Ralph Porter
© 2003
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The situation is parallel to that of Philippians and Colossians which were
probably
carried by the same person.
Paul had been arrested in Jerusalem because of the complaint of the Jews against
him.
Their main complaint was that he was preaching that God had turned from them
to
the Gentiles.
In the delay over the proceedings and the threats to his life, Paul appealed to
Caesar and was sent to Rome.
He waited there for two years for the arrival of his accusers.
They apparently never arrived and Paul was released.
While waiting in Rome, Paul wrote to these churches (about A.D. 60).
PURPOSE AND THEME
Paul has received word of divisions within the churches.
The underlying problems seem to be similar to those found in other churches.
The divisions may revolve around conflicts between Jews and Gentiles,
especially.
Paul writes them concerning God's program for the church in this age, in
order to
correct the problem.
If God has eliminated the basis for distinctions within the church, they ought to
live in a
way that reflects what God has done.
The content of the book is presented as a hymn of praise because those who were
separated have been made members of God's family.
We ought to act like members of a family and live in a way that is worthy of the
family
to which we belong!
If God has accepted all of us without distinction, we ought to accept one another.
PAUL HAD TWO MAIN PURPOSES FOR WRITING:
There was something he wanted them ____________________
There was something he wanted them ____________________
He wanted them
_____________________________________________
WHAT DOES HE SAY GOD DID?
1:3 ________________________________________________________
1:18-20a ___________________________________________________
3:17b-19 ___________________________________________________
3:20-21 ____________________________________________________
What does he want them
__________?
4:1 ________________________________________________________
4:2-3 ______________________________________________________
5:21 _______________________________________________________
Make a list of all the things chapters 1-3 tell us God has done for us.
Personalize them, either with 1st person (I, me, my), or with your name.
Walk in Unity
Ralph Porter
|
G R E E T I N G
1:1-2 |
PRAYER: Praise for our calling in Christ 1-3 |
APPLICATION: Walk worthy of our calling 4-6 |
B E N E D I C T I O N
6:21- 24 | |||||||
|
Praise: God's eternal plan 1:3-3:13 |
Petition
3:14-21 |
Walk
in
unity
4:1-16 |
Walk different than pagans
4:17-32 |
Walk
in love
5:1-2 |
Walk in holiness
|
Walk
as the
wise
5:15-6:9 |
Postscript: Spiritual warfare
6:10-20 |
|||
|
Praise for God's plan 1:3-14 |
Praise for our part
1:15-3:13 |
|||||||||
|
The Father's work 1:3-6
1:7-12
1:13-14
|
For their faith and love 1:15-23
2:1-22
with them 3:1-13
|
For their compre- hension of God's plan 3:14-19
3:20-21
|
Unity in the body of Christ 4:1-6
4:7-11
4:12-16
|
Life among the Gentiles 4:17-19
4:20-32
|
|
Prohibition of participation 5:3-7
in the midst of darkness 5:8-14
|
Living as wise rather than foolish 5:15-17
than wine 5:8-14
|
Preparation for the battle 6:10-13
for the battle 6:14-20
|
||
Ralph Porter
Since God has made us one, we ought to act like it!
AUTHOR AND DATE
Pauline authorship is thoroughly supported by external evidence as well as
internal
testimony.
The letter was written from Rome after the 3rd missionary journey while Paul
was in
prison there in about A.D. 60.
The destination of the letter is less certain because of strong external evidence
that "in
Ephesus" was not found in the original manuscript.
Thus it may be that the letter was a circular letter directed to the churches of the
area
around Ephesus in Asia Minor.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The situation is parallel to that of Philippians and Colossians which were
probably
carried by the same person.
Paul had been arrested in Jerusalem because of the complaint of the Jews against
him.
3:1, 13; 4:1; 6:20
Their main complaint was that he was preaching that God had turned from them
to the
Gentiles.
In the delay over the proceedings and the threats to his life, Paul appealed to
Caesar
and was sent to Rome.
He waited there for two years for the arrival of his accusers.
They apparently never arrived and Paul was released.
While waiting in Rome, Paul wrote to these churches (about A.D. 60).
He had visited some of these towns on his second missionary journey.
Apparently he founded churches in them on the third journey.
He invested considerable time there on the third journey.
Some of the churches of that region were daughter churches of the church in
Ephesus.
Paul had never visited those churches personally.
PURPOSE AND THEME
Two main purposes are apparent in the book.
1.
There are some things Paul wants us to KNOW.
He wants them to know what a great job God has done in them.
Paul informs the readers of God's work in our lives and of the
direction of
God's program in the present age.
This purpose centers especially on the doctrine of the church and
how God
has made us all one in Christ, whether Jew or pagan in background
(1-3).
2.
There are some things Paul wants us to DO.
He wants us to WALK WORTHY of what God has done in our lives.
Paul exhorts us to conduct ourselves in a manner which is appropriate
in view
of that program (4-6).
Although it is difficult to determine which purpose is primary in Paul's thought,
apparently Paul has received word of divisions within the churches.
The underlying problems seem to be similar to those found in other
churches.
The divisions may revolve around conflicts between Jews and Gentiles,
especially.
Paul writes
concerning God's program for the church in this age, in order
to
correct the problem.
If God has eliminated the basis for distinctions within the church, we ought to
live
in a way that reflects what God has done.
The content of the book is presented as a hymn of praise because those who were once
separated have now been made members of God's family.
ORGANIZATION
As noted above, the book divides into two parts.
The first half deals with the DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH 1-3
The second half deals with the PRACTICAL DAILY CONDUCT OF HIS PEOPLE IN THE
CHURCH 4-6:9
A postscript advises the readers concerning the spiritual warfare in which we
are
involved and warns us to prepare for it by using all the armor God has provided.
