Ephesians 2:19–3:7

Believers become "fellow citizens" in a way analogous to all those who desired the peace of Rome. They brought gifts and were accepted as Roman citizens, as were the people of Cilician Tarsus. Paul was a Roman citizen of that city. So too anyone who has joined himself to the Christian faith becomes a fellow citizen of the saints and a member of God's household.

What are we to understand by "fellow citizens with the saints?" It implies a distinction between citizens and saints. But if this is so, who are the saints and who are the citizens? Saints refers to the apostles, prophets and all who formerly experienced God or spoke divinely through the Spirit dwelling within them. They in some way beheld God's presence, as did Abraham, either through the flesh, through the Spirit or through both flesh and Spirit, as with all the apostles. Those who have later believed in Christ without any such special means are "fellow citizens with the saints and members of God's household."

Perceive ye that it is not with the Jews simply, no, but with those saintly and great men, such as Abraham, and Moses, and Elias? It is for the self-same city with these we are enrolled, for that we declare ourselves. "For they that say such things," saith he, "make it manifest that they are seeking after a country of their own." No longer are we strangers from the saints, nor foreigners. For they who shall not attain to heavenly blessings, are foreigners. "For the Son," saith Christ, "abideth for ever."

"And of the household," he continues, "of God."

The very thing which they at the first had, by means of so many toils and troubles, hath been for you accomplished by the grace of God. Behold the hope of your calling.

Since the Son abides forever, those who do not attain the heavenly city are strangers and sojourners. But we are not such now, but rather fellow citizens with the saints; not simply of the Jews, but of their saints — the patriarchs and prophets — and we are enrolled in that very same city, the city that is in heaven, the eternal one, which they too earnestly sought.

What those men barely achieved through great labors, we have received through grace, having become God's own (members of His household). This is the hope of our calling: for it is in that very hope that we are called, so that we might receive this.

Once he has made it clear that the Gentiles have been admitted to spiritual blessings together with the Jews (2:13), he goes on to teach that in these blessings the Gentiles are not of less eminence than the Jews themselves; they enjoy a completely equal access to Christ's blessings. In reference to this he does two things: First, he presents what he has in mind. Secondly, he clarifies this presentation by an example (2:20). Regarding the first he makes two points: First, he excludes what was true of their past state from their present state. Secondly, he concludes to what is fitting for their present state (2:19b).

In drawing a conclusion, the Apostle says "Now therefore you are no more strangers and foreigners," and it should be recognized that a similar conclusion follows from the premises. First, indeed, from this, that both Jews and Gentiles are united and are reconciled to God. In the second place, they both have access in one Spirit to the Father. Together they are conformed to the whole Trinity; to the Father whom they approach, to the Son through whom, and to the Holy Spirit in whom they have access in unity. Hence, they in no way lack a share in spiritual goods.

To understand the text it must be realized that the community of the faithful are sometimes referred to as a house in the Scriptures: "that you may know how to behave thyself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God" (1 Tim 3:15). At other times it is called a city: "Jerusalem, which is built as a city" (Ps 121:3). A city possesses a political community whereas a household has a domestic one; these differ in two respects. For those who belong to the domestic community share with one another private activities; but those belonging to the civil community have in common with one another public activities. Secondly, the head of the family governs the domestic community; while those in the civil community are ruled by a king. Hence the analogy: what the king is in the realm, this the father is in the home.

The community of the faithful contains within it something of the city and something of the home. If the ruler of the community is thought of, he is a father: "Our Father, who art in heaven" (Mt 6:9); "I thought you would call me Father and would not turn from following me" (Jer 3:19). In this perspective, the community is a home. But if you consider the subjects themselves, it is a city since they have in common with one another the particular acts of faith, hope and charity. In this way, if the faithful are considered in themselves, the community is a civil one; if, however, the ruler is thought of, it is a domestic community.

This is why the Apostle writes the two words here: "strangers and foreigners." For what the stranger is to the home, that the foreigner is to the city. A stranger is an outsider, as it were, of a family: "It is a miserable life to go from house to house, and where you are a guest you may not open your mouth" (Sir 29:24). A foreigner is as an alien to the city into which he comes. As though the Apostle said: Formerly you were estranged from the community of believers, as strangers to a home and foreigners to a state—and as the proselytes were to the Old Law—but this is true no longer, for "you are no more strangers and foreigners."

Next, he draws the conclusion of what their present state is, stating "but you are fellow citizens with the saints and the domestics of God." As if he had said: Since the community of the faithful is termed a city in relation to its subjects, and a home relative to its ruler, the assembly to which you are called is the city of the saints and the house of God. "He who made perfect the glorious dwellings of Jacob speaks in you, city of God" (Ps 87:3). Hence Augustine remarks: "Two loves have formed two cities. For the love of God, even to the contempt of self," namely, of the man loving, "builds the heavenly city of Jerusalem. But the love of self, even to the contempt of God, builds the city of Babylon." Everyone, then, either is a citizen with the saints if he loves God to the contempt of self; or, if he loves himself even to the contempt of God, he is a citizen of Babylon.

This means that the household of God is built upon both the old and the new covenants. For what the apostles preached had been foretold by the prophets. In his words to the Corinthians, that "God placed in the church first apostles then prophets," he is concerned with the order of the church. But in this case he is speaking of the foundation in the prophets of old.

Christ is the foundation of this faith. For other foundation no one can lay, but that which has been laid, which is Christ Jesus. For He is the cornerstone of which Isaiah and Peter speak: See, I am laying a stone in Sion, a stone that has been tested, a precious cornerstone as a sure foundation. And the Apostle: You are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone.

There are, in the Church, three fundamental ranks: the patriarchal, the prophetical, and the apostolical. "Therefore, you are now no longer strangers. You are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets." The patriarchs were the ancestors of the apostles according to the flesh and according to the promise. This order corresponds to the Father as He is in Himself. The prophetical order corresponds to the Father as He is in the Son, and the apostolical order, to the Father as He is in the Holy Spirit.

