Ephesians 2:1-10

¹ And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, ² in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, ³ among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. ⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Commentary

Vs. 1-2 ¹ And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, ² in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 

The Apostle Paul in stating that God the Father raised to life our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from dead by His mighty Power, now also declares that because of Jesus' having suffered Crucifixion death for us all to atone for our sins, has also brought us to life with Christ Himself the moment we believed in Him (Eph. 1:13-14), that is He has made us alive, Spiritually alive, and Spiritually united with Christ Himself. And so from once being dead in trespasses and sins, which is state of every human being from their birth until they come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, to now being Spiritual alive and having everlasting life with and through Christ. God the Father by His mighty Power has now made us alive with Himself (vs. 1). Now when we were dead in our trespasses and sins we walked (that is we lived) according to the course of this world, that is the ungodly pursuits and morals of this world that are always rooted in self, self gratification and glorification and all the evil works that are done in pursuit of these, we once also pursued and justified in our own lives and the lives of others as well, because we had no connection with God, and thus no inherent desire for God's Word and the truth it reveals to us all about righteousness, sin, judgment, and of course salvation. And so being Spiritually dead in ones trespasses and sins, and thus separated from the life of God, we all once walked according to the course of this world, which is being directed by the prince of power of the air (i.e. Satan), the spirit which now works in the sons (i.e. people) of disobedience. Disobedient because they do not believe, nor obey the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and so God gives them over to Satan who works his own will through their own persons and lives. In a nutshell then you have what is wrong with this world, sinful humanity dead in their sins and transgressions, though retaining a sense of moral sanity, (since we were all created in the image of God, and thus have some moral sensibilities about us, yet these can be lost if one rejects God's Revelation and light given them, (read Rom 1:18-32; John 1:5; 12:35-36; 2 Thess 2:7-12) and so the unregenerate people of this world are both individually and collectively moved by the prince of power of the air, who slowly and methodically always directs people away from God's Word and Will, to do his own will, which always stands juxtaposed to God's (2 Tim 2:24-26). 

Vs. 3 "among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others."

Now in exposing the sinful condition and degenerating state which was once us all when we were dead in our sins and transgressions and thus separated from God. The Apostle Paul now also fights off any and all notions, or attitudes of self-righteousness, or inherent goodness, that any believer may have about themselves, the Apostle Paul, or any of the Apostles, or anyone else. Now to do this the Apostle Paul identifies himself, and those with him (whether apostles or not), as not only once being dead in their own sins and trespasses, but also as people also once conducted themselves, just as all unregenerate people do, "in the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind", and thus they were by nature children of wrath, just as all others are apart from Christ. And so unlike the Pharisee background that the Apostle Paul came out of, he is not now parading himself around on the high horse of self righteousness while he looks down on the sinful and alienated masses beneath him. Instead Paul is saying that he too was once one of the sinful and disobedient; who though very religious before he came to Christ; also once fulfilled the desires of the flesh and mind, (just like those who were with him), and so they too all were by nature, (that is in their natural sinful and unregenerate state), children of wrath, just as all others are until they are reconciled to God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Because by nature that is what people dead in their sins and trespasses do, they serve the desires of the flesh and of the mind; though the manifestation of this maybe different and to differing degrees for different people; yet all people (even people) who want to live godly and righteous lives ultimately are directed or better misdirected by their own sinful lusts and desires (consider King David and King Solomon), because apart from Christ and having His new life within us no one escapes the clutches of sin, Satan, or death by their own resolve and power, there must first be redemption by Christ's blood shed at Calvary, and then regeneration (that is bringing us to Spirit life) and thus sanctification by God's Spirit indwelling us the moment we repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ crucified and risen from the dead, and thus there must be a new Master in our house (i.e. body or temple) who then transforms our persons and lives. Some of which is immediate and some of which will carry on until we are finially out of this mortal body and life and at home with Christ forever. 

Vs. 4-6 ⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 

Having openly and honestly declared what he once was, the Apostle Paul now gives all honor, glory, praise and power to God who in knowing us all individually, as well as humanity collectively, in our sinful and separated state from Himself did not turn against us, rather He brought His salvation to us, through the Life, Crucifixion death, Resurrection from the dead, and then the Ascension of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ back to heaven with Himself. Now this God did while were still dead in our sins and tress passes (see Rom 5:6-8). Thus God's salvation and mercies and love did not come to us because we were somehow deserving of His salvation, or His mercies, or even His love, rather it is God who is rich in mercy towards all, did for us all, what we could never done for ourselves. That is God not only atoned for all our sins and transgressions through the Death and Resurrection and Ascension of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ, but He has in accord with the same brought us to life with Christ, and raised us up together, and made us to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, meaning both individually, as well as collectively, God has brought each and every one of us who believe into the most intimate and personal relationship with Himself through His own Son. And so by God's Spirit we are not just born again, that is brought to Spirit life by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but we are also baptized into Christ Jesus, into His death, burial, Resurrection, and ascension back to heaven, and so where Christ is there we are, and will always be. And so God has given us not only salvation from sin and eternal condemnation, but He has bestowed upon us who believe the highest and most prestige's place and honor which He first bestowed on His own Son, and so God has made us to be partakers of Christ's royal life and place simply because we believe in His Son! 

Vs. 7 "that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."

And so we who believe are not not only recipients of God's lavish grace, but we are His chosen vessels by which He now demonstrates (and will demonstrate through all eternity) the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (vs. 7). And so that is why God saves us, to make manifest His loving kindness and mercies and salvation in Christ Jesus here and now, but also to make His Name and Fame and Righteous Works to be praised throughout all eternity. 

