Who is included in "US" in Ephesians 1?
The key personalities of Ephesians are the Apostle Paul and Tychicus. 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.
What is the meaning of Ephesians Chapter 1?
The first three chapters of Ephesians are doctrinal, while the last three are practical. Chapter 1 establishes Paul's view on the value of our salvation in Christ, and the blessings we obtain from it. He does this in the form of praise, directed at God, and describing in detail what it means to have an inheritance in heaven.
How to understand Ephesians?
This quartet of men and their respective places of abode can be identified:
- Epaphroditus was from Philippi, and he had the Epistle to the Philippians (see Phil. ...
- Tychicus was from Ephesus, and he had the Epistle to the Ephesians (see Eph. ...
- Epaphras was from Colosse, and he had the Epistle to the Colossians (see Col. ...
- Onesimus was a runaway slave from Colosse, and he had the Epistle to Philemon who was his master (see Philem. ...
What does Ephesians chaper 1 verse 5 in Bible?
Ephesians 1:5. Having predestinated us Predestination, taken in a large sense, includes both election and reprobation, and even reaches to all affairs and occurrences in the world; to the persons, lives, and circumstances of men; to all mercies, temporal or spiritual; and to all afflictions, whether in love or in wrath: and indeed providence, or the dispensations of providence, are no other ...
What is Ephesians 1 talking about?
Explain that in his epistle recorded in Ephesians 1–6, the Apostle Paul addressed the Saints who were in Ephesus and surrounding areas. His aim was to strengthen those who were already members of the Church and to help recent converts grow in their spiritual knowledge and remain faithful to their covenants.
What is the main message of Ephesians?
Ephesians teaches that the Gospel makes way for a new multi-ethnic family of God, transforming how we live as a new humanity unified in love. Ephesians teaches that the Gospel makes way for a new multi-ethnic family of God, transforming how we live as a new humanity unified in love.
What are the promises in Ephesians 1?
Three wonderful promises of God given to all believers are found in this passage… His hope, His riches and His power. He has chosen us in His love to be His children, pure and righteous in His sight through His Son Jesus Christ. We are called to be His holy people.
What is Paul's 1st message to the Ephesians?
The letter declares that the Christian mystery (gospel) of salvation, first revealed to the Apostles, is the source of true wisdom (perhaps an indirect repudiation of Gnostic claims to esoteric knowledge of the supernatural) and that salvation through Christ is offered to Jews and Gentiles alike.
What lessons do we learn from the book of Ephesians?
Ephesians reminds us of the root of all our problems. The world is filled with people who are spiritually dead in their trespasses and sins but who are physically alive, free to roam this world “according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience” (Eph.
Why is Ephesians so important?
The Relevance of Ephesians Today In Ephesians, Paul provides significant teaching on salvation, reconciliation, the nature of God's family, and the Christian identity. Paul's goal for all of this teaching was to encourage and energize believers in their faith.
Who wrote Ephesians 1?
The Apostle PaulThe Apostle Paul wrote the Epistle to the Ephesians (see Ephesians 1:1).
What does the word Ephesians mean?
(ɛˈfiʒənz ; ɪˈfiʒənz ) noun. a book of the New Testament: a letter from the Apostle Paul to the Christians of Ephesus.
Who has blessed us in the heavenly realms?
The apostle Paul, in his introduction to the epistle to the church at Ephesus said, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:3).
Who is Paul speaking to in Ephesians?
While most English translations indicate that the letter was addressed to "the saints who are in Ephesus" (1:1), the words "in Ephesus" do not appear in the best and earliest manuscripts of the letter, leading most textual critics, like Bart Ehrman, to regard the words as an interpolation.
What do we mean by the church is one?
One: the Church is one. This means that it is a single, united and global Church which has its basis in Christ Jesus. Holy: the Church is holy, because it is the Body of Christ with Jesus as the head.
What was wrong with the church of Ephesus?
The Decline of Ephesus Emperor Theodosius erased all traces of Artemis during his reign. He banned freedom of worship, closed the schools and temples and forbade women many of the rights they'd enjoyed before. The Temple of Artemis was destroyed, its ruins used to build Christian churches.
How long did Paul stay in Ephesus?