Understand now for me the mystery of the truth, granting pardon if I shrink from advancing further in the treatment of it, by announcing this alone: "All things were made by Him, and without Him was not even one thing." Certainly He is called "the chief corner stone; in whom the whole building, fitly joined together, groweth into an holy temple of God," according to the divine apostle.

You have written also, that on my account the Church has now a portion of herself in a state of dispersion, although the whole people of the Church are collected, and united, and joined to itself in an undivided concord: they alone have remained without, who even, if they had been within, would have had to be cast out. Nor does the Lord, the protector of His people, and their guardian, suffer the wheat to be snatched from His floor; but the chaff alone can be separated from the Church, since also the apostle says, "For what if some of them have departed from the faith? shall their unbelief make the faith of God of none effect? God forbid; for God is true, but every man a liar." And the Lord also in the Gospel, when disciples forsook Him as He spoke, turning to the twelve, said, "Will ye also go away? "then Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the word of eternal life; and we believe, and are sure, that Thou art the Son of the living God." Peter speaks there, on whom the Church was to be built, teaching and showing in the name of the Church, that although a rebellious and arrogant multitude of those who will not hear and obey may depart, yet the Church does not depart from Christ; and they are the Church who are a people united to the priest, and the flock which adheres to its pastor. Whence you ought to know that the bishop is in the Church, and the Church in the bishop; and if any one be not with the bishop, that he is not in the Church, and that those flatter themselves in vain who creep in, not having peace with God's priests, and think that they communicate secretly with some; while the Church, which is Catholic and one, is not cut nor divided, but is indeed connected and bound together by the cement of priests who cohere with one another.

Jesus Christ and his teachings are the foundation for the apostles. The edifice built on this foundation consists in life and character and one's conduct and discipline. The primary foundation is for life; the rest of the edifice is for its adornment and edification. The primary foundation, I say, is to believe in Christ, hope in him and trust in God. This foundation is the teaching of the apostles, which is also heard in the word of the prophets. Note the order of this distinction, first apostles and then prophets. The apostles beheld [God incarnate]; the prophets received the Spirit. These are the saints mentioned above: those who saw and those who were inhabited by the Spirit. Hence the teachings of the apostles and prophets are indeed the teachings of Christ, which proclaim the foundation of all eternal hope.

Observe how he blends all together, the Gentiles, the Jews, the Apostles, the Prophets, and Christ, and illustrates the union sometimes from the body, and sometimes from the building: "built," saith he, "upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets;" that is, the Apostles and Prophets are a foundation, and he places the Apostles first, though they are in order of time last, doubtless to represent and express this, that both the one and the other are alike a foundation, and that the whole is one building, and that there is one root. Consider, that the Gentiles have the Patriarchs as a foundation. He here speaks more strongly of that point than he does when he speaks of a "grafting in." There he rather attaches them on. Then he adds, that He who binds the whole together in Christ. For the chief corner-stone binds together both the walls, and the foundations.

These are fitting words to cite against those who would divide the Godhead and think that the prophets belong to one God and the apostles to another.

"And the stones, sir," I said, "which were taken out of the pit and fitted into the building: what are they?" "The first," he said, "the ten, viz, that were placed as a foundation, are the first generation, and the twenty-five the second generation, of righteous men; and the thirty-five are the prophets of God and His ministers; and the forty are the apostles and teachers of the preaching of the Son of God." "Why, then, sir," I asked, "did the virgins carry these stones also through the gate, and give them for the building of the tower?" "Because," he answered, "these were the first who bore these spirits, and they never departed from each other, neither the spirits from the men nor the men from the spirits, but the spirits remained with them until their falling asleep. And unless they had had these spirits with them, they would not have been of use for the building of this tower."

For "the Lord of Sabaoth hath taken away, among the Jews from Jerusalem," among the other things named, "the wise architect" too, who builds the church, God's temple, and the holy city, and the house of the Lord.

In short, as he says, "they roll as sacred stones," and not like soldiers fight. Stones are they, even foundation stones, upon which we are ourselves edified-"built," as St. Paul says, "upon the foundation of the apostles," who, like "consecrated stones," were rolled up and down exposed to the attack of all men.

When, therefore, He came and preached peace to them that were near and to them which were afar off, we both obtained "access to the Father," being "now no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God" (even of Him from whom, as we have shown above, we were aliens, and placed far off), "built upon the foundation of the apostles"-(the apostle added), "and the prophets; " these words, however, the heretic erased, forgetting that the Lord had set in His Church not only apostles, but prophets also. He feared, no doubt, that our building was to stand in Christ upon the foundation of the ancient prophets, since the apostle himself never fails to build us up everywhere with (the words of) the prophets. For whence did he learn to call Christ "the chief corner-stone," but from the figure given him in the Psalm: "The stone which the builders rejected is become the head (stone) of the corner? "

Wishing to show the close union of the Gentiles with the prophets and apostles, he says: "having been built upon," as if saying: the prophets and apostles serve as the foundation, while you completed the rest of the building, so that all together formed one temple of God. This is what it means to be built upon the patriarchs and prophets, which in another place he calls grafting in (Rom. 11:19). He placed the apostles first, although in time they were the last.

Christ holds all things upon Himself. For the cornerstone supports both the walls and the foundations. And note: sometimes he calls Him the one who holds all things together from above, in which case he names Him the head, and sometimes the one who bears the entire building upon Himself from below, like a cornerstone; and sometimes he also calls Him the foundation itself.

