Prayer for their fuller enlightenment, ephesians 1. Intro to ephesians biblica the international bible society. Summary of the book of ephesians summary of hebrews. Doctrinal, chapters 1 3 the heavenly calling of the church. Book of ephesians overview insight for living ministries. Outline adapted from the bible exposition commentary, vol. 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. Why is ephesians no longer considered to be written by.
The book of ephesians is a prison epistle letter written while in prison. The book of ephesians outline as shown below from the wycliffe bible commentary. The book of philippians was written by paul and delivered by. If ephesians is not by paul, but was written sometime after his death, then of course peter could not have written 1 peter, since the author apparently depends so much on ephesians.
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. In my library are many commentaries on the book of ephesians. And i pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all. And as you remember, every sentence has one main point. Sprouls work, the following are five of the most helpful commentaries on the book of ephesians. However, paul presented the gift of god in christ and the benefits we. Early sources in church history that attribute this letter to paul include.
Ephesians 5 commentary commentary critical and explanatory. 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. Now id like to conclude this introductory message by sharing with you the best outline of ephesians ive ever found. You can find the best commentary on ephesians for you using the tools on the right side. Ephesus was a city of ionia, in asia minor, and once the metropolis of that part of the world. Ephesians free bible study commentary in simple english. Twelve lessons to study under the guidance of beloved pastor and teacher. Understanding the book of ephesians and bible study guide. If such is truly the case, then paul wrote colossians around 6163 a. The letter was hand delivered by tychicus ephesians 6. Having explained gods great goals for the church, paul proceeds to show the steps toward their fulfillment. Paul began here in the manner of all writers of his time with a salutation ephesians 1. The others were philippians, colossians, and philemon.
Preface to the epistle of paul the apostle to the ephesians. I recommend this volume to anyone who is not familiar with the basic themes of this epistle. Im hungry for more id love to read him on any other nt book as well. Second, god has reconciled these saved individuals to each other, christ having broken down the barriers through his own death 2. Call gods people to live in light of our heavenly calling in christ. First, god has reconciled individuals to himself as an act of grace 2. The book of ephesians is a masterpiece of revelation that bridges the principles of grace and obedience into one solid irremovable form.
As a pastor and preacher for 32 years, as a lover of books, and as a lover of people, i find arnolds ephesians simply the finest commentary on the book i have ever seen. Colossians is one of pauls four prison epistles col 4. Theme the letter describes gods plan for mans salvation, with emphasis on the role of the church. Ephesians zondervan exegetical commentary on the new. Paul wrote this letter to the church at ephesus, which he had led for over two years acts 19. 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. The fundamental principles of grace and mans responsibility to abide by gods laws are thoroughly revealed in the old testament. A free bible version and commentary on the letter to the ephesians in. The book of ephesians is a beautiful revelation of the church and the spiritual blessings we have in christ jesus. His introduction to the tenth book of the new testament covers its content and form, its relationship to colossians, the time. His introduction to the tenth book of the new testament covers its content and form, its relationship to colossians, the time and place of its writing, and its intended audience. 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. Broken down in a way to gleam the main topics and themes of this book.
Why is ephesians no longer considered to be written by paul. 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. Date of the book of colossians there is evidence that the books of colossians, philemon, and ephesians were all carried to their destinations by tychicus and onesimus cf. The author except for the pastorals, ephesians has the worst credentials for authenticity, in critical circles, among all of pauls epistles. A brief outline enables us to understand the whole book. If you were to complete a diagrammatical analysis of the long sentence of ephesians 2. Ephesians chapters wonderfully expound the gospel while ephesians chapters 46 provide a clear picture of how those doctrines change our lives. Easyenglish is a system of simple english designed by wycliffe associates uk. 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.
So weve looked at the basic message and structure of the book, and at its historical background. I offer the following commentary and summary for ephesians in this article. This letter, in many ways, is the crowning glory of the new testament. The book of ephesians is a beautiful revelation of our spiritual. A bible study in easyenglish 2800 word vocabulary on the book of ephesians. Note that some aspects of my theology have changed since i taught these studies. 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. 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. Ephesians colossians philippians philemon paul remained in ephesus for nearly three years on his 3rd missionary journey. 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. Paul explains the mystery of the church and gives practical insight into living as believers.
