menu_book Chapter 2

Section 2 of Commentary on the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians by John Calvin Translated by William Pringle This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Ephesians chapter 1 verses 1 to 15 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus,

and to the faithful in Christ Jesus, Grace be to you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, 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, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children in Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. Paul, an apostle. As the same form of salutation, or at least very little varied, is found in all the epistles, it would be superfluous to repeat here the observations which we have formerly made. He calls himself an apostle of Jesus Christ,

for all to whom has been given the ministry of reconciliation are his ambassadors. The word apostle indeed carries something more, for it is not every minister of the gospel, as we shall afterwards see, that can be called an apostle. But this subject has been explained more fully in my remarks on the epistle to the Galatians. He adds,

By the will of God, for no man ought to take this honour unto himself, but every man ought to wait for the calling of God, which alone makes lawful ministers. He thus meets the jeers of wicked men by holding out the authority of God, and removes every occasion of inconsiderate strife. To all the saints.

He gives the name of saints to those whom he afterward denominates faithful in Christ Jesus. No man, therefore, is a believer who is not also a saint, and on the other hand, no man is a saint who is not a believer. Most of the Greek copies want the word all, but I was unwilling to strike it out because it must at all events be understood.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The lofty terms in which he extols the grace of God towards the Ephesians are intended to rouse their hearts to gratitude, to set them all on flame, to fill them even to overflowing with this thought.

They who perceive in themselves discoveries of the divine goodness, so full and absolutely perfect, and who make them the subject of earnest meditation will never embrace new doctrines by which the very grace which they feel so powerfully in themselves is thrown into the shade.

The design of the apostle, therefore, in asserting the riches of divine grace toward the Ephesians was to protect them against having their faith shaken by the false apostles, as if their calling were doubtful or salvation were to be sought in some other way. He shows at the same time that the full certainty of future happiness rests on the revelation of his love to us in Christ, which God makes in the gospel.

But to confirm the matter more fully, he rises to the first cause, to the fountain, to the eternal election of God, by which, ere we are born, we are adopted as sons. This makes it evident that their salvation was accomplished not by any accidental or unlooked-for occurrence, but by the eternal and unchangeable decree of God. The word bless here is used in more than one sense, as referring to God and as referring to men.

I find in scripture four different significations of this word. One, we are said to bless God when we offer praise to him for his goodness. Two, God is said to bless us when he crowns our undertakings with success and in the exercise of his goodness bestows upon us happiness and prosperity. and the reason is that our enjoyments depend entirely upon his pleasure.

Our attention is here called to the singular efficacy which dwells in the very word of God and which Paul expresses in beautiful language. Three, men bless each other by prayer. Four, the priest's blessing is not simply a prayer

but is likewise a testimony and a pledge of the divine blessing. For the priests received a commission to bless in the name of the Lord. Paul therefore blesses God because he hath blessed us, that is, hath enriched us with all blessing and grace. With all spiritual blessings. I have no objection to Chrysostom's remark that the word spiritual conveys an implied contrast between the blessing of Moses and of Christ.

The law had its blessings, but in Christ only is perfection found, because he gives us a perfect revelation of the kingdom of God, which leads us directly to heaven. When the body itself is presented to us, figures are no longer needed. In heavenly. Whether we understand the meaning to be in heavenly places or in heavenly benefits is of little consequence. All that was intended to be expressed is the superiority of that grace which we receive through Christ.

The happiness which it bestows is not in this world but in heaven and everlasting life. In the Christian religion, indeed as we are elsewhere taught, is contained the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. But its aim is spiritual happiness, for the kingdom of Christ is spiritual. A contrast is drawn between Christ and all the Jewish emblems by which the blessing under the law was conveyed. For where Christ is, all those things are superfluous.

