Baptism (908) (baptisma from bapto = dip as in dye to color - see study of verb baptizo) is the result of the act of dipping, plunging, immersing, washing. something or someone. The suffix -ma indicates the result of dipping or sinking or baptizing while baptismos is the act of baptizing. Summary adapted from BDAG... (1) Ceremonious use of water for purpose of renewing or establishing a relationship with God. (2) An extraordinary experience akin to an initiatory purification rite - a plunge, a baptism. Metaphor of martyrdom ( Mk 10:38f; Lk 12:50; Mt 20:22f). In the context of Paul's emphasis on the mystery of the Church which has been revealed, baptism refers to the baptism of the Spirit which placed each individual believer into Christ, each one in turn together forming the body of Christ, the Church. Some of the NT uses are metaphorical and speak of being overwhelmed by catastrophe (Luke 12:50) Louw-Nida... According to the Didache (early second century) different forms of baptism were practiced in the early church, but with evident preference given to immersion. The verb baptizo pictures the introduction or placing of a person into a new environment or into union with something else so as to alter its condition or its relationship to its previous environment or condition. In The Apostolic Fathers (Ignatius to Polycarp 6.2) we read... Let your baptism (baptisma) serve as a shield, faith as a helmet, love as a spear, endurance as armor. Baptisma- 19x in 19v in NAS - all rendered baptism...there are no uses in the Old Testament Septuagint... Matthew 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Louw-Nida Comment - The baptism practiced by John the Baptist would seem to reflect far more the Jewish pattern of ritual washing than the type of baptism employed by Christians, which constituted a symbol of initiation into the Christian community on the basis of belief in and loyalty to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Matthew 21:25 "The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?" And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Then why did you not believe him?' Comment: Note the phrase either as here "the baptism of John" or in next verse "baptism of repentance." Mark 1:4 John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Comment: Here we see the employment of water in a "ceremony designed to symbolize purification and initiation on the basis of repentance" (Louw-Nida) Vincent: A baptism the characteristic of which was repentance; which involved an obligation to repent. Wuest: Baptism has three usages in the New Testament, (1) a ceremonial one, where the saved person is baptized as a testimony of his salvation, such as I Corinthians 1:14, 16, and we would call that water baptism; then, (2) a mechanical one, where a person or thing is introduced or placed into a new environment or into union with something else so as to alter its condition or its relationship to its previous environment or condition, such as 1Corinthians 12:13; Romans 6:3, which we would call Spirit baptism, and (3) a metaphorical use such as Matthew 20:22, 23. The general and common use of the word was that of placing a thing into a new environment, into something else. The word means literally, “to place into.” Since the ritual of water baptism involved that action, the Greek word meaning “to place into,” came to signify also what we mean by the act of administering the rite of water baptism. Thus, John came to be called, “The one who baptizes,” or in short, “The Baptist.”... Baptism from the Old Testament into the New. The ceremonial washings of the Levitical ordinances were in the Septuagint referred to by the word louō This Greek word is found in Acts 22:16 in connection with the word baptizō in the expression “Be baptized and wash away thy sins.” In Mark 7:4, Luke 11:38, and Hebrews 9:10, the ceremonial washings referred to were designated as baptizō, and the word translated “wash.” The word baptizō was thus not unknown to the Jews. It represented or was symbolic of the cleansing from sin which followed the offering of an expiatory sacrifice. But with the coming of John, a radical change took place. While the ceremonial washings of Leviticus were performed by the person himself, with one exception, and that was where Moses in installing Aaron and his sons, himself washed them (Lev. 8:6), John baptized his converts. We must be careful to note that the baptism of which we are now speaking, is not Christian baptism, but a baptism connected with Israel and its acceptance of its Messiah. One needs to be careful as to the exact import of this baptism. John’s words as given in the A.V. of Matthew 3:11, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance,” make the rite the cause of repentance in the heart of the individual who is baptized. This is due to an unfortunate translation of eis which has various uses. A comparison of this passage with Matthew 12:41 where the same preposition eis is translated “at,” namely, “the men of Nineveh repented at, (because of) the preaching of Jonah,” makes it clear that John said, “Repent, and be baptized because of the remission of sins.” The same holds true of Peter’s words in Acts 2:38, where the same preposition is used. This is confirmed by the context in Matthew (Mt 3:7—9) where John refuses to baptize the Pharisees and Sadducees because they did not show evidence of repentance. This is also shown to be the correct interpretation and translation of eis here, by the testimony of Josephus who declared that John taught the Jews that the rite of baptism would not wash away sins, but was for those who had already had their souls purified beforehand. Thus, we have here the import of water