1. Present ministry 2:11-22The apostle first stated the reality of the union of all believers in Christ (Ephesians 2:11-13). Then he explained what this involves (Ephesians 2:14-18). Finally he described the consequences of this union (Ephesians 2:19-22). read more
Paul listed five privileges Gentile believers did not enjoy that Jewish believers did enjoy before the Cross. First, Gentile believers were separate from Christ, Messiah. They had no corporate national hope centered in a Messiah, as the Jews did. Second, God excluded them as a people from citizenship in Israel. Individual Gentiles could become members of the nation of Israel, but as a whole the Gentiles had no part in what God planned to do in and through Israel. The Gentiles were aliens from... read more
2:12 God (h-27) Or 'atheists.' read more
Gentiles and Jews are now One in Chirst1-10. Further illustration of God’s power. He raised both Gentiles and Jews from the death of sin and exalted them to Christ’s side.2. The prince of the power of the air] Jewish phraseology, as in Ephesians 1:21. The air is regarded as full of evil powers, with Satan as their prince (Ephesians 6:12; Luke 22:53; Acts 26:18; Colossians 1:13). 3. Also we] ’we Jews were as dead in sins as you Gentiles, and were thus objects of God’s wrath’ (Ephesians 5:6).Had... read more
(12) This verse gives a dark and terrible picture of the former heathen condition of the Ephesians, intentionally contrasted in every point with the description of Christian privilege in Ephesians 2:19-20. That condition is first summed up in one expression. They were “separate from Christ.” Then from this are drawn two gloomy consequences: first (1), that they had no part in God’s special covenant, “alienated from the commonwealth of Israel,” and so “strangers to the (often repeated) covenants... read more
Ephesians 2:0 The Apostle Paul is not always just the same. He is consistent, but never monotonous. He is a sevenfold man; his Epistles are his truest photograph. Have you ever read the Epistles in the light of that suggestion? not only to find out what the Epistles are, but what their author was. He never wearies us, because he has a great gift of escaping monotony. He is rugged, incoherent, sometimes almost verbally self-contradictory; he is full of parentheses, he makes great use of... read more
Chapter 9THE FAR AND NEAREphesians 2:11-13The apostle’s "Wherefore" sums up for his readers the record of their salvation rehearsed in the previous verses. "You were buried in your sins, sunk in their corruption, ruined by their guilt, living under God’s displeasure and in the power of Satan. All this has passed away. The almighty Hand has raised you with Christ into a heavenly life. God has become your Father; His love is in your heart; by the strength of His grace you are enabled to walk in... read more
3. The Mystery Made Known CHAPTERS 2:11-3:21 1. The condition of the Gentiles (Ephesians 2:11-12 ) 2. But now in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:13-19 ) 3. The new and great relationship (Ephesians 2:19-22 ) 4. The Mystery made known and Paul’s ministry (Ephesians 3:1-13 ) 5. The prayer (Ephesians 3:14-19 ) 6. The doxology (Ephesians 3:20-21 ) With the eleventh verse of the second chapter we reach a new division in this Epistle. The great mystery of the masterwork of God, the Church, is next... read more
2:12 That at that time ye were {m} without Christ, being {n} aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:(m) He begins first with Christ, who was the end of all the promises.(n) You had no right or title to the commonwealth of Israel. read more
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Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Ephesians 2:11-19
B. Corporate calling 2:11-3:19New spiritual life does not just mean that we have experienced regeneration individually. Additionally God brings every Christian into union with every other Christian. In Christ we have solidarity with other believers as well as solidarity with God. Paul next explained this corporate aspect of our being in Christ.". . . a major focus of this letter and of the Prison Epistles in general is the corporate nature of those who are in the body of Christ. Believers do... read more