Consequently, when he says "built upon the foundation of the Apostles," he clarifies what has been said. It is customary in the Scriptures that the figure, called metonymy, is used where the container is substituted for what it contains, as a house sometimes refers to those who are in the house. The Apostle employs this figure of speech concerning those who are in the house of God, the faithful; as though they were one house, he compares them to a building. Regarding this he does two things: First, he sets down what he intended. Secondly, he shows that the Ephesians themselves have become parts of this building (2:22). Concerning the first he does two things: First, he describes the foundation of this building. Secondly, its construction or completeness (2:21).

He writes of two foundations: one is primary and another secondary. The Apostles and Prophets are the secondary foundation. In this regard he states that they, the Ephesians, are not strangers but fellow citizens who belong already to the spiritual edifice which is "built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets," that is, upon the teaching of the Apostles and Prophets. Or, "upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets" means upon Christ who is the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets. As though he said: You are built upon the same foundation on which the Apostles and Prophets, who were Jewish, were built.

These two interpretations only differ in words. Yet the first is more suited to the context; if the second was the better one there would be no point in adding "Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone" since he would be the principal foundation. Hence this is more in harmony with the first; although Christ would be both the chief stone and the principal foundation. In meaning, however, they are in no way different since it is the same to say that Christ is the foundation, and the teaching of the Apostles and Prophets is; after all, they proclaimed Christ alone, and not themselves. To accept their doctrine is to accept Christ crucified: "We preach Christ crucified" (1 Cor 1:23); and "We have the mind of Christ" (1 Cor 2:16). 1 Peter 1:12 affirms of the Prophets: "It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, in the things which have been announced to you by those who preached the good news to you."

Notice that the Apostles are designated as foundations: "O city founded by him on the holy mountains" (Ps 87:1). "I will lay your foundations with sapphires" (Is 54:11), that is, with saintly men. In the Apocalypse 21:14 they are expressly called foundations: "And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb." They are referred to as foundations to the degree that their doctrine proclaims Christ. "Upon this rock I will build my Church" (Mt 16:18).

Both "Apostles and Prophets" are alluded to so that he might indicate that the doctrine of both is necessary for salvation. "Therefore, every scribe instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings forth out of his treasure new things and old" (Mt 13:52). Also, that he might show the harmony between the two, of the one with the other, since there is an identical foundation to both. What the Prophets foretold was to come, the Apostles proclaimed as accomplished. "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he had promised before by his prophets in the holy scriptures, concerning his Son" (Rom 1:1-3).

Christ Jesus alone is the principal foundation, in reference to this he says "himself being the chief cornerstone." Here he states three things about him; he is a stone, is placed at the corner, and is the chief one.

He is a stone on account of the strength of the foundation. Whence Matthew 7:25 speaks of the house founded on a rock and built solidly; neither rains, nor floods, nor winds could destroy it. Such was not the case with the house built on sand. "You saw a stone cut out of the mountain without a hand being put to it" (Dan 2:45). He is called a corner-stone on account of the convergence of both Jews and Gentiles. As two walls are joined at the corner, so in Christ the Jewish and Pagan peoples are united. "The stone which the builders rejected became the cornerstone" (Ps 118:22): "This is the stone rejected by you, the builders, which became the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else" (Acts 4:11-12). And Christ applies this text to himself in Matthew 21:42: "Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone?" He is referred to as the chief one by reason of his heavenly dignity: "See, I am laying a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a cornerstone, a precious stone, a foundation stone" (Is 28:16).

The foundation of a spiritual edifice contrasts with that of a material building. For a material building rests on a foundation in the earth, the more important the foundation is, the deeper must it be. A spiritual structure, on the other hand, has its foundation in heaven; as a result, the more principal the foundation, the higher it necessarily is. Thus we could imagine a city, as it were, coming down from heaven with its foundation in heaven and the building itself appearing to come downward towards us below, according to that passage of the Apocalypse 21:2: "I John, saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God."

He called this stone a cornerstone not merely because it is at the corner but because it is the first and most important stone. From it begins the foundation of the corner which joins and couples two things to make them one. Souls above already with Christ are united together with those that live in holiness and receive Christ in a mystery that is present. Souls below that are Christ's, including those of the Gentiles, are also joined by that cornerstone, Jesus Christ.

All souls made spiritual through Christ are joined and built up into a holy temple, where God dwells. As Christ is in all and God in Christ, all are a temple of God through Christ.

It is maintained by some that the whole edifice built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets comprises not only human souls but also angelic powers, so that all equally will become the abode of God. They argue that it would be absurd if angels and all the blessed forces who serve God in heaven would have no part in this blessedness. For in this is a building, put together harmoniously, that is growing into a holy temple of God to be an abode of God in the Spirit.

Mark, how he knits it all together, and represents Him at one time, as holding down the whole body from above, and welding it together; at another time, as supporting the building from below, and being, as it were, a root, or base. And whereas he had used the expression, "He created in Himself of the twain one new man;" by this he clearly shows us, that by Himself Christ knits together the two walls: and again, that in Him it was created. And "He is the first-born," saith he, "of all creation," that is, He Himself supports all things.

Whether you speak of the roof, or of the walls, or of any other part whatsoever, He it is supports the whole. Thus he elsewhere calls Him a foundation. "For other foundations," saith he, "can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." "In whom each several building," he saith, "fitly framed together." Here he displays the perfectness of it, and indicates that one cannot otherwise have place in it, unless by living with great exactness.

On the cornerstone, he says, that is Christ, the entire building — namely all believers, joined organically and inseparably — grows and is filled up, so as to become temples of God. "And I will set My dwelling among you," He says, "and will walk among you" (Lev. 26:11–12). For the Church (ἐκκλησία) in general, that is the assembly of all believers, is a temple of God, and so too is each person individually. "In the Lord" is said instead of — by the grace of the Lord, and not by our labors. And by the word "being fitted together" he shows that we cannot be built into a temple of God in any other way than by leading such a life as corresponds to the cornerstone.

