Salutation
Paul is identified
Standard Greek and Hebrew greetings of “grace” and “peace”

Thanksgiving expressed in worship and praise

1:1-3          Christians are the chosen of God
                    Purpose of God’s choice – that they be holy and                     blameless
                    They should be different from other people
                    God adopted Christians as sons into his family
                    Listing of blessings – deliverance, forgiveness of
                    sins, riches of grace
                    Also wisdom and sound sense
                    God has revealed this because of his own will
                    His will was hidden until now
                    But it was His good pleasure now to reveal it in Christ
                    All things will be achieved in good time
                    Everything in heaven and earth will be subsumed
                    under Christ
                    History is the working out of God’s plan; one day all
                    will be one family

1:11-14      Jews and Gentiles
                    Jews were the first to believe in God’s Anointed
                    Their part in the plan of God was to be the nation
                    from whom the chosen would come.
                    Gentiles then received the word of God
                    They were sealed by the Holy Spirit
                    “Seal” indicated its genuineness
                    Experience of the Holy Spirit is a “deposit” on what is
                    yet to come
                    It is the first installment on the Christian’s true                     inheritance

A prayer of intercession
Author gives thanksgiving for all that he has heard about them
He remembers them daily in his prayers
He prays that they might have the Spirit of wisdom and revelation to know God even better
He uses “know” in the sense of increased personal acquaintance
Knowledge is described as man’s enlightenment, hope for the future
The “eyes of their hearts” being enlightened will result in three things:
The hope of his calling -- eternity
The riches of the glory of his inheritance – life with God forever
The greatness of his power – the strength of his might
This power was already demonstrated in God’s raising of Jesus from death
Christ now sits on God’s right hand in heavenly realm
Christ is Lord of all
All things are under his feet 
With Christ at its head, the church is his body
The church is the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

2:1-3            Man is alienated from the life of God – dead in                      trespasses and sins
                     Transgressions (lapses); sins (shortcomings)
                     This is the life of man without God
                     Before they were Christians, they followed the ways
                     of the world
                     They were obedient to the ruler of the kingdom of the                      air (Satan)
                     This was also true of Paul and Jews before they                      became Christians
                      To live as a Gentile was to live according to the                      “cravings of sinful nature”
                      People do whatever they desire and think

2:4-7             Contrast between spiritually dead and those created
                      in Christ
                      Over against man’s sinful nature, God has graciously                       accepted man in Christ
                      God loves the people he has created – has                       compassion for the helpless
                      By grace we have been saved
                      We have been made alive with Christ
                      We are exalted with him in the heavenly realm
                      This was all done so that future generations would                       know the riches of His grace
                      His grace is expressed in kindness toward us

2:8-10          Heart of Paul’s gospel
                      “It is by grace you have been saved – through faith”
                      It is the gift of God, not something we have earned
                      Nor is it by “works,” so that one cannot boast
                      No reason for spiritual pride; grace precludes boasting
                      We are God’s workmanship, created to do good works
                      God has prepared them in advance for us to do

Christ and the unity of church
Believers should no longer think in terms of “Jew/Gentile”
Both are a new creation – Christians

2:11-12        Gentiles are reminded of their previous life –                       uncircumcised
                      At that time, Gentiles were separated from Christ
                      They were foreigners of the covenant, excluded from                       citizenship in Israel 

2:13-18        Gentiles are now in Christ
                      They have been brought near through blood of Christ
                      Jesus is peace, he brings peace through his life
                      Jews and Gentiles are now one people
                      The death of Christ has abolished the law with its
                      rules and regulations
                      Christ has destroyed the dividing wall between
                      nations
                      Does not mean that all moral law was destroyed
                      The broken barrier accomplished by the cross
                      means enmity is now peace
                      Church is like a living body, but exists peacefully as                       one
                      Peace was preached to those far as well as near
                      All now have access to the one God through the one                       Spirit

2:19-22        The new unity
                      So, they are no longer foreigners and aliens
                      They are fellow citizens and members of His                       household
                      Apostles and prophets form the foundation of the                       church
                      Jesus is the chief cornerstone
                      (Argument for authoritative line of tradition;
                      cornerstone is the key)
                      All that is builded up is built together
                      Christians are that holy temple by virtue of being in                       Christ  
                      Gentile Christians have a big part in all of this
                      Believers are God’s building, His temple

3:1                Introduction of Paul, the prisoner for Christ
                      (Those who argue for Pauline authorship have used                       this as evidence of imprisonment)

3:2-13          God commissioned Paul to minister to the Gentiles
                      This was given to him through grace
                      The mystery was made known to him through                       revelation
                      They already know this so they should understand
                      his insight into the mystery of Christ
                      This mystery of Christ was hidden from people of
                      old, but is now revealed
                      The mystery is that through the gospel, Gentiles are                       heirs with Israel
                      All are members of one body
                      They all share in the promise of Christ
                      Paul repeats that he was a servant of Christ through                       God’s grace
                      His strength to do so came from God’s power
                      Paul admits that he was less than the least of all
                      God’s people
                      Yet it was his commission and privilege to preach the                       riches of Christ
                      His commission was to make plain to everyone the                       mystery
                      God used the vehicle of church to make known the                       wisdom of God
                      The church has a cosmic function in God’s plan
                      God had planned to do this from the beginning
                      God had accomplished this through Christ
                      God did this so we could approach Him with
                      freedom and confidence
                      All barriers have been removed
                      Paul asks them not to be discouraged because of
                      his sufferings (imprisonment?)
                      Paul is suffering on their behalf; for their “glory”

3:14-19        Praying for enlightenment; an enraptured supplication
                      Author kneels (expression of deep devotion, humility)                       before the Father
                      The Father is the one after whom the whole family is                       named
                      Prayer draws upon God’s unlimited resources
                      There is no limit to His ability to give
                      God gives out of His glorious riches
                      God prepares the believer through the indwelling of                       Christ in his heart
                      Christ is in the believer’s inmost being
                      Prayer that believers may be rooted and established
                      in love
                      This has happened, but should continue to be part
                      of believers’ lives
                      After requests, author mentions effect that his prayer                       will have on them
                      Prayer includes power to grasp – strength to                       understand
                      Author attempts to show magnitude of Christ’s love
                      There is no concrete way to describe Christ’s love
                      He uses tangible spatial images
                      Yet, Christ’s love is beyond knowledge of it
                      Still, it is one step toward being filled to the measure
                      of God’s fullness

3:20-21        Doxology
                      He appeals to the wealth and understanding of God
                      God can do much more than they could ever imagine
                      Our experience of him will always be limited
                      Christ and the church form the sphere of God’s glory
                      They are the means by which glory is proclaimed to
                      all

Unity of the church
Author invites readers to live the life worthy of their calling
They are part of God’s grand design in the uniting of all things
List of personal attitudes essential for unity in the body of Christ
Includes: humility – seeing another instead of oneself
Gentleness – consideration towards others
Patience – willingness and ability to deal with others courteously
Bearing with one another – as God would
Love – The crowning virtue of them all
They are to make every effort to keep the unity
This unity comes from the Holy Spirit
Peace is what forges the bond of unity
Besides being one in body and Spirit, they are called to one hope
Hope is the goal or inheritance, common to all believers
The church is established by recognition of Christ, the Lord
Rite of baptism unified them all
Unity of God – One God and the Father of all
He is over all, through all, and in all
These represent His transcendence, omnipresence, and immanence                                             

Diversity of the body contributes to its unity
Body is unified but not uniform; everyone has a contribution to offer
Listing of gifts includes what is needed for proper functioning body
Gift is one of grace – apportioned by Christ
Quotes from Psalms celebrating God’s victory over enemies
Says Christ ascended and descended – inclusive of all
He was exalted to highest honor and greatest glory possible
He fills the universe – pervades everything with His presence
It makes Christ accessible to everyone at all times
He made some apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers
There is some overlapping among these functions
As time went on, leadership relied upon sacred writings as opposed to being present with Jesus 
These “gifts” provided for continued leadership for the next generations

Functions of leaders for church unity
First and foremost, they are to prepare God’s people for works of service
They do this so the body of Christ will be built up
Every member, then, must contribute to this process
This “building up” includes unity in the faith and knowledge of Son of God
It also will include personal maturity – in relation to the church
Final stage will be attainment of whole measure of fullness of Christ
Currently, they are like children tossed back and forth by the waves
They are blown here and there by every wind of teaching
They have permitted false teachings and doctrines to sway them
Heretics are chastised for deliberately leading them astray
Church should be characterized by speaking the truth in love
They will live out the truth in the spirit of love
The church will then grow up in him who is the head – Christ
Christ will direct this growth
The body will grow and build, each part doing its share of the work
All growth is interdependent

Appeal to abandon former life; embrace the new
Gentile way of life includes futility of thinking – all is vanity
Life without God is meaningless
Gentiles have darkened minds, are deprived of God’s light and illumination
Life without God leads to ignorance and hardening of hearts
Having lost all sensitivity, they are sensual, indulging in iniquity and lust
Life without God leads to all sorts of immoral behaviour
In contrast, believers know Christ
They were taught the truth that is in Christ
They were taught to put off the old life and put on the new
(Some see reference here to baptism – putting on of new life)
Indeed, they were made new in the attitudes of their minds
In this new creation, they are to be like God in true righteousness and holiness
This continues to be a process even though it is factual

