The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV

by John MacArthur

  7with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men,

  8iknowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

  9And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that 1your own jMaster also is in heaven, and kthere is no partiality with Him.

  The Whole Armor of God

  10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

  11lPut on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the 2wiles of the devil.

  12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against mprincipalities, against powers, against nthe rulers of 3the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

  13oTherefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand pin the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

  14Stand therefore, qhaving girded your waist with truth, rhaving put on the breastplate of righteousness,

  15sand having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

  16above all, taking tthe shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

  17And utake the helmet of salvation, and vthe sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

  18wpraying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, xbeing watchful to this end with all perseverance and ysupplication for all the saints—

  19and for me, that utterance may be given to me, zthat I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,

  20for which aI am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

  A Gracious Greeting

  21But that you also may know my affairs and how I am doing, bTychicus, a beloved brother and cfaithful minister in the Lord, will make all things known to you;

  22dwhom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our affairs, and that he may ecomfort your hearts.

  23Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

  24Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

  Ephesians Commentaries

  Ephesians 1

  1:1 apostle. The word means “messenger” and served as an official title for Paul and the 12 disciples (including Matthias, Acts 1:26), who were eyewitnesses of the resurrected Jesus and were chosen by God to lay the foundation for the church by preaching, teaching, and writing Scripture, accompanied by miracles (cf. 2 Cor. 12:12). See note on 4:11. saints…faithful. Designates those whom God has set apart from sin to Himself, made holy through their faith in Jesus Christ.

  1:2 Grace to you and peace. A common greeting in the early church which Paul used in all his letters. God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. From them came the authority with which Paul spoke (v. 1) as well as the blessings of grace and peace to all believers. The conjunction “and” indicates equivalence; that is, the Lord Jesus Christ is equally divine with the Father.

  1:3–14 This passage describes God’s master plan for salvation in terms of the past (election, vv. 3–6a), the present (redemption, vv. 6b–11), and the future (inheritance, vv. 12–14). It can also be viewed as emphasizing the Father (vv. 3–6), the Son (vv. 7–12), and the Spirit (vv. 13–16).

  1:3 Blessed. Derived from the same Gr. word as “eulogy,” which means to praise or commend. This is the supreme duty of all creatures (see notes on Rom. 1:18–21; cf. Rev. 5:13). God…who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. In His providential grace, God has already given believers total blessing (Rom. 8:28; Col. 2:10; James 1:17; 2 Pet. 1:3). “Spiritual” does not refer to immaterial blessings as opposed to material ones, but rather to the work of God, who is the divine and spiritual source of all blessings. in the heavenly places. Lit. “in the heavenlies.” This refers to the realm of God’s complete, heavenly domain, from which all His blessings come (cf. v. 20; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12). in Christ. God’s superabundant blessings belong only to believers who are His children, by faith in Christ, so that what He has is theirs—including His righteousness, resources, privilege, position, and power (cf. Rom. 8:16, 17).

  1:4 He chose us. The doctrine of election is emphasized throughout Scripture (cf. Deut. 7:6; Is. 45:4; John 6:44; Acts 13:48; Rom. 8:29; 9:11; 1 Thess. 1:3, 4; 2 Thess. 2:13; 2 Tim. 2:10; see note on 1 Pet. 1:2). The form of the Gr. verb behind “chose” indicates that God not only chose by Himself but for Himself to the praise of His own glory (vv. 6, 12, 14). God’s election or predestination does not operate apart from or nullify man’s responsibility to believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior (cf. Matt. 3:1, 2; 4:17; John 5:40). before the foundation of the world. Through God’s sovereign will before the creation of the world and, therefore, obviously independent of human influence and apart from any human merit, those who are saved have become eternally united with Christ Jesus. Cf. 1 Pet. 1:20; Rev. 13:8; 17:8. holy and without blame before Him. This describes both a purpose and a result of God’s choosing those who are to be saved. Unrighteous persons are declared righteous, unworthy sinners are declared worthy of salvation, all because they are chosen “in Him” (Christ). This refers to Christ’s imputed righteousness granted to us (see notes on 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 3:9), a perfect righteousness which places believers in a holy and blameless position before God (5:27; Col. 2:10), though daily living inevitably falls far short of His holy standard. in love. This phrase belongs at the start of v. 5, since it introduces the divine motive for God’s elective purpose. Cf. 2:4; Deut. 7:8.

