Ephesians in the picture study bible the book of ephesians. In the seventh chapter of the third book of his testimonies, he speaks of the apostle paul writing to the ephesians and then proceeds to quote ephesians 4. Goodspeeds epochmaking book, the meaning of ephesians. One expressed purpose of the book is that we might know what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints cf. Outline for the book of ephesians here is a short and succinct outline of the book of ephesians. Against the view that ephesians is a tract or an introduction to the pauline corpus, we find in it several characteristics of other pauline epistles. Full of living revelation, it simply drips with the anointing of the holy spirit. John knox asked that calvins sermons on ephesians be read to him on his deathbed. Lest we become the spiritual equivalent of hetty green, we begin a series devoted to the epistle. Of all forms of literature, letters are more personal. Study the bible online using commentary on ephesians introduction and more. Intro to ephesians biblica the international bible society. 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. Ephesians was written to teach us all about whom we are in jesus christ.
Although colossians is similar to ephesians, it is brief while the book of ephesians is much more articulate and extensive. Ephesians is an epistle which means it has a three part structure. Ephesians was a circular letter intended for a number of churches in the ephesus region. The purpose of this essay is to explore the book of ephesians by commenting on critical issues, such as date, authorship, and setting, major theological themes, the purpose of the letter, and to offer an outline of the book itself. 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. Early sources in church history that attribute this letter to paul include. Bible book outlines here you can find outlines for every book of the bible, including an extra, more detailed outline for 2 chronicles. Paul emphasizes that we have been saved, not only for our personal benefit, but also to bring praise and glory to god. This book sets forth one of the clearest presentations on the relation between positional truth and experiencing positional truth in ones life. Grace is behind all of this lavishness that god pours out. One cannot step over the threshold of this letter into the book of ephesians without being inundated with thoughts of gods mercy and grace. The author except for the pastorals, ephesians has the worst credentials for authenticity, in critical circles, among all of pauls epistles. Here is a short and succinct outline of the book of ephesians.
The book of ephesians outline as shown below from the wycliffe bible commentary. In other words, god is unloading all of his riches in the book of ephesians. The book of ephesians grace given and grace applied an. 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. This is why letters such as the one to the ephesians are incredibly important. Ephesians bible study outline contents by chapter and verse. The key personalities of ephesians are the apostle paul and tychicus. Ephesians is a book that combats this and therefore the letter has been given such titles as the believers bank, the christians checkbook, and the treasure house of the bible. The book of ephesians grace given and grace applied an introduction and outline authorship. Ephesians small group series lesson 1 introduction to. The message of paul fell on fertile soil in ephesus, so paul made that city a center of evangelism for three years ac 19. Paul probably sent the letter to laodicea and other cities in the region. 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.
All three letters were sent with tychicus and onesimus. Introduction to the book of ephesians one cannot step over the threshold of this letter into the book of ephesians without being inundated with thoughts of gods mercy and grace. The apostle paul wrote this letter to the churches in ephesus and the surrounding region c. Ephesians is full of life and its words reach higher in christian thought than any letter in our new testament. Ephesians introduction, good news bible gnb the bible app. Ephesians, expository sermons from the executable outlines series by mark a. A brief outline enables us to understand the whole book. Ephesians executable outline study resources blue letter bible. Book of ephesians outline summary online bible nwt. An indepth versebyverse bible study series of pauls letter to the ephesians. Introduction to the book of ephesians introduction. According to the outline above, what are the five main subject divisions in this epistle. Paul gives thanks and prays for the ephesians ephesians 1.
Paul instructs the church that christianity is for all men, jews, gentiles, male female, bond, free, all are united in christ. Ephesians introduction commentary commentary critical and. Prayer for ephesians strength, praise to god ephesians. Introduction from the niv study bible go to ephesians. A historical introduction to the early christian writings. In this first sermon, i want to introduce the book and tell you about some of the great truths we will uncover here. 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. The book of ephesians is a prison epistle letter written while in prison. And how to use what he has given us for the glory of god.
John calvin called ephesians his favorite book of the bible. Pauls letter to the ephesians is concerned first of all with gods plan to bring all creation together, everything in heaven and on earth, with christ as head. 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. Essay about letter to the ephesians 1186 words bartleby. The truths of this book have impacted the lives of many saints. The apostle paul, joined in his salutation by timothy, and signed. This beautiful letter tells christians of their great riches, inheritances, and fullness in jesus christ and in his church. I asked and you voted, so welcome to the study of ephesians. Ephesians, more than any other book, presents the purpose and plan of god for the church.
