Ephesians: Anyone into an indepth exposition?

[mark kennedy]

We all know the parables of the man who finds a treasure in a field."The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field" (Matt. 13:44). But what was in it?

One of the things I like about Paul is that he describes the details of this treasure; our account in heaven (rightiousness is legal tender in heaven), adoption (full rights as sons), redemption(debts paid in full), forgiveness (guilt gone forever), wisdom (spiritual gifts as skilled trades) , inheritance (your birthright recieved).

Ephesians was one of the busiest seaports in the ancient world. These people knew the principles of commerce and Paul explains the Gospel to them in economic terms. Its unfortunate that dispensationalism was develped into a theology of end-time scenerios, its actually an economic term. It comes from oikio from which we get economy and it means to manage household affairs. Often it is used of a steward who managed or administered the property of others. It was not impossible or even all that uncommon for a slave who served well in this capacity to be adopted, accepted and given full rights as sons. It is in the context of this cultural setting that Paul proclaims, "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints." (Eph. 1:18). Imagine for a moment how it must have felt to go from being a slave working from sun up to sun down for nothing. To being the heir to wealth, legal political authority, education in cutting edge technologies, and the love and affection of someone who chose you to be the heir of all that he has. This is the scene Paul is describing to the Ephesians, many of them could only dream such day coming to them. Paul is telling them it allready has, stand up and fight for it. They did and it was magnificant.

Im going to start an expositional thread on Ephesians for a number of reasons. First of all, I am sick to death of the creation/evolution debate forum. Also Ephesians could be subtitled the Gospel according Paul for the Gentile. In the first 3 chapters he uses the expression 'in Christ' or its equivalant 35 times. In the next 3 chapters he exorts the Ephesian with an equal number of practical applications of this doctrine. In Pauline theology you are not just sitting there passivly being forgiven and given a free ticket to heaven. For Paul the grace of God transforms believers and equips them for service. Dont get me wrong but I think there is a fine line sometimes between doing nothing for salvation and doing nothing with it.

I havent decided on how in depth Ill get with this. If there isnt much interest I'll just give it a quick once over. There are a lot of really important doctrines that can be examined here though. Spiritual gifts, justification, sanctification, sound doctrine, family and church authority, defense of the Christian faith (spiritual warfare). Some of you have seen my apologetic side but Bible exposition is my first love and Ephesians is possibly the single most concise exposition of the Gospel in all of Scripture, I kid you not. So with that I'll post this up and see what happens. Im not looking for a debate or an in depth theological discourse just interested in getting a Bible study going.

All serious posts will be addressed in as much as I have the time. I assure you I will make every effort to address all serious posts.

 

[gom]

you sound like you have a lot to teach on ephesians. i am currently jumping all over the new testament, but will stick with ephesians if you keep going. please do. very rarely do you find someone so excited over a specific book of the bible. so i am willing to learn. i have general knowledge of ephesians but not in depth knowledge. so please go on.

 

[SavedByGrace3]

In the first 3 chapters he uses the expression 'in Christ' or its equivalant 35 times

I think this is key in understanding all of Paul's teaching.
Who we are in Christ.

 

[AVBunyan]

I havent decided on how in depth Ill get with this. If there isnt much interest I'll just give it a quick once over. There are a lot of really important doctrines that can be examined here though. Spiritual gifts, justification, sanctification, sound doctrine, family and church authority, defense of the Christian faith (spiritual warfare). Some of you have seen my apologetic side but Bible exposition is my first love and Ephesians is possibly the single most concise exposition of the Gospel in all of Scripture, I kid you not. So with that I'll post this up and see what happens. Im not looking for a debate or an in depth theological discourse just interested in getting a Bible study going.

Go for it brother - I have seen very little of this great epistle on any forum. Ephesians is probably the most neglected epistle today and yet I believe the most vital. Go for it brother - I'm all ears - I need it. My preacher majors on Ephesians but I can always use some more.
Go for it brother - I'm behind you. I'll just sit back and enjoy - you seem to have a heart for the book so let's see who is interested.

May God bless

 

[Patt Myle]

You seem to have a good idea about focusing on Ephesians, I just hope all your for in the bible isnt just ephesians, there are 65 other books. I hope you cover Basic foundations of christianity like the gospels,ten commandments,baptism,etc.. for me since ive been saved christian for a year now and the people like me just getting into this stuff need the basic foundation before we go on to anything like Hebrews etc..