  1:5 having predestined us to adoption as sons. Human parents can bestow their love, resources, and inheritance on an adopted child, but not their own distinct characteristics. But God miraculously gives His own nature to those whom He has elected and who have trusted in Christ. He makes them His children in the image of His divine Son, giving them not just Christ’s riches and blessings but also His very nature (cf. John 15:15; Rom. 8:15).

  1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace. The ultimate purpose of election to salvation is the glory of God (cf. vv. 12, 14; Phil. 2:13; 2 Thess. 1:11, 12). by which…accepted in the Beloved. “Which” refers to the divine grace (undeserved love and favor) that has made it possible for sinners to be accepted by God through the substitutionary death and imputed righteousness provided by Jesus Christ (“the Beloved,” cf. Matt. 3:17; Col. 1:13). Because believers are accepted in Him, then they, like Him, are beloved of God.

  1:7 redemption through His blood. The term used here relates to paying the required ransom to God for the release of a person from bondage. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross paid that price for every elect person enslaved by sin, buying them out of the slave market of iniquity (see notes on 2 Cor. 5:18, 19). The price of redemption was death (cf. Lev. 17:11; Rom. 3:24, 25; Heb. 9:22; 1 Pet. 1:18, 19; Rev. 5:8–10).

  1:7b, 8 the forgiveness of sins…in all wisdom and prudence. Redemption brings in the limitless grace of God (Rom. 5:20) and forgiveness of sin (cf. Matt. 26:28; Acts 13:38, 39; Eph. 4:32; Col. 2:13; 1 John 1:9). It brings divinely-bestowed spiritual understanding. Cf. 1 Cor. 2:6, 7, 12, 16.

  1:10 He might gather. At the end of this world’s history, God will gather believers together in the millennial kingdom, called here the “dispensation of the fullness of the times,” meaning the completion of history (Rev. 20:1–6). After that, God will gather everything to Himself in eternity future, and the new heaven and new earth will be created (Rev. 21:1ff.). The new universe will be totally unified under Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 15:27, 28; Phil. 2:10, 11).

  1:11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance. Christ is the source of the believer’s divine inheritance, which is so certain that it is spoken of as if it has already been received. Cf. 1 Cor. 3:22, 23; 2 Pet. 1:3, 4. being predestined. Before the earth was formed, God sovereignly determined that every elect sinner—however vile, useless, and deserving of death—by trusting in Christ would be made righteous. See note on v. 4. who
works all things. The word translated “works” is the same one from which “energy,” “energetic,” and “energize” are derived. When God created the world, He gave it sufficient energy to begin immediately to operate as He had planned. It was not simply ready to function, but was created functioning. As God works out His plan according “to the counsel of His will,” He energizes every believer with the power necessary for his spiritual completion (cf. Phil 1:6; 2:13).

  1:12 to the praise of His glory. God’s glory is the supreme purpose of redemption (cf. vv. 6, 14).

  1:13 trusted, after you heard the word. The God-revealed gospel of Jesus Christ must be heard (Rom. 10:17) and believed (John 1:12) to bring salvation.

  1:13, 14 sealed with the Holy Spirit. God’s own Spirit comes to indwell the believer and secures and preserves his eternal salvation. The sealing of which Paul speaks refers to an official mark of identification placed on a letter, contract, or other document. That document was thereby officially under the authority of the person whose stamp was on the seal. Four primary truths are signified by the seal: 1) security (cf. Dan. 6:17; Matt. 27:62–66); 2) authenticity (cf. 1 Kin. 21:6–16); 3) ownership (cf. Jer. 32:10); and 4) authority (cf. Esth. 8:8–12). The Holy Spirit is given by God as His pledge of the believer’s future inheritance in glory (cf. 2 Cor. 1:21).

  1:15 your love for all the saints. Love for other believers evidences saving faith (cf. John 13:34, 35; 1 John 4:16–18; 4:20; 5:1) and is a cause of thanksgiving (v. 16).

