For we are gods workmanship, created in christ jesus to do good works, which god prepared in advance for us to do. Paul introduces his epistle to the ephesians with an affirmation of his apostleship through the will of god. Swindolls living insights new testament commentary. The book of revelation was written to the church at ephesus, warning them to regain their first love. Paul wrote the letter to the ephesians sometime in ad 6061, around the. Some bible scholars call it the alps of new testament, the grand canyon of scripture, and the royal capstone because of its grand theme and the revelation about jesus. This letter is one of pauls four imprisonment letters. God the father planned throughout history for jesus to create a multiethnic community of followers. A brief outline enables us to understand the whole book.
The church has long accepted that paul was the author of the letter to the ephesians. Summary summary of the book of ephesians 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. It was at ephesus that john saw cerinthus, an early heretic in the church who denied the incarnation, at a public bath. A brief history of ephesus and bible references to the city will prove profitable in understanding the contents of the book. The book of ephesians is a beautiful revelation of our spiritual blessings. Early sources in church history that attribute this letter to paul include. Ephesians 5 commentary commentary critical and explanatory. Second, god has reconciled these saved individuals to each other, christ having broken down the barriers through his own death 2. Luke records in acts that paul spent two years in ephesus see acts 19. Outline of ephesians an outline of ephesians intended to enhance and assist your study of gods holy word his letter to you. The author except for the pastorals, ephesians has the worst credentials for authenticity, in critical circles, among all of pauls epistles.
However, paul presented the gift of god in christ and the benefits we. The book of ephesians grace given and grace applied an. The epistle to the ephesians chapter one objectives in studying the chapter 1. Book of ephesians outline summary online bible nwt. Prior to writing his epistle to the ephesians in 6061 ad, paul had an established ministry in ephesus. While paul was in prison he had been thinking about his work as an apostle. 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. Paul gives thanks and prays for the ephesians ephesians 1. Carver said, ephesians is the greatest piece of writing in all of history. Summary of the book of ephesians story of the bible. We are reminded to put on the new self created to be like god in true.
The book of ephesians is a letter from paul to christians at ephesus. Ephesians chapters wonderfully expound the gospel while ephesians chapters 46 provide a clear picture of how those doctrines change our lives. The author of the book of ephesus was the apostle paul. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. The letter was hand delivered by tychicus ephesians 6. According to new testament scholar daniel wallace, the theme may be stated pragmatically as. Ephesians executable outline study resources blue letter bible. A summary, synopsis or recap is a shortened version of the original. Ephesians summary we have detailed a brief summary of the book of ephesians for bible study or sunday school lessons.
A more extensive outline after this one helps understand how the many parts form the whole. The book is address by paul to the church at ephesus. But without the references to the whole armour of god and the foundation of the church being built upon the apostles. Upon completion of the study, it is recommended that you discuss your answers and insights with other bible students who also completed the workbook. The book of ephesians outline as shown below from the wycliffe bible commentary. Consider, then, this very simplistic outline of the content of ephesians, remembering that this epistle is the waterloo of commentators. Enclosed within the book of ephesians is the discipline needed to develop into true. Book of colossians outline summary online bible nwt. Ephesus was the chief city of the coastal area of asia minor. Paul had passed two whole years at ephesus, acts 19. The book of ephesians free online bible study lessons.
Outline of ephesians chapters 1 3 our position in christ what we are before god 1. This epistle was not written to a specific church and could be themed the church, the fullness of christ. The church of jesus christ is now the spiritual body of believers who represent christ on earth. First, god has reconciled individuals to himself as an act of grace 2. Prior to writing his epistle to the ephesians in 6061 ad, paul had an established ministry in. It was written around 60ad during pauls house arrest in rome. He realized that christ came to unite himself with man, and unity was the core purpose of the book of ephesians. The indication is that the epistles to the colossians, philemon and the ephesians were carried to their destination by tychicus and onesimus cf. Some have taken the absence of the usual personal greetings. Ephesians is not like 1 corinthians, which concerns itself primarily with the situation of one local congregation. Book of ephesians ephesians chapter 1 ephesians chapter 2 ephesians chapter 3 ephesians chapter 4 ephesians chapter 5 ephesians chapter 6. The book of ephesians is held in great reverence by both biblical scholars and lay people. 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. Doctrine occupies the greatest portion of the book of ephesians.
