Bosquejo de efesios realizado por Harold W. Hoehner
I. The Calling of the Church (1:1–3:21)
A. Prologue (1:1–2)
B. Praise for God’s Planned Spiritual Blessings (1:3–14)
1. The Provision of Spiritual Blessings (1:3)
2. The Basis of Spiritual Blessings (1:4–14)
a. God’s election for himself (1:4–6)
(1) Activity: Election before creation (1:4)
(2) Cause: Predestination to sonship (1:5)
(3) Goal: Praise of the glory of his grace (1:6)
b. God’s redemption in Christ (1:7–12)
(1) Redemption: Forgiveness of sins (1:7)
(2) Wisdom: Mystery of his will (1:8–10)
(a) Provision (1:8)
(b) Manner (1:9)
(c) Goal (1:10)
(3) Inheritance: Possession of God (1:11)
(4) Goal: Praise of his glory (1:12)
c. God’s seal with the Spirit (1:13–14)
(1) Activity: Sealed with the Spirit (1:13)
(2) Duration: Sealed until redemption (1:14a)
(3) Goal: Praise of his glory (1:14b)
C. Prayer for Wisdom and Revelation (1:15–23)
1. Commendation (1:15–16a)
2. Supplication (1:16b–23)
a. The request for wisdom and revelation (1:16b–18a)
b. The reason for wisdom and revelation (1:18b–23)
(1) What is the hope of his calling (1:18b)
(2) What is the wealth of his glorious inheritance (1:18c)
(3) What is the greatness of his power (1:19–23)
(a) Its magnitude (1:19)
(b) Its manifestation (1:20–23)
(i) He displayed power in Christ (1:20–21)
(aa) In raising Christ from the dead (1:20a)
(bb) In seating Christ in the heavenlies (1:20b–21)
(ii) He subjected everything under Christ’s feet (1:22a)
(iii) He gave Christ to the church as head (1:22b–23)
D. New Position Individually (2:1–10)
1. The Old Condition: Dead to God (2:1–3)
a. Condition described (2:1)
b. Condition delineated (2:2–3)
(1) Walked according to the temporal values of the world (2:2a)
(2) Walked according to the ruler of the power of the air (2:2b)
(3) Lived in the desires of the flesh and mind (2:3)
2. The New Position: Alive in God (2:4–10)
a. Action of God’s Grace (2:4–6)
(1) God made alive (2:4–5)
(2) God raised (2:6a)
(3) God seated (2:6b)
b. Purpose of God’s grace (2:7)
c. Explanation of God’s grace (2:8–10)
(1) Salvation by grace (2:8a)
(2) Salvation not of humans (2:8b–10)
(a) Statement: God’s gift (2:8b–9)
(b) Reason: God’s workmanship (2:10)
(i) Statement: God’s workmanship (2:10a)
(ii) Goal: Created for good works (2:10b)
(iii) Purpose: Walk in good works (2:10c)
E. New Position Corporately (2:11–22)
1. Statement of the Union (2:11–13)
a. Past disunion (2:11–12)
(1) Uncircumcised (2:11)
(2) Unprivileged (2:12)
b. Present union (2:13)
2. Explanation of the Union (2:14–18)
a. Assertion of peace (2:14–16)
(1) Destruction of the wall (2:14a)
(2) Disengagement of the law (2:14b–16)
(a) The fact of the operation (2:14b–15a)
(b) The purpose of the operation (2:15b–16)
(i) To create one new person (2:15b)
(ii) To reconcile both to God (2:16)
b. Announcement of peace (2:17–18)
(1) Content of the message: Peace (2:17)
(2) Result of the message: Access (2:18)
3. Consequence of the Union (2:19–22)
a. Fact: New Relationship (2:19)
b. Cause: New establishment (2:20–22)
(1) The foundation of the building (2:20)
(2) The formation of the building (2:21)
(3) The function of the building (2:22)
F. Parenthetical Expansion of the Mystery (3:1–13)