 

[AVBunyan]

You seem to have a good idea about focusing on Ephesians, I just hope all your for in the bible isnt just ephesians, there are 65 other books. I hope you cover Basic foundations of christianity like the gospels,ten commandments,baptism,etc.. for me since ive been saved christian for a year now and the people like me just getting into this stuff need the basic foundation before we go on to anything like Hebrews etc..

May I be so bold as to offer you a suggestion - look at what Paul says:

2 Tim 2:7 Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.

All the areas you mentioned are good to know because they are in the Bible. If you want to understand them you must start with Paul for without Paul you will end up as confused as termite in a yoyo just like the majority of Christianity regarding the topics you want to learn.

I read all the book and study it all but the key is Paul and the key in Paul is Ephesians. If you want to get grounded in your Christian walk then start with Ephesians and go from there. If not you will end up having problems understanding the rest of scripture.

May God bless

 

[mark kennedy]

First of all I want to thank everyone for the words of support and since I see that there is an interest and a few needs that will be met here is my second post on the subject. I am quoting extensivly from Vines Expositors Dictionary and I highly recommend this resourse for any serious student of Scripture that does not have the time to go the a Bible College for years to learn Koine Greek.

The world of the Ephesian would have been oriented toward commercial interestes. Ephesus was the capitol of the Roman province of Asia and the hub of the Gentile church in Asia Minor for good reason. It was Pauls jumping off point for points west and the last church he ministered to before his arrest in Jerusalem.They had that in common with the United States. Ever Notice that are largest and wealthiest cities in the U.S. are sitting on the coastline. New York, Miami, Las Angles, Houston, San Fracisco. Seatle. Waterways are the best way to move product in mass in the world. Its one of the benefits of this kind of commercial trade that these places interact with many different cultures. I'm going to list the definitions I think are key to the text in this post. All Definitions are from Vines and Im going to refer back to them maybe with a hyperlink if I can get it to work right.

The semantics of Ephesian wealth:

Blessing: Used of gifts of grace

eulogia lit., "good speaking, praise," is used of (a) God and Christ, Rev. 5:12-13; 7:12; (b) the invocation of blessings, benediction, Heb. 12:17; Jas. 3:10; (c) the giving of thanks, 1 Cor. 10:16; (d) a blessing, a benefit bestowed, Rom. 15:29; Gal. 3:14; Eph. 1:3; Heb. 6:7; of a monetary gift sent to needy believers, 2 Cor. 9:5-6;

Inheritance: Legal rights to property as primary heir to wealth and title. Somtimes used when there was no natural heir or the natural heir was useless or inadequet

kleronomia "a lot" , properly "an inherited property, an inheritance." "It is always rendered inheritance in NT, but only in a few cases in the Gospels has it the meaning ordinarily attached to that word in English, i.e., that into possession of which the heir enters only on the death of an ancestor. The NT usage may be set out as follows: (a) that property in real estate which in ordinary course passes from father to son on the death of the former, Matt. 21:38; Mark 12:7; Luke 12:13; 20:14; (b) a portion of an estate made the substance of a gift, Acts 7:5; Gal. 3:18, which also is to be included under (c); (c) the prospective condition and possessions of the believer in the new order of things to be ushered in at the return of Christ, Acts 20:32; Eph. 1:14; 5:5; Col. 3:24; Heb. 9:15; 1 Pet. 1:4; (d) what the believer will be to God in that age, Eph.1:18

Dispensation:
Stewardship, management or administrative resposabilites simulare to our concept of economics.

oikonomia primarily signifies "the management of a household or of household affairs" (oikos, "a house," nomos, "a law"); then the management or administration of the property of others, and so "a stewardship," Luke 16:2-4; elsewhere only in the epistles of Paul, who applies it (a) to the responsibility entrusted to him of preaching the gospel, 1 Cor. 9:17 (RV, "stewardship," KJV, "dispensation"); (b) to the stewardship committed to him "to fulfill the Word of God," the fulfillment being the unfolding of the completion of the divinely arranged and imparted cycle of truths which are consummated in the truth relating to the church as the body of Christ, Col. 1:25 (RV and KJV, "dispensation"); so in Eph. 3:2, of the grace of God given him as a stewardship ("dispensation") in regard to the same "mystery"; (c) in Eph. 1:10 and 3:9, it is used of the arrangement or administration by God, by which in "the fullness of the times" (or seasons) God will sum up all things in the heavens and on earth in Christ [Note: A "dispensation" is not a period or epoch (a common, but erroneous, use of the word), but a mode of dealing, an arrangement, or administration of affairs. Cf. oikonomos, "a steward," and oikonomeo, "to be a steward."]