Vs. 8-10 ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

If there is anything that distinguishes Christianity from all other faiths it is that God's salvation does not come through the works and efforts and striving of man. Nor does it come to those who feel that they are "deserving" or "worthy" of it. God's salvation, and thus His eternal redemption only comes to be enacted in our own persons and lives by His grace, that is by God's unmerited, undeserved and absolutely unearned favor, which we individually must receive for ourselves through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 3:19-28; 4:4-5; Gal 2:16, 19-21, 3:19-29; 4:21-5:6 etc.). It is then by the grace of God that we who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ are saved; saved from sin, Satan, and death; and thus saved from wrath and the judgment to come (John 3:35-36; Rom 5:9; 1 Thess. 1:10; Rev. 20:11-15 etc.). For it is only through the grace of God that the Apostle Paul (and us all) find eternal redemption and reconciliation with God (and thus peace with God). Which the Apostle Paul found for himself when he realized that he could in no way redeem himself. Which is why the Apostle Paul would later say of his own works, righteousness, circumcision, Jewish pedigree, Pharisee zeal, blameless obedience according to strictest code of the Law, and anything else that he once thought would commend him to God, were now counted by him as rubbish (Phil 3:4-10, vs. 8), in the in light of God's Glorious Work (Isaiah 29:14) and Righteousness (Psalm 22:30-31) and Zeal (Isaiah 9:6-7) and Salvation (Isaiah 12:2-3; Isaiah 59:16) which He accomplished for us all at Calvary (Isaiah 53:1-12). And so that is where not only the Apostle Paul's hope now rests (Phil 3:10) but also where everyone of us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ must also eternally rest our hope there as well. For God's salvation from start to finish is by God's own Work and Righteousness which He accomplished for us all on the Cross, so that no one could ever boast of earning it, or deserving it (vs. 9). And so in saving us, we are God's workmanship, created (see 2 Cor 5:17) in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. No Christian then is ever devoid of having a purpose to fulfill in this life, because it is for the expressed purpose of our doing good works, which God has prepared before hand for us to do, that He saved us. Therefore let us all be about doing the good works that God has prepared (and Spirit equipped) us to do. And so whether this is teaching, preaching or evangelism as the mainstay of our good works and ministry, or it is through gifts of helps and service, or giving, or exhortation and encouragement, or showing mercy and compassion, or serving as administrators, deacons and elders in Christ's church and for His people. let it be done through all grace, love and kindness with all diligence. Because we are the Body of Christ and our mission field is the world. For where there is a need, there is a ministry. 


Now if you have never come into a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ now is the perfect time to do just that, because before one can fully enter into Christ's service, one must first enter into His salvation, which is only by the grace of God, and which goes out to every lost and hurting and alienated and broken and sinful and utterly undeserving and unworthy man, woman, and child who simply believes in the Lord Jesus Christ through the Gospel. God's Salvation is for you!
Therefore receive God's Son the Lord Jesus Christ so that God might also receive you and heal you and bring new and everlasting life to you. Now this you can only do by faith, which you can express to God in a prayer inviting the Lord Jesus Christ into your heart and life. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association has a great and concise prayer which I love to use in leading people to Christ, which you can use as well, or you can pray something that is uniquely you. For it's not the pray that saves you, it's your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that saves you, and opens the door to God's salvation for you, when you open your heart to Him (Rom. 10:9-10, 13; Rev 3:20). Therefore if you believe and pray something like this: Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask your Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I now choose to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior, In your name Lord Jesus, amen.

Now if you believe and have prayed that prayer if faith you have begun a whole new life. You may not feel different, but believe me you are different, because the Spirit of God is now residing in you, and you will begin to see things and people differently. Now if your coming out of a difficult past you may have to go through some times of deep felt emotions and feelings and even pain as you begin to process that past. Don't be afraid to either feel them, or let them go, for the Lord is working in you so that He can release you from them, and make you more capable of experiencing Him and His life and life in all of the fruits and joy and love and fullness of the Spirit of God. Therefore as you feel enabled embrace what He is doing in you, whether it is healing of the heart or some other transformation of your person, and you will soon see that He not only works in you, but soon you will see Him working through you as you begin to find those areas that He is guiding you to serve Him in. It's often been described as a great and journey journey, yet every journey must begin with a first step, and in receiving Christ you have taken that first step, therefore may God Almighty now guide you and be with you throughout your new life and journey with Christ, as you now bear the Name above every Name that is named, Jesus Christ Lord of Lord's and King of Kings, and may He Himself make you a proclaimer of His Glorious Name and Fame and cause you all to excel and be abundantly fruitful in whatever areas of life God Himself has called you to serve and excel for Him in, amen.

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Ephesians 1:15-23

¹⁵ Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, ¹⁶ do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: ¹⁷ that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, ¹⁸ the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power ²⁰ which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹ far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. ²² And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, ²³ which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Commentary

Vs. 15-16 ¹⁵ Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, ¹⁶ do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 

Having heard of the believers faith in Ephesus, and their love for all the saints (that is all of God's people everywhere), and having affirmed their salvation in verses 13-14, the Apostle Paul now states that he does not cease to make mention of them in his prayers, something that a Godly leader always does, extend grace and love to those who are in faith, but also he prays for them to grow in their faith and knowledge of God (consider Rom. 1:9; Philippians 1:4; 1 Thess. 3:7-10). 

Vs. 17 "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him"

Now there are several things to note about the Apostle Paul's prayer for them. First it was directed towards the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Second it was reverent, it acknowledged God the Father as the God of glory. Third it was specific, for Paul knew they were new in their faith, and thus vulnerable to influence and misleading from false apostles, prophets and teachers. Fourth it was centered around their understanding of God, and so Paul prays that they might be given by God "the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him." Now this is not a "spirit" per-say, for they already had the Holy Spirit (1:13-14), rather spirit here implies Spiritual comprehension of Him (which is made clear in vs. 18), so that they might be able to apprehend and inculcate into themselves, by diligent study, all of the great and grand truths that God the Father was sharing with them (and us all) through His chosen vessel, the Apostle Paul. For Spiritual growth doesn't happen by osmosis, you have to be in the Word of God and attentive to it if you want to apprehend the grand truths of it, that help secure and grow ones faith and make it fruitful in Christ (consider Matt 13:10-23). 

Vs. 18 "the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints," 

Thus the Apostle Paul's wants us all not to just live as God's children, but also to thrive, and so Paul's prayer is that God will open our eyes to all that we have In Christ, both the hope of His calling, as well as the riches of His inheritance in the saints, that we share in Him. Therefore no Christian is ever without hope, for hope by the very nature of our being in Christ is ours forever. Thus if a Christian has anything in this life it is hope, hope in this life regardless of my circumstances, and hope for a glorious future with Christ, no matter how much I seemingly mess it up down here, because God has called me and redeemed me to be His own. And so whether in good times or bad, we have always hope. Perseverance then is born out of not only knowing God through Christ; knowing that we have been redeemed and forgiven by Christ's blood and sealed forever by God's Spirit, but also knowing that our circumstances down here will never dictate who we are in the eyes of God up there. Now the second thing that Apostle Prays for is that we might know, "the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints," which again is something that God must reveal to us, in order for us to fully apprehend these things for ourselves. And so though we who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ all have the Holy Spirit, and it is the Spirit who teaches us all things pertaining to our faith (1 John 2:27), God's Spirit does not give us complete understanding of everything all at once. And so though there is often times of great growth and excitement as we comprehend the hope that we have in Christ, as well as the riches that we share with and through Christ, as we spend time with Him in His Word. God also brings more of His truth and revelation to us, as we receive and believe these things for ourselves. 

