EPHESIANS
Author. The apostle Paul was the writer of Ephesians.
Date. Paul likely wrote this letter in the early AD 60s, some thirty years after Jesus’s crucifixion and only a few years before his death.
Theme. God’s new society.
Historical Background. Paul is in prison once again, and Epaphras has come to visit him bearing disturbing news about the church at Colossae. Since Paul is about to send back the runaway slave Onesimus (now converted) to his owner Philemon, a member of the Colossian church, he takes this opportunity to send along a letter in which he addresses the Colossian heresy. He also writes two more letters: one to Philemon and one to a neighboring area, the Ephesians. These three letters (Colossians, Ephesians, and Philemon) form the core of what we now know as the “Prison Epistles.” It is unclear which imprisonment produced these letters (2Co 11:23), but most likely Paul was at Rome (Ac 28). The fourth Prison Epistle, Philippians, was written in prison on another occasion.
Ephesians and Colossians are more similar in language and content than any other two letters in the New Testament. Together they give us a clear understanding of the nature of Christ and the unity of the church in him.
Characteristics. We see Christ creating the church, his body, and a new social order of love and unity that transcends the racial, ethnic, and social distinctions between people. God calls people to be reconciled to himself and to one another through the cross of Christ. The cross provides forgiveness of sins, a new life, and a new people. Between Paul’s greeting (Eph 1:1-2) and salutation (Eph 6:21-24), the letter divides easily into two parts. Part one (chapters 1–3) focuses on doctrine, specifically, the new life and new society God has created through Jesus. Part two (chapters 4–6) focuses on ethics, specifically, the new standards and new relationships expected of believers.
Paul’s Visits to Ephesus. Paul’s first visit to Ephesus was brief. Later, he returned during his third missionary journey and spent over two years there. His ministry was both effective and controversial. After three months in the synagogue, he was forced out and took up residence in the lecture hall of Tyrannus (Ac 19:8-9). News of his message spread throughout Asia Minor (Ac 19:10). Extraordinary things happened. Handkerchiefs touched by him were used to cure the sick (Ac 19:11-12). Demons were cast out in the name of Jesus, even by Jewish exorcists (Ac 19:13-17). Pagan converts burned their books of magic (Ac 19:18-20). Eventually, a riot broke out in Ephesus because of Paul. Demetrius, a silversmith, organized a citywide protest. He charged that Paul’s success posed a threat to the economic well-being of craftsmen who made their living from the worshipers of Artemis (Ac 19:23-41). As a result, Paul moved on to Macedonia.
Paul never visited Ephesus again. He did, however, stop at the nearby port of Miletus on his return to Jerusalem. He called the Ephesian elders to him there and gave a moving farewell address (Ac 20:13-38).
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Ephesians 1 * Ephesians 2 * Ephesians 3 * Ephesians 4 * Ephesians 5 * Ephesians 6
Paul wrote this letter to the Ephesian church while he was in prison in Rome. Paul had a positive relationship with the Christians in Ephesus, and he started this letter by offering blessings and encouragement.
*** CHAPTER 1 ***
OPEN: When you write a letter or an email, do you write a lot of introduction or get straight to the point?
CONSIDER (Eph 1:3-6) : How should we understand the words “chose” and “predestined” in these verses? What does it mean that Christians are “adopted as sons” into God’s family?
CONSIDER (Eph 1:7-10) : How would you explain the concept of “redemption” to someone who has never heard of it before?
CONSIDER (Eph 1:11-12) : What is the inheritance we receive as adopted children of God?
CONSIDER (Eph 1:13-14) : How does the Holy Spirit function as a “seal” and “down payment” of our inheritance?
APPLY: How do you experience the Holy Spirit in your everyday life? How do you want to experience the Holy Spirit in your everyday life?
WORSHIP (Eph 1:15-19) : Spend time in prayer thanking God for the people you care deeply about who have experienced salvation. Praise God for the way he has blessed those you love.
FOR GROUPS (Eph 1:13-14) : Bring some sealing wax and a seal to your group gathering. Allow volunteers to take turns sealing an envelope as an object lesson for these verses.
Greeting
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will:
To the faithful saints in Christ Jesus at Ephesus.
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
God’s Rich Blessings
3 Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. 5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8 that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 He made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he purposed in Christ 10 as a plan for the right time — to bring everything together in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth in him.
11 In him we have also received an inheritance, because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will, 12 so that we who had already put our hope in Christ might bring praise to his glory.
13 In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. 14 The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.
Prayer for Spiritual Insight
15 This is why, since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I never stop giving thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength.
God’s Power in Christ
20 He exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens — 21 far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he subjected everything under his feet and appointed him as head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.
1:1; Ac 13:9 1:1 Eph 1:9 1:1 Eph 5:2 1:1 Ac 18:19-21; 19:9-10; 20:3,17; 1Co 15:32; Rev 2:1
1:3; Eph 1:20; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12
1:4; Jde 1:24
1:6; Jn 1:14; Rom 5:2; 2Co 4:15
1:6; Mt 3:17; Jn 3:35; 10:17; Col 1:13
1:7; Heb 9:12
1:7; Ps 25:11; Mt 9:2; Mk 2:5; Lk 24:47
1:9; Rom 11:25; 16:25; Eph 3:3; Col 1:27
1:9; Rom 9:11
1:10; Mt 1:17; Eph 5:2
1:10; Php 2:10
1:10; Col 1:16
1:11; Pr 19:21
1:12; 1Th 1:3
1:12; Mk 10:37
1:13; Ps 51:11; Jn 1:33; Ac 2:4; Rom 8:9; Gal 5:25; Tit 3:5; Rev 3:22
1:13; Col 1:5; 2Th 2:10
1:14; Gen 38:17-18,20; 2Co 1:22; 5:5
1:17; Ps 51:12
1:17 1Pt 4:13
1:18; 1Th 1:3
1:18; Col 3:15
1:19; Ac 4:33
1:20; Php 2:9
1:20; Jn 20:17; Eph 1:3; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12; Php 2:10; 1Pt 3:22
1:21; 2 Tim 2:19
1:21; Mk 10:30
1:22; Ps 8:6
1:22; Ps 8:6; Rom 13:1; 1Co 15:27; 1Pt 3:22
1:22; Col 2:10
1:23; Eph 4:4
1:23; Jn 1:16
1:23; Col 3:11
Eph 1:1 APOSTLE. Apostles were much like ambassadors. They are chosen by the king (in this case Jesus) to represent him and are given power to act in his name. This was the title that was given to the original twelve (Lk 6:13) and then later to Paul (Gal 1:11-24). By using this title, Paul indicates that he is writing with the authority of the Lord, Jesus Christ.
Eph 1:2 GRACE TO YOU AND PEACE. “Grace” refers to the undeserved favor of God freely given as a gift. “Peace” refers to the reconciliation of sinners to God and others. Taken together, they define a central theme of Ephesians: peace through grace.
Eph 1:3 BLESSED. The verb can also be translated “to speak well of” and carries the idea of thanking, glorifying, and singing the praises of the one who is the object of this gratitude. GOD. God is the subject of virtually every main verb in this passage. JESUS CHRIST. It is in and through Jesus that God’s work of love, grace, and redemption is performed. HAS BLESSED US. The tense of the Greek verb indicates that what is in view here is a single, past action on God’s part. THE HEAVENS. The unseen world of spiritual reality.
Eph 1:4 HOLY AND BLAMELESS. The goal of the Christian life: people who have been made perfect and whole.
Eph 1:5 PREDESTINED. Literally, “marked out beforehand.” ADOPTED. This was a common Roman custom in which a child was given all the rights of the adoptive family by grace, not by birth. AS SONS. The purpose of predestination is that people become the sons and daughters of God. THE GOOD PLEASURE OF HIS WILL. This phrase carries with it the sense that God goes about such choosing with great joy.
Eph 1:7 REDEMPTION. The setting free (originally of prisoners or slaves) by payment of a ransom (in this case, Jesus’s death in place of the sinner). FORGIVENESS OF OUR TRESPASSES. The child of God is not only given freedom from the penalty of sin, but the sin itself is forgotten. Redemption and forgiveness go together.
Eph 1:9 MYSTERY. Contrary to the normal use of the word (with its emphasis on a secret being kept), here the word focuses on the disclosure of what was once hidden but is now revealed by God.
Eph 1:10 TO BRING . . . TOGETHER. From a Greek word meaning “to sum up,” as in the conclusion of a speech or a column of figures; a gathering together of the pieces into a whole.
Eph 1:13 SEALED. A mark placed by an owner on a package, a cow, or even a slave. The cults in the first century sometimes tattooed a mark on their devotees. For the Jews, circumcision was such a seal (Rom 4:11); for Christians, the Holy Spirit is his or her seal. PROMISED HOLY SPIRIT. This is the second of three terms in vv. 13-14 used to describe the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is not only “promised” but is the “seal” (whereby the Christian is marked out as belonging to God) and the “down payment” (v. 14) of that Christian’s future inheritance. The Holy Spirit was promised in the OT (Ezek 36:27; Jl 2:28) and by Jesus (Lk 24:49; Jn 14–16; Ac 1:4-5; 2:33,38-39; Gal 3:14).
Eph 1:14 DOWN PAYMENT. A down payment which guarantees ultimate ownership by God.
Eph 1:16 THANKS. Paul’s response to these new Christians is one of profound thankfulness.
Eph:17 WISDOM AND REVELATION. Awareness of all these spiritual blessings will not necessarily come via logical dedication nor solely as a result of experience. There must also be an inner work of God by which individuals are “enlightened” and understand what is going on.
Eph 1:18 THE EYES OF YOUR HEART. Paul wants this illumination to strike right to the core of a person’s being. WHAT IS THE HOPE OF HIS CALLING. This is the first of the three effects which result from knowing God. These phrases seem to define well the objective substance of this hope; i.e., they are God’s children and they will be holy and not held accountable for their sins. THE WEALTH OF HIS GLORIOUS INHERITANCE IN THE SAINTS. This is the second benefit derived from knowing God. The idea is parallel to that in Col 1:12, and the reference is to the riches beyond imagination which God has reserved for his people (1 Pet 1:4).
Eph 1:19 IMMEASURABLE GREATNESS OF HIS POWER. This is the third effect. In all things, the evidence of God’s great power is there. The greatness of his power is demonstrated in raising Jesus from the grave like he promised.
Eph 1:20 RAISING HIM FROM THE DEAD. Jesus was really dead, buried in a tomb. But so mighty is God’s power, that it burst the bonds of death. SEATING HIM AT HIS RIGHT HAND. Jesus is now the King who reigns in absolute power. One day that reign will result in the bringing together of all things under him (1:10; Heb 2:5-9).
Eph 1:21 RULER AND AUTHORITY, POWER AND DOMINION, AND EVERY TITLE GIVEN. Paul wants to be quite clear that there is no power by any name—be it angelic or demonic, natural or supernatural, from the past or in the future—that stands outside the scope of Christ’s powerful reign.
Paul reminded the Ephesians of their former sinfulness and of the salvation they received by God’s grace and through faith in him. Because of that salvation, Paul urged his readers to be united together in Christ.
*** CHAPTER 2 ***
OPEN: From which country did your ancestors immigrate?
CONSIDER (Eph 2:1-10) : What are the two phases of life Paul described in these verses? What are the characteristics of each of those phases?
CONSIDER (Eph 2:8-9) : Why do we often attempt to set up “works” as the basis of our relationship with God?
CONSIDER (Eph 2:11-22) : What can we learn from the imagery used in these verses? What were some likely divisions between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians during this time? What are some divisions you see between Christians in the church today?
APPLY: Where do you see God’s grace at work in your life? Are you actively participating in divisions and discord within the church?