Adopton:
An heir by choice not birth, this is one of Paul's favorite themes. The trasition from slave to sin/law to freedom as sons.

huiothesia from huios, "a on," and thesis, "a placing," akin to tithemi, "to lace," signifies the place and condition of a son given to one to whom it does not naturally belong. In Rom. 8:15, believers are said to have received "the Spirit of adoption," that is, the Holy Spirit who, given as the Firstfruits of all that is to be theirs, produces in them the realization of sonship and the attitude belonging to sons. In Gal. 4:5 they are said to receive "the adoption of sons," i.e., sonship bestowed in distinction from a relationship consequent merely upon birth; between the freedom enjoyed by the believer and bondage, whether of Gentile natural condition, or of Israel under the Law. In Eph. 1:5 they are said to have been foreordained unto "adoption as sons" through Jesus Christ, RV; the KJV, "adoption of children" is a mistranslation and misleading. God does not "adopt" believers as children; they are begotten as such by His Holy Spirit through faith. "Adoption" is a term involving the dignity of the relationship of believers as sons; it is not a putting into the family by spiritual birth, but a putting into the position of sons.

Riches:
Wealth could be described as anything you have besides your most basic needs. Riches is the idea of wealth in large amounts, excess and indulgence being the danger.

1. ploutos is used in the singular (I) of material "riches," used evilly, Matt. 13:22; Mark 4:19; Luke 8:14; 1 Tim. 6:17; Jas. 5:2; Rev. 18:17; (II) of spiritual and moral "riches," (a) possessed by God and exercised towards men, Rom. 2:4, "of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering"; 9:23 and Eph. 3:16, "of His glory" (i.e., of its manifestation in grace towards believers); Rom. 11:33, of His wisdom and knowledge; Eph. 1:7 and 2:7, "of His grace"; 1:18, "of the glory of His inheritance in the saints"; 3:8, "of Christ"; Phil. 4:19, "in glory in Christ Jesus," RV; Col. 1:27, "of the glory of this mystery... Christ in you, the hope of glory"; (b) to be ascribed to Christ, Rev, 5:12; (c) of the effects of the gospel upon the Gentiles, Rom. 11:12 (twice); (d) of the full assurance of understanding in regard to the mystery of God, even Christ, Col. 2:2, RV; (e) of the liberality of the churches of Macedonia, 2 Cor. 8:2 (where "the riches" stands for the spiritual and moral value of their liberality); (/) of "the reproach of Christ" in contrast to this world's treasures, Heb. ll:26.

Rightiousness:
One of the most common and important ideas in all of Scripture. Rightousness was what distinquished Jehovah in the Old Testement from pagan gods. Rightious judgment was sever in this regards and one of the most fearfull themes in the Old Testement.

dikaios signifies "just," without prejudice or partiality. "This meaning of dikaiosune, right action, is frequent also in Paul's writings, as in all five of its occurrences in Rom. 6; Eph. 6:14, etc. But for the most part he uses it of that gracious gift of God to men whereby all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are brought into right relationship with God. This righteousness is unattainable by obedience to any law, or by any merit of man's own, or any other condition than that of faith in Christ.... The man who trusts in Christ becomes 'the righteousness of God in Him,' 2 Cor. 5:21, i.e., becomes in Christ all that God requires a man to be, all that he could never be in himself. Because Abraham accepted the Word of God, making it his own by that act of the mind and spirit which is called faith, and, as the sequel showed, submitting himself to its control, therefore God accepted him as one who fulfilled the whole of His requirements, Rom.4:3

My next post will cover Ephesus in Acts, Revelations, Timothy,Colosians, and the obscure but profound little book of Philemon. Im am hoping not to have to jump around with a lot of cross referencing and citations when I start the exposition. I may relate it to other religious concepts in Buddism and Islam but I'll do that at the end.

