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Introduction to Ephesians

 

Summary of the Book of Ephesians

This summary of the book of Ephesians provides information about the title, author(s), date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the Book of Ephesians.

Author, Date and Place of Writing

The author identifies himself as Paul (1:1; 3:1; cf. 3:7,13; 4:1; 6:19-20). Some have taken the absence of the usual personal greetings and the verbal similarity of many parts to Colossians, among other reasons, as grounds for doubting authorship by the apostle Paul. However, this was probably a circular letter, intended for other churches in addition to the one in Ephesus (see notes on 1:1,15; 6:21-23). Paul may have written it about the same time as Colossians, c. a.d. 60, while he was in prison at Rome (see 3:1; 4:1; 6:20; see also chart, p. 2261).

The City of Ephesus

Ephesus was the most important city in western Asia Minor (now Turkey). It had a harbor that at that time opened into the Cayster River (see map, p. 2429), which in turn emptied into the Aegean Sea (see map, p. 2599). Because it was also at an intersection of major trade routes, Ephesus became a commercial center. It boasted a pagan temple dedicated to the Roman goddess Diana (Greek Artemis); cf. Ac 19:23-31. Paul made Ephesus a center for evangelism for about three years (see note on Ac 19:10), and the church there apparently flourished for some time, but later needed the warning of Rev 2:1-7.

Theological Message

Unlike several of the other letters Paul wrote, Ephesians does not address any particular error or heresy. Paul wrote to expand the horizons of his readers, so that they might understand better the dimensions of God's eternal purpose and grace and come to appreciate the high goals God has for the church.

The letter opens with a sequence of statements about God's blessings, which are interspersed with a remarkable variety of expressions drawing attention to God's wisdom, forethought and purpose. Paul emphasizes that we have been saved, not only for our personal benefit, but also to bring praise and glory to God. The climax of God's purpose, "when the times will have reached their fulfillment," is to bring all things in the universe together under Christ (1:10). It is crucially important that Christians realize this, so in 1:15-23 Paul prays for their understanding (a second prayer occurs in 3:14-21).

Having explained God's great goals for the church, Paul proceeds to show the steps toward their fulfillment. First, God has reconciled individuals to himself as an act of grace (2:1-10). Second, God has reconciled these saved individuals to each other, Christ having broken down the barriers through his own death (2:11-22). But God has done something even beyond this: He has united these reconciled individuals in one body, the church. This is a "mystery" not fully known until it was revealed to Paul (3:1-6). Now Paul is able to state even more clearly what God has intended for the church, namely, that it be the means by which he displays his "manifold wisdom" to the "rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms" (3:7-13). It is clear through the repetition of "heavenly realms" (1:3,20; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12) that Christian existence is not merely on an earthly plane. It receives its meaning and significance from heaven, where Christ is exalted at the right hand of God (1:20).

Nevertheless, that life is lived out on earth, where the practical daily life of the believer continues to work out the purposes of God. The ascended Lord gave "gifts" to the members of his church to enable them to minister to one another and so promote unity and maturity (4:1-16). The unity of the church under the headship of Christ foreshadows the uniting of "all things in heaven and on earth" under Christ (1:10). The new life of purity and mutual deference stands in contrast to the old way of life without Christ (4:17 -- 6:9). Those who are "strong in the Lord" have victory over the evil one in the great spiritual conflict, especially through the power of prayer (6:10-20; see note on 1:3).

Outline

I.           Greetings (1:1-2)

  1. The Divine Purpose: The Glory and Headship of Christ (1:3-14)
  2. Prayer That Christians May Realize God's Purpose and Power (1:15-23)
  3. Steps Toward the Fulfillment of God's Purpose (chs. 2-3)

A.   Salvation of Individuals by Grace (2:1-10)

    • Reconciliation of Jew and Gentile through the Cross (2:11-18)
    • Uniting of Jew and Gentile in One Household (2:19-22)
    • Revelation of God's Wisdom through the Church (3:1-13)
    • Prayer for Deeper Experience of God's Fullness (3:14-21)

                   V.        Practical Ways to Fulfill God's Purpose in the Church (4:1;6:20)

VI.           Conclusion, Final Greetings and Benediction (6:21-24)

¢w¢w¡mNew International Version¡n

 

Introduction to Ephesians

The epistle to the Ephesians gives us the richest exposition of the blessings of the saints individually, and of the assembly, setting forth at the same time the counsels of God with regard to the glory of Christ. Christ Himself is viewed as the One who is to hold all things united in one under His hand, as Head of the assembly. We see the assembly placed in the most intimate relationship with Him, as those who compose it are with the Father Himself, and in the heavenly position dispensed to her by the sovereign grace of God. Now these ways of grace to her reveal God Himself, and in two distinct characters; as well in connection with Christ as with Christians. He is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the God of Christ, when Christ is looked at as man; the Father of Christ when Christ is looked at as the Son of His love. In the first character the nature of God is revealed; in the second, we see the intimate relationship which we enjoy to Him who bears this character of Father, and that according to the excellence of Christ's own relationship to Him. It is this relationship to the Father, as well as that in which we stand to Christ as His body and His bride, that is the source of blessing to the saints and to the assembly of God, of which grace has made us members as a whole.

The form even of the epistle shews how much the apostle's mind was filled with the sense of the blessing that belongs to the assembly. After having [1] at Ephesus from God, the Father of true Christians, and from Jesus Christ their Lord, he begins at once to speak of the blessings in which all the members of Christ participate. His heart was full of the immensity of grace; and nothing in the state of the Ephesian Christians required any particular remarks adapted to that state. It is nearness of heart to God that produces simplicity, and that enables us in simplicity to enjoy the blessings of God as God Himself bestows them, as they flow from His heart, in all their own excellence-to enjoy them in connection with Him who imparts them, and not merely in a mode adapted to the state of those to whom they are imparted; or through a communication that only reveals a part of these blessings, because the soul would not be able to receive more. Yes, when near to God, we are in simplicity, and the whole extent of His grace and of our blessings unfolds itself as it is found in Him.

It is important to remark two things here in passing: first, that moral nearness to God, and communion with Him, is the only means of any true enlargement in the knowledge of His ways and of the blessings which He imparts to His children, because it is the only position in which we can perceive them, or be morally capable of so doing; and, also, that all conduct which is not suitable to this nearness to God, all levity of thought, which His presence does not admit of, makes us lose these communications from Him and renders us incapable of receiving them. (Compare John 14:21-23). Secondly, it is not that the Lord forsakes us on account of these faults or this carelessness; He intercedes for us, and we experience His grace, but it is no longer communion or intelligent progress in the riches of the revelation of Himself, of the fulness which is in Christ. It is grace adapted to our wants, an answer to our misery. Jesus stretches out His hand to us according to the need that we feel-need produced in our hearts by the operation of the Holy Ghost. This is infinitely precious grace, a sweet experience of His faithfulness and love: we learn by this means to discern good and evil by judging self; but the grace had to be adapted to our wants, and to receive a character according to those wants, as an answer made to them; we have had to think of ourselves.

In a case like this the Holy Ghost occupies us with ourselves (in grace, no doubt), and when we have lost communion with God, we cannot neglect this turning back upon ourselves without deceiving and hardening ourselves. Alas! the dealings of many souls with Christ hardly go beyond this character. It is with all too often the case. In a word, when this happens the thought of sin having been admitted into the heart, our dealings with the Lord to be true must be on the ground of this sad admission of sin (in thought, at least). It is grace alone which allows us again to have to do with God. The fact that He restores us enhances His grace in our eyes; but this is not communion. When we walk with God, when we walk after the Spirit without grieving Him, He maintains us in communion, in the enjoyment of God, the positive source of joy-of an everlasting joy. This is a position in which He can occupy us-as being ourselves interested in all that interests Him-with all the development of His counsels, His glory, and His goodness, in the Person of Jesus the Christ, Jesus the Son of His love; and the heart is enlarged in the measure of the objects that occupy it. This is our normal condition. This, in the main, was the case with the Ephesians.

We have already remarked, that Paul was specially gifted of God to communicate His counsels and His ways in Christ; as John was gifted to reveal His character and life as it was manifested in Jesus. The result of this particular gift in our apostle is naturally found in the epistle we are considering. Nevertheless we, as being ourselves in Christ, find in it a remarkable development of our relationships with God, of the intimacy of those relationships, and of the effect of that intimacy. Christ is the foundation on which our blessings are built. It is as being in Him that we enjoy them. We thus become the actual and present object of the favour of God the Father, even as Christ Himself is its object. The Father has given us to Him; Christ has died for us, has redeemed, washed, and quickened us, and presents us, according to the efficacy of His work, and according to the acceptance of His Person, before God His Father. The secret of all the assembly's blessing is, that it is blessed with Jesus Himself; and thus-like Him, viewed as a man-is accepted before God; for the assembly is His body, and enjoys in Him and by Him all that His Father has bestowed on Him. Individually the Christian is loved as Christ on earth was loved; he will hereafter share in the glory of Christ before the eyes of the world, as a proof that he was so loved, in connection with the name of Father, which God maintains in regard to this (see John 17:23-26). Hence in general we have in this epistle the believer in Christ, not Christ in the believer, though that of course be true. It leads up to the privileges of the believer and of the assembly, more than to the fulness of Christ Himself, and we find more the contrast of this new position with what we were as of the world than development of the life of Christ: this is more largely found in Colossians, which looks more at Christ in us. But this epistle, setting us in Christ's relationship with God and the Father, and sitting in heavenly places, gives the highest character of our testimony here.

Now Christ stands in two relationships with God, His Father. He is a perfect man before His God; He is a Son with His Father. We are to share both these relationships. This He announced to His disciples ere He went back to heaven: it is unfolded in all its extent by the words He spoke, "I go to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." This precious-this inappreciable truth is the foundation of the apostle's teaching in this place. He considered God in this double aspect, as the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, and as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; and our blessings are in connection with these two titles.

But before attempting to set forth in detail the apostle's thought, let us remark that he begins here entirely with God, His thoughts and His counsels, not with what man is. We may lay hold of the truth, so to speak, by one or the other of two ends-by that of the sinner's condition in connection with man's responsibility, or by that of the thoughts and eternal counsels of God in view of His own glory. The latter is that side of the truth on which the Spirit here makes us look. Even redemption, all glorious as it is in itself, is consigned to the second place, as the means by which we enjoy the effect of God's counsels.

It was necessary that the ways of God should be considered on this side, that is, His own thoughts, not merely the means of bringing man into the enjoyment of the fruit of them. It is the epistle to the Ephesians which thus presents them to us; as that to the Romans, after saying it is God's goodness, begins with man's end, demonstrating the evil and presenting grace as meeting and delivering from it.

Footnotes

[1] The word translated "faithful" might be rendered "believers." It is used as a term of superscription both here and in the epistle to the Colossians. We must remember that the apostle was now in prison, and that Christianity had been established for some years, and was exposed to all kinds of attack. To say that one was a believer as at the beginning, was to say that he was faithful. The word then does not merely express that they believed, nor that each individual walked faithfully, but that the apostle addressed himself to those who by grace faithfully maintained the faith they had received.

¢w¢w John Darby¡mSynopsis of Ephesians¡n

 

Introduction to Ephesians

This epistle was written when St. Paul was a prisoner at Rome. The design appears to be to strengthen the Ephesians in the faith of Christ, and to give exalted views of the love of God, and of the dignity and excellence of Christ, fortifying their minds against the scandal of the cross. He shows that they were saved by grace, and that however wretched they once were, they now had equal privileges with the Jews. He encourages them to persevere in their Christian calling, and urges them to walk in a manner becoming their profession, faithfully discharging the general and common duties of religion, and the special duties of particular relations.

¢w¢w Matthew Henry¡mConcise Commentary on Ephesians¡n

                             
Ephesians General Review
                             
AUTHOR:  The apostle Paul (1:1; 3:1).  Early sources in church history
that attribute this letter to Paul include:  Irenaeus (200 A.D.),
Clement of Alexandria (200 A.D.), and Origen (250 A.D.).  Polycarp (125
A.D.) attests to its canonicity in his own epistle to the Philippians
(chapter 12).
 
THE RECIPIENTS:  There are reasons to believe that this epistle was not
designed for just one congregation, but intended to be passed around to
several churches in the area surrounding Ephesus.  The earliest
manuscripts do not contain the phrase "in Ephesus" (cf. 1:1).  The
epistle itself is in the form of a general treatise rather than as a
letter written to a specific church.  For example, there are no
specific exhortations or personal greetings.  It is thought by some
(Conybeare and Howson) that this letter is the epistle that was first
sent to Laodicea (cf. Co 4:16), and designed to be shared with other
churches, including Ephesus.  Because Ephesus was the leading city of
the region, and the main center of Paul's missionary activity in the
area (cf. Ac 19:1,8-10), it is understandable why later scribes might
have assigned this epistle to the church at Ephesus.  Without question
it was intended for "the saints ...and faithful in Christ Jesus." (1:1)
 
PAUL'S MINISTRY IN THE REGION:  Paul first came to Ephesus for a short
visit toward the end of his second missionary journey (Ac 18:18-19).
Located on the SW coast of Asia Minor (modern day Turkey), Ephesus was 
one of the great cities in that part of the world.  A Roman capital, it
was a wealthy commercial center and home for the worship of the goddess
Diana (cf. Ac 19:23-41).  Though Paul briefly studied with  the Jews at
the local synagogue and was invited to stay longer, he made plans to
visit them again after a quick trip to Jerusalem (Ac 18:20-21).
 
On his third missionary journey Paul made it back to Ephesus for an
extended stay of three years (cf. Ac 19:1,10; 20:31).  After his
initial success in converting twelve disciples of John (Ac 19:1-7),
Paul spent three months teaching in the local synagogue (Ac 19:8).
Resistance to his doctrine forced him to leave the synagogue, but he
was able to continue teaching in the school of Tyrannus for a period of
two years.  The end result is that the gospel spread from Ephesus
throughout Asia Minor (Ac 19:9-10).  A disturbance created by some of
the local idol makers finally forced Paul to leave Ephesus (Ac 19:23-
20:1).
 
Toward the end of his third journey, Paul stopped at nearby Miletus,
and met with the elders of the church at Ephesus.  Reminding them of 
his work with them, he charged them to fulfill their own 
responsibilities as overseers of the flock of God, and then bid them a 
tearful farewell (Ac 20:17-38).
 
TIME AND PLACE OF WRITING:  Ephesians is one of Paul's four "prison
epistles" (3:1; 4:1; 6:20; cf. Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon).
The general consensus is that these epistles were written during Paul's
imprisonment at Rome (cf. Ac 28:16,30-31).  If such is truly the case,
then Paul wrote Ephesians around 61-63 A.D. from Rome.  The indication 
is that the epistles to the Colossians, Philemon and the Ephesians were
carried to their destination by Tychicus and Onesimus (cf. 6:21-22; Co 
4:7-9; Phile 10-12).
 
PURPOSE OF THE EPISTLE:  Unlike other epistles written to specific
churches, this epistle does not deal with specific problems in a local
congregation.  Instead, Paul addressed great themes that pertain to the
Christian's position in Christ, as a member of the body of Christ, the
church. As expressed in his prayer for his readers, it was his desire
that they might know:
 
   * What is the hope of God's calling (1:18)
 
   * What are the glorious riches of God's inheritance in the saints
     (1:18)
 
   * What is God's great power toward those who believe (1:19)
 
In the first three chapters, Paul answers his own prayer by expounding
upon their spiritual blessings in Christ.  The last three chapters
focus on the conduct (or "walk", cf. 4:1,17; 5:2,8,15) expected of
those so richly blessed.  Therefore Paul writes to:
 
