Introduction to Paul's Letter to the Ephesians

EPHESIANS AT A GLANCE

Salvation is a wonderful thing and sometimes words fail us when we try to describe all that God has done for us in Christ.  I looked up the word "salvation" in a Bible dictionary and it defined the term by concepts such as rescue, deliverance, liberation, security, safety, soundness, forgiveness, restoration, healing, prosperity, and well-being.  Yet somehow, I don't think that even these words capture the full essence of all that we have in Jesus Christ.  These words are only the beginning!  I like to define the term salvation as the "state of being spiritually rich in Christ."  The Book of the Bible that does a tremendous job of cataloguing many of the spiritual blessings (or spiritual riches) that believers have in Christ is Paul's Letter to the Ephesians.

Author
Tradition ascribes Ephesians to the Apostle Paul.  Some scholars speculate that Luke, Timothy, Tychicus, or another of Paul's associates may have written the letter.  However, I believe that Pauline authorship of Ephesians is more than plausible for several reasons:

1. The letter itself identifies its author as Paul and contains several personal references to the apostle and his current situation (see 1:1; 3:1;  and 4:1).
2. The Early Church consistently regarded Ephesians as a genuine work of Paul.  It was not until the eighteenth century that some scholars questioned Pauline authorship of the letter.
3. Ephesians is structurally and theologically consistent with Paul's other writings.
4. The letter is a literary masterpiece.  Could anyone other than Paul have written it?

For these and other reasons, I believe that the traditional view that Ephesians was written by the Apostle Paul is the preferred one.

Recipients
It is possible that Paul's letter was not designed for just one congregation.  The phrase "in Ephesus" in Ephesians 1:1 does not appear in some of the earliest Greek manuscripts of the New Testament.  Therefore, it may be the case that Paul's letter was a general one and was to be circulated among several cities with the appropriate city's name inserted.  One piece of evidence for this theory is that the letter contains no specific exhortations or personal greetings.  If the theory is indeed correct, then the letter probably became associated with Ephesus because of the city's prominence in the ancient world.

Background
Ephesus was a principal port city in what is now Modern Turkey.  It was probably second only to Rome in terms of stature.  Acts chapters 18-20 chronicle Paul's ministry in Ephesus, which began around A.D. 55 and lasted for about three years.

Date
A.D. 60-61.  This date is based on the view that Paul wrote Ephesians while he was imprisoned in Rome.  Those who refute Pauline authorship of the letter typically argue for a later date.

Occasion
While imprisoned in Rome (see Acts 28:16, 30-31), Paul wrote the so-called "Prison Epistles," which are: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.  It seems that after Paul wrote Colossians, which describes the role of Christ as Lord over the cosmos, he was then inspired to explore the deeper implications of Christ's Lordship for the Body of Christ.

Theme
The Church as the Body of Christ.  Concerning the Church:

• It is mentioned nine times (1:22, 3:10, 21, 5:23, 24, 25, 27, 29, 32).
• It is described biologically as the Body of Christ, architecturally as a Holy Temple, and socially as the Bride of Christ.
• The Church is universal rather than local.  It consists of all who have been saved.
• The Church (body) and its head (Christ) are united and interdependent.

Message
The Letter to the Ephesians consists of two sections. The first section is about the believer's position in Christ.  The second section is about the conduct of believers in the world.  Ephesians 2:10 sums up the entire book, "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

OUTLINE OF EPHESIANS

GREETING (1:1-2)

I. THE BELIEVER'S POSITION IN CHRIST (1:3-3:21)

A. The Believer's Spiritual Blessings in Christ (1:3-14)

1. Chosen by the Father (1:3-6)
2. Redeemed by the Son (1:7-12)
3. Sealed by the Holy Spirit (1:13-14)

* Intercessory Prayer for Divine Wisdom and Enlightenment (1:15-23)

B. The Church-the Body of Christ (2:1-3:21)

1. 1. 1. Raised to New Life in Christ and Seated with Him in Heavenly Places (2:1-10)
      2. Reconciliation between Jews and Gentiles (2:11-22)
      3. The Mystery of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (3:1-13)

* Intercessory Prayer for Spiritual Strength (3:14-21)