Now I realize I dumped a truckload of stuff here, I suggest you browse through the post and find what you need. I intend for this to be a resourse for the forum and my little expositions are just meant to prime the pump. I have learned more from shareing with other believers then any of the books on philosophy and theology that I sometimes take an interest in.

Grace and Peace,
Mark

 

[mark kennedy]

You seem to have a good idea about focusing on Ephesians, I just hope all your for in the bible isnt just ephesians, there are 65 other books. I hope you cover Basic foundations of christianity like the gospels,ten commandments,baptism,etc.. for me since ive been saved christian for a year now and the people like me just getting into this stuff need the basic foundation before we go on to anything like Hebrews etc..

Ok I'll keep that in mind and please feel free to jump in anytime you have something. Something you might want to consider while we ponder the principles. Paul allways follows a definite pattern, first he goes into the doctrinal issues and only then he begins to consider the practical applications. I could do this easily but I was wondering if you would care to try your hand at a simple exposition. I have two verses for you:

"And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workamnship...(Exodus 32:3)

"But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift." (Eph. 4:7)

We know that the Spirit equips the church for service, at least I hope we can agree on this. Your thoughts on the New Testement and Old Testement gifts of the Spirit? This isn't a test I just want to see how you respond.

 

[Serapha]

Hi there!



I have some notes from a previous discussion that was closed concerning Ephesians...





In sharing from my "scattered" notes on Ephesians 1.... 100 words or less....

There is an interesting structure to the first verses of Ephesians, chapter one... In the KJV, in the passage 3-14, it is thee sentences, but in the Greek text, it is one sentence.... V1-6 referring to the past... and to the Father, verses 7-12 refering to the present and to Christ... and verses 13-14 referring to the future... and to the Holy Spirit. Verse one is "theos"... the Trinity of God... all three persons.

The usual Greek salutation is Chaitrein (rejoice), whereas Paul uses the word charis (grace) and adds peace... therefore, no it is not the standard salutation for a long letter. Paul uses grace and peace, but why?

In verse three, the spiritual blessings are identified which, in Jewish teachings there are temporal blessings and spiritual blessing, the spiritual blessings being solid, substantial, lasting blessings (think third heaven ) which concerns the spirit of man and which are applied by the Holy Spirit of God, as the Ethiopic version renders the pasage "with every blessing of the Holy Spirit"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The city of Ephesus was a walled city that held over 200,000 people within the city structure. And inscription found to describe Ephesus was that it was "a most illustrious city", and it was described as "the greatest emporium in Asia" by Strabo. After the loss of the water port, almost the entire economic structure of the city was relative to idol worship, and there were numerous temples within the city (Remember the account in Acts where they sought to kill Paul for the statements he made at Ephesus).

The Library at Ephesus (Celsus) was the third largest in the world, I believe it is noted as having over 20,000 manuscripts... none of these manuscripts were from the text of the "Scriptures" or "Christian Scriptures".... not one word from God was in the public domain.


As most know, there was temple prostitution with an estimate of over a thousand prostitutes on the streets at any given time, particularly in the worship of Diana (Artemis) who was the goddess of fertility. I haven't been to Ephesus to see the ruins there, but I have been to Jerash (Jordan) where there are magnificent ruins of a temple to the goddess Diana..... The difference between Ephesus and Jerash.... are you ready for this? I inquired on the possibility of temple prostitution at the temple of Diane in Jerash and the economic impact on the city, and I was informed that there was never any temple prostitution in the country of Jordan.

(smiles)

okay.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quote:

4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

The "He chose us" in the Greek is written in the aortics tense which means that at one particular time in the past, God chose us, but it is written in the middle voice which means that it was Hiis own decision (referring to His original voice, but spoken out of the past) I would want to focus on the phrase "in love" for a moment. We are "adopted" in love without anything on the adoptee's part... but it is still a choice to become a part of the family.

Quote:

5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

Darby commentary, "He may have angels before Him as servants, it was His will to have sons" This part of the the passage in Ephesians tells us that all are predestines to salvation... but obviously, from other passages in the Bible, not all will be saved.

~serapha~

 

[mark kennedy]

[/font]
I think this is key in understanding all of Paul's teaching.
Who we are in Christ.

