Ephesians

Literary Style and Beauty:  Macrostructure and Microstructure!

            This time I offer you a broad outline of all the letter, but combine it with a detailed outline of many of the sub-sub-points!  For literary beauty notice the largest points (I and II) and the intricate details of the relations of the sub-points.

Prologue = Paul’s greeting (1:1-2)

(Body of letter)

I.  The New Humanity is a Divine Creation (1:3-3:21)

            A.  Opening praise for God’s purposes in Christ in eternity and in history (1:3-14)

                        1.  Praise for every spiritual blessing (in exalted Christ; 1:3)

                        2.  Praise for election/predestination to holiness and adoption (sonship) through

     the love of the Father and the kindness of Jesus Christ (1:4-6); the section

     ends with “to the praise of His glory”[1]

3.  Praise for redemption and cosmic reconciliation in Christ (1:7-12); the section

      ends with “to the praise of His glory”

4.  Praise for the Holy Spirit and the assurance of inheritance of final glory (1:13-

      14); the section ends with “to the praise of His glory”

            B.  Opening prayer for the Ephesians (1:15-23)

                        1.  Thanks for their faith in the Lord and love for all the saints (1:15-16)

                        2.  Address of the prayer and comprehensive petition (1:17)

                        3.  Specific content of the prayer (1:18-19):  enlightened hearts to know three

      things:

            (a)  the hope of His calling (see ch. 4:  corporate sanctification!)

            (b)  His inheritance (consisting inthe saints)

            (c)  His power toward believers (surpassingly great)

4.  His power shown by:

            (a) Resurrection (1:20)

            (b)  Ascension (1:20)

            (c)  Dominion (1:21-22)

5.  So, how special is the church, the body of Christ!  (1:23)

            C.  The saving grace of God (2:1-10)

                        1.  Who you were (2:1-3)

                        2.  Who you are – in Christ (2:4-6; v.4, “but God…”)

                        3.  God’s eternal purpose in salvation (2:7)

                        4.  God’s way of salvation in history (2:8-10) (by grace alone, by faith alone, unto

                                     a “walk” in predestined “good works”)

            D.  The mysterious purpose of God:  the inclusion of the Gentiles in salvation (2:11-3:13)

                        1.  Their former plight (2:11-12; cf. v.19)

                        2. Their present blessings (2:13-22)

                                    (a)  Nearness to God (2:13, 17-18)

                                    (b)  Peace and reconciliation with God (2:14-16; by the work of Christ on

                                           the cross)

                                    (c)  Being one new man/body (2:15-16; basis of corporate sanctification,

       ch. 4)

(d)  Members of God’s household (2:19; citizens/family, cf. sonship

        theme)

                        3.  Centerpiece:  God’s temple-building (2:20-22)

                        4.  Paul’s part in the “mystery of Christ” (3:4):  preacher to the Gentiles, unto the

      inclusion of them in the “body” (3:1-13; cf. Rom. 15:16!)

     (God’s eternal plan had been to include the Gentiles in the promise of the

      Spirit.)

            E.  Second prayer for the Ephesians (3:14-21)

                        1.  Address of the prayer (3:14-16)

                        2.  Requests:

                                    (a)  strength in the inner person (v.16),

                                    (b)  Christ at home in the heart (v.17),

                                    (c)  know the love which surpasses knowledge (vv.18-19)

                        3.  Doxology of prayer and of first large section (3:20-21)

Note:  In this book, we clearly see the indicative first (chs. 1-3), then the imperative (chs. 4-6).  The “therefore” of 4:1 follows from chapters 1-3 (and note the following “therefores” in matching sections below:  4:17, 25; 5:1, 7, 15), and all the “walk” (i.e., conduct) imperatives follow from the doctrine of chapters 1-3 (“walk” in 4:17; 5:2, 8, 15).

II.  The New Humanity is realized in Earthly Life (4:1-6:20)

            A.  Realized in the growing maturity of the body of Christ (4:1-16)

                        1.  The calling (4:1-3)

• A “worthy walk” means a oneness with all other believers which reflects the Trinity!  That is a summary of all of Part II, also; = corporate sanctification!

