The Pulpit Commentary — Ephesians — Section 70

So making peaoe; that is, between Jew and after the resurrection the.t peace oould be Gentile. The peacemaking with God, M proclaimed on the footing of faith in a we ba ve seen, is referred to in the first words Sa1·iour who had died and wee alive. And of the verse; this at the end is the sub- ouly in the sense of having sent his ordinate pe!Mlema.king, the result of the preachers and given them his Spirit could other. Jesus be said to have preaohed to the Ver. 16.-And that he might reoonoile Ephesians. The repetition of the word both to God in one body by the cross. " peace" in the R. V. is expressive: if the Exegetical of preooding statements, a.nd subject had been merely peace between the ms.1.-ing emphatio the fact of reconoiliation two ole.sses of men, we should not have had. -to C'..oo. cm tM mnae footing and by tlui SG1716 the repetition; the repetition denotes peaoe mean.s ; hoth were to be reronoiled in one between each of the two classes and a third broy (see eh. iv. 4) snd by tlie cros.<. No party, viz. God. It is remlU'bble that the pr..fi'rence was to be ~fren t-0 the Jew facili- Gentiles," those tho.t were far off," are men- tstin~ his union t-0 Christ: the Gentile was tioned here before the Jews, "those that to be~taken into Christ's body as readily as were nigh." In point of chronology, the the Jew. In ref,,rei1ce to the sense iu which Jews csme firat; but the order is here trans- reconciliation was effected by the cross of posed, probably to emphasize the offer of-the Jesus, snme say it was only as the cross gospel to the Gentiles, and to show that demonstrated to men the love of God and spiritually they were as near as the Jews. his willingness t-0 bless them; while others Ver. 18.-For through him both of us have maintain very strongly tho.t it was as pro- onr access by one Spirit onto the Father. viding a satisfaction to God's justice for Further illustration of identity of position their guilt, and thus etJabling him to receive of Jews and Gentiles, and of the work of and bless the sinner. Not only the analogy Christ in bringing it about. Subject of this of other passages of Scripture as well e.s of verse, access to the Father : predioate, this this Epistle justifies the latter view, but pre- access effected through Christ by the one eminently the words, "by the cross." If Spirit. Our having access to the Father is Christ had only to proclaim God's friend- assumed as a matter of spiritne.l experience: ship toward sinners, why shonld he have the converted Ephesians knew that in their suffered on the cross? The cross as a prayers and other exercises they <lid ree.lly mere pnlpit is hideous; e.s au altar it is stand before Goel, and felt as children dorious.. The lo,e of God is ill revealed, if to a Father. How oe.me this to p11ss? ft sobj ected J e.."llB tD unnecessary agony. "Through him." Sinful men have not this The lorn of both Father and Son is indeed privilege by nature; "Your iniquities have commended, if the agony was voluntarily separated between yon a.nd yonr God " (Isa. borne by the San., end permitted by the lix. 2). They need a Mediator: Jesus is Fa\her, a.. being indispensable for the pardon that Mediat.or: and through him, both Jews of the 6i.nner. 'A1ro,c1ZT~?J denotes the and Gentiles enjoy the privilege. But right whole process of reconciliation (see Eadie). of access is not enough; in approaching God Having slain the enmity thereby (or, therwn). and holding fellowship with him there must " The enmity" is the same as at the begin- be some congeniality of soul, a fellow-feeling ning of ver. 15-the enmity of man t.o God. between God and the worshipper: this is The destruction of this enmity is one of the effected through the same Spitit. Some effects of the cross, though not the only render "in the same spirit, or disposition of effect; it is necessary t.o root out the enmity mind." This 'is true, but not all the truth : of the carnal mind. That this is the mean- for the question arises-How do we get this ing here seems plain from Rom. v. 10, " If, suitable disposition? And the answer is- when we were enemies, we were reconciled to It is wrought by the Holy Spirit. As tho God by the death of bis Son." '1.'he apostle state of the soul in true intercourse with there makes no allnsion t.o the enmity of God is substantially the same in all, so Jew and Gentile to ea.eh other, but t.o this it is brought by the same Holy Spirit. In wider fuc,1; - -rb tf,pOV71µ.a. -rijs tTa.pKbs lx8pa. fact, this verse is one of the che.racteristio <ls e,6v. If any words can denote the result texts of Ephesians, in which Father, Son, of a propitiarory sa.crince, it is ~rely "Je- and Holy Spirit are brought t.ogether. concil~d ro God bv the death of his Son. Ver. 19.-& then ye are no more strangerB ,er. li.-Al!d having come, he preached and foreignera. " Sojourners" is nearer peace to you tl:.&t were tar o1f, and peace to -r4.poUCD< than "foreigners;" it denotes per- those that w~ nigh. The coming denoted BODS dwelling in a place, but withont citizen by h ..8"" is s:n~ uent to the transactions of rights and privileges; but as such peraone the cross. It cannot denote ,rhat Christ did are usually foreigners, it is immaterial which personally, but what he did by sending his term is used. B11t ye are fellow-oitizena Hpirit to the apostki; and other early with the sainta. The saints are tho chosen pr1o~.chers. It was only after the cross and ones of a.II time (comp. Hob. xii. 22, "But en. II. 1-22.J TllE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 67