ephesians bible study by philip chandapilla

Ephesians bible study by philip chandapilla manual#

Jesus broke down the barriers between them and made the two groups one. That shifts into Paul’s second major point: It does not matter that the Ephesians are Gentiles and not Jews, God’s “chosen” people. Now we have a God-planned purpose: to do His work here on earth. This isn’t because of anything we did but is solely because of God’s goodwill and grace ( Ephesians 1:5-6).īefore we knew Jesus, Paul writes, we lived for ourselves and were dead because of our offenses against God, but because of God’s great love for us, He gave us the opportunity for life through Christ ( Ephesians 2:1-5). Because we believe in Jesus, we are God’s adopted children. In the first portion of Ephesians, Paul reminds readers that God has a divine plan, developed before the world was created, and He chose us to be part of that plan. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is filled with encouragement and instruction, both on our priority in life (God and His glory), as well as on unity in Christ and how that unity calls us to act toward others. Scholars believe given the time of writing and some text references - such as calling himself an “ambassador in chains” ( Ephesians 6:20) - that Paul was imprisoned in Rome when he wrote this letter. Paul brought the Gospel to Ephesus and made the city a center of evangelism for a few years. Most of the people in Ephesus at that time were pagan. It was a letter to early Christian believers in Ephesus, which was at that time a leading commercial, political, and intellectual center in what is now modern-day Turkey.

Ephesians bible study by philip chandapilla manual#

Context and Background of EphesiansĮphesians has been called a literary masterpiece, as well as an important instructional manual for the church and its people on unity, Christian living, and prioritizing God.Įphesians is thought to have been written around AD 60-62, though some scholars believe it might have been written decades later.

He is thought to have authored 13 of the 27 books in the New Testament, and half of Acts of the Apostles recounts Paul’s life and work. Paul spent the rest of his life traveling the world spreading the Gospel to the Gentiles. Then, on the road to Damascus, Jesus appeared and revealed the truth, and he became a believer, ultimately changing his name to Paul. Paul, initially named Saul, was born a Jew and, in fact, persecuted many early Christians, thinking they were blaspheming God by lifting up Jesus as God’s son. Most scholars believe the apostle Paul wrote the Book of Ephesians.