Беседа 1

Eph.1:1–2. Paul, by the will of God (δία θελήματος θεού) an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the saints who are at Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. What is required for holiness. – Kindness is the source of grace. 1. Behold, (the apostle) also applies to (God) the Father: δια (through). So what? Shall we call Him lesser? Not at all. “to the saints,” he writes, “those who are in Ephesus and faithful in Christ Jesus.” Behold, he calls saints those husbands who have children, and wives, and servants. And what he means by them here is clear from the end of the epistle, where he says: “Wives, submit to your own husbands” (Eph. 5:22), and in another place: “Children, obey your parents” (Eph. 6:1), and also: “Servants, obey your masters” (Eph. 6:5). Let us think what carelessness reigns now, how much zeal for virtue has weakened, and how many were virtuous then, if the laity were called saints and faithful! “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” He spoke about grace and called on God the Father, because this (calling) is a sign (of teaching). grace. How? Listen to what he says in another place: “And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying: “Abba, Father!” (Gal. 4:6). “And the Lord Jesus Christ” - because for us Christ was born and appeared in the flesh. “Blessed,” he writes, “is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Behold, He is God incarnate, or otherwise: the Father of God the Word. “He who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Eph. 1:3). (The Apostle) hints here at the blessing of the Jews, because this too is a blessing, but not a spiritual one. What was actually said to them? “God will bless you...he will bless the fruit of your womb” (Deut. 7:13), and will bless your coming in and your going out. That's not the case here. How? "With every spiritual blessing." What else are you missing? You have become immortal, free, son, righteous, brother, joint heir; You will reign together, you will be glorified together; “Everything has been given to you: “How is it with Him,” he says, “He does not give us everything?” (Rom. 8:32). Your greatness is glorified by angels, cherubim and seraphim. What else is missing? “With every spiritual blessing”: nothing is said here about physical things. On the contrary, in order to turn us away from everything bodily and direct us to the spiritual, (even the Savior) said: “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). Just as those who possess the physical cannot hear about the spiritual, so those who seek the spiritual cannot achieve it until they first abandon the physical. What does it mean: “spiritual blessing in heaven”? This means that it is not the earthly people (who are promised good things), as the Jews (who were promised) that they will eat up the good land, that they will inherit a land boiling with honey and milk, and that God will bless their land (Isa. 1:19; Exod. 33:3; Ps. 84:13; Deut. 15:4). Nothing like that is (promised) here. So what? “Whoever loves Me will keep My word, and I and the Father will come to him and make our home with him” (John 14:23). “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and does them will be likened to a wise man, who built his house on the rock; and the rain fell, and the rivers flooded, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it did not fall, because it was founded on rock” (Matthew 7:24–25). What else does this stone mean if not celestial objects that are not subject to any change? “So everyone,” says (the Savior), “whoever confesses Me before men, him will I also confess before My Heavenly Father; and whoever denies Me... I will also deny him" (Matt. 10:32–33); and in another place: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God”; and again: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven”; and again: “Blessed are those who were persecuted for righteousness’ sake, ... for great is your reward in heaven” (Matthew 5:8, 3, 10, 12). Do you see that heaven is everywhere, and nowhere is there earth or anything on earth? And again: “Our citizenship is in heaven, from where we wait for the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20); and again: “Set your mind on things above, and not on earthly things” (Col. 3:2). “About Jesus Christ,” that is, through Christ Jesus, and not through Moses, this is a blessing; and therefore, not only in quality, but also in the mediator (of blessing) we are superior to the Jews, as he says in the Epistle to the Hebrews: “And Moses was faithful in all His house, as a minister, to bear witness to the things which were to be declared; and Christ is like a Son in His house; and we are His house” (Heb. 3:5–6). “For,” he says, “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him” (Eph. 1:4). These words mean: through whom He blessed us, through him He chose us. So, He Himself here gives us all this; He himself will be a judge and say: “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34); and in another place: “I want that where I am, they also should be with me” (John 17:24). 2. And in almost all his epistles (the apostle) tries to show that what has been done for us is not news; but that from ancient times it was foreshadowed this way, and not because of a change in intention (God’s this happened), but this is precisely how it was prearranged and predetermined. And this is a matter of great care (of God). What does it mean: “chose in Him”? This means that Christ, through faith in Him, did this before we were born, or better yet, before the world was complicated. And he beautifully called (the apostle the creation of the world) addition (καταβολή - casting down from a height), showing by this that the world was, as it were, cast down from some great height. Truly, great and ineffable is the height of God, not in relation to place, but in relation to the immensity of nature (Divine), and great is the distance between creation and the Creator. Let the heretics be ashamed when they hear this! Why did you choose it? In order for us to be holy and blameless before Him. And so that you, having heard that He has chosen, do not think that faith alone is enough, (the apostle) points to life: for this purpose, he says, He chose us, and so that we would be holy and blameless. He once chose the Jews. How? This people, it is said, I chose from among the nations (Deut. 7:6, 14:2). If people, when choosing, choose the best, then even more so God. And election serves as evidence, on the one hand, of God’s love for mankind, and, on the other, of the virtue of the elect. Without a doubt, He has chosen those who deserve it; He made us saints, but we also need to be worthy to be saints. Holy is everyone who joins the faith; He is blameless who leads his life blamelessly. And He demands not simple holiness, not simple purity, but one that would appear exactly like that before Him. There are, after all, saints and immaculates, revered as such by people, but in reality they are like fallen tombs, or (wolves) walking in sheep’s clothing. But He chooses not such, but those about whom the prophet speaks: “and according to the cleanliness of my hands” (Ps. 17:25). What (holiness is He looking for)? Holiness “before His eyes,” that is, such as the eye of God sees. Having spoken about their (those chosen) virtues, then he again turns to grace and says: “in love he predestined us to be sons” (Eph. 1:4-5), because this (election) does not happen for good works only, but for love (for us), and not for love alone, but also for our virtue. If love alone were sufficient, then all would have to be saved; if, on the other hand, our virtue is sufficient, then the appearance of Him (the Son of God) in the world would be superfluous and His entire economy would be superfluous. So, this is done not out of love alone and not for our virtue alone, but under the condition of both together. “He chose us,” says (the apostle); he who chooses knows what He chooses. “in love,” he says, “predestining us to be adopted as sons.” Without love (of God), virtue would not have saved anyone. Tell me: would Paul have received much benefit, how much would he have accomplished, if he had not been called from above, and if the One who loved him had not drawn him to Himself? Or, in other words: the granting of such great benefits is the fruit of love (of God for us), and not of our (only) virtue. To be virtuous, to believe and draw near (to God) is, although it is the work of the One who called, but, nevertheless, it is also ours. And to honor those who have approached so much, in order to transfer them from a state of enmity to a state of adoption, is truly a work of abounding love. “In love,” he says, “having predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ” (Eph. 1:4-5). Do you notice how there is nothing without Christ and nothing without the Father? This foretelling, He brings. And this he affirms, exalting what happened, as in another place he says: “And not only this, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:11). Great blessings, of course, are bestowed, but they become much more valuable due to the fact that they were given through Christ, because God did not send just one of the slaves to us, but His Only Begotten, “According to the good pleasure of His will” (Eph. 1:5) (κατά την εϋδοκίαν τού). θελήματος αυτοΰ), that is, because he had a strong desire, or - if you prefer - because this was His main desire. Εύδοχία (goodwill) everywhere means the main desire (the basis of other desires), - the first, for example, so that sinners do not perish, so that those who become sinners perish, because to suffer. They will not be out of necessity, but according to the will (of God). This can also be seen in Paul, for example, when he says: “For I desire that all men should be as I am” (1 Cor. 7:7); and in another place: “I desire that the young marry and bear children” (1 Tim. 5:14). Thus, by ύδοχία he means the first desire, a strong desire, a desire with lust, a habit. I will not refuse to use even a vulgar expression, just to make this clear to the simpletons; so we, meaning an irresistible desire, say - κατά τό πείσμα ημών (according to our habit). Thus, what was said (i.e., according to the good will of his will) means that He strongly desires, strongly wants our salvation. Why does He love us so much, and where is the source of such love? (Source) is His only goodness, because grace comes from goodness. That is why He predestined us to adoption, desiring and greatly desiring, in order to thereby reveal the glory of His grace. “According to the good pleasure of His will,” he writes, “to the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He favored us in the Beloved” (Eph. 1:5-6), that is, to show the glory of His grace, with which He made us dear to Himself in the Beloved. 