baptism. Submission to this rite is the testimony of the person to the fact that he has been saved. (Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans or Logos or Wordsearch) Mark 10:38 But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" 39 They said to Him, "We are able." And Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. Comment: This baptism is figurative refers to being overwhelmed by a difficult experience or ordeal, specifically Jesus' death and sufferings which are are compared to "a raging flood of sorrow." Vine: Of the overwhelming afflictions and judgments to which the Lord voluntarily submitted on the Cross, e.g., Luke 12:50; of the sufferings His followers would experience, not of a vicarious character, but in fellowship with the sufferings of their Master (Mk 10:39). Mark 11:30 "Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men? Answer Me." Luke 3:3 And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins Comment: As in Mark 1:4 above the word "for" is the Greek preposition eis which conveys the idea of "a baptism-with-repentance to receive forgiveness of sins" (BDAG). Vincent adds that eis (translated "of" here in Luke 1:33) in this context means "unto, denoting the destination of the rite." Luke 7:29 When all the people and the tax collectors heard this, they acknowledged God's justice, having been baptized with the baptism of John. Luke 12:50 "But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! Luke 20:4 "Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?" Acts 1:22 beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us-- one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection." Acts 10:37 (Peter in speaking of the salvation of Gentiles) you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. Comment: When the Holy Spirit "fell upon" the Gentiles they began "speaking with tongues" as in Acts 2 when the Spirit came on the Jewish believers (Acts 10:44, 45, 46). The Spirit's coming on Jews and Gentiles was a picture of 1Cor 12:13, in which Paul teaches now (after the "transitional" period of Acts), all believers are baptized "by one Spirit" and "into one body" (the Church) and "were all made to drink of one Spirit." Acts 13:24 after John had proclaimed before His coming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. A T Robertson: Baptism marked by, characterized by (genitive case, case of kind or species) repentance (change of mind and life). The very phrase used of John’s preaching in Mark 1:4=Luke 3:3. It is clear therefore that Paul understood John’s ministry and message as did Peter (Acts 2:38; 10:37). Acts 18:25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John; Comment: Note the distinction from the baptism of in the Name of Jesus (see comment on verse below). A T Robertson: It was a baptism of repentance (marked by repentance) as Paul said (Acts 13:24; 19:4), as Peter said (Acts 2:38) and as the Gospels tell (Mark 1:4, etc.). That is to say, Apollos knew only what the Baptist knew when he died, but John had preached the coming of the Messiah, had baptized him, had identified him as the Son of God, had proclaimed the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but had not seen the Cross, the Resurrection of Jesus, nor the great Day of Pentecost. Acts 19:3 And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" And they said, "Into John's baptism." 4 Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus." Comment: The "baptism of John" is the same as the baptism of Jesus or the baptism in the name of Jesus (Acts 19:5) or or the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Mt 28:19). A T Robertson: Last mention of John the Baptist in the NT. “Here, at last, he wholly gives place to Christ” (Bengel). They had been dipped in other words, but they had not grasped the significance of the ordinance. "Baptism of repentance" describing the baptism as marked by (case of species or genus), not as conveying, repentance just as in Mark 1:4 and that was the work of the Holy Spirit. But John preached also the baptism of the Holy Spirit which the Messiah was to bring (Mark 1:7f.=Matt. 3:11f.=Luke 3:16). If they did not know of the Holy Spirit, they had missed the point of John’s baptism. Romans 6:4-note Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. Comment: Some see this as the rite of baptism and thus interpret it as a literal baptism. However in context (there is no water and he has just stated "baptized into Christ Jesus" and "His death" which clearly is not a literal baptism but a figure of speech) it seems more reasonable to interpret it as a metaphor of the believer's identification with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. A T Robertson: The picture in baptism points two ways, backwards to Christ’s death and burial and to our death to sin (verse 1), forwards to Christ’s resurrection from the dead and to our new life pledged by the coming out of the watery grave to walk on the other side of the baptismal grave (F. B. Meyer). There is the further picture of our own resurrection from the grave. It is a tragedy that Paul’s majestic picture here has been so blurred by controversy that some refuse to see it. It should be said also that a symbol is not the reality, but the picture of the reality. Kenneth Wuest: Baptism pictures “the introduction or placing of a person or thing into a new environment or into union with something else so as to alter its condition or its relationship to its previous environment or condition.” And that is its usage in Romans 6. It refers to the act of God introducing a believing sinner into vital union with Jesus Christ, in order that that believer might have the power of his sinful nature