Paul gives thanks and prays for the ephesians ephesians 1. Background to the book of ephesians chuck missler youtube. Waymentapart from a few memorable phrases, the epistle to the ephesians often passes by our attention without significant notice or comment. The western text indicates that paul had the use of the building from 11 a. Ephesus was the chief city of the coastal area of asia minor. Doctrine occupies the greatest portion of the book of ephesians. It was written to encourage believers to walk as fruitful followers of christ and to serve in unity and love in the midst of persecution. There is not one exhortation in the first three chapters.
The epistle to the ephesians, also called the letter to the ephesians and often shortened to ephesians, is the tenth book of the new testament. This time ive selected the amazing book of ephesians. The book of ephesians hits on a wide range of moral and ethical behaviors, designed to ensure believers are living up to our heavenly calling. Ephesians 4 background information with maps and images. Tyrannus no doubt held his classes in the early morning. The city of ephesus was a large commercial port city. This segment comes from the ephesians commentary published by koinonia house. Dec 18, 2012 in this segment chuck missler discusses ephesians. Ephesians and colossians have a number of parallels. Ephesians, written around the same time as pauls epistle to the colossians, remains.
Ephesians historical background 950 words bartleby. The city of ephesus was a large commercial port city in asia minor present day turkey located at. In the book of ephesians, we see how the gospel story affects believers everyday lives. But without the references to the whole armour of god and the foundation of the church being built upon the apostles.
However, ephesians 1st century background and 21st century applications seeks to open this great new testament letter. Its authorship has traditionally been attributed to paul the apostle but starting in 1792, this has been challenged as deuteropauline, that is, written in pauls name by a later author strongly influenced by pauls thought, probably by a loyal. These two great prayers of the apostle paul are like two big fingers pointing out two big problems we have today. God the father planned throughout history for jesus to create a multiethnic community of followers.
It was written around 60ad during pauls house arrest in rome. This letter is one of pauls four imprisonment letters. The authors circumstances he went through, his relationship with god, the audience. Specific instructions for christian living ephesians 4. Some have argued that paul wrote colossians from ephesus or caesarea, but most of the evidence favors rome as the place where paul penned all the prison letters ephesians, colossians, philippians and philemon. Paul had spent nearly three years in ephesus acts 19. Background of the book of colossians 1 who is considered the. Pauls epistle to ephesus may have been written during his imprisonment at caesarea maritima as described at the end of acts. Ephesians executable outline study resources blue letter bible. Intro to ephesians biblica the international bible society. Author the apostle paul date the letter to the ephesians was written during pauls roman imprisonment between 60 and 62 ad audience paul wrote to the network of house churches in western asia minor, in and near ephesus. Matthew henry 18 october 1662 22 june 1714 was an english commentator on the bible, who published his works in 1706, sixvolume exposition of the old and new testaments 17081710 or complete commentary, provides an exhaustive verse by verse study of the bible, covering the whole of the old testament, and the gospels and acts in the new testament. Having explained gods great goals for the church, paul proceeds to show the steps toward their fulfillment.
Ephesus forms an appropriate background to the book of ephesians because of this citys fascination with magic and the occult acts 19. To purchase this briefing pack in its entirety, go to our. Curtis vaughn says it is considered by many people to be the greatest of pauls writings. Paul wrote the letter to the ephesians sometime in ad 6061, around the same time he. Book of ephesians overview insight for living ministries. The book of ephesians is about the letters of paul and how he overcame hardship by being faithful to god and following his commands.
The letter is addressed to the church in the city of ephesus, capital of the roman province of asia asia minor, modern turkey. The grandeur of the ancient city of ephesus stands as a stark contrast to this rather small epistle. Ephesians niv paul, an apostle of christ jesus by the. Because the name ephesus is not mentioned in every early manuscript, some scholars believe the letter was an encyclical, intended to be circulated and read among all the churches in asia minor and was simply. And i pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all. This audio sermon and transcript is entitled introduction and background, and is from the ministry of david legge, a christian preacher and bible teacher from belfast, northern ireland. Those that like to get into studying the bible and its heavy doctrines prefer to study the first part of pauls letters and often treat the latter part as secondary or of less value see the right diagram where a wall separates the two sections. He also sent along the letter to the colossian church. The book of ephesians clearly leaves its mark among other bible books by displaying the powerful impact of the gospel of christ jesus in the individual and. E phesians is one of the most encouraging books in the new testament. Commentary on the book of ephesians by matthew henry new. As we continue in our faith from day to day, month to month, and year to year, the temptation to get comfortable will always exist.
This video provides the background to the book so we. This would further seem to suggest, as i have believed, that not only did paul write the book of colossians, but that he wrote colossians before writing the book of ephesians. Yes, we want to know how god sees the world, but beyond that, we want to then live according to that new knowledge. Prayer for ephesians strength, praise to god ephesians 3. This is part 1 of a versebyverse bible study series in ephesians. The book of ephesians tells how the gospel affects our. Ephesians intro to ephesians biblica the international bible. Two significant prayers of paul are found in this book eph 1. The apostle paul wrote this letter to the churches in ephesus and. Audience paul wrote to the network of house churches in western asia minor, in and near ephesus. Pauls doctrine of the church shines in ephesians unlike any other epistle. The book of ephesians clearly leaves its mark among other bible books by displaying the powerful impact of the gospel of christ jesus in the individual and corporate life of believers.
