Ephesians

Everyone Bible Study Guides

by N.T. Wright, Lin Johnson (Primary Contributor)

Have you noticed how sometimes you have a story in the back of your mind that keeps coming up, even when you're talking about something else? In Ephesians, throughout its worship, prayers and instructions for living, Paul can't contain his joy and amazement at the larger story of God's plan to save us in Jesus the Messiah. These eleven studies from Tom Wright will help us see the significance of our role in God's grand narrative, and encourage us to live more fully as people who are lavishly loved by God. This guide by Tom Wright can be used on its own or alongside his New Testament for Everyone commentary on Ephesians. It is designed to help you understand Scripture in fresh ways under the guidance of one of the world's leading New Testament scholars. Thoughtful questions, prayer suggestions, and useful background and cultural information all guide you or a group more deeply into God's Word. Discover how you can participate more fully in God's kingdom.

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian, Theology, New Testament, Biblical Studies, Christianity, Spirituality

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

N. T. Wright is the former Bishop of Durham in the Church of England (2003-2010) and one of the world's leading Bible scholars. He is now serving as the chair of New Testament and Early Christianity at the School of Divinity at the University of St. Andrews. He has been featured on ABC News, Dateline NBC, The Colbert Report, and Fresh Air, and he has taught New Testament studies at Cambridge, McGill, and Oxford universities. Wright is the award-winning author of Surprised by Hope, Simply Christian, The Last Word, The Challenge of Jesus, The Meaning of Jesus (coauthored with Marcus Borg), as well as the much heralded series Christian Origins and the Question of God.

He also publishes under Tom Wright.

Reviews

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the other study guides for N. T. Wright's New Testament for Everyone commentaries, this one was very helpful for me in preparing a Bible study with other people from our church. It's not a standalone book--at least the leader of a group will also need the related book by Wright (in this case, Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters, which includes commentary on Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon). Some of the suggested questions seemed a little to obvious or basic for our group, but it's easy enough to modify those or skip them. Each of the 11 studies in this book led to at least an hour of good discussion.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last year I decided to study Ephesians, and I picked up this Bible Study guide because I like Wright's work. This worked well for me as a sort of devotional, although I worked through it extremely slowly, sometimes waiting months between chapters before reading on.

[Bryan Ullrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

II have tried many study aids and found that Wright's materials are better and more in-depth than most. He provides helpful background information that allows readers to gain a deeper understanding of the Scriptures. In his examination of Ephesians, he takes a slow approach because there is so much in that letter that Christians need to understand about living in the Spirit. We have read many of his books and recommend all of his writings for anyone who wants to gain a better understanding of God and His master plan. tried many study aids and have found that Wright's are better/deeper than most. He adds background information that is helpful with getting the most out of the scriptures. He goes slowly through Ephesians because there's so much in that letter that Christians need to know about living in the Spirit. We've read many of his books and recommend all his writings if you really want to get to know God and His master plan better.

[Judi · Rating 5 out of 5]

We used this book in our weekly Bible study group and found it to help us go deeper into our study of the book of Ephesians. As mentioned in a previous review, I also used N. T. Wright's "Paul - The Prison Letters for Everyone (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon) and shared with our group. If you haven't studied Ephesians I recommend a combination of these two books if you are looking for depth.

[Justin Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I walked through this book with a group over the past several months, and it helped to facilitate meaningful and compelling conversations. The content itself is quite sparse, and some of the questions leave much to be desired. The intros and appendix actually have some of the most valuable commentary.

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent little study guide for small groups, for helping people get the most out of Ephesians.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent study guide with questions, brief illustrations. Used for sermon prep.

[Gerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for starters and study groups.

[Steve Penner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wright's studies for groups and individuals are my favorite at this time. He perfectly balances the need to fill in context with short excerpts of his commentaries and asks wonderful questions of both comprehension and application. i would recommend this series, The New Testament for Everyone, to everyone. Moving on to Philippians.

[Larin Payne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful guide through Ephesians, insightful guide for discovery and discussion.