broken and the divine nature implanted through his identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection, thus altering the condition and relationship of that sinner with regard to his previous state and environment, bringing him into a new environment, the kingdom of God. God placed us in Christ when He died so that we might share His death and thus come into the benefits of that identification with Him, namely, be separated from the evil nature as part of the salvation He gives us when we believe. We were placed in a new environment, Christ. The old one was the First Adam in whom as our federal head we were made sinners and came under condemnation. In our new environment in Christ we have righteousness and life. Our condition is changed from that of a sinner to that of a saint. But we were not only placed in Christ by God the Holy Spirit in order that we might share his death and thus be separated from the evil nature, but we were placed in Him in order that we might share His resurrection and thus have divine life imparted to us. (Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans or Logos or Wordsearch) Ephesians 4:5-note one Lord, one faith, one baptism, Comment: While some see this baptism as the literal act (the result of having been baptized), Wuest sees this as a metaphorical description asking "Why should the A.V. and commentators transliterate the word, interpreting the Greek word as referring to the rite of water baptism when the entire context is supernatural, even to the faith exercised by the believer in appropriating salvation? The words translated are “one placing into.” That is, in response to our act of faith, we were placed by the Holy Spirit into the Body of which Christ is the Head. This is one of the unities vitally related to our salvation, and upon which Paul bases his plea for unity in the Church. There was and is one common placing into the Body of Christ." 1 Peter 3:21-note Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you-- not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience-- through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Wuest: Peter is careful to inform his readers that he is not teaching baptismal regeneration, namely, that a person who submits to baptism is thereby regenerated, for he says, “not the putting away of the filth of the flesh.” Baptism, Peter explains, does not wash away the filth of the flesh, either in a literal sense as a bath for the body, nor in a metaphorical sense as a cleansing for the soul. No ceremonies really affect the conscience. But he defines what he means by salvation, in the words “the answer of a good conscience toward God,” and he explains how this is accomplished, namely “by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” in that the believing sinner is identified with Him in that resurrection. (Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans or Logos or Wordsearch) McGee explains that... “One baptism” has reference to the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which is real baptism. Ritual baptism is by water. Water baptism is a symbol of the real baptism of the Holy Spirit by which believers are actually made one. (McGee, J V: Thru the Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson) Boice observes that... It is interesting that Paul should include baptism in his list of unities because opinions about baptism have certainly divided churches. Do you sprinkle? Presbyterians think this is the preferred way. Do you immerse? Baptists think immersion is the only way. What about children—do you baptize them? Paul is not concerned here with modes of baptism, but with what baptism signifies, namely, identification with Christ. That is the unifying thing. Have you been baptized into Christ? I do not care how you were baptized. I do not care whether it was in a baptistery or a stream, whether it was with a little bit of water or in a lot of water. Have you been publicly identified with Jesus Christ? That is the issue. And if that is the issue, then before the world we are identified together with Jesus Christ and must stand together for Him. (Boice, J. M.: Ephesians: An Expositional Commentary) (Bolding added) Although there is no "water" in this verse a number of commentaries feel that water baptism is the primary meaning in this passage (e.g., even Boice seems to hold this meaning although he does emphasize our identity with Christ in the last sentence-see preceding comment). Certainly water baptism serves as a beautiful picture of spiritual (Spirit) baptism. On the other hand Paul spoke a number of times about "waterless" baptism... Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus (not into water but into Christ and His death) have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with (one of those verbs beginning with sun- as Paul frequently uses in Ephesians - click here) Him through baptism into death, in order that (purpose clause) as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness (new in quality, brand new) of life. (See notes Romans 6:3; 6:4) For by one Spirit we were all (all believers without exception) baptized (aorist tense = past action) into one body (the body of Christ), whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all (all believers without exception have the Spirit) made to drink of one Spirit (A reference to the Spirit's living and dwelling within us as in John 7:37-39). (1Cor 12:13) For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ (not into water - this is a spiritual - Spirit-baptism bringing believers into identification and living union with Christ) have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise. (Galatians 3:26-29) and in Him (Christ) you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. (See notes Colossians 2:10; 2:11; 2:12) James Montgomery Boice explains baptizo writing that... "The clearest example that shows the meaning of baptizo is a text from the Greek poet and physician Nicander, who lived about 200 B.C. It is a recipe for making pickles and is helpful because it uses both words. Nicander says that in order to make a pickle, the vegetable should first be 'dipped' (bapto) into boiling water and then 'baptised' (baptizo ) in the vinegar solution. Both verbs concern the immersing of vegetables in a solution. But the first is temporary. The second, the act of baptizing the vegetable, produces a permanent change. When used in the New Testament, this word more often refers to our union and identification with Christ than to our water baptism... mere intellectual assent is not enough. There must be a union with Him, a real change, like the vegetable to the pickle!" Ephesians 4:6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. (NASB: Lockman) Greek: eis theos kai pater panton, o epi panton kai dia panton kai en pasin. Amplified: One God and Father of [us] all, Who is above all [Sovereign over all], pervading all and [living] in [us] all. (Amplified Bible - Lockman) NLT: and there is only one God and Father, who is over us all and in us all and living through us all. (NLT - Tyndale House) Phillips: one God, one Father of us all, who is the one over all, the one working through all and the one living in all. (Phillips: Touchstone) Wuest: one God and Father of all, the One above all and through all and in all. (Eerdmans) Young's Literal: and one God and Father of all, who rules over all, acts through all, and dwells in all. ONE GOD AND FATHER OF ALL: eis theos kai pater panton: (Eph 6:23; Numbers 16:22; Isaiah 63:16; Malachi 2:10; Matthew 6:9; John 20:17; 1Corinthians 8:6; 12:6; Galatians 3:26-28; 4:3, 4, 5, 6, 7; 1John 3:1, 2, 3) Note another reference to the three Persons of the Godhead in these opening verses. God is a Trinity in Unity Also note Paul's repetition of "all" (four times), each time referring to all believers not all mankind! One God and Father - God has a family which is entered into by faith in Christ. The children of the same family having the same father and are devoted to him will be united among themselves. So too in the spiritual family. God shows no partiality in His family, for He is the Father of all, both Jew and Greek, etc, and acknowledgement of this truth should aid preservation of family unity. Paul repeatedly emphasizes God as Father (Ep 1:3, 17, 2:18, 3:14, 5:20-See notes on Ep 1:3, 1:17; 2:18; 3:14; 5:20). John Stott writes that... “There can be only one Christian family, only one Christian faith, hope and baptism, and only one Christian body, because there is only one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You can no more multiply churches than you can multiply Gods. Is there only one God? Then he has only one church. Is the unity of God inviolable? Then so is the unity of the church. … It is no more possible to split the church than it is possible to split the Godhead.” (John R. W. Stott, God’s New Society: The Message of Ephesians. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1979) Eadie writes that... Christians serve one God, are not distracted by a multiplicity of divinities, and need not fear the revenge of one while they are doing homage to his rival. Oneness of spirit ought to characterize their worship. (John Eadie, D., LL.D. The Epistle of St Paul to the Ephesians) Regarding entrance into the Father's family, John records that Jesus... came to His own (Jews), and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:11-13) Earlier in this letter Paul had explained to the Gentiles the glorious truth that they who were far off and without God in the world... are no longer strangers and aliens, but...are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household (God's family) (see note Ephesians 2:19) God is not the Father of unbelievers as John makes clear writing... By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. (1John 3:10) One (1520) (heis) describes that which is united as one in contrast to that which is divided or consisting of separate parts. Father (3962) (pater) WHO IS OVER ALL: o epi panton: (Eph 1:21; Genesis 14:19; 1Chronicles 29:11,12; Psalms 95:3; Isaiah 40:11-17,21, 22, 23; Jeremiah 10:10, 11, 12, 13; Daniel 4:34,35; 5:18-23; Matthew 6:13; Romans 11:36; Revelation 4:8, 9, 10, 11) Over all - God the Father is the Supreme, Sovereign of the universe. To use a theological term, God is transcendent (see note). He is not dependent on anything or anyone. His is the supreme and only Potentate, exercising undivided jurisdiction, “doing according to his will in the armies of heaven,” etc Over (1909) (epi) means upon. Eadie writes that... The great God is high over all, robed in unsurpassable glory. There is, and can be, no superior—no co-ordinate sovereignty. The universe, no less than the church, lies beneath, and far beneath, His throne, and the jurisdiction of that throne, “high and lifted up,” is paramount and unchallenged. (John Eadie, D., LL.D. The Epistle of St Paul to the Ephesians) The oneness of God is emphasized repeatedly in the Scriptures... Deut 6:4 "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! (Comment: This verse is the famous Shema which is derived from the Hebrew verb for "to hear and which represents even to this present day Judaism's basic confession of faith. According to rabbinic law, the Shema was to be recited morning and night. It is worth noting that this confession does not preclude the later revelation of the Trinity, for the word