Chuck Smith :: Study Guide for Ephesians

EPHESIANS 1: THE BELIEVER'S PLACE IN CHRIST

v. 1 The theme of this book is that we are in Christ Jesus (John 15).

v. 2 Remember that "Lord" is a title, not part of the name of Jesus. "Christ" is His distinction, for He is the Messiah.

v. 3 There has to be a work of God in our lives before we can do something for Him. We need to see our position in Christ, seated with Him in heavenly places, before we can learn to walk the Christian walk.

v. 4 The first blessing we have in Christ is that we were chosen by God.

v. 6 The second blessing is that God has accepted us through Jesus Christ. God will not and cannot accept us apart from Jesus.

v. 7 The third blessing is that we've been redeemed by the shed blood of Christ and that our sins have been forgiven (Psalm 32:1).

v. 8 God's grace has abounded toward us.

v. 9-10 The fourth blessing is that God has made His will known to us: that Christ may be the center of all.

v. 11 The fifth blessing is that we've been given an inheritance in the Kingdom of God.

v. 13-14 After we heard the Gospel and believed, God gave us the Holy Spirit as proof of His intention to complete our redemption.

v. 15 Faith and love go hand-in-hand.

v. 16 It's important that we study Paul's prayer to learn how to pray more effectively.

v. 17 Philippians 3:10; Job 11:7.

We can only have the true knowledge of God as the Holy Spirit reveals Him to us.

v. 18 Once we know the glory that God has in store for us, the world loses its attraction. God values us highly and considers the saints a rich inheritance.

v. 19-23 What a vast source of power God is, but how little of His power we appropriate in our lives.

EPHESIANS 2: GOD'S GRACE

v. 1 "Sin" means "to miss the mark." It's not necessarily willful; sometimes it's an omission. A "trespass" is a deliberate sin (transgression).

v. 2 "Walked" means "meandered." Meandering is aimless sauntering. "Course" here comes from the Greek word for weather vane. Before Christ, we followed the tide of the world wherever it took us; Satan was in control of our lives.

v. 3 "Conversation" means "manner of living."

v. 6 This is our position in Christ.

v. 7 God is going to take all eternity to show us how much He loves us.

v. 8-9 Our salvation is a gift of God through faith, not a reward for any works we've done; for God wants the glory.

v. 10 "Workmanship" comes from the Greek work poiema, which means "handiwork" or "a careful work of art." As the artist seeks to express himself in his work, so God expresses Himself in us. God goes before us and prepares the path in which we walk.

v. 14-15 Christ has made both Jew and Greek into one and has broken down the walls of race, class, occupation, or whatever separates people. He is the common denominator, making us all equal.

v. 20-22 Our bodies are now the temples of God.

EPHESIANS 3: THE PLAN OF SALVATION

v. 9-12 God kept His plan for man hidden until He decided to reveal the mystery to His Church (1 Peter 1:12).

v. 14 Being on our knees is a symbol of submission and worship.

v. 16-21 This is Paul's second prayer in this epistle. "Dwell" means "to settle down and make oneself at home" (v. 17).

EPHESIANS 4: WALKING IN CHRIST

v. 1 We're called to be children of the King. We represent the Father to the world.

v. 6 God controls the circumstances of our lives. So, when we complain

about our situation we're murmuring against God.

v. 7 The grace of God is sufficient for each of us, no matter what we've done.

v. 8-10 When Christ died, He first went to Sheol (or hades) to preach to those

who had died in the faith, believing that God would send the Messiah (Matthew 16:4; 27:52-53; Acts 2:30-31; Isaiah 61:1). On the third day, He led the captives into eternal life.

v. 11 An apostle had to have seen the risen Christ and had to have the gift of miracles in operation in his life. The gift of prophecy isn't limited to foretelling future events but is also a "forthtelling" of God's message. Evangelists are especially gifted in sharing the Gospel with unbelievers. Pastors and teachers or "teaching pastors" feed the Word of God to the Church (John 21:15-17; 1 Peter 5:2).

v. 12 The primary purpose of the Church isn't to convert sinners to Christianity, but to "perfect"(complete and mature) the saints for the ministry and edification of the Body.

v. 14 Strong sheep won't be led away from their shepherd. A strong church emphasizes teaching the Word, so the people have a sound scriptural base to help them discern between true and false doctrine.

v. 15-16 Each of us adds a unique part to the Body of Christ.

v. 17-19 Paul's description of the heathen Gentiles in his time is an apt description of those who are blindly following Satan today. They're empty headed, ignorant, beyond feeling, and motivated by greed. "Uncleanness" means "sexual impurity."

v. 22 "Conversation" again means "manner of life." We're to put off the way of life that our flesh ("old man") wants us to lead.

v. 26-27 We should settle our differences as soon as possible, so Satan has no opportunity to take advantage of us.

v. 29 We can tear down or build up people with our word. How much better to build up and minister grace to those around us.

EPHESIANS 5: WALKING IN LOVE

v. 4 "Convenient" means "necessary." "Foolish talking" and "jesting" are jokes that refer to fornication, uncleanness, and filthiness. Dirty jokes have no place in a Christian's conversation.

v. 16 It's so easy to waste time. We need to look for ways to use our time wisely.

v. 18 Be ye being filled or continually filled with the Spirit.

v. 19 We can encourage ourselves in the Lord by repeating Scriptures and singing hymns and spiritual songs (1 Samuel 30:6; Psalm 42:5).

v. 23 This verse gives God's order for the home. If we try to defy God's order, we invite unhappiness into our relationships.

v. 25 Christ demonstrated His love for the Church in a powerful way. The

more a husband shows his love to his wife and seeks to make her secure in his love, the easier for her to submit to him.

v. 26 The Word of God is one of the most powerful cleansing agents within the Church.

v. 27 Righteousness isn't something we attain by our actions; it's a gift we receive by our faith in Jesus Christ.

v. 33 Women were regarded in Greek and Jewish cultures as practically slaves. Paul here encouraged the husbands to regard their wives as beloved companions. "Reverence" also means "respect."

EPHESIANS 6: STANDING WITH CHRIST

v. 1 In Paul's time, children were often considered an annoyance and had no rights. Babies were often abandoned or sold into slavery.

v. 2-3 This is the first commandment with a promise given in the Old Testament (Exodus 20:12).

v. 4 We shouldn't tease or provoke our children in an unkind way, nor should our expectations be so high that our children become frustrated by unrealistic demands.

v. 5-8 We should seek to be outstanding employees, cheerfully doing even the lowliest task and thinking of our work as a service to the Lord.

v. 10 Our strength is in the Lord.

v. 14 Our first weapon in spiritual warfare is truth, which is always stronger than a lie.

v. 16 Faith is a powerful weapon, protecting us from the fiery darts Satan sends our way.

v. 17 The sword of the Spirit, God's Word, is a strong offensive weapon against the enemy.