Epistle to the Ephesians FEED 260/262 MENTORING THROUGH THE NEW BARTLEY CHRISTIAN CHURCH Instructor: Dr Ho Chiao Ek

Why Study Ephesians ? “… every spiritual blessing” (1:3) “lavished upon us” (1:8) “immeasurable greatness of his power” (1:19) “immeasurable riches of his grace” (2:7) “unsearchable riches of Christ” (3:8) “manifold wisdom of God” (3:10) “riches of his glory” (3:16) “all the fullness of God” (3:19) “to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (4:13).

Why Study Ephesians ? inter-racial relationships racial reconciliation employer-employee relationships family dynamics gender roles in marriage power encounter scientific naturalism vs supernaturalism living in a pluralistic society spiritual formation divine sovereignty vs human responsibility/free will nature of the church

Why study Ephesians ? “The book begins by teaching us that the study of theology should be combined with praise and adoration of our awesome God, who has done so much for us. The apostle Paul punctuates his poetic expression of what God has accomplished for us in Christ with a refrain of praise to the glory of God – and that should be our response as well. This letter summarizes what it means to be a Christian better than any other book of the Bible. It clarifies the heart of the Christian faith, explores the dynamics of a personal relationship with Christ, sets forth God’s overall plan for the church, and draws out the implications of what it means to live as a Christian.” Dr. Clinton E. Arnold Dean, Talbot School of Theology, Professor of NT Language and Literature

Suggestions on WHY Ephesians was written R.P. Martin : “Ephesians is an exalted prose-poem on the theme ‘Christ-in-his-church’; it was written to admonish the predominantly Gentile readership to accept their Jewish brethren and to appreciate the Jewish background of their faith” (Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon, pp. 5-6). Peter O’Brien : “The main purpose of Ephesians is ‘identity formation’” (The Letter to the Ephesians; Pillar Commentary Series, p.57). Clinton E. Arnold : “Paul wrote this letter to a large network of local churches in Ephesus and the surrounding cities to affirm them in their new identity in Christ as a means of strengthening them in their ongoing struggle with the powers of darkness, to promote a greater unity between Jews and Gentiles within and among the churches of the area, and to stimulate an ever-increasing transformation of their lifestyles into a greater conformity to the purity and holiness that God has called them to display” (Ephesians; Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, p.45).

Occasion for the Writing of Ephesians There are many suggestions why Ephesians was written, but due to the lack of specificity of the letter we can only discern some significant elements in this letter: 1.Gentile believers are prominently in view in this letter ( cf. Eph 2:11-12; 4:17 ) 2.There is no direct reference to any concrete crisis or specific problem; we can at best reconstruct some of the ‘cultural pressures’ that motivated Paul to write this epistle. These include:  Background of idolatry (cf. Acts 19:23-27) and magic (cf. Acts 19:11-19)  Fear of evil spirits and demonic forces (cf. ‘principalities, powers and authorities’; Eph 1:21; 2:2; 3:10; 6:11-12)  Problem of the Jew-Gentile divide, perhaps even animosity (Eph 2:11-22; 4:1-6)  Breaking cleanly from their pagan past (e.g., from immoral practices) to live a life worthy of their calling as Christians (cf. Eph 4:1-3, 17) 3.The letter presents a positive Pauline gospel. In summary, this letter gives instruction on the position and unity of believers and admonishes them to live a distinctive Christian lifestyle.

What has God blessed us with in Christ? Ephesians 1:3-14 God has blessed us with “every spiritual blessing in Christ in the heavenly places” (v.3) Note: the expressions “in Christ”/”in whom” (Him)…  Chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy (vv.4-5)  Predestined us for adoption (as His children/to belong to Him; vv.5-6)  Redeemed and forgiven us through the atoning work of Christ on the cross (vv.7-8)  Revealed to us the mystery of His will/plan to unite all things through Christ (vv.9-10)  Given us an inheritance according to His will (vv.11-12)  Given us the promised Holy Spirit as a seal (vv.13-14)

Outline of Ephesians 1:1-2OPENING (Greetings) 1:3-14INTRODUCTORY BLESSING Doxology to the Triune God (Jewish berakah) a.Spiritual blessings are theirs in the heavenly realms (v.3) b.Redemption, in particular, has come to both Jews and Gentiles so that both inherit the final glory of God (vv.11-14)

1:5-6:20BODY 1:15-23Thanksgiving and Prayer 2:1-22Reconciliation through Christ Vertical Reconciliation: Believers to God (2:1-10) Horizontal Reconciliation: Jews and Gentiles (2:11-22)3:1-13 Paul’s Role in the Work of Reconciliation: Proclaiming the ‘mystery’ that Gentiles are included in God’s plan 3:14-21Prayer and Doxology 4:1-16Exhortation to maintain unity between Gentiles and Jews 4:17-6:20Practical Ramifications/Outworking of Unity New Life vs Old Life (4:17-5:20) Household relationships (5:21-6:9) Standing strong against the demonic powers (6:10-20) 6:21-24CLOSING (Blessings and News)

 Theological Motifs & Emphases  Divine sovereignty and human responsibility in salvation (Eph 1:3-14)  God has chosen us before the foundation of the world (v. 4)  He predestined us to adoption as sons (v. 5; cf. v. 11)  God is portrayed as One who takes the initiative to effect redemption  Human beings need to respond - by listening and responding (believing) to the gospel (v. 13) The preeminent position of Christ  Christ is exalted over the principalities and powers (Eph 1:21-22)  Christ is the head over his body, the church (1:23; 4:15f.) The union of believers with Christ  The expression ‘in Christ’ occurs 34 times  The compound sun-added to key verbs (e.g., Eph 2:5-6)

The unity of Jew and Gentile  Christ has reconciled Jew and Gentile by incorporating them into one body through his work on the cross (Eph 2:11-16)  Both Jew and Gentile now have access to God and belong to God’s household (2:18-19) The universal Church  Paul pictures the communities of believers as ekklēsia in a universal sense (Eph 1:22; 3:10, 21; 5:23-25, 27, 29, 32)  The Church is being pictured as a ‘household of God’ (Eph 2:19); a ‘holy temple in the Lord’ (2:21-22); ‘growing body’ of which Christ is the head (1:23; 4:16; 5:23); the ‘bride’ of Christ (5:25-32) The ethical conduct of believers  Eph 4-6 is often thought to be replete with ethical instruction (‘walk’ in a manner worthy of one’s calling; 4:1; metaphorical language of ‘putting off’ and ‘putting on’; cf. 4:22-24)  Such behavior should result from the believers’ divine calling (Eph 1:3ff.; 4:1ff.) and empowering (Eph 5:18) Spiritual warfare (Eph 6:10-20)  Set in a culture of pagan worship (esp. Artemis), magic and superstition  Paul emphasizes the power of God and the supremacy of Christ (Eph 1:19-23; 4:8-10).

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1.Galatians is a letter of freedom in a twofold way: it represent not only freedom from, but also freedom for (Galatians ch5). What is the role of Holy Spirit in freedom from and freedom for in daily life? 2.Ephesians has much to teach us about the church: ekklesia is used 9 times with interesting metaphors like ‘body’, ‘temple’ and ‘bride’. How do we assess the state of the church (universal) today in view of the picture of the church that God intends in Ephesians? What about our local church (Bartley Christian Church)? 3.In light of the lesson on Phil 2:1-11, how would you define humility? What are some practical ways we can practice humility?