Next, he treats of the building's construction. In erecting any building four stages are requisite. First is the foundation of the edifice, second is the construction, third its increase, and fourth is the completion. He briefly touches on these.

In saying "in whom" he designates the foundation which principally is Christ and secondarily the doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets: "For other foundation no man can lay, but that which is laid; which is Christ Jesus" (1 Cor 3:11). He discusses the second briefly in "all the building being framed together." Understood allegorically, this signifies the Church herself which is built up when men are converted to the faith. Taken morally it signifies a sanctified soul, and then this building is erected when good works are built upon Christ. "Lady wisdom builds her house" (Prov 14:1); "Let each man take care how he builds on it" (1 Cor 3:10). With Christ as foundation, every spiritual edifice—whether of the Jews or of the Gentiles—is constructed by God's power. "If Yahweh does not build the palace, in vain do its builders work on it" (Ps 127:1). "Every house is built by someone; but the builder of all things is God" (Heb 3:4). Yet the building is constructed instrumentally either by the man who builds up himself, or by prelates.

He touches on the third when he states "grows up into an holy temple"; this happens when the number of those saved increases. "The word of the Lord continued to spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem" (Acts 6:7). It also grows when a man makes progress in good works, and he grows in grace to the degree that he becomes a holy temple. A temple is the dwelling place of God and must be holy: "The Most High sanctifies his dwelling" (Ps 46:5). Since we should be inhabited by God, that he might live in us, we ought to prepare ourselves in order to be holy. "Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (1 Cor 3:16). "See God's dwelling is with men, and he will dwell with them" (Rev 21:3).

But are we not temples of God from the instant we possess charity? I reply that it is so. And the more we progress, so much the more will God dwell within us. Hence, the fourth requisite to this building is its perfection and completion, which he states to be "in the Lord."

As he does so often, he brings the argument back to individuals, that is, to the Ephesians. They themselves have been built into that same temple cornerstone. Here he cleverly adjusts his language to form an exhortation. They have not yet fully entered into this unity but are still being built up. There is a deficiency, and therefore he warns and exhorts them.

"It groweth," saith he, "into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom ye also," he adds, "are builded together." He is speaking continuously: "Into a holy temple, for a habitation of God in the Spirit." What then is the object of this building? It is that God may dwell in this temple. For each of you severally is a temple, and all of you together are a temple. And He dwelleth in you as in the body of Christ, and as in a Spiritual temple. He does not use the word which means our coming to God, (prosodos) but which implies God's bringing us to Himself, (prosagoge) for we came not out of ourselves, but we were brought nigh by Him. "No one," saith Christ, "cometh unto the Father but by Me." And again, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life."

He joins them with the Saints and again returns to his former image, nowhere suffering them to be disunited from Christ. Doubtless then, this is a building that shall go on until His coming. Doubtless it was for this reason that Paul said, "As a wise master builder, I laid a foundation." And again that Christ is the foundation. What then means all this? You observe that the comparisons have all referred to the subject-matters, and that we must not expound them to the very letter. The Apostle speaks from analogy as Christ does, where He calls the Father an husbandman, and Himself a root.

And all believers are built up in Him, and you also, Ephesians, to be a dwelling place of God in the Spirit, that is, through the cooperation of the Spirit. Or else he said "in the Spirit" in contrast to a material building, as if saying: a spiritual dwelling place of God. Such building up is also accomplished until the second coming through believers.

Finally, he indicates how the Gentiles have become participants of the building. "In which" building not only are the Jews incorporated, but also you Ephesians "are built together," that is, you are incorporated like the others. "Come to him, the living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen and honored by God. Be yourselves like living stones built into a spiritual house" (1 Pet 2:4-5). Therefore he adds "into an habitation of God" that God may dwell in you through faith. "That Christ may dwell by faith in your hearts" (Eph 3:17). Yet this cannot happen without charity since "he who remains in love remains in God and God in him" (1 Jn 4:16). And charity is bestowed on us through the Holy Spirit: "The love of God is poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given to us" (Rom 5:5). Thus he adds "in the Spirit."

It remains, after he has stated the truth that all their hope is in Christ and thus they are all being built up together in the Spirit to be the dwelling place of God—it remains, I say, that he should teach them who he himself is and whether he himself is contributing to building them up together through the gospel and can give a reason for his own authority so that they may believe him.

After a diligent search I have found nothing that answers to his prior clause.… For he does not say, "For this reason I, Paul, have done this or that or have taught this or that." Instead, leaving the thought in suspense, he goes on to other matters. Perhaps we ought to pardon him for what he himself has admitted when he said, "if unschooled in speech, at least not in knowledge," and look for order in his meaning rather than in his words. This can be rendered as follows: "I, Paul, in the chains of Jesus Christ and in chains for you Gentiles, have learned the mystery so that I may hand it on to you."

We often read that the body is called the prison of the soul. The soul is confined as if in a cage. Paul, for example, was constrained by the ties of the body and did not return to be with Christ so that the preaching to the Gentiles might be perfectly accomplished through him. But I grant that there are some who introduce another meaning here: Paul before his birth was predestined and sanctified from his mother's womb for the purpose of preaching to the Gentiles. For this vocation he took on the bonds of flesh.

He has mentioned Christ's great and affectionate care; he now passes on to his own, insignificant indeed as it is, and a very nothing in comparison with that, and yet this is enough to engage them to himself. For this cause, saith he, am I also bound. For if my Lord was crucified for your sakes, much more am I bound. He not only was bound Himself, but allows His servants to be bound also,-"for you Gentiles." It is full of emphasis; not only do we no longer loathe you, but we are even bound, saith he, for your sakes and of this exceeding grace am I partaker.