According as he hath chosen us, the foundation and first cause both of our calling and of all the benefits which we receive from God is here declared to be his eternal election. If the reason is asked why God has called us to enjoy the gospel, why he daily bestows upon us so many blessings, why he opens to us the gate of heaven, the answer will be constantly found in this principle, that he hath chosen us before the foundation of the world. The very time when the election took place proves it to be free, for what could we have deserved, or what merit did we possess before the world was made? How childish is the attempt to meet this argument by the following sophism. We were chosen because we were worthy, and because God foresaw that we would be worthy.

We were all lost in Adam, and therefore had not God, through his election, rescued us from perishing. There was nothing to be foreseen. The same argument is used in the epistle to the Romans, where, speaking of Jacob and Esau, he says, For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God, according to election, might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth. But though they had not yet acted, might a sophist of the Sorbonne reply, God foresaw that they would act.

This objection has no force when applied to the depraved natures of men in whom nothing can be seen but materials for destruction. in Christ. This is the second proof that the election is free, for if we are chosen in Christ it is not of ourselves. It is not from a perception of anything that we deserve, but because our Heavenly Father has introduced us through the privilege of adoption into the body of Christ. In short, the name of Christ excludes all merit and everything which men

have of their own. For when he says that we are chosen in Christ, it follows that in ourselves we are unworthy, that we should be holy. This is the immediate, but not the chief design. For there is no absurdity in supposing that the same thing may gain two objects. The design of buildings is that there should be a house. This is the immediate design, but the convenience of dwelling in it is the ultimate design. It was necessary to mention this in passing, for we shall

immediately find that Paul mentions another design, the glory of God. But there is no contradiction here, for the glory of God is the highest end to which our sanctification is subordinate. This leads us to conclude that holiness, purity, and every excellence that is found among men are the fruit of election, so that once more Paul expressly puts aside every consideration of merit. If God had foreseen in us anything worthy of election, it would have been stated in language

the very opposite of what is here employed, which plainly means that all our holiness and purity of life flow from the election of God. How comes it then that some men are religious and live in the fear of God, while others give themselves up without reserve to all manner of wickedness. If Paul may be believed, the only reason is that the latter retain their natural disposition, and the former have been chosen to holiness. The cause certainly is not later than the effect.

Election, therefore, does not depend on the righteousness of works, of which Paul here declares that it is the cause. We learn also from these words that election gives no occasion for licentiousness, or to the blasphemy of wicked men who say, let us live in any manner we please, for if we have been elected we cannot perish. Paul tells them plainly that they have no right to separate holiness of life from the grace of election, for whom he did predestinate,

them he also called, and whom he called, them he also justified. The inference to which the Catharists, Celestines and Donatists drew from these words, that we may attain perfection in this life is without foundation. This is the goal to which the whole course of our life must be directed, and we shall not reach it till we have finished our course. Where are the men who dread and avoid the doctrine of predestination as an inextricable labyrinth, who believe it to be

useless and most dangerous. No doctrine is more useful provided it be handled in the proper and cautious manner of which Paul gives us an example, when he presents it as an illustration of the infinite goodness of God, and employs it as an excitement to gratitude. This is the true foundation from which we must draw our knowledge of the divine mercy. If men should evade every other argument, election shuts their mouth, so that they dare not and cannot claim anything for

themselves. But let us remember the purpose for which Paul reasons about predestination, lest by reasoning with any other view we fall into dangerous errors. Before him in love. Holiness before God is that of a pure conscience. For God is not deceived, as men are, by outward pretense, but looks to faith, or, which means the same thing, the truth of the heart. If we view the word love as applied to God, the meaning will be

that the only reason why he chose us was his love to men. But I prefer connecting it with the latter part of the verse, as denoting that the perfection of believers consists in love, not that God requires love alone, but that it is an evidence of the fear of God and of obedience to the whole law. who hath predestinated us. What follows is intended still further to heighten the commendation of divine grace.

The reason why Paul inculcated so earnestly on the Ephesians the doctrines of free adoption through Christ and of the eternal election which preceded it has been already considered. But as the mercy of God is nowhere acknowledged in more elevated language, this passage will deserve our careful attention.

