Ephesians outline, background information and theme

Outline of Ephesians 

By Trent McEntyre
Ch 1 - New Position of Blessing or “New way to be blessed”

1. v. 1-2 Introduction - An apostle of Christ Jesus to those set apart and believing in Christ Jesus at Ephesus, Grace and peace from God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
2. v. 3-14 Bless God for blessing us in Christ! God is praised for His glory and grace.
3. v. 15-23 Paul's prayer for them to know and be filled by God.

Ch 2 - New Relationships

1. v. 1-10 God makes the spiritually dead alive in Christ.
2. v. 11-22 You were separated from God, but now both Jew and Gentile are made into one new dwelling of God in the Spirit.

Ch 3 - New Ministry

1. v. 1-13 The ministry of the new covenant, revealing that all may have access to God in Christ.
2. v. 14-21 Prayer for the church to know and experience the love of and fullness of God.

Ch 4 - New People/Community

1. v. 1-6 Because God's love has made us a new people, we should walk in love and unity.
2. v. 7-16 Because God has graciously gifted us, we can grow together in Christ.
3. v. 17-24 Because we are new people, we should no longer walk as the Gentiles but rather experience renewal.
4. v. 25-32 Because you are being renewed, let your words and deeds edify others.

Ch 5 - New People/Community

1. v. 1-2 Because Christ has loved us, we can walk in love, imitating Him.
2. v. 3-5 We pursue moral excellence, and gratitude because we know that we are inheriting the kingdom of God.
3. v. 6-14 Because we are children of the light, we are no longer deceived by, partaking in, or speaking of the ways of darkness.
4. v. 15-20 Because we are now becoming wise, we want to be careful to avoid foolishness, sloth, and dissipation by being filled with the Spirit.

New Relationships

5. v. 21 Because we know and fear Christ, we renew relationships through mutual submission and love.
1. -33 Renewed submission and love in marriage.

Ch 6

2. v. 1-3 Renewed honor from Children to parents..
3. v. 4 Fathers renewed in how they discipline their children.
4. v. 5-8 Slaves renewed in view of knowing and serving God.
5. v.  9 Masters renewed in how they treat slaves.

New Warfare with Devil   

1.      v. 10-17 Be strong in the Lord and stand firm against the devil.

2.      v. 18-20 Persevere in prayer, especially for those who are ambassadors of the Gospel.

3.      v. 21-22 Paul's circumstances, new sent to comfort believers.

4.      v. 23-24 Blessing, benediction, and closing.

Theme of Ephesians -"A new way to be and a new way to walk as God's new community." Or “Our new standing and our new walking as God’s new community.”

Context and Background of Ephesians

Historical context

The author of Ephesians is noted to be the apostle Paul both in the opening (1:1) and in the body of the letter (3:1). Paul's personal notes such as praying for them (1:15,16) and asking them to pray for him (6:18,19) support this claim. Paul also twice refers to his imprisonment (3:1,4:1), supporting the traditional view that Paul indeed wrote this letter from Rome during his final imprisonment in the early 60's.[1] Because of the lack of reference to concrete situations and personal address in the letter, most conclude that Paul wrote this letter for circular use starting with the church at Ephesus. Likewise the occasion and purpose of the letter is difficult to narrowly define. The letter presents the central truths about the Christian faith for gentile converts and promotes the unity between Jews and Gentiles in the church. The letter's explanation of the Christian faith and life in the church that was surely very applicable to many of the early churches.

Literary Context

I have outlined the content book of Ephesians and I see a basic progression from a doctrinal emphasis in chapters 1-3 to more practical application in chapters 4-6. After his greeting (1:1,2) Paul blesses God for blessing believers in Christ (1:3-14) and prays for these believers to know and be filled by God (1:15-23). In chapter two Paul teaches the amazing grace of the gospel (2:1-10) and how it reconciles both Jew and Gentile into one new dwelling of God (2:11-22). Chapter 3 tells of Paul's new covenant ministry and ascends once again in prayer for the church to know and experience the love and fullness of God (3:14-21). Because God's love has made the church, a new people, Paul calls for love and unity (4:1-6). Next Paul shows that God's gracious gifting of the church enables us to grow together in Christ (4:7-16). Growing believers must putt off Gentile lifestyles in order to experience renewal (4:17-24) of words and deeds so that we edify others (4:25-32) and live as children of light (5:1-20). The practical exhortation extends to relationships of mutual submission and love (5:21) in marriage (5:22-33), family, slaves, and masters (6:1-9). Paul urges them to be strong in the Lord and firm against the devil (6:10-17), persevere in prayer, especially for those who preach the gospel. He finishes the letter with a few remarks about his personal circumstances, comforting news, a blessing, and benediction to close (6:21-14).

Thematic context

The major theme that I find throughout Ephesians is the church, also called the body of Christ, the new dwelling of God. Particularly, Ephesians shows the sovereign purpose of God in recreating for Himself a people and graciously blessing them through Christ. Paul teaches not only what God has made the church to be, but also how God calls the church to live. The building up of the church in love for another, and ultimately love for God is the main ministry theme. One of the means of maturing in the body of Christ is growth in knowledge. We find this in the frequent use of phrases like  "gnwrivsa" hJmi`n to; musthvrion"" (1:9 translated "He made known to us the mystery") and <sup>"</sup>pefwtismevnou" tou;" ojfqalmou;" th`" kardiva" »uJmw`n¼ eij" to; eijdevnai uJma`"" (1:18 translated "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened,[2]") The stress on growth in knowledge is also reflected against the darkness of the Gentiles (4:18)[3] Other passages refer to understanding and wisdom (5:8-10, 5:17).

Ephesians is one of the major letters that serves to help us understand the greater context of the teaching of the apostle Paul. One major theme of Paul's teaching is that Christ's reconciling the church to God is the breaking in of the fulfillment of God's great purpose for all time. As Ridderbos puts it:

"The whole content of this preaching can be summarized as the proclamation and explication of the eschatological time of salvation inaugurated with Christ's advent, death, and resurrection. It is from the principal point of view and under this denominator that all the separate themes of Paul's preaching can be understood and penetrated in their unity and relation to each other."[4]

The great declarations in Ephesians about the purpose of God worked out in His church and the practical consequences of that purpose have incredible significance taken in view of Ridderbos' summary of Paul's preaching.

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[1] D.A. Carson, Douglas J. Moo, and Leon Morris, An Introduction to the New Testament (Zondervan Publishing House) 1992.

[2] The New American Standard Bible, (La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation) 1977. All English references in this paper are quoted from this edition unless otherwise noted.

[3] Carson, Moo, Morris, Intro to NT, p. 315

[4] Ridderbos, Herman N, Paul: an outline of his theology. Translation of Paulus, (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan) 1975.