The Letter to the Ephesians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary)

560 Pages·1999·54.891 MB·English

by  Peter T. O’Brien

THE PILLAR NEW TESTAMENT COMMENTARY
General Editor
D. A. CARSON
The Letter
to the
EPHESIANS
PETER T. O’BRIEN
WILLIAM B. EERDMANS PUBLISHING COMPANY
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN / CAMBRIDGE, U.K.
'LEAPOLLOS
EI,CESTER EN GLAND
© 1999 Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
All rights reserved
First published 1999
in the United States of America by
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
2140 Oak Industrial Dr N.E., Grand Rapids, Michigan 49505
and in the U.K. by
APOLLOS
38 De Montfort Street, Leicester, England LE1 7GP
Printed in the United States of America
18 17 16 15 14 15 14 13 12
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
O’Brien, Peter Thomas.
The letter to the Ephesians / Peter T. O’Brien.
p. cm. — (The Pillar New Testament Commentary)
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
ISBN 978-0-8028-3736-3 (cloth: alk. paper)
1. Bible. N.T. Ephesians Commentaries.
I. Title. II. Series.
8526953075 1999
2275077 — dc21 99-27734
CIP
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.
NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by
permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Contents
Series Preface viii
Author’s Preface x
Chief Abbreviations xii
Select Bibliography xv
INTRODUCTION 1
I. AUTHORSHIP 4
A. The Impersonal Character of Ephesians 5
B. Language and Style 5
C. The Literary Relationship between Ephesians
and Colossians 8
D. The Theological Emphases of Ephesians 21
E. The Picture of Paul 33
F. Authorship and Pseudonymity 37
G. Conclusions 45
II. DESTINATION OF THE LETTER 47
III. LIFE-SETTING, PURPOSE, AND PROVENANCE 49
A. The Life-Setting of Ephesians 49
B. The Purpose of the Letter 51
C. The Provenance of Ephesians 57
58
IV. THE CENTRAL MESSAGE
66
V. CONTENTS AND GENRE
66
A. Contents
68
B. Genre
CONTENTS
COMMENTARY ON EPHESIANS 83
83
I. PRESCRIPT, 1:1-2
II. THE NEW HUMANITY A DIVINE CREATION, 1:3—3:21 88
A. Introductory Eulogy: Praise for God’s Blessings
in Christ, 1:3-14 88
1. Praise to God for Every Spiritual Blessing, 1:3 93
2. Praise for Election and Adoption, 1:4-6 98
3. Praise for Redemption and the Forgiveness 0f Sins, 1:7—8 105
4. Praise for the Mystery — God’s Plan to Sum Up
All Things in Christ, 1:9-10 108
5. Praise for the Assurance of the Believers’ Heritage, 1:11-14 115
B. Thanksgiving, Intercession, and Praise to God for
Exalting Christ, 1:15-23 123
1. Thanksgiving for the Readers’ Faith and Love, 1:15-16a 127
2. Intercession for Their Growth in Knowledge, 1:16b-19 128
3. God's Mighty Strength Shown in Raising and Exalting
Christ, 1:20-23 138
C. Saved by Grace: Raised and Exalted with Christ, 2:1-10 153
1. Dead in Transgressz'ons and Sins, 2:1-3 155
2. Because of His Mercy and Love God Made Us Alive
with Christ, 2:4-7 164
3. God’s New Creation, 2:8—10 173
D. The Inclusion of Gentiles in the One Body, 2:11-22 182
1. The Gentiles’ Former Plight and Now, 2:11-13 185
2. Through Christ We Have Access to the Father by
One Spirit, 2:14-18 191
3. The Gentiles’ Membership of God’s House, 2:19-22 210
E. The Divine Mystery and Paul’s Stewardship, 3:1-13 223
1. Paul’s Intercessory Prayer Begins, 3:1 225
2. Paul’s Stewardship 0f the Mystery, 3:2-7 226
3. Making Known the Mystery in God’s Purposes, 3:8-13 240
F. Paul’s Intercession for Power, Love, and Spiritual
Maturity, 3:14-21
252
1. Prayer for Power, Love, and Maturity, 3:14-19
254
2. Doxology to God Who Can Do More Than All We
Ask or Imagine, 3:20-21
266
Vi
CONTENTS
III. THE NEW HUMANITY IN EARTHLY LIFE, 4:1—6220 271
A. Unity, Diversity, and Maturity within the Body
of Christ, 4:1-16 271
1. The Unity of the Church as an Urgent Concern, 4:1-6 273
2. Diversity in Unity That Leads to Maturity, 4:7-16 286
B. Live according to the New Humanity, Not the Old,
4:17-24 317
C. Specific Exhortations about the Old Life and the
New, 4:25—5:2 334
D. From Darkness to Light, 523-14 357
1. Abstain from Immoralz'ty and Greed, 5:3-7 358
2. Once Darkness, But Now Light, 5:8-14 366
E. Be Careful How You Live: Generally and within the
Christian Household, 5:15—6:9 378
1. Be Careful, Then, How You Live, 5:15-21 379
2. Relationships within the Christian Household, 5:22—6:9 405
a. Wives and Husbands: Christ and the Church, 5:22-33 409
b. Children and Parents, 6:1-4 439
447
c. Slaves and Masters, 6:5-9
456
F. Spiritual Warfare, 6:10-20
460
1. Be Strong in the Lord, 6:10-13
2. Stand Firm and Put On God’s Armour, 6:14-17 472
483
3. Watch and Pray, 6:18-20
490
IV. LETTER CLOSING, 6:21-24
497
INDEXES
497
I. SUBJECTS
501
II. AUTHORS
508
III. SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
533
IV. EXTRABIBLICAL LITERATURE
Vii
Series Preface
Commentaries have specific aims, and this series is no exception. De-
signed for serious pastors and teachers of the Bible, the Pillar commentar-
ies seek above all to make clear the text of Scripture as we have it. The
scholars writing these volumes interact with the most important in-
formed contemporary debate, but avoid getting mired in undue technical