FOR GROUPS (Eph 2:10) : If you have time, challenge your group members to leave your meeting space and do something kind for someone else, then get back to the group in fifteen minutes.
From Death to Life
2 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins 2 in which you previously lived according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. 3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, 5 made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! 6 He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift — 9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.
Unity in Christ
11 So then, remember that at one time you were Gentiles in the flesh — called “the uncircumcised” by those called “the circumcised,” which is done in the flesh by human hands. 12 At that time you were without Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh, 15 he made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that he might create in himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace. 16 He did this so that he might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by which he put the hostility to death. 17 He came and proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building, being put together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you are also being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.
2:1 Jn 5:25
2:2 2 Pet 2:20
2:2 2Pt 2:10; Jde 8
2:2 1 Co 2:12; 1 Tim 4:1
2:3 Php 3:3
2:3 Mt 21:31; Lk 12:47; 23:25; Jn 1:13; 1Co 7:37; 2 Pet 1:21
2:3 Rom 2:5; Rev 6:16
2:4 Lk 1:50
2:4 1Co 13:1; 1Jn 4:16
2:5 Col 2:13; 1 Tim 5:6
2:5 Jn 5:25
2:6 Eph 1:3,20; 3:10; 6:12; Php 2:10; 1 Pet 3:22
2:7 Mk 10:30
2:7 Lk 8:14; 2Co 8:9
2:7 Ps 25:6
2:8 Rom 3:24; 6:14; 11:6; Gal 2:21; 2 Tim 1:9
2:10 Jn 1:3; Rev 3:14
2:10 Rom 9:23
2:11 Gal 6:15
2:11 Php 3:3
2:12 Gen 12:7
2:12 1Th 1:3; 4:13
2:13 Heb 9:12
2:14 Rom 10:12; Gal 3:28
2:15 Rev 3:14
2:15 Jn 11:52
2:16 Eph 4:4
2:17 Lk 4:18; 1Pt 1:12
2:17 Is 57:19
2:18 Jn 10:7-9; Rom 5:2; Eph 3:12
2:18 Jn 4:23; 1Co 12:13; Eph 4:4; Col 1:12
2:20 1Co 12:28; Eph 3:5
2:21 Eph 4:16
2:21 1Pet 2:5
2:22 Rom 11:18
2:22 1 Pet 2:5
2:1 DEAD. They were spiritually dead. TRESPASSES AND SINS. These two words refer, respectively, to active wrongdoing (sins of commission) and passive failure (sins of omission).
2:2 RULER OF THE POWER OF THE AIR. This is the first of several references in Ephesians to Satan. NOW WORKING. Satan’s activity is not only past nor only in the future. It is here and now in this present evil age. IN THE DISOBEDIENT. They are, in fact, in active rebellion against him.
2:3 OUR FLESHLY DESIRES. The word here is literally “the flesh,” and it refers to self-centered human nature which expresses itself in destructive activities of both body and mind.
2:4 BECAUSE OF HIS GREAT LOVE THAT HE HAD FOR US. Love is God’s reason for rescuing fallen humanity. RICH. Paul makes more allusions to “riches” in Ephesians than anywhere else in his writings. MERCY. Not only love but mercy motivates God. Love and mercy are closely related.
2:5 MADE US ALIVE. Paul coins this word to describe exactly what happens to us when we are “in Christ”; namely, we share in Christ’s resurrection, ascension, and enthronement. BY GRACE! This resurrection from spiritual death cannot be earned. It is simply given. Grace is God’s unmerited favor or gift to us.
2:8 FOR YOU ARE SAVED BY GRACE. This is the second time Paul acclaims this amazing fact (v. 5). THROUGH FAITH. Salvation does not come about because of faith. Salvation comes by grace through faith.
2:8-9 NOT FROM YOURSELVES . . . NOT FROM WORKS. Salvation is not a reward for being good or keeping the law.
2:10 GOOD WORKS. Although good works do not save a person, they are a result of salvation.
2:11 REMEMBER. In vv. 1-3, Paul reminded his Gentile readers that once they were trapped in their transgressions and sins and so were spiritually dead and alienated from God.
2:12 WITHOUT CHRIST. In contrast to the great blessings which come as a result of being “in Christ,” at one time the Gentiles were outside Christ. EXCLUDED FROM THE CITIZENSHIP. Gentiles were not part of God’s kingdom. Israel was a nation founded by God, consisting of his people, and Gentiles were outside that reality. FOREIGNERS TO THE COVENANTS. Not only did Gentiles have no part in God’s kingdom, they also stood outside all the agreements God made with his people. WITHOUT HOPE. During this particular historical era, the Roman world experienced a profound loss of hope. WITHOUT GOD. Gentiles had no effective knowledge of the one true God.
2:13 BUT NOW . . . BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. Paul pinpoints how this great change occurred. It is as a result of Jesus’s death on the cross that union with God is possible (1:7).
2:14 OUR PEACE. Jesus brings peace; that is, he creates harmony between human beings and God. He also creates harmony between human beings. THE DIVIDING WALL OF HOSTILITY. Paul might have in mind an actual wall which existed in the temple in Jerusalem beyond which Gentiles could not go. They were cut off by a stone wall (“the dividing wall”) bearing signs that warned in Greek and Latin that trespassing foreigners would be killed.
2:16 RECONCILE. Literally, “to bring together estranged parties.” Here the reference is to bringing both Jew and Gentile to God.
2:17 HE CAME AND PROCLAIMED THE GOOD NEWS. Christ’s first words to the stunned apostles after his resurrection were, in fact, “Peace be with you.”(Jn 20:19).
2:19 FOREIGNERS. Nonresident aliens were disliked by the native population and often held in suspicion. STRANGERS. These are residents in a foreign land. They pay taxes but have no legal standing and few rights. FELLOW CITIZENS. Whereas once the Gentiles were “excluded from the citizenship of Israel” (v. 12), now they are members of God’s kingdom. MEMBERS OF GOD’S HOUSEHOLD. In fact, their relationship is far more intimate. They have become family.
2:20 CORNERSTONE. The stone which rested firmly on the foundation and anchored two walls together, giving each its correct alignment.
2:21 PUT TOGETHER. A term used by a mason to describe how two stones were prepared so that they would bond tightly together. TEMPLE. The new temple is not like the old one, carved out of dead stone—beautiful but forbidding and exclusive. Rather, it is alive all over the world, inclusive of all, and made up of the individuals in whom God dwells.
Paul was a Jewish man, and he often began his ministry in a city at the Jewish synagogue. Yet Paul also had a clear and specific call to bring the gospel to the Gentiles in the ancient world—including the Gentiles in Ephesus.
*** CHAPTER 3 ***
OPEN: What’s one of your favorite mystery stories?
CONSIDER (Eph 3:1-7) : What specific mystery had been revealed to the people of Paul’s generation that had previously been hidden?
CONSIDER (Eph 3:8-13) : How do these verses support Paul’s earlier points from this chapter? When have you experienced “boldness and confident access” in your spiritual life?
CONSIDER (Eph 3:14-21) : What does it mean to have Christ “dwell in your heart”? When have you felt God’s strength and power in your life?
CONSIDER (Eph 3:20) : How do we reconcile this description of God’s power with the level of pain and suffering in the world today?
APPLY: What are you most passionate about? Who is the Spirit nudging you to pray for this week?
DIG DEEPER (Eph 3:1-7) : Read these Old Testament passages that point forward to salvation for the Gentiles: Genesis 12:1-3; Isaiah 49:5-6; and Zechariah 2:10-13. How do these passages apply to the world today?
Paul’s Ministry to the Gentiles
3 For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles — 2 you have heard, haven’t you, about the administration of God’s grace that he gave to me for you? 3 The mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have briefly written above. 4 By reading this you are able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ. 5 This was not made known to people in other generations as it is now revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: 6 The Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and partners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 7 I was made a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the working of his power.
8 This grace was given to me — the least of all the saints — to proclaim to the Gentiles the incalculable riches of Christ, 9 and to shed light for all about the administration of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things. 10 This is so that God’s multi-faceted wisdom may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens. 11 This is according to his eternal purpose accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him we have boldness and confident access through faith in him. 13 So then I ask you not to be discouraged over my afflictions on your behalf, for they are your glory.
Prayer for Spiritual Power
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. 16 I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit, 17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, 19 and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us — 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
3:1 2 Tim 1:8
3:3 1 Pet 4:13
3:4 Col 4:3
3:5 1Co 12:28-29; Eph 2:20
3:6 Gen 12:7
3:7 Mk 5:30; Lk 1:35; 6:19; Ac 19:11; 2Co 13:4; Rev 11:17
3:8 Rom 1:15; 10:12; 11:12; 1 Pet 1:12
3:9 Mk 13:19
3:10 Pr 3:19; Rom 11:33; 1Co 1:21,24; Rev 7:12
3:10 Eph 1:3,20; 2:6; 6:12; Php 2:10
3:11 Pr 19:21
3:12 Rom 5:2
3:13 2Th 3:13
3:13 Jn 5:44; 7:18; Rom 2:7; 1Pt 5:4
3:14 Php 2:10
3:16 Lk 8:14; 2Co 8:9
3:16 Lk 9:32; Jn 17:24; 2Co 3:18; 2Pt 3:18
3:16 2 Tim 1:7
3:16 Rom 7:22; Php 4:13
3:18 Jb 11:7-9; Ps 103:11-14
3:20 Rom 16:25; 2Co 9:8; Jde 1:24
3:20 Mk 14:36
3:20 Rom 15:13; 16:25; 2 Tim 1:7; Jde 1:24
3:21 Php 4:20
Eph 3:3 MYSTERY. In Greek, a mystery is something that is beyond human reason to figure out, but once it is revealed by God, it is open and plain to all. REVELATION. This new reality was given by God.
Eph 3:6 COHEIRS . . . MEMBERS OF THE SAME BODY . . . PARTNERS. Paul’s point is that these two groups—once traditional enemies—now share together the same promised covenant blessings as parts of the same body, and they share the same benefits.
Eph 3:9 TO SHED LIGHT. Paul’s original commission, given by Jesus on the Damascus Road, carried this idea: “I am sending you to them to open their eyes so that they may turn them from darkness to light . . . ” (Ac 26:17-18)
Eph 3:10 MADE KNOWN . . . TO THE RULERS AND AUTHORITIES IN THE HEAVENS. At this point, Paul’s vision soars to new heights as he declares that it is by means of this multiethnic church that the very supernatural powers themselves see what God is doing.
Eph 3:16 STRENGTHENED WITH POWER. Paul asks that Christians be fortified or invigorated within by the Holy Spirit. He asks that they experience this awesome power of God about which he has written so eloquently. INNER BEING. By this term, Paul may be referring to the deepest part of the human personality, where a person’s true essence lies.
Eph 3:17 DWELL. This means “to settle down,” and it implies a permanent residency (in a house) versus a temporary stopover (in a tent). In other words, Christ has come to stay. ROOTED AND FIRMLY ESTABLISHED. By his choice of these words, Paul hints at two metaphors through which the character of love is revealed. The Christian is to be anchored firmly in the soil of love just like a tree. The Christian is also to be set solidly on the foundation of love just like a well-constructed house. (The second word in Greek is literally “grounded.”) LOVE. Agapē love is selfless giving to others, regardless of how one feels. Such love is the foundation upon which the church will grow.
Paul’s instructions to the Ephesians were both practical and profound. Here, he offers helpful advice for seeking unity as a church and for standing out in the culture as representatives of God’s kingdom.
*** CHAPTER 4 ***
OPEN: What’s your favorite team sport? Why?
CONSIDER (Eph 4:1-6) : Why is it critical to remember that God is one being in three persons?
CONSIDER (Eph 4:17-19) : Where do you see specific examples of “darkened” and “callous” worldviews in today’s culture?
CONSIDER (Eph 4:20-24) : How do we participate in the process described here? What are some ways you have experienced this process in recent years?
CONSIDER (Eph 4:25-32) : What are some themes that unite the “don’ts” listed in these verses? What are some themes that unite the “dos”?
APPLY: What have you done this past month to “build up the body of Christ”? What will you do this coming week to “build up the body of Christ”?
DIG DEEPER (Eph 4:7-16) : Read more about the body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31. What message do both of these passages communicate about the church?
Unity and Diversity in the Body of Christ
4 Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to live worthy of the calling you have received, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to one hope , at your calling — 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
7 Now grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 For it says:
When he ascended on high,
he took the captives captive;
he gave gifts to people.
9 But what does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower parts of the earth? 10 The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, to fill all things. 11 And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 equipping the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness. 14 Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. 15 But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head — Christ. 16 From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part.
Living the New Life
17 Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer live as the Gentiles live, in the futility of their thoughts. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts. 19 They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more.
20 But that is not how you came to know Christ, 21 assuming you heard about him and were taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires, 23 to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.
25 Therefore, putting away lying, speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, because we are members of one another. 26 Be angry and do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and don’t give the devil an opportunity. 28 Let the thief no longer steal. Instead, he is to do honest work with his own hands, so that he has something to share with anyone in need. 29 No foul language should come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear. 30 And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by him for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice. 32 And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.
4:1 2Tim 1:8
4:2 Col 3:12
4:2 Ex 34:6; 2 Tim 3:10
4:2 Heb 13:22
4:2 1Co 13:1
4:3 Eph 4:13
4:3 Ps 51:11; Jn 1:33; Ac 2:4; Rom 8:9; Gal 5:25; Tit 3:5; Rev 3:22
4:4 Rom 12:4-5; 1Co 10:17; 12:9,12-13; Eph 2:16,18; Col 3:15
4:4 Ac 26:6-7; 28:20; Rom 5:2; 8:23-25; Eph 1:18; Col 1:5; 1Th 1:3
4:5 1Co 1:13; 8:6
4:5 Jde 1:3
4:6 Deut 6:4
4:6 Mt 5:16; 11:27; Lk 11:13; Jn 8:42
4:6 Ps 104:24
4:7 1Co 12:7-11
4:8 Jn 20:17
4:8 Ps 68:18
4:8 Ps 68:18
4:9 Jn 3:13; 6:62; Rom 10:6-7; Php 2:6-11
4:10 Jn 3:13; 6:38
4:10 Eph 1:23; Heb 4:14; 7:26; 9:24
4:12 Rom 7:4; 1Co 10:16; 12:27; Col 2:17
4:13 Jn 5:19; Heb 1:2
4:13 Lk 2:52
4:14 Rom 15:4; Heb 13:9
4:15 Col 2:10
4:16 Col 2:2
4:16 Col 2:19
4:19 1Th 4:17
4:21 2Th 2:10
4:22 Rom 13:12
4:22 2Pt 3:11
4:22 Rom 6:6; 7:6; 1Co 5:7-8; 2Co 3:14; Col 3:9
4:23 Ps 51:12
4:24 Rom 13:12
4:24 Mk 13:19; Jn 1:3; Rev 3:14
4:24 Col 3:10; 2Pt 1:4
4:25 Pr 31:25
4:25 Zech 8:16
4:25 Zech 8:16
4:26 Ps 4:4
4:26 Ps 4:4; 37:8; Mt 18:21; Jms 1:19-20
4:28 1Th 2:8; 1 Tim 6:18
4:30 Ps 51:11; Jn 1:33; Ac 2:4; Rom 8:9; Gal 5:25; Tit 3:5; Rev 3:22
4:30 Php 1:6
4:32 Mt 11:30; Lk 5:39; 6:35; Rom 2:4; 1Co 15:33; 1Pt 2:3
4:32 1Pet 3:8
4:32 Ps 25:11; Mt 9:2; Mk 2:5; Lk 24:47; Col 3:12-13
Eph 4:1 URGE YOU. Stylistically, Paul moves from the indicative (“This is the way things are”) to the imperative (“This is what must be done”).
Eph 4:2 ALL HUMILITY. Humility is an absence of pride and self-assertion, based upon accurate self-knowledge and on an understanding of the God-given worth of others. Humility is the key to the growth of healthy relationships between people. GENTLENESS. Gentleness is the quality of strength under control, like a thoroughbred horse. PATIENCE. Patience is long suffering. BEARING WITH ONE ANOTHER. This is the kind of tolerance of the faults of others which springs from humility, gentleness, and patience.
Eph 4:8 Paul quotes Ps 68:18, which describes the triumphal procession of a conquering Jewish king up Mount Zion and into Jerusalem. The king is followed by a procession of prisoners in chains. As he marches up the hill, he is given gifts of tribute and, in turn, disperses gifts of booty. Paul uses this verse to describe Christ’s ascension into heaven.
Eph 4:9 DESCENDED. Paul is referring to Christ’s incarnation, whereby he came down from heaven and into our space and time (Php 2:5-11).
Eph 4::11 This is one of several lists of gifts. The emphasis in this list is on teaching gifts. APOSTLES. Paul probably had in mind the small group of individuals who had seen the resurrected Christ and had been commissioned by him to launch his church (Ac 1:21-22; 1Co 9:1). PROPHETS. In contrast to teachers who relied upon the OT Scripture and the teaching of Jesus to instruct others, prophets offered words of instruction, exhortation, and admonition, which were immediate and unpremeditated. Their source was direct revelation from God. EVANGELISTS. Those with the special gift of making the gospel clear and convincing to people. PASTORS AND TEACHERS. The way in which this is expressed in Greek indicates that these two functions reside in one person.
Eph 4:15 SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE. Christians are to stand for both truth and love. Truth without love becomes harsh. Love without truth becomes weak.
Eph 4:17 AS THE GENTILES LIVE. Paul begins this section on purity of life by describing the typical Gentile lifestyle from which Christians must flee. THE FUTILITY OF THEIR THOUGHTS. Paul emphasizes the connection between thought and behavior.
Eph 4:18 HARDNESS OF THEIR HEARTS. The center of their being (the heart) has become stone-like or petrified.
Eph 4:19 PROMISCUITY . . . IMPURITY . . . DESIRE. By these three nouns, Paul describes what pagan life has evolved into.
Eph 4:20-21 TO KNOW CHRIST . . . HEARD ABOUT HIM . . . TAUGHT BY HIM. In contrast to the three phrases which describe the wrong thinking of the pagan, Paul sets these three phrases which describe how the Christian comes to learn the right way of thinking.
Eph 4:22-24 TAKE OFF . . . PUT ON. Paul develops a clothing metaphor here. At conversion, the Christian sheds (strips off) his or her old, ragged, filthy garment and puts on a fresh, new cloak. OLD SELF . . . NEW SELF. At conversion, the Christian puts off his or her old, sinful nature and is clothed with the very life of Christ himself.
Eph 4:23 BE RENEWED. This exchange of natures occurs at conversion. However, here the verb indicates the need for ongoing, continual renewal. THE SPIRIT OF YOUR MINDS. Again, the emphasis is on right thinking in order to be able to live right.
Eph 4:26 BE ANGRY. Paul recognizes that there is such a thing as legitimate anger. But once admitted, anger is to be dealt with, and so, Paul identifies ways to deal with anger. Do not let anger develop into resentment.
Eph 4:29-30 Paul turns to the use of one’s mouth. The word translated “foul language” means “rotten,” and is used to describe spoiled fruit (Mt 12:33). Instead of rancid words that wound others, the words of Christians ought to edify (“building up”), be appropriate (“in need”), bring grace (this is the literal rendering of the word translated “gives grace”) and not cause distress for the Holy Spirit (by unholy words).
4:31 Paul identifies six negative attitudes which must be erased from the Christian life. bitterness. Spiteful, long-standing resentment. anger and wrath. These two attitudes are related. The first is a more immediate flare-up, while the latter is a more long-term, sullen hostility. shouting. Loud self-assertion; screaming arguments. slander. Insulting someone else behind his or her back. malice. Wishing (or actually plotting) evil against another.
Paul continued to provide practical instruction for members of the early church—and for us. Here, he tackles subjects including avoiding sin, making good choices, and advice for husbands and wives.
*** CHAPTER 5 ***
OPEN: Growing up, what were your parents’ rules about bad language?
CONSIDER (Eph 5:6-14) : When did you first realize that sinful behaviors and lifestyles are “fruitless”? What does it look like on a practical level to “expose” the darkness of our world?
CONSIDER (Eph 5:15-21) : What have you found helpful in understanding God’s will?
CONSIDER (Eph 6:22-33) : How can wives apply these verses in today’s culture? How can husbands apply these verses in today’s culture? In what way does marriage serve as an object lesson for our relationship with Christ?
APPLY: What do you need to put into practice from this chapter when it comes to choosing light over darkness? What do you need to put in practice from this chapter when it comes to your relationships?
WORSHIP (Eph 5:19-20) : Make a list of every blessing you’ve received in the past week—everything you feel thankful for. Express your thanks to God for each item on that list, praising him as your provider and sustainer.
FOR GROUPS (Eph 5:6-14) : Bring a collection of newspapers and magazines to your group gathering. Ask group members to look through those periodicals to find examples of “darkness” in our culture. Encourage volunteers to share what they find.
5 Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children, 2 and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. 3 But sexual immorality and any impurity or greed should not even be heard of among you, as is proper for saints. 4 Obscene and foolish talking or crude joking are not suitable, but rather giving thanks. 5 For know and recognize this: Every sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, who is an idolater, does not have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Light versus Darkness
6 Let no one deceive you with empty arguments, for God’s wrath is coming on the disobedient because of these things. 7 Therefore, do not become their partners. 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light — 9 for the fruit of the light consists of all goodness, righteousness, and truth — 10 testing what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Don’t participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what is done by them in secret. 13 Everything exposed by the light is made visible, 14 for what makes everything visible is light. Therefore it is said:
Get up, sleeper, and rise up from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.
Consistency in the Christian Life
15 Pay careful attention, then, to how you live — not as unwise people but as wise — 16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil. 17 So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit: 19 speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.
Wives and Husbands
22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, 23 because the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of the body. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives are to submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. 27 He did this to present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless. 28 In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, 30 since we are members of his body. 31 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, a and the two will become one flesh. 32 This mystery is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 To sum up, each one of you is to love his wife as himself, and the wife is to respect her husband.
5:2 2Th 2:13; Tit 2:14
5:3 1Th 4:3
5:3 1Th 4:7
5:3 Lk 12:15; Rom 1:29; Eph 4:19; Col 3:5; 1Th 2:5; 2Pt 2:3,14
5:5 1Co 5:9
5:5 2Co 6:17
5:5 1Co 5:10-11; 6:10
5:5 Mk 1:15
5:6 Rom 2:5; Rev 6:16
5:8 Ps 36:9; Jn 12:46
5:8 Is 2:5; Lk 16:8; Jn 12:35-36
5:9 Eph 5:17
5:10 Rom 12:2
5:10 Lk 18:18
5:11 Gal 5:22; Tit 3:14
5:13 1Jn 1:2
5:14 Pr 6:4
5:14 Jn 5:25
5:14 Is 26:19; 51:17; 52:1; 60:1; Mal 4:2; Lk 1:78-79; Rom 13:11
5:16 Col 4:5
5:17 Jr 31:31-34; Ezek 36:26-27; Rom 12:2; Php 1:9-10; 1Th 5:21
5:17 Ps 143:10; Pr 16:9; Gal 1:4; Eph 1:9
5:18 Lk 12:45; Jn 2:10; 1Th 5:7; Rev 17:2
5:18 Gen 9:21; Deut 7:13; Ps 4:7; Pr 3:10; Lk 5:37
5:18 Lk 1:15; Ac 13:52
5:18-21 Col 3:16-17; 1Pt 1:17
5:22 1Pt 3:1
5:22 Gen 3:16; 1Co 11:3,7-9,11-12; Col 3:18; Tit 2:4-5; 1Pt 3:1-6
5:22 1Pt 3:1
5:23 1Co 11:3
5:23 Col 2:10
5:23 Col 3:18–4:1
5:25 Col 3:19; 1Pt 3:7
5:25 Jn 3:16; 1Co 13:1; 2Th 2:13
5:25 Tit 2:14
5:27 Jde 1:24
5:31 1Pt 3:1
5:31 Gen 2:24
5:31 Gen 2:24
5:32 1Co 2:7
Eph 5:4 Vulgar talk is out of place, because it demeans God’s good gift of sex (which is a subject for thanksgiving, not joking).
