Homily 1: Every Spiritual Blessing in Christ
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus. Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph 1:1-2).
Notice that he applies the word “through” to the Father. But what follows from that? Shall we say that the Father is inferior? Certainly not.
“To the saints,” he says, “which are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus” (Eph 1:1).
Notice that he calls men with wives, children, and household servants “saints.” That these are the people he means by this name is clear from the end of the letter. There he says, “Wives, be in subjection unto your own husbands” (Eph 5:22). Again: “Children, obey your parents” (Eph 6:1). And: “Servants, be obedient to your masters” (Eph 6:5).
Think how great the laziness is that grips us now, and how rare anything like virtue is now. And think how many virtuous people there must have been then, when even people living ordinary lives in the world could be called “saints and faithful.”
“Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph 1:2). “Grace” is his word, and he calls God “Father,” since this name is a sure sign of that gift of grace. How so? Listen to what he says elsewhere: “Because ye are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Gal 4:6).
“And from the Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph 1:2).
This is because it was for us men that Christ was born and appeared in the flesh.
“Blessed be the God,” he says, “and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph 1:3).
Notice: “the God” of Him who became incarnate. And whether you like it or not, “the Father” of God the Word.
“Who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph 1:3).
Here he is alluding to the blessings of the Jews. That too was blessing, but it was not spiritual blessing. How did it go? “The Lord bless thee, He will bless the fruit of thy body” (Deut 7:13). And: “He will bless thy going out and thy coming in” (Deut 28:6). But here it is not like that. How is it, then? “With every spiritual blessing.”
What do you still lack? You have been made immortal. You have been made free. You have been made a son, made righteous, made a brother, made a fellow heir. You reign with Christ, and you are glorified with Christ. All things are freely given to you. “How,” he says, “shall He not also with Him freely give us all things?” (Rom 8:32). Christ, your Firstfruits, is worshiped by angels, by the cherubim, by the seraphim! What do you still lack?
“With every spiritual blessing.” There is nothing material here. So when Christ said, “In the world ye have tribulation” (John 16:33), He set aside all those former blessings to lead us on to these. Those who possessed material things were unable to hear about spiritual things. In the same way, those who aim at spiritual things cannot reach them unless they first stand apart from material things.
What, again, is “spiritual blessing in the heavenly places”? He means it is not on earth, as it was with the Jews. “Ye shall eat the good of the land” (Isa 1:19). “Unto a land flowing with milk and honey” (Exod 3:8). “The Lord shall bless thy land” (Deut 7:13). We have nothing of this kind here. What do we have?
“If a man love Me, he will keep My word, and I and My Father will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23). “Every one therefore which heareth these words of Mine, and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man which built his house upon the rock, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon the rock” (Matt 7:24-25). And what is that rock but those heavenly things that are beyond the reach of every change?
“Every one therefore who,” says Christ, “shall confess Me before men, him will I also confess before My Father which is in Heaven: But whosoever shall deny Me, him will I also deny” (Matt 10:32-33). Again: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matt 5:8). And again: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven” (Matt 5:3). And again: “Blessed are ye which are persecuted for righteousness sake, for great is your reward in Heaven” (Matt 5:11-12).
Notice how everywhere He speaks of heaven, and nowhere of the earth or the things on the earth. And again: “Our citizenship is in Heaven, from whence also we wait for a Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil 3:20). And again: “Not setting your mind on the things that are on the earth, but on the things which are above” (Col 3:2).
“In Christ” (Eph 1:3).
That is, this blessing did not come by the hand of Moses but through Christ Jesus. So we surpass the Jews not only in the quality of the blessings but also in the Mediator. As he also says in the Letter to the Hebrews: “And Moses indeed was faithful in all his house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were afterward to be spoken; but Christ as a Son over His house, whose house are we” (Heb 3:5-6).
“Even as,” he continues, “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before Him in love” (Eph 1:4).
His meaning is something like this. The One through whom He blessed us is the One through whom He also chose us. So it is this same One who will give us all those rewards hereafter. He is the very Judge who will say, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matt 25:34). And again: “I will that where I am they will also be with Me” (John 17:24).