  1:17 the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is a designation of God that links Father and Son in essential nature as deity (cf. v. 3a; Rom. 1:1–4; 1 Cor. 1:3; Phil 2:9–11; 1 Pet. 1:3; 2 John 3).

  1:17, 18 the spirit of wisdom…understanding. Paul was praying that believers will have the disposition of godly knowledge and insight of which the sanctified mind is capable (v. 8), so as to grasp the greatness of the hope (Rom. 8:29; 1 John 3:2) and the inheritance that is theirs in Christ (vv. 3–14).

  1:18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened. A spiritually enlightened mind is the only means of truly understanding and appreciating the hope and inheritance in Christ and of living obediently for Him.

  1:19, 20 exceeding greatness of His power. God’s great power, that very power which raised Jesus from the dead and lifted Him by ascension back to glory to take His seat at God’s right hand, is given to every believer at the time of salvation and is always available (cf. Acts 1:8; Col. 1:29). Paul therefore did not pray that God’s power be given to believers but that they be aware of the power they already possessed in Christ and use it (cf. 3:20).

  1:21 Paul wanted believers to comprehend the greatness of God compared to other heavenly beings. “Principality, power, might, and dominion” were traditional Jewish terms to designate angelic beings having a high rank among God’s hosts. God is above them all (cf. Rev. 20:10–15).

  1:22 feet…head. This is a quote from Ps. 8:6 indicating that God has exalted Christ over everything (cf. Heb. 2:8), including His church (cf. Col. 1:18). Christ is clearly the authoritative Head (not “source”) because all things have been placed under His feet. See notes on 4:15; 5:23.

  1:23 His body. A metaphor for God’s redeemed people, used exclusively in the NT of the church (cf. 4:12–16; 1 Cor. 12:12–27).

  Ephesians 2

  2:1 dead in trespasses and sins. A sobering reminder of the total sinfulness and lostness from which believers have been redeemed. “In” indicates the realm or sphere in which unregenerate sinners exist. They are not dead because of sinful acts that have been committed but because of their sinful nature (cf. Matt. 12:35; 15:18, 19).

  2:2 course of this world. See note on John 1:9. This refers to the world order, i.e., humanity’s values and standards apart from God and Christ. In 2 Cor. 10:4, 5, Paul refers to these ideologies that are like fortresses in which people are imprisoned, need to be set free, and brought captive to Christ and obedience to the truth (see notes there). the prince of the power of the air. Satan. Cf. John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; 2 Cor. 4:4.

  2:4 mercy…love. Salvation is for God’s glory by putting on display His boundless mercy and love for those who are spiritually dead because of their sinfulness.

  2:5 when we were dead…made us alive. Far more than anything else, a spiritually dead person needs to be made alive by God. Salvation brings spiritual life to the dead. The power that raises believers out of death and makes them alive (cf. Rom. 6:1–7) is the same power that energizes every aspect of Christian living (cf. Rom. 6:11–13).

  2:6 raised us up together, and made us sit together. The tense of “raised” and “made” indicates that these are immediate and direct results of salvation. Not only is the believer dead to sin and alive to righteousness through Christ’s resurrection, but he also enjoys his Lord’s exaltation and shares in His preeminent glory. in the heavenly places. The supernatural realm where God reigns. In 3:10 and 6:12, however, it also refers to the supernatural sphere where Satan temporarily rules. This spiritual realm is where believers’ blessings are (cf. 1:3), their inheritance is (1 Pet. 1:4), their affections should be (Col. 3:3), and where they enjoy fellowship with the Lord. It is the realm from which all divine revelation has come and where all praise and petitions go.

  2:7 riches of His grace. Salvation, of course, is very much for the believer’s blessing, but it is even more for the purpose of eternally glorifying God for bestowing on believers His endless and limitless grace and kindness. The whole of heaven glorifies Him for what He has done in saving sinners (cf. 3:10; Rev. 7:10–12).

  2:8 faith, and that not of yourselves. “That” refers to the entire previous statement of salvation, not only the grace but the faith. Although men are required to believe for salvation, even that faith is part of the gift of God which saves and cannot be exercised by one’s own power. God’s grace is preeminent in every aspect of salvation (cf. Rom. 3:20; Gal. 2:16).