Ok, that is an extensive list of things but here goes. We are blessed with every spiritual blessing (1:3). Chosen to be holy and without blame before Him in love. (1:4). adopted as sons (just an expression, daughters works to). accepted in the Beloved. (1:6). Redeemed by his blood by the riches of his grace (1:7). With all wisdom and prudence (1:8). Shown the mystery of His will (1:9). Gathered together with all thing in the dispensation of the fullness of times (1:10). Obtained an inheritance (1:11). Sealed with the Spirit (13). Have access to the spirit of wisdom, revelation, and enlightnment (1:17). Raised up together to walk in newness of life and to be seated with Christ in the heavenly places (2:20)

There are no doubt many more but 'In Christ' includes a good many things. Things well worth our while to explore and enjoy.

Grace and peace,
Mark

 

[Serapha]

Hi there!




and more notes on chapter one...


Going back to verse 3, there is the use of the noun (blessings), verb (blessed), and adjective use (blessed)

of "bless"... Paul was a writer who chose his words exacting what he wanted the text to say in his letters.


"style" if you will.



In verses 11-14, where "predestination" is being brought to light...

parapharased..


We have an "inheritance", being chosen people by God, that we should be the praise of His glory,

who first trusted in Christ (the Jews)... in whom ye also trusted (the Gentiles) after ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.

and after you believed, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.


Everyone is predestined (chosen) by God to salvation, but not everyone will accept the position that is offered. It is never in God's plan that any should be lost, but many reject the predestination, the offer of salvation, from God through Jesus Christ.



The prayer in verse 15 and 16... where Paul says that he cease not to give thanks and how he uplifts his brothers in Christ in prayer.... How important that was to the apostle Paul... as compared to a similar statement concerning the introduction in Romans... whereas Paul also states, "I make mention of you always in my prayers."

Paul had been with the members of the church in Ephesus, and he was writing to people that he knew, but knowing people did not make a difference to Paul, for he prayed for his brothers in Christ in Rome also, people whom he had never visited or met before.

How to, we should lift the names of our brothers and sisters in Christ in prayer...


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quote:

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ


17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

http://bible1.crosswalk.com/Comment...apter=1&verse=3


John Gill's commentary

and the same is the Father of Christ, as Christ is God; as such he is the Son of God; not by creation, as angels and Adam, nor by adoption, as saints, but by natural generation; he being the only begotten of the Father, his own proper Son, of the same nature and perfections with him, and equal to him.


I promise the remaining chapter notes will be shorter... until the "armor of God" is addressed...


~serapha~

 

[Serapha]

Well,



Maybe one more short note concerning the temple in Ephesians to show the character of the city... and the importance of the religious worship on the economics of the area,

The temple to Diana was one and a half city blocks long, 425 feet long and 260 feet wide and was made of Persian marble with 130 columns, one of the seven wonders of the world. Some of the columns of the temple were studded with jewels and gold, Inside were paintings including one of Alexander the Great. It had a theater that could hold 24,000 people at one setting, and it was noted as a sanctuary for criminals. The temple was the "bank of Ephesus".


~serapha~

 

[mark kennedy]

There is an interesting structure to the first verses of Ephesians, chapter one... In the KJV, in the passage 3-14, it is thee sentences, but in the Greek text, it is one sentence.... V1-6 referring to the past... and to the Father, verses 7-12 refering to the present and to Christ... and verses 13-14 referring to the future... and to the Holy Spirit. Verse one is "theos"... the Trinity of God... all three persons.

Yes there is a definite connection here between the trinity and the pattern of Paul's address. This is actually considered to be a secondary proof text of the Trinity. It underscores the role of each in salvation, The will of the Father, the redemption of the Son, and the seal of the Spirit. That's a great insight, one a lot of people would miss.

The usual Greek salutation is Chaitrein (rejoice), whereas Paul uses the word charis (grace) and adds peace... therefore, no it is not the standard salutation for a long letter. Paul uses grace and peace, but why?

Well, grace is pretty obvious since its what impowers belivers. I don't know where you are going with this but you may have something here.

In verse three, the spiritual blessings are identified which, in Jewish teachings there are temporal blessings and spiritual blessing, the spiritual blessings being solid, substantial, lasting blessings (think third heaven ) which concerns the spirit of man and which are applied by the Holy Spirit of God, as the Ethiopic version renders the pasage "with every blessing of the Holy Spirit"

Spiritual blessings would seem to be the effect of grace in the church, if thats what you are driving at I am with you so far.