Eph 5:5-7 Judgment is real. Those who live a committed life of self-indulgent sensuality without repenting will be called to account.
Eph 5:5 GREEDY PERSON. The reference is to the sexually greedy person. IDOLATER. When vice has become an obsession, it functions in a person’s life as a god (or idol), drawing forth passionate commitment of time and energy.
Eph 5:6 EMPTY ARGUMENTS. Influenced by Greek philosophy that minimized the importance of the body in contrast to the spirit, some wrongly taught that the sins of the body did not matter.
Eph 5:8-14 A second reason why Christians should not get involved in immoral practices (v. 11) is that they have become “children of light” (v. 8). In fact, it is not just that they walk in the light, they “are light in the Lord” (v. 8). To be such a child of light implies a lifestyle of “goodness, righteousness and truth” (v. 9).
Eph 5:18 BE FILLED. This is a command, not an option. It means “let the Spirit fill you.”
Eph 5:21 SUBMITTING TO ONE ANOTHER. An aspect of being filled with the Spirit involves mutual submission within the Christian community.
Eph 5:22 SUBMIT. This injunction from Paul must be understood in its historical context. In Jewish law, a woman had no legal rights. In Rome, too, divorce was easy, and women were repressed. Against this, Paul proposes a radical, liberating view: (1) submission was to be mutual (the man was no longer the absolute authority), (2) wives are called upon to defer only to their husbands (and not to every man), and (3) submission is defined and qualified by Christ’s headship of the church (Christ died for the church). TO YOUR HUSBANDS. A woman owes submission only to her husband, not to all men (as first-century culture taught).
Eph 5:23 CHRIST IS THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH. It is a headship of love, not of control; of nurture, not of suppression.
Eph 5:25 LOVE YOUR WIVES. This is the main thing Paul says to husbands. It is so important that he repeats this injunction three times (vv. 25,28,33). Paul urges a type of love: agapē , which is characterized by sacrificial, self-giving action. JUST AS CHRIST LOVED THE CHURCH AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR HER. Two actions characterize Christ’s role for the church: love and sacrifice. The husband is called upon to act toward his wife in the same way.
Eph 5:27 TO PRESENT THE CHURCH. At a Jewish wedding, the bride was presented to the groom by a friend.
Eph 5:28 THEIR OWN BODIES. The deep-rooted instinct to care for and protect oneself is to be carried over to the wife who has become one flesh with her husband.
Eph 5:31 ONE FLESH. Paul does not view marriage as some sort of spiritual covenant devoid of sexuality. His illustration of how a husband is to love his wife (vv. 28-31) revolves around their sexual union, as is made explicit here by his quotation of Gen 2:24.
This is the final chapter of Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians. Here, he continued his practical instruction for children and slaves. He also shared important wisdom for engaging in spiritual warfare as members of God’s kingdom.
*** CHAPTER 6 ***
OPEN: What do you like best about your boss?
CONSIDER (Eph 6:5-9) : How should we understand the word “slaves” in these verses? Do you believe these verses condoned slavery as acceptable? Explain.
CONSIDER (Eph 6:10-17) : Do you believe there are supernatural forces that influence our world? Explain. How do we go about equipping ourselves with the armor of God—what is our part in that process?
CONSIDER (Eph 6:18-20) : How does the practice of prayer influence our lives each day?
CONSIDER (Eph 6:21-24) : What have you liked best from your study of Ephesians? Why?
APPLY: How would you rate your current experiences with the armor of God? How would you rate your current prayer life?
FOR GROUPS (Eph 6:10-17) : Appeal to the hands-on learners in your group by bringing balloon-animal balloons to your gathering. Encourage group members to work together to inflate the balloons and craft different elements of the armor of God.
Children and Parents
6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, because this is right. 2 Honor your father and mother , which is the first commandment with a promise, 3 so that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life in the land.
4 Fathers, don’t stir up anger in your children, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Slaves and Masters
5 Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as you would Christ. 6 Don’t work only while being watched, as people-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, do God’s will from your heart. 7 Serve with a good attitude, as to the Lord and not to people, 8 knowing that whatever good each one does, slave or free, he will receive this back from the Lord. 9 And masters, treat your slaves the same way, without threatening them, because you know that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.
Christian Warfare
10 Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens. 13 For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. 14 Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, 15 and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. 16 In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit — which is the word of God. 18 Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. 20 For this I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I might be bold enough to speak about it as I should.
Paul’s Farewell
21 Tychicus, our dearly loved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me so that you may be informed. 22 I am sending him to you for this very reason, to let you know how we are and to encourage your hearts.
23 Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all who have undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ.
6:1 Pr 1:8; 6:20; 23:22; Col 3:20
6:2-3 Ex 20:12
6:2-3 Ex 20:12
6:4 Rom 10:19
6:4 Heb 12:5
6:5 Col 3:22; 1Pt 2:18
6:5 Php 2:12
6:5 2Co 9:11
6:6 Ps 143:10; Pr 16:9; Gal 1:4; Eph 1:9
6:7 Col 3:23
6:9 Ac 4:29; 9:1
6:9 Col 3:25
6:9 Col 4:1
6:10 Ac 4:33
6:11 Pr 31:25
6:11 Eph 6:11-17
6:12 Php 3:3
6:12 1Pt 3:22
6:12 Mt 6:13; Jn 17:15
6:12 Eph 1:3,20; 2:6; 3:10; Php 2:10
6:13 1Th 5:8
6:13 2 Tim 4:15; 1 Pet 5:9
6:14 Pr 24:16; Php 1:27
6:14 Jn 14:6; 1Jn 5:20
6:14 Mt 6:33; Rom 1:17; 2Pt 1:1
6:14 1Th 5:8
6:16 Gen 15:1
6:16 Mt 8:10; Ac 3:16; Rom 1:8; 1Co 2:5; Gal 2:16; 1 Tim 1:2; Heb 4:2
6:16 2Th 3:3
6:17 1Th 5:8
6:17 Mk 14:47
6:17 Ps 51:11; Jn 1:33; Ac 2:4; Rom 8:9; Gal 5:25; Tit 3:5; Rev 3:22
6:18 Mt 5:44; Ac 12:12
6:18 Jde 1:20
6:18 Pr 6:4
6:19 2Co 3:12
6:20 2Co 5:20
6:21 Tit 3:12
6:22 Lk 16:25
6:22 Col 4:8
6:23 Mt 5:16; 11:27; Lk 11:13; Jn 8:42
Eph 6:1 CHILDREN. That he addresses children in this public letter means that children were in attendance with their families at worship when such a letter would have been read. OBEY. Paul tells the children to “obey” (“follow,” “be subject to,” literally, “listen to”).
Eph 6:4 Just as children have a duty to obey, parents have the duty to instruct children with gentleness and restraint. FATHERS. The model for a father is that of God, the “Father of all” (4:6). This view of fatherhood stands in sharp contrast to the harsh Roman father, who had the power of life and death over his children. STIR UP ANGER. Parents are to be responsible for not provoking hostility on the part of their children. By humiliating children, being cruel to them, over-indulging them, or being unreasonable, parents squash children rather than encourage them. BRING THEM UP. This verb is literally “nourish” or “feed” them. TRAINING. This word can be translated “discipline.” INSTRUCTION. The emphasis here is on what is said verbally to children.
Eph 6:9 TREAT YOUR SLAVES THE SAME WAY. Paul applies the golden rule to slave owners: to get service and respect, give respect to slaves. This was a revolutionary concept. This was the way of mutual submission for slave and master; i.e., mutual respect. WITHOUT THREATENING THEM. In the same way that parents are not to exasperate children, masters are not to browbeat slaves. Punishment was the usual way of controlling slaves.
Eph 6:10 BE STRENGTHENED . . . BY HIS VAST STRENGTH. Paul uses the same three words here as he used in 1:19 when he first described God’s power. In order to wage successful warfare against Satan, the Christian must draw upon God’s own power.
Eph 6:11 PUT ON. It is not enough to rely passively on God’s power. The Christian must do something. He or she must “put on” God’s armor. THE SCHEMES OF THE DEVIL. Evil does not operate in the light. It lurks in shadows and strikes unexpectedly with cleverness and subtlety.
Eph 6:12 THE RULERS . . . THE AUTHORITIES . . . THE COSMIC POWERS . . . SPIRITUAL FORCES. By these various titles, Paul names the diverse spiritual forces which rage against believers. POWERS OF THIS DARKNESS. It was no empty boast on Satan’s part when during Jesus’s temptations he claimed to be able to give him “all the kingdoms of the world.” These “world rulers” have real power, and even though Christ has defeated them, they refuse to concede their defeat. EVIL, SPIRITUAL FORCES. Another characteristic of these supernatural beings is wickedness. They are of the darkness, not of the light, and cannot be fought by only humanly means.
Eph 6:13 THE EVIL DAY. The immediate reference is to those special times of pressure and testing that come to all Christians, at which point steadfast resistance of evil is called for. TAKE YOUR STAND. This is the second time Paul has spoken about “stand[ing] against” (v. 11). Fully-equipped soldiers were virtually invulnerable to enemy onslaught—unless they panicked and broke ranks. As long as they stood firm when the enemy attacked, they would prevail in the long run.
Eph 6:14 TRUTH LIKE A BELT. The leather belt on which the Roman soldier hung his sword and by which he secured his tunic and armor (so he would be unimpeded in battle). The “truth” referred to is the inner integrity and sincerity by which the Christian fights evil. Lying and deceit are tactics of the enemy. RIGHTEOUSNESS LIKE ARMOR ON YOUR CHEST. The breastplate (or “mail”) was the major piece of armor for the Roman soldier. Made of metal and leather, it protected his vital organs. “Righteousness” refers to the right standing before God that is the status of the Christian, out of which moral conduct and character emerges.
Eph 6:15 FEET SANDALED. These are the leather half-boots worn by the Roman legionnaire, with heavy studded soles that enabled him to dig in and resist being pushed out of place. READINESS. This term can be translated as “firmness” or “steadfastness,” in which case the “gospel of peace” is understood to provide the solid foundation on which the Christian stands in the fight against evil.
Eph 6:16 THE SHIELD OF FAITH. A large, oblong shield constructed of layers of wood on an iron frame, which was then covered with linen and hide. When wet, such a shield could absorb “flaming arrows.” flaming arrows. These were pitch-soaked arrows. Their aim was not so much to kill a soldier, as to set him aflame and cause him to break rank and create panic.
Eph 6:17 THE HELMET OF SALVATION. A heavy, metal head-covering lined with felt or sponge, which gave substantial protection to the soldier’s head from all but the heaviest axe blow. SWORD. A short, stabbing sword used for personal combat. The sword is the only piece of offensive equipment in the armor.
Eph 6:18 PRAY. Paul does not consider prayer a seventh weapon. Rather, it underlies the whole process of spiritual warfare. IN THE SPIRIT. The Bible, the Word of God, is the sword of the Spirit. So, too, prayer is guided by the Spirit. This is, after all, spiritual warfare.