Vs. 19 "and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power"

From the hope of Christ's calling, to the riches of the glory of His inheritance in saints, to now the exceeding greatness of His (God's) power towards us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power. The Apostle Paul wants us all who believe in the Lord Jesus to know that God's power is not only working for our salvation and our sanctification, but it is God's mighty power that sustains us and enables us to do whatever He has called us to do. And so I want us all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to know and believe that God's power is working mightily on our behalf in all areas of our lives (Rom. 8:28-39). Therefore when things and circumstances, and even people closest to you turn on you, or away from you, just keep going forward in faith down that straight highway and narrow road, because the mighty power of God will be with you as well (Psalm 37; 55:22; 63:7-8). 

Vs. 20 "which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places," 

As evidence of God's mighty power working on our behalf, we have the supreme example which God worked In Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavingly places. And so just as God raised up His Son and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from the dead and seated Him (enthroned Him) at His right Hand in heaven, so too will God's mighty power raise us all up and bring us together to be with Christ forever (1 Cor 6:14; 2 Cor 4:14). 

Vs. 21 "far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come."

In raising the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead and seating Him at His right hand, God the Father has exalted Jesus Christ's Person and Name far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named in, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. Therefore there is no principality or power or might or dominion in heaven or on earth, or name that is named, that the Lord Jesus Christ is not exceedingly and eternally exalted above, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come (Col 1:15-18). Therefore it is the Lord Jesus Christ's Person and Name and Him alone that God has commanded everything in heaven and on earth give all honor and glory and prestige too (John 5:22-23).

Vs. 22-23 "And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all."

God the Father has not only exalted the Person and Name of the Lord Jesus Christ above everything and everyone in heaven and on earth, but He has put all things to under Jesus' feet (Acts 2:34-39). That is what is meant by the phrase "gave Him to be head (gr. κεφαλή, see 1 Cor 11:3) over all things"..., all which begins being manifested here on earth with the church which is His Body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Thus we as believers are the ones who must first and foremost not only give all honor and glory and praise and power to the Lord Jesus Christ, but we must be in full subjection to Him and His Will, which comes to us all through His Word. For Jesus is the First and the Last, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end (Rev. 1:12-18), who will reward (or repay) everyone one of us in heaven and on earth according to our works (Rev. 22:12-13). The only question then is your person and life being lived in subjection to the Lord Jesus Christ by doing His Will for you and this world by believing and obeying His Word? Becasue being in the Kingdom of heaven, and being a citizen of it, begins and ends with believing and obeying and honoring the King of it.

Scripture Quotations

The New King James Version. (1982). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Ephesians 1:3-14

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, ⁴ just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, ⁵ having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, ⁶ to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. ⁷ In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace ⁸ which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, ⁹ having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, ¹⁰ that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. ¹¹ In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, ¹² that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. ¹³ In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, ¹⁴ who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

Commentary

Vs. 3 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,"

The Apostle Paul now begins a glorious exposition on our position In Christ, in what the Believers Bible Commentary describes an act of grand worship and adoration of God, saying:  "the apostle lifts his voice in a magnificent hymn of praise, soaring into some of the sublimest heights of NT worship."

Now this magnificent hymn of praise and thanksgiving begins by first blessing the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, "who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ". Now just as it begins in praise so it will end in praising God who has glorified His Name in His Son by what He has done for us all (vs. 14). And so not a trace of cold and dead theology is ever found in it, or heard through it. Rather life giving and nourishing Words Inspired and brought to life by God's Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul, so that all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ will be nourished and bountifully fed and blessed by them. Because it is one thing to know the Lord Jesus Christ by faith, it is quite another to know what we all possess in Him and through Him because of what He has done. And so knowing what we all have in Christ, the Apostle Paul being filled with the Spirit of God in all wisdom and knowledge and truth cannot contain his joy and thankfulness to God for all these things. And yet when Paul declares and reveals these things to us, he will govern it all with a holy reverence, because in declaring and bringing to light true knowledge of God, reverence before God is not only essential to having it, but also acquiring it (consider Lev 10:3; Luke 8:18). To begin then, having been reconciled back to God the Father by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ His Son, we who believe have now been blessed by God through His Son with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Now these blessings are spiritual blessings given us through God's Holy Spirit, in the heavenly places In Christ. And as such refer to everything the Holy Spirit has given us in Christ.  All which began with our first being brought to Spirit life and united with Christ, (and each other), the moment we believed In the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the baptism of the Spirit of God, by which we are conveyed or transferred (lit. transformed, Louw Nida 13.64) into Christ (Col 1:13), and thus into the Body of Christ, where all of Christ's blessing flow too. And so by the Lord Jesus Christ's Crucifixion death, Resurrection from the dead, and Ascension back to heaven, we have been by the Holy Spirit indwelling us brought into eternal life and united with Christ in these events (Rom 6), which is also the cause of our being renewed and regenerated by the Holy Spirit down here, so that God by His Spirit sanctifying us down here is making of us fit for an eternity up there with Himself in heaven. And so not only are we now alive with the Lord Jesus Christ down here, by His Spirit indwelling and transforming us down here; but we have also died to all that was previously our unregenerate state; and so we are more and more experiencing the fullness and riches of Christ as we comprehend and apprehend these things for ourselves. 

Therefore the spiritual blessings being referred to here are all of God's Spiritual blessings that we have In Christ, both His Life, His Spirit gifts, His fruits of His Spirit, His grace (Heb. 4:14-16), His promises, all which makes for an abundant and enriched and liberated life while we are alive down here in the body; but will also make us to abound in the riches of God's Presence when we take up our permanent place in the heavenly realms with Him (and each other) forever (2 Peter 1:1-11). And so what we have and experience down here is only a mere foreshadow and taste of all the riches and spiritual blessings that we will all fully share with Christ up there (1 Cor. 2:9). And so praising God here is not just for His giving us remission of our sins and everlasting life, or giving us His Spirit gifts and purposes for our lives, or His giving us His love too both enjoy and share, but also for the everlasting joy and eternal inheritance that we have and will all share with Christ up there (Rev. 21:4). Thus the Apostle Paul can now joyfully praise God for all these things because though we are not yet perfected here in the mortal body, we are day by day drawing nearer and nearer to day when we will all be at home in heaven with Christ, and each other, perfected forever (Phil 3:12; 1 Cor 15:42-55).  

Vs. 4 "just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,"

The Apostle Paul now looks back on how we all got to this redeemed and glorious state that we who believe all have and share In Christ. Blessing God then for what we now have In Christ, and what is coming to us all In Christ, is now only going to be being surpassed by how we all got here In Christ. For it was God the Father Himself who chose us in In Christ before the foundation of the world. Make no mistakes about it, long before there was a Sun and moon and stars and earth, God the Father had it in His heart to chose us for His salvation and redemption which He has now brought to us through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ (John 6:37). Now God's expressed purpose in choosing us was so that He could set us apart for Himself as His own special people, who would be holy and without blame before Him in love. And so having been chosen by God to be In Christ before the foundation of the world (which is also referred to as election, and thus we who believe being called the elect of God (see Isaiah 65:9, 22; Matt. 24:24, 31; Mark 13:22, 27; Luke 18:7; Rom 8:28-30; 9:11, 14-33; 11:7; 1 Thess 1:4; 2 Thess 2:13; 2 Tim 2:10; Titus; 1 Peter 1:2, 5:13; 2 John 1, 13 etc.), God did so that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love (consider Col 3:12-14). Therefore as the redeemed children of God we need to practice and pursue, holiness and blamelessness and love, because God has chosen us for Himself, as His people, for that expressed purpose.

