the explanation of Saint Paul's letter to the Complete Book of Ephesians (2023)

FAQs

What is the meaning of Paul's letter 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.

There are three main themes of Ephesians: (1) Christ has reconciled all creation to himself and to God; (2) Christ has united people from all nations to himself and to one another in his church; and (3) Christians must live as new people.

Paul's Letter to the Romans is a powerful exposition of the doctrine of the supremacy of Christ and of faith in Christ as the source of salvation. It is an implicit plea to the Christians at Rome, and to all Christians, to hold fast to that faith.

The message of Ephesians for the global church is that in Christ God has reconciled to himself all things by his free grace, and in so doing he has enabled humans all over the world to be reconciled with one another.

The book of Revelation includes a brief letter and stark warning to the church of Ephesus. In that letter, Jesus Christ complements the church for its history of faithful discernment between evil and good. Yet, the letter also admonishes the church for forsaking its first love.

The letter is seemingly addressed by Paul to Christians in Ephesus (Eph 1:1), a place where the apostle labored for well over two years (Acts 19:10). Yet there is a curiously impersonal tone to the writing for a community with which Paul was so intimately acquainted (cf. Eph 3:2 and Eph 4:21).

Composition. According to tradition, the Apostle Paul wrote the letter while he was in prison in Rome (around AD 62). This would be about the same time as the Epistle to the Colossians (which in many points it resembles) and the Epistle to Philemon.

God has appointed good works to be done by his people, but the intention is not that they should be saved by them, but that they should walk in them; and this being God's pre-ordination, as it shows that predestination is not according to good works, since good works are the effects of it.

Where Is Ephesus? Ephesus is located near the western shores of modern-day Turkey, where the Aegean Sea meets the former estuary of the River Kaystros, about 80 kilometers south of Izmir, Turkey.

Paul's letter to the Romans is arguably the single most important piece of literature in the history of the world. Martin Luther: “This epistle [i.e., Romans] is really the chief part of the New Testament, and is truly the purest gospel.

What are the 7 doctrines that were developed in the letters of Paul? ›

Unfolding the teachings of Christ, the Pauline letters develop the doctrine of Christian faith and the church including salvation, justification, reconciliation, sanctification, and glorification.

The "new" perspective argues that James was concerned with those who were trying to reduce faith to an intellectual subscription without any intent to follow God or Jesus, and that Paul always intended "faith" to mean a full submission to God. Another related issue is the pistis Christou ("faith of Christ") debate.

The mission of the church is to glorify God by leading persons to come to know him experientially through faith in Jesus Christ. In turn, these persons become his heritage and serve as his agents to make himself known.

Object Lesson Message

Whether or not they have strong relationships with family, it's important for kids to know that they are chosen by God and adopted into His family. This message reminds students that God has a special plan and purpose for them, and that He has always cared for them and will continue to do so.

He writes letters as a mechanism for further instructing them in his understanding of the Christian message. You see it's Paul who starts the writing of the New Testament by writing letters to these fledgling congregations in the cities of the Greek East.

Ephesus. / (ˈɛfɪsəs) / noun. (in ancient Greece) a major trading city on the W coast of Asia Minor: famous for its temple of Artemis (Diana); sacked by the Goths (262 ad) Slang.

When Paul came to Ephesus, first in the synagogues and then everywhere in the city, he preached the gospel and gained followers. The church of Ephesus which became the head of the Seven Churches in western Asia Minor was established by Paul.

From Ephesus, in about 53 AD, Paul wrote his first letter back to the Corinthians in an attempt to restore the Corinthian church to its foundation — Jesus Christ. Many of the problems and questions the Corinthian church was dealing with are still present in Christianity today.

Jesus promised eternal life and salvation to anyone who believed in him. Paul teaches the Ephesians just what this promise means for them and future generations. Many thought that God had left them but he had not; his promise had returned, had been fulfilled!

How does a person gain salvation according to Ephesians 2 8? ›

God's Word says that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus and not by our own efforts or works (Ephesians 2:8-9).

(3) Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. (Ephesians 2:3). Paul lastly describes man's evil heart.

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.

Where is Ephesus today? Today the modern name of Ephesus is Selcuk. A small Turkish town which has a population of 36.000 people and is located in Western Turkey. The main industry of Selcuk is agriculture.

Letter of Paul to the Romans

The epistle is the longest and doctrinally most significant of St. Paul's writings and is more of a theological treatise than a letter.

Instead, it says Paul writes: “according to the wisdom that God gave him.” (2 Peter 3:15). That is certainly not a high commendation. It actually means 2 Peter does not accept Paul's writings as the word of God. At best, they are words of wisdom.

The author of Luke–Acts indicates that the names were interchangeable: "Saul, who also is called Paul." He refers to him as Paul through the remainder of Acts. This was apparently Paul's preference since he is called Paul in all other Bible books where he is mentioned, including those that he authored.

Then, while answering questions sent from Corinth, he addresses matters of immorality, marriage and celibacy, the conduct of women, the propriety of eating meat offered to idols, and the worthy reception of the Eucharist.

Several additional letters bearing Paul's name are disputed among scholars, namely Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus. Scholarly opinion is sharply divided on whether or not Colossians and 2 Thessalonians are genuine letters of Paul.

The implication is that the remaining 6 letters—Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians, 1–2 Timothy, and Titus—were authored by unnamed admirers and imitators of the apostle. These are often called the disputed letters or deutero-Pauline letters (lit. 'secondary letters of Paul').

What was the secret Paul learned to be content? ›

Paul says, “This is how I learned to live with the thorn in the flesh!” I discovered the sufficiency of Christ, and this is the secret of being content in any circumstance of life! I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. Christ gives me strength.

In Paul's eyes, through our suffering we share in the suffering of Christ. Through our suffering, our salvation and the redemption of the world is worked out. So Christians are called to be hopeful and joyful, knowing that the final victory over sin and death has already been won through Christ Jesus.

Paul thought that membership in the body of Christ really changed people, so that they would live accordingly. He thought that his converts were dead to sin and alive to God and that conduct flowed naturally from people, varying according to who they really were.

We focus on all the times we messed up and the people we hurt and let down. We need to see ourselves as God sees us. We are forgiven, chosen, and unconditionally accepted by Him. Nothing that we can do, no power or entity, can ever separate us from the love of God, which is given to us through Jesus Christ.

The Ephesian Artemis was a very different version of the deity than the usual goddess of the hunt; here she was worshipped for fertility. Depictions seem to mirror this, with the deity either wearing a string of eggs or breasts around her shoulders and chest.

The five functions are: worship, teach, fellowship, evangelize and serve.

The concept of the five-fold ministry comes from Ephesians 4:11, "It was He (Jesus) who gave some to be (1) apostles, some to be (2) prophets, some to be (3) evangelists, and some to be (4) pastors and (5) teachers."

Ephesians 1 explains how not only have we been forgiven and redeemed, but we have been chosen by God to be adopted as His sons and daughters. On the occasion of this adoption, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit, identifying us as belonging to Christ and who is a down payment of our eternal inheritance.

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.

Ephesians 4:11 lists 5 gifts which are Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher. These 5 are unique – they are governing ministry gifts given to people who are called to ministry leadership within the global and local church.

What is the main objective or purpose of the epistles? ›

New Testament epistles

They provide an insight into the beliefs and controversies of early Christianity. As part of the canon of the New Testament, they are foundational texts for both Christian theology and ethics.

During his third missionary journey Paul returned to Ephesus and spent three years there. He taught about Jesus in the synagogue and in a city school. Some of the most unusual miracles in the Book of Acts occurred during Paul's stay in Ephesus.

In the year 64, Paul left Timothy at Ephesus, to govern that church. His relationship with Paul was close. Timothy's name appears as the co-author on 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, and Philemon.

Ephesus, located at an intersection of major trade routes, was a center for commercial trade (see Bible map 13). Paul used this select location as a central point for his ministry for about three years.

To whom was it written and why? Paul wrote the Epistle to the Hebrews to encourage Jewish members of the Church to maintain their faith in Jesus Christ and not to return to their former ways (see Hebrews 10:32–38).

Based on authorship issues, the Pauline corpus is divided into three groups: the Pastoral epistles (1-2 Timothy and Titus), the Deutero-Pauline epistles (Ephesians, Colossians, and 2 Thessalonians), and the undisputed Pauline letters (Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, and Philemon).

: letter. especially : a formal or elegant letter. : a composition in the form of a letter.