  2:10 created in…for good works. Good works cannot produce salvation but are subsequent and resultant God-empowered fruits and evidences of it (cf. John 15:8; Phil. 2:12, 13; 2 Tim. 3:17; Titus 2:14; James 2:16–26). which God prepared beforehand. Like his salvation, a believer’s sanctification and good works were ordained before time began (see notes on Rom. 8:29, 30).

  2:11, 12 Gentiles (the “uncircumcision”) experienced two types of alienation. The first was social, resulting from the animosity that had existed between Jews and Gentiles for thousands of years. Jews considered Gentiles to be outcasts, objects of derision, and reproach. The second and more significant type of alienation was spiritual, because Gentiles as a people were cut off from God in 5 different ways: 1) they were “without Christ,” the Messiah, having no Savior and Deliverer and without divine purpose or destiny. 2) They were “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel.” God’s chosen people, the Jews, were a nation whose supreme King and Lord was God Himself, and from whose unique blessing and protection they benefitted. 3) Gentiles were “strangers from the covenants of promise,” not able to partake of God’s divine covenants in which He promised to give His people a land, a priesthood, a people, a nation, a kingdom, and a King—and to those who believe in Him, eternal life and heaven. 4) They had “no hope” because they had been given no divine promise. 5) They were “without God in the world.“ While Gentiles had many gods, they did not recognize the true God because they did not want Him (see notes on Rom. 1:18–26).

  2:13 far off. A common term in rabbinical writings used to describe Gentiles, those who were apart from the true God (cf. Is. 57:19; Acts 2:39). brought near. Every person who trusts in Christ alone for salvation, Jew or Gentile, is brought into spiritual union and intimacy with God. This is the reconciliation of 2 Cor. 5:18–21. The atoning work accomplished by Christ’s death on the cross washes away the penalty of sin and ultimately even its presence.

  2:14 He Himself. This emphatically indicates that Jesus alone is the believer’s source of peace (cf. Is. 9:6). the middle wall of separation. This alludes to a wall in the temple that
partitioned off the Court of the Gentiles from the areas accessible only to Jews. Paul referred to that wall as symbolic of the social, religious, and spiritual separation that kept Jews and Gentiles apart.

  2:15 abolished in His flesh the enmity. Through His death, Christ abolished OT ceremonial laws, feasts, and sacrifices which uniquely separated Jews from Gentiles. God’s moral law (as summarized in the Ten Commandments and written on the hearts of all men, Rom. 2:15) was not abolished but subsumed in the New Covenant, however, because it reflects His own holy nature (Matt. 5:17–19). See notes on Matt. 22:37–40; Rom. 13:8–10. one new man. Christ does not exclude anyone who comes to Him, and those who are His are not spiritually distinct from one another. “New” translates a Gr. word that refers to something completely unlike what it was before. It refers to being different in kind and quality. Spiritually, a new person in Christ is no longer Jew or Gentile, only Christian (cf. Rom. 10:12, 13; Gal. 3:28).

  2:16 reconcile them both to God. As Jews and Gentiles are brought to God through Christ Jesus, they are brought together with each other. This was accomplished by the cross where Jesus became a curse (Gal. 3:10–13), taking God’s wrath so that divine justice was satisfied and reconciliation with God became a reality (see notes on 2 Cor. 5:19–21). For more on reconciliation, see Rom. 5:8–10; Col. 1:19–23.

  2:17 preached peace. The Gr. word for “preached” lit. means “to bring or announce good news,” and in the NT is almost always used of proclaiming the good news that sinners can be reconciled to God by the salvation which is through Jesus Christ. In this context, Christ, the One who “Himself is our peace” (v. 14), also announced the good news of peace. afar off and…near. That is to Gentiles and Jews alike.

  2:18 access by one Spirit to the Father. No sinner has any right or worthiness in himself for access to God, but believers have been granted that right through faith in Christ’s sacrificial death (cf. 3:12; Rom. 5:2). The resources of the Trinity belong to believers the moment they receive Christ, and the Holy Spirit presents them before the heavenly throne of God the Father, where they are welcome to come with boldness at any time. See notes on Rom. 8:15–17; Gal. 4:6, 7; Heb. 4:16.