An Overview of Ephesians
by David Gooding
The biblical authors used the literary conventions of their day to convey their message. These included structures and patterns less obvious to us in our modern age. David Gooding brought his expertise in ancient literature to the biblical text, and these study notes represent his thinking about the structure, patterns and thought-flow of Ephesians.
When speaking to groups of Bible students, he often said, ‘When it comes to Bible study, there is structure, pattern and thought-flow, and the greatest of these is thought-flow. Here are the thoughts of God expressed. Our job is to follow the thought-flow’. He taught that the most important thing to grasp in biblical interpretation is the way the author develops his message, and that discerning structure and patterns within the text should always be directed towards that end.
David Gooding developed these study notes over many years and distributed them at public and private talks. The study notes are not meant to be the last word on the book, and may not cover it entirely. The Myrtlefield Trust offers them to Bible students, preachers and teachers in order to stimulate further thinking about the book, so that its message may be better understood.
Available Formats
Study Notes
A Brief Table of Contents
| Ephesians 1:1–2:10 The Purpose of God in Creation |
Ephesians 2:11–4:16 The Role of Christ in History |
Ephesians 4:17–6:24 The New Man: Imitator of God and Christ |
|---|---|---|
| 1. God’s plan for us and for the universe (Eph 1:1–14) | 1. Christ’s preaching to Jew and Gentile (Eph 2:11–22) | 1. Christ’s teaching about the new man (Eph 4:17–32) |
| - Before the foundation of the world: chosen in Christ: to be ‘before him’: to be ‘sons’: all things to be headed up in Christ. | - Aforetime: Gentiles separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers, without hope. | - Former manner of life: walked as Gentiles alienated from the life of God, vanity of mind, darkened understanding, deadened sensibilities. |
| - Now: blessed, made a heritage, redeemed, sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. | - Now: made nigh, one new man created out of two, reconciled in one body, access in one Spirit, growing into a holy temple. | - Now: put away old man, put on new man, created after God; grieve not Holy Spirit in whom you were sealed. |
| 2. Prayer for revelation and illumination (Eph 1:15–23) | 2. Prayer for apprehension and knowledge (Eph 3:1–21) | 2. Exhortation to imitation of god and Christ (Eph 5:1–6:9) |
| - That God may give you a spirit of revelation, the eyes of your heart being illumined, that you may know . . . the riches of . . . the inheritance . . . | - The mystery of Christ . . . the unsearchable riches . . . in other generations not made known as it has now been revealed . . . Gentiles are fellow heirs . . . strong to apprehend . . . that you may know. | - You are now light in the Lord; walk as children of light; awake . . . and Christ shall shine upon you; no unclean person has any inheritance . . . |
| - Christ . . . far above all rule and authority . . . head over all things to the church, the fullness of him who fills all in all. | - The wisdom of God made known to principalities and powers through the church . . . | - Christ loved the church and gave himself for her . . . |
| 3. Triumph over the opposition (Eph 2:1–10) | 3. Triumph over the opposition (Eph 4:1–16) | 3. Triumph over the opposition (Eph 6:10–24) |
| - You were dead; walked according to the prince of the power of the air . . . | - Captivity led captive: the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error . . . | - Standing against the wiles of the devil. |
| - The quickening, raising and seating of the believer in the heavenlies in Christ. | - The descent of Christ; his ascent far above all heavens. | - War against principalities and powers in the heavenlies. |
| - The gift of God by grace; good works which God before prepared that we should walk in them. | - Grace given according to the measure of the gift of Christ . . . | - The armour of God: feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. |