Unity | Ephesians 1-3

The Apostle Paul wrote passionately and intentionally to inform his readers of the truth and move them to seek out and follow God’s will for their lives.  

In the past, I have read Paul’s letters as if I was reading a letter of my own from summer camp when I was 15! I read the letters he wrote while in prison as if they were written quickly with no real purpose beyond, “Hello.  I’m doing well, despite my circumstances.  Hope you’re doing well too.”  But Paul’s letters were written with great intentionality and structured so that we can grasp his intent and progress with his purpose in writing them.

The chart below is a chiastic view of how Paul organized the first three chapters in Ephesians. This Fall, we will dig into the rich details of these words and apply their truths to our lives.  The chart will help us remember where we are in the context of the whole letter as we study and meditate on small sections within it.

The goal of our time in Ephesians is the same goal that Paul had for his original readers – that we would grow individually and grow together in unity as we mature in our walk with Jesus. This is my hope and my prayer for us all. -- Pastor Doug

(See Part II of this study - Ephesians 4-6)

DOWNLOAD A PDF OF THIS CHART HERE  |  A chiasm, such as the structure above, is a literary device that presents a series of ideas and then repeats them in opposite order – a technique that is widely used throughout scripture. Pastor Doug acknowledges particular appreciation to Tim Mackie’s, Bible Project podcast on Ephesians, and William Larkin’s book, “Ephesians: A Handbook on the Greek Text.”, both of whose insights are reflected in the chart above.

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