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Eph.1:1. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ Jesus. Eph.1:2. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. “Paul, the messenger of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus and to those who are faithful in Christ Jesus”: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” The Apostle again put before the words “God” and “Father” the preposition “from” (διά), thus blocking the mouths of those who dispute the Divinity of the Only Begotten and showing that this preposition does not mean derogation. In his greeting he praises the Ephesians, for he called them holy and faithful. Eph.1:3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Eph.1:4. For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him in love. Eph.1:5. Having predestined Himself to adopt us as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." It is clear that He is our God, the Father of our Lord. We also noticed this when interpreting the Second Epistle to the Corinthians. “Blessing us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly things in Christ.” For he told us the gifts of the Divine Spirit, gave us the hope of resurrection, the promises of immortality, promised the Kingdom of Heaven, the dignity of sonship. The Apostle called these things spiritual blessings, and added: “in heavenly”, because all these are gifts from heaven. And since others thought that preaching was something new, and despised it because it appeared later than the life of the law, the Apostle, of necessity, admonishes about this: “For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.” For from the beginning, before the foundation of the world, God both foreknew and predestined everything that happens to us. He lets you know why he chose it. “Let us be holy and blameless before Him.” How did he choose when we were not yet there? “In love,” “Jesus Christ first gave us the name of sons into Him.” And he foresaw and loved us, and predetermined our calling, so that, according to the Economy of our Savior, we would take advantage of the gift of sonship. By the words “into Him” the Apostle means the Father, that is, let us be called His sons. Then, amazed at the greatness of generosity, he added: “According to the good pleasure of His will,” that is, God wanted this, this was pleasing to Him. For the Holy Scriptures usually call “favour” the will to do a good deed. It is said: “Thou hast pleased, O Lord, Thy land” (Ps. 84:1); and: “The Lord delights in those who fear Him” (Ps. 146:11); and: “If he doubts, My soul has no pleasure in him” (Hab. 2:4). Eph.1:6. To the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He has graced us in the Beloved. Eph.1:7. In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Eph.1:8. Which He has abundantly bestowed upon us in all wisdom and understanding. Eph.1:9. Having revealed to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He first intended in Him. Eph.1:10. In the dispensation of the fullness of times, in order to unite all things heavenly and earthly under the head of Christ. “To the praise of the glory of His grace,” for the excessiveness of the good deed and the tongue of the ungrateful excite to gratitude. “For His grace is upon us in the Beloved,” “in Him the imams deliverance through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” The Lord's death has made us worthy of love. For, through her, having laid aside sinful defilements and freed ourselves from the slavery of torment, we perceived the features of the Divine image. The Apostle also teaches how we achieved this. “According to the riches of His grace”, “he has multiplied in us”; because he pours out springs of mercies and washes us with these streams. “In all wisdom and understanding,” “he told us the mystery of His will. “The secret of the will” He called it the hidden will, For, says the Apostle, having predetermined this in the beginning, he revealed it later. This is what he adds. “According to Your good pleasure, put it first in Him”, “to watch the fulfillment of the times.” What is said “in Him” means: this is about Christ. And the Apostle calls the “fulfillment of times” the time determined by God. So in the Epistle to the Galatians he said: “When the end (πληρομα) of summer has come” (Gal. 4:4). “Head all things about Christ, both in heaven and on earth in Him.” This is stated more clearly in the Epistle to the Romans; for he says: “the whole creation... groans and suffers even to this day” (Rom. 8:22); and again: “For the creation longs for the revelation of the sons of God” (Rom. 8:19). The Epistle to the Hebrews says the same thing: “for yes,” apart from God, “he will taste death for everyone” (Heb. 2:9). God's nature alone has no need for anything; every creature needed the healing of the House of God. For God created the elements, created for the use of people, to be subject to corruption, because even man was mortal to commit a crime. Yes, and the invisible forces grieved, probably seeing the deceit prevailing among people. For if they rejoice over “one sinner who repents,” as the Lord said (Luke 15:7), then it is obvious that they are sick, seeing the opposite. But the incarnation of the Only Begotten, crushing death, showing the resurrection and giving guarantees of the general resurrection, dispelled this gloomy cloud. Therefore the Apostle calls this sudden change of things “heading.” For by the economy of the Lord Christ, human nature is restored and clothed in incorruption, and the visible creation, freed from corruption, receives incorruption, and the hosts of invisible forces will already be in joy, because “sickness and sorrow and sighing have fled away” (Is. 35:10). This is what the Divine Apostle taught in spoken words. For he did not simply say: “heaven and earth,” but “as in heaven and as on earth.” And showing the mystery of the Economy, he added: “in Him,” that is, in Christ. Eph.1:11. In Him we became heirs, having been destined to do so by the determination of Him who does everything according to the will of His will. “In Nemzhe and heirs we were created; first he will call what was” by predestination “all things that act according to the advice of His will.” Having predestined us in the beginning, He predestined us to this life, He who does everything that pleases Him. The Apostle indicates more clearly to what lot we are predestined. Eph.1:12. So that we, who previously trusted in Christ, may praise His glory. “So that we may be to the praise of His glory, having first trusted in Christ.” For everyone, looking at us who have believed in the Lord, sings songs to Christ, the author of these blessings. Eph.1:13. In Him you also, having heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. “In Him also you, having heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in Him also, having believed, were marked with the Holy Spirit of promise.” For not only did you hear, but you also believed. That is why they were honored with the grace of the All-Holy Spirit. This “sign” is similar to the prophetic saying: “The light of Your countenance, O Lord, is marked upon us” (Ps. 4:7), that is, like a kind of seal, they received the gift of the Spirit. The