the book of Isaiah. The warfare described is not the battle of the individual Christian for his own salvation, but the greater conflict in which Christ leads His forces against the enemy, the war of the Gospel against the powers which keep mankind in slavery. But individual Christians are the soldiers in this war, and the armour mentioned is such as individual Christians must put on.
The sentences with which the Epistle closes,the mention and commendation of the messenger who was to carry it, and the usual benedictory prayer,remind us that this was a
bona=
fide
pastoral letter, addressed to Christians, who looked up to St Paul as their teacher. (Llewelyn Davies,
Introduction to the Ephesians
, p. 25.)
XII. PLAN OF THE EPISTLE.
A. THE CHRISTIAN DISPENSATION. THE UNITY AND UNIVERSALITY OF THE CHURCH, ETERNAL FACTS NOW AT LAST REVEALED (Eph. 1-3).
SALUTATION (1:1, 2).
I. A HYMN OF PRAISE TO GOD FOR THE REDEMPTION AND CONSUMMATION OF THINGS CREATED IN CHRIST (1:3-14).
1. The work of the Divine love: the fulness of the Divine blessing realised in Christ (vs. 3).
2. The bestowal of the blessing (4-14) ( a ) wrought out before time in the eternal order according to the Divine ( b ) and realised in time in spite of man's fall (7-14).
II. THANKSGIVING FOR FAITH REALISED: PRAYER FOR DEEPER KNOWLEDGE: GENERAL EXPOSITION OF THE WORK OF CHRIST FOR MEN (1:15-2:22).
1. Thanksgiving for the faith of the Ephesians (1:15, 16 a).
2. Prayer for their fuller enlightenment (1:16b-21).
3. The work of God for men in Christ,overcoming personal disqualifications (1:22-2:10).
4. Union of Jews and Gentiles in one Divine Body (2:11-22).
III. THE GRANDEUR OF THE REVELATION MADE TO ST PAUL. PRAYER FOR FULLER UNDERSTANDING IN THOSE WHO RECEIVE IT (3).
1. Revelation to St Paul of the central truth, or mystery, of the universality of the Gospel (1-13).
2. Prayer that those who receive it may be enabled to apprehend its lessons (14-19).
Doxology (20, 21).
B. THE CHRISTIAN LIFE (4:1-6:20).
I. THE GROUND, THE GROWTH, THE CHARACTER OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE (4:1-24).
1. The correspondence of life and faith (1-3).
2. The unity and harmonious growth of the Christian Society, that Body of which Christ is the Head (4-16).
idea (4-6),