Feb 07, 2015 the author of the book of ephesus was the apostle paul. 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 book of ephesians hits on a wide range of moral and ethical behaviors. Stalker termed them the profoundest thing ever written. The entire book is divided into three sections with each section.
The book of ephesians was very likely written between a. An outline of ephesians intended to enhance and assist your study of gods holy word his letter to you. Doctrinal, chapters 1 3 the heavenly calling of the church vocalization. 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. Call gods people to live in light of our heavenly calling in christ.
Paul, an apostle of christ jesus through the will of god, to the saints that are at ephesus, and the faithful in christ jesus. Paul having preached for a considerable length of time at ephesus, the history is confirmed by the two epistles to the corinthians, and by the two epistles to timothy. It may well be the most influential document ever written. To begin with, the epistle to the ephesians may be improperly titled, which creates a difficulty in its opening verses. 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. Paul spent more time there than any other city about three years. 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. Outline of pauls letter to the ephesians an introduction to the letter.
Summary of the book of ephesians summary of hebrews. Watch our overview video on the book of ephesians, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Waymentapart from a few memorable phrases, the epistle to the ephesians often passes by our attention without significant notice or comment. Colossians bible study outlinecontents by chapter and verse. The story of the bible the new testament summary of the epistle to the ephesians. Ephesians 46 focus on the glory of god in mans obedience to the gospelthe glory of god through his church. Book of ephesians outline free online bible study lessons. Ephesians bible study outlinecontents by chapter and verse. Paul intended that all who long for christlike maturity would receive this writing. Having explained gods great goals for the church, paul proceeds to show the steps toward their fulfillment. Ephesians offers general instruction in the truths of gods redemptive work in christ. Detailed outline of the book of ephesians bible blender november 10, 2010 detailed outline of the book of ephesians 20171014t10.
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. Thorough research includes historical context, word studies, outline, and commentary designed to make your study and teaching preparation easy. The book of ephesians chapter two workbook eeonline biblestudy. The book of ephesians grace given and grace applied an introduction and outline authorship. The book of ephesians is a prison epistle letter written while in prison. Most early writers spoke of the epistle as having been addressed to the ephesians. Detailed outline of the book of ephesians bible blender.
Book of ephesians overview insight for living ministries. The grandeur of the ancient city of ephesus stands as a stark contrast to this rather small epistle. The end result is that the gospel spread from ephesus throughout asia minor ac. The epistle to the ephesians introduction author the apostle paul 1. The book of ephesians tells how the gospel affects our. One of the features of this book, that distinguishes it from other pauline epistles, is its universal character. Ephesians describes the church as gods new humanity, a colony in which the lord of history has established a foretaste of the renewed unity and dignity of the human race eph. It is interesting to note and observe that while the new testament often refers to the church, it does not speak of going to church. 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. Doctrinal, chapters 1 3 the heavenly calling of the church vocalization a. Specific instructions for christian living ephesians 4. 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.
What stands out about ephesians is the awe with which it contemplates the mystery of the church. Intro to ephesians biblica the international bible society. In the book of ephesians, we see how the gospel story affects believers everyday lives. The key personalities of ephesians are the apostle paul and tychicus. Ephesus was a world city of the day much like chicago, hong kong, amsterdam, or new york of our day. Summary of the book of ephesians bible history online. The argument against ephesians authenticity, however, rests exclusively on internal evidence, for as even kummel admits, without question ephesians was extraordinarily well attested in the early church. Paul has written nothing more profound than chapters 1 to 3 of ephesians, writes a. Ephesians deals with matters of perspective that are important to all churches of all periods of church history. Commentary on the bible and the jerome biblical commentary recognize the difficulties in maintaining pauline authorship.
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