The city of Ephesus was a walled city that held over 200,000 people within the city structure. And inscription found to describe Ephesus was that it was "a most illustrious city", and it was described as "the greatest emporium in Asia" by Strabo. After the loss of the water port, almost the entire economic structure of the city was relative to idol worship, and there were numerous temples within the city (Remember the account in Acts where they sought to kill Paul for the statements he made at Ephesus).

That's right it was due to a bunch of idol makers who thought Paul was going to put them out of buisness. Paul spoke at Tyrannus for two years and the riot that broke out was why he left. This was actually a plan that backfired for the rabble rousers. "This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified." (Acts 19:17)

The Library at Ephesus (Celsus) was the third largest in the world, I believe it is noted as having over 20,000 manuscripts... none of these manuscripts were from the text of the "Scriptures" or "Christian Scriptures".... not one word from God was in the public domain.

I didn't know that but it stands to reason since commercial centers become cultural and learning centers. One of the reasons that Christian Scriptures would not be found in this kind of a library is because the church had the few that had allready been written. Also if you have Paul, isn't that a lot better then a scroll?

As most know, there was temple prostitution with an estimate of over a thousand prostitutes on the streets at any given time, particularly in the worship of Diana (Artemis) who was the goddess of fertility. I haven't been to Ephesus to see the ruins there, but I have been to Jerash (Jordan) where there are magnificent ruins of a temple to the goddess Diana..... The difference between Ephesus and Jerash.... are you ready for this? I inquired on the possibility of temple prostitution at the temple of Diane in Jerash and the economic impact on the city, and I was informed that there was never any temple prostitution in the country of Jordan.

(smiles)


The "He chose us" in the Greek is written in the aortics tense which means that at one particular time in the past, God chose us, but it is written in the middle voice which means that it was Hiis own decision (referring to His original voice, but spoken out of the past) I would want to focus on the phrase "in love" for a moment. We are "adopted" in love without anything on the adoptee's part... but it is still a choice to become a part of the family.

Two points worth considering here:

1. The role of sexual immorality in idolatry, Paul discusses in his letter to the Colossians (a letter closely related to Ephesians) the elements of idolatry. "Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. (Col. 3:5)

2. There is nothing on the part of the adoptee's part with regards to rights of inheritance. Most often the adoptee was a good servant that became a part of the household of the owner.

Love has a resounding emphasis that may well be the heart of the emphasis for the book, the doctrinal portion at the very least.

"that he He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strenghtened and might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height-to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullnes of God." (Eph. 3:16-19)

Immediatly he goes into the practical portion of the book starting it with an exortation to walk in the unity of the Spirit. This is what he calls in Colosians the bond of perfection.

"Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you , so you also must do. But above all these things put on love which is the bond of perfection. (Col. 12-14)

Grace and peace,
Mark

 

[mark kennedy]

Ephesus-The Headquaters for Paul's Mission to the Gentiles:

If you know anything about Paul you know that he was Apostle to the Gentiles and this is confirmed by the Church at Jerusalem (Galation 2:9). The bulk of Acts are made up of the three missionary journeys of Paul's mission to the Gentiles. The first one being in the region of Galatia The second was primarily through Greece from the north down into Athens and Corinth. It is at the end of the second missionary journey that Paul comes to Epesus. The church had allready been established there (Acts 18:18-26). For a more in depth look at the different cities Paul ministered in Biola has a terrific resource for further study. http://unbound.biola.edu/acts/index.cfm?fuseaction=frames&lang=English

It is not generally well known but the biggest part of what is called the third missionary was almost exclusively Paul's ministry at Ephesus (Acts 19:1-22). Paul initially goes into the synagogue which propmtly rejects the Gospel. Then he goes into a Gentile lecture hall called Tyrannus. He goes here on a daily basis for two years. Apparently Pauls ministry was accused of trying to put the local idol makers out of buisness. They covertly get the a crowd stired up and a riot insued. After this incident, which was more silly then dangerous (Acts 19:40), Paul makes his rounds to the churches that had been established during his second missionary journey. There is a heart breaking meeting at the end of this journey when the Ephesian elders meet Paul and try to talk him out of going to Jerusalem. They warn him that if he does he will be arrested. Paul says he is not just willing to be arrested but to die for the Gospel and Paul is thinking here primarilyof unbelieving Israel (Roman 11:23). In tears the Ephesians commit Paul to the will of God(Eph 20:13-36). Paul then commits them to the Holy Spirit warning them to guard the flock against false teachers. The Ephesians were the guardians in the first century of the Gospel, this was their mission and marching orders from the Apostle to the Gentiles to the hub of the Gentile church:

"I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears". (Acts 20:29-31)

Apparently false teachers were a lot less likely to attack the Gospel with an Apostle there. It was only after Paul left Corinth and Ephesus that false doctrine, division, and quarreling became a major problem.