In almost all his letters Paul is eager to prove this point: what we have is no new arrangement but was sketched out this way from the very beginning. It is not the result of any change of purpose but was in fact a divine dispensation, ordained beforehand. And this is a sign of great care for us.
What does “He chose us in Him” mean? He means that through faith in Him, Christ arranged this for our good before we were born, and more than that, before the foundation of the world. “Foundation” is a beautiful word. In Paul’s Greek it literally means a “casting down.” It is as though he were pointing to the world as cast down from some vast height. Vast indeed, and beyond words, is the height of God. He is so far removed, not in place but in a nature that cannot be shared. So wide is the distance between creation and Creator! Heretics may well be ashamed to hear such words.
But why did He choose us? “That we should be holy and without a blemish before Him.” When you hear that “He hath chosen us,” you might imagine that faith alone is enough. To prevent this, he goes on to add life and conduct. He chose us for this purpose, he says, and on this condition: “that we should be holy and without blemish.”
He chose the Jews in the same way in former times. On what terms? “This nation,” he says, “hath He chosen from the rest of the nations” (Deut 14:2). Now if people choose what is best when they make choices, how much more does God. Indeed, the fact that they were chosen is a sign both of God’s loving-kindness and of their moral goodness. For He would certainly have chosen those who were approved.
He Himself has made us holy, but we must then remain holy. A holy man is one who shares in faith. A blameless man is one who leads a life beyond reproach.
Yet He does not require holiness and blamelessness simply. He requires that we be so “before Him.” For some people are holy and blameless only in the opinion of men. They are like whitewashed tombs, and like those who wear sheep’s clothing. He does not require people like that. He requires such as the prophet speaks of: “And according to the cleanness of my hands” (Ps 18:24). What cleanness? The kind that is so “in His eyesight.” He requires a holiness on which the eye of God can look.
Having spoken of their good works, he turns back again to His grace. “In love,” he says, “having predestinated us.” For this does not come from any effort or good works of ours, but from love. And yet it is not from love alone, but from our virtue also.
If it were from love alone, it would follow that all must be saved. On the other hand, if it were the result of our virtue alone, then His coming would have been needless, and the whole dispensation as well. But it is the result neither of His love alone nor of our virtue alone, but of both.
“He chose us,” says the apostle, and He who chooses knows what He is choosing. “In love,” he adds, “having foreordained us.” For virtue would never have saved anyone if there had been no love. Tell me, what would Paul have gained? How could he have shown what he has shown, if God had not called him from the beginning and, because He loved him, drawn him to Himself?
Besides, His granting us such great privileges was the effect of His love, not of our virtue. Our being made virtuous, believing, and coming near to Him: even this was the work of Him who called us. And yet, nevertheless, it is ours also. But when we come near to Him, He grants us such high privileges as to bring us at once from a state of enmity to adoption as children. This is truly the work of a transcendent love.
“In love,” he says, “having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto Himself” (Eph 1:4-5).
Do you see that nothing is done without Christ, and nothing without the Father? The One predestined, the Other brought us near. He adds these words to heighten the greatness of what has been done. He does the same elsewhere when he says, “And not only so, but we also rejoice in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:11).
The blessings given are great indeed, but they are made far greater by being given through Christ. For He did not send any servant, though it was to servants that He sent. He sent the only-begotten Son Himself.
“According to the good pleasure,” he continues, “of His will” (Eph 1:5).
That is, because He earnestly willed it. This is, as one might say, His earnest desire. For the phrase “good pleasure” always means the prior will, since there is also another will. For example, the first will is that sinners should not perish. The second will is that if people become wicked, they shall perish. For surely He does not punish them out of necessity, but because He wills it.
You can see something of the same sort in Paul’s words, where he says, “I would that all men were even as I myself” (1 Cor 7:7). And again: “I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children” (1 Tim 5:14).
By “good pleasure,” then, he means the first will, the earnest will, the will accompanied by eager desire. It is the same with us. I will not refuse to use even a rather everyday expression, so as to speak clearly to the plainer hearers: we ourselves, to express how intent our will is, speak of acting “according to our resolve.” So what he means is this: God earnestly aims at and earnestly desires our salvation.
Why then does He love us so? Where does such affection come from? It comes from His goodness alone. For grace itself is the fruit of goodness. And for this reason, he says, He has predestined us to adoption as children. This was His will and the object of His earnest wish: that the glory of His grace might be displayed. “According to the good pleasure of His will,” he continues:
“To the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved” (Eph 1:6).
He means that the glory of His grace may be displayed, the grace He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Now if He has shown us grace for this purpose, to the praise of the glory of His grace and to display His grace, then let us remain in it.
“To the praise of His glory.” What does this mean? Who is to praise Him? Who is to glorify Him? We? The angels? The archangels? Or even the whole creation? And what would that amount to? Nothing. The divine nature knows no need. Then why does He want us to praise and glorify Him? It is so that our love for Him may be kindled more fervently within us.
He desires nothing we can give Him: not our service, not our praise, nor anything else, nothing but our salvation. This is His aim in everything He does. And whoever praises and marvels at the grace shown to himself will be more devoted and more earnest as a result.
“Which He freely bestowed on us,” he says. He does not say simply, “Which He hath graciously given us,” but, “wherein He hath shown grace to us.” The first Greek word means to give as a favor; the second means to make full of grace. That is, He has not only released us from our sins but has also made us fit objects of His love.
It is as though someone were to take a leper, wasted by illness and disease, by age, poverty, and hunger, and suddenly turn him into a graceful youth. This youth would surpass all mankind in beauty, his cheeks shining with a bright glow, the glances of his eyes outshining the rays of the sun. Then suppose he set him in the very prime of life, and after that dressed him in purple and a crown and all the robes of royalty.
That is how God has dressed and adorned this soul of ours. He has clothed it with beauty and made it an object of His delight and love. Angels long to look into such a soul, yes, archangels and all the holy ones. Such grace has He poured over us, so dear has He made us to Himself. “The King,” says the psalmist, “shall greatly desire thy beauty” (Ps 45:11).
Think what abusive words we used to speak, and look what gracious words we speak now. Wealth no longer charms us, nor do the things here below, but only heavenly things, the things in the heavens. When a child has outward beauty and also a grace running through everything it says, do we not call it a beautiful child? The faithful are like this.
Look at the words the initiated speak! What can be more beautiful than the mouth that breathes those wonderful words, and that, with a pure heart and pure lips, beaming with cheerful confidence, partakes of so mystical a table? What is more beautiful than the words with which we renounce the service of the devil and enlist in the service of Christ? Or than the confession made before the baptismal font, and the one made after it?
All of us who have defiled our baptism, let us reflect on this and weep, so that we may be able to restore it again.
“In the Beloved,” he says, “in whom we have our redemption through His Blood” (Eph 1:6-7).
How is this? It is not only marvelous that He gave His Son. It is more marvelous still that He gave Him in such a way that the Beloved One Himself should be slain!
And here is something more transcendent still! He gave the Beloved for those who were hated. See how high a value He sets on us. If He gave the Beloved when we hated Him and were enemies, what will He not do now, when we have been reconciled by Him through grace?
“The forgiveness,” he says, “of our trespasses” (Eph 1:7).
Again he seems to descend from high to low. He first spoke of adoption, sanctification, and blamelessness, and then of the Passion. Yet in this he was not lowering his discourse and bringing it down from greater things to lesser. On the contrary, he was heightening it and raising it from the lesser to the greater. For nothing is as great as that the blood of this Son should be shed for us.
That He did not spare even the Son is greater than the adoption and all the other gifts of grace. The forgiveness of sins is great indeed, yet it is a far greater thing that it should be done by the Lord’s blood. To show that this is far greater than everything, see how he exclaims here again:
“According to the riches of His grace, which He made to abound toward us” (Eph 1:7-8).
The gifts mentioned above are riches, yet this is far more so. “Which,” he says, “He made to abound toward us.” They are both “riches” and “they have abounded,” that is, they were poured out in a measure beyond words. It is impossible to put into words the blessings we have actually experienced.
They are riches indeed, overflowing riches, and He has given riches in abundance, not human riches but divine ones. So in every way it is impossible to express them. And to show us how abundantly He gave, he adds:
“In all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of His will” (Eph 1:8-9).
