Ephesians

Context

Purpose

Quick summary with links.

About the Author

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Audience

The predominantly gentile Christians in Ephesus.

Time

Quick summary with links.

Cultural Climate

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Political Climate

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Chapters

• Ephesians Chapter 1
• Ephesians Chapter 2
• Ephesians Chapter 3
• Ephesians Chapter 4
• Ephesians Chapter 5
• Ephesians Chapter 6

Outline

1. Introduction
   1. 1:1 Greetings and salutations
   2. 1:1 Audience: Christians in Ephesus
2. God's Blessings Bestowed Upon Believers
   1. 1:3 God's given us spiritual blessings because of our belief in Christ
   2. 1:5 Grace and kindness
   3. 1:9 God's mysterious plan
   4. 1:13 The Holy Spirit
3. Paul's prayer for the Ephesians
   1. 1:15 Thanks
   2. 1:17 To grow in their knowledge of God
   3. 1:19 The greatness of God's power for us
4. The Gentiles' new position in Christ
   1. 2:1 The Believer made alive in Christ
   2. 2:11 Jews and Gentiles united in Christ
   3. 2:19 Jews and Gentiles together are built into a temple — a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit
5. 3:1 God's mysterious plan
6. 3:14 Paul's prayer for spiritual growth
7. How we are to live as in the Spirit and not after our sinful nature
   1. 4:1 Staying united in the Spirit
   2. 4:17 Living by the Spirit
   3. 5:21 Applying the Spirit-filled life to marriage
   4. 6:1 Applying the Spirit-filled life to children
   5. 6:5 Applying the Spirit-filled life to our secular work
   6. 6:10 Protecting yourself as you live in the Spirit
8. 6:21 Conclusion

Difficult Passages

Points of interest

• 4:23 - 32 Talks about how to live by the Spirit. It's not so much about not going to the movie theater and getting rid of your TV, it's about not sinning, but being kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving.
• Recurring theme: The "mystery" of God, which is His plan to offer salvation to both the Jews and the gentiles equally.
• Has a lot of mention of the "universal church", the invisible body of believers unified in the Spirit.