Visual Theology – Ephesians

The Visual Theology charts are designed to help you see the structure and movement of Scripture. They highlight patterns, contrasts, and developments that are often difficult to hold together when reading line by line.

These charts show the structure of the argument. The accompanying articles develop each part in full.

This approach follows a long tradition of visual teaching in the Church. The well-known charts of Clarence Larkin helped many grasp the broad outline of Scripture. In the same spirit, these charts aim to make visible what the Word of God is revealing.

Charts and teaching notes for the book of Ephesians. Select a chart below to view the image and article.

Chart

Galatians vs. Ephesians: Qualification and Vision

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From the teaching in: EPHESIANS: THE VISION OF BETHEL FOR THE ISRAEL OF GOD (Vol 1: The Foundation of the House)

Ephesians 1:17-22

Galatians vs. Ephesians: Qualification and Vision

Ephesians 1:17-22 -- Vision of Inheritance and Habitation

This chart shows the structure. What follows explains each part.

Ephesians 1:17-22
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.

Galatians and Ephesians: Qualification and Vision

Galatians and Ephesians are complementary, addressing distinct stages in the believer's spiritual journey.

Galatians: The Book of Qualification

Galatians is the book of qualification. It establishes the foundational truths of justification by faith, our position as heirs, and our freedom from the law. Paul dismantles the idea of striving for God's approval, revealing instead that through faith we are fully adopted sons and heirs (Galatians 4:7). This is not about earning a place but receiving an inheritance Christ has secured. We are sons of the promise, not children of the bondwoman (Galatians 4:28).

This justification qualifies us for inheritance. We are under grace, not law. The law, like Hagar, demands what we cannot produce, while the promise is received by faith, typified by Isaac. The justified heir must learn to cease striving in the flesh, represented by the illegitimate Ishmael who must be cast out (Galatians 4:30). The true “Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16) is characterized by new creation, walking in the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) emerges as we rest in our identity as sons.

Galatians is essential preparation, qualifying us to move forward, but it does not unveil the content of the inheritance. For that, we need Ephesians.

Ephesians: The Book of Vision

Ephesians is the book of vision. It is for those who, like Israel, have ceased from their own works and are ready to see God's purpose. It does not focus on justification but addresses those who know their identity and are ready to receive the spirit of wisdom and revelation (Ephesians 1:17-18). This prayer is for enlightened understanding to know "the hope of his calling" and "the riches of the glory of his inheritance." The inheritance is a present vision of God's eternal purpose.

God's purpose is to build up the habitation of God through the Spirit (Ephesians 2:22). This vision lifts our eyes, enabling us to see ourselves as God's fellow workers (1 Corinthians 3:9), collaborators in building His spiritual house.

The Journey from Jacob to Israel

The journey from Galatians to Ephesians mirrors the transformation from Jacob to Israel. As Jacob's vision of Bethel sustained him, the vision of Ephesians sustains and transforms us. Only as unveiled sons and heirs, no longer striving, are we ready to see and participate in God's building. The “Israel of God” is both qualified and visionary—those being built together for God's habitation (Ephesians 2:22).

Thus, the books are in sequence. Galatians qualifies us, establishing justification, heirship, and freedom. Ephesians opens our eyes to the vision of our inheritance and our role in God's eternal purpose. Only those standing in the liberty of sons are able to receive this heavenly vision and participate in building God's house.

Orientation

Many believers remain in a cycle of striving for God's approval, unaware that their standing as heirs is already legally settled in Christ.

Galatians establishes that we are qualified for inheritance by faith, not by works of the law.
Justification is the foundational shift from being a servant under bondage to a son of the promise.
Accepting our position as heirs allows us to cease from fleshly effort and rest in our identity.

Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
— Galatians 4:7

Clarification

The transition from Galatians to Ephesians is not a move toward higher merit, but a move from understanding our qualification to seeing our purpose.

Qualification is a gift received at justification, not a status maintained through progressive sanctification.
The 'fruit of the Spirit' is a natural manifestation of life in the New Creation, not a set of requirements to earn more of God.
The law demands what the flesh cannot produce; the promise provides what only the Spirit can supply.

Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
— Galatians 4:28

Structure

Scriptural logic moves from the legal reality of our sonship in Galatians to the spiritual vision of God's corporate habitation in Ephesians.

Galatians dismantles human striving (typified by Hagar) to establish the believer as a free heir (typified by Isaac).
Ephesians provides the 'spirit of wisdom and revelation' to see the riches of the inheritance we already possess.
This progression mirrors the transformation from a 'Jacob' (striver) to an 'Israel' (one who sees the vision of God's house).

In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
— Ephesians 2:22

Weight-Bearing Prose

The Pauline framework distinguishes between the legal establishment of the heir and the enlightened vision of the inheritance. In Galatians, Paul employs the allegory of Hagar and Sarah to show that the believer is not a child of the bondwoman—subject to the law’s demands—but a child of the free woman. Justification by faith is the definitive act that qualifies the believer for everything God has promised. It is the end of the ‘Jacob’ life of grasping and the beginning of the ‘Israel’ life of standing in grace.

Once the question of qualification is settled, Ephesians shifts the focus toward the Father’s eternal purpose. This is not about personal standing, but about corporate vision. The ‘eyes of your understanding being enlightened’ refers to a capacity to see the Body of Christ as the building of God. We are moved from the concern of ‘Am I accepted?’ to the realization of ‘What is He building?’ The believer is revealed as a fellow-worker in a spiritual habitation, sharing in the exceeding greatness of His power which was first wrought in the resurrection of Christ.

Integration

Your standing as a son and an heir is fixed and certain because it rests entirely on the finished work of Christ. There is no pressure to advance through tiers of holiness to reach the truths of Ephesians; rather, as you rest in the liberty Galatians describes, the Spirit naturally opens your eyes to the grand vision of God’s house.

You are already qualified. You are already an heir. The hope of His calling is not a challenge for you to meet, but a reality for you to behold. In Christ, you are a living stone in His habitation, held by His power and settled in His love.

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These charts are based on the following books:

EPHESIANS: THE VISION OF BETHEL FOR THE ISRAEL OF GOD (Vol 1: The Foundation of the House)

Are you ready to move beyond a surface-level reading of Ephesians into the very heart of God's eternal plan. In The Foundation of the House, author David Benjamin unveils the book of Ephesians not as a mere list of bl...

View Related Book

Ephesians: The Bethel of the Israel of God - Vol 2: Building with Sword in Hand

Volume 2 of the Ephesians commentary: from Ephesians 4:1 onward—the worthy walk as attentiveness, not performance. For the beaten sheep outside the institutional church.