Ephesians: Study Guide

The Letter to the Ephesians

I. Historical background to the letter

A. Author and origination of the letter:

1. Paul

*Due to some of the stylistic issues and Paul’s statements, which indicate a more distant association with the audience (1:15; 3:2), Blomberg (306) suggests that Paul used an amanuensis and that the letter was circular (i.e. not meant solely for Ephesus). Arnold (29) also argues for a circular letter, but one that largely revolves around Ephesus and its closest cities.

2. Origination:

While some have argued for a Caesarean or Ephesian origin, a Roman origin is most likely (cf. Acts 28).

3. Timeline

B. Audience and destination of the letter:

1. Audience: Gentile and Jewish

*This is based upon Luke’s account of Jews and Gentiles in Ephesus in Acts 18b-19 and Paul’s discussion of Jews and Gentiles in his letter to the Ephesians (chs. 2b-3a).

2. Destination: Primarily Ephesus, but with other surrounding locales also.

*There is a text-critical debate over “in Ephesus” in 1:1. If the words were not original, then the letter would be a circular letter (cf. Col. 4:16). Even if one retains “in Ephesus,” one could still argue for a less extensive circular letter.

3. Map of Ephesus

C. Date and occasion of the letter:

1. Date: Probably ca. A.D. 61.

2. Occasion:

*In his introduction to Ephesians (Bible.org), Wallace suggests that Paul had actually began working on the book of Ephesians as a circular ‘swan song’ to encourage a host of Christian churches in their understanding of the Gospel and its ramifications for life. Along with Arnold, I would see some situational issues as also motivating Paul’s writing.

3. Relation to Colossians

*See the attached sheet, which compares the topics in Ephesians and Colossians.

*Along with Wallace, I would argue that Colossians was probably written after Paul began writing Ephesians. The news, which he received about the Colossian church, caused him to write a letter, which was shaped much more by the unique situation in Colossae.

II. Literary structure of the letter

*I have benefitted from the work of Arnold and Hoehner in determining the major divisions of an outline.

A. Opening:

The apostle Paul greets believers in Ephesus and the surrounding cities with grace and peace (1:1-2).

B. Theological foundation for the church (indicatives):

Paul praises God repeatedly for His magnificently gracious salvation in Christ to both Gentiles and Jews who believe, and prays that the believers would experience insight into their position and empowerment into Christocentric living by the Spirit (1:3-3:21).

*This section is filled with praise and prayer.

1. Praise for salvation:

God is be praised because of His gracious election of those who are in Christ to adoption and holiness [4-6], because of His gracious redemption through Christ and revelation of His plan in Christ [7-10], because of His gracious predestined inheritance in Christ [11-12], and because of His gracious sealing of believers through the Spirit [13-14] (1:3-14).

2. Prayer for enlightenment and empowerment:

Based upon God’s blessing of salvation through Christ, Paul prays that the Spirit would reveal to the believers their future hope, their bountiful inheritance, and the supernatural power, which is available and exemplified in God’s powerful working in Christ’s resurrection and ascension to Messianic authority (1:15-23).

3. Description of individual salvation:

Paul describes both the former hopeless condition of each person before salvation [1-3] and the new position and condition of believers through God’s grace alone [4-10] (2:1-10).

4. Description of corporate salvation of Gentile Christians with Jewish Christians:

Based upon the salvation of each individual believer, Paul highlights the unity between Gentile and Jewish Christians by reminding Gentile believers not only of their former hopeless condition as Gentiles [11-12],but also of the reconciliation of Jews and Gentiles into one new entity through Christ’s death [13-18] and the present position of Gentile believers as a part of God’s household and holy temple [19-22] (2:11-22).

5. Prayer for Christocentricity:

Paul, who has gladly been imprisoned for the sake of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, prays that the believers would be empowered by the Spirit to experience Christocentric lives both individually and corporately for the glory of God (3:1-21).

a. Aside on gracious privilege:

Paul asks the Gentile believers not to lose heart with his imprisonment because he was given a gracious stewardship from God to make know the mystery of Gentile inclusion in God’s promised corporate plan of salvation through Christ [2-7] and because he was graced to preach the riches of Christ as the revealed wisdom of God to the supernatural world [8-13] (3:2-13).

b. Prayer for empowerment:

Paul prays that the believers would be Spirit-empowered to experience Christocentric lives both individually and corporately [14-19] and he praises God for His power to accomplish this request for His own glory [20-21] (3:14-21).

C. Ethical exhortations for the church (imperatives):

Based upon God’s glorious salvation both individually and corporately, Paul exhorts the believers to walk lovingly and authentically in the body of Christ, purely in their relationship with the world, wisely in their relationships in general and in their household in particular, and dependently in their warfare against the demonic world (4:1-6:20).

“Walk” is a key concept in this section.

1. Paul exhorts the believers to lovingly preserve unity in Christ’s body because of God’s ordained purpose for the church [1-6], and to personally minister to Christ’s body because of Christ’s giftedness of individuals in the body and Christ’s intention of growth in the body [7-16] (4:1-16).

2. Based upon God’s intention for the church, Paul exhorts the believers to lay aside their sensual pre-Christian Gentile lifestyle and to live as Christ’s transformed new humanity from the inside out because of their devoted submission to Christ (4:17-24).