II. THE BELIEVER'S CONDUCT IN THE WORLD (4:1-6:20)

A. Walking in Unity with other Believers (4:1-16)
B. Walking in Purity (4:17-5:20)

1. Putting off the Old Man and 2. Putting on the New Man (4:17-32)
3. Walking in Love (5:1-7)
4. Walking in the Light (5:8-14)
5. Walking in Wisdom (5:15-20)

C. Godly Submission in Relationships (5:21-6:9)

1. 1. 1. Husbands and Wives (5:21-33)
      2. Parents and Children (6:1-4)
      3. Masters and Bondservants (6:5-9)

D. The Warfare of the Christian (6:10-20)

CONCLUSION (6:21-24)

CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER SUMMARY OF EPHESIANS

Paul's Letter to the Ephesians will help believers to gain a clearer understanding of the wonderful salvation that we have in Jesus Christ.  Salvation can be defined simply as "the state of being spiritually rich in Christ" (see Ephesians 1:18).  From chapter one's catalog of our wonderful spiritual blessings to chapter six's listing of the full armor of God, and everywhere in between, Ephesians overwhelms us with its account of the riches of God's glorious grace revealed to us in salvation.

In chapter one, we learn that salvation is a part of God's master plan, decreed before the foundation (or creation) of the world.  The entire Trinity is involved in the process.  The Father chooses and predestines us.  The Son redeems and forgives us.  The Holy Spirit indwells and seals us.  Also, in chapter one, Paul describes the tremendous authority and power of the Lord Jesus Christ evidenced in his being raised from the dead and seated at the right hand of the Father far above every rule, authority, power, and dominion.  What is so wonderful and mind-blowing is that this same resurrection and ascension power works within the Body of Christ.  The Holy Spirit effects the power of God within believers and applies to our lives the benefits of God's salvation.

In chapter two, Paul elaborates further on the wonderful salvation that we have.  We have been freed from the power of sin, reconciled to God and saved unto good works through the grace of God in Christ.  Furthermore, we have been raised to new life in Christ and we are seated in heavenly places in him, far above the very principalities and powers that he defeated at Calvary.  Not only have we been reconciled to God, but we also have been reconciled to one another.  And Christ has erased all distinctions among us.  In Christ there are no second-class citizens.  All are joined in one body, the church, through the Spirit of God to become a dwelling place of God.

Chapter 3 speaks of the "mystery" of God.  The mystery is the unfolding of the full purposes of God in Christ revealed to us in the proclamation of the gospel.  A significant aspect of this proclamation is that Jewish and Gentile Christians are fellow-heirs to God's inheritance, joint-members of the one body of Christ, and fellow-partakers of the promise of Christ in the gospel. And this mystery is now been revealed through the church, even as Paul has revealed it to the church.  The church is like a mirror in which the principalities and powers see the glory of God.

 

 

 

Because God has blessed Christians so richly, we must "walk in a manner worthy of our calling."  The Christian walk is then described in Ephesians 4:1-6:9.  The walk is a holy and righteous one in which Christians imitate God and demonstrate agape love to our brothers and sisters in Christ.  According to Ephesians 5: 1, 2 such a walk is pleasing to God.

One definition of salvation is "rescue from danger."  This definition reminds us that we will face many dangers in our Christian walk.  In fact, we are at war with the forces of hell.  As unbelievers, we were under the power and control of Satan.  We were children of disobedience.  But when we came to faith in Christ by His grace, we were delivered from Satan's "kingdom of darkness" and made citizens in the "kingdom of light."  Now as children of light, we are targets of the enemy and he seeks to destroy us at every turn.

The wiles and stratagems of the devil are vast.  The enemy attacks us by sowing seeds of division among Christians, so Paul warns us to walk in unity with other believers.  The enemy assaults our minds with ungodly thoughts, so we must put off the old self of sin and corruption and put on the new self of holiness and righteousness.  The enemy entices us with immorality and impurity, so we must walk in purity, walk in the light and walk in wisdom by allowing the Holy Spirit to control our thoughts and our actions.  The enemy also attacks our relationships: husbands and wives, parents and children, employers and employees.  Therefore, we must learn to walk in harmony with others by cultivating attitudes of submission and humility.

On this week we will complete our teaching on spiritual warfare by discussing the six pieces of armor that Paul lists in the final chapter of the book.  As we will see, to put on this armor requires both prayer and an appropriation of the truth that Paul has already mentioned earlier in Ephesians.  Let us read Ephesians 6:10-20 once again from the New International Version: