AN INTERPRETATION OF EPHESIANS

 

Theme: to command/the Ephesian believers/to live an appropriate life by appropriating God's strength through faith as they appropriated the benefits of God's power in their salvation and in the equality with Jewish believers through faith, so that God may be fully glorified

  1. Introduction (1:1-2):

  1. to identify/for the Ephesian believers/the apostle Paul as the originator of the letter to establish its authority (1:1a)

  2. to identify/the Ephesian believers as the recipients of the letter and as qualified to receive grace and peace (1:1b-2)

 

  1. Doctrinal (1:3-3:21): to teach/the Ephesian believers/that God has exercised His power by saving them and giving them the same status as Jewish believers through faith, so that they will have confidence that they have also received strength to live the appropriate life through faith so that God might be fully glorified

  1. Praise (1:3-14): to teach/the Ephesian believers/that God blessed them spiritually in salvation so that He might be glorified

  2. Power (1:15-3:21): to teach/the Ephesian believers/that God has exercised His power to give them an equal status with Jewish believers through faith, to give them the ability to live appropriate life through faith, and to glorify Himself

  1. First Prayer (1:15-23): to teach/the Ephesian believers/that they have an ability to expand their understanding of God--especially of His power--through their ability to understand spiritual things

  2. Positioning (2:1-10): to teach/the Ephesian believers/that God positioned them with Christ upon their exercise of faith so that His grace might be displayed

  3. Reconciliation (2:11-22): to teach/the Ephesian believers/that Christ died for them so that they might have an equal status with Jewish believers before God in the universal church

  4. Paul's Ministry (3:1-12): to teach/the Ephesian believers/that Paul was given a spiritual stewardship so that he might inform them about how God exercised His power to achieve their equal status with Jewish believers

  5. Second Prayer (3:14-21): to teach/the Ephesian believers/that God has strengthened them so that they may be fully controlled by Christ and fully enjoy His love, through faith

 

  1. Practical (4:1-6:20): to command/the Ephesian believers/to live appropriate lives b appropriating the Lord's strength

  1. Walks (4:1-6:9): to command/the Ephesian believers/to live lives appropriate to what God has done for them

  1. Unity (4:1-16): to exhort/the Ephesian believers/to maintain the unity of the universal church by exercising their gifts in love under the supervision of Christ

  2. Obedience (4:17-32): to command/the Ephesian believers/to obey Christ's teaching in order to avoid a degenerate mind, immorality,and strife; by being controlled by the new man

  3. Imitation (5:1-6): to command the Ephesian believers/to become imitators of God by walking in love and avoiding any hint of evil

  4. Separation (5:7-14): to command/the Ephesian believers/to separate themselves from the deeds of unbelievers by being spiritually perceptive

  5. Circumspection (5:15-6:9): to command/the Ephesian believers/to understand the Lord's will by becoming equipped with the Holy Spirit for extraordinary service because this will defeat the influence working to corrupt them

  1. Armor (6:10-20): to command/the Ephesian believers/to appropriate the strength the have in the Lord in order to remain unaffected by the Devil's wicked plans for them because of the supernatural character of the struggle in which they are involved

 

  1. Closing (6:21-24): to exhort/the Ephesian believers/to be ready to receive peace, love, and grace by exercising faith

  1. Tychicus (6:21-22): to inform/the Ephesian believers/that Tychicus will comfort them by making Paul's circumstances known to them

  2. Blessings (6:23-24): to exhort/the Ephesian believers/to be ready to receive peace, love, and grace by exercising faith

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© 2005, Ken Bowles - January 16, 2005, Edition