Three causes of our salvation are here mentioned, and a fourth is shortly afterward added. The efficient cause is the good pleasure of the will of God. The material cause is Jesus Christ. And the final cause is the praise of the glory of his grace.

Let us now see what he says respecting each. To the first belongs the whole of the following statement. God hath predestinated us in himself according to the good pleasure of his will unto the adoption of sons and hath made us accepted by his grace. In the word predestinate, we must again attend to the order.

We were not then in existence, and therefore there was no merit of ours. The cause of our salvation did not proceed from us, but from God alone. Yet Paul, not satisfied with these statements, adds in himself. The Greek phrase is isafton, and has the same meaning with enafto. By this he means that God did not seek a cause out of himself but predestinated us because such was his will.

But this is made still more clear by what follows. According to the good pleasure of his will, the word will was enough, for Paul very frequently contrasts it with all outward causes by which men are apt to imagine that the mind of God is influenced. but that no doubt may remain he employs the word good pleasure which expressly sets aside all merit. In adopting us therefore God does not inquire what we are and is not reconciled to us by any

personal worth. His single motive is the eternal good pleasure by which he predestinated us. Why then are the sophists not ashamed to mingle with them other considerations when Paul so strongly forbids us to look at anything else than the good pleasure of God. Lest anything should still be wanting, he adds, e charitasen en chariti. This intimates that in the freest manner and on no mercenary grounds does God bestow upon us his love and favour, just as when we were not yet born and

when he was prompted by nothing but his own will he fixed upon us his choice. The material cause both of eternal election and of the love which is now revealed, is Christ the Beloved. This name is given to remind us that by him the love of God is communicated to us. Thus he is the well-beloved in order that we may be reconciled by him. The highest and last end is immediately added, the glorious praise of such abundant grace. Every man therefore who hides this glory

is endeavouring to overturn the everlasting purpose of God. Such is the doctrine of the sophists, which entirely overturns the doctrine of Christ, lest the whole glory of our salvation should be ascribed undividedly to God alone.

In whom ye also trusted after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance

until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory. In whom ye also. He associates the Ephesians with himself and with the rest of those who were the firstfruits, for he says that they in like manner trusted in Christ. His object is to show that both had the same faith,

and therefore we must supply the word trusted from the twelfth verse. He afterwards states that they were brought to that hope by the preaching of the gospel. Two epithets are here applied to the gospel, the word of truth and the gospel of your salvation. Both deserve our careful attention. Nothing is more earnestly attempted by Satan than to lead us either to doubt or to despise the gospel.

Paul therefore furnishes us with two shields by which we may repel both temptations. In opposition to every doubt, let us learn to bring forward this testimony that the gospel is not only certain truth which cannot deceive, but is by way of eminence the word of truth, as if, strictly speaking, there were no truth but itself. If the temptation be to contempt or dislike of the gospel, let us remember that its power and efficacy have been manifested

in bringing to us salvation. The apostle had formally declared that it is the power of God to salvation to everyone that believeth. But here he expresses more, for he reminds the Ephesians that, having been made partakers of salvation, they had learnt this by their own experience. Unhappy they who weary themselves, as the world generally does, in wandering through many winding paths, neglecting the gospel and pleasing themselves with wild romances, ever learning

and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth or to find life. But happy they who have embraced the gospel, and whose attachment to it is steadfast, for this, beyond all doubt, is truth and life. In whom also, after that ye believed. Having maintained that the gospel is certain, he now comes to the proof. And what higher surety can be found than the Holy Spirit? Having denominated the gospel the word of truth, I will not prove it by the authority of men,

for you have the testimony of the Spirit of God himself who seals the truth of it in your hearts. This elegant comparison is taken from seals which among men have the effect of removing doubt. Seals give validity both to charters and to testaments. Anciently they were the principal means by which the writer of a letter could be known and in short a seal distinguishes what is true and certain from what is false and spurious.

