What was hidden throughout the ages was revealed to us when christ came. The book of ephesians tells how the gospel affects our. The church of jesus christ is now the spiritual body of believers who represent christ on earth. When christ redeemed us from sin and death, he incorporated all believers into his body.
Ive found that as i study through the book, the outline might be tweaked and changed a bit, but this gives me an overview of the book which helps when im studying through the book itself. Overview of the book of ephesians safe harbor church. An outline of ephesians intended to enhance and assist your study of gods holy word his letter to you. Dec, 2008 ephesians is a profound book, and our own dr. Ephesians is the great pauline letter about the church. Overview of the book of ephesians reformed answers to. Recovering the power that made christianity revolutionary, and stop asking jesus into your heart.
The fundamental principles of grace and mans responsibility to abide by gods laws are thoroughly revealed in the old testament. Samuel taylor coleridge, the hymnwriter, wrote these words about the book of ephesians he said. Listen to chuck swindolls overview of ephesians in his audio message from the classic series gods masterwork. Ephesians with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. He realized that christ came to unite himself with man, and unity was the core purpose of the book of ephesians. Abbott, a critical and exegetical commentary on the epistles to the ephesians and to the colossians, icc, pp. We work in response to gods call to follow jesus in every aspect of our lives eph. Public activity ceased in the cities of ionia for several hours at.
The first half of the letter focuses on the ephesians calling. 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. Is homosexuality worse than the other sins listed in. Second, god has reconciled these saved individuals to each other, christ having broken down the barriers through his own death 2.
First, god has reconciled individuals to himself as an act of grace 2. The western text indicates that paul had the use of the building from 11 a. Sproul has himself written a very helpful introductory level commentary on it titled the purpose of god. The key personalities of ephesians are the apostle paul and tychicus. Book of first corinthians overview insight for living. What does it mean that we are gods workmanship in ephesians 2. If you want more, ive linked to quick, 3minute guides to every book of the bible, too. 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 new testament. God the father planned throughout history for jesus to create a multiethnic community of followers.
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. Bruce, in his commentary on the book of acts, provides us with some interesting information on the school of tyrannus. What does it mean that satan is prince of the power of the air ephesians 2. Verse by verse through the book of ephesians 2008 click on audio, video or notes to open up the file for each message.
What does it mean that god is rich in mercy ephesians 2. Here we have yet another letter from the apostle paul. Greear is the lead pastor of the summit church in the raleighdurham area of north carolina. The intention of the letter to ephesus is to help them. Ephesians 16 nkjv greeting paul, an apostle of jesus. Paul instructs the church that christianity is for all men. The book of ephesians uses love more than any other book in the new testament except for 1 corinthians and 1 john. 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. I offer the following commentary and summary for ephesians in this article. 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. Sproul examines these important topics and demonstrates why they are. Paul then moves to the principle of submission to one another eph 5.
What is pure and undefiled religion according to james 1. Paul explains the mystery of the church and gives practical insight into living as believers. During this time he also wrote colossians and philemon. The below chart will help underline and point out these similarities. Strongs exhaustive concordance of the bible, numbered to the hebrew, chaldee, and greek, and english, coded to. This time, pauls writing to the church in ephesus and, boy, does he have a lot to say. The key personalities of ephesians are the apostle paul. A brief synopsis the famous bible stories found in the scriptural text of the book of ephesians contained in this short summary of ephesians.
The situation of ephesus, and the character of its people. Most books attribute the authorship to that of the apostle paul. Early sources in church history that attribute this letter to paul include. This is a lot to take in, so if you want to start with baby steps, check out this list of the shortest books of the bible. Eight of these book are letters to local churches like the one in ephesus. This summary of the book of ephesians provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of 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. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Sprouls work, the following are five of the most helpful commentaries on the book of ephesians. Summary of the book of ephesians story of the bible. 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 ministered to the church at ephesus acts 18.
The book of ephesians is a beautiful revelation of the church and the spiritual blessings we have in christ jesus. Tyrannus no doubt held his classes in the early morning. This would further seem to suggest, as i have believed, that not only did paul write the book of colossians, but that he wrote colossians before writing the book of ephesians. It was the capital of proconsular asia, being about a mile from the sea coast, and was the great religious, commercial and political center of asia. Brief summary of ephesians the kjv bible scriptures the content of ephesians according to the kjv bible scriptures contains a short overview of the main subjects, people, events and ancient topics in. Epistle to the ephesians read the bible online bible study tools. 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. The first six chapters speak of the pleasure of god in his own person, and in the outworking of his plans and purposes, especially in the sending of the son to provide salvation for lost sinners. Comprised of jews and nonjews, these followers form the covenant family god promised to abraham.
Book of ephesians ephesians chapter 1 ephesians chapter 2 ephesians chapter 3 ephesians chapter 4 ephesians chapter 5 ephesians chapter 6. Paul wrote the letter to the ephesians sometime in ad 6061, around the same time he wrote colossians and philemon, as he sent all three letters by the hand. Ephesians pastor david legge 4 grace be to you, and peace, from god our father, and from the lord jesus christ. Bible biblestudytools video whats the purpose of the book of ephesians. The purpose of this paper is to give a brief overview the new testament book, ephesians. Paul intended that all who long for christlike maturity. All 66 books of the bible in easy, onesentence summaries. Paul intended that all who long for christlike maturity would receive this writing. Ephesians 1, new international version niv the bible app.
The church has been brought from death to life in christ. Enclosed within the book of ephesians is the discipline needed to develop into true children of god. Ephesians overview albert barnes notes on the whole bible. Ephesians and colossians summary the epistle to the ephesians. 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. Mar 31, 2020 what does it mean that satan is prince of the power of the air ephesians 2. Overview of the book of ephesians the book of ephesians is a masterpiece of revelation that bridges the principles of grace and obedience into one solid irremovable form. Ephesians colossians philippians philemon paul remained in ephesus for nearly three years on his 3rd missionary journey. I recommend this volume to anyone who is not familiar with the basic themes of this epistle. While paul was in prison he had been thinking about his work as an apostle. 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. Is salvation by faith alone, or by faith plus works.
Paul wrote to expand the horizons of his readers, so that they might understand better the dimensions of gods eternal purpose and grace and come to appreciate the high goals god has for the church. You may remember him from such new testament letters as romans and 1 corinthians. Intro to ephesians biblica the international bible society. The church has received wondrous blessings in union with christ.
Summary of the book of ephesians summary of hebrews. This is a lot to take in, so if you want to start with baby steps. Unlike several of the other letters paul wrote, ephesians does not address any particular error or heresy. Pauls authorship of this epistle is widely accepted in the scholarly community, though it was not the first letter paul wrote to the corinthian people see 1 corinthians 5. To teach the christians at ephesus the wonder and practical implications of being the church in christ. Commentary on the book of ephesians by matthew henry new. It deals, however, not so much with a congregation in the city of ephesus in asia minor as with the worldwide church, the head of which is christ, the purpose of which is to be the instrument for making gods plan of salvation known throughout the universe eph 3. This letter, in many ways, is the crowning glory of the new testament. 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. The book of ephesians is a prison epistle letter written while in prison. Theyre listed in the order they show up in the protestant bible. All three letters were sent with tychicus and onesimus. Paul emphasizes that we have been saved, not only for our personal benefit, but also to bring praise and glory to god. Number of chapters in each book book of mormon chapter summaries 8 terms.
The aim of this epistle is to confirm and to equip a maturing church. Furthermore, a study in ephesians will help to fortify and to establish the believer so he can fulfill the purpose and calling god has given. Check out the ephesians bible study trailer below for an overview. This summary of the book of ephesians provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and. Overview of the book of ephesians overview author the book of ephesians was written by the apostle paul 1. 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. This epistle purports to have been written to the saints in ephesus, and to the faithful in christ jesus, though, as we shall see, the fact of its having been directed to the church at ephesus has been called in question. Paul doesnt specify a specific heresy but does seem to want them to be identified with christ and one in a sense of purpose. The book of ephesians is a letter written to the christians at ephesus. Strongs exhaustive concordance of the bible, numbered to the hebrew, chaldee, and greek, and english, coded to the strongs concordance numbers. Ephesians verse by verse teaching in the book of ephesians.
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. Ive written a onesentence overview of every book of the bible. Book of ephesians overview insight for living ministries. In the book of ephesians, we see how the gospel story affects believers everyday lives.
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