Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 980 views

    An Analysis of Ephesians

    Uploaded by

    Michael Stephan
    Paul writes to the Ephesians explaining their position in Christ and how they should now walk in accordance with their faith. He emphasizes that through Christ, God has graciously made believers alive, redeeming them from sin and death. Paul prays that the Ephesians understand God's immense power and love shown to them. They are to imitate Christ by loving one another and fulfilling their roles within the church and family. Paul closes by requesting prayer for the spread of the gospel and leaves with a benediction of peace and grace.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    An Analysis of Ephesians

    Uploaded by

    Michael Stephan
    980 views3 pages
    Paul writes to the Ephesians explaining their position in Christ and how they should now walk in accordance with their faith. He emphasizes that through Christ, God has graciously made believers alive, redeeming them from sin and death. Paul prays that the Ephesians understand God's immense power and love shown to them. They are to imitate Christ by loving one another and fulfilling their roles within the church and family. Paul closes by requesting prayer for the spread of the gospel and leaves with a benediction of peace and grace.

    Copyright

    © Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)

    Available Formats

    DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Paul writes to the Ephesians explaining their position in Christ and how they should now walk in accordance with their faith. He emphasizes that through Christ, God has graciously made believers alive, redeeming them from sin and death. Paul prays that the Ephesians understand God's immense power and love shown to them. They are to imitate Christ by loving one another and fulfilling their roles within the church and family. Paul closes by requesting prayer for the spread of the gospel and leaves with a benediction of peace and grace.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    980 views3 pages

    An Analysis of Ephesians

    Uploaded by

    Michael Stephan
    Paul writes to the Ephesians explaining their position in Christ and how they should now walk in accordance with their faith. He emphasizes that through Christ, God has graciously made believers alive, redeeming them from sin and death. Paul prays that the Ephesians understand God's immense power and love shown to them. They are to imitate Christ by loving one another and fulfilling their roles within the church and family. Paul closes by requesting prayer for the spread of the gospel and leaves with a benediction of peace and grace.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    of 3

    AN ANALYSIS OF EPHESIANS

    SALUTATION. 1:1-2
    Sender(s): Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God

    Addressees: The saints who are at Ephesus

    Greetings: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus
    Christ

    Christian Motifs: Paul is an apostle by God’s will, not of his own choosing; God
    is the Father of all the saints (a reference to adoption?)

    OPENING MESSAGE. There is none that I can discern

    Significance in the absence of the above: Paul must feel confident that he can go
    right to his teaching without an opening statement. He had spent a great deal of time with
    the Ephesians so this is not a surprise. He begins with the blessings of God and just
    moves out from that point.

    BODY OF LETTER. 1:3-6:17

    Formal Opening: 1:3-14 (DECL) What God has done for us in Christ. The theme
    of this passage is “in Christ.” God’s election of us is in Christ, in Christ we have
    redemption, God’s will is revealed in Christ, God will unite all things in Christ, we have
    obtained our inheritance in Christ, we are the first hope in Christ, to the praise of God’s
    glory, in Christ we are sealed with the Holy Spirit.

    FIRST MAIN SECTION: 1:15-3:21 Our Position in Christ

    Sub-Section 1: 1:15-23 (DECL) The hope, the riches, the immeasurable


    greatness: Paul’s thankfulness for the Ephesians’ faith in Christ and care for the saints;
    Paul’s prayer that the Ephesians know the hope of their calling, the riches of Christ’s
    inheritance in the saints, and the greatness of His power to those who believe; the
    glorification of Christ

    Sub-Section 2: 2:1-10 (DECL) Dead in sin made alive by God: We were


    all dead in our former way of life; following the course of the world which is under
    Satan’s control; God made u alive together with Christ through faith which is itself a gift
    from God; we are created for good works which God prepared beforehand

    Sub-Section 3: 2:11-3:13 (DECL) The mystery of the gospel: the Gentiles


    are fellow heirs, members of the same body and partakers of the promise in Christ
    through the gospel. Fellow citizens and saints being built together into a dwelling place
    for God by the Spirit
    Sub-Section 4: 3:14-21 (DECL) Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians and
    doxology: the length, breadth, height, and depth of the love of Christ; God is capable of
    doing far more than we ask or think

