In whom ye also trusted
The Gentile believers, the Ephesians, whom the apostle now
particularly addresses; and who participated of the same grace
and privileges with the believing Jews; the promise belonged to
all that God called, whether afar off or nigh; and the same
common salvation was sent to one as to another; and the same
faith was wrought in one as in the other; and they were
interested in the same Christ, and were heirs of the same
inheritance; the Alexandrian copy reads "we":
after that ye heard the word of truth;
the Gospel; and which is so called, on account of its divine
original, coming from the God of truth, who cannot lie; and
because of the concern which Christ has in it, who is truth
itself, and was the author, subject, and preacher of it, and who
confirmed it by his miracles, and his death; and on account of
the Spirit of God, the dictator of it, and who leads into all
truths, and owns and blesses them for conversion and comfort; and
because it contains nothing but truth, and particularly that
eminent one, salvation alone by Christ, for the chief of sinners;
and in contradistinction from the law, which was typical and
shadowy; (jwvqd hlm) ,
"the word of truth", is a phrase used by the Jews F5, for
sublime and heavenly doctrine: now, by the hearing of this, faith
came; and this the Ephesians heard, not only externally, but
internally; so as to understand, approve, and believe it, and to
put it in practice: and which is also called
the Gospel of your salvation:
because it is a declaration and publication of salvation by
Christ; and gives an account of the author of salvation, of his
ability and willingness to save, and of the nature of this
salvation, and describes the persons who shall be saved; and
because it is the means of salvation, when attended with the
Spirit and power of God; and the instrument, in God's hand, of
showing to souls their special and particular interest in
salvation:
in whom also after that ye believed;
which may refer either to the Gospel of salvation, in which they
believed upon hearing it; or rather to Christ, the Saviour
revealed, in whom they believed to the saving of their souls: and
this shows, that the sealing work of the Spirit after mentioned,
and with which this stands in connection, is a distinct thing
from faith, or indeed any other work of the Spirit; as
illumination, regeneration, sanctification it is what follows
believing, and is a work that passes upon the soul after it; and
so is something over and above, and more than faith, at least
than first believing: and from hence it also appears, that there
may be true faith, where this is not as yet; and that none but
believers in Christ enjoy the following privilege:
ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of
promise.
This cannot have respect to the Father's sealing his people in
election, with the seal of his foreknowledge, ( 2 Timothy
2:19 ) for that is before faith, and is within himself, and
not on them, and is distinct from the Spirit's work; and for the
same reasons it cannot design the Son's affection to them,
setting them as a seal on his arm and heart, ( Song of
Solomon 8:6 ) , or his asserting his property in them, and
the security and protection of them, ( Song of Solomon
4:12 ) ( Revelation
7:3 ) , nor the Spirit's finishing and completing his own
work of grace upon the soul, in which sense the word is used, (
Romans
15:28 ) for this as yet was not done upon these believing
Ephesians; nor the confirming the Gospel, and the saints in it,
by the extraordinary effusion of the Spirit on the day of
Pentecost, or by his extraordinary works which attended the
ministry of the word, to the establishing of it, and the faith of
men in it; since these were not common to believers, nor did they
continue; whereas the believing Ephesians, in common, were
sealed; and the Spirit of God continues still as a sealer of his
people, and as an earnest and pledge of their inheritance until
the day of redemption; but it is to be understood of the
confirming, certifying, and assuring the saints, as to their
interest in the favour of God, and in the blessings of grace, of
every kind, and their right and title to the heavenly glory;
(See Gill on
2 Corinthians 1:22), and the seal of these things is not
circumcision, nor baptism, nor the Lord's supper, nor even the
graces of the Spirit; but the Spirit himself, who witnesses to
the spirits of believers the truth of these things, and that as a
"spirit of promise": so called, both because he is the Spirit
promised, as the Syriac and Ethiopic versions render it, whom the
Father and Christ had promised, and who was sent by them; and
because he usually seals, or certifies believers of the truth of
the above things, by opening and applying a word of promise to
them: and which he does also, as the "Holy" Spirit; for this
sealing work of his leaves a greater impress of holiness upon the
soul, and engages more to acts of holiness; wherefore the
doctrine of assurance is no licentious doctrine; no persons are
so holy as those who are truly possessed of that grace; and as
for such who pretend unto it, and live in sin, it is a certain
thing that they in reality know nothing of it.