For what could be better than those bonds which always in his Epistles he prefers to all things else, saying, "Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ:" and again, "On this account I am bound with this chain, but the word of God is not bound;" and, "Even unto bonds, as an evil-doer." The punishment was twofold. For if indeed he had been so bound, as with a view to his good, the thing would have carried with it some consolation: but now he is bound both "as an evil-doer," and as with a view to very ill consequences; yet for none of these things cared he.

Having pointed out Christ's care for us, he then speaks also of his own care. Since, he says, my Lord has shown such deeds toward us, it is necessary for me as well to contribute as much as possible. Therefore I am a prisoner for you. And if He was crucified, then I, at the very least, am in bonds for you. And by the words "for you Gentiles" he indicated the following: "not only do we not abhor you, but we even accept bonds for your sake and consider it an honor to be called prisoners of Christ."

The Apostle has previously recounted the many blessings of God granted to the human race and the Apostles themselves; here he turns to God's special blessings bestowed on himself.

First he sets forth his thought in a general way. Secondly, he explains each part of it in detail (3:3).

Concerning the first he does two things: First, he describes his condition in respect to patience and the sufferings he endures. Secondly, in reference to the gifts of grace God has given him (3:2).

He remarks: I have said that "you also are built together into an habitation of God" (Eph. 2:22); For this cause, of your edification and conversion to Christ, I, Paul, am a prisoner at Rome; my greatness is in being an Apostle of Jesus Christ and a teacher of faith and truth to the nations. He wrote this letter from Rome where he was kept under custody. "I labor even into bands, as an evildoer" (2 Tim. 2:9); "I therefore, a prisoner in the Lord..." (Eph. 4:1). Certainly this indicates his suffering and pain amid the prison's squalor.

Since it is not punishment that makes the martyr, but the reason [why he suffers], he inserts the cause of his tribulations. There are two causes in behalf of which someone can pursue martyrdom. One, if he should suffer for faith in Christ, or for any other virtue. "But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or a railer, or a coveter of other men's things. But, if as a Christian, let him not be ashamed" (1 Pet. 4:15-16). With respect to this he affirms that he is a prisoner of Jesus Christ. The other is if one suffers for the utility of the Church, in regard to which he says for you Gentiles, that is, I long so much for conversion, and thus preach the word of salvation to you, that I have been thrown into prison. "We are in tribulation for your exhortation and salvation" (2 Cor. 1:6). "I now rejoice in my sufferings for you" (Col. 1:24).

He alludes to the prediction addressed to Ananias concerning him at Damascus, when the Lord said, "Go thy way, for he is a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My name before the Gentiles and Kings."

By "dispensation of grace," he means the revelation made to him. As much as to say, "I learned it not from man." He vouchsafed to reveal it even to me, though but an individual for your sakes. For Himself said unto me, saith he, "Depart, for I will send thee forth far hence unto the Gentiles." "If so be that ye have heard" for a dispensation it was, a mighty one; to call one, uninfluenced from any other quarter, immediately from above, and to say, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?" and to strike him blind with that ineffable light!

He alludes to the words of God to Ananias: "he is My chosen vessel, to proclaim My name before the nations" (Acts 9:15). And the revelation of the mystery, because he learned it not from man, he calls "the dispensation of grace." For, he says, the grace of God arranged things in such a way that I was called from above and was subjected to blindness for my disobedience, so that in precisely this manner I might come to obedience. But for you, he says, this grace was given to me. For He Himself said to me, "I will send you far away to the Gentiles" (Acts 22:21). Therefore you are the work of grace, and I brought nothing of my own.

Then he makes known the gift of grace given him, as though he said: I assert that I am a prisoner for you Gentiles, if yet you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me towards you. This may be understood in two ways. In one, the dispensation is taken in a passive sense. Here, if you have heard of the dispensation of the grace means, if you have understood that this gift of being an apostle among the nations was dispensed to me. For, as is mentioned below: "To everyone of us is given grace, according to the measure of the giving of Christ... he gave some apostles, and some prophets..." (Eph. 4:7, 11). Whence the Lord Christ has given to me, that I should bear fruit of grace among you, and this has fallen to my lot by God's grace. "I am made a minister of the Gospel" (Col. 1:23). I say the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me towards you, that is, I have been entrusted with dispensing those [graces].

In a second way, dispensation is taken actively so that the sense of if you have heard of the dispensation of the grace is, if you have understood what has been granted to me: that I might dispense gifts of grace through communicating the sacraments to you. "Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ and the dispensers of the mysteries of God" (1 Cor. 4:1).

He indicates that he has been shown the revelation of the mystery of God, about which he says that he has written briefly, that is, precisely, according to their capacity to comprehend the wisdom of the apostle in the mystery of Christ.

It is He who truly shows how we are to know ourselves. It is He who reveals the Father of the universe to whom He wills, and as far as human nature can comprehend. "For no man knoweth the Son but the Father, nor the Father but the Son, and he to whom the Son shall reveal Him." Rightly, then, the apostle says that it was by revelation that he knew the mystery: "As I wrote afore in few words, according as ye are able to understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ." "According as ye are able," he said, since he knew that some had received milk only, and had not yet received meat, nor even milk simply.

Rightly, therefore, the divine apostle says, "By revelation the mystery was made known to me (as I wrote before in brief, in accordance with which, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it is now revealed to His holy apostles and prophets." For there is an instruction of the perfect, of which, writing to the Colossians, he says, "We cease not to pray for you, and beseech that ye may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that ye may walk worthy of the Lord to all pleasing; being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might according to the glory of His power." And again he says, "According to the disposition of the grace of God which is given me, that ye may fulfil the word of God; the mystery which has been hid from ages and generations, which now is manifested to His saints: to whom God wished to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the nations." So that, on the one hand, then, are the mysteries which were hid till the time of the apostles, and were delivered by them as they received from the Lord, and, concealed in the Old Testament, were manifested to the saints. And, on the other hand, there is "the riches of the glory of the mystery in the Gentiles," which is faith and hope in Christ; which in another place he has called the "foundation."