Outline of the book of ephesians opening salutation ephesians 1. Where most of pauls letters are addressed to churches facing specific issues dealing with belief and practice, this isnt the case with 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. An outline of ephesians intended to enhance and assist your study of gods holy word his letter to you. Whats the importance of the studying of the date of a given book gospels, epistlse, etc. John calvin called it his favorite book of the bible.
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. Video video download options bible book introduction videos share. In the next century we find origen, in his tract on prayer, expressly referring to a statement found in the epistle to the ephesians. Book of ephesians overview insight for living ministries. In the fourth book of his stromata, quoting ephesians 5. The book is address by paul to the church at ephesus. Call gods people to live in light of our heavenly calling in christ. Ephesians intro to ephesians biblica the international bible.
Book of ephesians outline free online bible study lessons. In the book of ephesians, the apostle paul highlights christian unity and the need to go on walking in love and to stand firm against the crafty acts of the devil. 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 practical part tells us how god expects us to behave as christians in the world. This webpage provides a book of ephesians outline as provided by the wycliffe bible commentary. Visit my outline article on ephesians or read a short summary of each chapter. Introduction, indicating the sender, the receiver of the letter, and a greeting, 2. Doctrinal, chapters 1 3 the heavenly callingof the church vocalization a. 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. There is nothing more interesting in the new testament than the letters of paul. During this time he also wrote colossians and philemon. Introduction to the book of ephesians juli camarin february 24, 2015 introduction. The word grace is used 12 times, and the word grace means gods unmerited, undeserved kindness and favor.
Such believers are in danger of suffering from spiritual malnutrition, because they do not take advantage of the great storehouse of spiritual nourishment and resources that is at their disposal. However, paul presented the gift of god in christ and the benefits we. The peculiarities of ephesians and the ephesian address. Read ephesians introduction commentary using commentary critical and explanatory on the whole bible. Call gods people to live in light of our heavenly calling in christ jesus.
Outline of pauls letter to the ephesians an introduction to the letter. The general consensus is that these epistles were written during pauls imprisonment at rome. Ephesus was the third largest city in the roman empire population 250,000 in what is today. The book of ephesians gives practical, encouraging advice on living a life that honors god, which is why its still relevant in a conflictridden world. An overview of ephesians then an outline of ephesians. Introduction to the book of ephesians faithlife sermons. I am so thankful that these letters, such as this letter to the ephesians, have been carefully preserved and passed down to us.
Ephesians pastor david legge 4 grace be to you, and peace, from god our father, and from the lord jesus christ. This book emphasizes the preeminence of jesus christ as our means for salvation. Have you ever wondered how so much heretical teaching infiltrated the early church. Ephesians introduction, the passion translation tpt the. Video series bible book introduction videos english bible book introduction videos. Ephesians is an epistle from the apostle paul to the church of ephesus. A more extensive outline after this one helps understand how the many parts form the whole. The book of ephesians purpose and outlines shows why paul wrote this epistle and how he developed his messsage. The church has long accepted that paul was the author of the letter to the ephesians.
Paul, timothy, and silas helped to establish or strengthen the church on pauls 3 rd mission trip into asia minor. The epistle to the ephesians table of contents introduction 3 chapter one 7 chapter two 11 chapter three 14 chapter four 18 chapter five 22 chapter six 27 this study guide was developed in preparation for teaching adult bible classes. Introduction to ephesians bible exposition commentary. Overview and outline of ephesians bible study deeper. After the reading of the controversies in corinth and pauls fiery epistle to the galatians, the letter to the ephesians seems quite benign and calm. Most early writers spoke of the epistle as having been addressed to the ephesians. The author except for the pastorals, ephesians has the worst. The epistle to the ephesians introduction author the apostle paul 1. Samuel coleridge called it the most divine composition of man 2. I have described it as the believers position in christ. Unlike many of pauls letters, this epistle isnt problem oriented. In lesson one, we look at an overview and outline of the book of ephesians.
The book of ephesians is written to christians who might be prone to treat their spiritual resources much like hetty green treated her financial resources. Abbott, a critical and exegetical commentary on the epistles to the ephesians and to the colossians, icc, pp. Introduction to the book of ephesians summary of hebrews. Today, we will begin a series of sermons that will take us paragraph by paragraph through the book of ephesians. They give usan arsenal forremaining true to the pillars of our faith. Discover the basics of the book of ephesians with the esv study bible from crossway. Broken down in a way to gleam the main topics and themes of this book. How were matthew, mark, luke and john named and can you tell me something about the authors of these books. The letter was hand delivered by tychicus ephesians 6.