Exegetical Ephesians

Ephesians is an epistle from the Apostle Paul to the church of Ephesus. Ephesians is an epistle which means it has a three part structure: 1.) Introduction, indicating the sender, the receiver of the letter, and a greeting, 2.) body, 3.) and a conclusion, which usually ends with a farewell prayer.
The literary context of Ephesians is that it seems to have any confrontation on regards to any heresy within the church like Colossians. Paul writes to the Church of Ephesus to encourage them to be united as a one under Christ. Paul does tell both Jews and Gentiles that they are equal as being children of God. Ephesians 2:1-10 comes right after Paul introduction to why he is writing his letter. Paul starts by reminding the reader of the redemptive work that God has done for them.
The structure of Ephesians 2:1-10 is made up of three sections. First section is the former way of life in sins (2:1-3). Second section is God’s merciful salvation in Christ and its purposes
(2:4-7). Third section is the explanation of salvation by grace (2:8-10).1
I. Unbeliever’s former way (2:1-3)
A. Dead spiritually (1)
B. Disobedient (2-3a)
C. Depraved (3b)
II. God’s work of salvation (2:4-7)
A. He loves us (4)
B. He exalts us (6)
C. He keeps us (7)
III. Salvation by grace (2:8-10)
A. salvation as a gift (8)
B. salvation apart from works (9)
C. salvation for works (10)

1

Klyne Snodgrass, The NIV Application Commentary; Ephesians. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996, 99.

In verses 2:1-3, Paul explains the old way of life that all believers once lived. He describes this way of life as being “dead in your trespasses and sins”. Paul uses a phrase very similar to this when he writes to the church at Colosse, a city in Asia Minor, by saying, “When you were dead in your transgressions,” seen in Colossians 2:13. The idea of being, “dead in trespasses and transgressions,” is a common message that can be seen through Paul’s theology throughout most of his writings, or epistles. Paul is giving an image of the unbeliever as being dead spiritually and in a order in which there is no desire to relate one’s life to God, because such a life is portrayed by disobedience.2 In this state of spiritual death, Paul is expressing that the unbeliever is being separated from God and unable to experience a good will toward God and is in desperate need of God’s mercy.3
Paul then continues to describe this old way of life of the unbeliever by using the verse,
“following the course of this world.” The word, “World,” used here is to show the meaning of anything that is apart from God.4 Now, Paul is elaborating on the idea of being spiritually dead and separated from God here as the main feature of the unbeliever’s way of life. Next, Paul uses the phrase, “following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience,” to describe the life of Gentile unbelievers. Within the book of Ephesians, the verse, “The prince of the power of the air,” is seen as being the devil.5 Paul is letting his readers know the idea that the way of life for the unbeliever is showing obedience to the devil and his or
2 Arthur

Patzia, G. New International Biblical Commentary; Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon. Peabody, MA:
Hendrickson Publishers, 1995, 177.
3

Max Anders, vol. 8, Galatians-Colossians, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman &
Holman Publishers, 1999), 110.
4

David S. Dockery, Trent C. Butler, Christopher L. Church et al., Holman Bible Handbook (Nashville, TN: Holman
Bible Publishers, 1992), 714.
5

Peter T. O 'Brien, The Letter to the Hebrews (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010),
159.

her disobedience toward God.6
Now, Paul ends this part in verse 2:3, by identifying himself and the Jews, by having been in the same place of death spiritually as the Gentile’s and needing the same mercy of God that brings one from death to life.7 Now Paul is not eliminating himself from the Gentiles but is including himself with the likes of all sinful humanity, all mankind being once “dead in sin.”
In Ephesians 2:4-7, Paul moves from the idea of the old way of life as being dead in sin and separated from God, to now being a believer and having new life in Christ. Verse 2:4 says,
“But God,” which shows the idea that the unbeliever is not absolutely stuck in this emptiness condition of spiritual death as well as being separated from God. He is now showing that there is hope for sinful humanity through God’s mercy and His love. Paul places emphasis on God’s divine love as the reason in which one is resurrected from spiritual death to spiritual life. This idea is Paul’s foundation on which his theology of salvation by grace and not of works is shown.8
Klyne Snodgrass’ commentary on Ephesians says, “Mercy and love are revelations of God’s being, not a response to something that merits love in the individual.”9 In Ephesians 2:4-5, it clearly describes God’s unconditional love, or agape love, for sinful humanity.10
In verse 5 of Ephesians, Paul uses the phrase, “dead in our transgressions.” Paul is showing the old way of life of spiritual death and separated from God with the new way of life

6

Harold W. Hoehner, "Ephesians" In , in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J.
F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), Eph 2:2–3.
7

Max Anders, vol. 8, Galatians-Colossians, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman &
Holman Publishers, 1999), 110.
8

Peter T. O 'Brien, The Letter to the Hebrews (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010),
167.
9
10

Klyne Snodgrass, The NIV Application Commentary; Ephesians. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996,100.

