Shout-out to [VERB Indicative] Search for Ephesians 1:3-14

[Abram K-J]

Just a quick shout-out to Accordance (and developers and staff) for a simple but quick search that helps make sense of Ephesians 1:3-14.

 

That passage is one sentence in Greek. More than 200 words. How does a preacher even begin!

Well, to start, I isolated the indicative verbs, which is as simple as typing [VERB Indicative] into the search entry bar. I wanted to start there because I thought indicative verbs (as opposed to the participles) would be the best place to begin breaking down the flow of Paul's argument.

 

Then I cross-highlighted the verbs in an English translation in parallel (though I had done my own translation, too) so I could see them in both languages.

 

From there, you guessed it, a three-point outline emerged, which is shaping my sermon on this beautiful passage. I found the indicative verbs do actually coalesce pretty nicely into three main points.

 

I'm preaching on the passage tomorrow--great stuff, and much more to share, but I wanted to stop and post here to say how helpful even such a simple search (with, of course, instantaneous results) has been to guiding my exegesis and preparation.

 

Here's the image, by the way:

 

[Helen Brown]

Thanks for sharing this, and reminding us that our goal is not just a fancy advanced piece of software, but the end result: bringing the Scripture to the minds and hearts of people.

[Timothy Jenney]

Good, solid technique, Abram. Thanks for sharing it.

[Abram K-J]

You're welcome, and thank you both.

 

To add: one could include imperative verbs in the search, if the effort were to unearth main verbs, but there are not any imperative verbs in Ephesians toward the beginning.

 

I updated my search all the same so it would bring up both indicatives and imperatives, and that search has actually been my starting point each week in exegeting the text I'm preaching from. Using the starting point I mention above has paid even more dividends when researching Ephesians 1:15-23 and Ephesians 2:1-10!

[Timothy Jenney]

I think more exegetical studies should focus on the mood of the verb. Indicatives typically indicate characteristics that already exist, while imperatives are commands to strive for those characteristics. Yet I have often heard ministers habitually turn indicatives into imperatives. "You are" becomes "you should be."

[Abram K-J]

Ephesians is really interesting in this way--though there is overlap between the "two halves" of the book, I do take 4:1 to be a pivot point that highlights the overall structure. It says, "Live a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called." In our bulletins I'm providing a two-point outline which is basically:

 

1. Who you are ("the calling to which you have been called"): chapters 1-3

2. How to live ("Live a life worthy of the calling..."): chapters 4-6

 

There is only one imperative verb in 1:1 to 4:25: "remember" in 2:11. Then there are 40 imperatives at that point, before the book ends! So, to your point, yes--I'm finding lots of wonderful truths to preach from the first dozens of verses of the book, since they're all about who Christians are and who God is. With that as the backdrop of 4:1, Paul's "calling to which you have been called" really packs a wallop, since he's just spent three chapters saying what that calling is. In light of that, and grounded in an "in Christ" identity, the Ephesian churches were ready to hear what to do.