the one whose good pleasure is in view.  If it be an autocrat, like

Nebuchadnezzar, of whom it is written `whom he would he slew, and whom he would

he kept alive', then the exercise of such good pleasure will always have a

sinister effect.  If however we are contemplating the `good pleasure' of `the

God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ', the One Who so loved the world that He

gave, and spared not His only Son, then the fact that His choice and His

predestination is revealed to be according to His good pleasure, will but

encourage us to rest in His choice and to realize that His good pleasure is but

another way of saying, with verse 4, that He chose us `in love'.

Eudokia is composed of the adverb eu `well' and dokeo `to think'.  The

basic idea of dokeo is `to seem', so the good pleasure of the Lord is that which

`seems good' in His sight.  The reader will remember its use in Matthew 11:26

when in the time of His rejection the Saviour looked up to the Father and said:

`Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in Thy sight'.

The herald angels used the word eudokia when they spoke of `good will'

toward men (Luke 2:14).  That the word does not necessarily imply any element of

arbitrariness or tyrannical power, let the apostle testify, for in a context in

which he shows himself willing to make the greatest self-sacrifice known to man,

he says:

`Brethren, my heart's desire ... for Israel is, that they might be saved'

(Rom. 10:1, see Rom. 9:1-3).

The same word is used of those who were prompted to serve the Lord out of

`good will', as opposed to those whose motive was out of `contention' (Phil.

1:15), and the apostle could pray nothing better for the Thessalonians, than

that God should `fulfil all the good pleasure of His goodness' in them (2 Thess.

Thelema, the Greek word `will' occurs seven times in Ephesians.

A 1:1.  Apostleship.

B 1:5,9,11.  Doctrine.

C 2:3; 5:17; 6:6.  Practice.

The three references to doctrine in the first chapter are:

A 5.

Good pleasure of His will.  Predestination to Sonship.

B 9.

Mystery of His will.  Fulness of seasons.

Counsel of His will.  Predestination to inheritance.

The three references to practice that follow seem to be a response to this

manifestation of grace.

A 2:3. Doing the will of the flesh -- `once'.

B 5:17. Understanding the will of the Lord -- present rule.