Vs. 5 "having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will," 

God not only chose us before the foundation of the world, God followed through and predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. Therefore it was God's will; not one's own will, or someone else's will, but God who according to the good pleasure of His own will, accomplishes all of these things for us (consider John 1:12-13). Therefore no one comes to God (and thus into His salvation) of their own accord, rather God must first draw them to Himself through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ (John 6:44, 6:55), which itself is the merciful saving work of God that He Himself does according to the good pleasure of His will. 

Vs. 6  "to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved."

Now God our Father has done all these things so that He might be praised and glorified because of His amazing grace which is given us all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ the Lord His Beloved Son and our Beloved Savior. Therefore it is through God's glorious grace that we who believe have been made accepted in the Beloved; that is we who were once unacceptable to Him because of our sins and transgressions have now been made accepted through the Son of His love who suffered Crucifixion death to make us all who believe in Him acceptable to Himself. And so just as God the Father loves and accepts His Son, so now He also accepts us all who believe in Him. Being then accepted by God does not come through the works of man, it comes by faith in His Son (Eph 2:8-9).

Vs. 7 "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace,"

In Him (that is In Christ) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His (God's) grace. Notice first that our redemption from sin and death has come only through the blood of Jesus Christ God's Son, the Sacrificial Lamb of God, who by His suffering Crucifixion death has redeemed us who believe in Him from sin and death. Make no mistakes about it, without Jesus Christ's blood being shed unto death to atone for all of our sins; no one would be forgiven or redeemed by God (Lev. 17:11; Heb. 9:14-15, 22; 1 Peter 1:18-21). Now this happened because it was God's Will for Him to do so, so that He could bestow the riches of His grace on everyone who believes in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:16).

Vs. 8 "which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,"

God has not only chosen us, predestined us, and redeemed us through Christ's blood, and thus has made us accepted in the Beloved Son. But through Jesus Christ, God made His grace abound towards us in all wisdom and prudence. That is God has also now revealed to us by His Spirit what His plans are for all of us who believe in Christ Jesus His Son. And so God through the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, has now brought to light His plans for both believing Jew and Gentile, as well as His plans for the redemption of His bride, the church, at the end of this present age (Rev 19:1-22:21). 

Vs. 9-10 "having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him." 

Therefore God in first electing, predestining and now redeeming us has not left us ignorant of His Will. For through the Lord Jesus Christ and His Apostles He has clearly made known His will for us all through His Word. And so in the O.T. we have the Promise of God's Redemption through His Son, the Christ, being extended to both believing Jews and Gentiles (Isaiah 42:1-9; 49:6, 9-13; 52:13-15, 53:1-12; Hosea 1:10; 2:23 etc.). Yet it is not until the Lord Jesus Christ becomes the Mediator of the New Covenant that we are told of God's plans in redeeming both believing Jews and Gentiles is so that He could gather us all In Christ His Son (Rom 9-11; 15:7-13; 21 etc). That is what the Apostle Paul is referring to when he says, "that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him."

And so in one sense the fullness of times initially is referring to the Gospel era by which God is gathering both believing Jews and Gentiles In Christ. Now though the era almost exclusively belongs to the Gentiles being redeemed, until the times of the Gentiles is fulfilled. Then there will be at the end of the age when all of God's elect in Israel will be gathered to Himself (Rom 9-11). All which must take place before the Lord Jesus Christ has His Millennial Reign, where He will rule over everything in heaven and earth. And so the Apostle Paul in declaring as much is not just seeing his own age, or era, in which the Gospel first came to life and light, and through which the church came into being, but he is also considering the end of the age when God gathers all of His redeemed, both which is in heaven and on earth in Christ. And so with that glorious future in mind believing Gentiles do not now become practicing Jews under the Old Covenant (See Acts 15). Instead both are now united In Christ and are under the New Covenant, not Moses and the Old (Heb. 8:7-13). Yes there is a still a future fulfillment of the purposes of God for Israel during the Millennial Reign of Christ (Zechariah 14:16-21), but no one, either Jew or Gentile should ever return to the Law and circumcision while seeking to be justified by Christ (Gal 5:1, 4-5; Phil. 3:1-11 etc.). For by works of the Law no flesh will be justified in the sight of Christ (Rom 3:20; Gal 2:16). Therefore our Sovereign Supreme God Lord King Creator and Sustainer of Everything has not only redeemed us through His Son (not Moses) according to the good pleasure of His Will, but he is also He making us who believe in His Son one special people set apart for His own purposes (1 Peter 2:9-10). 

Vs. 11-12 ¹¹ In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, ¹² that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. 

Having announced the gathering of all of God's redeemed in heaven and earth In Christ, the Apostle Paul now personalizes this, saying In Him we also have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will. Now the we Paul is referring too is himself and those believers with him who also first trusted in the Living and Resurrected Lord Jesus Christ, (of course this includes all of the Apostles and early disciples whether Jews, Samaritans, or now Gentiles). For they were the first to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ so that they should be to the praise of His glory. That is through them God would make known His Glorious Grace, Love, Redemption and Power In Christ to one and all.

Vs. 13-14 ¹³ In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, ¹⁴ who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