2.  The hope of the calling:  unity actualized by the work of the Spirit (4:4-6)

• cf. Paul’s prayer in 1:18

3.  The gifts of Christ to the church (4:7-11)

• His gifts are people, with ministries which the body needs to mature
• The victory of the resurrection/ascension of Christ is the foundation of His equipping the body (across history) to attain “the unity of the faith.”[2]

4.  The goal of Christ:  the full-grown Bride for Himself (4:12-16)

• v.13 is key to this part:  the goal is for the church, the Bride of Christ, to grow up to full maturity, and thus be ready to marry the Lamb!  (see also Eph. 5:25-27 and Rev. 19:6-8)
• = corporate sanctification:  all the body grows up to be the Bride, not just an individual believer
• Key method:  speaking the truth in love, v.15, cf. 5:26; John 17:17
• Note the emphasis on all parts of the body contributing (v.16; cf. 1 Cor. 12)

B.  Realized in the personal conduct (walk) of every individual Christian, in support of the body (so corporate sanctification is still the underlying theme) (4:17-5:21)[3][D6]

            1.  New life to replace the old (4:17-24)

• The old life contrasted with the new, of learning Christ and putting Him on

2.  Truth and love to replace falsehood and bitterness (4:25-5:2)

• Many details on old and new contrasted again
• Very significant:  4:30 = Holy Spirit as “pledge” means “engagement ring”!
• Note the call to imitate God and Christ and the beauty of His Calvary love, 5:1-2[4]

3.  Light to replace darkness (5:3-14)

• “Darkness” of various sins:  don’t participate, but expose
• “Fruit of the light,” 5:9, cf. fruit of the Spirit, Gal. 5:22-23
• Unusual Scripture proof/application of resurrection to climax, v.14

4.  Wisdom to replace folly (5:15-21)

• Be wise and understand the Lord’s will in your era
• Key of being continually filled with the Spirit, v.18 (from tense of the verb)
• Note of joyful worship to conclude B., vv.19-20; v.21 is a transition to the next section C, and applies to B & C.

C.  Realized in public relationships (5:22-6:9)[5]

            1.  In marriage (5:22-33)

• Including highest symbolism:  earthly Christian marriage is a picture of Christ and His church
• Notice total commitment on both sides
• High “spiritual” use of OT (Gen. 2:24) in vv.31-32
• Work of Christ:  limited atonement, v.25; means of sanctification, v.26 (John 14:14!); corporate glorification, v.27 (cf. “The goal of Christ,” A.4 of this section)

2.  In family (6:1-4)

• Exhortation to children and to fathers
• Note “first commandment with a promise,” 6:2

3.  In work (6:5-9)

• Exhortation to servants and to masters
• Concludes on a solemn note:  “no partiality” with our Master in heaven, 6:9

D. Realized in victory in spiritual warfare in this world (6:10-20)

• Now “walk” imperatives change to “stand” and other words related to “standing”
• Note corporate context, “our struggle,” 6:12 and “prayer for all the saints,” 6:18 (including Paul, for the original audience! 6:19-20)[6]

(End of body of letter)

Conclusion (6:21-24)

            (1) News about Paul (6:21-22)

            (2) Final benediction (6:23-24)

• Interesting to see “peace and grace,” the reverse of the usual “grace and peace” which begins almost all of the Epistles.
• Endnote:  love Jesus (cf. 1 Cor. 16:22)

Author and Purpose

            Lead note:  Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon are sometimes referred to as the Prison Epistles, since they were all written during Paul’s Roman imprisonment (Eph. 3:1; Phil. 1:7; Col. 4:10; Philem. 9).  That was his first imprisonment in Rome (same as Acts 28), after which he was released, made other trips, and wrote other letters, followed by a second imprisonment (during which he wrote 2 Timothy, his last letter).

            Christianity probably came first to Ephesus with Aquila and Priscilla when Paul made a brief stop there on his second missionary journey (Acts 18:18-19).  On his third journey he stayed in the city for about three years and the Gospel spread throughout all of Asia Minor (Acts 19:10); see also his speech to the elders of the church of Ephesus, 20:17ff.).

            Several things indicate that Ephesians was a circular letter, a doctrinal treatise in the form of a letter, to the churches in Asia Minor.  Some good Greek manuscripts omit the words “at Ephesus” in 1:1.  There is an absence of controversy and it does not deal with the problems of a particular church.  Though Paul worked there for three years, this letter does not have any “personal names,” so typical of Paul.  (Such an omission would be appropriate for a circulating letter meant for many churches.)  Also the early church fathers regarded it as a general, circulating letter.  It was likely sent first to Ephesus by Tychicus (Eph. 6:21-22; Col. 4:7-8) and is probably the same letter that is called “my letter…from Laodicea” in Colossians 4:16.