That is, He made us wise and prudent in what is true wisdom and true prudence. How astonishing! What friendship! For He tells us His secrets, the mysteries of His will, as he says. It is as if one were to say, “He has made known to us the things that are in His heart.” Here indeed is the mystery that is full of all wisdom and prudence.
What can you name equal to this wisdom? It found a way to raise those who were worth nothing to wealth and abundance. What can equal this wise design? He who was an enemy, he who was hated, is lifted up on high in a moment.
And not only this. That it should be done at this particular time was also the work of wisdom, and that it should be done by means of the cross. It would take a long discussion to show here how all this was the work of wisdom, and how He had made us wise. So he repeats the words again:
“According to His good pleasure which He purposed in Him” (Eph 1:9).
That is, this is what He desired. This is what He labored for, as if in birth pangs, so that He might reveal the mystery to us. What mystery? That He would have man seated on high. And this has come to pass.
“Unto a dispensation of the fulness of the times to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth, even in Him” (Eph 1:10).
He means that heavenly things had been cut off from earthly things. They no longer had one Head. As far as the order of creation went, there was one God over all. But as far as the management of a single household went, this was not the case. Amid the widespread error of the Gentiles, they had broken away from obedience to Him.
“Unto a dispensation,” he says, “of the fulness of the times” (Eph 1:10).
He calls it “the fulness of the times.” Notice how precisely he speaks. He presents the origin, the purpose, the will, and the first intention as coming from the Father. He presents the fulfillment and carrying out as accomplished through the Son. Yet nowhere does he apply the term “servant” to the Son.
“He chose us,” he says, “in Him, having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself” (Eph 1:4-5). And: “to the praise of the glory of His grace, in whom we have redemption through His blood … which He purposed in Him, unto a dispensation of the fulness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ” (Eph 1:6-10). Nowhere has he called Him a servant.
But if the words “in” and “by” implied a mere servant, see where the matter would lead. At the very beginning of the letter he used the expression “through the will of the Father.” The Father, he means, willed, and the Son worked. But it does not follow that because the Father willed, the Son is excluded from willing. Nor does it follow that because the Son worked, the Father is deprived of working. To the Father and the Son all things are common. “For all Mine are Thine,” He says, “and Thine are Mine” (John 17:10).
The fullness of the times, however, was His coming. He had done everything through the ministry of angels, of prophets, and of the Law, and nothing came of it. Things had almost reached the point where man had been made in vain and brought into the world in vain, or rather to his ruin. All were utterly perishing, more fearfully than in the flood.
Then He devised this dispensation, the one by grace, so that man might not have been created in vain and to no purpose. He calls this “the fulness of the times” and “wisdom.” Why? Because they were rescued at the very moment when they were about to perish.
“He might sum up,” he says (Eph 1:10).
What does the phrase “sum up” mean? It means “to knit together.” But let us try to get close to its exact meaning. Among ourselves, in ordinary speech, the word means gathering into a brief space things said at length. It means giving a concise account of matters described in detail. And it has this meaning here.
For Christ gathered up in Himself the dispensations carried on over a long period. That is, He cut them short: “by finishing His word and cutting it short in righteousness” (Rom 9:28). He both included the former dispensations and added others besides. This is the meaning of “summing up.”
The word has another meaning too. What is it? He has set one and the same Head over all, that is, Christ according to the flesh, over angels and men alike. That is, He has given angels and men one and the same government: to the one, the Incarnate, and to the other, God the Word.
It is as one might say of a house that is partly decayed and partly sound: “He has rebuilt the house.” That is, He has made it stronger and laid a firmer foundation. So here too He has brought all under one and the same Head. For this is how union will be achieved and a close bond formed: if one and all can be brought under one and the same Head, and so have a binding union from above.
Honored as we are with so great a blessing, so high a privilege, and such loving-kindness, let us not shame our Benefactor. Let us not make so great a grace useless. Let us show in ourselves the life of angels, the virtue of angels, the conduct of angels.
I beg and implore you: let all these things not turn to our judgment or our condemnation, but to our enjoyment of those good things. May God grant that we all attain them, in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom, to the Father together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, strength, etc.