Paul indicates that this mystery was made known to him through revelation. From this passage it is evident that a Christian, and a very excellent Christian at that, can be brought into being solely by grace.… Nevertheless, the power of God dispenses grace in many ways. Others come to faith by teaching, wherein by a legitimate training process and through the commandments of the Savior a person is reborn through the Spirit and water, so as to receive the spirit of Christ, in a teaching process that is mediated from human beings and through human beings. But what happened to Paul came to him by the grace of God through revelation. Although he, in my judgment, was the only one who received this particular revelation, God is able to reveal himself in this form or in other ways to others.

Now this (mystery) was not made known to previous generations, as he says, it has been written, "By revelation was made known unto me the mystery;" and, "I have heard inexpressible words which it is not possible for man to declare." The light, (therefore,) which came down from the Ogdoad above to the Son of the Hebdomad, descended from the Hebdomad upon Jesus the son of Mary, and he had radiance imparted to him by being illuminated with the light that shone upon him.

Perhaps he had informed them of it by some persons, or had not long before been writing to them. Here he is pointing out that the whole is of God, that we have contributed nothing. For what? I ask, was not Paul himself, the wonderful, he that was so versed in the law, he that was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel according to the most perfect manner, was not he saved by grace? With good reason too does he call this a mystery, for a mystery it is, to raise the Gentiles in a moment to a higher rank than the Jews. "As I wrote afore," saith he, "in few words," i.e., briefly.

The words I wrote a little before do not mean, as some think, that he has written another letter. For it is not with respect to himself that he says "I have written" but with respect to the mystery. For he is referring to "the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I wrote to you a little while ago," yet it is this "about which I have just now written." For this has been his subject from the outset right up to this passage.

Here is the work of grace – the revelation of the mystery. And truly it is a mystery – to raise the Gentiles from the utmost insignificance to an honorable position, higher than that of the Jews. He points to what was said above by him, that the Gentiles, who were far off, have been called, that they have been built upon the patriarchs, and so forth.

Subsequently, when he says how that, according to revelation... he makes known the several aspects of his condition in detail. In reference to which he does two things:

First, he treats of what pertains to the dignity of his office, namely, the dispensation of grace. Secondly, what pertains to his experience of patience, namely, tribulations (3:13).

The first part contains two sections: First, he discusses the dispensation of grace regarding the knowledge of various mysteries. Secondly, regarding how these [mysteries] are carried into effect (3:7).

Once more the first section has two divisions: First, he sets down the knowledge of the mysteries of Christ that was granted to him. Secondly, he explains what that mystery is (3:6).

He makes three points in regard to his knowledge: First, it is certain (3:3a). Secondly, it is full (3:3b-4). Thirdly, it is eminent (3:5).

Certain it is indeed, for he did not acquire it through human effort or human thought, which can err: "The thoughts of mortal men are timid, and our counsels uncertain" (Wis. 9:14). Instead it is through the divine law which is most certain. Hence he says according to revelation the mystery has been made known to me. "For neither did I receive it of man; nor did I learn it but by the revelation of Jesus Christ" (Gal. 1:12). "We all, beholding the glory of the Lord with open face, are transformed into the same image" (2 Cor. 3:18).

Moreover, it is a full [knowledge] since it is revealed perfectly to me, and I entrust it to your judgment. I write of it in few words, in which you can recognize that I enjoy a perfect knowledge of the mysteries of faith. And in regard to this he says as I have written above in a few words clearly, that as you are reading, you may understand. "Thy lips... are as a dropping honeycomb" (Cant. 4:11). Lips are small; and those of a doctor are as "a dropping honeycomb" when he conveys many and profound thoughts in a few short words.

Amazing! So then he wrote not the whole, nor so much as he should have written. But here the nature of the subject prevented it. Elsewhere, as in the case of the Hebrews and the Corinthians, the incapacity of the hearers. "Whereby, when ye read, ye can perceive," saith he, "my understanding in the mystery of Christ," i.e., how I knew, how I understood either such things as God hath spoken, or else, that Christ sitteth at the right hand of God; and then too the dignity, in that God "hath not dealt so with any nation." And then to explain what nation this is with whom God hath thus dealt, he adds.

I wrote, he says, not as much as I ought, but according to your capacity and ability to receive. And from this you can perceive and understand my comprehension of the mystery of Christ, that is, how I understood the mystery of Christ, or how I understood that He sits at the right hand of the Father and seated us with Himself, that in Himself He created both into one new man, and the rest pertaining to the mystery. Understand then the worthiness of my comprehension from the fact that God revealed so much to me. And that this is a sign of great honor, listen: "He has not done so with any other nation" (Ps. 147:9), namely, that to Israel He declared "His statutes and His judgments" (Ps. 147:8).

Nevertheless, note that Augustine remarks how a doctor should aim at being understood. As long as he strives for this his words are not superfluous, but if he remains on a point after he is understood he wastes his words. He adds my prudence since "the knowledge of the holy is prudence" (Prov. 9:10). This is not worldly but divine and heavenly, for which reason he states in the mystery of Christ.

Men must then be saved by learning the truth through Christ, even if they attain philosophy. For now that is clearly shown "which was not made known to other ages, which is now revealed to the sons of men." For there was always a natural manifestation of the one Almighty God, among all right-thinking men; and the most, who had not quite divested themselves of shame with respect to the truth, apprehended the eternal beneficence in divine providence.

He teaches that there is a perfect harmony—a complete unity and identity—between the revelations given to him and those given to the apostles. His purpose is to avoid discord and any appearance of having received by revelation something that was not given to the apostles by the living Christ.

