57ࠗ༡ᒣ⚄Ꮫ࠘40 ྕ㸦2017 ᖺ 3 ᭶㸧pp. 57-77.

THE MESSIAH IN THE TRINITARIAN HYMN
OF THE LETTER TO EPHESIANS.
Theological Analysis of the Eulogy in Eph 1, 3-14.
Janusz KUCICKI
1.

Introduction

Eph 1, 3-14 is without doubt one of the literary and theological masterpiecesof the New Testament, and for this reason is the subject of constant attention byscholars. Some, admiring the literary style of this eulogy, search for parallels
with other ancient texts and similar fragments within the New Testament;
others, recognizing the theological importance of the text, attempt to establish
the theological interpretation that they consider to be the most accurate 1. In thisstudy, we will offer a contribution to the theological interpretation of thefragment. In current theological research on Eph 1, 3-14 two basic positions are
accepted by the majority of scholars. The first concerns its literary genre as beinga eulogy, in which the author praises God for His deeds 2. As a eulogy Eph 1, 314 is a skillfully crafted hymn expressing an advanced theological concept inwhich God’s plan of salvation for believers is revealed. The second positionrefers to the way in which the theological concepts are expressed 3. The author
praises God for His deeds, pointing to the three dimensions through which the

P.S. Williamson, Ephesians, CCSS, Grand Rapids 2009, p. 13.
M.Y. MacDonald, Colossians, Ephesians, SP, Collegeville 2008, p. 19.
3 C.E. Arnold, Ephesians. Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Grand Rapids 2010, pp.
72-73.
1
2

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actions of God are recognized by believers. The first dimension concerns therelation between God and believers, who in the God’s salvific plan were elected
to receive God’s grace that led them to faith in Jesus the Messiah. This dimension
is the subject of the author’s praise especially in Eph 1, 3-6, where the reason andaim of God’s plan of salvation is presented. The second dimension regards theagent by whom God realized His salvific plan. The Messiah, who from the very
beginning was designated in God’s plan to fulfill God’s will, was Jesus ofNazareth. The relation between Jesus of Nazareth and the people elected by God
to believe in Him is the subject of the author’s praise in Eph 1, 7-13a. The
salvation and reconciliation to God of all people who believe in Jesus theMessiah, is brought about by His blood. This is the most crucial statement
concerning Jesus’ actions on behalf of believers. The third dimension concerns
the relation between the Holy Spirit and the believers chosen by God and saved
by Jesus. In Eph 1, 13b-14 the author expresses his conviction that all grace given
to believers by God and realized by Jesus the Messiah are guaranteed by theHoly Spirit, who is the guarantee of the believers’ share in God’s heritage.
Frequently these three dimensions are considered by some scholars as
underscoring the Trinitarian structure of the eulogy, since God is the creator of
the plan of salvation, Jesus Christ is the agent who fulfilled the plan, and theHoly Spirit is now the seal of the believers’ relationship with God 4. In all three
dimensions, the Messiah is always in the center of attention, which is underlined
by use of the titles “Jesus Christ” or “Christ” and particularly by an extensive
use of pronouns that appear instead of the titles. The pronouns are used so
frequently that sometimes it is difficult to understand to whom they are related.
Additionally, cases where in the one sentence there are a number of pronouns
relating to different subjects are not the exception, but form instead one of the4

B. Witherington III, The Letter to Philemon, the Colossians, and the Ephesians. A Socio-Rhetorical
Commentary on the Captivity Epistles, Grand Rapids 2007, p. 227.

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characteristics of the eulogy. In the majority of cases it is possible to determine
the subject of the pronoun with reasonable confidence, but there remain somecases where the subject can only be indicated as being probable, and this leaves
an opening for different interpretations of certain passages, or even to different
interpretations of the whole eulogy. An example is the use of the pronoun “we”
in verse 11 that is contrasted to pronoun “you” used in verse 13. The
identification of “you” as a reference to the Gentiles is clear, but the identificationof the pronoun “we” raises a serious problem since it is not immediately clear if
it refers to Jewish Christian, Jews, the apostles, or the first generation of
Christians. In this study we will argue for the interpretation of “we” in verse 11
as referring of Jews. For this reason we will analyze the whole eulogy withparticular focus on the use of the pronouns. Special attention must be given to
the pronoun “in him” with reference to the Messiah that appears very frequently
in the eulogy. It points to the Messiah as being the main reason for praising God.
This frequency raises the question as to what concept of “Messiah” and theMessiah’s function underlies the author’s presentation of the divine plan ofsalvation.

2.

Analyses of the text Eph 1, 3-14

2.1

Eph 1, 3 5̈ЁΏΓ·΋ΘϲΖ ϳ ΌΉϲΖ Ύ΅Ϡ Δ΅ΘχΕ ΘΓІ ΎΙΕϟΓΙ ψμЗΑ ͑΋ΗΓІ ̙Ε΍ΗΘΓІ, ϳΉЁΏΓ·φΗ΅Ζ ψμκΖ πΑ ΔΣΗϙ ΉЁΏΓ·ϟθ ΔΑΉΙΐ΅Θ΍ΎϜ πΑ ΘΓϧΖ πΔΓΙΕ΅ΑϟΓ΍ΖπΑ ̙Ε΍ΗΘХ,

5

The Greek text: Nestle-Aland, Novum Tesamentum Graece27, Stuttgart 1993. The English
translation: The New Revised Standard Version, Oxford 1990.

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Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has
blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly
places,Verse 3 speaks of the relation between Jesus and God, as well as therelationship between Jesus and those who believe in Him. God is first presented
as being the father of Jesus Christ, who is the Lord of believers 6. While the phrase“God of Israel” is common in blessings used by the Jews, the reference to God
as being the father of Jesus Christ is certainly not a Jewish way to bless God, andthis indicates immediately a Christian interpretation of the relationship between
Jesus and God. God and Jesus the Messiah are presented as being related as
Father and son, where the son’s role in the fulfilment of the Father’s plan is themain concern of this presentation of the relationship. Jesus Christ is the One in
Whom and by Whom, God accomplished in human history His salvific plan for
those who believe. This statement leads the reader automatically to the second
kind of relationship mentioned in verse 3, where the idea that God through theMessiah gave the believers (those who believe in Jesus as Messiah) all possible
blessings that humans can receive from Him. This moves the attention of thereader onto the role that Jesus the Messiah plays in the relationship between
God and humankind. All that God included in His plan at its final stage is madeavailable to humankind only through faith in the Messiah. The phrase in Christ,or its equivalent in Him, appears in this eulogy eleven times, and it directly
underlines the Christocentric character of this hymn, which has a Trinitarian
structure 7. The author calls Jesus Our Lord and Christ (the Messiah), showing
two dimensions of the relationship between the believers and Jesus. The term

6
7

The similar phrases are found in 2 Cor 1, 3 and 1 Pet 1, 3.
The subject of verses 4-6 is God, then the subject of verses 7-10 is Jesus Christ, and finallythe subject of verses 11-14 is the Holy Spirit. Cf. P.S. Williamson, Ephesians, p. 30.

61ΎϾΕ΍ΓΖ – master, owner, lord – refers to a man who has control or mastery,
including even the power to dispose of another’s life 8. This simply means thatthe believers are subordinated to the will of Jesus. For this reason the first
dimension in the relationship between Jesus and the believers concerns thereality of this world, in which the believers are walking in the way of faithaccording to the rules established by the Lord. The term ̙Ε΍ΗΘϱΖ – Christ (orΛΕ΍ΗΘϱΖ – anointed one) in the New Testament is used to translate the Hebrew
term Messiah and it refers to the person of Jesus of Nazareth 9. By this term theauthor presents Jesus as the One who fulfilled all the promises given by God to
His nation. Only some of his countrymen accepted Jesus as being the Messiah,
and this became one of the reasons for the distinction between Jews whobelieved in Jesus and Jews who refused to believe 10. The name “Christians” thatwas first used in Antioch with reference to followers of Jesus means “Messiahfollowers”, indicates that this name was coined by Gentiles who recognizeddifferences in behavior (probably toward the Gentiles) of Jews who believed inJesus and those did not, rather than a term invented by Jews, who normallyreferred to these as “the Nazarene sect” (Ac 24, 5) 11. For Christians, both Jewish
Christians and Gentile Christians, Jesus is not only the One in Whom God fulfill
His plan, but also He is the One in Whom they receive all heavenly blessings by
the fact that they are incorporated by their faith in Him into the exalted Christ,

The term is used in the New Testament 719 times in both secular and religious contexts,
the latter referring to Jesus or God. This second use does not appear in the Letter toEphesian, nor in Gal, Philip, Col, 1 Tim, Tit, Philm, 1-3 J. See: J.A. Fitzmyer, ΎϾΕ΍ΓΖ, in:
EDNT Vol. 2, p. 329.
9 F. Hahn, ̙Ε΍ΗΘϱΖ, EDNT Vol. 3, p. 479.
10 Probably the main reason for this distinction was the fact that the followers of Jesus also
included Gentiles who did not convert to Judaism, as Ac 11, 19-26 suggests.
11 E.D. Freed, “Christian”, in: B.M. Metzger, M.D. Coogan (eds), The Oxford Companion to the
Bible, Warsaw 1997, p. 90.
8

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who is in His heavenly realm 12. This means that by faith in Christ the believers
are filled with all spiritual blessings (not earthly material blessings) in Christ(i.e., the Messianic blessings) in heaven (i.e., not on this earth) 13. In our opinion
it refers to a final destination of Christians in heaven, which has been decided
for those who believe in Jesus as the Messiah. In support of this opinion weunderline the fact that the author speaks about “all spiritual blessings” whichindicates the state of perfection that is possible for humans only in the heavenly
realm, and only in Christ, the Messiah, since only He fulfilled God’s plan ofsalvation. It means that although this blessing has already been decided for
Christians, yet its realization belongs to future 14.

2.2

Eph 1, 4Ύ΅ΌАΖ πΒΉΏνΒ΅ΘΓ ψμκΖ πΑ ΅ЁΘХ ΔΕϲ Ύ΅Θ΅ΆΓΏϛΖ ΎϱΗΐΓΙ ΉϨΑ΅΍ ψμκΖ
Υ·ϟΓΙΖ Ύ΅Ϡ ΦμЏΐΓΙΖ Ύ΅ΘΉΑЏΔ΍ΓΑ ΅ЁΘΓІ πΑ Φ·ΣΔϙ,
just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to beholy and blameless before him in love.

Verse 4 contains two personal pronouns in the masculine singular – ΅ЁΘϱΖ –The term “in Christ” is used in this hymn eleven times, and it may take a variety of
meanings, the most probable being instrumental (through Christ’s agency) or local (Christ
is a place or space). A.T. Lincoln, Ephesians, WBC, Mexico City 1990, pp. 21- 22. We favour
the second possibility, since it correlates better with the idea of predestination presented
in verse 4.
13 It is our translation of the phrase, which differs little bit from the text above: ϳ ΉЁΏΓ·φΗ΅ΖψμκΖ πΑ ΔΣΗϙ ΉЁΏΓ·ϟθ ΔΑΉΙΐ΅Θ΍ΎϜ πΑ ΘΓϧΖ πΔΓΙΕ΅ΑϟΓ΍Ζ πΑ ̙Ε΍ΗΘХ - who has blessed us
with every spiritual blessing in heaven in Christ. This blessing is somehow related to the giftof the Holy Spirit, since the believers have received some gifts of the Holy Spirit, and theHoly Spirit is the seal of their inheritance, as verses 13-14 suggest, however it should not
be taken as meaning “all spiritual blessings” that implies the existence of Christians inheaven.
14 Verse 3 contains a Christology presented in a strictly eschatological context.
12

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where the first refers to Christ while the second refers to God. The verse presents
God’s decision and its purpose. Concerning the decision, the author states that
God, in the Messiah, chose the believers before the creation of the world. This isan extraordinary statement, which contains many theological issues whose
interpretation and meaning are subject to much debate. The phrase “he chose us
in Christ” indicates God as being the subject of the decision and the Messiah as
being the modus of realization of the decision. The concept of God’s election of
the people is basic for the Old Testament authors in their self-understanding of
the Jews as the chosen nation (Deut 7, 6-8; 14, 2). The idea is that of God, whochose from among many nations the nation that will do God’s will according to
His plan and purpose. God chose the Jews to believe in Him, to worship Him,and to obey Him. Within this chosen nation, God prepared the way for the
coming of the Messiah. This purpose, according to the Christian author of theLetter to Ephesian, becomes one of choosing among the nations the people who
believe in the Messiah, and by their faith belong to the new chosen nation. It
does not mean that Israel is no longer the nation chosen by God; it means that
now not only Israel, who was chosen based on its faith, belongs to God, but theyalso belong to God who are not from the Jewish nation, but by faith in the
Messiah have found the way to believe and worship the only God. The Christianawareness not only of being elected by God (Rom 8, 33; 2 Tim 2, 10; 1 Pet 2, 9),but also the conviction that this happened through faith in Jesus as the Messiah(Mt 12, 18; Lk 9, 35; 23, 35) both permeate the New Testament. In our opinion,
the thought of the author here concerns the fact that the Gentiles were chosen
by God to believe in Him the true God, rather than that God chose them on thebasis of their faith in Jesus as the Messiah. This is attested in the second part theauthor’s statement concerning God’s decision which, according to the author,
was made before the creation of the world. This statement could lead toquestions concerning the predestination of Christians and the pre-existence of64
Christ and consequently of the Church if we interpret the phrase without taking
into consideration the fact that it belongs with the context of a hymn, and thepoint of departure in its interpretation should be this rather than starting fromthe theological implications of the statement 15. The author, as a beneficiary ofGod’s salvific plan, gives praise to God: all elements involved in the history ofsalvation are seen by him as the realization of a plan previously prepared byGod. This included both the first Adam and his descendants, and therefore
introduces the mystery of sin, as well as the second Adam, Jesus the Messiah,
through whom the mystery of salvation is realized 16. Consequently, nothing in
the unfolding of the plan of salvation can be attributed to an agent other thatGod Himself. Verse 4 directly points to the Messiah as being God’s modus
operandi in including the Gentiles also within the new chosen nation.

