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Selected Verse: Ephesians 2:5 - New American Standard Bible©
| Verse |
Translation |
Text |
| Eph 2:5 |
New American Standard Bible© |
even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), |
| |
King James |
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) |
Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse
| A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882] |
dead in sins--The best reading is in the Greek, "dead in our (literally, 'the') trespasses."
quickened--"vivified" spiritually, and consequences hereafter, corporally. There must be a spiritual resurrection of the soul before there can be a comfortable resurrection of the body [PEARSON] (Joh 11:25-26; Rom 8:11).
together with Christ--The Head being seated at God's right hand, the body also sits there with Him [CHRYSOSTOM]. We are already seated there IN Him ("in Christ Jesus," Eph 2:6), and hereafter shall be seated by Him; IN Him already as in our Head, which is the ground of our hope; by Him hereafter, as by the conferring cause, when hope shall be swallowed up in fruition [PEARSON]. What God wrought in Christ, He wrought (by the very fact) in all united to Christ, and one with Him.
by grace ye are saved--Greek, "Ye are in a saved state." Not merely "ye are being saved," but ye "are passed from death unto life" (Joh 5:24). Salvation is to the Christian not a thing to be waited for hereafter, but already realized (Jo1 3:14). The parenthetic introduction of this clause here (compare Eph 2:8) is a burst of Paul's feeling, and in order to make the Ephesians feel that grace from first to last is the sole source of salvation; hence, too, he says "ye," not "we." |
| Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834] |
Even when we were dead in sins - notes, Eph 2:1; compare Rom 5:8. The construction here is, "God, who is rich in mercy, on account of the great love which he bare unto us, even being dead in sin, hath quickened us," etc. It does not mean that he quickened us when we were dead in sin, but that he loved us then, and made provision for our salvation. It was love to the children of wrath; love to those who had no love to return to him; love to the alienated and the lost. That is true love - the sincerest and the purest benevolence - love, not like that of people, but such only as God bestows. Man loves his friend, his benefactor, his kindred - God loves his foes, and seeks to do them good.
Hath quickened us - Hath made us alive see Eph 2:1.
Together with Christ - In connection with him; or in virtue of his being raised up from the grave. The meaning is, that there was such a connection between Christ and those whom the Father hath given to him, that his resurrection from the grave involved their resurrection to spiritual life. It was like raising up the head and the members - the whole body together; compare the notes at Rom 6:5. Everywhere in the New Testament, the close connection of the believer with Christ is affirmed. We are crucified with him. We die with him. We rise with him. We live with him. We reign with him. We are joint heirs with him. We share his sufferings on earth Pe1 4:13, and we share his glory with him on his throne; Rev 3:21.
By grace ye are saved - Margin, "by whose;" see the notes at Rom 3:24. Paul's mind was full of the subject of salvation by grace, and he throws it in here, even in an argument, as a point which he would never have them lose sight of. The subject before him was one eminently adapted to bring this truth to mind, and though, in the train of his arguments, he had no time now to dwell on it, yet he would not suffer any opportunity to pass without referring to it. |
| The Scofield Bible Commentary, by Cyrus Ingerson Scofield, [1917] |
dead
Death (spiritual), Summary:
Spiritual death is the state of the natural or unregenerate man as still in his sins. (Eph 2:1) alienated from the life of God (Eph 4:18); (Eph 4:19) and destitute of the Spirit. Prolonged beyond the death of the body, spiritual death is a state of eternal separation from God in conscious suffering. This is called "the second death."; (Rev 2:11); (Rev 20:6); (Rev 20:14); (Rev 21:8).
saved
(See Scofield) - (Rom 1:16). |
| Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65] |
| He hath quickened us together with Christ - In conformity to him, and by virtue of our union with him. By grace ye are saved - Grace is both the beginning and end. The apostle speaks indifferently either in the first or second person; the Jews and gentiles being in the same circumstance, both by nature and by grace. This text lays the axe to the very root of spiritual pride, and all glorying in ourselves. Therefore St. Paul, foreseeing the backwardness of mankind to receive it, yet knowing the absolute necessity of its being received, again asserts the very same truth, Eph 2:8, in the very same words. |
| Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826 |
Even when we were dead in sins - Dead in our souls; dead towards God; dead in law; and exposed to death eternal,
Hath quickened us together with Christ - God has given us as complete a resurrection from the death of sin to a life of righteousness, as the body of Christ has had from the grave. And as this quickening, or making alive, was most gratuitous on God's part, the apostle, with great propriety, says; By grace ye are saved. |
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.
24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,
26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?"
24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;
21 'He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.
5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,
1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
8 "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
6 Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.
11 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.'
19 and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.
18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;
1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;