   * Remind Christians of their spiritual blessings in Christ (1:3)
 
   * Exhort Christians to have a "walk worthy of the calling with 
     which you were called" (4:1)
 
THEME OF THE EPISTLE:   A grand epistle like Ephesians almost defies
coming up with one main theme.  With its exalted view of the church in
God's plan of redemption, it is common to suggest the theme as "The
Church, The Fullness of Christ".  Another theme which does justice to
the content of the epistle and one that I suggest for this study is
that offered by Warren Wiersbe:
 
                   "THE BELIEVER'S RICHES IN CHRIST"
 
KEY VERSE:  Ephesians 1:3
 
   "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
   has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly
   places in Christ,"
 
OUTLINE:
 
(adapted from The Bible Exposition Commentary, Vol. 2, Warren W.
Wiersbe, p.7):
 
INTRODUCTION (1:1-2)
 
I. DOCTRINE:  OUR RICHES IN CHRIST (1:3-3:21)
 
   A. OUR SPIRITUAL POSSESSIONS IN CHRIST (1:3-14)
      1. From the Father (1:4-6)
      2. From the Son (1:7-12)
      3. From the Spirit (1:13-14)
      -- First Prayer:  for enlightenment (1:15-23)
 
   B. OUR SPIRITUAL POSITION IN CHRIST (2:1-22)
      1. Raised and seated on the throne (2:1-10)
      2. Reconciled and set into the temple (2:11-22)
      -- Second Prayer:  for enablement (3:1-21; with verses 2-13 as a
         parenthesis)
 
II. DUTY:  OUR RESPONSIBILITIES IN CHRIST (4:1-6:20)
 
   A. A CALL TO WALK IN UNITY (4:1-16)
      1. Preserving the unity of the Spirit with proper attitudes
         (4:1-7)
      2. Edifying the body of Christ by the grace given us (4:8-16)
 
   B. A CALL TO WALK IN PURITY (4:17-5:21)
      1. Walk not as other Gentiles (4:17-32)
      2. Walk in love (5:1-6)
      3. Walk as children of light (5:7-14)
      4. Walk as wise (5:15-21)
 
   C. A CALL TO WALK IN HARMONY (5:22-6:9)
      1. Husbands and wives (5:22-33)
      2. Parents and children (6:1-4)
      3. Masters and servants (6:5-9)
 
   D. A CALL TO WALK IN VICTORY (6:10-20)
      1. Standing strong in the power of the Lord (6:10-13)
      2. Equipped with the whole armor of God (6:14-20)
 
CONCLUSION (6:21-24)
 
REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR THE INTRODUCTION
 
1) To whom is this epistle addressed? (1:1)
   - The saints and faithful in Christ Jesus; actual identity uncertain
 
2) From where and when did Paul write Ephesians?
   - From Rome, sometime around 61-63 A.D.
 
3) What three other epistles were written about this time?  What are
   the four epistles sometimes called?
   - Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon
   - The "prison epistles"
 
4) When did Paul first come to Ephesus (Ac 18:19-22)
   - Toward the end of his second missionary journey
 
5) When and how long did he spend most of his time at Ephesus? (Ac 18:
   23; 19:1; 20:31)
   - On his third missionary journey; three years
 
6) For what three things did Paul pray that they might know? (1:15-19)
   - The hope of God's calling
   - The glorious riches of God's inheritance in the saints
   - God's great power toward those who believe
 
7) What is the two-fold purpose of this epistle? (1:3; 4:1)
   - To remind Christians of their spiritual blessings in Christ
   - To exhort Christians to have a "walk" worthy of their calling
 
8) What is the "theme" of this epistle, as suggested in the
   introduction?
   - The Believer's Riches In Christ
 
9) What serves as the "key verse" of this epistle?
   - Ephesians 1:3
 
10) According to the outline above, what are the two main divisions in
    this epistle?
   - Doctrine:  Our Riches In Christ
   - Duty:  Our Responsibilities In Christ

 

¡Ð¡Ð¡mExecutable Outlines¡n