This letter, in many ways, is the crowning glory of the new testament. The book of ephesians survey introduces a list of themes and describes six of them. The church has been brought from death to life in christ. The gospel is often presented as though faith in jesus christ. Sproul has himself written a very helpful introductory level commentary on it titled the purpose of god. The book of ephesians floral heights church of christ. 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. Having explained gods great goals for the church, paul proceeds to show the steps toward their fulfillment. Includes jews which is what wed expect but also gentiles.
He has imputed his righteousness to his body, for now we have been bought with a price and therefore no longer our own but all things are gods. He may not speak to you through every verse, but he will speak. The traditional idea, that god deals in one manner with the gentiles and another with the jews, and that the races are identifiable in the kingdom of god, has wrought havoc in the interpretation of the. Read ephesians prayerfully, objectively, thoughtfully, and attentively as you listen for god to speak. The call of christ is a call to action, and ephesians lays out gods desire for your spiritual walk like no other book of the bible. The book begins with a strong exploration of our calling to god through jesus christ and ends with exhortation towards living a life worthy of that same calling. Focused in purpose, he puts on the armor of god ephesians 6. The bible plays a starring role in the book of eli, a postapocalyptic action film starring denzel washington that opens in theaters jan. The first half of the letter focuses on the ephesians calling. The below chart will help underline and point out these similarities. Abbott, a critical and exegetical commentary on the epistles to the ephesians and to the colossians, icc, pp. The themes of ephesians theology lectures in 200 words. Intro to ephesians biblica the international bible society.
A grand epistle like ephesians almost defies coming up with one main theme. Pauls purpose for writing the book of ephesians was to remind see 2. 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. The strophic structure of the eulogy of ephesians 1. It was either that or legion ironically both have something to do with religion lol. A strong man of faith, eli literally lives psalm 23. Mar 22, 2020 eli goes through ephesians showing how spiritual warfare is a main theme throughout the book. Andy is a professor of bible and theology at the college of biblical studies in houston. An outline of ephesians intended to enhance and assist your study of gods holy word his letter to you. The epistle to the ephesians, also called the letter to the ephesians and often shortened to ephesians, is the tenth book of the new. Book of ephesians overview insight for living ministries. Verse by verse through the book of ephesians 2008 click on audio, video or notes to open up the file for each message.
Ephesians is the great pauline letter about the church. Ephesians sets forth what no other book of the new testament describes so completely the nature of the body of christ, which is the true church. 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. With its exalted view of the church in gods plan of redemption, it is common to suggest the theme as the church, the. When he does, record the verse number, what it is he seems to be saying to you and your response to him in this final step. It deals, however, not so much with a congregation in the city of ephesus in asia minor as with the worldwide church, the head of which is christ, the purpose of which is to be the instrument for making gods plan of salvation known throughout the universe eph 3. Overview of the book of ephesians third millennium ministries. Commentary on the book of ephesians by matthew henry. Apr 17, 2009 the book is composed of two main parts. The mercy of god in jesus christ is the high point of all history, and for the past two thousand years gods mercy has been running throughout the world to bring together all kinds of people to form one new family of god. The theme of ephesians may be expressed as the praiseworthiness of god 1. Not saying that the movie was bad or anything but i left the theater wondering what the hell was the point of the movie. Eight of these book are letters to local churches like the one in ephesus.
May 12, 2017 the main theme of ephesians is the church, which is the body of christ. However, paul presented the gift of god in christ and the benefits we. Another major theme in ephesians is the keeping of christs body that is, the church pure and holy. The fundamental principles of grace and mans responsibility to abide by gods laws are thoroughly revealed in the old testament. Ephesians verse by verse teaching in the book of ephesians. Ephesians reveals to us the great mystery of the church which is the body of christ. Light and darkness are prominent themes in pauls epistles. Frank charles thompson, argues that the main theme of ephesians is in response to the newly converted jews who often separated themselves from their gentile brethren. Understanding the book of ephesians and bible study guide. Eli, the father of hophni and phinehas, is a prime and. Ephesians pastor david legge 4 grace be to you, and peace, from god our father, and from the lord jesus christ. Covering topics such as living in gods will and receiving peace no matter the circumstances, the book of ephesians reveals the magnitude of every christians inheritance.