On his third missionary journey, Paul remained in Ephesus for about three years evangelizing the city and the surrounding region. On his last voyage to Jerusalem, Paul stopped and met the elders of Ephesus at Miletus (Acts 20:7-38). Others who labored at Ephesus were Timothy, Onesiphorus, Tychicys, and the Apostle John.
Where was the church of Ephesus located?
The church of Ephesus was the queen city of Asia Minor, situated three miles from the Aegean Sea on the Cayster River, and had a population of about 340,000. Paul founded the church at Ephesus during his second missionary journey.
What does the prince of the power of the air mean?
The prince of the power of the air is the same spirit that still operates in the children of disobedience (meaning those who will not respond to the truth of God) (2:2).
What does "predestination" mean?
The word "predestination" (proorisas) simply means to ordain beforehand, to predetermine. God designed the whole creation to accomplish the fulfillment of the plan which existed before creation. It applies to human beings, planets, galaxies, everything God ever made. The word "adoption" means to place as a son.
What realms does God set us down in?
God set us down alongside of Christ in the heavenly realms. The believer is of both realms: (1) the earthly realm (the natural) experiencing the things of this world and he is of ( 2) the heaven ly realm (spiritual) experiencing the things of the heavenlies.
What is the book of Ephesians about?
Welcome to our study of Ephesians, a book that highlights the high calling and conduct of the church, the corporate body of Jesus Christ. Throughout this rich book, we will learn about the church’s inherited stewardship, multi-ethnic identity, distinct lifestyle, and spiritual opposition.
What is the purpose of Paul's letter to the Ephesian believers?
Rather, Paul’s purposes are to declare the glory of God and the extravagant riches given to the Church.
What is the final step of the synthesis?
The final step of the synthesis is to prayerfully choose two applications to practice. These can be applications that you developed and began to practice during previous lessons, or you can create entirely new applications. Whatever your choice, two things must be true about them:
What did God do before Jesus?
Almost 1500 years before Jesus came God gave His chosen people, the Jews, a book of commandments through their leader, Moses, which we call the “Mosaic Law.” God meant for this Law to make the Jew-ish people an attractive light and an example of righteousness to the Gentile nations of the world so that Gentiles would be drawn to worship the One True God. But in the centuries before Jesus came, the Jews sabotaged God’s intention by creating their own tradition around the Law, adding such numerous and complex requirements that most people, even most Jews, couldn’t hope to obey it all. For the scholarly Jews who could keep this tradition (the “Pharisees” and “scribes”) this led to an attitude of superiority and racial pride. To the Gentiles, this tradition only drove them further from God and stirred up hatred towards the Jews. But then Jesus came and not only strongly rebuked the Pharisees for their oppressive tradition, but in His death fulfilled and abolished the Mosaic Law (Rom 10:4; Gal 3:13). With the Law now set aside, the basis for the Jews’ oppressive tradition was gone. Now both Jews and Gentiles can becomes followers of Christ on equal terms – the “dividing wall” has been broken down.
What is Paul's purpose in the Bible?
Rather, Paul’s purposes are to declare the glory of God and the extravagant riches given to the Church. Paul focuses on the call, identity, and conduct of the Church, the body of Christ, throughout this rich epistle. The Mediterranean region as Paul traveled to Ephesians for rst time. From the NET BIBLE on Bible.org. 9.
How to do a synthesis of a book?
The first step of the synthesis is to create your own outline of the book. Review the work you completed each week. Then, create your own brief outline on the next page. Feel free to use any outlining style, but here is an example of how you might start:
What was the importance of Ephesus?
Ephesus was a leading city on the west coast of Asia Minor. It essentially linked the western and eastern portions of the Roman Empire on the main highway and even possessed the most favorable seaport in the province of Asia. Due to its location within the Empire, Ephesus exerted great influence culturally, economically, and religiously. With a population over 300,000 people, Ephesus contained a theatre that seated an estimated 25,000 people. It became the center for worship of the goddess Artemis (Diana in Roman mythology), which often included temple prostitution. Her temple ranked as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and became not just a center for worship but also the primary banking institution for all of Asia Minor. As a result, Paul’s apostolic ministry that turned people to Christ and away from Artemis represented a significant financial threat to temple-related businesses like that of the silversmith, Demetrius (Acts 19:23-41). Ephesus also became a center of occult prac-tice as many used magic, witchcraft, and sorcery to manipulate hostile spiritual powers to their advantage (Acts 19:11-20).