6:10-24
ARGUMENT
GREETING
1:1-2
After the initial greeting, Paul expresses his prayer for the church.
The lengthy prayer of praise to God presents a summary of God's plan for His
people in
the present age.
He uses a prayer of thanksgiving format to teach the doctrine of the church.
PRAISE FOR GOD'S PLAN
1:3-14
Paul praises God for His marvelous plan through which He has made it
possible for us
to receive every spiritual blessing in Christ.
The ultimate purpose of this plan is that God might receive glory and praise
for what
He has done.
The development of this section of praise summarizes the role of each Person
of the
Godhead in providing every spiritual blessing for us.
The work of the Father
1:3-6
Paul praises the Father because of His plan in general, and specifically,
because He
chose us before the foundation of the world.
As Paul describes the role of the Son and Spirit, they are presented as agents
through
whom the Father accomplished His plan.
This order does not diminish their divinity.
It merely recognizes the Father's function as head over the program.
His work through the Son
1:7-12
Praise is presented to God because of His work through the Son.
By this work, God has provided us with redemption and with forgiveness of
our sins.
We were also chosen to become the inheritance of God.
His work through the Spirit
1:13-14
Praise is given to God because of His work through the Spirit, by which we
are
guaranteed that we will receive our inheritance.
PRAISE FOR OUR PART IN GOD'S PLAN
1:15-3:13
Paul praises God because THEY (WE) have been included in His plan.
For their faith and love
1:15-23
His thanksgiving
1:15-16a
He thanks God for them because of the evidence of their faith and love.
His petition
1:16b-23
His thanksgiving is accompanied by the prayer that we might know Him
better and
understand the greatness of the power of God which made this plan possible.
A full and true understanding of the greatness of what God has done in us
will
eliminate any basis for pride or divisions.
For the change in their life
2:1-22
He thanks God also for the change He has accomplished in our lives.
Life given by grace
2:1-10
By His grace we have been given life.
Our former dead condition
2:1-3
We were formerly dead in sins.
Our present live condition
2:4-6
In spite of our condition, God gave us life.
He raised us and gave us a new position, seated together with Christ.
God's purpose
2:7-10
He did this in order to show the greatness of His love and grace.
Former condition
2:11-12
Paul returns again to what we were, to demonstrate in greater detail the
change
which God produced in us.
Previously we were distinguished by the lack of all the proper credentials
to
qualify for God's program.
Present condition
2:13-22
Now, in Christ, we have been drawn near to God by the blood of
Christ.
He has removed the barriers and made peace possible.
Therefore, instead of being separated outsiders, we are fellow citizens
and
members of God's family.
The far off brought near
2:13
The two made into one 2:14
The barrier removed 2:14-16
The peace announced 2:17-22
For his ministry with them
3:1-13
Besides his thanksgiving for us and our part in God's program, Paul is also
grateful
for the privilege of ministering to us.
The nature of his ministry
3:1-7
It had not been previously understood that God would send the gospel to
pagans to
make us members of one body with Israel.
The grace which he received
3:8-13
Paul was given the privilege of announcing the riches of Christ which had
been
provided for pagans.
His was a significant role in God's program and he praised God for
allowing him to
have this part.
PETITION
3:14-21
For our comprehension of God's plan
3:14-19
Paul concludes his prayer with the petition that God would enable us to
understand
the dimensions of His love as reflected in His plan.
When we truly understand the implications of all that God has done for us,
we won't
have any basis to maintain our puny distinctions and divisions.
For God's glory through His plan
3:20-21
The final result Paul wants to see is God glorified, both through the church
and
through the work of Christ.
The second half of the letter presents the logical implications that should result
from the
doctrine presented in the first half.
When the church fully comprehends the greatness of God's plan, we will glorify
Him and
live as Paul prays that we will -IN UNITY.
The structure of the practical application section of the letter is marked by the
parallel
phrase "therefore walk."
Each recurrence of the phrase indicates a logical result of the doctrinal premises
of the
first section of the book.
WALK IN UNITY
4:1-16
The first, and most significant, implication of what God has provided in His
plan is
that we should walk in unity.
When we understand properly what God has done for us, we will quit
criticizing
others (4:1).
The unity in the body of Christ
4:1-6
Paul demonstrates that by God's design, the church has unity.
The diversity in the body of Christ
4:7-11
Within that unity there is a diversity of functions.
When Christ defeated the enemy, He returned from the battle to distribute
the
spoils.
The spoils are the gifts of the Spirit.
The unity of purpose in the diversity
4:12-16
The gifts are diverse in character, but they all function together to accomplish
the
same purpose, the building up of the whole body.
Therefore, no one should boast or criticize.
Each one has received what he has because of God's grace.
God deserves any credit given.
DON'T WALK LIKE PAGANS
4:17-32
The second implication of the change God has accomplished by His grace is
that we
should no longer walk the same way as we used to walk.
Life among the pagans
4:17-19
When we lived in darkness and futility among the pagans, we could live like
the
others.
Life in Christ
4:20-32
New clothes for the new man
4:20-24
However, now that we are in Christ, we ought to live a different quality
lifestyle.
Fitting conduct for the new man
4:25-32
Paul presents some specific areas where our lives should be different.
These are specific kinds of conduct that should affect our relationships with one
another.
Speaking truthfully instead of lying 4:25
Settling anger instead of holding grudges
4:26-27
Rather than remain angry and bear grudges, we should deal with our
anger and
resolve conflict before Satan is able to use it to harm us.
Sharing by working instead of stealing
4:28
Stealing is