1. The Introduction (3:1)
2. The Mystery (3:2–6)
a. The administration of God’s grace (3:2)
b. The revelation of the mystery (3:3–5)
(1) The manner of the mystery’s disclosure (3:3)
(2) The ability to understand the mystery (3:4)
(3) The time of the mystery’s disclosure (3:5)
c. The content of the mystery (3:6)
3. The Ministry (3:7–12)
a. The placement into the ministry (3:7–8a)
b. The performance of the ministry (3:8b–9)
(1) To preach the unfathomable wealth of Christ (3:8b)
(2) To enlighten the administration of the mystery (3:9)
c. The purpose of the ministry (3:10–12)
(1) God’s wisdom made known to the angelic rulers (3:10)
(2) God’s purpose accomplished in Christ (3:11)
(3) God’s presence accessible in Christ (3:12)
4. The Injunction (3:13)
G. Prayer for Strengthened Love (3:14–21)
1. The Approach to Prayer (3:14–15)
2. The Appeal in Prayer (3:16–19)
a. Petition stated: to be strengthened in the inner person (3:16–17a)
b. Purpose stated: to comprehend Christ’s love and to be filled with God’s fullness (3:17b–19)
3. The Ascription of Praise (3:20–21)
II. The Conduct of the Church (4:1–6:24)
A. Walk in Unity (4:1–16)
1. The Basis of Unity (4:1–6)
a. Exhortation to unity (4:1–3)
b. Elements of unity (4:4–6)
2. The Preservation of Unity (4:7–16)
a. The donation of the gifts (4:7–10)
(1) Description of the giving of gifts (4:7)
(2) Validation for the giving of gifts (4:8)
(3) Interpretation of the giving of gifts (4:9–10)
b. The distribution of the gifts (4:11–16)
(1) The provision: gifted persons (4:11)
(2) The immediate purpose: prepare for ministry (4:12)
(3) The final goal: attain maturity (4:13)
(4) The ultimate purpose: grow in unity (4:14–16)
(a) For the individuals (4:14–15)
(i) Negatively: Avoiding Instability (4:14)
(ii) Positively: Development (4:15)
(b) For the body (4:16)
B. Walk in Holiness (4:17–32)
1. Presentation of the Old Person (4:17–19)
a. His nature (4:17–18)
b. His practice (4:19)
2. Presentation of the New Person (4:20–32)
a. His position (4:20–24)
(1) The statement of the instruction (4:20–21a)
(2) The nature of the instruction (4:21b)
(3) The content of the instruction (4:22–24)
(a) Put off the old person (4:22)
(b) Be renewed by the spirit (4:23)
(c) Put on the new person (4:24)
b. His practice (4:25–32)
(1) Do not use falsehood but speak truth (4:25)
(2) Do use anger but do not sin (4:26–27)
(3) Do not steal but work to give to needy (4:28)
(4) Do not use corrupt words but edify with words (4:29–30)
(5) Do not be malicious but edify in action (4:31–32)
C. Walk in Love (5:1–6)
1. Positive: Walk in Love (5:1–2)
a. Imitate God (5:1)
b. Walk in love (5:2)
(1) Command: love (5:2a)
(2) Comparison: Christ’s love (5:2b)
2. Negative: Abstain from Evil (5:3–6)
a. Responsibility: Abstain from evil practices (5:3–4)
(1) In conduct (5:3)
(2) In conversation (5:4)
b. Reason: No inheritance for evildoers (5:5–6)
(1) Evildoers have no inheritance in the kingdom of God (5:5)
(2) Evildoers receive the wrath of God (5:6)
D. Walk in Light (5:7–14)
1. Do Not Become Involved with Evildoers (5:7–10)
a. Command: Do not get involved (5:7)
b. Reason: Christians are changed persons (5:8a)
c. Command: Walk as children of light (5:8b–10)
