EPHESIANS

FRANK THIELMAN

Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament

© 2010 by Frank Thielman

Published by Baker Academic

a division of Baker Publishing Group

PO Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

www.bakeracademic.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Thielman, Frank.

Ephesians / Frank Thielman.

p. cm. — (Baker exegetical commentary on the New Testament)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-8010-2683-6 (cloth)

1. Bible. N.T. Ephesians—Commentaries. I. Title.

BS2695.53.T45 2010

227′.5077—dc22

2010014152

Scripture quotations labeled ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations labeled NETS are from A New English Translation of the Septuagint, © 2007 by the International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies, Inc. Used by permission of Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations labeled NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

To Abby

Contents

Series Preface

Author’s Preface

Abbreviations

Transliteration

Map

Introduction to Ephesians

I. Prescript and Greeting (1:1–2)

II. Blessing God Who Has Blessed His People in Christ (1:3–14)

A. Praise to God for His Grace in Making Believers His People (1:3–6)

B. Praise to God for His Grace in Redemption and Revelation (1:7–10)

C. Praise to God for Making His People Heirs and Giving Them Hope in Christ (1:11–12)

D. Praise to God for the Conversion and Future Salvation of Paul’s Readers (1:13–14)

III. Thanksgiving for Conversion and Intercession for Understanding (1:15–23)

A. Thanksgiving for Faith and Love, and Intercession for Illumination (1:15–19)

B. God’s Great Power Displayed in Christ and for the Church (1:20–23)

IV. From Children of Wrath to New Creation (2:1–10)

A. Children of Wrath Like All the Rest (2:1–3)

B. Objects of God’s Mercy (2:4–7)

C. The Nature and Consequences of God’s Grace (2:8–10)

V. From Existence without God to Membership in the People of God (2:11–22)

A. The Special Plight of the Gentiles and God’s Response (2:11–13)

B. Christ Is the Believing Community’s Peace (2:14–18)

C. Gentile Christians as an Integral Part of God’s Household (2:19–22)

VI. Paul’s Divinely Given Task and His Suffering for the Gentiles (3:1–13)

A. Paul’s Role in the Administration of the Mystery (3:1–7)

B. How Paul Fulfills His Task (3:8–13)

VII. Paul Prays for His Readers’ Inner Strength and Praises ...