Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:Ephesians 1:1 Additional Translations
Geneva Study BiblePaul, {1} an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the {a} faithful in Christ Jesus:
(1) The inscription and salutation, of which we have spoken in the former epistles.
(a) This is the definition of the saints, showing what they are.
Scofield Reference NotesSCOFIELD REFERENCE NOTES (Old Scofield 1917 Edition)
Book Introduction
[1] in Christ
The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians
WRITER. The Apostle Paul (1.1)
DATE. Ephesians was written from Rome in A.D. 64. It is the first in order of the Prison Epistles. Acts 20:1-27:44. See Scofield Note: "Acts 28:30" and was sent by Tychicus, concurrently with Colossians and Philemon. It is probable that the two greater letters had their occasion in the return of Onesimus to Philemon. Ephesians is the most impersonal of Paul's letters. Indeed the words, "to the Ephesians," are not in the best manuscripts. Col 4:16 mentions an epistle to the Laodiceans. It has been conjectured that the letter known to us as Ephesians is really the Laodicean letter. Probably it was sent to Ephesus and Laodicea without being addressed to any church. The letter would then be "to the saints and the faithful in Christ Jesus" anywhere.
THEME. The doctrine of the Epistle confirms this view. It contains the highest church truth, but has nothing about church order. The church here is the true church, "His body," not the local church, as in Philippians, Corinthians, etc. Essentially, three lines of truth make up this Epistle: the believer's exalted position through grace; the truth concerning the body of Christ; and a walk in accordance with that position.
There is a close spiritual affinity between Ephesians and Joshua, the "heavenlies" answering in Christian position to Canaan in Israel's experience. In both there is conflict, often failure, but also victory, rest, and possession Josh 21:43-45 Eph 1:3 3:14-19 6:16,23. As befits a complete revelation, the number seven is conspicuous in the structure of Ephesians.
The divisions are, broadly, four:
I. The apostolic greeting. 1.1,2
II. Positional; the believer's standing "Christ" and "in the heavenlies" through pure grace, 1.3-3.21.
III. Walk and service, 4.1-5.17
IV. The walk and warfare of the Spirit-filled believer, 5.18-6.24.
[1] in Christ
The believer's place as a member of the body of Christ, vitally united to Him by the baptism with the Holy Spirit 1Cor 12:12,13.
People's New Testament 1:1 The Foreordination of the Church
SUMMARY OF EPHESIANS 1:
The Salutation. Our Election and Adoption by Grace. This the Source of Salvation. The Mystery Made Known. The Inheritance. Prayer That Wisdom and Knowledge Be Given to the Saints.
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ. It was always the custom anciently to place the name of the writer at the beginning rather than at the end as with us.
By the will of God. Emphasis is placed in most of Paul's epistles upon the fact that he was not an apostle by the appointment of man, but by the will of God.
To the saints which are at Ephesus. All Christians were called saints in the early church. See the salutations of other Epistles.
And to the faithful in Christ Jesus. The same as the saints. There is no article in the Greek before faithful. A literal translation is To the saints dwelling in Ephesus and faithful in Christ Jesus.
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