2.3

Eph 1, 5ΔΕΓΓΕϟΗ΅Ζ ψμκΖ ΉϢΖ ΙϡΓΌΉΗϟ΅Α Έ΍Τ ͑΋ΗΓІ ̙Ε΍ΗΘΓІ ΉϢΖ ΅ЁΘϱΑ, Ύ΅ΘΤΘχΑ ΉЁΈΓΎϟ΅Α ΘΓІ ΌΉΏφΐ΅ΘΓΖ ΅ЁΘΓІ,He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according
to the purpose of his will,

Verse 5 develops the idea of election (already introduced in v. 4) by presenting
the destination of those who were elected by God 17. Through Jesus the Messiah,
the Gentiles became the adopted children of God, and the modus operandi of this

A.T. Lincoln, Ephesians, pp. 23- 24.
Since the author is writing a hymn of praise, not a theological discourse, the notion
punishment does not come into consideration.
17 God’s predestination is presented as in verse 4, however this time it is related to the themeof adoption as children. For similar passages cf. Rom 8, 29-30 and 1 Cor 2, 7.
15
16

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adoption was Jesus 18. It indicates Jesus as being the One who made possible that
the Gentiles, who are not God’s adopted children by belonging to the chosen
nation, became the adopted children of God based on their faith in the One
anointed by God 19. The Jews who were adopted children of God by their faithin God and the convents made with Him enjoyed this dignity from the very
beginning (Rom 9, 4), however in the case of the Gentiles who did not know the
One God, and the way to knowledge of Him by accepting and following Judaism
was well-nigh impossible due to cultural differences, were led to acknowledging
the true God by believing in His Messiah. This makes the Messiah, who isidentified as Jesus by to Christians, to be the only way by which the Gentiles canjoin the convent with the One God and at the same time to be accepted by God
as His adopted sons. Although in verse 5 the pronoun “we” refers to Christians
in general, including Jewish and Gentile Christians, the phrase regarding
adoption applies better to Gentile rather than to Jewish Christians, since theJewish Christians’ privileges are irrevocable (Rom 11, 29) and they cannot be
adopted again if they had already been adopted 20. It leads us to the conclusionthat God’s plan of adoption for all people, which is a part of God’s salvific plan,
was fulfilled by Jesus the Messiah, in whom the Gentiles can attain by faith tothe dignity of being adopted sons of God 21.

Here, on the basis of Eph 1, 13; 2, 11 we understand Eph 1, 5, although addressed toChristians in general, as being focused particularly on the way Gentile Christians wereadopted by God.
19 The term “adopted son” comes from Greco-Roman law, and refers to the adoption of a son
to having a status not possessed by birth.
20 The question of the Jews being adoption will be subject of analysis later in verse 11.
21 The use of pronouns “we” and “you” in Eph 1, 11-13 seems to support this interpretation.
18

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2.4

Eph 1, 6

ΉϢΖ σΔ΅΍ΑΓΑ ΈϱΒ΋Ζ ΘϛΖ ΛΣΕ΍ΘΓΖ ΅ЁΘΓІ ϏΖ πΛ΅ΕϟΘΝΗΉΑ ψμκΖ πΑ ΘХω·΅Δ΋ΐνΑУ.
to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in
the Beloved.

Verse 6 gives the purpose for God’s adopting the believers through Jesus
Christ, namely, to give praise of His glorious grace, which believers receive
through Christ. Contrary to Eph 1, 12. 14 where the object of the Christians’
praise is the glory of God, in Eph 1, 6 the object of praise is the glory of God’s
grace. This grace is the adoption of believers through Christ, who is here called“the Beloved” 22. This term is used in the LXX to translate the Hebrew term0K:f 'that described Israel as God’s beloved people (Deut 32, 15; 33, 5. 12. 33; Is 5, 7;
44, 2; Jer 11, 15; 12, 7). In Paul’s writings this term is used with reference tobelievers (1 Thess 1, 4; 2 Thess 2, 13; Rom 9, 25; Col 3, 12) 23. In Ephesians, the2Fterm is used in references to Christ. The use of the term beloved referring to Jesus
Christ indicates His close relationship with God: for Whom He is the beloved
Son, by Whom God will reveal His plan of salvation. Thus it is possible to takethe term Beloved as an equivalent to the term Messiah/Christ.

2.5

Eph 1, 7-8

̳Α С σΛΓΐΉΑ ΘχΑ ΦΔΓΏϾΘΕΝΗ΍Α Έ΍Τ ΘΓІ ΅ϣΐ΅ΘΓΖ ΅ЁΘΓІ, ΘχΑ ΩΚΉΗ΍Α

However, in the context of verses 7-8 the term “adoption” (v. 5) includes all events that
led to the final stage of being recognized as God’s children. That means that redemption,
reconciliation and salvation are also the objects of the Christian’s praise for God’s grace.
23 M.Y. MacDonald, Colossians, Ephesians, p. 199.
22

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ΘЗΑ Δ΅Ε΅ΔΘΝΐΣΘΝΑ, Ύ΅ΘΤ Θϲ ΔΏΓІΘΓΖ ΘϛΖ ΛΣΕ΍ΘΓΖ ΅ЁΘΓІ ϏΖπΔΉΕϟΗΗΉΙΗΉΑ ΉϢΖ ψμκΖ, πΑ ΔΣΗϙ ΗΓΚϟθ Ύ΅Ϡ ΚΕΓΑφΗΉ΍,In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our
trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us.
With all wisdom and insight