The Apostle Paul now extends this to us all who have also believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, saying "In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise," Notice first that it was when we first trusted In Christ, through the Word of truth, the Gospel of our salvation, that we were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. First then salvation begins the moment one believes; that is trusts in what the Lord Jesus Christ has done by His Crucifixion death and Resssurection from the dead to save them from our sins and transgressions, and thus the wrath to come. Second salvation is a permanent, irrevocable state. That is what is being stated when the Apostle says we were sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise the moment we believed. For God doesn't make mistakes in His election and predestination of us, nor does He renege on His promise of salvation to one and to all who believe/trust exclusively in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. For that is what is being declared in verse thirteen and is also backed up in verse fourteen, where it is stated of the Holy Spirit that He is, "the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory." And so having believed we were sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise (that is the Promise Jesus Himself gave of His coming into everyone who believes in Him (John 7:38-39; 14:15-18, vs. 17). Now we are not just secured forever by the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13-14; 2 Cor 1:21-22; Eph 4:30 etc.), but as the word translated sealed here indicates we are also permanently marked by Him as belonging to God. And so the world though not personally knowing God, will all know that we who believe now belong to God, and thus don't belong anymore with them. So don't be surprised when the world hates or rejects you, because they also hate and reject Gods Son (John 15:18-25). Third the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has exclusively purchased our redemption, both as individuals, as well as a Body of believers in Christ in every generation. Something which no man could do for himself, or anyone else (consider Psalm 49:6-9). Therefore our first loyalty must always be with and for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, not family, not friends, not even our own lives (Matt. 10:21-23, 34-39; Luke 12:49-53; 21:10-19). Fourth our salvation having been purchased by the will of God (vs. 5-6) through the Blood of Christ, is too the praise of His glory, (vs. 6, 12, 13). So that God might make known the riches of His glory on us all who believe in Him (Rom. 9:23). Therefore we who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ being sealed with His Holy Spirit of promise are not only the fragrance of His Person in every place wherever we go (2 Cor 2:14-17), but we are the means by which God also manifests His glory to one and to all. And so we are, as Jesus said, a light set on a hill which cannot be hidden, by which God manifests His grace and His glory, in first redeeming and then indwelling once sinful, broken and alienated people from Himself, and then manifesting His grace, glory, and power to salvation through the same, which again is being done to the praise of His glory.  

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Additional Resources Consulted 
Louw, Johannes P., and Eugene Albert Nida. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains. New York: United Bible Societies, 1996.


Vs. 8 Believer’s Bible Commentary. Thomas Nelson Publishing, 1995

Ephesians 1:1-2

¹ Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus: ² Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Preamble
The Apostle Paul now begins what is arguably the greatest of Epistles regarding our position with Christ. And so like Romans and Galatians which are the Magna Charta of salvation by God's grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Here in this most profound Epistle the great Apostle Paul brings to light all that we have as believers in our redeemed standing the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Commentary
Vs. 1 "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus:"

To begin this Epistle Paul introduces himself as an apostle of Christ. Now Paul's doing so is so that this Epistle would be received by the Ephesians (and all who read or hear it) as coming to us all as from Christ. For that is what an Apostle of Christ was, His chosen messenger to all His people, everywhere. And so no matter where the Apostle Paul's letters were initially addressed and sent too we who believe are the intended audience of them all, as is being indicated in his additional phrase "and the faithful in Christ Jesus". Now Paul being chosen as an a Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ did not not come by his own will, or the will of someone else, but only by the Will of God (see Rom 1:1; 1 Cor 1:1; 2 Cor 1:1; Gal. 1:1; Col. 1:1; 1 Tim 1:1; 2 Tim 1:1; Titus 1:1). 

Vs. 2 "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

More than a well wish here, the Apostle Paul extends to us all, "Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Now grace is not only the unmerited favor of God, that is freely extended to all through the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, it is a liberating force in our lives as we who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ learn to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor 5:7; 15:56). While the peace that comes from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ is not only something we receive when we repent and believe in Christ; that is peace with God by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; and thus our trusting His death on the cross as the atonement for all our sins; it is also an ongoing work of the Spirit of God in our persons and lives from Christ, that we we must also avail ourselves too when we find ourselves facing whatever kinds of tribulations or troubles or unsettling things or circumstances that we will face on our journey home (John 14:27). For through the blood of Christ we have not only eternal salvation, but we have continual and ongoing access by faith into God's grace, when we come to Him in humility through Jesus Christ our Great and Everlasting High Priest, who not only saves us, but always lives to make intercession for us all who believe (Rom 8:33-34; Heb. 4:14-16; 7:24-25; 1 John 2:1). Thus we have the peace of God that comes to us when we lay all our burdens and cares before Him in prayer (Psalm 55:22; Phil. 4:6-7; 1 Peter 5:6-7). Now before we can do that we must first receive the Lord Jesus Christ for ourselves (John 1:12; Rom 10:9-10, 13), and trust His Crucifixion death on the cross and Resurrection from the dead three days later as fulfilling everything required for our eternal salvation. For both having peace from God begins and ends with our having first been reconciled to Himself through His Son Jesus. Everything else then is only our living in harmony with our having first been reconciled back to Himself. Therefore if you have not received the Lord Jesus Christ for yourself, please do so now so that you might have not only remission of all your sins and everlasting life, but peace with God through Christ. Because to either live, or worse die, without Christ is only to be living dead in ones sins and transgressions, and thus only to be "living" separated from all that is life, and all that makes for peace in our lives which only comes to us from God through Christ. Therefore rather than living in a state of spiritual death and separation from God, which only ends in spending an eternity in hell, be reconciled to God now while you can! For God's grace will bring His salvation to you and too every person who repents and believes in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so we all must avail ourselves to God's grace by first seeing our own need for the Lord Jesus Christ, (which precipitates our repentance), and then believing in Jesus just as the Scriptures declare Him to be, call on the Name of the Lord so that you might be saved from your sins and death by Him (Rom 10:9-10, 13). For the Lord Jesus Christ Himself promises that everyone who believes in Him will not only be saved by Him (John 3:16), but will also be indwelt by His Holy Spirit, who not only brings us to life and unites us with Christ the moment we believe, but who also seals us for the day of redemption, and thus assures our being reconciled back to God forever (Eph. 1:13-14). It is then a great and grand and glorious Gospel that God has given us all who believe in Him through His Son, which the world is blinded too, but which you are not blinded too, if your reading and believing. Therefore if your eyes see, and your heart believes, please don't delay, invite the Lord Jesus Christ into your heart, soul, and life today (Rev. 3:20) so that you too might have new and everlasting life (2 Cor 5:17, 21).

Scripture Quotation
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

2 Corinthians 13:11-14

¹¹ Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. ¹² Greet one another with a holy kiss. ¹³ All the saints greet you. ¹⁴ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

Commentary

Vs. 11 "Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you." 

The Apostle Paul now concludes his epistle by ending it cordially. For the Corinthians were more than just people who needed correction, they were beloved brethren. And so in bidding the Corinthians farewell, Paul also gives us some finial exhortations; and all are positive in their demeanor. Now the first is that the they become complete (here completeness implies the overall character or nature of us, and the churches where we fellowship and worship). For that is the Apostle's prayer for them, and us all, that we all become more like Christ (vs. 9). The implication then is that though God is sanctifying us by His Word and by His Spirit (John 17:17; Eph. 5:25-27, vs. 26; 1 Thess. 5:23-24; Heb 10:14) we ourselves must also do and pursue those things that lead to unity and holiness (Rev. 22:11). Paul then follows that up with three more, "....Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you."

"Be of good comfort" Here the emphasis is on our being encouraged in our faith in Christ even though while in the flesh we are not yet all that we will finally be. Now there is another aspect of this, and that is that we are to strive for restoration (NIV), while encouraging and admonitioning one another onto growth and maturity.  