What then, tell me, did not the Prophets know it? How then doth Christ say, that Moses and the Prophets wrote "these things concerning Me?" And again, "If ye believed Moses, ye would believe Me." And again, "Ye search the Scriptures, because ye think that in them ye have eternal life, and these are they which bear witness of me." His meaning is this, either that it was not revealed unto all men, for he adds, "which in other generations was not made known unto the sons of men, as it hath now been revealed;" or else, that it was not thus made known by the very facts and realities themselves, "as it hath now been revealed unto His holy Apostles and Prophets in the Spirit." For reflect. Peter, had he not been instructed by the Spirit, never would have gone to the Gentiles. For hear what he says, "Then hath God given unto them the Holy Ghost, as well as unto us." That it was by the Spirit that God chose that they should receive the grace. The Prophets then spoke, yet they knew it not thus perfectly; so far from it, that not even did the Apostles, after they had heard it. So far did it surpass all human calculation, and the common expectation.

It was made known incrementally to the prophets of old, but not fully then as it is now. For they did not see the whole picture but wrote down words about aspects of it. … Remember that in the apostles' day there were many who had the gift of prophecy. It is in this order that he mentions that the revelation was known to the apostles and then to the prophets.

What then? Did the prophets truly not know? But how then does Christ say: "Moses and the prophets wrote about Me"; and "search the Scriptures..." and "they testify of Me" (Jn. 5:39)? But Paul, first of all, says what was not revealed to all people, since he added: "which was not made known to previous generations of the sons of men." And secondly, what was not revealed even to the prophets in such a way as it has now been manifested in deed itself to the apostles and the New Testament prophets, by the Holy Spirit. For if the Spirit had not instructed Peter, the latter would not have received into the Church the gentile Cornelius with his household (Acts 10:3). And notice, it is not concerning circumcision, but concerning the gentiles that the Spirit gives revelation, because the reception into the Church of the despised gentiles was a great matter. And to such a degree did the ancients not know this mystery, that even the great Peter needed instruction from the Spirit concerning this.

It is also eminent since it was revealed to the Apostles alone. Hence he adds which in other generations was not known. For although the mysteries of Christ were revealed to the prophets and patriarchs, they were more clearly revealed to the Apostles. To the prophets and patriarchs they were revealed in vague generality; but they were shown in their singular and determinate circumstances to the Apostles.

Other generations admits of a twofold explanation. In one, by generations the times of the generations are understood, as in Psalm 144 (13): "Thy dominion endureth throughout all generations." Then the meaning is which in other generations, that is, times, [the mystery] was not known to the sons of men, to no rational creature, neither to men nor to angels. "Thou has hid these things from the wise and the prudent, and hast revealed them to little ones" (Mt. 11:25). As it is now revealed to his holy Apostles and prophets in the Spirit, to them, namely, who interpret the Scriptures and explain the Law in the spirit of the New Testament. "To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to the rest in parables" (Lk. 8:10). "And turning to his disciples he said: Blessed are the eyes that see the things which you see. For I say to you that many prophets and kings have desired to see the things that you see and have not seen them" (Lk. 10:23-24).

Another interpretation takes generations in the sense of human generations, as in Matthew 23 (36): "All these things shall come upon this generation." Then the meaning is which in other generations was not known to those men, that is, who were born in the preceding generations. The rest [is interpreted] as above. "Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?" (Is. 53:1).

But certainly this sacrament of faith was revealed to some of the Old Testament fathers, as is implied in John 8 (56): "Abraham, your father, rejoiced that he might see my day; he saw it and was glad." And [it was also revealed] to the prophets, according to Joel 2 (28): "And it shall come to pass after this, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy." But it was revealed to them in certain generalities, whereas [it was disclosed] to the Apostles clearly and completely. Three reasons account for this. First, because the Apostles received the revelation immediately from the Son of God: "The only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him" (Jn. 1:18). The prophets and fathers of the Old Testament, on the other hand, were taught by angels, or through some similar imagery: "And one of the seraphims flew to me: and in his hand was a live coal which he had taken with the tongs off the altar" (Is. 6:6). Hence, the Apostles received it more clearly. Secondly, they did not see in symbols and riddles as the prophets did, but were given a plain view of the Lord's glory: "Blessed are the eyes that see the things which you see" (Lk. 10:23). Thirdly, since the Apostles were meant to carry into effect and communicate this sacrament, it was necessary for them to be more instructed in it than others. "Others have labored; and you have entered into their labors" (Jn. 4:38).

The Gentiles are fellow heirs with Israel. Put more precisely, they are fellow heirs with Christ. … It is not that some possession is divided among us but that God himself in his fullness is our inheritance and possession.

Now the meaning of fellow heirs is this: Just as there are many members in one body … and these, though in one body, have their differences and feel their own joy and grief in turn, so those who have believed in Christ, even if they have different gifts, are bonded together in the one body of Christ.

What is this; "fellow-heirs, and fellow-partakers of the promise, and fellow-members of the body?" This last is the great thing, that they should be one body; this exceeding closeness of relation to Him. For that they were to be called indeed, that they knew, but that it was so great, as yet they knew not. This therefore he calls the mystery. "Of the promise." The Israelites were partakers, and the Gentiles also were fellow-partakers of the promise of God.

"In Christ Jesus through the Gospel."

That is, by His being sent unto them also, and by their believing; for it is not said they are fellow-heirs simply, but "through the Gospel." However, this indeed, is nothing so great, it is in fact a small thing, and it discloses to us another and greater thing, that not only men knew not this, but that neither Angels nor Archangels, nor any other created power, knew it. For it was a mystery, and was not revealed. "That ye can perceive," he saith, "my understanding." This alludes, perhaps, to what he said to them in the Acts, that he had some knowledge that the Gentiles also were called. This, he says, is his own knowledge, "the knowledge of the mystery," which he had mentioned, viz., "that Christ will in Himself make of the twain one new man." For by revelation he was instructed, both he and Peter, that they must not spurn the Gentiles; and this he states in his defence.