God -- Elohim -- is a plural word, and the word "one" is also used of the union of Adam and Eve Gen. 2:24 to describe two persons in one flesh.) Deut 32:39 'See now that I, I am He, and there is no god besides Me; It is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded, and it is I who heal; And there is no one who can deliver from My hand. (Comment: This declaration of the incomparability of God from the "Song of Moses" - v44 - is in the context of God's warnings of judgment on His people. His goal was not to annihilate them but to bring them to the point of recognizing that there was no god but Jehovah. In verses 37-38 He declared the worthlessness of false gods in contrast to His sovereignty over all of human existence with freedom to act as He chooses). Isaiah 43:10 "You are My witnesses," declares the LORD (Jehovah), "And My servant whom I have chosen, in order that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me. (Comment: Israel was to have been God's witness to tell others that the Lord alone is God and that only the Lord can forgive sin and restore lives. The false cult Jehovah's Witnesses believes that God gave them this name "My witnesses" in this verse.) Isaiah 45:5 (Jehovah is addressing King Cyrus - Isa 45:1) "I am the LORD, and there is no other. Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you (Cyrus), though you have not known Me (see Ezra 1:2) 6 that (purpose of God's girding Cyrus) men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun (everywhere on earth!) that there is no one besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other. Mark 12:29 (Jesus explaining the greatest commandment answered) "The foremost is, 'HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD" John 5:44 (Jesus speaking to Jews who were seeking to kill Him asked) "How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another, and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God? Ro 3:29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one. (See notes Romans 3:29; 3:30) 1Cor 8:6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from Whom are all things, and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by Whom are all things, and we exist through Him. In His high priestly prayer, Jesus appealed to His oneness with God praying... John 17:20 "I do not ask in behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; 21 that they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me. 22 "And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them; that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love Me. All (3956) (pas) means all without exception God is superior to and has power and authority over all persons and things in the universe. Paxson summarizes this final unifying doctrine writing... One body -- one God." The apostle begins with the visible circumference, the Body, scattered throughout the world, and ends with the invisible centre, God, the generating source of everything. "One God" -- who is absolute Sovereign, working after the good pleasure and counsel of His own will (1:5,11) to carry out His eternal purpose in Christ for the Church. "One Father" -- of us whom He has "chosen" and "predestinated unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ" to be His habitation on earth. { "above all" -- Sovereign Purpose One God and Father { "through all" -- Pervasive Power { "in you all" -- Indwelling Presence AND THROUGH ALL AND IN ALL: kai dia panton kai en pasin: (Eph 2:22; 3:17; John 14:23; 17:26; 2Corinthians 6:16; 1John 3:24; 4:12, 13, 14, 15) Through all - this speaks of His immanence, His pervading action. Through (1223) (dia) The sovereign omnipotent God is able to use everything to accomplish His intended purposes. As Paul wrote earlier in this letter God... works all things after the counsel of His will (Ep 1:11-note) Comment: God is in this universe in which you and I live motivating it and He is moving it according to His plan and purpose and this assures that life has meaning and makes life worthwhile. Blaikie writes that through all means that God is pervading the whole universe, sustaining and ruling it, not dwelling apart from his works, but pervading them, not, however, in any pantheistical sense, but as a personal God, whose essence is separate from his works. (The Pulpit Commentary) Eadie explains that... Though He is “over all,” yet He lives not in remote splendour and indifference, for He is “through all;” His influence being everywhere felt in its upholding energies. (John Eadie, D., LL.D. The Epistle of St Paul to the Ephesians) In all - In the context of this letter and the emphasis here on the unity of the church, this phrase refers to the fact that God indwells all believers, and thus describes a closer and more abiding influence. Eadie writes that... The pronoun would modify the universality predicated in the two preceding clauses. He is “in all,” dwelling in them, filling them with the light and love of His gracious presence. The idea conveyed by dia (through) is more external and general in its nature—acting through or sustaining; while that expressed by en (in) is intimate and special union and inhabitation. Very different is such a conception from either ancient or modern pantheism. (John Eadie, D., LL.D. The Epistle of St Paul to the Ephesians) The one God rules over all, works through all, and dwells in all. As Paul has already taught, both Jewish and Gentile believers... are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. (See note Ephesians 2:22) In sum, God reigns "over" (epi) all in his transcendent sovereignty. He works "through" (dia) all in his creative activity. He dwells "in" (en) all by reason of his immanent pervasiveness.