"be of one mind" There is only one solution to divisiveness and that is to be of one mind in regards to all the things that make for our salvation and sanctification. Thus God's Word and it's Authority regarding this for us all. Everything else then falls under the domain of our personal preferences, opinions (on a whole host of issues and things), as well as our own personal likes and dislikes which we all have, can have, and should have. Thus being of one mind is not based on our agreeing with each other on everything. Rather being of one mind is in regards to the Nature and Person of God and Christ and the Holy Spirit just as their Persons and Nature and Works are told us in the Holy Scriptures. But more to the point being of one mind here is in regards to the N.T. and it's Authority in our own lives, and the life of Christian assemblies everywhere. 

"live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you."

To live in peace is to be in harmony with the Lord Jesus Christ and His Gospel. And so when anyone does, the God of love and peace will be with them (consider 1 Peter 3:8-12). Now the antithesis to this is clearly revealed and warned about in James 3:13-18. 

Vs 12 "Greet one another with a holy kiss."

Now the emphasis here is on greeting one another in a holy way. Therefore this entails a manner which is becoming of a Christian in the culture in which they live. In the Apostles Paul's day a holy kiss was on the cheek, which may or may not be practiced today according to the customs or norms of the culture in which one lives. Therefore it is an error to dogmatically apply this exhortation as having to always entail a holy kiss today. For in many cultures and situations to do so could not only be misconstrued, but might also be quite disconcerting. For again the emphasis here is being placed on a holy greeting, which reflects the love, grace, and peace of God in us, being extended through us, to each other by such a warm greeting. Therefore the manner in which this takes place is not the real issue (i.e. kiss on the cheek, a cordial handshake etc.), rather that we greet one another in holiness. 

Vs. 13 "All the saints greet you."

The Apostle Paul now encourages the Corinthians by saying "All the saints greet you." Now this he does in light of his previous exhortation, as well as in light of his previous rebuke of them. For though the Corinthians were still carnal in many ways, they were still beloved brethren, and as such they were treated and greeted and received as such by all the saints. Anything less than that is just modern day Phariseeism born out of self-righteous legalism, and should not be given any place in our own hearts and lives, or in the assemblies where we serve and worship, because the people of God greeting one another, and receiving one another, has and will always be a hallmark of all true Christian hospitality.

Vs. 14 "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen."

The Apostle Paul now concludes his epistle by bestowing three foundational things on us all, they are: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit without which neither we as individual believers or as a collective Body can stand. For it is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that keeps us in union with Himself (Heb. 4:14-16; 1 John 2:1-2), and in peace with one another, when we extend it to each other as well (consider Matt. 18:21-35). While the love of God is not only the fuel of our lives and faith; energizing and empowering us to overcome all that is negative; it is what is to define us as Christians (John 13:34-35). For without love we are nothing (1 Cor 13:1-13). Finally the Apostle Paul mentions the communion (or fellowship) of the Holy Spirit, something which the Corinthians in their zeal for God put a heavy emphasis on pursuing for themselves, and yet this is not something we need to pursue, it is something that we already have. And thus the Holy Spirit's Presence in our lives is not something we need to pursue, rather it is something we need to surrender too, by walking according to the Spirit, and not keep living according to the lusts and desires and wayward ways of the flesh (see Gal 5:19-26). 

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Additional Resources Consulted

Wiersbe, Warren W. Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1992.

MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. (A. Farstad, Ed.) (p. 1870). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

2 Corinthians 13:7-10

⁷ Now I pray to God that you do no evil, not that we should appear approved, but that you should do what is honorable, though we may seem disqualified. ⁸ For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. ⁹ For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. And this also we pray, that you may be made complete. ¹⁰ Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the authority which the Lord has given me for edification and not for destruction.

Commentary

Vs. 7 "Now I pray to God that you do no evil, not that we should appear approved, but that you should do what is honorable, though we may seem disqualified."

The Apostle Paul in concluding his exhortation now prays that the Corinthians would do no evil. For it is the Corinthians sanctification (and thus their well being) that was of greatest concern to Paul, and not how their conduct would reflect on him. For ultimately by their doing and pursuing what is honorable in the eyes of the Lord this would not only benefit them, but many others as well, who would be positively affected and influenced by their doing so. For pursuing what is honorable in the eyes of the Lord not only makes for peace and well being in our own lives, but also in the lives of others as well (consider Psalm 34:14-16; 37:27-28; Prov 3:7-8; 16:17; 1 Thess 4:3-4). And so though the Apostle Paul may have seemed disqualified to some of them by carnal and worldly standards, Paul was not so much concerned how he appeared to them, (or anyone else) by those measures, but rather how they all would appear to the Lord, by God's measure of us all.

Vs. 8 "For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth." 

Since the Apostle Paul's whole person was bound up in believing, obeying, and declaring the truth, to knowingly sin against it by doing evil, or allowing evil to take place amongst the Corinthians was not only unthinkable, but also not possible (consider 1 John 3:4-9).

Vs. 9 "For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. And this also we pray, that you may be made complete."

If the Apostle Paul's being "weak"was a means by which God was making the Corinthians strong in their faith, then Paul would gladly bear it. For the Apostle Paul's prayer was not for himself but that they would be made complete; that is fully grounded and well rounded in their faith In Christ.

Vs. 10 "Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the authority which the Lord has given me for edification and not for destruction."

Clearly the Apostle Paul was disappointed with how the Corinthians had allowed themselves to backslide, and or be taken in by the false apostles. And so Paul's writing to them while he was absent was so that he would not have to use sharpness (which implies to sternly and abruptly rebuke, often without due consideration) when he would be amongst them again. Therefore the Apostle Paul did not want to come to them and find them in all manner of disarray and divisiveness, or with all kinds of moral laxity, which would only precipitate his doing so. The Apostle Paul then did not want to use the authority Christ gave him in such a manner. Instead he preferred that he could use it for their edification, and so Paul checks himself here, reminding himself that the authority Christ has given him is for their edification, and not for their destruction. And so that is how he would use it, by first correcting their wayward ways through his first writing to them before visiting them again. 

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Additional Resources Consulted
MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. (A. Farstad, Ed.) (p. 1869). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

Word Studies 
sharpness, ἀποτόμως: Str. 664; GK 705; TDNT 8.106; LN 88.74 (2 Co 13:10; Tit 1:13) 2x

2 Corinthians 13:1–6

¹ This will be the third time I am coming to you. “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.” ² I have told you before, and foretell as if I were present the second time, and now being absent I write to those who have sinned before, and to all the rest, that if I come again I will not spare—³ since you seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you. ⁴ For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you. ⁵ Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. ⁶ But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified.

Commentary

Vs. 1 This will be the third time I am coming to you. “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.” 