Author. The apostle Paul was the writer of Ephesians.
Date. Paul likely wrote this letter in the early AD 60s, some thirty years after Jesus’s crucifixion and only a few years before his death.
Theme. God’s new society.
Historical Background. Paul is in prison once again, and Epaphras has come to visit him bearing disturbing news about the church at Colossae. Since Paul is about to send back the runaway slave Onesimus (now converted) to his owner Philemon, a member of the Colossian church, he takes this opportunity to send along a letter in which he addresses the Colossian heresy. He also writes two more letters: one to Philemon and one to a neighboring area, the Ephesians. These three letters (Colossians, Ephesians, and Philemon) form the core of what we now know as the “Prison Epistles.” It is unclear which imprisonment produced these letters (2Co 11:23), but most likely Paul was at Rome (Ac 28). The fourth Prison Epistle, Philippians, was written in prison on another occasion.
Ephesians and Colossians are more similar in language and content than any other two letters in the New Testament. Together they give us a clear understanding of the nature of Christ and the unity of the church in him.
Characteristics. We see Christ creating the church, his body, and a new social order of love and unity that transcends the racial, ethnic, and social distinctions between people. God calls people to be reconciled to himself and to one another through the cross of Christ. The cross provides forgiveness of sins, a new life, and a new people. Between Paul’s greeting (Eph 1:1-2) and salutation (Eph 6:21-24), the letter divides easily into two parts. Part one (chapters 1–3) focuses on doctrine, specifically, the new life and new society God has created through Jesus. Part two (chapters 4–6) focuses on ethics, specifically, the new standards and new relationships expected of believers.
Paul’s Visits to Ephesus. Paul’s first visit to Ephesus was brief. Later, he returned during his third missionary journey and spent over two years there. His ministry was both effective and controversial. After three months in the synagogue, he was forced out and took up residence in the lecture hall of Tyrannus (Ac 19:8-9). News of his message spread throughout Asia Minor (Ac 19:10). Extraordinary things happened. Handkerchiefs touched by him were used to cure the sick (Ac 19:11-12). Demons were cast out in the name of Jesus, even by Jewish exorcists (Ac 19:13-17). Pagan converts burned their books of magic (Ac 19:18-20). Eventually, a riot broke out in Ephesus because of Paul. Demetrius, a silversmith, organized a citywide protest. He charged that Paul’s success posed a threat to the economic well-being of craftsmen who made their living from the worshipers of Artemis (Ac 19:23-41). As a result, Paul moved on to Macedonia.
Paul never visited Ephesus again. He did, however, stop at the nearby port of Miletus on his return to Jerusalem. He called the Ephesian elders to him there and gave a moving farewell address (Ac 20:13-38).
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Ephesians 1 * Ephesians 2 * Ephesians 3 * Ephesians 4 * Ephesians 5 * Ephesians 6
Paul wrote this letter to the Ephesian church while he was in prison in Rome. Paul had a positive relationship with the Christians in Ephesus, and he started this letter by offering blessings and encouragement.
*** CHAPTER 1 ***
OPEN: When you write a letter or an email, do you write a lot of introduction or get straight to the point?
CONSIDER (Eph 1:3-6) : How should we understand the words “chose” and “predestined” in these verses? What does it mean that Christians are “adopted as sons” into God’s family?
CONSIDER (Eph 1:7-10) : How would you explain the concept of “redemption” to someone who has never heard of it before?
CONSIDER (Eph 1:11-12) : What is the inheritance we receive as adopted children of God?
CONSIDER (Eph 1:13-14) : How does the Holy Spirit function as a “seal” and “down payment” of our inheritance?
APPLY: How do you experience the Holy Spirit in your everyday life? How do you want to experience the Holy Spirit in your everyday life?
WORSHIP (Eph 1:15-19) : Spend time in prayer thanking God for the people you care deeply about who have experienced salvation. Praise God for the way he has blessed those you love.
FOR GROUPS (Eph 1:13-14) : Bring some sealing wax and a seal to your group gathering. Allow volunteers to take turns sealing an envelope as an object lesson for these verses.
Greeting
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will:
To the faithful saints in Christ Jesus at Ephesus.
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
God’s Rich Blessings
3 Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. 5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8 that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 He made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he purposed in Christ 10 as a plan for the right time — to bring everything together in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth in him.
11 In him we have also received an inheritance, because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will, 12 so that we who had already put our hope in Christ might bring praise to his glory.
13 In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. 14 The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.
Prayer for Spiritual Insight
15 This is why, since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I never stop giving thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength.
God’s Power in Christ
20 He exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens — 21 far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he subjected everything under his feet and appointed him as head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.
1:1; Ac 13:9 1:1 Eph 1:9 1:1 Eph 5:2 1:1 Ac 18:19-21; 19:9-10; 20:3,17; 1Co 15:32; Rev 2:1
1:3; Eph 1:20; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12
1:4; Jde 1:24
1:6; Jn 1:14; Rom 5:2; 2Co 4:15
1:6; Mt 3:17; Jn 3:35; 10:17; Col 1:13
1:7; Heb 9:12
1:7; Ps 25:11; Mt 9:2; Mk 2:5; Lk 24:47
1:9; Rom 11:25; 16:25; Eph 3:3; Col 1:27
1:9; Rom 9:11
1:10; Mt 1:17; Eph 5:2
1:10; Php 2:10
1:10; Col 1:16
1:11; Pr 19:21
1:12; 1Th 1:3
1:12; Mk 10:37
1:13; Ps 51:11; Jn 1:33; Ac 2:4; Rom 8:9; Gal 5:25; Tit 3:5; Rev 3:22
1:13; Col 1:5; 2Th 2:10
1:14; Gen 38:17-18,20; 2Co 1:22; 5:5
1:17; Ps 51:12
1:17 1Pt 4:13
1:18; 1Th 1:3
1:18; Col 3:15
1:19; Ac 4:33
1:20; Php 2:9
1:20; Jn 20:17; Eph 1:3; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12; Php 2:10; 1Pt 3:22
1:21; 2 Tim 2:19
1:21; Mk 10:30
1:22; Ps 8:6
1:22; Ps 8:6; Rom 13:1; 1Co 15:27; 1Pt 3:22
1:22; Col 2:10
1:23; Eph 4:4
1:23; Jn 1:16
1:23; Col 3:11
Eph 1:1 APOSTLE. Apostles were much like ambassadors. They are chosen by the king (in this case Jesus) to represent him and are given power to act in his name. This was the title that was given to the original twelve (Lk 6:13) and then later to Paul (Gal 1:11-24). By using this title, Paul indicates that he is writing with the authority of the Lord, Jesus Christ.
Eph 1:2 GRACE TO YOU AND PEACE. “Grace” refers to the undeserved favor of God freely given as a gift. “Peace” refers to the reconciliation of sinners to God and others. Taken together, they define a central theme of Ephesians: peace through grace.
Eph 1:3 BLESSED. The verb can also be translated “to speak well of” and carries the idea of thanking, glorifying, and singing the praises of the one who is the object of this gratitude. GOD. God is the subject of virtually every main verb in this passage. JESUS CHRIST. It is in and through Jesus that God’s work of love, grace, and redemption is performed. HAS BLESSED US. The tense of the Greek verb indicates that what is in view here is a single, past action on God’s part. THE HEAVENS. The unseen world of spiritual reality.
Eph 1:4 HOLY AND BLAMELESS. The goal of the Christian life: people who have been made perfect and whole.
Eph 1:5 PREDESTINED. Literally, “marked out beforehand.” ADOPTED. This was a common Roman custom in which a child was given all the rights of the adoptive family by grace, not by birth. AS SONS. The purpose of predestination is that people become the sons and daughters of God. THE GOOD PLEASURE OF HIS WILL. This phrase carries with it the sense that God goes about such choosing with great joy.
Eph 1:7 REDEMPTION. The setting free (originally of prisoners or slaves) by payment of a ransom (in this case, Jesus’s death in place of the sinner). FORGIVENESS OF OUR TRESPASSES. The child of God is not only given freedom from the penalty of sin, but the sin itself is forgotten. Redemption and forgiveness go together.
Eph 1:9 MYSTERY. Contrary to the normal use of the word (with its emphasis on a secret being kept), here the word focuses on the disclosure of what was once hidden but is now revealed by God.
Eph 1:10 TO BRING . . . TOGETHER. From a Greek word meaning “to sum up,” as in the conclusion of a speech or a column of figures; a gathering together of the pieces into a whole.
Eph 1:13 SEALED. A mark placed by an owner on a package, a cow, or even a slave. The cults in the first century sometimes tattooed a mark on their devotees. For the Jews, circumcision was such a seal (Rom 4:11); for Christians, the Holy Spirit is his or her seal. PROMISED HOLY SPIRIT. This is the second of three terms in vv. 13-14 used to describe the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is not only “promised” but is the “seal” (whereby the Christian is marked out as belonging to God) and the “down payment” (v. 14) of that Christian’s future inheritance. The Holy Spirit was promised in the OT (Ezek 36:27; Jl 2:28) and by Jesus (Lk 24:49; Jn 14–16; Ac 1:4-5; 2:33,38-39; Gal 3:14).
Eph 1:14 DOWN PAYMENT. A down payment which guarantees ultimate ownership by God.
Eph 1:16 THANKS. Paul’s response to these new Christians is one of profound thankfulness.
Eph:17 WISDOM AND REVELATION. Awareness of all these spiritual blessings will not necessarily come via logical dedication nor solely as a result of experience. There must also be an inner work of God by which individuals are “enlightened” and understand what is going on.
Eph 1:18 THE EYES OF YOUR HEART. Paul wants this illumination to strike right to the core of a person’s being. WHAT IS THE HOPE OF HIS CALLING. This is the first of the three effects which result from knowing God. These phrases seem to define well the objective substance of this hope; i.e., they are God’s children and they will be holy and not held accountable for their sins. THE WEALTH OF HIS GLORIOUS INHERITANCE IN THE SAINTS. This is the second benefit derived from knowing God. The idea is parallel to that in Col 1:12, and the reference is to the riches beyond imagination which God has reserved for his people (1 Pet 1:4).
Eph 1:19 IMMEASURABLE GREATNESS OF HIS POWER. This is the third effect. In all things, the evidence of God’s great power is there. The greatness of his power is demonstrated in raising Jesus from the grave like he promised.
Eph 1:20 RAISING HIM FROM THE DEAD. Jesus was really dead, buried in a tomb. But so mighty is God’s power, that it burst the bonds of death. SEATING HIM AT HIS RIGHT HAND. Jesus is now the King who reigns in absolute power. One day that reign will result in the bringing together of all things under him (1:10; Heb 2:5-9).
Eph 1:21 RULER AND AUTHORITY, POWER AND DOMINION, AND EVERY TITLE GIVEN. Paul wants to be quite clear that there is no power by any name—be it angelic or demonic, natural or supernatural, from the past or in the future—that stands outside the scope of Christ’s powerful reign.
Paul reminded the Ephesians of their former sinfulness and of the salvation they received by God’s grace and through faith in him. Because of that salvation, Paul urged his readers to be united together in Christ.
*** CHAPTER 2 ***
OPEN: From which country did your ancestors immigrate?
CONSIDER (Eph 2:1-10) : What are the two phases of life Paul described in these verses? What are the characteristics of each of those phases?
CONSIDER (Eph 2:8-9) : Why do we often attempt to set up “works” as the basis of our relationship with God?
CONSIDER (Eph 2:11-22) : What can we learn from the imagery used in these verses? What were some likely divisions between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians during this time? What are some divisions you see between Christians in the church today?
APPLY: Where do you see God’s grace at work in your life? Are you actively participating in divisions and discord within the church?
FOR GROUPS (Eph 2:10) : If you have time, challenge your group members to leave your meeting space and do something kind for someone else, then get back to the group in fifteen minutes.