This office the Apostle ascribes to the Holy Spirit, not only here, but in another part of this epistle, and in the second epistle to the Corinthians. Our minds never become so firmly established in the truth of God as to resist all the temptations of Satan until we have been confirmed in it by the Holy Spirit. The true conviction which believers have of the word of God, of their own salvation, and of religion in general, does not spring from the judgment of the flesh, or from human and philosophical arguments, but from the sealing of the Spirit, who imparts to their consciences such certainty as to remove all doubt.

The foundation of faith would be frail and unsteady if it rested on human wisdom, and therefore as preaching is the instrument of faith, so the Holy Spirit makes preaching efficacious. But is it not the faith itself, which is here said to be sealed by the Holy Spirit? If so, faith goes before the sealing. I answer, there are two operations of the Spirit in faith, corresponding to the two parts of which faith consists, as it enlightens and as it establishes the mind.

The commencement of faith is knowledge. The completion of it is a firm and steady conviction, which admits of no opposing doubt. Both, I have said, are the work of the Spirit. No wonder then if Paul should declare that the Ephesians who received by faith the truth of the gospel were confirmed in that faith by the seal of the Holy Spirit.

With that Holy Spirit of promise. This title is derived from the effect produced, for to him we owe it, that the promise of salvation is not made to us in vain. As God promises in his word that he will be to us a father, So he gives to us the evidence of having adopted us by the Holy Spirit,

which is the earnest of our inheritance. This phrase is twice used by Paul in another epistle. The metaphor is taken from bargains in which, when a pledge has been given and accepted, the whole is confirmed and no room is left for a change of mind.

Thus, when we have received the Spirit of God, his promises are confirmed to us, and no dread is felt that they will be revoked. In themselves, indeed, the promises of God are not weak, but until we are supported by the testimony of the Spirit,

we never rest upon them with unshaken confidence. The Spirit, then, is the earnest of our inheritance of eternal life until the redemption, that is, until the day of complete redemption is arrived. So long as we are in this world, our warfare is sustained by hope and therefore this earnest is necessary.

But when the possession itself shall have been obtained, the necessity and use of the earnest will then cease. The significance of a pledge lasts no longer than till both parties have fulfilled the bargain, and accordingly he afterwards adds, ye are sealed to the day of redemption, which means the day of judgment. Though we are now redeemed by the blood of Christ, the fruit of that redemption does not yet appear, for

every creature groaneth desiring to be delivered from the bondage of corruption, and not only they but ourselves also who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we have not yet obtained it, but by hope. But we shall obtain it in reality when Christ shall appear to judgment.

Such is the meaning of the word redemption in the passage now quoted from the Epistle to the Romans, and in a saying of our Lord, look up and lift your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh. Peripuesis, which we translate the possession obtained, is not the kingdom of heaven or a blessed immortality, but the church itself. This is added for their consolation that they might not think it hard to cherish their hope till the day of Christ's coming, or be displeased that they have not yet obtained the promised inheritance, for such is the common lot of the whole church.

To the praise of his glory. The word praise, as in the twelfth verse, signifies making known. The glory of God may sometimes be concealed or imperfectly exhibited. But in the Ephesians, God had given proofs of his goodness, that his glory might be celebrated and openly proclaimed.

Those persons, therefore, who slighted the calling of the Ephesians might be charged with envying and slighting the glory of God. The frequent mention of the glory of God ought not to be regarded as superfluous, for what is infinite cannot be too strongly expressed. This is particularly true in commendations of the divine mercy,

for which every godly person will always feel himself unable to find adequate language. He will be more ready to utter than other men will be to hear the expression of praise, for the eloquence both of men and angels, after being strained to the utmost, falls immeasurably below the vastness of this subject. We may likewise observe that there is not a more effectual method of shutting the mouths of wicked men than by showing that our

views tend to illustrate and theirs to obscure the glory of God. End of section two.