    SECOND MAIN SECTION: 4:1-6:17 Our Walk with Christ

    Sub-Section 1: 4:1-16 (DECL/HORT) God’s gifts: walk according to


    your calling for there is one body and Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God
    and Father of all; He gave some to be apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists,
    and some as pastors and teachers; God equips the saints for works of service

    Sub-Section 2: 4:17-24: (HORT) Put on the new self: Your are not to
    walk like the Gentiles do; we are to lay aside the old self which has been corrupted but
    put on the new self and be renewed in the spirit of your mind

    Sub-Section 3: 4:25-5:14: (HORT) Exhortations: Love on another just as


    Christ also loved you; we were formally in darkness but now we are Light in the Lord

    Sub-Section 4: 5:15-6:9: (HORT) Wives, husbands, children, fathers,


    slaves, masters: submit to one another out of reverence to Christ, wives to your husbands,
    husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church; Children obey you parents, fathers
    do not provoke your children to anger; Slaves obey your earthly masters as you would to
    Christ rendering service with good will as to the Lord, masters do likewise and know that
    their Master and yours is in heaven

    Sub-Section 5: 6:10-17: (HORT) Put on the whole armor of God: Be


    strong in the Lord with the strength of His might

    The Body’s major Declarative Elements: The declarative elements hinge around who we
    are in Christ. God has performed a gracious and merciful act in sending Christ to be the
    propitiation for our sin. Paul wants us to know that we were dead to God but in Christ we
    have been made alive; and not only that but Gentiles as well as Jews are part of God’s
    kingdom.

    The Body’s major Hortatory Elements: Understanding our position with God because of
    Christ, we should now walk in accordance to our faith. We are to live appropriately as
    those who have been saved by the gospel of God.

    CLOSING: 6:18-24

    Greetings: -

    Final instructions or information: 6:18-20: Pray for all the saints, pray for Paul to
    be bold and speak the gospel; 21-22: Tychicus will send information regarding Paul’s
    circumstances and to comfort them
    Doxology: -

    Benediction: Peace be to the brethren and love with faith from God the Father
    and the Lord Jesus Christ, Grace to all those who love the Lord Jesus Christ

    Signature: -

    STRUCTURE

    Opening message’s anticipation of the rest of the letter: Since the opening doesn’t
    exist as such, it is difficult to answer this question. The Formal Opening however sets the
    tone for the rest of the letter. Even though it is all Declarative, it points the way to ch. 4-
    6 in that it anticipates the question if this is what God has done for us, how should we
    live?

    Relation of sections of Body to each other, and to Opening and Closing: The Body is
    in two main sections, the Declarative (this is our position in Christ and what God has
    accomplished for us in Him) and Hortatory (how we should live to God). The whole
    letter centers on these two parts. If the believer understands what it cost God to save us
    then their response should be one of gratitude and longing to do God’s will out of love
    for Him.

    Relation of Closing to the various parts of the letter, including the Salutation and
    Opening Message: The closing can almost be attached to 6:10-17 on the armor of God.
    Paul asks the believers in Ephesus to pray for his ministry and for all the saints, so that
    the message they received from God may go out to others also and that believers
    everywhere would coming to a full understanding of their life with God.

    Significance in the order and arrangement of the material of the letter as a whole;
    signs of logical progression: I think Paul sets this up beautifully. After the theology of
    the first three chapters, Paul brings it down to where “the rubber meets the road.” He
    shows that each has his own gift to use for the building up of the church and that the
    gospel affects all of our relationships from our relationship to God, our spouse, our
    family and our working relationships. The truth of the gospel touches every aspect of our
    lives.

    Evidence of Inclusios: The repetition of in Christ (in Him) throughout the first Chapter.
    The peace and the grace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ at the beginning
    and end of the letter (almost like bookends); also 5:2 “walk in love just as Christ also
    loved you and gave Himself up for us…” (in Paul’s call to be imitators of him as he is of
    Christ) and 5:25 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave
    Himself up for her…”

    You might also like