Verse 7 describes God’s grace that believers have received in the Beloved (v.
6). It is important to notice that the personal pronouns “in Him” and “in His blood”
refer to the Beloved Son, but the personal pronoun “His grace” refers to God. All
that the believers received were granted through the deeds of Jesus the Messiah
describes the meaning of God’s grace shown to us. This grace contains two themost important deeds in the process of the realization of God’s salvific plan. The
first is: “In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our
trespasses”, which indicates the agent (Jesus the Messiah) through whom thegrace was given; then the grace is specified (redemption and forgiveness of thesins); and finally the way in which the grace was given is indicated (by the bloodof the Messiah). The term ΦΔΓΏϾΘΕΝΗ΍Ζ – redemption literally describes the actof buying back a slave or captive through payment of a ransom, from which
derives the meaning setting free or release. It appears in the LXX only once in Dan
4, 34. In the New Testament the term appears ten times in all, of which seven are
in Pauline writings with a strong influence of seeing the divine act of theliberation of Israel from Egypt as an act of redemption (Deut 7, 9; 9, 26; 13, 5; 15,
15; 1 Chr 17, 21) 24. In Eph 1, 7 those who are redeemed are Christians, who were
captives but by faith belong to Him, since He paid their ransom in order to buy
them back 25. The payment refers to His own blood, referring to the sacrifice of
His life in order to release them from the slavery of sin. Liberation from the
24
25

A.T. Lincoln, Ephesians, p. 27.
C.E. Arnold, Ephesians, pp. 84-85.

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bondage of sin is not directly indicated in verse 7 but phrase “the forgiveness of
our trespasses” directly points to sin as the “owner” of those who were redeemedby Jesus Christ 26. Forgiveness of trespasses does not simply refer to the pardonof sins, but it refers to paying the price for sins, that in this case refers to Jesus’sacrificial death on the cross in atonement for sin 27 . A consequence of thissacrifice is that those for whom the blood was shed become his property. Verse
7 shows clearly that for the author, God’s grace toward humankind in adoption
is centered on a soteriological Christology 28.

2.6

Eph 1, 9·ΑΝΕϟΗ΅Ζ ψμϧΑ Θϲ ΐΙΗΘφΕ΍ΓΑ ΘΓІ ΌΉΏφΐ΅ΘΓΖ ΅ЁΘΓІ, Ύ΅ΘΤ ΘχΑΉЁΈΓΎϟ΅Α ΅ЁΘΓІ ϋΑ ΔΕΓνΌΉΘΓ πΑ ΅ЁΘХhe has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good
pleasure that he set forth in Christ,

Verse 9b contains another example of using the phrase “in Him”, however thistime it is placed in the context of a presentation of the final aim of God’s plan ofsalvation (v. 10). The author praises God for making known to believers His will(v. 9a), which from the very beginning contained two elements: the first isΉЁΈΓΎϟ΅ - good pleasure, that here denotes the will of God; the second is Christ,
who in the whole plan of God takes the central position, since He is the one
chosen to fulfil this plan 29. The term ΉЁΈΓΎϟ΅ - good pleasure appears twice in theeulogy. In verse 5 it refers to God’s will concerning the election of believers, and

B. Witherington III, The Letter to Philemon, the Colossians, and the Ephesians, p. 235.
P.S. Williamson, Ephesians, p. 37.
28 A.T. Lincoln, Ephesians, p. 28.
29 M.Y. MacDonald, Colossians, Ephesians, pp. 201-202.
26
27

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here (vv. 8-9) it refers to God’s will regarding the knowledge of His plan by the
believers. The knowledge of God’s plan in Christ, is presented by the author as
being the grace for which the believers praise Him. They are the ones who
acknowledge God’s plan, and recognize the full dignity of Christ by which they
have been granted the ability to understand His plan to sum up the whole worldin the Messiah 30.

2.7

Eph 1, 10ΉϢΖ ΓϢΎΓΑΓΐϟ΅Α ΘΓІ ΔΏ΋ΕЏΐ΅ΘΓΖ ΘЗΑ Ύ΅΍ΕЗΑ, ΦΑ΅ΎΉΚ΅Ώ΅΍ЏΗ΅ΗΌ΅΍ΘΤ ΔΣΑΘ΅ πΑ ΘХ ̙Ε΍ΗΘХ, ΘΤ πΔϠ ΘΓϧΖ ΓЁΕ΅ΑΓϧΖ Ύ΅Ϡ ΘΤ πΔϠ ΘϛΖ ·ϛΖ πΑ΅ЁΘХ.
as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things inheaven and things on earth.

Verse 10 gives an explanation of God’s good pleasure as He it set forth in the
Messiah (v. 9). The first statement concerns the purpose of God’s will that has
been decided in Christ. The phrase ΘΓІ ΔΏ΋ΕЏΐ΅ΘΓΖ ΘЗΑ Ύ΅΍ΕЗΑ - for thefullness of time indicates that God’s salvation plan does not end with the salvationof human kind by Jesus Christ, but it extends to the totality of this world 31. God’splan goes beyond the earthly reality, and it includes not only election of those
who believe in Christ, as it was presented in verses 3-7, but it also reaches a
cosmic dimension since the universe is centered and reunited in Christ (vv. 8-30
31

A.T. Lincoln, Ephesians, pp. 30-31.
The phrase “plan for the fullness of time” refers to the fixed period of time (Ύ΅΍ΕϱΖ), when
the Messiah not only comes but also when He fulfills His task. This means that thephrase fullness of time refers more to the future than to the past or present. The termΓϢΎΓΑΓΐϟ΅ – stewardship, management – here refers to God’s choice of Christ to manage
the plan of redemption.

7011) 32 . The second statement concerns the idea of reunifying the universe inChrist, and indirectly indicates the division of the universe (heaven and earth),which until accomplishment of the fullness is the actual state of our present
condition 33. This directly points to the union of the universe in Christ as being
the final purpose of God’s will. This is the “mystery of God’s will” that was
acknowledged by Christians in Christ by the grace and will of God 34. The thirdstatement shows that Jesus Christ is not only the redeemer of human kind by
His sacrifice, that earned for us forgiveness of sins and peace with God, but more
importantly He is recognized as being the one who brings together again in
Himself all beings into one combined state of fellowship in Him 35. This state is
the final purpose of God’s plan, and the corner-stone of the plan is the Messiah
by whom the re-capitulation of the universe will be effected by God. The
Messiah/Christ is the only mediator between God and His creation, who willbring all creation back to its primal state of existence, which is one of peace andharmony with the Creator 36.

2.8

Eph 1, 11-12̳Α С Ύ΅Ϡ πΎΏ΋ΕЏΌ΋ΐΉΑ ΔΕΓΓΕ΍ΗΌνΑΘΉΖ Ύ΅ΘΤ ΔΕϱΌΉΗ΍Α ΘΓІ ΘΤΔΣΑΘ΅ πΑΉΕ·ΓІΑΘΓΖ Ύ΅ΘΤ ΘχΑ ΆΓΙΏχΑ ΘΓІ ΌΉΏφΐ΅ΘΓΖ ΅ЁΘΓІ ΉϢΖ Θϲ

M.Y. MacDonald, Colossians, Ephesians, pp. 202-203.
C.E. Arnold, Ephesians, pp. 88-89.
34 J. Eadie, A Commentary on the Greek Text of Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, Glasgow 2000, p.
56.
35 The verb ΦΑ΅ΎΉΚ΅Ώ΅΍ϱΝ – “bring everything under the headship of” that often is translated
as “to sum up” or “gather up” has a background in rhetorical and philosophical usage where
it refers to the summation of an argument. However, in Eph 1, 10 it refers to the climax ofGod’s plan of salvation in which Jesus Christ is the center to which on the one hand allelements of the plan lead, and in which, on other hand, all elements of the plan find theirfull realization. P.S. Williamson, Ephesians, p. 39.
36 C.E. Arnold, Ephesians, p. 88.
32
33

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ΉϨΑ΅΍ ψμκΖ ΉϢΖ σΔ΅΍ΑΓΑ ΈϱΒ΋Ζ ΅ЁΘΓІ ΘΓϿΖ ΔΕΓ΋ΏΔ΍ΎϱΘ΅Ζ πΑ ΘХ̙Ε΍ΗΘХ.
In him, according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things
according to the counsel of his will, we who first hoped in Christ havebeen destined and appointed to live for the praise of his glory.

Verse 11 again contains two pronouns with different referents: the first “inHim” refers to Jesus Christ, and the second “the counsel of His will” refers to God.
The verse brings up again the topic of election that had been presented in verse
4 with regard to Christians. Here, however, the personal pronoun “we” is notclearly specified, leading to a variety of interpretations. Usually it is taken as
referring to Jewish Christians, but the reasons for that conclusion differ 37. It has
also been suggested that “we” refers to the author himself 38. We would like topropose another interpretation and understand the “we” in Eph 1, 11 as being areference to the Jews. The first argument comes from the structure of Eph 1, 1114, where there is a dichotomy between “we” (Eph 1, 11) and “you” (Eph 1, 13),and it is used to indicate the chronological difference between these two groups.
The pronoun “you” certainly refers to the Gentiles (v. 13), and it is used in thecontext of their answer to the gospel which was proclaimed to them, bybelieving in Him (the Messiah/Christ). Then, the pronoun “we” is used in thecontext of the election of some by God according to His plan (v. 11). If “you”
refers to Gentiles, then “we” refers its antithesis, either to Jewish Christians or to
Jews. However, if “we” in verse 11 refers to Jewish Christians it would mean that
Jewish Christians had been designated in Christ earlier then Gentiles (v. 13),

See: C.E. Arnold, Ephesians, p. 89; M.Y. MacDonald, Colossians, Ephesians, p. 203; B.
Witherington III, The Letter to Philemon, the Colossians, and the Ephesians, p. 237; P.S.
Williamson, Ephesians, p. 40.
38 J. Eadie, A Commentary on the Greek Text, pp. 58-59.
37