Shaul shaaool, by gods will an emissary of the messiah yeshua. Keep a notebook handy with pencil to jot down questions, ideas and applications as you study ephesians. If such is truly the case, then paul wrote ephesians around 6163 a. Early sources in church history that attribute this letter to paul include. The apostle paul wrote this letter to the churches in ephesus and the surrounding region c. However, paul presented the gift of god in christ and the benefits we. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. The epistle to the ephesians, also called the letter to the ephesians and often shortened to ephesians, is the tenth book of the new. The book of ephesians was very likely written between a. Commentary on the book of ephesians by matthew henry. Gods people living in ephesus, that is, those who are trusting in the messiah yeshua. Both acts and colossians provide important background information that. This summary of the book of ephesians provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of ephesians. The historical background of the book of ephesians 805.
The alps of the new testament and the third heaven epistle. Introduction to ephesians bible exposition commentary. Put on the full armor of god so that you can take your stand against the devils schemes. For the next several fridays we will be going through this book one chapter at a time. Written in 6162, when paul was a prisoner in rome cf. The key personalities of ephesians are the apostle paul and tychicus. Ephesians offers general instruction in the truths of gods redemptive work in christ. Reference tools used eerdmans handbook to the bible new bible dictionary the zondervan encyclopedia of the bible 3. Julian colorado christian university ephesians historical background we must understand ephesus if we want to understand the book of ephesians. Although caesarea and ephesus have been suggested as possible locations of authorship, the bulk of. Ephesians and colossians were probably composed at the same time in rome. Ephesians 1 paul, an apostle of christ jesus by the will. Feb 07, 2015 the book of ephesians was written to gods holy people in ephesus ephesians 1.
Geographical background the city was situated on the western coast of asia minor at the mouth of the cayster river, one of the four major eastwest valleys that ended in the aegean sea. Second, god has reconciled these saved individuals to each other, christ having broken down the barriers through his own death 2. Matthew henry 18 october 1662 22 june 1714 was an english. Finally, be strong in the lord and in his mighty power. Early in the history of grace church, the history of john macarthur at grace church at least, it was obvious to me that god had something very special in mind for this church. In our study of ephesians, weve come to one of the two great prayers in this book. Purpose, background and structure posted on may 12, 2014 by matt dabbs 1 comment a few weeks ago, i started a wednesday night series on the book of ephesians. The book of ephesians is a goldmine full of great, grand and glorious truths. Intro to colossians biblica the international bible. Unlike several of the other letters paul wrote, ephesians does not address any particular error or heresy. Abbott, a critical and exegetical commentary on the epistles to the ephesians and to the colossians, icc, pp. I offer the following commentary and summary for ephesians in this article. Paul intended that all who long for christlike maturity would receive this writing.
Paul spent more time there than any other city about three years. To the saints in ephesus, a the faithful in christ jesus. The purpose of the book of ephesians was to warn the church elders about the false teachers that were teaching a false gospel and to maintain their first love that they held when they first became believers. Paul is sending the slave onesimus back to his master philemon, in the care of tychicus. Anderson dates the epistle to the same time circa ad 61 but places paul in rome when he wrote see richard.
Ephesians our blessings in christ importance this epistle was evidently addressed to the church in ephesus cf. Acts 19, but may have been intended as a circular letter to be read by neighboring churches. The central organizing theological idea in ephesians is that through christs atoning work god has mightily brought about the churcha new humanity, i. Enclosed within the book of ephesians is the discipline needed to develop into true children of god. Comprised of jews and nonjews, these followers form the covenant family god promised to abraham. The book of ephesians is charged with weighty doctrines that reveal the glory of the triune god. The book of ephesians is a letter from paul to christians at ephesus. Ephesians 1 background information with maps and images. This morning we come for our bible study to a book that is indeed a treasure of mine and of every believer, the book of ephesians. Bruce, in his commentary on the book of acts, provides us with some interesting information on the school of tyrannus. The historical background of the book of ephesians plays an important reality of what the author is intending in the writings. The book of ephesians hits on a wide range of moral and ethical behaviors. To really jump ahead in your study of ephesians, complete our how to study a book of the bible lesson using ephesians as your subject.
The below chart will help underline and point out these similarities. Translate, according to the greek order, i beseech you, therefore seeing that such is your calling of grace, the first. This helps explain pauls emphasis on the power of god over all heavenly authorities and on christs triumphant ascension as head over the church and over all things in this age and the next. Ephesians 1st century background and 21st century applications give the reader or a study group the tools for understanding the historical, linguistic, geographical, literary, and theological foundations of the six.
Feb 16, 2018 this time ive selected the amazing book of ephesians. Intro to colossians biblica the international bible society. Read the short background information for ephesians below. New book study background to the book of ephesians. For a discussion of that possibility, see thomas a.
It is interesting to note and observe that while the new testament often refers to the church, it does not speak of going to church in the way we. Public activity ceased in the cities of ionia for several hours at. Aug 23, 2012 author the apostle paul date the letter to the ephesians was written during pauls roman imprisonment between 60 and 62 ad. Ephesians background information fbc seguin students. The book of ephesians was written to gods holy people in ephesus ephesians 1. Ephesians 4 commentary commentary critical and explanatory. Father, son, and spirit are seen in pauls epistle to the ephesians as operating from before the foundation of the world for the redemption of the church. First, god has reconciled individuals to himself as an act of grace 2. What where the circustances paul wrote this epistle from prison, as he did ephesians, philippians, and philemon. Ephesians chapters wonderfully expound the gospel while ephesians chapters 46 provide a clear picture of how those doctrines change our lives. The indication is that the epistles to the colossians, philemon and the ephesians were carried to their destination by tychicus and onesimus cf. One of the seven wonders of the world was in ephesus. He calls us to not only learn more about god intellectually by to put that knowledge into practice.
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