God’s Grace

Excerpt

Here begins the digression. The words, “if ye have heard,” etc., do not denote an uncertainty, but are a delicate reminder. Doubtless they had heard of the matter when he was at Ephesus, and, as he remarks in ver. 3, he had already written briefly on it. Grace is here used in a more restricted sense than in ch. 1:2—in the sense of Divine favour, honour, privilege —the same as in ver. 8, “To me … is this favour given.” Which is given me to you-ward. The grace or favour meant is that whereby Paul was constituted the apostle of the Gentiles. Deeply though he felt his being sent away from preaching to his countrymen (Acts 22:18), he took kindly to the new sphere allotted to him, and magnified his office (Rom. 11:13). More

Spence-Jones, H. D. M., ed. Ephesians. London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1909. Print. The Pulpit Commentary.