His principal ministry was at westminster chapel, in central london, from 19391968, where he delivered multiyear expositions on books of the bible such as romans, ephesians and the gospel of john. Commentary on galatians and ephesians bible study guide. Compare this with christs warning to the church in ephesus, you have left your first love rev 2. Faith foundations study guides chosen in christ a journey of discovery in the book of ephesians. Free sermon book of ephesians martyn lloydjones trust. Upon completion of the study, it is recommended that you discuss your answers and insights with other bible students who also completed the workbook. Ephesians is the goto book in the new testament for an understanding of gods sovereignty in salvation by grace, and therefore it shares much in common with pauls other masterwork. Because the name ephesus is not mentioned in every early manuscript, some scholars believe the letter was an encyclical, intended to be circulated and read among all the churches in asia minor and was simply. Introduction to ephesians bible exposition commentary. Blessed be the god and father of our lord jesus christ. Blessed be the god and father ofour lord jesus christ6 it is god the father who has showered us withriches injesus christ.
In the last book of the bible, the book of revelation, john is shown the marriage supper of the lamb and he sees the new jerusalem coming down out of heaven from god, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband rev. As a result, pauls travel companions, gaius and aristarchus of macedonia, were dragged into the theater. 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. Because the name ephesus is not mentioned in every early manuscript, some scholars believe the letter was an encyclical, intended to be circulated and read. Bible class books old and new testament the church of.
Gain a clear understanding of the new testament structure and operation of the early church. The book of ephesians tells how the gospel affects our. The book of ephesians is charged with weighty doctrines that reveal the glory of the triune god. There is not one exhortation in the first three chapters. Paul wrote this letter while enduring his first roman imprisonment in house arrest. The more the church grows in her understanding of gods great purpose for her, the more she will live it out and display his glory. Commentary on galatians and ephesians by john calvin. Martyn lloydjones 18991981 was a welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the reformed tradition. If the ephesians will know all god has given them in jesus, it will take a supernatural work.
The book of ephesians is a prison epistle letter written while in prison. Theme the letter describes gods plan for mans salvation, with emphasis on the role of the church. The eight handbooks were dedicated to people who, in different ways, had a. In verse 2 of ephesians chapter 1, paul shows that both god the father and the lord jesus christ bestow grace and peace on the saints. Lets study the letter of ephesians together with the bible teachers guide. Paul uses a great expression when he speaks of the eyes of your heart heart is more literal than understanding. 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 in the way we. 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.
Colossians aims at presenting the head of the church christ, ephesians focuses on the body of christ the church. The sacred secret that christ revealed to paul is described in chapters one and two of the book of ephesians. It is clear from the bible account that these mens lives were in danger. These important questions are answered in the book of ephesians.
This book is also available for purchase here on amazon. Define and identify the shared and distinct roles for the church of each of the five leadership gifts in ephesians 4. Examining the literary context going from the what. Intro to ephesians biblica the international bible society. In this room he writes emails, blogs, and ebooks teaching and proclaiming to. The book of ephesians was very likely written between a. Paul had spent nearly three years in ephesus acts 19. Comprised of jews and nonjews, these followers form the covenant family god promised to abraham. Richison value of ephesians ephesians, more than any other book, presents the purpose and plan of god for the church this book sets forth one of the clearest presentations on the relation between positional truth and experiencing positional truth in ones life john calvin called ephesians his favorite book of the bible we see something of the supremacy of christ in gods.
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. This epistle was written from a roman prison by the apostle paul around 64 a. Bruce, in his commentary on the book of acts, provides us with some interesting information on the school of tyrannus. A small group gathering, using the discussion questions included in this book, is an ideal way to stimulate a sharing of observations and ideas. Aug 23, 2012 date the letter to the ephesians was written during pauls roman imprisonment between 60 and 62 ad. 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.