The Apostle Paul now begins to take a firmer tone as he wants the Corinthians to know that just as he is coming to them for a third time, so he will deal with the unrepentant amongst them if they don't. And so Paul quotes Deuteronomy 19:15 in which God lays forth a principal for dealing with such circumstances. Now that principal is also reflected in Jesus' commandment that we are to follow when dealing with an unrepentant brother or sister in the Lord (see Matt 18:15-20). For though the church is a place where grace is to be found, it is not a place where sin is to be harbored or ignored. "For the wicked prowl on every side when vileness is exalted among the sons of men" Psalm 12:8 

Vs. 2 "I have told you before, and foretell as if I were present the second time, and now being absent I write to those who have sinned before, and to all the rest, that if I come again I will not spare—"

The Apostle Paul had previously warned those who were sinning; as well as those who were being complacent about it; that he would deal sternly with them if they did not repent; and now the Apostle Paul says when he comes again, if he still finds them unmoved he will not spare. Likely meaning that such individuals would be put out of Christian fellowship. And so there is always a process of first addressing the offender and the offense directly in the hopes of their repetance and reconcilation, and then if they will not listen to bring two or three witnesses into the matter to see if they will listen to reason and repent. But if not, only then after they have refused to receive correction are they to be permenatly put out of Christian fellowship. And so that three stage process the Apostle Paul is following, and is warning about entering into the third stage in his exhortation here, if he does find the offenders repentant when he comes to them.

Vs. 3 "since you seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you." 

Apparently some of the Corinthians own carnality had caused them to dismiss (or delay acting on) the Apostle Paul's previous exhortations. And so instead of obeying what was commanded of them, they wanted proof of Paul's Apostleship from Christ, of Christ speaking through him. And since neither Paul's bodily presence, nor his tone of speech was all that commanding or powerful when he was amongst them, some felt they could now challange Paul and his authority as an Apostle of Christ. Therefore in light of that Paul reminds them (that though his own bodily presence appeared weak to them) Christ had not been weak toward them when Paul was ministering the Gospel too them. Indeed Christ had acted not only mightily towards them through Paul, when Paul was there, but Christ was also now working mightily in them, as He had not brought about the regeneration of their persons and live by His Holy Spirit, but He was continuing to work mightily in them, and through them.

Vs. 4 "For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you."

The Apostle Paul now recalls to the Corinthians that though Christ was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. The Savior then did not demonstrate the full Power of His Person through the flesh. Indeed the extent of Christ's Power and Authority was not made known until His Resurrection of dead (see Matt 27:39-44, then Matt. 27:51-54 where the soldiers who initially mocked Jesus at His Crucifixion are there seized with overwhelming fear at His Resurrection). And so though Christ was crucified in weakness yet He lives by power of God. Similarly we too in these mortal bodies are also weak in Him; that is though we are in Him, we still have many fleshly weaknesses, limitations, and frailties, so that nothing that is truly accomplished by God through us can ever be attributed to us. For God demonstrates His Power through our mortal fleshes weaknesses, just as it was when Jesus rose from the dead to the glory of God. Therefore the Apostle Paul though saying we are weak in the flesh with Him, also says that, "we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you." And so it is that we who believe will also live by the Power of God, not only in this life, but also for all eternity we will live forever with Christ and one another, by the power of God.  

Vs. 5-6 ⁵ Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. ⁶ But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified.

The Apostle Paul's exhortation here is so that the Corinthians not only examine themsleves to see whether they are in the faith, but it is to awaken them to their position with God. For everyone who believes in Jesus Christ (and thus are born-again by faith in Him) now have Christ living in them by the Holy Spirit, and thus they don't need to listen to all the spiritual sounding rhetoric of the false apostles, prophets, and teachers, all they need to listen to is our Lord and Saviors voice through His Word given to us all. Therefore only those who don't believe are disqualified, something which the Apostle Paul was not, and not because he was an Apostle, but because his faith and trust was only in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thus Christ's Person, Presence, and Power was not only enabling him as His chosen Apostle, but was also being made known through him as well.
Therefore too examine oneself first, (and not someone else), is to see if one's faith is just a profession or a living reality. And thus if ones person and life is united with God by having ones faith exclusively in the Lord Jesus Christ. For salvation is not just a one time event, it is an ongoing and everlasting reality that brings us into a reconciled relationship with God through Christ (John 3:16), and thus changes our persons and lives (Titus 3:3-7). All which begins with seeing ones own need for Christ, and then coming to Him and receiving Him into ones heart and life and thus having everlasting life by faith in His Person (John 1:12; 3:16; Rev. 3:20). And thus not ideologies, religious works, denominations, Bible translations, prayers, Christian service, or whatever else people hold up as trying to make themselves, or anyone else accepted in the sight of Lord. Rather it all begins with simply coming to the Lord Jesus Christ and trusting His atoning sacrifice done on the cross for us all. And then just let all that you then do be an outworking of Christ's life within you. For the moment anyone believes in Jesus crucified and risen from the dead, they will receive the gift of God's salvation for us all, by His Holy Spirit, who brings new and everlasting life into us the moment we believe (Eph. 1:13-14). For there are many things that people do and hold up and believe that they think makes them a Christian, and forget that it all begins and ends with the Lord Jesus Christ crucified out of God's love and desire to save us all who believe in Him from the wrath to come. Everything else then that we do adds nothing to what Christ has already done for us all. Therefore all that now needs to be done by us is to believe Him and receive Him, everything else then that is good and kind, and eternal, and thus is revealing of the Kingdom of heaven on earth, will be an outworking of His love and life in ours. If you believe and would like to receive the Lord Jesus Christ then simply ask Him into your heart and life, as Jesus says: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." Rev. 3:20

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. (1982). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

2 Corinthians 12:14-21

¹⁴ Now for the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be burdensome to you; for I do not seek yours, but you. For the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. ¹⁵ And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved. ¹⁶ But be that as it may, I did not burden you. Nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you by cunning! ¹⁷ Did I take advantage of you by any of those whom I sent to you? ¹⁸ I urged Titus, and sent our brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not walk in the same spirit? Did we not walk in the same steps? ¹⁹ Again, do you think that we excuse ourselves to you? We speak before God in Christ. But we do all things, beloved, for your edification. ²⁰ For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish, and that I shall be found by you such as you do not wish; lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults; ²¹ lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness which they have practiced.

Commentary

Vs. 14 "Now for the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be burdensome to you; for I do not seek yours, but you. For the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children."