detail. Their ideal is a blend of rigorous exegesis and exposition, with an
eye alert both to biblical theology and the contemporary relevance of the
Bible, without confusing the commentary and the sermon.
The rationale for this approach is that the vision of ”objective schol-
arship" (a vain chimera) may actually be profane. God stands over
against us; we do not stand in judgment of him. When God speaks to us
through his Word, those who profess to know him must respond in an
appropriate way, and that is certainly different from a stance in which the
scholar projects an image of autonomous distance. Yet this is no surrepti-
tious appeal for uncontrolled subjectivity. The writers of this series aim
for an evenhanded openness to the text that is the best kind of ”objectiv-
ity" of all.
If the text is God’s Word, it is appropriate that we respond with rev-
erence, a certain fear, a holy joy, a questing obedience. These values
should be reflected in the way Christians write. With these values in
place, the Pillar commentaries will be warmly welcomed not only by pas-
tors, teachers, and students, but by general readers as well.
* * * * >|<
I am especially grateful for this commentary on Ephesians. Having al-
ready written major and exemplary commentaries on Philippians and
viii
SERIES PREFACE
Colossians, Peter O’Brien is wonderfully equipped to write the present
work. Widely respected for his careful and probing exegesis, Dr. O’Brien
writes out of many years of experience as a missionary, preacher, college
lecturer, vice-principal, and scholar. His wide reading and firm, thought-
ful interaction with those with whom he disagrees make this volume use-
ful to scholars as well as to pastors. But above all, his handling of the text
of Scripture is fresh and penetrating, edifying as well as informing, pro-
foundly centered on the gospel even while it wrestles engagingly with
details. It is a privilege to recommend this commentary.
D. A. CARSON
Author’s Preface
Ephesians was the first document of the New Testament I read as a teen-
ager when I became a Christian and joined a study group in our church. I
did not understand much about the letter at the time, but I remember be-
ing moved by some of the exhortations in the closing chapters. Since then
Ephesians has fascinated me, though I have struggled with its long, com-
plex sentences and its interlocking theological themes. It was a privilege,
then, to be invited to prepare this volume for the Pillar New Testament
Commentary series. It has enabled me over the last five years, in the
midst of other responsibilities, to turn aside and wrestle with this majes-
tic though challenging part of God's word. Ephesians, with its broad
sweep of the divine purposes, its grand themes and emphasis on unity,
truth, and love, along with its profound concerns that God’s people
should live as his new humanity in Christ, has proven to be both an en-
couragement and a searching challenge.
The completion of this volume also brings to fruition a desire to
write a commentary on each of Paul's Prison Epistles—Colossians,
Philemon (Word), Philippians (Eerdmans), and now Ephesians. I am con-
scious of how much I owe to those who have written on this letter before
me. In particular, I am indebted to the earlier commentaries of F. F. Bruce
(my teacher), Markus Barth, Rudolf Schnackenburg, Andrew Lincoln,
and most recently Ernest Best, to mention only a few. Lincoln’s commen-
tary contains many exegetical and theological insights, and I have
learned much from it. Even at those points where I differ from Andrew
(and not least on the important question of the Pauline authorship of the
letter), I have been grateful for the way he has laid out the issues. He has
helped to clarify my thinking, and I hope his views have been repre-
sented fairly throughout the commentary. My thanks are also due to Har-
X
AUTHOR’S PREFACE
old Hoehner for his allowing me to use the manuscript of his forthcom-
ing commentary on Ephesians.
Moore College is generous in its provision of study leave for its fac-
ulty members. This generosity has enabled me to complete the commen-
tary, after pleasant and productive stays in the congenial surroundings of
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois, and later those at
Tyndale House, Cambridge.
I am indebted to many, and wish to place my thanks on record. In
particular, I value the personal friendship, encouragement, and wise
scholarly advice of two princes among God’s people, Don Carson, the
General Editor of the Pillar series, and Peter Jensen, Principal of Moore
College. Both have been a tower of strength in countless ways, and under
God I owe them much. I am also grateful to Anne Macklin and Rob
Maidment for their help in preparing the indexes for this volume.
Finally, my heartfelt thanks are due to my wife, Mary, to whom I
dedicate this book. Her cheerful, loving support and persistent prayer
have under God led to this work being brought to its conclusion. On top
of that, her gracious example in our married life has helped me to under-
stand more about the mystery of Christ loving his responsive church.
PETER O’BRIEN