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which is an idea that would contradict the author’s perspective on this issue as
presented in verse 4. Verse 4 says that God chose “us” in Christ before thefoundation of the world, without indicating any chronological difference that isclearly present in the section Eph 1, 11-13. For this reason it seems better to take“we” in verse 11 as referring to the Jews. In support of this interpretation Eph 2,
1-22, especially Eph 2, 11-13, can be introduced, where the dichotomy JewsGentiles is explicitly expressed. In Eph 2, 12 the author describes the situation of
the Gentiles before they believed in Jesus the Messiah 39 . Five elements are
mentioned – life without the Messiah; not being included in Israel; not sharing
in the covenant and the promise; lack of hope; life without God – to indicate how
the Gentiles were at a disadvantage. Among these “not being included in Israel”
and “not sharing in the covenant and the promise” indicate that they are not thepart of God’s people, and this is the cause of their lack of hope and their lack ofknowledge of God. All of this was the cause of their total inability to understandthe idea developed within Judaism regarding the Messiah of Israel 40. Since thevery beginning, the plan of creation and the plan of salvation included the ideaof the Messiah. This was recognized within Judaism and developed within its
system until it found its final expression Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah 41. The
Messiah is designated by God for the benefit of the whole universe (v. 10),including both Jews and Gentiles, but the plan unfold historically first throughthe Jews and then the Gentiles. As the authors of the New Testament writings
frequently repeat, the Jewish religion, with its tradition, scriptures and history,
was the environment in which God prepared the way for the Messiah, and theMessiah was for the Jews the One through whom the great promise of God
Eph 2, 13 shows some similarity to Rom 9, 3-5 but in an inverse way, since it presents theblessings and advantages of the Jews.
40 C.E. Arnold, Ephesians, pp. 154-155.
41 Put in simpler terms this means that God’s Messiah became Jesus of Nazareth, not that
Jesus of Nazareth became the Messiah.
39

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would be realized. It is God who in the Messiah chose the Jews as His nation, inorder that they would be the first to put their hope in the Messiah (v. 12).
Another argument for our proposal lies in the use of the verb ΎΏ΋ΕϱΝ – toappoint; choose by lot. Used here as a verb it is a hapax legomenon of the New
Testament, but the cognate noun ΎΏϛΕΓΖ - portion, share, possession – is found in
Col 1, 12, where it refers to the fact that believers in Jesus have a share in the lotof the holy ones, but without reference to the dichotomy between Jews andGentiles that is characteristic of the context of Eph 1, 11. In Eph 1, 11 the term
expresses the idea of being “appointed by God or to have been allotted a
destiny”, while in Col 1, 12 the term is used as meaning being “qualified by God
for a certain lot or destiny” 42. Since in LXX one meaning of the noun ΎΏϛΕΓΖ
refers to Israel as being God’s portion or lot (Deut 9, 29), the interpretation of theterm ΎΏ΋ΕϱΝ as referring to Jews seems to be justified.

2.9

Eph 1, 13̳Α С Ύ΅Ϡ ЀΐΉϧΖ ΦΎΓϾΗ΅ΑΘΉΖ ΘϲΑ Ώϱ·ΓΑ ΘϛΖ ΦΏ΋ΌΉϟ΅Ζ, Θϲ ΉЁ΅··νΏ΍ΓΑΘϛΖ ΗΝΘ΋Εϟ΅Ζ ЀμЗΑ, πΑ С Ύ΅Ϡ Δ΍ΗΘΉϾΗ΅ΑΘΉΖ πΗΚΕ΅·ϟΗΌ΋ΘΉ ΘХΔΑΉϾΐ΅Θ΍ ΘϛΖ πΔ΅··ΉΏϟ΅Ζ ΘХ Υ·ϟУ,
In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of yoursalvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised
Holy Spirit,

Verse 13 again contains the pronoun “in Him”, which is used twice in thecontext of teaching referring to the Gentiles. It indirectly supports ourinterpretation of verses 11-12 because after referring this personal pronoun to

42

A.T. Lincoln, Ephesians, p. 36.

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the Jews in the previous verses, now following the historical order the author
focuses on the way the Gentiles were included in the covenant with God. God
not only chose the nation within which He prepared the way for the revelationof the Messiah, but also, through the Messiah, enabled the Gentiles to enter into
the covenant that the Jews enjoyed long before them. The Gentiles’ path to thecovenant is totally centred on Jesus the Messiah, since they heard the good newsof their salvation as part of Jesus’ teaching proclaimed by His apostles. The
phrase “who have heard the word of truth” refers to the proclamation of the Gospel
and it indicates the first step in the process of conversion 43. This leads to thesecond step in the process of joining the covenant with God, which is accepting
faith in Jesus as the Messiah. This step is closely related to gift of the Holy Spirit,
presented here as the seal for believers, who is the gift promised by God to all
who believe. This theological theme is characteristic of Paul’s writings (see, e.g.,
2 Cor 1, 22) as well as writings strongly influenced by his theology, such as
Luke’s Acts of the Apostles (cf. Ac 10, 47; 11, 14-17; 15, 8), where the gift of theHoly Spirit attests the faith of those who received it 44. Gentiles not only joined
the covenant with God by faith in Jesus, but also by the same faith in Jesus theyreceived the gift of the Holy Spirit as the sign of this covenant.

