Study on Ephesians- Introduction
Keep in mind as you go along…The first lesson is an introduction to Ephesians. The last lesson will be a review lesson. The other six lessons will go over the six chapters of the book of Ephesians. Keep in mind that our goal in this study for Sunday school is not to look at every single verse, topic or doctrine found in Ephesians. Our goal is to get the overall message.
Our eight week study, in one word, is the CHURCH. We want to see how the church, or the body of Christ, is pictured in this letter. And please keep in mind that our study is not on the local church in particular, but on the whole church as in everybody that makes up the entire body of Christ. We are now thinking of the universal church around the world-everyone saved by God’s grace!
Date: AD 64
Author: Paul the Apostle. (1:1) While Peter was mainly the apostle sent to the Jews, Paul was the apostle who ministered mainly to the Gentiles (all non-Jews are Gentiles).
Theme: The Church IN CHRIST.
There are 22 references to Ephesus (or Ephesians) in the New Testament.
Paul wrote in I Corinthians 16:8,9, “But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost. For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.”
At this point Paul wanted to go visit the Corinthian church but decided to wait longer at Ephesus because of such “a great door” had been opened to him there to reach others for Christ. And we not only see that God had opened up a door for Paul’s ministry there but that there were many adversaries, or those who opposed him. Paul had enemies of the Gospel but he also knew who his real enemy was as we find out in the study of Ephesians 6.
In Acts 20:17-35 we read of how Paul called the Ephesian local church elders and gave them a farewell sermon. It would do you much good to read and study this sermon as it contains some wonderful truths that are important to living the Christian life. It also is of great value to those who would lead in guiding others closer to Jesus or who would be leaders in the church.
Paul wrote this epistle (letter) to the church at Ephesus but he wrote it for all the church everywhere. And in thinking about Ephesus we find that it was a major city of the ancient world. Today it is about six miles from the ocean although back then it was right on the water. Ephesus was a very important city in Asia at that point in history. Today it is the area of what is called Turkey.
Ephesians 1
1. Salutation to the Church-Paul’s Greeting
2. Spirituality of the Church-Spiritual Blessings
3. Spirit in the Church-Holy Ghost
4. Sovereign over the Church-Christ the Head
In the first three chapters we find the church’s position. In chapter one we can see without much delay where our position is-IN CHRIST. While the first half of our study deals with our position in Christ, this first chapter in particular really focuses on what that means. Briefly stated, it is WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST and WHAT WE HAVE IN CHRIST that makes up our state and standing, or very simply, our position. We will see later how that the last three chapters deal with our practice or, WHAT WE DO THROUGH CHRIST.