“In whom each several building, fitly framed together.” Whether you speak of the roof, or of the walls, or of any other part whatsoever,239 He it is supports the whole. Thus he elsewhere calls Him a foundation. “For other foundations,” saith he, “can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. iii. 11.) “In whom each several building,” he saith, “fitly framed together.” Here he displays the perfect- ness of it, and indicates that one cannot otherwise have place in it, unless by living with great exactness. “It groweth saith he into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom ye also,” he adds, “are builded together.” He is speaking continuously: “Into a holy temple, for a habitation of God in the Spirit.” What then is the object of this building? It is that God may dwell in this temple. For each of you severally is a temple, and all of you together are a temple. And He dwelleth in you as in the body of Christ, and as in a Spiritual temple. He does not use the word which means our coming to God, (πρόσοδος) but which implies God’s bringing 76 us to Himself, (προσαγωγή) for we came not out of ourselves, but we were brought nigh by Him. “No one,” saith Christ, “cometh unto the Father but by Me.” And again, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” (John xiv. 6.) He joins them with the Saints and again returns to his former image, nowhere suffering them to be disunited from Christ. Doubtless then, this is a building that shall go on until His coming. Doubtless it was for this reason that Paul said, “As a wise master builder, I laid a foundation.” (1 Cor. iii. 10, 11.) And again that Christ is the foundation. What then means all this? You observe that the comparisons have all referred to the subject-matters, and that we must not expound them to the very letter. The Apostle speaks from analogy as Christ does, where He calls the Father an husbandman, (John xv. 1.) and Himself a root. (Rev. xxii. 16.) Chap. iii. ver. 1. “For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus in behalf of you Gentiles.” He has mentioned Christ’s great and affectionate care; he now passes on to his own, insignificant indeed as it is, and a very nothing in comparison with that, and yet this is enough to engage them to himself. For this cause, saith he, am I also bound.240 For if my Lord was crucified for your sakes, much more am I bound. He not only was bound Himself, 239 [“Chrysostom is wrong in holding that by πᾶσα οἰκοδομή is signified every ‘part’ of the building (wall, roof, etc.,) since οἴκοδομή rather denotes the ‘aggregate’ of the single parts of the building. Πᾶσα οἰκοδομή means ‘every building’ and is here to be interpreted, ‘every Christian community, each congregation.’”—Mey- er.—G.A.] 240 [The Syriac Version followed by commentators from Chrysostom to Meyer makes ὁδέσμιος predicate, supplying “am.” “I Paul am the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles.” This is open to grave objections. ῾Ο δεσμος is rather in apposition and the broken construction is resumed at ver. 14.—Riddle, Ellicott, Alford, Braune. R.V. Comp. 4: 1.—G.A.] 145 Ephesians 2:17-22