a charitable spirit will. But the very use of the term· raised the whole st.andard of holy living there and did immense good. • IIL Tm:sE SAINTS ABE FULL OF FAITH IN CmusT JESUS. (Ver. 1.) We take ,rur-ro/ in this passage in the sense of men of faith. Paul thus states the principle of their saintliness. They had learned to trust Christ and to re.,aard•him as their King, and so they came .o be consciously consecrated unto all good works. Fidelity flows from this linng faith in Christ. They pron reliable men because they have first learned to rely npon the Saviour (cf. John xx. 28; Gal. ill. 9). Let us apply this principle ourselves. If we trnst Jesus as we ought, we shall find the trust working itself out into lovable and lovely lives, and we too shall be saintly. IV. PAUL DESIRES FOB THEBB SAINTS TBB GRACE AND PE.ACE OF GOD. (Ver. 2.) There is something beautiful in the old forms of benediction. We lose their fra.,crra.nce in our cold "Good-byes." The Greeks and Romans were accustomed to wish their correspondents" Safety;" the Jews took the simpler form of" Peace." But the gospel came to give to both a deeper meaning and breathe grace and peace of the deepest character into human souls. Hence these salutations of the saints. God's undeserved favour coming forth as grace finds its effects in the responsive human heart in I\ heavenly peace, so that the once troubled spirit comes into wondrous calm. What Paul is about to state in his Epistle will not interfere with but rather deepen this holy P8ft~ well for us to see the Fonnt.am.-head of blessing in the Father's heart, to see the channel of communication in his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, and to experience its effect in the peace which passeth all understanding, which he has ordained should keep our hearts a.nd minds by Christ Jesas (Phil. iv. 6). The saints are meant to be peace- ful spirits as they consecrate their energies to the service of the Lord.-R. M. E. Vera. 3-6.-TM el.ecting and adopting love of God. As soon as the salutation of the saint.sis over, Paul proceeds to speak a.bout the blessings he and they have received from God. One curious expression meets us and constitutes the key of the whole pas.--age; it is" the heavenly places" (4• -rois houpa,,lo1s) wherein the spiritual ble~ing is experienced. This cannot mean merely that out of the heavenly places the gracious Father poun his spiritual blessings upon selected souls; but, as a comparison of eh. ii. 6 rill show, it means that the ad.opted ones are elevated in spirit ev:e~ to the heavenly places where they as spiritually ascended ones can survey the D1V1I1e purposes and appre~iate the Divine blessings in a way impossible otherwise. Let us, then, betake ourselves to these "heavenly places" by the blessing of the Spirit, and see how the Divine pls.n looks fr~m sue~ a vant.a~e-ground. It is in. this way we shall escape much of the obBcure think:ng which prevails upon the electlilg love of God. And we are here ta.ught- L THE FooNTAIN-HEAD OF BLESSING IB GoD THE FATHER. (Ver. 3.) Paul puts " the Father of our Lord J e1us Christ" at the head of all things. Out of that paternal heart ail spiritual blessing comes. The dispensatio~ of grace is o_vers~a.dowcd by a Father. All the Jove which wel111 up out of parent~ hearts for their children, all the OH, I, 1-23.] THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 33