To teach the christians at ephesus the wonder and practical implications of being the church in christ. The book of ephesians chapter four workbook eeonline bible this bible study workbook is designed to facilitate your study of chapter four of the book of ephesians. Overview of the book of ephesians reformed answers to. 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. Tyrannus no doubt held his classes in the early morning. Grace be to you, and peace, from god our father, and from the lord jesus christ. 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. Disciple for life smallgroup bible studies include a daily reading plan for each week. 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. Ephesians 1 bible commentary matthew henry concise. This document has been generated from xsl extensible stylesheet language source with renderx xep formatter, version 3.
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of his calling, what are the riches of. In acts 19 we read about pauls trip to ephesus and how the city was full. Christocentric commentary series a commentary on the epistle to the galatians the gospel versus religion james a. It was written to the saints at ephesus, and to the faithful in christ jesus anywhere. The church has received wondrous blessings in union with christ. His understanding, his insight into the hidden things of christs salvation. These pages challenge individuals to grow in their understanding of gods. This letter is a call for the jewish converts to christianity and the christians to be united. This instructional letter is packed with practical advice, all given in an encouraging tone. Prayer for ephesians strength, praise to god ephesians 3. In addition, the outline itself will prove helpful to the interpreter as he seeks to understand how the passage he. A salutation, and an account of saving blessings, as prepared in gods eternal election, as purchased by christs blood. His principal ministry was at westminster chapel, in central london, from 19391968, where he delivered multiyear expositions on books of the bible such as romans, ephesians.
Finally, be strong in the lord and in his mighty power. Ephesians our blessings in christ importance this epistle was evidently addressed to the church in ephesus cf. Ephesians and colossians were probably composed at the same time in rome. 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. Acts 19, but may have been intended as a circular letter to be read by neighboring churches. Ephesus was the third largest city in the roman empire population 250,000 in what is today the country of turkey. It will require that the eyes of your understanding be enlightened by god. 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. If the words of demetrius are to be believed, she was worshipped by all asia and the world acts 19. The book of colossians is very similar to that of ephesians, in fact both books have passages with similar themes and phrases.
Samuel taylor coleridge, the hymnwriter, wrote these words about the book of ephesians he said. 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. Ephesians pastor david legge 4 grace be to you, and peace, from god our father, and from the lord jesus christ. Some of its writings date back five thousand years. If youre unable to do anything else provided in your bible study book during a certain week, try to. Stay connected amidst social distancing receive weekly bible studies to share with family and friends. Two significant prayers of paul are found in this book eph 1. Having explained gods great goals for the church, paul proceeds to show the steps toward their fulfillment.
But whereas colossians focuses on christ of the church, ephesians focuses on the church of christ. Understanding god s purpose for the church related media many of the problems plaguing the church today, such as apathy, conflict, spiritual pride, and spiritual abuse, stem from a poor understanding of who the church is in christ and gods purpose for her. First, god has reconciled individuals to himself as an act of grace. The key personalities of ephesians are the apostle paul and tychicus. John macarthur preached versebyverse through the book of ephesians in a sixtyonepart series that lasted from january 1, 1978 until june 24, 1979.
God the father planned throughout history for jesus to create a multiethnic community of followers. Early sources in church history that attribute this letter to paul include. Luke says that he had been instructed in the way of the lord 18. Welcome,you are looking at books for reading, the ephesians the niv application commentary book 10, you will able to read or download in pdf or epub books and notice some of author may have lock the live reading for some of country. Abel damina understanding the book of ephesians part 8. Includes the complete text of the new english translation of the galatian letter, with questions for each section of the book. Author the apostle paul date the letter to the ephesians was written during pauls roman imprisonment between 60 and 62 ad audience paul wrote to the network of house churches in western asia minor, in and near ephesus. 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. Ephesians small group series lesson 1 introduction to. The book of ephesians chapter four workbook eeonline biblestudy. Outline of ephesians chapters 1 3 our position in christ what we are before god 1. The book of ephesians page 3 what we possess in christ our possessions the believers blessed life ephesians 1 key verse. Ben reed adapted tony meridas study of the book of ephesians for small groups. The below chart will help underline and point out these similarities.