(1) Command to walk as children of light (5:8b)
(2) Characteristics of the fruit of light (5:9)
(3) Confirmation of God’s pleasure (5:10)
2. Do Not Become Involved with Evildoers’ Works (5:11–13)
a. Command: Do not get involved but expose (5:11)
b. Reason: Their works are shameful (5:12)
c. Explanation: Light shows true character of works (5:13)
3. Conclusion: Enlightenment of Christ (5:14)
E. Walk in Wisdom (5:15–6:9)
1. Admonition (5:15–21)
a. Proper action: Walk wisely (5:15–16)
b. Proper state: Become wise (5:17–21)
(1) In thought (5:17)
(a) Negative: Do not become foolish (5:17a)
(b) Positive: Understand the Lord’s will (5:17b)
(2) In life (5:18–21)
(a) Negative: Be not drunk with wine (5:18a)
(b) Positive: Be filled by the Spirit (5:18b–21)
(i) The command (5:18b)
(ii) The consequences (5:19–21)
(aa) Speaking (5:19a)
(bb) Singing (5:19b)
(cc) Thanking (5:20)
(dd) Submitting (5:21)
2. Application (5:22–6:9)
a. Wives and husbands (5:22–33)
(1) Responsibility of wives’ submission (5:22–24)
(a) Imperative: Submit to husbands (5:22)
(b) Reason: Husband is head (5:23)
(c) Illustration: Church’s submission (5:24a)
(d) Application: Wives’ submission (5:24b)
(2) Responsibility of husbands’ love (5:25–32)
(a) Imperative: Love wives (5:25a)
(b) Illustration: Christ’s love (5:25b–27)
(c) Application: Husbands’ love (5:28–32)
(i) Responsibility: Love wives as they love their own bodies (5:28)
(ii) Illustration: One cares for his own flesh (5:29a)
(iii) Illustration: Christ cares for his body (5:29b–30)
(iv) Substantiation: Two are one flesh (5:31)
(v) Conclusion: The mystery is great (5:32)
(3) Responsibilities reviewed (5:33)
b. Children and parents (6:1–4)
(1) Responsibility of children’s obedience (6:1–3)
(a) Imperative: obey parents (6:1a)
(b) Reason: it is right (6:1b)
(c) Motivation: Old Testament command and promise (6:2–3)
(2) Responsibility of fathers’ care (6:4)
(a) Negative: Do not provoke to wrath (6:4a)
(b) Positive: Care for them (6:4b)
c. Servants and masters (6:5–9)
(1) Responsibility of servants’ obedience (6:5–8)
(a) Imperative: obey masters (6:5–7)
(b) Reason: God rewards (6:8)
(2) Responsibility of masters’ treatment (6:9)
(a) Imperative: Forebear threats (6:9a)
(b) Reason: God judges (6:9b)
F. Stand in Warfare (6:10–20)
1. Put on the Armor (6:10–13)
a. What: Be strong in the Lord (6:10)
b. How: Put on God’s armor (6:11a)
c. Why: Stand against the devil’s strategy (6:11b–12)
d. Conclusion: Put on God’s armor in order to stand (6:13)
2. Stand with the Armor (6:14–16)
a. The mandate: Stand (6:14a)
b. The method: Arm (6:14b–16)
(1) The preparation: Girdle of truth (6:14b)
(2) The chest: Breastplate of righteousness (6:14c)
(3) The feet: Gospel of peace (6:15)
(4) The body: Shield of faith (6:16)
3. Receive the Final Pieces of Armor (6:17–20)
a. The mandate: Take (6:17)
(1) The head: Helmet of salvation (6:17a)
(2) The mouth: Sword of the Spirit (6:17b)
b. The method: Care (6:18–20)
(1) Manner: Praying and watching (6:18)
(2) Petitions: For utterance and bold speech (6:19–20)
G. Conclusion (6:21–24)
1. Information (6:21–22)
2. Salutation (6:23)
3. Benediction (6:24)
, Ephesians - An Exegetical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 64–69.