            So, the purpose of Ephesians is to be a “little book of theology” for all the churches, with a great emphasis on doctrine (like Romans).  If I am correct in my outline of it, then “corporate sanctification” is a very “Pauline” idea!

            I discern the doctrine of the letter built around the idea of the NT covenant people as the “new humanity” (parallel with the Adam-Christ typology of Romans 5:  representative heads of the old and new humanity).  Paul bases the imperatives which “realize” the new humanity on earth (chs. 4-6) on the indicatives of God’s creation (even beginning in eternity) of a new humanity through Jesus Christ (chs. 1-3).  A “new humanity” calls attention to the corporate reality of the church, across time, and preparing to become the Bride of Christ.  This is a profound understanding of history as well as of the church.  It agrees with the “redemptive-historical” style of exegesis typical of Paul.  The purpose of this letter is to give the churches a vision of corporate sanctification, with as many details as possible in a short letter.  If you don’t agree with my insight, another way to say the purpose is:  “God’s eternal and historical purposes to establish and to complete the church.”

Commentary:  Applications of the Supremacy of Christ

1.  A short “Essay” about “Corporate Sanctification”

            If I am right about the main themes of Ephesians, then we must add “corporate sanctification” as an aspect of Paul’s theology, though this has been little noticed in the history of theology and Bible interpretation.  (Of course Paul’s theology also has individual sanctification, as in Romans 6 and other places.)  But what difference does it make to add “corporate sanctification” to our theological vocabulary?

            (1) A corporate emphasis is a much-needed, healthy balance to the church’s usual emphasis on the individual Christian life, individual sanctification, individual victory, and so forth.  It is understandable how Americans could develop a “blind spot” about this since the individual is so emphasized in our history and culture.  But the Christian life as lived in community needs much more intellectual development and application.  The visible church needs much more respect, too.[7]

            (2)  If how I understand Ephesians 4:13 is true,[8]  then we need a whole new “second front” in how we teach about and prepare for the Second Coming of Christ.  We understand that His Second Coming “waits” (depends upon/has a precondition of) for all the elect coming to Christ.[9]  But the “second front” is that the Second Coming also “waits” upon His Bride’s attaining what 4:13 means.  She must be “grown up,” considered as a “body,” for Him to return for her.  (This involves many more details and Scripture proofs than I can expound here.)  The first front is the real-life justification of each of the elect.  It is also the worldwide extensive work of the Gospel.  The second front is the this-worldly sanctification of the elect as a community.  It is also the ultimate intensive work of the gospel.  My plea is that the second front demands just as much attention as the first front.  Only when the Bride “has made herself ready” (Rev. 19:7; that is the tense of the Greek verb) will the Second Coming happen.  So it is as necessary to work on such things as growing in Christ and the obedience of faith[10] as it is to work on evangelism.  The Great Commission of “making disciples and teaching them to obey” (Matthew 28:19-20) is meant intensively as well as extensively, and it must be fulfilled by Christian communities incarnating the reality that the Lord intends.[11] Someday (who knows how far off His Return is?) the church will reach her goal – for Revelation 19:7 (and context) is a promise, too.  Praise the Lord!

2.  Indicatives and Imperatives

            Note again how clear the indicative/imperative method of Paul is in Ephesians.  All the exhortations are based on the Divine Creation of the New Humanity:  this is what makes Christianity so different from all “performance-based” (“works”) religions!  This is seen in miniature in the “turning point” of 2:4, with the phrase “but God”!  The “big picture” of this letter is based on the Adam-Christ typology of Romans 5, with Christ as the Head (and Husband) of the church and with the church in a very exalted place.[12]  Inquire:  how does this encourage and challenge you?

3.  Paul’s Praises and Prayers

            The praises and prayers are much worth studying (and even memorizing).  The opening praise (1:3-14) sets a tone of praise for the whole book and is very complex (just one long sentence in Greek!).  Inquire:  “take it apart” in detail; for example, which “He/Him/His” is the Father and which the Son?  What are the Works  of each Person (Spirit, too)?  Can you make a beautiful Microstructure Outline of this part?

            Also compare the first and second prayers (see Outline for more detail) and seek to understand all their phrases and their interrelationships.  Use these in your own prayer life !  Consider the doxology (and promise!) of the “indicative” section (3:20-21):  how fitting it is for that grand section!  How has Paul “stacked superlatives” in v.20?  What does “to all generation” add to the concept of v.21?