From Death to Life
2 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins 2 in which you previously lived according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. 3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, 5 made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! 6 He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift — 9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.
Unity in Christ
11 So then, remember that at one time you were Gentiles in the flesh — called “the uncircumcised” by those called “the circumcised,” which is done in the flesh by human hands. 12 At that time you were without Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh, 15 he made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that he might create in himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace. 16 He did this so that he might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by which he put the hostility to death. 17 He came and proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building, being put together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you are also being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.
2:1 Jn 5:25
2:2 2 Pet 2:20
2:2 2Pt 2:10; Jde 8
2:2 1 Co 2:12; 1 Tim 4:1
2:3 Php 3:3
2:3 Mt 21:31; Lk 12:47; 23:25; Jn 1:13; 1Co 7:37; 2 Pet 1:21
2:3 Rom 2:5; Rev 6:16
2:4 Lk 1:50
2:4 1Co 13:1; 1Jn 4:16
2:5 Col 2:13; 1 Tim 5:6
2:5 Jn 5:25
2:6 Eph 1:3,20; 3:10; 6:12; Php 2:10; 1 Pet 3:22
2:7 Mk 10:30
2:7 Lk 8:14; 2Co 8:9
2:7 Ps 25:6
2:8 Rom 3:24; 6:14; 11:6; Gal 2:21; 2 Tim 1:9
2:10 Jn 1:3; Rev 3:14
2:10 Rom 9:23
2:11 Gal 6:15
2:11 Php 3:3
2:12 Gen 12:7
2:12 1Th 1:3; 4:13
2:13 Heb 9:12
2:14 Rom 10:12; Gal 3:28
2:15 Rev 3:14
2:15 Jn 11:52
2:16 Eph 4:4
2:17 Lk 4:18; 1Pt 1:12
2:17 Is 57:19
2:18 Jn 10:7-9; Rom 5:2; Eph 3:12
2:18 Jn 4:23; 1Co 12:13; Eph 4:4; Col 1:12
2:20 1Co 12:28; Eph 3:5
2:21 Eph 4:16
2:21 1Pet 2:5
2:22 Rom 11:18
2:22 1 Pet 2:5
2:1 DEAD. They were spiritually dead. TRESPASSES AND SINS. These two words refer, respectively, to active wrongdoing (sins of commission) and passive failure (sins of omission).
2:2 RULER OF THE POWER OF THE AIR. This is the first of several references in Ephesians to Satan. NOW WORKING. Satan’s activity is not only past nor only in the future. It is here and now in this present evil age. IN THE DISOBEDIENT. They are, in fact, in active rebellion against him.
2:3 OUR FLESHLY DESIRES. The word here is literally “the flesh,” and it refers to self-centered human nature which expresses itself in destructive activities of both body and mind.
2:4 BECAUSE OF HIS GREAT LOVE THAT HE HAD FOR US. Love is God’s reason for rescuing fallen humanity. RICH. Paul makes more allusions to “riches” in Ephesians than anywhere else in his writings. MERCY. Not only love but mercy motivates God. Love and mercy are closely related.
2:5 MADE US ALIVE. Paul coins this word to describe exactly what happens to us when we are “in Christ”; namely, we share in Christ’s resurrection, ascension, and enthronement. BY GRACE! This resurrection from spiritual death cannot be earned. It is simply given. Grace is God’s unmerited favor or gift to us.
2:8 FOR YOU ARE SAVED BY GRACE. This is the second time Paul acclaims this amazing fact (v. 5). THROUGH FAITH. Salvation does not come about because of faith. Salvation comes by grace through faith.
2:8-9 NOT FROM YOURSELVES . . . NOT FROM WORKS. Salvation is not a reward for being good or keeping the law.
2:10 GOOD WORKS. Although good works do not save a person, they are a result of salvation.
2:11 REMEMBER. In vv. 1-3, Paul reminded his Gentile readers that once they were trapped in their transgressions and sins and so were spiritually dead and alienated from God.
2:12 WITHOUT CHRIST. In contrast to the great blessings which come as a result of being “in Christ,” at one time the Gentiles were outside Christ. EXCLUDED FROM THE CITIZENSHIP. Gentiles were not part of God’s kingdom. Israel was a nation founded by God, consisting of his people, and Gentiles were outside that reality. FOREIGNERS TO THE COVENANTS. Not only did Gentiles have no part in God’s kingdom, they also stood outside all the agreements God made with his people. WITHOUT HOPE. During this particular historical era, the Roman world experienced a profound loss of hope. WITHOUT GOD. Gentiles had no effective knowledge of the one true God.
2:13 BUT NOW . . . BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. Paul pinpoints how this great change occurred. It is as a result of Jesus’s death on the cross that union with God is possible (1:7).
2:14 OUR PEACE. Jesus brings peace; that is, he creates harmony between human beings and God. He also creates harmony between human beings. THE DIVIDING WALL OF HOSTILITY. Paul might have in mind an actual wall which existed in the temple in Jerusalem beyond which Gentiles could not go. They were cut off by a stone wall (“the dividing wall”) bearing signs that warned in Greek and Latin that trespassing foreigners would be killed.
2:16 RECONCILE. Literally, “to bring together estranged parties.” Here the reference is to bringing both Jew and Gentile to God.
2:17 HE CAME AND PROCLAIMED THE GOOD NEWS. Christ’s first words to the stunned apostles after his resurrection were, in fact, “Peace be with you.”(Jn 20:19).
2:19 FOREIGNERS. Nonresident aliens were disliked by the native population and often held in suspicion. STRANGERS. These are residents in a foreign land. They pay taxes but have no legal standing and few rights. FELLOW CITIZENS. Whereas once the Gentiles were “excluded from the citizenship of Israel” (v. 12), now they are members of God’s kingdom. MEMBERS OF GOD’S HOUSEHOLD. In fact, their relationship is far more intimate. They have become family.
2:20 CORNERSTONE. The stone which rested firmly on the foundation and anchored two walls together, giving each its correct alignment.
2:21 PUT TOGETHER. A term used by a mason to describe how two stones were prepared so that they would bond tightly together. TEMPLE. The new temple is not like the old one, carved out of dead stone—beautiful but forbidding and exclusive. Rather, it is alive all over the world, inclusive of all, and made up of the individuals in whom God dwells.
Paul was a Jewish man, and he often began his ministry in a city at the Jewish synagogue. Yet Paul also had a clear and specific call to bring the gospel to the Gentiles in the ancient world—including the Gentiles in Ephesus.
*** CHAPTER 3 ***
OPEN: What’s one of your favorite mystery stories?
CONSIDER (Eph 3:1-7) : What specific mystery had been revealed to the people of Paul’s generation that had previously been hidden?
CONSIDER (Eph 3:8-13) : How do these verses support Paul’s earlier points from this chapter? When have you experienced “boldness and confident access” in your spiritual life?
CONSIDER (Eph 3:14-21) : What does it mean to have Christ “dwell in your heart”? When have you felt God’s strength and power in your life?
CONSIDER (Eph 3:20) : How do we reconcile this description of God’s power with the level of pain and suffering in the world today?
APPLY: What are you most passionate about? Who is the Spirit nudging you to pray for this week?
DIG DEEPER (Eph 3:1-7) : Read these Old Testament passages that point forward to salvation for the Gentiles: Genesis 12:1-3; Isaiah 49:5-6; and Zechariah 2:10-13. How do these passages apply to the world today?
Paul’s Ministry to the Gentiles
3 For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles — 2 you have heard, haven’t you, about the administration of God’s grace that he gave to me for you? 3 The mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have briefly written above. 4 By reading this you are able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ. 5 This was not made known to people in other generations as it is now revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: 6 The Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and partners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 7 I was made a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the working of his power.
8 This grace was given to me — the least of all the saints — to proclaim to the Gentiles the incalculable riches of Christ, 9 and to shed light for all about the administration of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things. 10 This is so that God’s multi-faceted wisdom may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens. 11 This is according to his eternal purpose accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him we have boldness and confident access through faith in him. 13 So then I ask you not to be discouraged over my afflictions on your behalf, for they are your glory.
Prayer for Spiritual Power
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. 16 I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit, 17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, 19 and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us — 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
3:1 2 Tim 1:8
3:3 1 Pet 4:13
3:4 Col 4:3
3:5 1Co 12:28-29; Eph 2:20
3:6 Gen 12:7
3:7 Mk 5:30; Lk 1:35; 6:19; Ac 19:11; 2Co 13:4; Rev 11:17
3:8 Rom 1:15; 10:12; 11:12; 1 Pet 1:12
3:9 Mk 13:19
3:10 Pr 3:19; Rom 11:33; 1Co 1:21,24; Rev 7:12
3:10 Eph 1:3,20; 2:6; 6:12; Php 2:10
3:11 Pr 19:21
3:12 Rom 5:2
3:13 2Th 3:13
3:13 Jn 5:44; 7:18; Rom 2:7; 1Pt 5:4
3:14 Php 2:10
3:16 Lk 8:14; 2Co 8:9
3:16 Lk 9:32; Jn 17:24; 2Co 3:18; 2Pt 3:18
3:16 2 Tim 1:7
3:16 Rom 7:22; Php 4:13
3:18 Jb 11:7-9; Ps 103:11-14
3:20 Rom 16:25; 2Co 9:8; Jde 1:24
3:20 Mk 14:36
3:20 Rom 15:13; 16:25; 2 Tim 1:7; Jde 1:24
3:21 Php 4:20
Eph 3:3 MYSTERY. In Greek, a mystery is something that is beyond human reason to figure out, but once it is revealed by God, it is open and plain to all. REVELATION. This new reality was given by God.
Eph 3:6 COHEIRS . . . MEMBERS OF THE SAME BODY . . . PARTNERS. Paul’s point is that these two groups—once traditional enemies—now share together the same promised covenant blessings as parts of the same body, and they share the same benefits.
Eph 3:9 TO SHED LIGHT. Paul’s original commission, given by Jesus on the Damascus Road, carried this idea: “I am sending you to them to open their eyes so that they may turn them from darkness to light . . . ” (Ac 26:17-18)
Eph 3:10 MADE KNOWN . . . TO THE RULERS AND AUTHORITIES IN THE HEAVENS. At this point, Paul’s vision soars to new heights as he declares that it is by means of this multiethnic church that the very supernatural powers themselves see what God is doing.
Eph 3:16 STRENGTHENED WITH POWER. Paul asks that Christians be fortified or invigorated within by the Holy Spirit. He asks that they experience this awesome power of God about which he has written so eloquently. INNER BEING. By this term, Paul may be referring to the deepest part of the human personality, where a person’s true essence lies.
Eph 3:17 DWELL. This means “to settle down,” and it implies a permanent residency (in a house) versus a temporary stopover (in a tent). In other words, Christ has come to stay. ROOTED AND FIRMLY ESTABLISHED. By his choice of these words, Paul hints at two metaphors through which the character of love is revealed. The Christian is to be anchored firmly in the soil of love just like a tree. The Christian is also to be set solidly on the foundation of love just like a well-constructed house. (The second word in Greek is literally “grounded.”) LOVE. Agapē love is selfless giving to others, regardless of how one feels. Such love is the foundation upon which the church will grow.
Paul’s instructions to the Ephesians were both practical and profound. Here, he offers helpful advice for seeking unity as a church and for standing out in the culture as representatives of God’s kingdom.
*** CHAPTER 4 ***
OPEN: What’s your favorite team sport? Why?
CONSIDER (Eph 4:1-6) : Why is it critical to remember that God is one being in three persons?
CONSIDER (Eph 4:17-19) : Where do you see specific examples of “darkened” and “callous” worldviews in today’s culture?
CONSIDER (Eph 4:20-24) : How do we participate in the process described here? What are some ways you have experienced this process in recent years?