3. So, if He “gracified ... to the praise of the glory of His grace,” in order, that is, to manifest His grace, then we will try to remain in it. "In praise of glory". What does it mean? Or that someone should praise Him? So that who can glorify? We, angels, archangels and all creation? What is this? No! The Divine needs nothing. So, why does He want us to praise and glorify Him? In order to through this make our love for Him warmer. He does not require service, glorification, or anything else from us; He desires one thing - our salvation, and does everything for this. In fact, he who glorifies and reveres the grace revealed in Him will be more attentive and more diligent (towards his salvation). “With which He blessed us,” he did not say: (grace) which he gave freely (έχαφίσατο), but with which he graced us (έχαρίτωοεν ημάς), that is, he not only delivered us from sins, but also made us dear to Himself. Let’s imagine: if someone, taking an itchy man, covered with ulcers, dejected by illness, old age, poverty and hunger, suddenly transformed him into a handsome young man, whose beauty would attract all people to himself, his cheeks would shine, his eyes, with every wave, would cast the rays of the sun; then, if he had left him forever in this blooming age, and moreover, clothed him in a scarlet robe, a diadem and all the royal ornaments: this is exactly how (God) transformed our soul, making it beautiful, and attractive, and amiable, so that angels, archangels and all other (heavenly) powers want to look at such a soul. So He made us dear and desirable to Himself: “And the King will desire,” it is said, “your beauty” (Ps. 44:12). Notice what bitter (speeches) we previously expressed, and what gracious ones we now speak! We marvel not at (earthly) treasures, not at what is here, but at heavenly treasures, at what is in the heavens. About a child who, despite the beauty of his face, can still speak pleasantly, don’t we say: what a sweet child he is! These are the true ones. Listen to what speeches they say when they partake of the sacraments. What could be more desirable than those lips that, uttering wondrous speeches, partake of the mystical meal with great brilliance and boldness, with a pure heart and undefiled lips? What is more desirable than those words with which we deny the devil and unite with Christ, that confession - before the font and after the font? Let us think how many have corrupted (the grace) of baptism, and let us sigh in repentance, so that we may receive it again. “In the Beloved,” he says, “in whom we have redemption through His blood” (Eph. 1:6–7). It is not only surprising here that He betrayed His Son, but also that the Beloved was slain. Great abundance (of love)! He betrayed his Beloved for the hated. Look how He values ​​us! If, when we hated Him and were enemies, He betrayed the Beloved, then what will He not do when we are rewarded, through grace, with reconciliation with Him? “Forgiveness of sins,” says (the apostle). From the highest it descends to the lowest. Having spoken in advance about adoption, holiness and purity, he then speaks about suffering, without reducing or reducing speech from important to small objects, but from small ascending to great. Indeed, there is nothing so great as the shedding of God’s blood for us; that God did not spare His Son is more important than adoption and other gifts. A great thing, undoubtedly, is the remission of sins, but it becomes even greater when it is accomplished by the blood of the Sovereign. And that this is far above all, see how strongly Paul expresses himself here, saying: “according to the riches of His grace, which He has abundantly bestowed upon us” (Eph. 1:7-8). And that is wealth, but it is much more. “Which He has given in abundance,” he says, “to us.” There was wealth, and He increased it even more, that is, poured it out inexpressibly (abundantly). It is impossible to imagine in words what has been done for us. We have been given wealth, immense wealth, wealth that is not human, but divine, so that words are completely powerless to express it. Wanting to show how he bestowed (grace) in abundance, he adds: “in all wisdom and understanding, having revealed to us the mystery of His will” (Eph. 1:8-9), i.e., He made us wise and understanding with true wisdom and true understanding. 