Outline for the book of ephesians summary of hebrews. The largest is by two 17th century puritan writers. A salutation, and an account of saving blessings, as prepared in gods eternal election, as purchased by christs blood. The book of ephesians is in the bibles new testament. Copeland hundreds of free sermon outlines and bible study materials available for online browsing and downloading. A more extensive outline after this one helps understand how the many parts form the whole. When paul wrote the book of ephesians, paul was in prison. An outline of ephesians intended to enhance and assist your study of gods holy word his letter to you. One of the kingpins in this argument is the assumption of a late date for ephesians. The teachers outline and study bible has everything anyone needs to study, lead, or teach a 3040 minute verse by verse bible study or small group. Summary page for preaching outline and commentary on the book of ephesians including big idea statement and some notable quotes. There are, however, some texts that require careful thought to rightly interpret, namely. The book is address by paul to the church at ephesus.
The general theology of ephesians is direct, unambiguous, and presents no ideas or interpretations whose meanings are seriously contended. The book of ephesians is almost certainly one of four epistles that paul wrote during his first imprisonment. 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, a study guide from the executable outlines series by mark a. E phesians is one of the most encouraging books in the new testament. 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. Doctrinal, chapters 1 3 the heavenly calling of the church vocalization. His farewell speech to the ephesian elders acts 20. Ephesians is often called the epistle without a context. For the sake of the glory of god and the evangelization of the world, nothing is more important than the church becoming gods new society. Some have taken the absence of the usual personal greetings. There is no obvious social issue in a specific church that the author is trying to address, which again differs wildly from pauls letters.
Click here for sermons on other books of the bible. The former manner of life of the ephesians, ephesians 2. What was hidden throughout the ages was revealed to us when christ came. May 12, 2017 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 clearly leaves its mark among other bible books by displaying the powerful impact of the gospel of christ jesus in the individual and corporate life of believers. Ephesians seems to depend on colossians, which many scholars regard as pseudonymous as well. The many features include literary context, outline of each section, a paragraph stating the main idea, translation and block diagram, literary structure, exegetical outline, all followed by explanatory commentary and then a theology in application section. Paul spent more than two years in the city, preaching the gospel to jew and gentile, ministering with power and building up the church there. 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. The book is quite similar in many ways to colossians, but that book places more emphasis on the work of christ, where this book emphasizes more the involvement of the church. Ephesians executable outline study resources blue letter bible.
The epistle to the ephesians introduction author the apostle paul 1. Murrays notes on the greek text are indispensible for reading ephesians in its original language. Once you know the main purpose of the book, it is extremely helpful to outline the book. In particular, parallels with romans and ephesians are quite noticeable. See my blog series on theology for more about these changes.
Paul gives thanks and prays for the ephesians ephesians 1. The book provides historical depth wherever it is needed to illuminate the text of ephesians. Sproul has himself written a very helpful introductory level commentary on it titled the purpose of god. Pastor steven cole sermons ephesians pastor steven. 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. Some of the sermons on ephesians also contain mp3 audio files. Paul wrote the letter to the ephesians sometime in ad 6061, around the same. 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. Bible commentaries adam clarke commentary ephesians. Here is a short and succinct outline of the book of ephesians. 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 key personalities of ephesians are the apostle paul and tychicus. Ephesians 1 commentary james burton coffman commentaries on. Book of ephesians outline free online bible study lessons.
They must be like his feet to take his gospel to all the people in the world. The book of ephesians sets forth gods eternal purpose to create through jesus christ a new society which stands out in bright relief against the somber background of the old world. As wood remarks, he could afford to be more reflective. 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 general consensus is that these epistles were written during pauls imprisonment at rome cf. Paul was excited about gods good gifts ephesians 1. This page contains sermons on ephesians i taught while i was a pastor from 20002005. The churchs relation to christ in his everlasting purpose, is the foundation and archetype of the three greatest of earthly relations, that of husband and wife ephesians 5. Christ did get baptized for an example,but as the book of hebrews says in hebrews 9.