These are the insights and precursory thoughts that I have gleaned from reading straight through the Letter of Ephesians that the Spirit placed on my heart. Please understand these are a general feel of the letter and are not meant to encapsulate the entire meaning of the letter.
(1) The entire letter maintains a continuous whole and remains focused on the concurrent idea of unity. It is succinct and deliberate in its purpose just like the things it speaks of. It speaks of all things being summed up in Christ and at the same time explains how that continuous whole is made-up or constituted from a human perspective. I sense deliberate preordained structure. A plan, not only in the prose but in the ideas and the fulfillment in space and time.
(2) There is a strong under girding of God’s sovereignty, omnipotence and omniscience. Nowhere is this more pronounced than in the indicative or doctrinal/theological portion in chapters 1-3. We are then told how to apply this in the latter half of the letter in chapters 4-6. This is the most striking feature/division of the letter. It is quite deliberate and critical to the understanding of the letter. We are told "what" and then "how"
(3) In this letter, Paul does exactly what he exhorts others to do in the Church (Chapters 5-6). He comes up alongside his brothers and sisters in an encouraging parental manner and educational letter to help build them up so that, eventually, they can be blessed for having obeyed God’s word/will properly. He is not cutting and sarcastic in this letter (i.e.: Corinthian letters) but is more like a parent to the Church just as God is to humanity.
(2) There is a strong under girding of God’s sovereignty, omnipotence and omniscience. Nowhere is this more pronounced than in the indicative or doctrinal/theological portion in chapters 1-3. We are then told how to apply this in the latter half of the letter in chapters 4-6. This is the most striking feature/division of the letter. It is quite deliberate and critical to the understanding of the letter. We are told "what" and then "how"
(3) In this letter, Paul does exactly what he exhorts others to do in the Church (Chapters 5-6). He comes up alongside his brothers and sisters in an encouraging parental manner and educational letter to help build them up so that, eventually, they can be blessed for having obeyed God’s word/will properly. He is not cutting and sarcastic in this letter (i.e.: Corinthian letters) but is more like a parent to the Church just as God is to humanity.
No comments:
Post a Comment