4. Oh, what love! He told us His secrets - “His will”, or, in other words, revealed to us what was in His heart. Such a mystery is, indeed, full of all wisdom and intelligence. What would you call equal to such wisdom? He sought us, worthless, to raise us to wealth. What compares to such ingenuity? The one who was the enemy, (the creature) vile, is suddenly raised to grief. And not only in this is wisdom, but also in what is accomplished at such a time, and in what is done through the cross. It takes a long time to explain how much wisdom is revealed in this and how through this He made us wise again. “According to His good pleasure,” continues (the apostle), “which He first intended in Him” (Eph. 1:9), that is, it was His strong and heartfelt desire to somehow tell us the secret (of His will). Which one? The one that He wants to plant a person in grief. This (desire) is fulfilled. “in the dispensation of the fulness of times, in order to unite all things in heaven and on earth under the head of Christ” (Eph. 1:10). Heavenly and earthly things were torn away from one another and did not have one head. In relation to creation there was one God, but in relation to unification this was not the case, because when pagan delusion spread, people turned away from obedience. “In the dispensation,” he writes, “the fullness of times.” He called the fulfillment of times itself (the economy). Notice how clearly he expresses himself. Showing that the beginning (of our salvation), the proposal, the desire and the first desire is in the Father, and its fulfillment in practice is through the Son, he nowhere, however, calls Him (the Son) a servant. “He chose us,” he says, “before the foundation of the world, ... having predestined us as sons as sons through Jesus Christ ... to the praise of the glory of His grace, ... in whom we have redemption through His blood, ... which He first established in Him, in the dispensation of the fulness of times, in order ... to unite all things under the head of Christ” (Eph. 1:4-7, 9-10), - and nowhere did He name Him servant. If you say that the particles εν (in), δια (through) indicate the (title) of a servant, then notice how they are used here. At the very beginning of the letter (the apostle) said: “By the will of the Father” (δια τοΰ δελήματος τοΰ). Πατρός). The Father, he says, willed, the Son fulfilled (the desire). It is not that the Son was deprived of action because the Father willed, or that the Father was deprived of will because the Son acted; The Father and the Son have everything in common. “And all that is mine is yours, and yours is mine,” says (the Son) (John 17:10). The fulfillment of times was His coming. So, when He did everything through the angels, prophets and the law, and did not have time at all, on the contrary, He was still in danger (to repent) that in vain He created man, that in vain He brought (to being) one who was too successful in evil; when everyone perished indiscriminately and perished in greater numbers than in the flood, then He found a dispensation through grace, so that (it turned out) He did not create it recklessly or in vain. He also calls this fulfillment of times wisdom. Why? Because people were saved then when they were most likely to perish. Lead, writes. What does it mean: to lead (άνακεφαλαιώσασθαι)? This means: connect. However, we will try to be as close to the truth as possible. In our country, a table of contents (άνακεφαλαίωσις) is usually called a presentation in brief terms of what needs to be discussed for a long time, or an abbreviated presentation of everything that has been discussed at length. So, this word can also mean the following: He headed the economy (of our salvation) that had been organized for such a long time in Himself, i.e. shortened, or, to put it briefly - while observing the truth - he embraced both and added new things. That's what a table of contents means! But there is something else that is also signified (by this word). What is this? In Christ according to the flesh, God laid one head for everyone, for angels and people, that is, He gave one (supreme) principle to both angels and people, to some - (Christ) according to the flesh, to others - God the Word. Just as if someone said about a house that one thing in it was rotten, the other was strong, and he would restore the house, that is, make it stronger, laying a stronger foundation, so here he brought everyone under one head. Then only is unity possible, then only will there be this perfect union, when everything, having some necessary connection, will be brought under one head. So, having been granted such a gift, such an honor, such a love for mankind, we will not disgrace the Benefactor, we will not make such grace vain, we will show angelic life, angelic virtue and a model of life. I ask and pray that all this will not be for us to judge and condemn, but to receive benefits, which may we all be rewarded with the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father with the Holy Spirit be glory, power and (honor, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen). You might be interested in: