In this article well be looking at the arguments offered on both sides. A commentary on the epistle to the ephesians by charles hodge. Paul gives thanks and prays for the ephesians ephesians 1. The church has long accepted that paul was the author of the letter to the ephesians. Ephesians sets forth what no other book of the new testament describes so completely the nature of the body of christ, which is the true church. Ephesians 1, new international version niv the bible app.
To teach the christians at ephesus the wonder and practical implications of being the church in christ. An outline of ephesians intended to enhance and assist your study of gods holy word his letter to you. It is therefore critical to understand the nature and calling of the church that we might be effective members of the one body that is called to bear witness to gods grace in this world. Kjv bible verses from ephesians offer free, online access, for those of the christian faith, to study scriptural passages for biblical studies, contained in. Read ephesians prayerfully, objectively, thoughtfully, and attentively as you listen for god to speak. Overview of the book of ephesians the letter opens with a sequence of statements about gods blessings, which are interspersed with a remarkable variety of expressions drawing attention to gods wisdom, forethought and purpose. Unlike several of the other letters paul wrote, ephesians does not address any particular error or heresy. The purpose of the book of ephesians was to warn the church elders about the false teachers that were teaching a false gospel and to maintain their first love that they held when they first became believers. Most probably ephesus, but a circular letter is also possible to the churches. He may not speak to you through every verse, but he will speak. Ephesians 3 niv bible for this reason i, paul, the. Paul authoritatively opens his letter as an apostle of jesus christ to the believing ephesians with a prayer that they may.
The fundamental principles of grace and mans responsibility to abide by gods laws are thoroughly revealed in the old testament. Ephesians 1, new king james version nkjv the bible app. Paul, an apostle of christ jesus by the will of god, to gods holy people in ephesus, the faithful in christ jesus. Once you know the main purpose of the book, it is extremely helpful to outline the book. Ephesians 1 niv paul, an apostle of christ jesus by the. Ephesians 16 nkjv greeting paul, an apostle of jesus. Ephesians colossians philippians philemon paul remained in ephesus for nearly three years on his 3rd missionary journey.
Ephesians bible book with full chapters king james version. Ephesians gives a refresher course in new testament doctrine and provides a practical blueprint for christian behavior. The key personalities of ephesians are the apostle paul and tychicus. Discouraged believers needed a reminder of gods grace and love of the blessings they had in jesus christ, and of their commitment to holiness. Commentary on the book of ephesians by matthew henry new. The book of ephesians is a masterpiece of revelation that bridges the principles of grace and obedience into one solid irremovable form.
As we continue in our faith from day to day, month to month, and year to year, the temptation to get comfortable will always exist. Jan 04, 2011 designed for the pastor and bible teacher, this series brings together commentary features rarely gathered together in one volume. Book summary ephesians reveals to us the great mystery of the church which is the body of christ. The church has received wondrous blessings in union with christ. Most books attribute the authorship to that of the apostle paul. Waldron copy right 2007 171 walden lane harriman, tn 37748 8653764453 permission granted to make copy without alteration and not for commercial purpose. Understanding the book of ephesians and bible study guide.
It often takes several readings which is also a good thing to do to craft an outline of the book, titling the main sections with something that makes sense to you. In live abundantly, bible teachers lenya heitzig and penny pierce rose challenge you to dig deep into the book of ephesians to find the spiritual treasure god has for you. The traditional view is that the apostle paul wrote the letter during his first roman imprisonment. Clicking on a chapter will show you the text of that chapter of ephesians in the bible king james version. From the epistle to this church, in the book of revelation, it appears that this prediction. He has imputed his righteousness to his body, for now we have been bought with a price and therefore no longer our own but all things are gods. The concept that the elect jews and gentiles compose the one family of god, the one holy nation, is a central theme of the book of ephesians. However, paul presented the gift of god in christ and the benefits we. The traditional idea, that god deals in one manner with the gentile christians and in another with the jewish christians, and that the races are identifiable in christ, has created havoc in the. When christ redeemed us from sin and death, he incorporated all believers into his body. This course is designed as an expository study of the epistle to the ephesians, taking the student through the entire epistle with cross references to other portions of scripture. Its authorship has traditionally been attributed to paul the apostle but starting in 1792, this has been challenged as deuteropauline, that is, written in pauls name by a later author strongly influenced by pauls thought, probably by a loyal.
It was the power that god used to raise jesus from death. What does it mean that we are gods workmanship in ephesians 2. Its origin has customarily been credited to paul the apostle however, beginning in 1792, this has been tested as deuteropauline, that is, composed in pauls name by a later creator. There has been some debate about whether this book was written to the ephesians or was a circular letter to various churches, because not all manuscripts include the words in ephesus. What does it mean that god is rich in mercy ephesians 2. Trials and journey from caesarea to rome felix was the procurator in caesarea from about 5258 ad two years in prison in caesarea festus was the procurator in caesarea from about 5962 ad paul sails to rome approximately 6 month. If you are going to study this important letter from paul i would strongly recommend this commentary as a companion text. Book of ephesians ephesians chapter 1 ephesians chapter 2 ephesians chapter 3 ephesians chapter 4 ephesians chapter 5 ephesians chapter 6. For other books, devotionals and bible studies by anne graham lotz. Style and genre in ephesians q m t qdonovan the authorship of ephesians is an increasingly open question in current discussion.
The book of ephesians week six workbook eeonline biblestudy. Mar 07, 2016 the book of ephesians speaks of several mysteries that are revealed to us. E phesians is one of the most encouraging books in the new testament. John macarthur takes readers on a journey through biblical texts to discover what lies beneath the surface, focusing on meaning and context, and then reflecting on the explored passage or concept. The book of ephesians is a prison epistle letter written while in prison. The book of ephesians hits on a wide range of moral and ethical behaviors, designed to ensure believers are living up to our heavenly calling. The mac arthur study guide series provides a twelve week, versebyverse. A study in the book of ephesians fresh life series 2nd edition by lenya heitzig author. What is the breastplate of righteousness ephesians 6.
Finally, be strong in the lord and in his mighty power. Reconciliation of jew and gentile through the cross 2. The book of ephesians tells how the gospel affects our everyday. Ephesians 1 niv paul, an apostle of christ jesus by the bible. For this reason i, paul, the prisoner of christ jesus for the sake of you gentiles surely you have heard about the administration of gods grace that was given to me for you. A salutation, and an account of saving blessings, as prepared in gods eternal election, as purchased by christs blood. Matthew henry 18 october 1662 22 june 1714 was an english commentator on the bible, who published his works in 1706, sixvolume exposition of the old and new testaments 17081710 or complete commentary, provides an exhaustive verse by verse study of the bible, covering the whole of the old testament, and the gospels and acts in the. The letter to the ephesian church is regarded as one of the masterworks of the nt, but it is also one of those books that the critics like to say wasnt authored by paul. The author there is little doubt that the apostle paul wrote the book of ephesians and likely around ad 62. Paul emphasizes that we have been saved, not only for our personal benefit, but also to bring praise and glory to god. We hope that you find the ephesians summary from the kjv bible chapters and verses helpful to your bible studies and for references as a guide to further reference to the book of ephesians. Paul the apostle writes to encourage believers to live wellweve been lifted from the graveyard of sin and called to shout the gospel into the darkened world. The book of ephesians chapter two workbook eeonline biblestudy. Grace and peace to you from god our father and the lord jesus christ.
What does it mean that satan is prince of the power of the air ephesians 2. It was during this time that paul sat in rome undergoing his first roman imprisonment ephesians 3. Based on the contents of the book, it appears as though pauls purpose for writing the book of ephesians was to remind the ephesian believers of their high calling in christ chapters and to exhort them to live up to that calling chapters 46. The traditional idea, that god deals in one manner with the gentile christians and in another with the jewish christians, and that the races are identifiable in christ, has created havoc in the interpretation of the scripturesparticularly the writings. The word is composed of two roots, peri around, and pateo walk. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal. Christ should stand up in full functioning form in his body the church just as he did in his human body in his incarnation. Praise for spiritual blessings in christ praise be to the god and father of our lord jesus christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in christ. Furthermore, in the final three chapters it unblushingly calls us to life that is in accord with this teaching. What is the readiness of the gospel of peace ephesians 6.
The symmetry between rich theology and applied living can hardly be matched. Through attempting to live a transformed life by the power of the holy spirit, the church in ephesus was immersed in an evil culture and surrounded by sin and pagan ways. Comprised of jews and nonjews, these followers form the covenant family god promised to abraham. Ephesians 1 commentary new testament matthew henry. The epistle to the ephesians, additionally called the letter to the ephesians and frequently abbreviated to ephesians, is the tenth book of the new testament. The book of ephesians reflects the marriage of life and doctrine in that it contains deep theological truth about gods nature and work in the first three chapters. Paul shows how the good news should create ethnically diverse communities that are unified by devotion to jesus and to each other. Kent hughes does a masterful job or really explaining ephesians, while also helping us understand the practical implications of the book. The book of ephesians until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the son of god and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of christ. And i pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all. I offer the following commentary and summary for ephesians in this article. Written by the apostle paul as a letter of encouragement and admonition. According to ephesians, christ and believers are seated in the heavenly places, the church bears witness to gods wisdom in the heavenly places, and the armor of god is made available for believers to battle against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places ephesians 6.