2.10 Eph 1, 14

ϵ πΗΘ΍Α ΦΕΕ΅ΆАΑ ΘϛΖ ΎΏ΋ΕΓΑΓΐϟ΅Ζ ψμЗΑ, ΉϢΖ ΦΔΓΏϾΘΕΝΗ΍Α ΘϛΖΔΉΕ΍ΔΓ΍φΗΉΝΖ, ΉϢΖ σΔ΅΍ΑΓΑ ΘϛΖ ΈϱΒ΋Ζ ΅ЁΘΓІ.
which is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possessionof it, to the praise of his glory.

43
44

M.Y. MacDonald, Colossians, Ephesians, p. 203
C.E. Arnold, Ephesians, p. 92.

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In verse 14, the author praises God’s glory for giving the believers the seal ofGod’s ownership (the Holy Spirit), which preserves God’s possession (thebelievers) until He takes full and complete possession of believers who havealready become His. The full and complete possession regards God’s adoptionof the believers (v. 5), who have been redeemed by the payment of Jesus’ blood 45.
While this status of the believers was already decided, it has yet to beaccomplished in the future. Verse 14 contains one pronoun ΅ЁΘΓІ with reference
to God as the subject of the praise – more precisely God’s glory is the subject of
the author’s praise 46. In this way the author ends the eulogy that begins withpraising God (v. 3) and ends with praising God’s glory (v. 14). Although in bothcases the subject of praise is the same, the reason for the author’s praise in verse
3 refers to spiritual blessings in Christ, whereas in verse 14 the reason is theinsurance of the believers’ inheritance.

3.

Christ in God’s plan of salvation

The analysis of each verse of the eulogy shows that the main concern is theMessiah, for Whom God is praised by the author. Although the praise is given
from a strictly Christian perspective on the salvation history, however it isshaped in much wider terms, extending as far as to the very source of creation.
This approach by the author presents the salvific plan not as an additional
alternative that resulted from human disobedience, but it is genuinely a part ofGod’s act of creation. This is not understood merely as the beginning of theuniverse, but as a complex and holistic act of God, which contains both the
beginning and also the end, as well as everything between these two defining

45
46

A.T. Lincoln, Ephesians, pp. 41-42.
This interpretation is supported by verse 12 where a similar phrase is used in a context
regarding God.

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points. From the author’s perspective the center of God’s plan is His Messiah,
who is identified as Jesus Christ whom the author addresses as Lord in verses 3
and 5. After that the simple term “Christ” and its equivalent pronoun areautomatically interpreted as referring to Jesus of Nazareth. While thisunderstanding is probably correct, it probably narrows the sense of the term as
used by the author in this hymn. Beyond any doubt in the majority of references
the term “Christ” and its equivalent pronoun refers to Jesus of Nazareth.
However, in verse 11, which contains the pronoun “in Him” with reference toChrist, according to our understanding the “we” refers to Jews. According to thebiblical tradition, the Messiah is the One promised by God and expected byIsrael, which directly points to the concept of the Messiah as it originated within
the Jewish religion. The Jews, then, were the first to expect him, and the first to
be chosen by God to put their hope in him. This hope led the Jews to praise God.
Non-biblical sources often speak of men who claimed to be the Messiah,
however their claim was always found to be false. In the New Testament
writings the Messiah is always sent first to Jews (Mt 10, 6; 15, 24) and then to
Gentiles (Ac 9, 15; 28, 28), which corresponds to the author’s presentation inverses 11-13. The Jews were the first to put their hope in the Messiah (despite
the fact that the idea changed its meaning during the long and dramatic history
of Israel), and finally some of them started to believe that Jesus of Nazareth was
the Messiah, which created the movement within Judaism that led to theestablishment of the group called “Christians” – a group that at first consisted
exclusively of Jews but then also included Gentiles 47. Since the idea of Messiah
is prior to the recognition of Jesus of Nazareth as being the Messiah, andrecognition of Jesus of Nazareth would be impossible without the development

47

The problem of the Jews’ rejection of Jesus as the Messiah is an issue raised in Paul’steaching in Rom 11, where he expressed his strong hope concerning their recognition ofJesus as the Messiah at the time of His second coming.

77of this idea within Judaism, we opted for the interpretation of the pronoun “we”
as referring to Jews 48. In the God’s plan of salvation the Messiah plays the central
role both for Jews and Christians. What makes the difference between these tworeligions is recognition or non-recognition of Jesus of Nazareth as being theMessiah 49.

Note that in verses 11-12 the author speaks only about the Jews’ hope in the Messiah, andthen in verse 13, he speaks about the Gentiles’ faith in the Messiah.
49 Fee also admits “the context of Jewish messianism” in which the Christology of theEphesians is presented, however, he bases his statement on Eph 5, 5. G.D. Fee, Paulin
Christology, An Exegetical-Theological Study, Peabody 2007, p. 342.
48