Ephesians Lexham Research Commentary Derek R Brown Miles Custis by Derek R. Brown, Miles Custis, Matthew M. Whitehead instant download after payment.

Paul opens the letter to the Ephesians with a celebration of God’s blessings: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph 1:3). In many ways this single sentence summarizes the message of Paul’s letter: God is to be praised for His work in Christ which, by God’s grace, is “for us.” The structure of the letter, which divides the content of Ephesians into halves, reflects the central theme. In Ephesians 1–3 Paul discusses—through thanksgiving, prayer, and explanation—God’s cosmic work of reconciliation in Christ, and in Eph 4–6 he explicates how believers ought to respond to God’s work in Christ, living a life characterized by unity, peace, and being filled with the Spirit.