For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10)
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Ephesians 6:10-11)
Overview
[1] Ephesians, Thru The Bible Radio with Dr. J. Vernon McGee © with free downloads Notes & Outlines (PDF), Complete 5-Year Study (MP3), How to Stand Against Satan (PDF), When Paul Prayed (PDF)
Ephesians reveals the church as God’s masterpiece, a mystery not revealed in the Old Testament (see Ephesians 2:10). It is more wonderful than any temple made with hands, constructed of living stones, indwelt by the Holy Spirit. It is the body of Christ in the world to walk as He would walk and to wrestle against the wiles of the devil. Someday the church will leave the world and be presented to Christ as a bride. (Read the complete article)[2] Book of Ephesians, from gotquestions.org (this website is also available in Afrikaans, Arabic, Bengali, Burmese-Myanmar, Cebuano, Chinese - Simplified, Chinese – Traditional, Hausa, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Malaysian, Persian-Farsi, Portuguese, Quechua, Sesotho, Spanish, Swahili, Tagalog, Tamil, Thai, Urdu, Vietnamese, Zulu, and 70 other languages)
First, as followers of Christ, we must fully understand who God declares us to be. We must also become grounded in the knowledge of God's accomplishment for all humanity. Next, our present existence and walk must become exercised and strengthened. This must continue until we no longer totter or stagger back and forth with every spirit of teaching and subtlety of men.[3] The High Calling Of The Church Of Jesus Christ, A Devotional Commentary on the Book of Ephesians, by Paul G. Apple
Paul’s writing breaks down into three main segments. (1) Chapters one through three introduce principles with respect to God's accomplishment. (2) Chapters four and five put forth principles regarding our present existence. (3) Chapter six presents principles concerning our daily struggle. (Read the complete article)
How can our spiritual blessings and privileges be identical to those of our Lord Jesus Christ? Because they have been graciously given to us by a loving heavenly Father who is the omnipotent God of the universe. Our spiritual blessings and privileges depend solely on the work of God -- not on who I am or what I've done in the past or will do this next week. God wants us to view ourselves as He views us -- so totally incorporated into Christ that right now we are seated at the right hand of God in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. That's the place of power and authority and will be the key to spiritual power for us living right now like the saints we are and have been called to be. (Read the complete article)[4] Ephesians, from Scofield Reference Notes (1917 Edition)
WRITER: The Apostle Paul ( 1:1)Discussion
DATE: Ephesians was written from Rome in A.D. 64. It is the first in order of the Prison Epistles. Acts 20:1-27:44. (See Scofield "Acts 28:30") and was sent by Tychicus, concurrently with Colossians and Philemon. It is probable that the two greater letters had their occasion in the return of Onesimus to Philemon. Ephesians is the most impersonal of Paul's letters. Indeed the words, "to the Ephesians," are not in the best manuscripts. Colossians 4:16 mentions an epistle to the Laodiceans. It has been conjectured that the letter known to us as Ephesians is really the Laodicean letter. Probably it was sent to Ephesus and Laodicea without being addressed to any church. The letter would then be "to the saints and the faithful in Christ Jesus" anywhere.
THEME: The doctrine of the Epistle confirms this view. It contains the highest church truth, but has nothing about church order. The church here is the true church, "His body," not the local church, as in Philippians, Corinthians, etc. Essentially, three lines of truth make up this Epistle: the believer's exalted position through grace; the truth concerning the body of Christ; and a walk in accordance with that position.
There is a close spiritual affinity between Ephesians and Joshua, the "heavenlies" answering in Christian position to Canaan in Israel's experience. In both there is conflict, often failure, but also victory, rest, and possession Joshua 21:43-45; Ephesians 1:3; 3:14-19; 6:16,23. As befits a complete revelation, the number seven is conspicuous in the structure of Ephesians.
The divisions are, broadly, four:
1. The apostolic greeting, Ephesians 1:1, 2
2. Positional; the believer's standing “Christ” and “in the heavenlies” through pure grace, Ephesians 1:3-3:21.
3. Walk and service, Ephesians 4:1-5:17
4. The walk and warfare of the Spirit-filled believer, Ephesians 5:18-6:24.
[1] Key verses: Ephesians 1:3, 2:8-10; 4:4-6; 5:21; 6:10-11
[2] Justification is by grace through faith alone, without regards to works (Ephesians 2:8-9) Please review our lesson on justification by grace through faith.