CONSIDER (Eph 4:25-32) : What are some themes that unite the “don’ts” listed in these verses? What are some themes that unite the “dos”?
APPLY: What have you done this past month to “build up the body of Christ”? What will you do this coming week to “build up the body of Christ”?
DIG DEEPER (Eph 4:7-16) : Read more about the body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31. What message do both of these passages communicate about the church?
Unity and Diversity in the Body of Christ
4 Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to live worthy of the calling you have received, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to one hope , at your calling — 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
7 Now grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 For it says:
When he ascended on high,
he took the captives captive;
he gave gifts to people.
9 But what does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower parts of the earth? 10 The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, to fill all things. 11 And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 equipping the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness. 14 Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. 15 But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head — Christ. 16 From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part.
Living the New Life
17 Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer live as the Gentiles live, in the futility of their thoughts. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts. 19 They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more.
20 But that is not how you came to know Christ, 21 assuming you heard about him and were taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires, 23 to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.
25 Therefore, putting away lying, speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, because we are members of one another. 26 Be angry and do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and don’t give the devil an opportunity. 28 Let the thief no longer steal. Instead, he is to do honest work with his own hands, so that he has something to share with anyone in need. 29 No foul language should come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear. 30 And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by him for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice. 32 And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.
4:1 2Tim 1:8
4:2 Col 3:12
4:2 Ex 34:6; 2 Tim 3:10
4:2 Heb 13:22
4:2 1Co 13:1
4:3 Eph 4:13
4:3 Ps 51:11; Jn 1:33; Ac 2:4; Rom 8:9; Gal 5:25; Tit 3:5; Rev 3:22
4:4 Rom 12:4-5; 1Co 10:17; 12:9,12-13; Eph 2:16,18; Col 3:15
4:4 Ac 26:6-7; 28:20; Rom 5:2; 8:23-25; Eph 1:18; Col 1:5; 1Th 1:3
4:5 1Co 1:13; 8:6
4:5 Jde 1:3
4:6 Deut 6:4
4:6 Mt 5:16; 11:27; Lk 11:13; Jn 8:42
4:6 Ps 104:24
4:7 1Co 12:7-11
4:8 Jn 20:17
4:8 Ps 68:18
4:8 Ps 68:18
4:9 Jn 3:13; 6:62; Rom 10:6-7; Php 2:6-11
4:10 Jn 3:13; 6:38
4:10 Eph 1:23; Heb 4:14; 7:26; 9:24
4:12 Rom 7:4; 1Co 10:16; 12:27; Col 2:17
4:13 Jn 5:19; Heb 1:2
4:13 Lk 2:52
4:14 Rom 15:4; Heb 13:9
4:15 Col 2:10
4:16 Col 2:2
4:16 Col 2:19
4:19 1Th 4:17
4:21 2Th 2:10
4:22 Rom 13:12
4:22 2Pt 3:11
4:22 Rom 6:6; 7:6; 1Co 5:7-8; 2Co 3:14; Col 3:9
4:23 Ps 51:12
4:24 Rom 13:12
4:24 Mk 13:19; Jn 1:3; Rev 3:14
4:24 Col 3:10; 2Pt 1:4
4:25 Pr 31:25
4:25 Zech 8:16
4:25 Zech 8:16
4:26 Ps 4:4
4:26 Ps 4:4; 37:8; Mt 18:21; Jms 1:19-20
4:28 1Th 2:8; 1 Tim 6:18
4:30 Ps 51:11; Jn 1:33; Ac 2:4; Rom 8:9; Gal 5:25; Tit 3:5; Rev 3:22
4:30 Php 1:6
4:32 Mt 11:30; Lk 5:39; 6:35; Rom 2:4; 1Co 15:33; 1Pt 2:3
4:32 1Pet 3:8
4:32 Ps 25:11; Mt 9:2; Mk 2:5; Lk 24:47; Col 3:12-13
Eph 4:1 URGE YOU. Stylistically, Paul moves from the indicative (“This is the way things are”) to the imperative (“This is what must be done”).
Eph 4:2 ALL HUMILITY. Humility is an absence of pride and self-assertion, based upon accurate self-knowledge and on an understanding of the God-given worth of others. Humility is the key to the growth of healthy relationships between people. GENTLENESS. Gentleness is the quality of strength under control, like a thoroughbred horse. PATIENCE. Patience is long suffering. BEARING WITH ONE ANOTHER. This is the kind of tolerance of the faults of others which springs from humility, gentleness, and patience.
Eph 4:8 Paul quotes Ps 68:18, which describes the triumphal procession of a conquering Jewish king up Mount Zion and into Jerusalem. The king is followed by a procession of prisoners in chains. As he marches up the hill, he is given gifts of tribute and, in turn, disperses gifts of booty. Paul uses this verse to describe Christ’s ascension into heaven.
Eph 4:9 DESCENDED. Paul is referring to Christ’s incarnation, whereby he came down from heaven and into our space and time (Php 2:5-11).
Eph 4::11 This is one of several lists of gifts. The emphasis in this list is on teaching gifts. APOSTLES. Paul probably had in mind the small group of individuals who had seen the resurrected Christ and had been commissioned by him to launch his church (Ac 1:21-22; 1Co 9:1). PROPHETS. In contrast to teachers who relied upon the OT Scripture and the teaching of Jesus to instruct others, prophets offered words of instruction, exhortation, and admonition, which were immediate and unpremeditated. Their source was direct revelation from God. EVANGELISTS. Those with the special gift of making the gospel clear and convincing to people. PASTORS AND TEACHERS. The way in which this is expressed in Greek indicates that these two functions reside in one person.
Eph 4:15 SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE. Christians are to stand for both truth and love. Truth without love becomes harsh. Love without truth becomes weak.
Eph 4:17 AS THE GENTILES LIVE. Paul begins this section on purity of life by describing the typical Gentile lifestyle from which Christians must flee. THE FUTILITY OF THEIR THOUGHTS. Paul emphasizes the connection between thought and behavior.
Eph 4:18 HARDNESS OF THEIR HEARTS. The center of their being (the heart) has become stone-like or petrified.
Eph 4:19 PROMISCUITY . . . IMPURITY . . . DESIRE. By these three nouns, Paul describes what pagan life has evolved into.
Eph 4:20-21 TO KNOW CHRIST . . . HEARD ABOUT HIM . . . TAUGHT BY HIM. In contrast to the three phrases which describe the wrong thinking of the pagan, Paul sets these three phrases which describe how the Christian comes to learn the right way of thinking.
Eph 4:22-24 TAKE OFF . . . PUT ON. Paul develops a clothing metaphor here. At conversion, the Christian sheds (strips off) his or her old, ragged, filthy garment and puts on a fresh, new cloak. OLD SELF . . . NEW SELF. At conversion, the Christian puts off his or her old, sinful nature and is clothed with the very life of Christ himself.
Eph 4:23 BE RENEWED. This exchange of natures occurs at conversion. However, here the verb indicates the need for ongoing, continual renewal. THE SPIRIT OF YOUR MINDS. Again, the emphasis is on right thinking in order to be able to live right.
Eph 4:26 BE ANGRY. Paul recognizes that there is such a thing as legitimate anger. But once admitted, anger is to be dealt with, and so, Paul identifies ways to deal with anger. Do not let anger develop into resentment.
Eph 4:29-30 Paul turns to the use of one’s mouth. The word translated “foul language” means “rotten,” and is used to describe spoiled fruit (Mt 12:33). Instead of rancid words that wound others, the words of Christians ought to edify (“building up”), be appropriate (“in need”), bring grace (this is the literal rendering of the word translated “gives grace”) and not cause distress for the Holy Spirit (by unholy words).
4:31 Paul identifies six negative attitudes which must be erased from the Christian life. bitterness. Spiteful, long-standing resentment. anger and wrath. These two attitudes are related. The first is a more immediate flare-up, while the latter is a more long-term, sullen hostility. shouting. Loud self-assertion; screaming arguments. slander. Insulting someone else behind his or her back. malice. Wishing (or actually plotting) evil against another.
Paul continued to provide practical instruction for members of the early church—and for us. Here, he tackles subjects including avoiding sin, making good choices, and advice for husbands and wives.
*** CHAPTER 5 ***
OPEN: Growing up, what were your parents’ rules about bad language?
CONSIDER (Eph 5:6-14) : When did you first realize that sinful behaviors and lifestyles are “fruitless”? What does it look like on a practical level to “expose” the darkness of our world?
CONSIDER (Eph 5:15-21) : What have you found helpful in understanding God’s will?
CONSIDER (Eph 6:22-33) : How can wives apply these verses in today’s culture? How can husbands apply these verses in today’s culture? In what way does marriage serve as an object lesson for our relationship with Christ?
APPLY: What do you need to put into practice from this chapter when it comes to choosing light over darkness? What do you need to put in practice from this chapter when it comes to your relationships?
WORSHIP (Eph 5:19-20) : Make a list of every blessing you’ve received in the past week—everything you feel thankful for. Express your thanks to God for each item on that list, praising him as your provider and sustainer.
FOR GROUPS (Eph 5:6-14) : Bring a collection of newspapers and magazines to your group gathering. Ask group members to look through those periodicals to find examples of “darkness” in our culture. Encourage volunteers to share what they find.
5 Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children, 2 and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. 3 But sexual immorality and any impurity or greed should not even be heard of among you, as is proper for saints. 4 Obscene and foolish talking or crude joking are not suitable, but rather giving thanks. 5 For know and recognize this: Every sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, who is an idolater, does not have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Light versus Darkness
6 Let no one deceive you with empty arguments, for God’s wrath is coming on the disobedient because of these things. 7 Therefore, do not become their partners. 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light — 9 for the fruit of the light consists of all goodness, righteousness, and truth — 10 testing what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Don’t participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what is done by them in secret. 13 Everything exposed by the light is made visible, 14 for what makes everything visible is light. Therefore it is said:
Get up, sleeper, and rise up from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.
Consistency in the Christian Life
15 Pay careful attention, then, to how you live — not as unwise people but as wise — 16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil. 17 So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit: 19 speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.
Wives and Husbands
22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, 23 because the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of the body. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives are to submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. 27 He did this to present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless. 28 In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, 30 since we are members of his body. 31 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, a and the two will become one flesh. 32 This mystery is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 To sum up, each one of you is to love his wife as himself, and the wife is to respect her husband.
5:2 2Th 2:13; Tit 2:14
5:3 1Th 4:3
5:3 1Th 4:7
5:3 Lk 12:15; Rom 1:29; Eph 4:19; Col 3:5; 1Th 2:5; 2Pt 2:3,14
5:5 1Co 5:9
5:5 2Co 6:17
5:5 1Co 5:10-11; 6:10
5:5 Mk 1:15
5:6 Rom 2:5; Rev 6:16
5:8 Ps 36:9; Jn 12:46
5:8 Is 2:5; Lk 16:8; Jn 12:35-36
5:9 Eph 5:17
5:10 Rom 12:2
5:10 Lk 18:18
5:11 Gal 5:22; Tit 3:14
5:13 1Jn 1:2
5:14 Pr 6:4
5:14 Jn 5:25
5:14 Is 26:19; 51:17; 52:1; 60:1; Mal 4:2; Lk 1:78-79; Rom 13:11
5:16 Col 4:5
5:17 Jr 31:31-34; Ezek 36:26-27; Rom 12:2; Php 1:9-10; 1Th 5:21
5:17 Ps 143:10; Pr 16:9; Gal 1:4; Eph 1:9
5:18 Lk 12:45; Jn 2:10; 1Th 5:7; Rev 17:2
5:18 Gen 9:21; Deut 7:13; Ps 4:7; Pr 3:10; Lk 5:37
5:18 Lk 1:15; Ac 13:52
5:18-21 Col 3:16-17; 1Pt 1:17
5:22 1Pt 3:1
5:22 Gen 3:16; 1Co 11:3,7-9,11-12; Col 3:18; Tit 2:4-5; 1Pt 3:1-6
5:22 1Pt 3:1
5:23 1Co 11:3
5:23 Col 2:10
5:23 Col 3:18–4:1
5:25 Col 3:19; 1Pt 3:7
5:25 Jn 3:16; 1Co 13:1; 2Th 2:13
5:25 Tit 2:14
5:27 Jde 1:24
5:31 1Pt 3:1
5:31 Gen 2:24
5:31 Gen 2:24
5:32 1Co 2:7
Eph 5:4 Vulgar talk is out of place, because it demeans God’s good gift of sex (which is a subject for thanksgiving, not joking).
