Ephesians 1:4-5

George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary - Ephesians 1:4-8

As by his eternal decree, according to the purpose of his good will and pleasure, he hath made choice of us to be his adoptive sons, and predestinated us to be saved and glorified by the merits and grace of his beloved Son, our Redeemer, without any merits of ours to the glorious praise and riches of his grace, by which he hath made us abound in all wisdom and true prudence. (Witham) read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible - Ephesians 1:3-8

3-8 Spiritual and heavenly blessings are the best blessings; with which we cannot be miserable, and without which we cannot but be so. This was from the choice of them in Christ, before the foundation of the world, that they should be made holy by separation from sin, being set apart to God, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit, in consequence of their election in Christ. All who are chosen to happiness as the end, are chosen to holiness as the means. In love they were predestinated, or... read more

Frank Binford Hole

F. B. Hole's Old and New Testament Commentary - Ephesians 1:1-99

Ephesians 1 AFTER THE OPENING words of salutation the Apostle goes straight to the heart of his theme in the spirit of a worshipper. We have been blessed in such rich fashion by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ that He blesses God in return and carries our hearts with him in doing so. The blessings that are ours are characterized by three things. They are spiritual, not material as were Israel’s blessings under the old covenant, in such matters as ample food and health and peace... read more

Paul E. Kretzmann

The Popular Commentary by Paul E. Kretzmann - Ephesians 1:3-6

Doxology to God for the blessings of His love and grace: v. 3. Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ; v. 4. according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love; v. 5. having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, v. 6. to the praise... read more

Johann Peter Lange

Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Critical, Doctrinal and Homiletical - Ephesians 1:3-14

II. PART FIRSTTHE GLORY OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST1–3A. The ground and goal of the churchEphesians 1:3-231. Grateful praise of the decree of grace(Ephesians 1:3-14)3Blessed be the God and Father15 of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath [omit hath]16 blessed us with [ἐν, in] all spiritual blessings [blessing]17 in [the] heavenly places in 4Christ: According [even] as he hath chosen [he chose] us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him [;] in... read more

Alexander MacLaren

Alexander MacLaren's Expositions of Holy Scripture - Ephesians 1:5

EPHESIANS ACCORDING TO’-I. Eph_1:5 ; Eph_1:7 . That phrase, ‘according to,’ is one of the key-words of this profound epistle, which occurs over and over again, like a refrain. I reckon twelve instances of it in three chapters of the letter, and they all introduce one or other of the two thoughts which appear in the two fragments that I have taken for my text. They either point out how the great blessings of Christ’s mission have underlying them the divine purpose, or they point out how the... read more

Frederick Brotherton Meyer

F.B. Meyer's 'Through the Bible' Commentary - Ephesians 1:1-14

Our Riches in Christ Ephesians 1:1-14 This has been called the “Epistle of In-ness, ”because it is so full of the preposition in. Saints are flesh and blood like ourselves, and we may be saints. The word means “set apart.” We are in Christ and He is in us, and any goodness we have is due to our giving room and scope to Him to realize His own ideals. To be in the heavenlies, Ephesians 1:3 , means to live a spiritual life and to draw our reinforcements from the unseen and eternal world,... read more

G. Campbell Morgan

G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible - Ephesians 1:1-23

The theme of this letter is pre-eminently of the Church as the medium for the accomplishment of the divine purpose. Those addressed are described as "saints," and as "the faithful in Christ Jesus." These the apostle greets in the words, "Grace to you, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Grace is the river flowing from the heart of God. Peace is the consciousness of the trusting soul. The letter itself begins with a great benediction in which the apostle speaks as a... read more

Robert Neighbour

Wells of Living Water Commentary - Ephesians 1:1-11

Christ the All in All Ephesians 1:1-11 INTRODUCTORY WORDS We cannot call Ephesians the Epistle of Paul. It was written by the Holy Ghost through Paul. The Holy Ghost came to take the things of Christ, and to show them unto us. In this Epistle there is nothing but Christ from start to finish. In the first chapter it is, "In Christ," "In Christ," "In Christ." Seven times it is "In Christ." In the second chapter of the Epistle, it is "With Christ," "With Christ," "With Christ." In the third... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Ephesians 1:4-5

‘Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love, having foreordained us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.’ ‘He chose us in Him.’ This does not just mean that He chose Him before the foundation of the world, and that when we are in Him we are included in that choice, for elsewhere Paul will tell us that we ourselves are ‘foreknown’ (proginosko) (Romans... read more

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