Harold W. Hoehner, "Ephesians" In , in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J.
F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), Eph 2:2–3.

and being made alive in Christ. The image being shown here is that of one being resurrected.
Paul is emphasizing the idea that through God’s love and mercy, one can be raised from spiritual death to spiritual life in Christ.11 In the next verse, Paul supports this idea by saying that God,
“raised us up with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Paul is expressing that all believers are within the Christ Jesus. Ralph P. Martin supports this by saying, “In effect, God has done for Christians what God has already done for Christ. This is one of the several demonstrations that the epistle gives of the intimate bond uniting Christ and the Church.”12 This statement supports one of the main themes in the book of Ephesians, which is an individual’s identity ,“in Christ” and Christ’s relationship with His Church. This is the third time that Paul used the phrase “heavenly realms” in his epistle. First, Paul mentions it in 1:3, which speaks of our spiritual blessings in Christ, and again in 1:20, where Paul is describing Christ seated at the right hand of the Father. The language Paul uses in verses 5-6 describes salvation as being present for the believer in their everyday life. Frank Thielman says, “They have been made alive with Christ, raised with him, and even seated with him in heavenly places. Their resurrection has, in some sense, already taken place.”13 Paul uses this by describing the believer as having already been resurrected with Christ in Colossians 3:1.
In Ephesians 2:4-7, have a eschatological idea that show a, “now but not yet,” theme which Paul describes God’s love, grace, mercy, and kindness towards mankind in the here and now, but not yet completed until the, “ages to come,” found in Ephesians 2:7. This is the same,
11

Max Anders, vol. 8, Galatians-Colossians, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman &
Holman Publishers, 1999), 110.
12

Ralph P. Martin, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching; Ephesians, Colossians, and
Philemon. Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1991, 27.
13

Frank Thielman, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament; Ephesians. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Academic, 2010,135.

“now but not yet,” idea that Paul uses to describe the believer as already been raised with Christ but yet still waiting a resurrection of the body. This idea, is more clear in verse 7, where Paul says, “so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of His kindness and grace toward us in Christ Jesus.” Paul uses this phrase to show the love and mercy God has already shown us. The words mercy and love in verse 4 can be identical with the words kindness and grace found in verse 7.14 Paul is giving an image that the believer has already experienced the love and mercy, and even the power of resurrection from God, but is still waiting the fulfillment of God’s love, mercy, and resurrection power in the ages to come.
In 2:8-10, Paul explains more of his understanding of the salvation of a believer by grace which is mentioned in 2:5. Paul goes on to say that salvation cannot be a result of one’s works. 15
Paul’s idea here comes from his earlier statement that the unbeliever being spiritually dead to
God. Paul describes salvation from two different points. First, from God’s side, as a gift freely given separately from anything the recipient could have done. Secondly, salvation is seen from man’s view in which salvation comes through the individual’s response through faith. 16
Ephesians 2:10, closes with Paul’s idea by saying that believers are God’s new creation in
Jesus Christ. Here, we see that Paul is letting the Gentile believers know that they are to have a complete transformed identity from the one which they once knew. Paul’s idea of salvation is the reason that transforms unbelievers from children of wrath to God’s workmanship created in
Jesus. He expresses that as being God’s new creation, believers must live in the way in which
14

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
(Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), Eph 2:7.
15

Harold W. Hoehner, "Ephesians" In , in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J.
F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), Eph 2:8–9.
16

Peter T. O 'Brien, The Letter to the Hebrews (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010),
176.

God made beforehand for them to live.17 Paul shows the idea that good works do not earn salvation but rather the main attribute of the believer’s new way of life does. Paul shows the difference between the life of an unbeliever and a believer being made new in Christ.

17

Max Anders, vol. 8, Galatians-Colossians, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman &
Holman Publishers, 1999), 113.

Work Cited
Anders, Max E. Holman New Testament Commentary - Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians,
Colossians. Nashville: Holman Reference, 1999.
Hoehner, Harold W. Ephesians: an Exegetical Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Academic, 1985.
Jamieson, Robert. Fausset, A. R. and Brown, David. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), Eph 2:7.
Martin, Ralph P. Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon. Atlanta: Westminster John Knox Press,
1991.
O 'Brien, Peter T. The Letter to the Hebrews. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Company, 2010.
Patzia, Arthur G. New International Biblical Commentary; Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon.
Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1995.
Snodgrass, Klyne Ephesians. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1996.
Stott, John R. W. The Message of Ephesians: God 's New Society. Downers Grove, IL: IVP
Academic, 1984.
Thielman, Frank. Ephesians. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010.

Cited: Hoehner, Harold W. Ephesians: an Exegetical Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1985. Jamieson, Robert. Fausset, A. R. and Brown, David. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), Eph 2:7. Martin, Ralph P. Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon. Atlanta: Westminster John Knox Press, 1991. O 'Brien, Peter T. The Letter to the Hebrews. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1995. Snodgrass, Klyne Ephesians. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1996. Stott, John R. W. The Message of Ephesians: God 's New Society. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 1984. Thielman, Frank. Ephesians. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010.