Ver. 3. +Among whom also we all had our conversation.+--St. Paul does not glorify himself at the expense of his readers' past life. True his had not been a life swayed by animal delights (Acts xxvi. 5), but it had been marked by implacable enmity to the Son of God. +And were by nature children of wrath.+--"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, . . . whether it be Jewish or Gentile." Ver. 4. +But God, who is rich in mercy.+--"Unto all that call upon Him" (Rom. x. 12). "He hath shut all up into disobedience, that He might have mercy upon all" (Rom. xi. 32), +For His great love wherewith He loved us.+--"A combination only used when the notion of the verb is to be extended" (_Winer_). Ver. 5. +Even when we were dead in sins.+--The phrase which closes ver. 3, difficult as it is, must receive an interpretation in harmony with this statement. It is the very marrow of the Gospel that, "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly." That the wrath of God is real we know, but "God is love." +By grace ye are saved.+--"Grace" is as truly characteristic of St. Paul's writing as his autograph signature; it, too, is the token ("sign-manual") in every epistle (2 Thess. iii. 17, 18). Ver. 6. +In heavenly places.+--As in ch. i. 3. Ver. 7. +The exceeding riches of His grace.+--The wealth of mercy mentioned in ver. 4 more fully stated. Grace is condescension to an inferior or kindness to the undeserving. +In kindness toward us.+--"Kindness" here represents in the original "a beautiful word, as it is the expression of a beautiful grace" (_Trench_). It is that "fruit of the Spirit" (Gal. v. 22) called "gentleness" in the A.V., but which would be better named "benignity." Ver. 8. +For by grace are ye saved, through faith.+--"'By grace' expresses the motive, 'through faith' the subjective means" (_Winer_). The emphasis is on "by grace." Ver. 9. +Not of works, lest any man should boast.+--The more beautiful the works achieved the more natural it is for a man to feel his works to be meritorious. One can understand that a man jealous for the honour of God, like Calvin, should speak of the excellencies of those out of Christ as "splendid vices," even though we prefer another explanation of them. Ver. 10. +For we are His workmanship.+--We get our word "poem" from that which we here translate workmanship, lit., "something made." Every Christian belongs to those of whom God says, "This people have I formed for Myself, that they should show forth My praise" (Isa. xliii. 21). The archetype of all our goodness lies in the Divine thought, as the slow uprising of a stately cathedral is the embodiment of the conception of the architect's brain.