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Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
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Commentary & Explanation
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Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
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CHAPTER 2
We are saved by grace through faith—Blood of Christ saves Jew and
Gdntile alike—Church is built upon foundation of apostles and prophets.
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1 And you hath he quickened, who were
adead in trespasses and sins;
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the
course of this aworld, according to the prince of the power
of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of
bdisobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times
past in the alusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of
the flesh and of the mind; and were by bnature the children
of wrath, even as others.
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4 But God, who is rich in amercy,
for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath
aquickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are
saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding
ariches of his grace in his kindness toward us
through Christ Jesus.
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8 For by agrace are ye
bsaved through cfaith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the dgift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should
aboast.
10 For we are his aworkmanship,
created in Christ Jesus unto good bworks, which God hath
before ordained that we should cwalk in them.
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11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time
past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called aUncircumcision
[not of the covenant] by that which is called the Circumcision [the covenant]
in the flesh made by hands;
12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
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14 For he is our apeace, who hath
made both one, and hath broken down the middle awall of
partition between us;
15 Having aabolished in his flesh
the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in
bordinancesa; for to
make in himself of twain one cnew man, so making
peace;
16 And that he might areconcile
both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
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15a the law of commandments
contained in ordinances Often those italized words added to
clarify a translation are just as well left out in order to consider the plain
truth of what is being said, 'the law of commandments in ordinances' is the
concept which should most clearly prevail, that man might understand that he
needs to so comply to the will of God in the performance of the ordinance in
order to enter into being accepted according to God's law. The mere living of
the commandments alone is not enough. The simple rule of compliance to God's
ordiances is required, else all is lost. A man MUST be born of the
water and of the spirit, those ordinances of baptism and the laying on of hands
for the gift of the Holy Ghost MUST be performed by or at least in
behalf of a person for them to be admitted into the Kingdom of God, and this
that man may come under the grace of Christ by ordinance to the forgiveness of
sin, for no man is perfect in living the commandments of God no matter just
how good a person they are.
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18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
19 Now therefore ye are no more
astrangers and foreigners, but
bfellowcitizens with the csaints, and of
dthe household of God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the
aapostles and
bprophetsa, Jesus
Christ himself being the chief ccorner stone;
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
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20a the foundation of apostles and
prophets Prophets are the messengers of God commonly associated
with the Old Testament, they were called by God to speak unto the people in
the name of God. Yet the New Testament hand prophets also, even Jesus Christ
was deemed to be a prophet. The apotles of the New Testament are also
considered as prophets called of God but with the added resposibility to be
Special Witnesses of Jesus Christ, that God himself had come to earth in order
to redeem his people; that is the God of the Old Testament, Jehovah. Jesus
called 12 apostles, who were also prophets, to be the foundation of his
church, Jesus himself being its chief corner stone. It was the intent that
a quorum of twelve apotles were to be maintained. In the place of Judas,
Matthias was selected. Such as Barnabas, Paul, and even James the Lord's own
brother were also called and made apostles as positions of vacancy became
available. Other to be considered are such as Joese and even Jude. But these
early apostle eventually died without succession and the
church fell into a state of corruption, having no apostles/prophets there to
guide them in the sure word of the Lord. The was certainly the state of the
chruch by the time of the first Nicene Council of 325 A.D.
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