3. Based upon their willingness to live as Christ’s new humanity, Paul specifically describes both how to and why to relate to one another as Christ’s new loving and truth-filled humanity (4:25-5:2).

*Note with each imperative that Paul describes both how not to and how to relate to one another.

4. Paul exhorts the believers to avoid the sensual and self-centered lifestyle of a condemned world [3-6], and to rather walk as children of light and expose the darkness [7-14] (5:3-14).

5. Paul exhorts believers to walk wisely by the Spirit by focusing upon the Lord both personally and corporately and by relating appropriately to one another, as is exemplified in the relationship between those in a household: wives and husbands, children and parents, and slaves and masters (5:15-6:9).

a. In light of the believer’s temptation to be asleep, Paul exhorts believers to walk wisely by the Spirit both cognitively and experientially, by positively focusing upon God both individually and corporately, and by submitting to other believers (5:15-21).

b. Paul applies wisdom living to the household: wives are to submit to their husbands as a picture of the church’s submission to Christ and husbands are to love their wives as a picture of Christ’s love for the church [22-33]; children are to obey their parents in the Lord and parents are to raise their children in the Lord [1-4]; and slaves are to obey their masters in the Lord and masters are to treat their slaves in a way honoring to the Lord [5-9] (5:22-6:9).

6. Finally, Paul exhorts the believers to be strong in the Lord against the demonic world by putting on the armor of God generally [10-13], by standing firm by putting on the armor specifically [14-17], and by praying in the Spirit for both other saints and Paul (6:10-20).

D. Closing:

Paul sends Tychicus to comfort the believers and prays that they experience God’s peace, love, and grace (6:21-24).

III. Theological teaching of the letter

A. Central proposition of the letter (taken from Arnold, 45):

“Paul wrote this letter to a large network of local churches in Ephesus and the surrounding cities to affirm them in their new identity in Christ as a means of strengthening them in their ongoing struggle with the powers of darkness, to promote a greater unity between Jews and Gentiles within and among the churches of the area, and to stimulate an ever-increasing transformation of their lifestyles into a greater conformity to the purity and holiness that God has called them to display.”

B. Purpose of the letter:

Note the inclusion of the purpose in the proposition.

C. Themes within the letter

1. Paul exalts God for the wonders of God’s salvation for all those who are united to Christ.

2. Even more so than Colossians, Paul discusses the intimate relationship between Christ and His church.

3. Paul shows the superiority of Christ to the demonic world.

4. Paul emphasizes the positional and practical unity between Jewish and Gentile Christians in the church.

5. Paul exhorts those who are in Christ to live differently than the world in all of their relationships (church, households, interpersonal).

Basic Outline

Introduction and Overview

Spiritual Blessings (1:1-14)

Spiritual Wisdom (1:15-23)

Spiritual Position (2:1-22)

Spiritual Mystery (3:1-21)

Spiritual Ministry in the Church (4:1-32)

Spiritual Ministry in the Family (5:1-6:4)

Spiritual Ministry at Work (6:5-9)

Spiritual Battles (6:10-20)

Recap and Conclusion (6:21-24)

Detailed Outline

Positional Holiness – The Position of the Christian – Announcing the Gospel (FAITH)

1. Spiritual Blessings – 1:1-14

a. Greetings

b. Salvation “in Him”

2. Spiritual Wisdom – 1:15-23

a. Prayer

i. Of Praise to God

ii. For Enlightened Hearts

b. Knowing God’s Power

i. In the Resurrection of Christ

ii. In the Ascension of Christ

iii. In the Exaltation of Christ

iv. In the Kingship and Rulership of Christ

c. Jeremiah 9:23-24

3. Spiritual Position – 2:1-22 (Individually and Corporately)

a. Formerly Dead, Now Alive

b. Formerly Far Off, Now Brought Near (Reconciliation)

c. Christ, Our Cornerstone

4. Spiritual Mystery – 3:1-21

a. The Revealing of the Mystery

b. Rooted and Grounded in Love

c. Beyond Our Wildest Imaginations

Practical Holiness – The Practice of the Christian – Applying the Gospel (FAITHFULNESS)

5. Spiritual Ministry in the Church – 4:1-32

a. Walking Unified in Our Triune God

b. Gifts Used for Service

c. Instability in Deceit, Stability of Loving Truth

d. Stop Living Like the World

e. Contrasts of Old and New Walk

6. Spiritual Ministry in the Family – 5:1-6:4

a. Be Imitators of God

b. No Hint of Immorality or Impurity

c. Walk as Children of the Light and Love

d. Walk Wisely

e. Submitting in Christ and at Home

f. Wives and Husbands

g. Children and Parents

7. Spiritual Ministry at Work – 6:5-9

a. Slaves, Live as Though Christ is Your Master

b. Masters, Live as Though Christ is Your Master

8. Spiritual Battles – 6:10-21

a. Be Strong in the Lord

b. The Armor of God

Conclusion – 6:20-24

a. Militant Prayer

b. Tychicus, My Messenger (Faithful Friends)

c. Incorruptible Love

Key commentaries:

*Arnold, Ephesians (ZECNT, 2010)

*Hoehner, Ephesians An Exegetical Commentary (Baker, 2002)

*O’Brien, The Letter to the Ephesians (Pillar, 1999).