Ephesians 1:1

Blessed, then, are ye who are God-bearers, spirit-bearers, temple-bearers, bearers of holiness, adorned in all respects with the commandments of Jesus Christ, being "a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people," on whose account I rejoice exceedingly, and have had the privilege, by this Epistle, of conversing with "the saints which are at Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus." I rejoice, therefore, over you, that ye do not give heed to vanity, and love nothing according to the flesh, but according to God.

Observe, he applies the word "through" to the Father. But what then? Shall we say that He is inferior? Surely not. Observe that he calls saints, men with wives, and children, and domestics. For that these are they whom he calls by this name is plain from the end of the Epistle, as, when he says, "Wives, be in subjection unto your own husbands." And again, "Children, obey your parents:" and, "Servants, be obedient to your masters." Think how great is the indolence that possesses us now, how rare is any thing like virtue now and how great the abundance of virtuous men must have been then, when even secular men could be called "saints and faithful." "Grace" is his word; and he calls God, "Father," since this name is a sure token of that gift of grace. And how so? Hear what he saith elsewhere; "Because ye are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father." Because for us men Christ was born, and appeared in the flesh.

The Apostle writes this letter to the Ephesians who were Asians, coming from Asia Minor which is part of Greece. They were not initiated into the faith by the Apostle Paul but he did strengthen them in it. Even before he had met them, they …

Look, the preposition δια he referred to the Father, – and note, – this is against the Arians. Look how great was the virtue in that time: he calls holy and faithful men who were laypeople, having wives and children. But now even those in …

For in regards to the works of God, meaning he and his apostolic commission from God, he surely declared, I work only but through Christ, being empowered by God. The introduction of the epistle, is to teach them in regards to the grace of Christ. Now this grace, we received from Him, and our sanctification, inasmuch as we have become partakers of His body, and have taken on His understanding. And the cause of this grace, is the goodness of God, Who is praised forever. Now the path to her (i.e. Grace), is through the blood of Christ that redeems.

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. For this epistle is not directed to the Ephesians only, but likewise to all the other churches of Asia.

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,.... See Gill on Rom 1:1. See Gill on 1Co 1:1. See Gill on 2Co 1:1. See Gill on Gal 1:1. To the saints which are at Ephesus; of this place, see the note above upon the title of the epistle, and See Gill on Act 18:

The twofold aspect of salvation is thus presented, God's grace in the first instance sanctifying us, (that is, setting us apart in His eternal purposes as holy unto Himself); and our faith, by God's gift, laying hold of salvation (2Th 2:13;

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

To the saints which are at Ephesus - As some learned men think that this epistle was written to the Church of the Laodiceans, and that the words εν Εφεσῳ, in Ephesus, were not originally in this epistle, the consideration of the subject has appeared to be more proper for the preface; and to that the reader is referred for a particular discussion of this opinion. By the term saints we are to understand those who in that place professed Christianity, and were members of the Christian Church. Saint properly signifies a holy person, and such the Gospel of Christ requires every man to be, and such every true believer is, both in heart and life; but saint appears to have been as ordinary a denomination of a believer in Christ in those primitive times, as the term Christian is now. Yet many had the name who had not the thing. The faithful in Christ Jesus - Πιστοις· the believers - the persons who received Christ as the promised Messiah, and the Savior of the world, and continued in the grace which they had received.

Paul, an apostle; - see the notes at Rom 1:1. By the will of God - see the notes at 1Co 1:1. To the saints - A name often given to Christians because they are holy; see the notes at 1Co 1:2. In Ephesus - see the introduction, sections 1 and 5. And to the faithful in Christ Jesus - This evidently refers to others than to those who were in Ephesus, and it is clear that Paul expected that this Epistle would be read by others.