The Apostle Paul's now declares that this is the third time he has been ready to come to them. The first visit to the Corinthians is recorded in Acts 18:1, the second visit is alluded too in 2 Cor. 2:1, the third visit, which the Apostle Paul refers to here, is being spoken of in the light of the Corinthians ongoing disobedience (see 2 Cor. 13:1-2); though Paul's tone here is more conciliatory than it is there, since his emphasis is not on the Corinthians themselves here, rather in verses 14-19, Paul is making the case of his love and Apostleship for them, and how he and those whom he sent to them all walked in the same spirit; that is they were not a financial burden to any of the Corinthians, nor would he be when he came to them again.  For as the Apostle Paul states here, "I do not seek yours, but you." For Paul was not interested in acquiring wealth or possessions from the Corinthians; now contrast that attitude with the false apostles, prophets, and teachers; both then and now, whose heart and eyes are only set on their own material gain; who only misuse the gospel to try to enrich themselves by promising wealth and prosperity to all those they are exploiting through it, see 1 Tim. 6:5-10; 2 Peter 2:1-3, 14-17 etc.). No Paul's heart and eyes were only set on the Corinthians as beloved believers and friends, and thus on having and developing a deeper and more enriching relationship with them all. Thus Paul as a "father" of their faith says of his own "parental" responsibilities towards them all that, "the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children." And so again Paul by saying as much is revealing not only his heart towards them all; but also a guiding principal of his ministry and life, something which again clearly distinguishes him from the false apostles, who have little interest in those they "minister" the Gospel too when the well runs dry for them. 

Vs. 15 "And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved."

Paul's love and concern for the Corinthians (indeed all believers) was so deep and genuine that he would very gladly spend his lives energies and abilities that God gave him, and thus he himself would very gladly be spent (by God) on all our faith and souls (also see Phil 2:17). Now as true as that is, the Apostle also sadly acknowledges that, "though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved." For the Corinthians it seems, through their own carnality and or spiritual immaturity, were still being blinded to deeper and richer things of life. 

Vs. 16 "But be that as it may, I did not burden you. Nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you by cunning!" 

And so as an outworking of Paul's love for them all, he quite intentionally did not burden any of them. Therefore whatever Paul's detractors were saying about him for not taking any remuneration from them, Paul's singular motive was not to be a burden to any of them. Now Paul also indirectly takes up another slighting critique of his person, and that was though Paul himself did not take any money from them, Paul had sent others to the Corinthians to get money from them. Now in response to that false accusation, Paul again reminds them that he did not burden any of them, (unlike the false apostles), but instead being crafty he caught them by cunning, which is Paul basically turning his false accusers rhetoric on their own heads. For they were accusing Paul of being crafty and deceitful; of employing others to try to get remuneration indirectly from the Corinthians through that offering. All which must have not only been unbearable to hear, but extremely hurtful, considering that both he and those sent by him all walked in the same spirit of honesty, transparency, and altogether upright integrity. Again neither Paul, nor those whom he sent to them, in any way profited from any of the Corinthians offering to support those brethren in need. Thus Paul's catching the Corinthians by "cunning" here is only in regards to his own (and those he sent to them) impeccable conduct before them, all which is turning his detractors words against them. For they had been telling the Corinthians that Paul only sent Titus, or others to get something from them; which again must have been devastating to hear, given all that both Paul and Titus did to walk so blamelessly before them.  

Vs. 17 "Did I take advantage of you by any of those whom I sent to you?"

Therefore in light of the things being spoken against Paul by Paul's detractors, the Apostle Paul now directly asks them: "Did I take advantage of you by any of those whom I sent to you?" Since the Corinthians were listening too the slander of Paul's detractors then they really ought to first consider the Apostle's own conduct, as well as the conduct of those he sent to them. For looking back at the historical account, neither Paul, nor those whom he sent to them ever ask anything from them. And when the collection was taken up for the saints in Jerusalem, Paul left it up to the Corinthians to decide who would both handle and deliver their offering (see 1 Cor 16:1-4). Therefore in no way can either Paul or any of those he sent to them be justly charged with taking advantage of the Corinthians in any way at all. 

Vs. 18 "I urged Titus, and sent our brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not walk in the same spirit? Did we not walk in the same steps?"


And so the Apostle Paul now reminds them that when he sent Titus, he not only urged him he also sent another brother in the Lord with him, so as to leave no room for either Paul or Titus' integrity to be called into question (2 Cor 8:16-21). Therefore having stated as much Paul now asks them, "Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not walk in the same spirit? Did we not walk in the same steps?" If Paul was guilty of anything it was in being overly cautious, of wanting to leave Corinthians feeling that both he and those he sent to them could be and should be trusted. And so neither Paul nor Titus took advantage of the Corinthians, for both were, when amongst them, self-supporting (i.e. they worked with their own hands) or when necessary they were supported by other churches. That is what Paul means when he says that both he and Titus walked in the same steps and spirit. For both men had their hearts and minds set on establishing the Corinthians in their faith first and foremost (2 Cor 8:16). And so if not being financially supported by them, built trust between them and the Corinthians, while freeing the Corinthians to support those brethren in Jerusalem in need, so be it.

Vs. 19 "Again, do you think that we excuse ourselves to you? We speak before God in Christ. But we do all things, beloved, for your edification." 

Now in case the Corinthians mistake Paul's words as some sort of defense before them, or even his detractors, the Apostle Paul makes it clear that in stating all these things he is not defending himself, rather he is speaking as before God in Christ. That is as if he were in the presence of God and telling Him all that he did in ministering the Gospel to them, with the best of his abilities. Therefore Paul wants them all to know that they are beloved, and that all that he does, and has been doing, (specifically in writing this Epistle) is for their edification. 

Vs. 20-21 ²⁰ For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish, and that I shall be found by you such as you do not wish; lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults; ²¹ lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness which they have practiced.

The Apostle Paul was planning to come to them, and by writing to them first, Paul wanted them all to have time to resolve their personal conflicts, and start living in harmony with the Gospel and love peace with one another, so that when he did come, it would be in spirit of gentleness and love, and not with a "rod" of correction (consider 1 Cor. 4:21). For Paul did not want to come to the Corinthians and find the Corinthians still living carnally, as he says in verse twenty, "lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults;" all which only testify to living by the works of the flesh, and not the Spirit of God (see Gal. 5:19-26). And so Paul wanted the Corinthians to start doing and pursuing those things that will testify to their ongoing Spiritual growth and maturity, by their putting away the works and ways of their old sinful nature (consider Titus 3:3-7). Now in verse twenty one, Paul's exhortation to repent takes on a personal appeal, in that Paul did not want to God humble him among them. For Paul himself felt a great burden and sadness when he was told that there were some among the Corinthians who had not repented of the uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness which they had practiced. And so Paul knowing that those who practice such things while living in Christian fellowship; if they don't repent; will only lead to the Living Christ having to deal directly with them (consider Rev. 12:14-23). And so Paul now appeals for their repentance, because those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Cor 6:9-11; Gal. 5:19-21; also see 1 Thess. 4:7-8). 

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Additional Resources Consulted
Walvoord, John F., and Roy B. Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.

MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. (A. Farstad, Ed.) (p. 1867). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.