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. Pauls special thrust here, is the unity of the believers in christ, both jew and gentile. In the last chapter of the last book of the bible, we see how the bride. Ephesians and colossians have a number of parallels. Ephesians the niv application commentary book 10 download. For example, the admonitions concerning slaves in ephesians 6 are properly and almost universally acknowledged to be nontransferable to our present context in. The bible explicitly relates predestination to gods foreknowledge, and a correct understanding of this relationship is the key to whole question of election to salvation. We are to make use of every opportunity, to understand the lords will, and to be filled with the spirit.
Enclosed within the book of ephesians is the discipline needed to develop into true children of god. Constructing an outline is a good way for the interpreter to make sure he understands the flow of thought that weaves its way through the entire book of the bible. Specific instructions for christian living ephesians 4. As roman guards stood watch, paul penned a powerful letter to. Paul intended that all who long for christlike maturity would receive this writing. The book is quite similar in many ways to colossians, but that book places more. The truth contained in this epistle is the most profound truth in all the word of god. In the book of ephesians, we see how the gospel story affects believers everyday lives. She is the bride of christ and a soldier fighting demonic forces. Book of ephesians overview insight for living ministries. Doctrine occupies the greatest portion of the book of ephesians. It is crucially important that christians realize this, so in1. 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.
Public activity ceased in the cities of ionia for several hours at. The book of ephesians along with philippians and colossians, was written by the apostle paul while in prison in rome. Ephesians was not written to correct specific errors in a local church, but to prevent problems in the church as a whole by encouraging the body of christ toward maturity. Audience paul wrote to the network of house churches in western asia minor, in and near ephesus. Ligon duncan also preached a sixtyonepart series on ephesians beginning june 26, 2005 and. Those eight books are now combined into the onevolume bridgeway bible commentary, which is a companion in size, style and format to the bridgeway bible dictionary, an a to z of biblical information. Once you know the main purpose of the book, it is extremely helpful to outline the book. When interpreting and appropriating the book of ephesians, therefore, we naturally and necessarily engage in cultural translation. The mystery in ephesians bibleunderstanding ministry. Internalize and accurately interpret key portions of scripture relative to the subject matter of the course. The book of ephesians free online bible study lessons. 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. What would the saints of ephesus understand as they read this letter that paul was writing to them.
The western text indicates that paul had the use of the building from 11 a. Ephesians also contains two of the most memorable passages in the new testament. Ephesians 1 paul, an apostle of christ jesus by the bible. Biblical interpretation and the epistle to the ephesians cbe. Paul, an apostle of christ jesus by the will of god, to gods holy people in ephesus, the faithful in christ jesus. Paul gives thanks and prays for the ephesians ephesians 1. Summary of the book of ephesians summary of hebrews. Ephesians commentary free bible study notes, commentary, and. This booklet is a free educational service, provided by the church of the eternal god in the united states of america, in collaboration with the global church of god in the united kingdom and the. Making time in a busy schedule to focus on god through his word is a vital part of the christian life. Christ is at the centre of every biblical doctrine in the book of ephesians. Pdf bible study the book of ephesians john ndhlovu academia. The epistle to the ephesians introduction author the apostle paul 1.
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. Grace and peace to you from god our father and the lord jesus christ. Ephesians teaching copy to correct and pdf for final use. The letter is addressed to the church in the city of ephesus, capital of the roman province of asia asia minor, modern turkey. Pauls letter to the ephesians sets out to explain what the church is and how it is. After this, paul called the disciples together, embraced them, and departed for macedonia acts 20. Ephesians chapters wonderfully expound the gospel while ephesians chapters 46 provide a clear picture of how those doctrines change our lives. Eventually, the city clerk was able to bring order to the theater and dismiss the crowd. In the book of ephesians, we learn how the gospel creates a new multiethnic, covenant family of god, and affects our story and how we live every day as a body of new humanity unified in love. The answer is found in the fact and nature of gods foreknowledge.