John Wesley

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:

“By the will of God - Not by any merit of my own. To the saints who are at Ephesus - And in all the adjacent places.”

He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will,

“Having predestinated us to the adoption of sons - Having foreordained that all who afterwards believed should enjoy the dignity of being sons of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.”

And He has made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ

“Having made known to us - By his word and by his Spirit. The mystery of his will - The gracious scheme of salvation by faith, which depends on his own sovereign will alone.”

in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, would be for the praise of His glory.

“Who first believed - Before the gentiles. So did some of them in every place. Here is another branch of the true gospel predestination: he that believes is not only elected to salvation, (if he endures to the end,) but is fore-appointed of God to…”

And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth—the gospel of your salvation—you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

“Likewise believed, after ye had heard the gospel - Which God made the means of your salvation; in whom after ye had believed - Probably some time after their first believing.”

I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,

“That the Father of that infinite glory which shines in the face of Christ, from whom also we receive the glorious inheritance, ver.”

which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

“The fulness of him that filleth all in all - It is hard to say in what sense this can be spoken of the church; but the sense is easy and natural, if we refer it to Christ, who is the fulness of the Father.”

in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world and of the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit who is now…

“The evil spirits are united under one head, the seat of whose dominion is in the air. Here he sometimes raises storms, sometimes makes visionary representations, and is continually roving to and fro.”

All of us also lived among them at one time, fulfilling the cravings of our flesh and indulging its desires and thoughts.

“Also, formerly had our conversation: doing the will of the flesh - In gross, brutal sins. And of the mind - By spiritual, diabolical wickedness. In the former clause, flesh denotes the whole evil nature; in the latter, the body opposed to the soul.”

made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved!

“He hath quickened us together with Christ - In conformity to him, and by virtue of our union with him. By grace ye are saved - Grace is both the beginning and end.”

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

“And hath raised us up together - Both Jews and gentiles already in spirit; and ere long our bodies too will be raised. And made us all sit together in heavenly places - This is spoken by way of anticipation.”

For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God,

“By grace ye are saved through faith - Grace, without any respect to human worthiness, confers the glorious gift. Faith, with an empty hand, and without any pretense to personal desert, receives the heavenly blessing.”

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.

“For we are his workmanship - Which proves both that salvation is by faith, and that faith is the gift of God. Created unto good works - That afterwards we might give ourselves to them.”

Therefore remember that formerly you who are Gentiles in the flesh and called uncircumcised by the so-called circumcision (that done in the body by human hands)—

“Who were accordingly called the uncircumcision - By way of reproach. By that which is called the circumcision - By those who call themselves the circumcised, and think this a proof that they are the people of God; and who indeed have that outward circumcision…”

remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in…

“Were at that time without Christ - Having no faith in, or knowledge of, him. Being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel - Both as to their temporal privileges and spiritual blessings.”

For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has torn down the dividing wall of hostility

“For he is our peace - Not only as he purchased it, but as he is the very bond and center of union. He who hath made both - Jews and gentiles, one church.”

by abolishing in His flesh the law of commandments and decrees. He did this to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace and reconciling…

“And hath broken down the middle wall of partition - Alluding to that wall of old, which separated the court of Israel from the court of the gentiles. Such a wall was the ceremonial law, which Christ had now taken away.”

For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

“For through him, we both - Jews and gentiles. Have access - Liberty of approaching, by the guidance and aid of one Spirit to God as our Father. Christ, the Spirit, and the Father, the three-one God, stand frequently in the same order.”

built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.

“On whom all the building fitly framed together - The whole fabric of the universal church rises up like a great pile of living materials.”

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles...

“For this cause - That ye may be so "built together," I am a prisoner for you gentiles - For your advantage, and for asserting your right to these blessings. This it was which so enraged the Jews against him.”

that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.

“The mystery - Of salvation by Christ alone, and that both to Jews and gentiles. As I wrote before - Namely, chap. i, 9, 10; the very words of which passage he here repeats.”

which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.

“Which in other - In former, ages was not so clearly or fully made known to the sons of men - To any man, no, not to Ezekiel, so often styled, "son of man;" nor to any of the ancient prophets.”

This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.

“That the gentiles are joint-heirs - Of God. And of the same body - Under Christ the head. And joint-partakers of his promise - The communion of the Holy Ghost.”

and to illuminate for everyone the stewardship of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.

“What is the fellowship of the mystery - What those mysterious blessings are whereof all believers jointly partake.”

In Him and through faith in Him we may enter God’s presence with boldness and confidence.

“By whom we have free access - Such as those petitioners have, who are introduced to the royal presence by some distinguished favourite.”