When he does, record the verse number, what it is he seems to be saying to you and your response to him in this final step. One of four prison epistles, along with philippians, colossians, and philemon. And you also were included in christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Paul intended that all who long for christlike maturity would receive this writing. God the father planned throughout history for jesus to create a multiethnic community of followers. This simple plan will take you through the book of ephesians and would be great for individual or group study. Ephesians devotional reading plan youversion bible. Ephesians intro to ephesians biblica the international bible. The book of ephesians is a letter written to the christians at ephesus.
Outline of the book of ephesians opening salutation ephesians 1. The letter is addressed to the church in the city of ephesus, capital of the roman province of asia. A study in the book of ephesians fresh life series heitzig, lenya on. The book of ephesians was very likely written between a. Through this letter, paul shows us our continual need for gods help and demonstrates that everything good we enjoy is an expression of his great love. A study in the book of ephesians fresh life series. Prayer for ephesians strength, praise to god ephesians. It was written to encourage believers to walk as fruitful followers of christ and to serve in unity and love in the midst of persecution. Walking through the book of ephesians by wayne jackson. We therefore welcome all the more warmly the following contribution to the debate which is based on a paper given to the tsf group in oxford.
These are all of the chapters of the book of ephesians. Doctrine occupies the greatest portion of the book of ephesians. The central organizing theological idea in ephesians is that through christs atoning work god has mightily brought about the churcha new humanity, i. Early sources in church history that attribute this letter to paul include. Book of ephesians overview insight for living ministries. You can find the best commentary on ephesians for you using the tools on the right side. The epistle to the ephesians, also called the letter to the ephesians and often shortened to ephesians, is the tenth book of the new testament. Ephesians encourages us to take a new perspective on our lives, one in which our work is an outgrowth of gods own work of creating the world and redeeming it from sin. The purpose is to assist the student in gaining a greater comprehension of the biblical teaching contained in. 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. Written by notable evangelical scholars, each volume in the zondervan exegetical commentary on the new testament series treats the literary context and structure of the passage in the original greek.
For a brief time at the end of his second missionary journey, and then for more than two years on his third missionary journey, paul. The others are philippians, colossians, and philemon. So, if a christian wants to think carefully about what heshe believes and then walk out their beliefs, ephesians is an excellent book to study. By mystery i meat that this book contains wonderful truths that had never been revealed before and are now being shown to us by the lord through the apostle paul. Put on the full armor of god so that you can take your stand against the devils schemes. We work in response to gods call to follow jesus in every aspect of our lives eph. Ephesians definition and meaning collins english dictionary. Paul uses the same words here power, strength and might. Bible biblestudytools video whats the purpose of the book of ephesians. The book of ephesians is a survival manualit equips believers to thrive in a world that hates the message of jesus christ. Upon completion of the study, it is recommended that you discuss your answers and insights with other bible students who also completed the workbook.
An introduction to the book of ephesians an argument of the book of ephesians selected bibliography on the book of ephesians. Watch our overview video on the book of ephesians, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. The book of ephesians grace given and grace applied an introduction and outline authorship. The intention of the letter to ephesus is to help them understand gods purpose for their lives, unity of the church, and the spiritual realm of the christian life. The epistle to the ephesians introduction author the apostle paul 1. Youve never experienced the power of romans 8 quite like this stephen sanders. The body must be whole and complete, and thats why in ephesians 4 it says, till we all come to the fullness of the stature of christ. Mar 31, 2020 what does it mean to be strong in the lord in ephesians 6. This letter, in many ways, is the crowning glory of the new testament. The greek verb peripateo, rendered walk in the english bible, is found 96 times in the new testament. Is salvation by faith alone, or by faith plus works. Tom constables expository notes on ephesians this is also available in the net. This document has been generated from xsl extensible stylesheet language source with renderx xep formatter, version 3. In the book of ephesians, we see how the gospel story affects believers everyday lives.
The book of ephesians grace given and grace applied an. The church has been brought from death to life in christ. Covering topics such as living in gods will and receiving peace no matter the circumstances, the book of ephesians reveals the magnitude of every christians inheritance, a gift exceedingly abundantly above what. The book of ephesians free online bible study lessons. Enclosed within the book of ephesians is the discipline needed to develop into true children of god.
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