 Virtues and vices associated with old and new life
For every vice to be put off, there is a virtue to be put on
They must put off falsehood and put on truthfulness
Lying is detrimental to Christian community
They much learn to keep anger in check – do not sin
They should not give the devil an opportunity
Unresolved anger leads to sinful actions
The one who steals should stop and begin working
Then they will have something to give to others in need
Ultimate purpose for working is to have something to give away
They should not speak unwholesome talk but only what is helpful
Then they will make a positive contribution to those who listen
Misuse of speech is felt by the Holy Spirit for whom they are “sealed”
Presence of Holy Spirit gives them the ability to clean up their speech
This would include all bitterness, rancor, rage, every form of malice
In contrast, they should be kind and compassionate, forgiving each other
These qualities promote spirit of acceptance, tolerance, patience
They can act with same generosity God has shown to them
They should be imitators of God, live a life of love
They have the example of Christ giving up his life for us
Christian’s life should be expressed in self-giving sacrifice
This is pleasing to God

Living in the light of the Lord
Sensualism and sexual immoralities contradict lives in imitation of God
In place of foolish or shameful talk, they should give thanksgiving
Thanksgiving should be given to God
Those who are immoral, covetous, greedy are idolatrous
Such are excluded from the true inheritance that God has prepared
Those who have sinful nature will not share in the kingdom of God
Teachers who say these things don’t matter are being deceptive
God’s wrath will be on those who are disobedient
Believers are told not to partner with such individuals
They must not participate in such vices
Previously Gentiles were darkness, but now they are in the light of the Lord
Life lived in light is filled with righteousness, truth, goodness
Therefore, they should live as children of light
They are to discover what pleases God
It is not just believing, but also doing what is right
The works of light are fruitful; the works of darkness are fruitless
They should not be participants with darkness
In fact, it is shameful to even talk about it
Everything exposed by the light becomes visible
The power of light not only reveals, but also transforms
Darkness cannot exist where there is light
The Christian should “wake up!” Christ will shine on them
All of this is to encourage the believer to be what they already are
They are to live as wise, not unwise, people, knowing right from wrong
They are to make the most of every opportunity; time is precious
They should praise God through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs
And give thanks for everything – a continual spirit of gratitude
They should submit themselves to each other out of reverence for Christ

The quality of relationship between husband and wife
Marriage relationship reflects relationship between Christ and his church
Wives should submit to husbands “as to the Lord”
Hierarchical language: husband is head of wife as Christ is head of church                   
Marriage is thus compared to marriage of Lamb to his church
Husbands are to love their wives, give themselves up for her
“Love” means to subordinate their own interests, pleasures, wants
Christ gave himself to church to make her holy, cleansing her with water
Possible reference to baptism
Christ was then able to present her without blemish
In like manner, husbands are to love wives as their own bodies
It’s easier to love someone when there is also benefit to ourselves
This is all a mystery, but marriage relationship is like Christ and his church
For this reason, man leaves his home and is united with his wife
Section ends with submission, reverence, love
The result is a deeper understanding of both relationships

Relationship between parents and children
Children are to obey their parents; this is morally right
Children who honour their parents receive a promise of prosperity
Fathers are admonished not to provoke their children
Instead they should train and instruct them in the Lord                        

Relationship between slaves and masters
Slaves are instructed to obey their masters just as they would obey Christ
This is to be done whether they’re being observed or not
If the master is not watching, God is
They should work cheerfully as if they were working for the Lord
Whether slave or free, good work will have its reward
Masters are to treat their slaves in the same manner
God will also reward them
God does not show favoritism

Christian living is a spiritual fight
Christians are to be made strong in the Lord continually
The believer’s equipment is the full amour of God
Everything that is needed is supplied to resist the devil’s schemes
Warfare is also against cosmic powers
Therefore, with God’s full armour, they will withstand the evil day
The devil will have no hold on them
Pieces of armour include belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness
Their feet will be fitted with the gospel of peace
The shield of faith will protect them from flaming arrows of evil
They have the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit
With all this armour, they need to stay alert, keep on praying
This armour is an expression of our dependence upon God
They need to pray for each other, since all are involved in battle
He asks them to pray for him as well that the words may be given him
So that he can freely make known the mystery of the gospel

Final greetings and benediction
This is almost word for word from Colossians
Mention of Tychicus might mean he carried this letter as well
The author ends the letter with a benediction
Peace, love, and grace – a prayer for unity among believers