One thing is certain ephesus was a city in darkness blinded by idolatry and material wealth. 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. Put on the full armor of god so that you can take your stand against the devils schemes. He actually walks through the valley of the shadow of death and fears no evil, for the lord was with him. The book of ephesians uses love more than any other book in the new testament except for 1 corinthians and 1 john. 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.
Gods glory, the mystery, unity of the body, redemption, calling of the. Anyway, i thought book of eli would be less scary so i went into the theater expecting something good. The church has received wondrous blessings in union with christ. Commentary on the book of ephesians by matthew henry new. However, no matter what the arguments for ephesians not being penned by ap, it continually comes back to one main conclusion supported by a sub conclusion as to why the book was indeed penned by apthe main point being to anyone making the arguments that. Alas, you who are longing for the day of the lord, for what purpose will the. During this time he also wrote colossians and philemon. A general account of the blessings that the gospel reveals. 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. Abp the bible plays a starring role in the book of eli, a postapocalyptic action film starring denzel washington that opens in theaters jan.
Eli goes through ephesians showing how spiritual warfare is a main theme throughout the book. 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. The book of eli casts bible as a major theme baptist standard. The theme of the book of ephesians is found at chapter 1. Finally, be strong in the lord and in his mighty power.
Book of ephesians ephesians chapter 1 ephesians chapter 2 ephesians chapter 3 ephesians chapter 4 ephesians chapter 5 ephesians chapter 6. Paul then moves to the principle of submission to one another eph 5. Once you know the main purpose of the book, it is extremely helpful to outline the book. The apostle paul wrote this letter to the churches in ephesus and the surrounding region c. We therefore welcome all the more warmly the following contribution to the debate which is based on a paper given to the tsf group in oxford. For a free realplayer download click here the video links use vlc download vlc player here or real player. Sprouls work, the following are five of the most helpful commentaries on the book of ephesians. First, god has reconciled individuals to himself as an act of grace 2. The central organizing theological idea in ephesians is that through christs atoning work god has mightily brought about the churcha new humanity, i.
This includes the source of these blessings, the means by which they are attained, the reason why they are given, and their final result. Essay rome, the most important city apostle paul ap bible dictionary wbd expounds in more details of the origins of those theories. 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. Book summary ephesians reveals to us the great mystery of the church which is the body of christ. Doctrine occupies the greatest portion of the book of ephesians. Jan 15, 2010 this is the world in which the main character eli denzel washington finds himself in and tries to make the best of the situation. In live abundantly, bible teachers lenya heitzig and penny pierce rose challenge you to dig deep into the book of ephesians to find the spiritual treasure god has for you. So i went out with my bf last friday to watch book of eli. The whole bible is a splendid book and its my prayer that youll. What the hell was the theme of the movie book of eli. I recommend this volume to anyone who is not familiar with the basic themes of this epistle.
Style and genre in ephesians q m t qdonovan the authorship of ephesians is an increasingly open question in current discussion. Matthew henry 18 october 1662 22 june 1714 was an english commentator on the bible, who published his works in 1706, sixvolume exposition of the old and new testaments 17081710 or complete commentary, provides an exhaustive verse by verse study of the bible, covering the whole. The book of ephesians the book of ephesians seems to encompass everything that the christian is, what he will experience, and how he is to overcome against the ancient foe, the devil. And i pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all. Samuel taylor coleridge, the hymnwriter, wrote these words about the book of ephesians he said. Theme verse of ephesians therefore i, the prisoner of the lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called. The unity of the church, especially between jew and gentile believers, is the keynote of the book. The book of ephesians is a masterpiece of revelation that bridges the principles of grace and obedience into one solid irremovable form. All three letters were sent with tychicus and onesimus. Washington, a twotime academy award winner widely known in hollywood for his christian beliefs, portrays a lone warrior making his way across a desolate american landscape defending the worlds last remaining copy of the king. So after laying out profound theological truths in the first half of the book, paul made his purpose clear.
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