The mystery consists in the fact that the Gentiles became fellow heirs and fellow partakers of the promise of Israel. For the Israelites partook in the promise as a holy people; and the Gentiles, formerly unclean, became partakers with them of the same promise, but in what way? "In Christ," that is, through faith in Christ, which reached them through the Gospel. And he was not satisfied with calling them "fellow heirs" and "fellow partakers," but, to show the greater closeness and union, called them "members of the same body." For the Gentiles together with the holy Israelites formed one body, governed by a single head — Christ.

Consequently, when he states that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, he makes known what the sacrament is. In reference to it, it should be recognized that the Jews enjoyed three prerogatives with respect to the Gentiles. They had the promised inheritance: "For not through the law was the promise to Abraham or to his seed, that he should be heir of the world; but through the justice of faith" (Rom. 4:13); "The Lord is the portion of my inheritance" (Ps. 15:5). Another was their special election, they were set apart from the Gentiles: "The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be his peculiar people of all peoples that are upon the earth" (Deut. 7:6). "We are his people and the sheep of his pasture" (Ps. 99:3); "One is my dove: my perfect one is but one" (Cant. 6:8). Finally, they had the promise of a Christ: "In thee shall all the kindred of the earth be blessed" (Gen. 12:3).

These three the Gentiles did not enjoy: "You were at that time without Christ, being aliens to Israel's way of life" (Eph. 2:12). By faith, however, they have received them. First, they share in the inheritance; concerning this he says fellow heirs with the Jews in the heavenly inheritance. "And I say to you that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven" (Mt. 8:11). Second, [they are admitted] to the chosen community of believers; thus he states of the same body, that is, in one body. "And other sheep I have that are not of this fold," namely, the Gentiles, "them also I must bring. And they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold and one shepherd" (Jn. 10:16). Third, [they are admitted] to a participation in the promised grace; he says they are co-partners of his promise, the promises made to Abraham. "For I say that Christ Jesus was minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers; but that the Gentiles are to glorify God for his mercy" (Rom. 15:8-9).

The Gentiles have acquired all this, not through Moses, but in Christ. "For the Law was given by Moses; grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (Jn. 1:17), "by whom he hath given us most great and precious promises" (2 Pet. 1:4). Moreover, these did not come through fulfilling the law, whose burden "neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear" (Ac. 15:10), but by the gospel through which all men are saved. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel. For it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first and to the Greek" (Rom. 1:16). "Now I make known unto you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you have received and wherein you stand. By which also you are saved" (1 Cor. 15:1-2).

Everywhere Paul reminds us that we receive God's gifts not by our own merit but by grace. Grace belongs to the giver, not to the recipient. And by adding "according to the working of his power," he also ascribes this to God, so that "if I do any work, it is God's power. For it is not my power that works in me but God's."

He had said, "I am a prisoner;" but now again he says, that all is of God, as he says, "according to the gift of His grace;" for according to the power of the gift is the dignity of this privilege. But the gift would not have been enough, had it not also implanted in him power.

For a work indeed it was of power, of mighty power, and such as no human diligence was equal to. For he brought three qualifications to the preaching of the word, a zeal fervent and venturous, a soul ready to undergo any possible hardship, and knowledge and wisdom combined. For his love of enterprise, his blamelessness of life, had availed nothing, had he not also received the power of the Spirit.

I became a minister of this gospel and find myself in bonds for its sake; but this is not my own doing, but a gift of divine grace, which was given to me not simply or sparingly, but abundantly and generously, as befits the almighty God to give. Or else — since He granted me this ministry, He also furnished me with power. For a dignity is useless if power is not joined with it. Three things we must bring to ministry: a soul ready for dangers, wisdom and understanding, and a blameless life, while it is God's part to give the power through which all these would become effective.

After the Apostle has discussed the grace given him relative to the knowledge of divine mysteries (3:3), he indicates the same with respect to carrying these mysteries themselves into effect. Concerning this he makes two points:

First, he acknowledges the assistance of grace granted him to put them into practice. Secondly, he speaks of the ministerial duty confided to him (3:8).

The first has two divisions: First, he briefly treats of putting divine mysteries into effect. Secondly, he shows how help has been given him (3:7b).

The realization of divine realities was committed to him by way of a ministry. He says in relation to this: I assert that this ministry has been entrusted to me, that the Gentiles are co-heirs by the Gospel and through it they share as well in God's promise in Christ Jesus, of whom I am made a minister. As though he stated: I do not fulfill or carry out [this mystery] as if it came from me or was mine, but as a ministry belonging to God. "For this man is to me a vessel of election, to carry my name before the Gentiles" (Act. 9:15). "Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ and the dispensers of the mysteries of God" (1 Cor. 4:1).

When he writes according to the gift of the grace of God he touches on the aid granted him to carry out the mysteries. This type of assistance was twofold. One was the capacity to put them into effect, and another was the very actions or activities themselves.

God bestows the capability by infusing the virtue and grace through which a man is able and fit for action; while he confers the action itself insofar as he moves us interiorly and spurs us on to good. Receiving both from God, the Apostle acknowledges the first in saying: I am made a minister, certainly not on my own merits, nor by my own virtue, but according to the gift of the grace of God which is given to me. For I was made worthy to realize the divine mysteries which previously I had persecuted. "I have labored more abundantly than all they. Yet not I, but the grace of God with me" (1 Cor. 15:10). In reference to the second he states according to the operation which God effects inasmuch as his power causes us both to will and to act in accord with good will.

This can be interpreted in another way according to a Gloss. What is said here refers to what immediately preceded (v. 6). For the pagans to have become co-heirs, and of the same body, and co-partners of God the Father's promise—this is a gift God gave the Gentiles in Christ. That is, they come through Christ, according to the operation of his power in that he has powerfully acted in raising Christ from the dead.