[3] The word “riches” is used five times (Ephesians 1:7, 18; 2:7; 3:8, 16); “grace” is used twelve times (Ephesians 1:2, 6-7; 2:5, 7-8; 3:3, 7-8; 4:7, 29; 6:24); “glory” eight times (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14, 17-18; 3:13, 16, 21); “fullness” four times (Ephesians 1:10, 23; 3:19; 4:13); the expression “in Christ” or “in Him” more than twenty times (Ephesians 1:1, 3, 4, 10, 11, 12, 17, 20; 2:5-7, 10, 12-13, 23; 3:4, 6, 9, 11-12, 20-21; 4:15, 21; 6:9). Christ is the source and the guarantee of all spiritual blessings and riches, and those who are in Him have access to all that He is and has.
[4] The nature of the church
Articles of Faith: Of the Church[5] On baptism:
We believe that a Baptist church is a congregation of baptized believers associated by a covenant of faith and fellowship of the Gospel, said church being understood to be the citadel and propagator of the divine and eternal grace; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws; exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word; that its officers or ordination are pastors or elders whose qualifications, claims, and duties are clearly defined in the Scriptures.
Autonomy of the Local Church (Download PDF)
The local church is an independent body accountable to the Lord Jesus Christ, the head of the church. All human authority for governing the local church resides within the local church itself. Thus the church is autonomous, or self-governing. No religious hierarchy outside the local church may dictate a church's beliefs or practices. Autonomy does not mean isolation. A Baptist church may fellowship with other churches around mutual interests and in an associational tie, but a Baptist church cannot be a “member” of any other body.
Articles of Faith: Of Baptism and the Lord's SupperFurther study (Be like the Bereans! Acts 17:11)
We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion in water of a believer, in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, with the authority of the local church, to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem our faith in the crucified, buried and risen Savior, with its effect in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life; that it is prerequisite to the privileges of a church relation and to the Lord's supper, in which the members of the church, by the sacred use of bread and the fruit of the vine are to commemorate together the dying love of Christ; preceded always by solemn self-examination.
Two Ordinances (Download PDF)
The local church should practice two ordinances: (1) baptism of believers by immersion in water, identifying the individual with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection, and (2) the Lord’s Supper, or communion, commemorating His death for our sins.
[1] The High Calling Of The Church Of Jesus Christ, A Devotional Commentary on the Book of Ephesians, by Paul G. Apple
[2] Ephesians: Introduction, Argument, and Outline, by Daniel B. Wallace , Th.M., Ph.D.
[3] Ephesians: The Glory of God in the Church (Series), by Bob Deffinbaugh, Th.M.
[4] The Book of Ephesians, by Greg Herrick Th.M., Ph.D
[5] Studies in Ephesians, from bible.org
Sermons on Ephesians 6:10-11 (Be like the Bereans! Acts 17:11)
[1] Something Bigger Going On, by Jack Wood (Preached 3-20-05 at New Life Baptist Church – Stanley, NC by Steve Wood)
[2] Future Weapons, by Alan Wilkerson
[3] Be Strong, by Thomas C. Black
[4] Stand in your place, by Mike Lester
[5] Distract the Christians! By Richard DeRuiter
[6] Strong In The Lord, by Pastor Wesley Crouch
[7] The Christian Conflict, by David Harp
[8] Overcoming Temptation - Spiritual Warfare, by David Harp
[9] Stand up and fight: The Breastpate of Righteousness, by Jason Carman
[10] Armor of God, by Jerry L Veatch
[11] The Reality of Spiritual Warfare, by Jeremy Miles Thomas
[12] The Power of His Might (An Introduction To The Christian Armament), by Richard Bacon
For other available sermons, please surf to Sermon / Preaching resources. Sermons are also available from South McGehee Baptist Church, McGehee, Arizona; Central Baptist Church, Lowesville; First Baptist Church, Mountain View, Missouri; Swift Creek Baptist Church; Word of Life Baptist Church, Pottsville, Philadelphia; Palm Springs Baptist Church, California; South Woods Baptist Church; Grove Baptist Church, Ulster; Dudley Baptist Church, United Kingdom; Independent Fundamental Baptist Sermons, Fundamental Christian Radio Broadcasts, Off-Site Audio Page and The Christian Radio Tuner
Notes: (1) This ministry does not necessarily endorse or share all the views and opinions expressed in the materials, resources or links mentioned in these posts. Please always refer to the Articles of Faith and Biblical distinctives of Baptists when you study these materials. (2) This lesson is part of the projected 300 plus lessons. From time to time, the lessons will be updated, revised, combined, formatted, and edited to comply with the VOA Simplified English word list. Later on, these lessons will be categorized, numbered sequentially, and made available as PDF downloads.
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