Paul's timely letter and the dignity of the divine plan

Just as Paul wrote to the Romans when he had not yet seen them, so also he wrote to the Ephesians. John had gone before him and laid down the preaching for them, so Paul urges them at the right time not to be held fast by the law. The apostles who were staying in Jerusalem kept the law because of those who had believed from the circumcision. Then, since John had spoken of God sufficiently and had left out nothing of the proclamations leading to the knowledge of God, as far as was comprehensible for human beings, Paul comes to present the divine plan of the incarnation. He clothes it with its own proper greatness and with words worthy of the realities, and he takes up the greater subject. For the dignity of the Godhead had its own proper honor and was acknowledged, but to describe the incarnation worthily, which appears lowly, required spiritual power.

Here too the word “through” belongs to God according to Paul, and the Father is not diminished. He reasonably says “through the will of God,” so that he may show that just as God willed John to be an apostle, so also he willed me. He writes this so that what is said by him may be trustworthy.

Someone might object: if each term is said by improper use, both “Father” and “Lord,” then the Son will be acknowledged as greater than the Father, if the one has the name of father and the other the name of lord. But the reason for these words is acknowledged. For since he said “our Father,” and the Father is the Father of Christ, he did not want the same name to be placed both on the Only Begotten and on the faithful, either pulling the Son down contrary to nature or leading those others up beyond nature. So after saying “our Father” and showing that the title is by grace, he added “and the Lord Jesus Christ.” For it was not possible, when the title was common by nature, for the dignity also to be common. Why then is the Father Lord of these, but he himself is not Lord of the Son, if the title was by improper use in each case?

If then the saints were marked out in Christ for adoption, the Son is not adopted, but Son by nature.

If according to the law the willing is an activity, what is the good pleasure of this willing? For Paul would not have said “the good pleasure of his will” unless he meant to show that the will has been decided. “To the praise of the glory of his grace.” I have already said before that he adorns his own word with the dignity of the divine plan.

Since the one who was formed fell through disobedience, and when human beings acted impiously the heavenly things were alienated from the earthly things, Christ came and brought together all things. And after this he says it in another way when he says: “making peace between the things in the heavens and the things on the earth.” For he himself is our peace, the one who made both one, the Jews and the Greeks, through faith in Christ.

Clearly here he says that activity is one thing and counsel is another. After saying “the one who works all things according to the counsel of his will,” he said “of his will,” so that he may show that the will has been decided. Whatever someone has confirmed from good counsel, these things have been determined by judgment. He used the words in this way.

“You also,” he says, “are among those foreknown,” being made Christ's own through obedience and through faith in what is heard and through the seal upon faith, which is likeness to Christ through participation in the Spirit. From whom did they hear the word of truth? Was it not from John the Evangelist? For he was preaching there. Therefore Paul speaks with them at a higher level, since they have been equipped by his teaching.

Redemption means being acquired as God's possession. For in order that we may be possessed and made God's own, we are redeemed, remembering the blood by which we were redeemed and the whole divine plan. It is clear that he is here calling Christ God according to the flesh. For nowhere here does he mention the dignity of the Godhead, but the divine plan that is ours, which is acknowledged to belong to the flesh.