Apostle calls this gift a promise, because the Lord promised to send the grace of the Spirit. Eph.1:14. Who is the earnest of our inheritance, for the redemption of His inheritance, to the praise of His glory. “And this is the betrothal of our inheritance.” This Apostle showed the greatness of what was expected. For if this grace, by which miracles were performed, the dead were raised, lepers were cleansed, demons were cast out, and other similar things were accomplished, constituted only a guarantee, then it is clear that believers will receive much greater grace. “For the deliverance of supplies, for the praise of His glory,” that is, this pledge is given to us in the present, in order to free us from hostile torment and make us close to God and so that, remembering grace, we always glorify Him. Eph.1:15. Therefore, I too, having heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all the saints. Eph.1:16. I constantly thank God for you, remembering you in my prayers. “For this reason, having heard your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all the saints,” “I do not cease to give thanks for you, making remembrance of you in my prayers.” From this others concluded that the Apostle wrote this epistle without having yet seen the Ephesians. But you should know that he also wrote a letter to the Corinthians after hearing unpleasant things about them. For he says: “I will tell you, my brethren, from Chlois, for there is zeal in you” (1 Cor. 1:11). Therefore, just as there, having learned something unpleasant, he writes with sorrow, so, having heard joyful things about the Ephesians, he praises them. He praises them not only for their devotion to piety, but also for their generosity towards the saints, and beyond this, he praises God, the author of all good things, and says: Eph.1:17. So that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation to the knowledge of Him. Eph.1:18. And he has enlightened the eyes of your heart, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of His glorious inheritance for the saints. Eph.1:19. And how immeasurable is the greatness of His power in us who believe according to the action of His sovereign power. Eph.1:20. which He worked in Christ, raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in heaven. Eph.1:21. Above all Principality, and Authority, and Power, and Dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the age to come. Eph.1:22. And he put everything under His feet, and made Him above all, the head of the Church. Eph.1:23. Which is His Body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,” “the eyes of your heart enlightened.” I ask in your prayers that you be filled with spiritual wisdom and know the sweetness of the hoped-for blessings. The Apostle called this a revelation. This: “The God of our Lord Jesus Christ” is said in a divisive sense. For he called the same one both God and Father of Jesus Christ, and His God as a man, and His Father as God; since he called the nature of God “glory.” So in the Epistle to the Hebrews he said: “Who is the radiance of glory” (Heb. 1:3), that is, the nature of God. So the divine Ezekiel says: “this... is the likeness of the glory of the Lord” (Ezek. 2:1). since it is completely impossible to recognize the nature of God, they call it glory, giving the name from worship and glorification. “For you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what is the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,” “and what is the abounding majesty of His power among us who believe.” I beg you that the vision of your mind will be illuminated with mental light and you will be able to both know what we are called to and foresee the greatness of the promised blessings. But speaking in carnal language and being unable, as he would like, to glorify the Master and show the greatness of the gifts, the divine Apostle collects together many names, intensifying, as far as possible, to express this. Therefore, he puts together the expressions: “the hope of the title, the riches of the glory of the property, the abounding majesty of the power, the good will of the will” and other similar things. He said: “the abounding majesty of power,” imagining in his mind the dishonor of the cross and thinking about what it had done. For this is what he added: “According to the work of the might of His might,” “what He did in Christ, raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in heaven,” “above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in the future”: “and put all things in subjection under His nose.” It is obvious that the Apostle said all this about Christ as a man. For this led him to amazement. It is not at all surprising for God to co-seat with God and for the Son to co-reign with the Father, because with the identity of nature comes the communion of power. And that the nature received from us receives the same honor as the One who received it and there is no difference in worship, but in the worship of the visible nature the worship of the invisible Divinity is given - this is beyond any miracle. That is why the divine Apostle, amazed at this, first hymns about the “prospering majesty of power”, and then “the action of the power of the fortress”, and seeks names that could express the extraordinary nature of the matter. For he says: “first he raised Him from the dead,” clearly, as a man, then “seated Him,” and showing the greatness of honor, he added: “at His right hand.” The royal palace also indicates: “to the heavenly ones,” and then to the subjects: “above all principality and power,” and having counted all that are known, the names of invisible forces, he added that if we do not know others, we will find out later in the future life, for they are all subjugated to Him. He also added prophetic testimony: “He put everything under His nose” (Ps. 8:7). And the Prophet said this about Christ as a man; for he says: “What is man, that you remember him? Or the son of man, because you visit him” (Ps. 8:5)? “And He will give Him the head above all the Church,” “who is His body.” The Lord Christ is the head, and those who believe in Him are His body. “The fulfillment of Him who fulfills all things in all.” The Apostle calls the Church a collection of believers; He called her the body of Christ and the fulfillment of the Father, because the Father filled her with all gifts and in her, according to the prophetic word, he lives and walks (Lev. 26:12). This will happen in all accuracy in the future life. This is what the Apostle taught us in the Epistle to the Corinthians. For, having said: “The last enemy will be destroyed by death,” and: “subdue everything under His nose” (1 Cor. 15:26-27), he finally added: “that God may be all in all” (1 Cor. 15:28). And although we have interpreted this at length, here we will briefly say that God is in the present life in everyone, since His nature is indescribable, but not everything is in everyone because some are wicked, others are lawless, but God dwells in those who fear Him and in those who trust in His mercy. In the future life, when mortality ceases, immortality will be granted and there will be no more place for sin, God will be “all in all.” You might be interested in: