Bible Study 101:

Outline of Ephesians

Chapter 1

  1–2: Greeting and blessing on the readers

  3–6: Chosen before the foundation of the world; predestined for His own purposes, according to the good pleasure of His will

  7–10: Redemption through His grace; He has revealed to us His purpose to gather together in one all things in Christ

  11–14: Predestined to glorify God, by the counsel of His will, but through trusting in Christ and being sealed by the Holy Spirit

  15–19: What Paul has been praying in their behalf: that they will know fully what God has done for them

  20–23: Christ’s present glorious position; headship of the church, which is His body in the fullest sense

Chapter 2

  1–3: In trespasses and sins, we were dead (hath he quickened, in italics, is not in the original)

  4–7: Now he says it: God loved us, even when we were dead in sins, raised us up, and seated us in heavenly places in Christ

  8–10: Salvation by grace, through faith; faith is a gift of God, not of works; but we are saved unto good works

  11–22: Gentiles are made fellowcitizens of the household of God

Chapter 3

  1–6: Referring back to preceding section, Paul says God made it known to him by revelation, which not been made known to the sons of men in other ages (that is previous to Paul), about the Gentiles being fellowheirs with the Jews

  7–12: Paul was made a minister of this message, that the church might know God’s wisdom in its many aspects (manifold)

  13–21: Prayer consisting of 2 benedictions (blessings): one upon the Ephesians themselves, the other in praise of God

Chapter 4

  1–3: Walk worthy of (in keeping with, not to earn) your calling to keep unity of the Spirit in bond of peace

  4–6: What unity of the Spirit includes

  7–10 Unity of spirit, yet every one given own gifts; source of gifts

• New Testament pattern of the church

  11: Five leadership gifts

  12–16: How leadership gifts operate to accomplish the purposes of God for the body

  17–24: General principles of what should result: that ye walk not as other Gentiles, but put off old man, and put on new man

  25–32: Practical implications of applying the general principles

Chapter 5

  1–10: More examples of Christian conduct as contrasted with the conduct of the children of disobedience

  11–12: Not just not to do those things, but to have no fellowship with those who do them, or even to speak of them

  13–14: Our purpose is to be light, and light will reprove darkness

  15–17: Make best use of the time we have left

  18: Drunkenness utterly inconsistent with being filled with Spirit

  19–20: Readiness to worship; thankfulness

  21: Submitting to one another in love is for the whole body

  22–24: Divine order of wives being subject to their husbands

  25–28: Divine responsibility of husbands toward wives: love and give selves to make wives glorious

  29–33 Utter devotion of men to own wives as Christ to church

Chapter 6

  1–4: Divine order in home: children to obey parents, and fathers not to do things just to provoke children (this obviously could not include necessary control and discipline of children; not a passage for children to blame fathers for their problems!)

  5–9: Relationships of servants and masters (would equally apply to employees and employers)

  10–18: Spiritual warfare, armor of God; prayer in the Spirit

  19–20: Paul requests prayer for himself

  21–22: Purpose of sending Tychicus

  23–24: Closing benedictions