Paul when he left Ephesus to visit the churches in Macedonia sent Timothy to Pastor the church at Ephesus. The message of Paul to Timothy could be summed up "fight the good fight of faith" (ITim 1:18-20). Apparently the wolves he had warned the Ephesian elders about were at the door. He says that these false teachers have strayed from the purpose sound doctrine of "love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith." (v. 5). There is an extensive discussion of church administration. Its one of the rare occasions where Paul does not deal with doctrine very much. Timothy allready had sound doctrine and knew how to teach it, Paul is telling him how to defend it. The infrastruction of the church laid out like the blueprint for an elaborate temple. The foundation had allready been laid and the walls and main supports had been raised. That temple is still being built.

These wolves came in with a vengence, the Ephesians held the line. The somehow managed to forget the 'purpose of sound doctrine of love from a pure heart, from a good conscience' In Revelations Jesus reviews the ministry at Ephesus many years later. "I know your works...you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My names sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love" (Rev. 2:2-4) It has been the subject of a lot of speculation, what the first love of the Ephesians was. I will be coming back to this while examining with the text. I think thats enough of the background. Im ready to get into the text:

The question Im useing to guide this study are:

1. What was the first love of the Ephesian church?
2. How do we determine sound doctrine from false?
3. What is the Ephesian tradition in the modern church?
4. We do nothing for salvation but what do we do with it?
5. How are ministers of the Gospel trained and equipped for service?
6. What are the weapons of our warfare, tactics and rules of engagment for ministers of the Gospel

I'm guessing this kind of indepth expostitional study does not get a lot of attention on here. I am still interested in doing something like this on a larger scale but I think in the future I'll post it to the journals section.

Grace and peace,
Mark

 

[mythbuster]

A first order estimation of the Christ Density Factor (CDF) in Ephesians.

The Lord/Christ/Spirit/Jesus including pronouns and titles is mentioned about 97 times in 6 chapters. That is a Christ Density factor of 97/6 = 16.1. (Defining CDF to be the number of times the words; Lord/Christ/Spirit/Jesus/Christ Jesus/including pronouns and titles, mentioned in a book, divided by the number of chapters in that book.)

Galations has a CDF of about 65/6 = 10.8, which is also very high

James is 3/5 = 0.6

The number of 16.1 in Ephesians seems to be a very high Christ Density Factor, and may be the highest in the Bible. The first chapter of Ephesians is difficult to determine because of the heavy use of pronouns "He" and "Him."

 

[mark kennedy]

'Talk Thru the Bible' mentions that 'in Christ' or its equivilant are used 35x in the first three chapters and 35 practical applications are mentioned in the final 3 chapters. Now I have counted the ones in the first three but can't identify the ones in the last three even though I have tried several times.

Your right about the density factor, it is the Gospel according to Paul and the first thirteen verses read like a hymn. Did you know that 1:1-13 are one sentence?

 

[mythbuster]

That would be 70 times, that sounds about right. I included also the big "S" Spirit and also pronouns and titles that refer to the Lord. If we really want to be scientific we can take CDFdB = 10 X log (CDF), just for fun, of course.

No I did not know that about one long sentence, those darn periods just didn't make it through the centuries!

Anyway I have 1:1 & 2 as an introduction and verses 3-12 as the second sentence.

3:3,4 That by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I have written previously in brief, by which in reading it you can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ.

If you want to do Ephesians I'm with you, I just can't spell to save my life.

 

[mark kennedy]

With my math skills and your spelling we may have to do a lot of editing so I'll tell you what. I'll work on the exposition and we will see how the density equation you are working on relates.

In the entire New Testement I have never found a more comprehensive discussion of the Gospel. Between Ephesisans, John's Gospel, and Acts could peicemeal most of what we need for sound doctrine and Christian history at the source, the Apostles doctrine. I am not trying to diminish the importance of the other books but every critical doctrine related to the Church is summed up in these books. The church at Ephesus was the heart of the Gentile churches, Im going to cover what I think are the high points.