Eph 5:5-7 Judgment is real. Those who live a committed life of self-indulgent sensuality without repenting will be called to account.
Eph 5:5 GREEDY PERSON. The reference is to the sexually greedy person. IDOLATER. When vice has become an obsession, it functions in a person’s life as a god (or idol), drawing forth passionate commitment of time and energy.
Eph 5:6 EMPTY ARGUMENTS. Influenced by Greek philosophy that minimized the importance of the body in contrast to the spirit, some wrongly taught that the sins of the body did not matter.
Eph 5:8-14 A second reason why Christians should not get involved in immoral practices (v. 11) is that they have become “children of light” (v. 8). In fact, it is not just that they walk in the light, they “are light in the Lord” (v. 8). To be such a child of light implies a lifestyle of “goodness, righteousness and truth” (v. 9).
Eph 5:18 BE FILLED. This is a command, not an option. It means “let the Spirit fill you.”
Eph 5:21 SUBMITTING TO ONE ANOTHER. An aspect of being filled with the Spirit involves mutual submission within the Christian community.
Eph 5:22 SUBMIT. This injunction from Paul must be understood in its historical context. In Jewish law, a woman had no legal rights. In Rome, too, divorce was easy, and women were repressed. Against this, Paul proposes a radical, liberating view: (1) submission was to be mutual (the man was no longer the absolute authority), (2) wives are called upon to defer only to their husbands (and not to every man), and (3) submission is defined and qualified by Christ’s headship of the church (Christ died for the church). TO YOUR HUSBANDS. A woman owes submission only to her husband, not to all men (as first-century culture taught).
Eph 5:23 CHRIST IS THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH. It is a headship of love, not of control; of nurture, not of suppression.
Eph 5:25 LOVE YOUR WIVES. This is the main thing Paul says to husbands. It is so important that he repeats this injunction three times (vv. 25,28,33). Paul urges a type of love: agapē , which is characterized by sacrificial, self-giving action. JUST AS CHRIST LOVED THE CHURCH AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR HER. Two actions characterize Christ’s role for the church: love and sacrifice. The husband is called upon to act toward his wife in the same way.
Eph 5:27 TO PRESENT THE CHURCH. At a Jewish wedding, the bride was presented to the groom by a friend.
Eph 5:28 THEIR OWN BODIES. The deep-rooted instinct to care for and protect oneself is to be carried over to the wife who has become one flesh with her husband.
Eph 5:31 ONE FLESH. Paul does not view marriage as some sort of spiritual covenant devoid of sexuality. His illustration of how a husband is to love his wife (vv. 28-31) revolves around their sexual union, as is made explicit here by his quotation of Gen 2:24.
This is the final chapter of Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians. Here, he continued his practical instruction for children and slaves. He also shared important wisdom for engaging in spiritual warfare as members of God’s kingdom.
*** CHAPTER 6 ***
OPEN: What do you like best about your boss?
CONSIDER (Eph 6:5-9) : How should we understand the word “slaves” in these verses? Do you believe these verses condoned slavery as acceptable? Explain.
CONSIDER (Eph 6:10-17) : Do you believe there are supernatural forces that influence our world? Explain. How do we go about equipping ourselves with the armor of God—what is our part in that process?
CONSIDER (Eph 6:18-20) : How does the practice of prayer influence our lives each day?
CONSIDER (Eph 6:21-24) : What have you liked best from your study of Ephesians? Why?
APPLY: How would you rate your current experiences with the armor of God? How would you rate your current prayer life?
FOR GROUPS (Eph 6:10-17) : Appeal to the hands-on learners in your group by bringing balloon-animal balloons to your gathering. Encourage group members to work together to inflate the balloons and craft different elements of the armor of God.
Children and Parents
6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, because this is right. 2 Honor your father and mother , which is the first commandment with a promise, 3 so that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life in the land.
4 Fathers, don’t stir up anger in your children, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Slaves and Masters
5 Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as you would Christ. 6 Don’t work only while being watched, as people-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, do God’s will from your heart. 7 Serve with a good attitude, as to the Lord and not to people, 8 knowing that whatever good each one does, slave or free, he will receive this back from the Lord. 9 And masters, treat your slaves the same way, without threatening them, because you know that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.
Christian Warfare
10 Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens. 13 For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. 14 Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, 15 and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. 16 In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit — which is the word of God. 18 Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. 20 For this I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I might be bold enough to speak about it as I should.
Paul’s Farewell
21 Tychicus, our dearly loved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me so that you may be informed. 22 I am sending him to you for this very reason, to let you know how we are and to encourage your hearts.
23 Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all who have undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ.
6:1 Pr 1:8; 6:20; 23:22; Col 3:20
6:2-3 Ex 20:12
6:2-3 Ex 20:12
6:4 Rom 10:19
6:4 Heb 12:5
6:5 Col 3:22; 1Pt 2:18
6:5 Php 2:12
6:5 2Co 9:11
6:6 Ps 143:10; Pr 16:9; Gal 1:4; Eph 1:9
6:7 Col 3:23
6:9 Ac 4:29; 9:1
6:9 Col 3:25
6:9 Col 4:1
6:10 Ac 4:33
6:11 Pr 31:25
6:11 Eph 6:11-17
6:12 Php 3:3
6:12 1Pt 3:22
6:12 Mt 6:13; Jn 17:15
6:12 Eph 1:3,20; 2:6; 3:10; Php 2:10
6:13 1Th 5:8
6:13 2 Tim 4:15; 1 Pet 5:9
6:14 Pr 24:16; Php 1:27
6:14 Jn 14:6; 1Jn 5:20
6:14 Mt 6:33; Rom 1:17; 2Pt 1:1
6:14 1Th 5:8
6:16 Gen 15:1
6:16 Mt 8:10; Ac 3:16; Rom 1:8; 1Co 2:5; Gal 2:16; 1 Tim 1:2; Heb 4:2
6:16 2Th 3:3
6:17 1Th 5:8
6:17 Mk 14:47
6:17 Ps 51:11; Jn 1:33; Ac 2:4; Rom 8:9; Gal 5:25; Tit 3:5; Rev 3:22
6:18 Mt 5:44; Ac 12:12
6:18 Jde 1:20
6:18 Pr 6:4
6:19 2Co 3:12
6:20 2Co 5:20
6:21 Tit 3:12
6:22 Lk 16:25
6:22 Col 4:8
6:23 Mt 5:16; 11:27; Lk 11:13; Jn 8:42
Eph 6:1 CHILDREN. That he addresses children in this public letter means that children were in attendance with their families at worship when such a letter would have been read. OBEY. Paul tells the children to “obey” (“follow,” “be subject to,” literally, “listen to”).
Eph 6:4 Just as children have a duty to obey, parents have the duty to instruct children with gentleness and restraint. FATHERS. The model for a father is that of God, the “Father of all” (4:6). This view of fatherhood stands in sharp contrast to the harsh Roman father, who had the power of life and death over his children. STIR UP ANGER. Parents are to be responsible for not provoking hostility on the part of their children. By humiliating children, being cruel to them, over-indulging them, or being unreasonable, parents squash children rather than encourage them. BRING THEM UP. This verb is literally “nourish” or “feed” them. TRAINING. This word can be translated “discipline.” INSTRUCTION. The emphasis here is on what is said verbally to children.
Eph 6:9 TREAT YOUR SLAVES THE SAME WAY. Paul applies the golden rule to slave owners: to get service and respect, give respect to slaves. This was a revolutionary concept. This was the way of mutual submission for slave and master; i.e., mutual respect. WITHOUT THREATENING THEM. In the same way that parents are not to exasperate children, masters are not to browbeat slaves. Punishment was the usual way of controlling slaves.
Eph 6:10 BE STRENGTHENED . . . BY HIS VAST STRENGTH. Paul uses the same three words here as he used in 1:19 when he first described God’s power. In order to wage successful warfare against Satan, the Christian must draw upon God’s own power.
Eph 6:11 PUT ON. It is not enough to rely passively on God’s power. The Christian must do something. He or she must “put on” God’s armor. THE SCHEMES OF THE DEVIL. Evil does not operate in the light. It lurks in shadows and strikes unexpectedly with cleverness and subtlety.
Eph 6:12 THE RULERS . . . THE AUTHORITIES . . . THE COSMIC POWERS . . . SPIRITUAL FORCES. By these various titles, Paul names the diverse spiritual forces which rage against believers. POWERS OF THIS DARKNESS. It was no empty boast on Satan’s part when during Jesus’s temptations he claimed to be able to give him “all the kingdoms of the world.” These “world rulers” have real power, and even though Christ has defeated them, they refuse to concede their defeat. EVIL, SPIRITUAL FORCES. Another characteristic of these supernatural beings is wickedness. They are of the darkness, not of the light, and cannot be fought by only humanly means.
Eph 6:13 THE EVIL DAY. The immediate reference is to those special times of pressure and testing that come to all Christians, at which point steadfast resistance of evil is called for. TAKE YOUR STAND. This is the second time Paul has spoken about “stand[ing] against” (v. 11). Fully-equipped soldiers were virtually invulnerable to enemy onslaught—unless they panicked and broke ranks. As long as they stood firm when the enemy attacked, they would prevail in the long run.
Eph 6:14 TRUTH LIKE A BELT. The leather belt on which the Roman soldier hung his sword and by which he secured his tunic and armor (so he would be unimpeded in battle). The “truth” referred to is the inner integrity and sincerity by which the Christian fights evil. Lying and deceit are tactics of the enemy. RIGHTEOUSNESS LIKE ARMOR ON YOUR CHEST. The breastplate (or “mail”) was the major piece of armor for the Roman soldier. Made of metal and leather, it protected his vital organs. “Righteousness” refers to the right standing before God that is the status of the Christian, out of which moral conduct and character emerges.
Eph 6:15 FEET SANDALED. These are the leather half-boots worn by the Roman legionnaire, with heavy studded soles that enabled him to dig in and resist being pushed out of place. READINESS. This term can be translated as “firmness” or “steadfastness,” in which case the “gospel of peace” is understood to provide the solid foundation on which the Christian stands in the fight against evil.
Eph 6:16 THE SHIELD OF FAITH. A large, oblong shield constructed of layers of wood on an iron frame, which was then covered with linen and hide. When wet, such a shield could absorb “flaming arrows.” flaming arrows. These were pitch-soaked arrows. Their aim was not so much to kill a soldier, as to set him aflame and cause him to break rank and create panic.
Eph 6:17 THE HELMET OF SALVATION. A heavy, metal head-covering lined with felt or sponge, which gave substantial protection to the soldier’s head from all but the heaviest axe blow. SWORD. A short, stabbing sword used for personal combat. The sword is the only piece of offensive equipment in the armor.
Eph 6:18 PRAY. Paul does not consider prayer a seventh weapon. Rather, it underlies the whole process of spiritual warfare. IN THE SPIRIT. The Bible, the Word of God, is the sword of the Spirit. So, too, prayer is guided by the Spirit. This is, after all, spiritual warfare.