4.  The Trinity

            The beauty of the Lord can be seen in this letter’s teaching on the Trinity.  The following collection is arranged according to each Person and there are subsections concerning the Son, Jesus Christ.[13]  Inquire:  Investigate and explain these – I did not comment on any of them.  Can you find others?  Note the strong emphasis on the Supremacy of Christ, with the many Exaltation passages (strong on glorious Head and Husband).

            (1)  Father:

       1:17; 2:4-6, 10, 19, 21-22; 3:9-11, 14-15, 20-21; 4:6, 18, 24, 32; 5:1, 20; 6:9, 10ff., 23

            (2) Son:

                  (a)  Deity:  1:17, 23; 3:8, 11, 17-19, 21; 4:5; 5:20-21; 6:23-24

                  (b)  Incarnation/perfect life:  2:20; 3:11; 4:20-21

                  (c)  Death:  2:13-16; 4:32; 5:2, 23, 25

                  (d)  Resurrection:  1:18-20; 2:5-6; 5:14

                  (e)  Ascension/glory-ministry:  1:18-22; 2:6-7, 18; 4:7-12, 13, 15; 5:23, 26-27, 29-32

            (3) Spirit:

                  2:18 (Trinity), 2:22; 3:5, 16; 4:3-4, 30; 5:18; 6:17-18

Inquire:  Compare Galatians and Ephesians on the Son.  It is interesting that there is more on the Death of Christ in Galatians, just as there is more about justification, whereas there is more on the Resurrection/Ascension of Christ in Ephesians, just as there is more about sanctification.  I relate this to the deep concept of the Word as “proper food” (Luke 12:42) for all the different aspects of Christian growth.  Ponder this.  (You may also search out the different emphases of each of the NT letters, and ponder how they nourish the new creature in believers.  Do you see why daily Scripture meditation should “sweep through” the whole Bible?)

5.  The Church Visible and Invisible

            In this letter which emphasizes the “church” so much, is the “visible church” or the “invisible church” meant?[14]  Or does it depend on the passage?  Or are both meant sometimes?  What does it matter?

6.  From Lost to Saved

            In this exalted reflection on the Christian life, Paul does not forget that all true believers were once lost (2:1-3:  very severe:  dead in sins; by nature children of wrath, even as the rest [of mankind]; add 2:12 for Gentiles!) and so there is a time in history (in the believer’s life) when each elect person makes the transition from being lost to being “saved” (2:5, after v.4; same time as v.6).  The perspectives of eternity and redemptive-history are not meant to diminish that (as unfortunately does happen with “hyper-Calvinists”).  Only gratitude for being saved can empower chs. 4-6.

7.  A Mystery

            Paul says the “inclusion of the Gentiles” in God’s saving purpose is a “mystery,”[15] yet he often proves it from the OT in his letters.  Inquire:  Can you prove it from the OT?  Is it “hidden” there?  So why is it a mystery?

8.  Unity

            In chapter 4, we are to “preserve the unity of the Spirit” (v.3), so it does exist, but we are to “attain to the unity of the faith” (v.13), so it does not yet exist.  Is that right?  Or is there a better way to express it?  What is different about these two unities?  We also see here the intellectual aspect of maturity (4:14-15, cf. 1 Cor. 14:20!) and the ethical aspect of maturity (4:25ff.).  In between is the crucial exhortation to “put off/put on” “old self/new self” (4:22-24, cf. Col. 3:8, 10, 12ff.; Rom. 12:1-2).  So how are these things related to one another?  Actually, in this Survey I have not discussed in detail Paul’s exhortations/imperatives/ethical sections[e20] , such as 4:25-32 here.  But I want you to search out those details.  Find the commands throughout the NT and meditate on them.  The Westminster Standards give much detail on the meaning of obeying the 10 Commandments (using NT to deepen, too), but I think a corresponding work ought to be done on the NT commands.  Consider also here how Paul continues in ch. 5.  And then “public relationships,” especially marriage (coming first and deep on Christ), are part of “corporate sanctification”, too.

9.  Armor of God

            Whole books have been written on the “armor of God” in ch. 6.  Paul is a warrior, too!  Inquire:  Meditate on each piece.  Think about putting it on when you put on your clothes!

SOLI DEO GLORIA