1. What was the first love of the Ephesian church?

A Christian loves God and other Christians because of the grace that was given in the person and work of Christ. To express this love in word and deed it is first important to realize just what it is we have recieved. God has 'blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing...chose us to be holy and blameless...adopted us as sons...redemned and forgiven us (paraphrase mine)..in accordance with the riches of God's grace...with all wisdom and understanding...made known to us the mystery of His will...(AKA) the gospel of your salvation... maked (us) in Him (Christ) with the seal, the promised Holy Spirit. a deposit guaranteeing our inheriatnce. (Eph 1:1-15). In the anchient world treasures were kept in a storage area that was allmost allways in a Temple. They functioned like banks or reserves. This wealth in the Church is put simply, kindness that comes from natural affection. Any ministry will have to first demonstrate this to the people they are ministering to otherwise they will not be taken seriously. Christians have to do more then just repel the false teacher we have to speak the truth in love. I love Apologetics myself but is giving reasons for faith the same as edification. Obviously you dont want someone coming in an tearing down, but how do you build?

2. How do we determine sound doctrine from false?

Sound doctrine is allways centered on Christ. You have to keep your eyes on the prize, so to speak. "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ...may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know him better...the hope to which he has called you the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saint...incomparable great power...which He exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead...and appointed Him (Christ) to be head over everything for the church, which is his body...(Eph 1:15-23). Semantics have their place but building the body of Christ needs a blueprint. Thats Christ.

That's as far as I have gotten with this but I wanted to give a general overview of the book to help focus on some of the more important features.

Chapter 1- Paul reviews the redemptive history and focuses on the predestined inheritance in Christ and the redemption that revealed the rightiousness of God in Christ(3-13). He prays that we may understand this(15-22).

Chapter 2- Here he speaks both of God's plan (blueprint) from before the foundation of the world revealed at this time and begins to expond his analogy of the church with Christ being the cornerstone.

Chapter 3- This reminds me of the children of Israel spoiling Egypt during the Exodus and offering contributions for the construction of the tabranacle. Keep in mind the guys who actually did the work were gifted by God to skillfully work with all sorts of materials (Exodus 31:1-11)

Chapter 4- Paul then goes into his discussion of the unity and gifts of the Spirit. A good cross reference would be ICor. 12. Here is changes to the analogy of the Body of Christ with the Spirit residing simular to the way the glory of God entered the Holy of Holies and the sacrifical fire came out and consumed the oblation. (Lev. 22-24) Its also interesting that the coming of the Spirit was evident by a manifestation of tongues of fire (Acts 2:3,4).

Chapter 5- Love is the mark of a disciple (BTW one of the most common words used in the NT) according to Christ Himself (John 15:1-11). Light love and the bond of perfection (Col. 3:8-14), this only needs to be read since it represents the clearest teaching in the NT. No real need for a fancy expostion here, thats for sure.

Chapter 6- This is where the Ephesians get their marching orders for the defense of the Gospel. Paul is in prison here and being guarded by Roman soilders so the analogy being developed could be due to the fact that he was wittnessing to them. I went into the historical aspect of the wolves in sheeps clothing earlier so how about a more contemporary conflict.

This is actually something I developed while discussing II Timothy 3:16 and the infallibility of Scripture, I think its a good example of how a believer takes his stand on the Gospel of peace. There has been one hypercritical attack another on the clear teaching of scripture and a preference given to naturalistic explanation over supernatural manifestation. Thus the fundamentalists have boiled down essential doctrine to things that cannot be compromised. Among them are things like the virgin birth, final judgment with only two possible verdicts, the literal truth of miracles from six days of creation to the catastrophic wrath of Revelations, and yes the inerrancy of Scripture is a relatively modern fundamentalist doctrine that rose in reaction to an onslaught of so called higher criticism that rendered much of Scripture meaningless. This was not coming from the secular scholars but seminaries that were teaching this sort of thing in their theology classes. Fundamentalists and evangelicals, like myself, feel that this is a best a distraction from the sacred message that the sacred writings testify to. And at times it can come down to blatant attacks on the Gospel itself that ministers like Timothy and Paul are charged with guarding like a shepherd guards against ravenous wolves.