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EPHESIANS - Chapter 5 - Verse 2
Verse 2. And walk in love. That is, let your lives be characterized by love; let that be evinced in all your deportment and conversation. See Barnes "Joh 13:34".
As Christ also hath loved us. We are to evince the same love for one another which he has done for us. He showed his love by giving himself to die for us, and we should evince similar love to one another, 1 Jo 3:16.
And hath given himself for us. This is evidently added by the apostle to show what he meant by saying that Christ loved us, and what we ought to do to evince our love for each other. The strength of his love was so great that he was willing to give himself up to death on our account; our love for our brethren should be such that we would be willing to do the same thing for them, 1 Jo 3:16.
An offering. The word here used—prosforan—means, properly, that which is offered to God—in any way, or whatever it may be. It is, however, in the Scriptures, commonly used to denote an offering without blood—a thank-offering—and thus is distinguished from a sacrifice, or a bloody oblation. The word occurs only in Ac 21:26; 24:17; Ro 15:16; Eph 5:2; Heb 10:5,8,10,14,18.
It means here that he regarded himself as an offering to God.
And a sacrifice, yusian. Christ is here expressly called a Sacrifice—the usual word in the Scriptures to denote a proper sacrifice. A sacrifice was an offering made to God by killing an animal and burning it on an altar, designed to make atonement for sin. It always implied the killing of the animal as an acknowledgment of the sinner that he deserved to die. It was the giving up of life, which was supposed to reside in the blood, (See Barnes "Ro 3:25,) and hence it was necessary that blood should be shed. Christ was such a sacrifice; and his love was shown in his being willing that his blood should be shed to save men.
For a sweet-smelling savour. See Barnes "2 Co 2:15, where the word savour is explained. The meaning here is, that the offering which Christ made of himself to God was like the grateful and pleasant smell of incense, that is, it was acceptable to him. It was an exhibition of benevolence with which he was pleased, and it gave him the opportunity of evincing his own benevolence in the salvation of men. The meaning of this in the connexion here is, that the offering which Christ made was one of love. So, says Paul, do you love one another. Christ sacrificed himself by love, and that sacrifice was acceptable to God. So do you show love one to another. Sacrifice everything which opposes it, and it will be acceptable to God. He will approve all which is designed to promote love, as he approved the sacrifice which was made, under the influence of love, by his Son.
{a} "as Christ" Joh 13:34 {b} "sweet-smelling savour" Le 1:9
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